An Inconvenient Attachment // Appledash

chapter 77

also we gon ignore the fact ive skipped over like rollarcoaster of friendship and mirror, movie, magic blah blah LMAO 

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The next day, Applejack didn't know why, but things were more tense with her girlfriend and they found eachother having disagreements more often than they usually would, even over stupid things such as at the buffet, competing over the correct way to pronounce 'nicoise salad'. While they started the morning in their shared room with a smile and listening to music as they quickly got ready to meet their friends, it went downhill with every minute that passed. 

The others assumed some tension may have been stemming from the internalised emotions Rainbow had been feeling from having to take care of the girl for the whole time they were above deck, however, when they would offer to alternate spending time with AJ below, she'd refuse and say she was fine with doing it. Since they couldn't add much to the troubles their relationship was facing, only seeing a portion of what conversations happen behind closed doors, they eventually gave up and decided silently they'd let the two figure out their own issues personally, as most lasting relationships deem necessary anyway. 

"AJ, I know you're not feeling well, but we did promise the cruise manager we'd perform at the deck dinner tonight so we need to practice. Can you just keep it in just for one song at least?" Rainbow demanded as she tried to keep a calm tone but her furrowed eyebrows and plosive 't' on her last word said otherwise. 

"Rainbow, it's my first time on a boat and I'm getting used to it, I just want more time to overcome the queasiness before we stand up here later. I need to sit down..." Applejack muttered in response, getting fed up with the girls complaints about her illness but also avoiding bringing her friends into it, as if she were to argue back about how she wouldn't choose a boat trip if it were up to her, it would make Twilight feel bad. 

"Okay fine, you can take five minutes but we need to get as much practice in as we can now since we don't know what may come in our way today," Dash shot back as she brought up another point from yesterdays fantastical mind.

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked her as she cocked her head at her perplexingly, "We're in the middle of the ocean, what's going to stop us from practicing?" 

"Um, I don't know, maybe a massive sea octopus or kraken? If that were to happen, we can defeat with our awesome rainbow lasers, if we get to practice it enough," Rainbow emphasised the 'if' as she looked over her shoulder at Applejack who had slumped against the back wall of the stage and slid down it to rest her exhausted form. Her eyes were piercing straight through her which forced Dash to realise she wasn't being the best girlfriend even though she was fully distraught and felt punched in the gut by that girl last night. 

"Rainbow...I think you need to be a bit nicer to-" Sunset began to advise softly so the others would not hear, but instead of listening, she waved her hand infront of the girl and cut her off with, "Yeah, I know," as she took a deep breath in and walked over to her sick partner with some regret. 

Taking her guitar off from it's strap around her upper body, she slung it to the side, resting it against Pinkie's drums as she decided to sit next to her partner who's gaze had not left her once when she was arriving. Curling her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees, she tried to form a sort of apology, but what her heart really wanted to say kept interfering. 

"Hey AJ, listen, I'm sorry. I haven't been very nice to you today, and instead I've been obsessed with this whole magic, looking-for-danger-everywhere kind of thing when I really should be taking care of-"

"Yeah, your kind of ruining the trip for everyone..." Applejack replied saltily yet with some joking intention as to keep it light. Some of her statements tone was being passive aggressive as the other had not properly communicated for the whole morning and early afternoon about what was surely bothering her, yet Rainbow took this negatively immediately, someone must have been feeling a little delicate.