Zapped by an Apple | An Appledash College AU Fanfic | Human Characters

⓵ 『 The Note 』

"Uh AJ? You left your notes from Health class on the desk..." Rain (Rainbowdash) remarked awkwardly as she approached the taller lass. AJ felt the wind from her heavy braid brush her back as she swivelled quickly to face her friend, face burning red with anxiety. 

     It wasn't like the cowgirl to get all flustered like this--not for any reason, not for anyone, and certainly not over a small stack of lecture notes. Rain wondered what about her comment could have solicited such a reaction from the usually even-keeled woman. The shorter jock fidgeted with the straps of her backpack and decided suddenly that she needed to dive deeper into the pages in her hands, but AJ was quicker. The farm girl swiftly clutched the stack and her panicked expression was soon painted over with a look of triumph. Just seconds before the paper reached AJ's chest, Rain's own name caught her hazel gaze.

     "Hey!! Wait, one of those is mine!!" Rain protested, failing to account for the opposing truth of the close-knit lettering and small spacing that was so unmistakably AJ. That handwriting was certainly not Rain's, but AJ's quick movements jumbled the print together so that she couldn't tell for sure. 

     AJ took a moment to study her work before asserting, "Are not. They're all mine Dashie." Rain blushed at the use of her nickname. It was rare for her to hear that tagline in any environment that wasn't soccer practice. Rain was fast, arguably the fastest athlete at Earthquest College. So her teammates had all joked that because of the multifarious rainbow trinkets she plastered across her attire, her lightning speed sent 'dashes' of colour across the field; hence the nickname "Rainbow Dash" or "Dashie" for short. But, though AJ was not on Earthquest's soccer team, she seemed to find an odd humour in adopting the use of the bynames as well. 

     "They are!! I swear I saw my name on one of them." Rain reached out but was promptly blocked by AJ's larger palm, and the freckled woman released a chuckle. "I'm tellin' ya Rain, these are all hand written by yours truly." 

     "You swear?" Rain pouted, glaring into AJ's green irises. 

     "When have I ever told a lie?" She responded. And Rain had to admit, she was right. The cowgirl had a harder time lying than she would have had holding her breath for 20 minutes straight under a 400-degree pool. The young jock was about to accept defeat and agree that she had to have been mistaken for what she saw, but her pride ballooned and she casted the thought aside. She decided to object further, "Then why was my name--"

     "AJ!!! Rain!!!" an unforgettable high-pitched voice squealed from the other end of the hallway. Both girls turned their attention towards the echoing sound as it earned backward glances from the public that also occupied the narrow tunnel between classes. The fluffy pink afro demanded the eyes of all who crossed her as she bounded towards her two friends. As she drew closer, the song Space Girl by Frances Forever muffled through the overloud earbud that hung down over her collarbone. 

     "Howdy Piper (Pinkie)," AJ greeted her. "AJ--" Rain started again, but the conversation was heading elsewhere whether the prideful athlete liked it or not. Piper embraced the two in a big squeeze, crushing them with her overabundant love. 

     "I missed you so so so so much!!! Like a billion much!!" the pink-haired student beamed wide, and Rain was the first to push away from the hug, feeling claustrophobic to any touch that lasted longer than five seconds, "That's not even-" "Just go with it darling," Rachel (Rarity) approached the trio alongside the rest of the friend group; Fae (Fluttershy) and Tiana (Twilight). 

     "How was everyone's reading week?" Fae asked in a gentle voice. Surprisingly, the fanatical Piper actually heard the quiet voice over her blasting tunes and was (less surprisingly) the first to respond. "AHHH Where do I even start? You will NEVER believe what I saw during my reading week..." she prompted. Once the silence became too unbearable for Rain, she impatiently demanded, "Well, what was it?!" 

     Piper's lips pressed inward into a cheeky grin, "A CLOWN. His name was Mr. Flam-Flim, and AJ, you're gonna love this--he wore a COWBOY HAT. What kind of clown wears a cowboy hat?!" 

     "I don't like clowns..." Fae shuttered.

     "Nobody likes clowns," Tiana remarked and then added, "...except Pie." Piper beamed at Tiana's use of her beloved nickname. If anyone danced so effortlessly into their side-callings, it was Piper. She loved nicknames just as much as she loved throwing parties--and she loved throwing parties more than anything. 

      AJ slipped her dark-umber corduroy backpack over her left shoulder and shoved her notes inside as the conversation continued. Rain eyed her through her peripheral but attempted to keep her focus on the conversation. It was only a few pieces of paper. She had more important things to worry about! So why did it itch at her so much? She hadn't a clue. Come to think of it, everything AJ did itched at her. Much more than it should...

     "I did try to design a clown-themed line of dresses one time for one of Piper's festivals, but that didn't go well at all," Rachel joked. The entire group giggled, recalling the hysterical event. "I remember. I had to coax poor Opal out of your tree in the front yard because the masks you made to pair startled her so much," Fae smiled. 

     "Oh that cat will be the death of me! She really only listens to you, I don't have any idea why she wouldn't come down for me," remarked Rachel. Fae's smile grew slightly, "I'm told I'm good with cats." 

     Piper butted in, "Fae, you're good with ALL animals!" 

     Tiana glanced down at her phone and was evidently struck with a sudden jab of panic, "Oh gosh, girls, I have to get to Chemistry Club! See you later," she spoke, and then sped-walked like mad.    

     "Chemistry club." AJ snickered to Rain, to which the sporty-lass responded by punting her playfully on the shoulder and adding, "Egghead club." 

     "Rain, dear, don't you have some kind of sports...club of your own to attend too?" Rachel queried with a tinge of concern. Rain's eyes widened and her fingers curled into fists. "Shit!" She had spent so much time thinking about AJ's stupid notes and engaging in small talk that she'd nearly forgotten about her own prior engagements. 

     Rain tripped over herself, but AJ caught her by her underarm and stifled another obnoxious laugh as her clumsy athlete-friend regained her balance. 

     "Walkmuch," the freckled farm-girl teased, and the others smiled. Rain scowled, smirked, and then dashed down the halls, her sneakers squeaking across the tile floor. She stopped briefly to holler over her shoulder, "...and it's not a 'club', it's a team!" She couldn't help herself. She grinned at the girls and locked eyes with AJ one last time before turning the other corner and heading to practice. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: 

Hi all! slothy here, just wanted to pop in and say thanks for stopping by! If you're enjoying this fic so far, it would mean a ton if you could leave a vote or a comment here or there. ^^  Thank you lovelies <333