#impulse-applejack

[spoonmoment119]

new mane six just dropped

[littlesmokesceenfan]

I love how Rainbow Dash just assume that Twilight is a spy just because she knows about Nightmare Moon and progress to interrogate her before Applejack step in. This show is so freaking silly I love it and I miss these characters so much.

[otterloreart]

I only have this lemon hair in addition to the black hair. My impulse control is low and im considering making this takara into applejack…

[bear-boi-5]

The Apple Core Plague

TW: Blood

Impulsively made an MLP infection AU

Basically, a weird rabbit bit Applejack while she was moving the lil lad out of the way. She didn't think much of it and kept working. Pretty much over night she became ill

Might work on this further, I need to cook a bit more but I have some ideas :3

[thatsnotfriendship]

yeah, I count the Last Roundup as an AppleDash episode because the subtext IS there.

"wydm Applejack's not coming back, she loves me Ponyville!"

OKAY IMMA CRY TOO - NOT AGAIN. I love the Apples sooo much. Best characters fr.

And while it's not out of her character to do so, she seems to take a LOT of the action (to getting AJ back) first. Like, 75% of it. Not to discredit everypony else, RD is just loud about it and action-driven.

Here's another thing: Rainbow Dash never stops trying to get back AJ. And when she does, it's during sleep and she's worried when she's not watching her.

She's the only skeptical one. Knows her gf best!

But also, people tend to act this way when they think something's too good to be true. RD knows something's up.

Again, never she stops trying.

BUT SHE WAS GONNA RUN OVER A BUNNY?!

"Rainbow! Go back!"

"No time!"

(Don't understand why they didn't go back after, probably for comedic effect lol).

The Element of LoyaltyTM, everypony. (Also, AJ did lie, saying she would come to breakfast and tell. She didn't, but she could've said "I didn't specify which breakfast,").

Twi's face going from :) in pic one to :0 in pic 2.

Got her. Rainbow looks so satisfied with herself.

ADHD, which Dash may have (see Testing, Testing 1 2 3 for e.g), is often shown through impulsivity and heightened anxiety. I wouldn't call it straight up anxiety when Rainbow's being all skeptical, but it's definitely something similar. She's worried. Not all that AppleDash-y, just a little thing I liked.

Unrelated note: Bon Bon/Sweetie Drops is at all the group scenes, like the party and train station twice. Everyone else is a Mane6 character or an Apple - so I do wonder about the Bon Bon lore🤔...

Bonus: And this is what happens when you abandon your destiny. Your CM really does disappear :(

[bat2pony]

Y'all I fumbled on a thrift store find. I rarely buy my pony toys new- I usually find them second hand and impulsively purchase them, because it's harder to resist when they're right in front of me. So I found this one set of Meet the Main 6 at a second-hand store. They were $5 a piece. $5 a piece for second hand toys should've been the first red flag 🚩BUT THEY WERE RIGHT THERE AND SO CUTE So I paid $30 for the whole set. Today I found the exact same set brand new online for $27. So $3 cheaper (meh not a big deal) but they were BRAND NEW. Verses my Applejack who has suspicious red stains on her 🙁

But alas, I will likely make this mistake again in the future because there's something much more satisfying about buying my ponies irl instead of online. Here's a pic of the mentioned set ⬇️

[princess-of-the-corner]

How do you think each of the Rainbooms are like when in a drunk state?

ohohoho

Sunset - No volume control.

Pinkie - Double. Everything. any filter or impulse control she has is GONE.

Twilight - Surprisingly normal

Rarity - Rarely gets properly drunk but is the giggly one

Applejack - You really can't tell she's drunk at all until she's really trashed at which point she will walk into a wall.

Dash - also no volume control and even more ready to challenge others

Fluttershy - first to pass out

[kindheart525]

APRIL FOOLS!

Although I have two next gen projects well underway, I’m always coming up with new ideas for stories or tropes to explore, and some of them don’t fit in my existing projects. I know this may seem impulsive, but I’ve actually been planning this privately since November so it isn’t at all. I am proud to introduce my fourth next gen project, which for now I’m calling the Fourthverse!

*****

Twilight Sparkle is a proud single mom to two adorable twin fillies! They’re as close as can be, joined at the hip on all levels except physical. They finish each other’s sentences to the point where they almost look like they’re speaking in unison, they follow each other everywhere to the point where they’re absolutely never apart, down to sleeping together…not that anyone’s seen them sleep. Who’s the sire? Where are they? Did anypony even see Twilight pregnant? Twilight wishes ponies would stop asking all these questions, and she’s tired of seeing even her closest friends avoid eye contact with her beautiful creations…I mean children. They were created completely naturally and ethically, I promise!

Fluttershy may be good with animals, but that doesn’t mean she’s good with children. This is a lesson she learned years ago when caring her her friends’ sisters, but she forgot about it by the time she decided to have a child of her own and insisted it would be easy. If she can wrestle a bear, she can put a foal to sleep! Well, that logic obviously proved itself wrong as parenting turned out to be far more than Fluttershy was prepared for. Somewhere along the line she lost her mind, completely giving up on motherhood and throwing herself back into her role as an animal caretaker. She throws a birthday party for each and every one of her bajillion pets, all the while forgetting to care for her own foal, let alone celebrate the day she became a mother.

Pinkie Pie wants to make every foal smile, but once she had her own, she had to learn that life wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There’s a lot of responsibility just to keep them alive. She may have figured it out for babysitting the Cake twins on occasion, but with her own foals there wasn’t a single break from responsibility. Eventually she realized that a lot of things about her own lifestyle were not suitable for raising a foal. Constant fun, constant sugar, constant energy…it was not the key to a balanced upbringing. But her parenting style became unbalanced in the opposite direction where she now gives her kids a life of constant boredom and no sweets at all. Pinkamena makes her own parents look like party clowns. It’s not the life she likes, but at least her family is safe and healthy.

Rainbow Dash is the menace of Equestria…or an icon, depending on how you want to look at it. No adult female of any species can resist her electrifying energy, the deep allure of desire that she invokes just by her mere existence. Wives have left husbands, heads of state have caused scandals, all for just a chance to taste the rainbow. Citizens are divided over whether this world savior is really a benefit to society anymore. If she still deserves to be called the Element of Loyalty. Well, to that she would say, she’s not the one encouraging creatures to betray her vows for her. She’s not making any promises she would break. They just stick to her like magnets without her even having to do anything; she can’t help being this awesome and irresistible. One thing’s for sure: she is contributing to a whole lot of population growth. This is only a fraction of it.

Applejack has fallen head over hooves for a very special stallion! Blank Sheet, a paper company executive, is the apple of her eye and nopony can convince her that he isn’t the one. Family members ask how she fell for a stallion that isn’t even a farmer, isn’t farming the core of her very being? Well, paper is made of trees so it still counts, darn it! He ain’t much into music, or athletics, or even really a conversationalist. He doesn’t smile a whole lot, if he ever has. He isn’t really a family stallion either…does he even have a family? But consarnit, Blank Sheet really does have a fascinatin’ personality once ya get to know him! It’s just that nopony but her can see it. AJ may be fighting for her life at the Friendship Council meetings every time she speaks of him, but there is no doubt in her mind that he’ll make a fine Apple one day.

Rarity feels as if the universe has put a curse upon her. All she wants is to settle down and raise a family with a good and generous stallion, but it’s like the universe pulls the rug out from under her every time she gets close to that goal. Each time she thinks she has met the love of her life, he dies tragically in some ridiculous and unbelievable way. Lost in the Everfree Forest, fallen into a pit of lava, even crushed by an anvil falling from the sky! One even died from a sprained ankle for some Celestia-foresaken reason. Rarity can never feel too safe, as tragedy can strike anywhere from early in the relationship to over a year into marriage. This poor stallion met his demise in the jaws of a bugbear, leaving Rarity to raise yet another foal alone among the many others her lost lovers have given her. Will she ever get a break?

*****

I’m really excited to start this project and introduce you all to the kids in between Auraverse and Thirdverse work. I’m excited for those verses as well ofc but I’m starting to think these are some of my best ideas yet!

[hazey-moonlight]

Name: Fiora Rosenote

Gender: Mare

Age: Adult

Bio: Fiora Rosenote is an Earth pony who calls Ponyville home, renowned for her hot fuchsia coat and vibrant orange hair. From a young age, she has been a symbol of positivity and cheer in the Ponyville community, known for her radiant presence.

More about her undercut~

Cutie Mark: Fiora's cutie mark is a dandelion with its seeds caught in a gentle breeze, transforming into music notes as they scatter. This unique design perfectly represents her harmonious resonance abilities and her deep connection to nature and music. It showcases her nurturing and growth-inducing talents as well as her passion for creating harmonious melodies that resonate with the world around her.

Special Talent: Vibrational Resonance and Topiary Sculptor Fiora's extraordinary abilities combine her innate understanding of vibrations with her Earth pony heritage, creating a dynamic set of talents. She is sensitive to the vibrations in the earth, able to create harmonious frequencies, and possesses the unique ability to shape and sculpt living plants into intricate topiaries. Her talents also include accelerating plant growth, promoting healing, and offering emotional harmony to those around her.

Special Talent: Vibrational Resonance and Topiary Sculptor Fiora's extraordinary abilities combine her innate understanding of vibrations with her Earth pony heritage, creating a dynamic set of talents:

Sensitivity to Vibrations: Fiora has a heightened sensitivity to the vibrations and energies in the earth, allowing her to perceive and understand the natural rhythms and frequencies of the world around her.

Harmonious Frequencies: Her Earth pony heritage enhances her ability to create harmonious frequencies. She can generate these harmonious vibrations through her voice, hoofstomps, or specialized musical instruments, amplifying their potency.

Topiary Sculptor: Fiora's unique twist on her talents lies in her ability to use her vibrational resonance to shape and sculpt living plants into intricate topiaries. She can guide the growth of plants with precision, turning them into living works of art that reflect her artistic expression and deep bond with the plant world.

Accelerated Plant Growth: Fiora's harmonious frequencies stimulate the rapid growth of plants, making her an invaluable asset to local farmers and gardeners who seek her assistance in achieving bountiful harvests and flourishing gardens.

Healing and Structural Repair: Her vibrations can promote healing in injured or sick ponies, as well as mending damaged structures. By matching the resonant frequencies with the body or materials, she accelerates the healing process and reinforces the stability of structures.

Emotional Harmony: Fiora's harmonious abilities also extend to creating emotional calm and uplifting the spirits of those around her, providing comfort and harmony in times of distress.

Personality: Fiora is a beacon of positivity and cheer, known for her exuberance, optimism, and genuine love for beauty and vibrancy. Her outgoing nature and radiant personality make her a beloved figure in Ponyville. She can be overenthusiastic at times, leading to impulsive decision-making, but she always approaches life with trust and an open heart.

Friendship with Applejack: Fiora's connection with the earth and her passion for farming and agriculture naturally drew her to Applejack, a hardworking and down-to-earth pony. Their friendship blossomed through their shared love for the land and a mutual appreciation for the beauty that can be found in both nature and hard work. Together, they embark on various farming and gardening projects, ensuring that Ponyville remains a vibrant and fruitful place for all.

Additional Personality Traits: Fiora is known for her generosity and her willingness to lend a helping hoof to those in need. She's an excellent problem solver, using her harmonious frequencies and topiary skills to tackle challenges creatively. Her love for music and the beauty of the natural world often inspires her to organize garden parties and outdoor musical events for the community.

Fiora Radiancebloom Rosenote's harmonious nature, vibrational resonance talents, and topiary artistry make her a cherished and invaluable member of the Ponyville community. She brings beauty and positivity to the world around her while embracing her earth pony roots as a caretaker of the land and a creator of living art.

base lambrotbases

[frostedsketches]

Introducing FINALLY, the complete mane cast of my MLP Next Gen, the Hopes'nDreamsVerse!

From left to right we've got tallest to shortest, it's a height chart after all: Honeycrisp is the pessimistic, stoic son of Applejack and Double Diamond. Scarlet Rosebud is the happy-go-lucky yet endlessly caring daughter of Fluttershy and Discord.

Pastel Prismarine is the angry, impulsive daughter of Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane, mommy issues GALORE there. Strawberry Sundae is the bouncy and planitive yet highly sensitive second son of Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich. Meteor Star is the book-smart, easily-irritated, easily-flustered, introverted mess of a son of Princess Twilight and Star Tracker who is new to the group and not so keen on this whole friendship thing yet, but he's learning.

Diamond Crest is the nervous, easily-flustered daughter of Rarity and Soarin- and finally, Toasted Marshmallow S'more is the flirty, optimistic kidder first son of Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, as well as obnoxious older twin to Strawberry Sundae.

These bb's are my EVERYTHING, especially Rosie and the twins, they're-my-favorites-but-don't-tell-the-others- Luv you all too and happy Easter!!!

[snobgoblin]

☝️🤓 here's who I think the Arcana characters would like out of the mane six

Asra- Twilight! I feel like he would like how focused she is on learning her magic

Nadia- Rarity! Nadia is generous and a fashion designer at times, it only makes sense

Julian- Rainbow Dash! like him, she tends to be impulsive and rambunctious

Muriel- it's a tie between Applejack and Fluttershy I think. he's a farm boy so I think he'd relate to Applejack but he's also shy and an animal lover like Fluttershy

Portia- Pinkie Pie! she has a similar silly, chaotic, lighthearted sort of energy about her. I think it fits

Lucio- Rarity! he's described as having garish taste and I'm not saying Rarity has garish taste but out of all of them, she's probably who he would resonate with the most

[blueberryratz]

first of all i think rainbow dash would be the absolute WORST to drink with . i think she would drag you to a sports bar with shitty food and at best she gets loud and becomes too invested in the sports and at worst you have to constantly stop her from getting into bar fights and argue with her about how she is NOT allowed to fly while drunk

i think next up is either rarity or pinkie depending on what type of drinking culture you like to get into (high-end or partying) like if you love clubbing then pinkie wont be so bad but rarity would be a nightmare for you and vice versa. really that just comes down to ur personal preference. either way i think pinkie would be the type of drinker to go too hard and spend the rest of the night vomiting but at least it was fun while it lasted and rarity would get wine drunk and very impulsive which would be funny to watch

fluttershy would probably be higher just because i think she'd only drink at home with friends and throw a pleasant little get together :) i think she's pretty good at holding her liquor so she rarely gets too drunk and she mostly just gets sleepy and/or sappy if she's drunk (i also think twilight would be more of a "party at home with friends" drinker but she'd probably do a lot of research on cocktails and be really good at coming up with drinks that everyone likes)

applejack is the best because i think she's the most expirenced drinker and knows how to make a great time for everyone and you would be able to have lesbian sex with her by the end of the night

i have opinions abt that "which pony would be the best drinking buddy" poll

[space-hair]

Sunset’s outfit. Twilight’s outfit. Everyones outfits. ‘starts going hog wild and combusts into a million stardusts’ 

[amywritesthings]

Meet Me On the Other Side

PART ONE: THE PLAN

gif credit to @ joseph-quinns

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Word Count: 4.9K

Summary: The Hawkins crew only has eight people in their three-tier plan to take down Vecna. Eddie makes a Hail Mary of a phone call to even the odds.

Warnings: SPOILERS AHEAD, VOL2 FIX-IT, Language, Angst (with a Happy Ending), Unresolved Tension, Yearning, Peril, Violence, The Upside Down, Desperate-To-Kiss!Eddie, we’re writing this entire storyline baybee let’s go

A/N: Are you hurting just as much as I am after Vol2? Cool, well that didn’t happen. This is the new canon. Within the ‘Freak & Valedictorian’ series. Separate Ways (Remix) intensifies.

                     PART ONE / PART TWO / PART THREE

( Read on AO3 )

PREVIEW:

“Eddie?” Click.

And just like that, Eddie Munson is gone.

(You refuse to let that be the final say in this conversation.)

Leaving behind your homework and study for a pair of keys and sneakers, you burst from your dorm room and run down the hallway to the stairs, to the student parking lot, and beeline to your car.

Hawkins is a two hour drive.

If you double the speed limit down the interstate highway, then you can make it in half the time.

MEET ME ON THE OTHER SIDE

PART ONE: THE PLAN

“There’s only eight of us here.”

Robin paces back and forth in the small living room of Max Mayfield's trailer. Wildly her hands gesture at the surrounding bodies of kids, teenagers, and young adults offering to do the impossible.

From the doomed silence that follows her observation, the tension is palpable. 

Eddie rolls a metal skull ring aimlessly around his index finger, deep in thought. Not about Vecna. Fuck Vecna. Fuck everything he’s done to this town, to Chrissy, to Fred, to Max. 

Lastly, fuck everything he's done to him. How much his uncle’s life has been flipped upside-down on the account that Hawkins thinks he’s a satanic murderer. How much he’s slandered Chrissy’s reputation just because she died in his house.

He shouldn’t be thinking about the impulse of calling anyone, much less you.

You don’t deserve to get caught up in his tornado of bullshit, not when you’re busy with your own life two hours away. Thriving in a state college, enjoying friends, being seen. He promised those first few trips at the beginning of your freshman year, happy to still be a part of your life even when it feels hopeless.

The Freak doesn't win the Valedictorian in the end, not in a world where he's repeating his senior year for the third time in a row and — oh right, potential murder charges loom in the horizon.

(Yet two hours in that damn caravan were next to nothing when he saw you beaming from the other end of the parking lot like he held the fucking sun, ready to run.)

He wishes he could run right now.

Run north and never look back, leaving this insanity behind with the town that hates him — except he knows he can’t.

Chrissy Cunningham believed she could trust him. That he was safe, somehow, in this grand scheme of satanic panic.

She believed.

If he’s running anywhere, then it’s to the phone so he can say his proper goodbyes in case all of this goes south — he’s not naive enough to think it won’t.

“I gotta take a piss,” he mumbles out of left field, standing from the sunken middle cushion of the couch. Steve gives him a look — god, can Harrington stop figuring people out before they say anything? — while Dustin shifts from his space on the wall.

All scared.

Everyone’s so fucking scared and Eddie Munson hates that he thinks he’s the most petrified out of them all.

“Right now?” Erica snaps, crossing her arms over her chest.

“What, a man can’t piss in this dire time of need?” Eddie replies with a flippant tone, forced but manageable. Erica rolls her eyes, waving him off.

Access granted from Lady Applejack herself.

Hastily he moves into the hallway, waiting a minute while the team curls closer to the coffee table in the middle of the room with the map of Hawkins in question. Another beat passes.

Instead of touching the bathroom door, his hand grabs the beige wall phone before furiously typing the number he knows by memory.

First ring. Silence.

Second ring. Silence.

Third ri—

The other side picks up.

He drops the unruly curls of his crown against the plywood wall. “Oh, thank fuck.”

“Eddie?”

He clutches both hands against the phone, angling himself away from the company in the living room to focus solely on the way you say his voice.

Melodic, like a hazy, eye-of-the-storm dream in-between a slew of nightmares.

“Hey, yeah, it’s me,” he responds as his eyes flutter closed. “Hey. Holy fuck, I missed your voice.”

“You sound strange,” you murmur on the other end, and he swallows thickly. “Is everything okay?” 

. . . . . . .

You remember how terrified he sounded on the phone.

“Things got really fucked up here,” he croaks on the other line, causing you to leap out of your dorm bed with the phone line following.

“How fucked up, Ed?” you ask with a purposeful yank on the mustard-colored jacket hanging up on your wall.

“I don’t even know how to explain it to you without sounding like I’m losing my mind.”

“Try me,” you challenge.

He sighs on the other end, shifting the phone. “Has it been on the news?”

“Has what been on the news?”

“The whole… fuck, the whole Satanic cult shit with Hellfire?”

You pause, standing still in an empty room. “Hellfire? Something happened with Hellfire Club?”

“Chrissy Cunningham’s dead, kiddo,” Eddie supplies. His vocals strain against the syllables of her last name. “I saw it happen, but it wasn’t me. I swear, it wasn’t — Nancy Wheeler saw Fred Benson die, too, and things keeps happening—”

“Hold on.” Your stomach bottoms out as you interrupt in a cautious, small blurt. “You saw it happen?”

Eddie sighs, distorting the other end of the phone line. “I don't really have much time to explain, but yeah. I saw it happen. Something took her, alright? Something demonic, a Vecna’s curse-type shit, and I needed to call you because we’re going after it. I know this sounds insane, because I didn’t want to believe it, but when you’re kinda wanted for murder you don’t really have a choice—”

“You said ‘we’,” you interrupt again, swallowing the lump in your throat. “When you say ‘we’, do you mean the Hellfire Club is—”

“No. Fuck, I mean, kind of? Henderson and Sinclair and his sister are in the living room. And — get this, you’ll have a laugh — your old pal Steve Harrington’s sitting pretty on the couch.“

“Steve?”

Someone you once trusted. Someone you knew, before you high-tailed it out of town for school. From what you remember, he stayed behind to work the local stores after graduation. Not many people ever leave.

(Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson being friendly was never on your Hawkins Bingo card.)

“Yeah. For all the shit I used to give ‘em, he’s one tough son of a bitch. But listen, I gotta go. I just…” Eddie draws in a slow inhale from his nose, exhaling through his mouth. “...I needed to hear your voice again just in case this goes south. Sucks I can’t see you, but this is better than nothing. Thanks for indulging me.”

“Eddie?”

Click.

And just like that, Eddie Munson is gone.

(You refuse to let that be the final say in this conversation.)

Leaving behind your homework and study for a pair of keys and sneakers, you burst from your dorm room and run down the hallway to the stairs, to the student parking lot, and beeline to your car.

Hawkins is a two hour drive.

If you double the speed limit down the interstate highway, then you can make it in half the time.

Nerve endings set ablaze as your mind repeats the bizarre phone conversation like a broken record — demonic happenings killing students, Hellfire Club framed, seeing someone die in a gruesome fashion — but nothing adds up. How the hell did Steve Harrington get involved in all of this? Was Nancy Wheeler a part of the plan, too? Was this a bad trip with Gareth, or was seriously something wrong back home?

Nearly cutting off half a dozen cars to get to the Hawkins exit, it takes flooring two red lights to get to the trailer park where Eddie Munson and his uncle live.

You immediately notice two familiar cars: Steve’s, just on the roadway leading to the park, and Nancy’s, right outside of Max Mayfield's trailer.

The sound of a car screeching to a halt in the grass causes the front door to fly wide open, where two kids peer out with wide eyes.

You vaguely know of Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair from how eager Eddie is to talk about his new Hellfire recruits. The descriptions match, with Lucas’ wide-eye stare and Dustin’s growing, excited smile.

“Eddie!” he screams, stomping his foot several times into the floor. "You gotta get out here, dude!"

The outburst summons several more faces in various states of confusion and height: Max Mayfield, the step-sister of the late Billy Hargrove, shoves Dustin out of the way to get a peek. Robin Buckley, Steve’s Scoops Ahoy co-worker, is the next to stand a foot above the rest.

Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington follow suit, both littered with dirt and blood and equally surprised expressions.

You slam the car door shut, exiting the driver’s side door to stare back without any real explanation in mind.

The last to arrive is Eddie, who comically pushes Steve by the shoulder in order to stand on his landing in perfect view of the newcomer in question. Eddie looks like he’s been through hell and back: his Hellfire Club staple raglan shirt is dirtied, hair matted, with dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept in weeks.

Until he sees you, really sees you, and a lifetime of sorrow is lifted from his expression.

He bolts.

Skipping all three stairs to the dirt, he falters in landing but propels straight forward like a linebacker towards you. You take two steps to meet him, but Eddie Munson scoops you high into his arms in a twirl, holding you like he’s afraid you'll disappear like a ghost.

“Holy shit,” he murmurs into your shoulder, his palm cradling the back of your head. “Holy shit, holy shit, please tell me you didn’t—”

“Drive?” you ask breathlessly. “Two hours to get here? More like one. I may be wanted for speeding in two states.”

“Are you insane?” he replies, voice cracking. He sets you down to give you a once-over of disbelief. You hold his face palms on either side to steady the manic shock. “You’re not supposed to be here. It isn’t safe here.”

“You said you were in trouble.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean you end up in trouble right along with me.”

You shake your head, leaning your cheek into his palm as he moves to cradle your face close. Forehead to forehead, it feels like it’s the first time he’s taken a breath, a real breath, in maybe days. It’s scary to think so much has happened in your absence.

“You made me an honorary Hellfire Club member, remember?” you remind under your breath, a murmur, to keep it between the two of you. “You don’t get to do whatever this is alone.”

“You have no clue what you’re signing up for,” he warns, closing his eyes at the scent of your perfume. “Please, go home.”

“Munson!”

The sound of Steve Harrington’s voice carries as he drops down the front stairs of the trailer, walking barefoot and worse for wear in the grass. Around his middle is makeshift dressing, broad chest shirtless and speckled with hair.

He’s wearing Eddie’s Dio denim vest.

(What the hell happened to all of them?)

“I’m going to ignore whatever it is I just witnessed, alright, and say we should get inside.” Steve’s hair flops as he regards you with a smile, small and warm. “Hey. Long time no see.”

“Right back at you,” you reply breathlessly. “You look like shit.”

“Feel like shit,” he quips in return. “But, hey, I never made shit look so good.”

You laugh with your own tiny smile. “Glad you’re still the same Steve.”

Eddie finally lets go, gesturing to your car. “Harrington, tell her she shouldn’t be here. Maybe she’ll listen to you.”

Steve makes a face, lips pulling downwards. “Nah, I don’t think she’s ever listened to me, man. Not in school, not in life, not ever.”

“And we need the numbers!”

Robin shuffles out of the trailer, her gangly limbs waving a quick hello. Her vocal fry returns as she sheepishly motions to you.

“I mean, we… are one person down on Dustin and Eddie’s distraction team. Nine people, instead of eight. Three teams of three. It works.”

“Robin’s right,” Nancy confirms with her own subdued, honey-lemon tone. Her arms are crossed over her chest, shirt mangled and torn and matching the fabric around Steve’s torso. Nancy holds up a hand with a mouthed ‘hello’ to you. You mirror the softness of the greeting.

“Okay, but what about Eddie?” Eddie says, rubbing the bangs on his forehead. “Does Eddie get a say about how batshit it would be to bring anyone else into this insane asylum mission?”

“Three is better than two,” Nancy apologetically disagrees. “We don’t have El, we’re running low on time, and she’s willing to at least hear us out.”

You nod once, leaving Eddie’s side to decidedly make your way to the trailer despite the sounds of protests he makes by your car. 

“Just fill me in on what’s happening,” you tell them. “I’ll see what I can do.”

The group of seven remaining at the door all turn inward, leaving an air of uncertainty with them.

. . . . . . . .

Vecna’s curse. Clock chimes and nightmares. Demogorgons. Demobats. 

The Upside Down.

End of the world type of shit, according to Max. She wasn’t kidding.

You sit between Erica and Lucas as the adults of the group explain the last few years of what Hawkins has had to offer: how the disappearances of several students of the years, and the death of Billy Hargrove, weren’t mere accidents. 

Everything was connected.

Everything in this town, this never-ending Hawkins curse, finally began making sense.

To your right, Eddie stands in the corner of the Mayfield living room. He’s white as a sheet and grief stricken when Nancy reaches the part where he comes in: how Chrissy Cunningham died on his very ceiling with her limbs mangled and eyeballs carved from their sockets. How the town blamed Eddie and went on a town-wide manhunt in Chrissy’s name against him.

How he hid in a boat house without a means of escape.

Now it makes sense why you hadn’t heard from him in days.

You finally speak up once the room simmers to silence, the tale coming to a close. “So you… managed to get into the Upside Down and get back to Hawkins?”

“Yes,” Nancy responds. “That’s… where we are in the plan right now. The only way this ends is if we go back in and kill him.”

“You mean Vecna?”

“Yeah,” Steve answers for Nancy, running a hand through his floppy hair. “Kind of our only option at this point so we can make sure Max doesn’t… y’know. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” the redhead pipes up from the corner, fiddling with her cassette player at her hip. “He means so I don’t become his fourth victim. Everything’s happening in fours, so… makes sense that I’m still marked.“

“But we’re going to figure out how to kill him,” Lucas reassures with soft sincerity.

Steve pushes his index finger into the map where the red ‘X’ covers a drawing of a house. “Nancy, Robin, and I will be going to the house to kill Vecna. Erica and Lucas will stay with Max to ensure the bait plan stays that way.”

He blinks up at you, chewing the inside of his cheek with contemplation.

“Dustin and Eddie are a distraction in the Upside Down.”

“Which is why she’d be safer with one of you,” Eddie finally pipes up as he chews on his ring fingernail, staring intently at the map from a distance.

“I know I’m taking a crash course in Hawkins 101, here,” you start, rubbing your palms gently against the thighs of your denim jeans, “but I feel better if I went with you and Dustin, Ed.”

“And we have extra weapons!” Robin pipes up with forced excitement. “Well — we will have extra. See? Extra hands all around, it’s a great thing.”

“It’s not.” Morose, Eddie shakes his head.

You watch him for a minute, assessing and reassessing the news, before glancing back at Steve.

“Will… fighting this thing clear Eddie’s name?”

“Maybe?” Steve replies honestly. “That’s the goal. Kill Vecna, set things right. It’ll be… it’ll be a tough sell, but we have to try. Only other option is to let Hawkins cave in on itself.”

Max shifts awkwardly against the wall, fixing her headphones strapped around the back of her neck.

“Then I’m in.”

“Hey—” 

Eddie removes himself from the corner to protest, but you lock eyes and shake your head.

He stops dead in his tracks, shoulders deflating with each passing breath at your determination.

“You need a third.” You glance around the room. “I’m your third.”

. . . . . . . . .

By the time you all return from the weapons and ammo store, the stolen mobile trailer finds its way parked in the outskirts of the park — not quite where it was hot wired, but close enough to feel familiar. 

One by one, everyone files out and into the open field for their preparation stations.

Dustin drags Eddie off to make shields worthy of their campaign before you can ever say a thing. Erica and Lucas do their own thing with spears and leather in hand, while Nancy and Max take a spot to the far east to get to work on the shotgun modifications.

It leaves you with Robin, who already set up a spot at the mobile trailer to make homemade Molotov cocktails.

(Absolutely nothing to worry about.)

You’re in the midst of creating an inventory sheet when a tap on the shoulder surprises you from behind. Steve, still a dirty mess but at least covered by a new long-sleeved shirt and jacket, waggles his eyebrows in your vicinity.

“So… this is weird.”

“What is?” you ask, placing the pencil down on what little surface you had to write.

“Seeing you, of all people, in Hawkins again. You actually managed to get the hell out of here.”

“That was always the plan, Harrington. Wasn’t it yours?”

“Eh,” Steve scoffs, waving a hand. “I got a job at Starcourt… then Starcourt burned down because — well, now you know why — and then I just kinda… stuck around. What’s college like?”

“Peaceful,” you joke, placing your hands on your hips. “When you don’t have a sorority sister as a roommate, it’s very peaceful.”

“So what you’re really saying is: boring. I missed nothing at all. Gotcha.” Steve rocks on the balls of his feet. “Miss Valedictorian of ‘85 herself, in the flesh.”

“Oh, God, stop. Not the Valedictorian thing. It really didn’t make much of a difference, by the way, so studying all the time was for the birds.”

“Uh-huh. Still, I can’t believe you risked a speeding ticket for two hours to get here,” Steve teases, suppressing a smirk. “I didn’t think you knew how to break the law.”

You snort, leaning over to bump your arm with his. “Yeah, well, I don’t have to think to know Eddie would probably do the same for me.”

“Still, it’s ballsy. Where was this version of Vale-’85 when I knew you back in high school?”

“Oh, she was always there, Hair Harrington,” you grin as you watch Dustin follow Eddie’s lead in the field, pounding nails into the back of a metal trash can. “I guess you just do crazy things when you’re—” 

Stop.

You freeze before you can finish the sentence, instead squaring your shoulders and trailing silent. Dustin dive bombs into Eddie with a cackling laugh, leading to Eddie hugging the little freshman into his side with adoration.

“Hey, I get it.”

Steve speaks up beside you, forcing you to turn to your left. He glances at you through his peripheral, giving a one-shoulder shrug. 

“Trust me, I get it way more than you think.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. We don’t have to talk about it.”

He swallows a lump in his throat, shifting in his stance to briefly look to his right. Belated you follow where it lands on Max Mayfield and Nancy Wheeler hovering over a crate, sawing off the barrels of shotguns.

I get it.

Maybe he does.

For a while, it’s like this: silent while the rest of the crew prepares their weapons, talking and bantering amongst themselves. Dustin and Eddie play their own version of in-person Dungeons & Dragons in the field, laughing to the sky. 

If he hadn’t looked so petrified just a few short hours ago, then maybe you’d forget why you were even here.

(Why any of you are here, in this field, preparing for war you've only learned about hours ago.)

You lean closer to Steve, debating on your next question. “Are the odds good, Harrington?”

Jaw clenched, he rips his eyes from the two girls modifying weapons to look down at you. You press on. 

“I mean it honestly: is fighting this Vecna person a pipe dream, or do you guys really believe this is possible?”

Steve waits, kicking a pebble of dirt with his newly-bought boot. “We’re kind of all Hawkins has left. And if I can do something about it? Then I won’t let this son of a bitch take anyone else.”

Your heart skips a beat when Eddie turns from his embrace with Dustin to search — until his eyes land on you. His shoulders drop in relief as his smile remains.

It’s Steve’s turn, now, to lean over in a murmur into your ear so the rest can’t hear.

“I know this isn’t my place, because I was today year’s old when I found out you had a thing for Munson — which, if we come out of this fight in one piece, then we’re gonna talk about that, but… I think if you were going to have any sort of talk? Now might be a good time to do it.”

“Calm before the storm?” you add, returning the smile in Eddie’s direction despite the heaviness of the conversation at the present.

“Something like that.” Steve nudges you with his elbow. “I’ll keep watch on Dustin-o. You just do what you gotta do.”

“And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Got any speeches you wanna workshop before you dive head-first into some Upside Down hellscape?”

Steve snorts, waving you off. “Oh, way ahead of you. But we’ll get there when we get there. For now? You first.”

You first.

Yeah, there’s a lot here with not enough time to say it.

Once Eddie squints towards you, you jut your chin up and to the left where there are woods. Woods that you’ve frequented with him before in late-night meetings. Trees that have seen things, heard promises — what’s one more?

Eddie pauses, makeshift shield in hand, and tilts his head in response. You jut your chin twice to the left — woods, Munson — before he gets it: lightbulb turned on, he shuffles his shield to Dustin Henderson with a hasty goodbye.

Dustin raises his arms and drops them with disappointment, but you don’t get to see how the conversation plays out when you disappear into the wooded area.

Waiting.

“Harrington bothering you, angel?”

Angel. The nickname could melt your heart.

When you turn, Eddie Munson appears around a tree. Meeting you in the small circle of trees far enough to keep this conversation private, he still looks like the skittish little boy you met the first week of school all those years ago. 

His hands are lodged into the back pockets of his denim jeans, eyes curious yet apprehensive. He still has spots of dirt all over his clothes — not nearly as bad as Harrington, yet enough to make you worry.

All this time.

All this time and you didn’t know he’d been in this much trouble.

“You two were talking an awful long time over there,” he adds, tilting his head with an unspoken question: wanna talk about it?

You shake your head. “Just old friends catching up. You… sort of surprised him with the whole PDA-thing outside your house.”

“Well you surprised me. I didn’t really have time to, uh, plot a course of suave action.” Eddie’s smile drops as he takes another step to minimize the distance between you. “You can leave, you know.”

“Ed—”

“Let me fin-ish,” he warns in a sing-song tone. “No one is going to fault you for hearing about a psychotic, telepathic Freddie-demon and wanting to go right back to college. I’d feel better, actually, if you did. Run, I mean. I’ll drive you back to your car right now.”

“There’s no way I’m going back now that I know that there are literally demon bats.”

“Seriously? That’s the first reason I would be high-tailing the hell out of here.”

“You’ve seen one?”

“Chyeah, I’ve seen one. Absolutely… fucking terrifying,” Eddie admits with a breathless laugh. ���You got out of Hawkins, sweetheart. Like properly, actually, got to leave and—”

“My home’s still here, Eddie.”

There is a heaviness to your double-meaning confession that takes Eddie a second to recognize, but when he does?

His puppy eyes round in disbelief, taking one small step at a time towards you. Your nose scrunches to avoid the passing emotions from overwhelming you. 

“If I had known about anyone calling you a murderer? Eddie, I would have ran home sooner.”

“I didn’t have any way to call—”

“And you’re fucking insane if you think I’m going to abandon you while you’re… gearing up like you’re Rambo to kill these things—”

“Wait.”

“—and there is so much I’ve wanted to tell you since I met you and the fact that I see Nancy Wheeler sawing off the barrel of a shotgun with my own two eyes makes me feel like I really need to set a few things straight, and I need to tell you—”

Eddie crosses towards you in three great strides, before pulling your head in with both hands. He presses a searing, desperate kiss to your lips, effectively dissolving your panic.

Clawing your hands into his hair, you pull him impossibly close. The force of him pushing into you knocks you back, barreling the both of you straight against a tree. Eddie pins you there, teeth grazing your lower lip with a sense of urgency.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” he breathes against your mouth, left hand dropping to wrap around the base of your neck before diving back in to kiss you.

You rake your nails against his scalp, earning a whimper along your lips. “Wasn’t leaving you.”

“You need to.”

“Eddie, let me say this—”

“No.”

He lets go of your face and neck to place both hands on your shoulders, pinning you to the trunk of the tree. His matted, curly bangs fall forward until his headache presses to yours. Eddie’s eyes squeeze shut in his plea.

“Please don’t say something like we’re at the end of a… terrible fucking action movie where this is a goodbye. This isn't Rambo. I can’t let it be a goodbye, and I won’t run, but I refuse to let this be it.”

His eyes finally open, observing yours. Memorizing yours.

“Look, I’m not a hero. I’m never the hero, okay? I run, I always do—”

“—you’ve never run from me.”

Your interruption falters his shame, allowing the silence to envelop the forest surrounding you.

“Even when we were placed in different classes. Even when things were weird at Snowball. Even when I told you I was leaving Hawkins. Do you know the first thing you said to me when I told you I wasn’t staying in town?” 

You allow a pause, but Eddie doesn’t dare speak.

“You said you’d run to me. You’d follow me up to state college. And you did. No one visits me like you do. No one makes the effort like you do. And we could say fuck Hawkins, but what are you doing instead? Fighting for them?”

His fingertips tremble against your shoulders.

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” he mumbles, regretting every word.

“People who run don’t care about the right thing to do, Eddie. Never did. You always try to be polite, to be kind, even when people are kind in return.” You brush wayward strands of hair from his face. “That is brave. That is heroic.”

And for what feels like hours, Eddie stands there, eyes downcast. Processing what you said, what you believe, when so many refuse to see beyond the unruly hair, chains, and metal skulls.

He never feels worthy.

You hate that he never feels worthy.

Eddie sucks in a sharp breath, holding it for a beat, before exhaling his resolve.

“Promise me that when we get back, princess, that you’ll let me tell you everything I’ve ever wanted to say to your face. I need to earn my little bat slayer wings, earn you, and if you confess shit here and now? I may not go.”

He drops a small kiss to your forehead, dragging you in for a tight embrace. You reciprocate, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

He doesn’t need to earn you. He needs to know he’s never needed to earn you.

“But I’m not holding back, alright?” he murmurs into your hair. “We do the plan, I shred, we get the hell out of there, and I just… Fuck, I’ll tell you whatever you want, just not before we go back up there. Deal?”

You want to protest, but he presses his lips back to yours. Gentle this time, like he’s found his footing back on solid ground. You want to tell get everything off your chest before the final clock bell chimes, but it’s his only request.

(Let me earn you.)

After this is over, he’ll learn it was always the opposite way around.

You nod into the kiss, pulling away to reply.

“Deal.”

[princess-of-the-corner]

How would you rank the frequency of how often each of the 7 Rainbooms grasps the group's only brain cell the most?

I'd probably say Sunset and Applejack sorta tie for carrying the group's brain cell for the most part, even if they have their fair share of chaotic moments (notably in Holidays Unwrapped segments of Winter Break In with their ideas of breaking into the school and the Saving Pinkie's Pie short for how they both are in the snowball fight).

I'd maybe propose it's Sunset/Applejack > Fluttershy > Sci-Twi > Rarity > Rainbow Dash > Pinkie Pie for how often each of them has the group's collective brain cell.

ohohohoho yes!

Okay so the thoughts on most brain cell to least:

Applejack - most common sense overall. Has her moments but is often reining in everyone else.

Sunset - More of a 'learn from experience' type so she knows what not to do, and also has the best grasp on long-term consequences

Rarity - quite mature and responsible, but can get a bit lost in her wants and steamroll without thought

Fluttershy - Somewhat average but her anxiety can make her act irrationally or second guess herself.

Sci-Twi - technically smartest but not always with common sense. Sometimes she will just fuck around purposely to find out

Rainbow - definitely impulsive and doesn't think things through, but if she's told in advance that something's serious she can absolutely lock in and get shit done

Pinkie - I love her but adhd nightmare no thoughts head empty

[lotus-duckies]

You're so right <3

It's loving applejack hours so I will talk about how I love when she gets angy

If she murdered someone, I'd just be like "yeah that seems in character" and that's very sexy of her