"Late. I shoulda figured.” Applejack stamped her hoof in irritation as she looked at the clock for what must’ve been the tenth time that night.
“Relax, sis. Everypony’s fashionably late these days. It’s… it’s, uh… vogue?” Applebloom looked back at the magazine spread before her. “I don’t think I used that right…”
Applejack turned in surprise at the unfamiliar word from her little sister. “Where in thunderation did you hear that?”
The yellow earth pony, now a stocky teenager, held out the fashion magazine she’d been reading.
“And just where did you get that?”
“Sweetie Belle. It’s got a special feature on that new Wonderbolt; Firecracker.” Applebloom sighed dreamily as she gazed at the glossy photo of the sleek young Pegasus.
Applejack sighed and looked back at the door. “I kinda miss the days before you two discovered boys.” She muttered.
“This coming from the girl pacin’ the floor while she waits for her special somepony.” Applebloom dragged the last phrase out mockingly.
“Fer the hundredth time, they ain’t my special somepony. It’s just a date.”
“I still don’t understand why you won’t tell me who it is.” Applebloom wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, it’s not Lesmare, is it?”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “For the love of… there ain’t nothin’ between me and Brock Lesmare. You have one drunken dance with a guy and suddenly everypony wants ‘save the date’ invitations…” A knock on the door interrupted her. “Finally! Alright, tell Granny I should be home about…”
Quick as a flash, Applebloom ditched her magazine and beat the older farmer to the door. “Now let’s just see who this ‘date’ of yours really is.” She pulled the door open and smiled triumphantly. “Come on in!”
“Uh…thanks?”
Applebloom whirled in surprise at the familiar voice. “Oh! Hey Rainbow Dash. What’s up?”
“Nothing much.” Dash looked past the young mare and smiled at Applejack. “You ready?”
Applejack snorted. “I was ready a half hour ago…”
Applebloom looked at her sister in confusion. “Wait a second here. If yer goin’ to hang out with Dash, what am I supposed to tell…?” It all clicked in her mind at once. She looked at Dash. “Oh.” Her gaze slowly drifted to her sister, a sly smile tugging at her lips. “Oh.”
“That’s enough out of you, little bit. I’ll be home later.” Applejack pushed past the giggling filly and joined Dash on the patio. She offered the Pegasus a smile. “So… where you takin’ me?”
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
As far as first dates went, it went just about as well as could be expected. They dined at the Ponyville Café (not too fancy, not too casual), split the bill, and then headed across town for a moon-lit walk in the park. They chatted about random things, laughed at each other’s jokes, and generally enjoyed being in each other’s company. After a particularly lengthy rant from Applejack about the perils of little sisters discovering stallions, their talk petered out into a comfortable silence.
Applejack broke the silence by sighing and looking up. “Y’know, I’ve always wondered what it’s like.”
“What what’s like?”
“Flying. Just soaring around up there, held up by the breeze. Nuthin’ beneath ya but the clouds and nuthin’ above ya but the stars.” Her hoof unconsciously raised and caressed her Stetson. “Pa used to tell me about what it was like when he was datin’ Ma. I used to dream about the things he talked about.”
Dash noted the dreamy look on her date’s face and raised an eyebrow. “Really? But I though most earth ponies were scared of heights.”
“We are. But just cuz yer scared of somethin’ don’t mean you don’t wanna know what it’s like.” Applejack smiled at her rainbow-maned companion. “Kinda the same thing as asking out somepony you’ve been admirin’ from afar.”
Dash grinned as a thought popped into her head. “Hey, AJ, you trust me… right?”
“A’course. Why?”
“Just checking.”
Applejack had just started to ask about the previous question when she felt two strong front legs wrap around her mid-section and lift her straight up into the sky. “WHOA THERE SUGAR-CUBE!” She shrieked, clutching her hat to her mane. “JUST WHAT IN THE NAME OF TARTARUS DO YA THINK YER DOIN’?”
“Just relax.” Dash replied calmly. “I’m giving you what you wanted.” Ignoring the apple farmer’s struggles, she smoothly gained altitude into the night-time sky. They rose steadily, higher and higher, until they broke through the last barrier of clouds. Dash looked down to find her date’s eyes tightly shut. “You can open your eyes now. You’re not gonna want to miss this.”
Against her better judgment, Applejack opened her eyes… and gasped.
Directly ahead of them, out in the distance, was the sparkling city of Canterlot. Its glistening spires rose dramatically against the starry sky. The thousands upon thousands of lights almost seemed to blend in with the cosmic bodies that formed the city’s backdrop.
Applejack was speechless.
Taking the silence as a negative, Dash craned her neck down to peer at the face of her date. “You okay?”
Applejack smiled. “I’m better than okay. This is amazin' Dash!”
Her confidence restored, Rainbow Dash haughtily chuckled. “Of course it is. Only the best for you. C’mere.” She dove slightly and released Applejack’s right hoof.
Under normal circumstances, the mare would have panicked. But for whatever reason, she found herself trusting fully in the cyan angel above her.
Rainbow Dash completed her maneuver and looked over. Now Applejack appeared to be flying along beside her. Ensuring that their forelegs were still gripped, Dash began flying a toned down version of her normal training exercises. To her, she was simply taking things easy.
To Applejack, it was like she was really flying.
The two mares flew like that for a while, gently bobbing and weaving in the crisp high altitude air. They danced across the night sky like two fireflies in the midst of summer. Nothing existed but them and the stars.
Applejack found herself looking over at the Pegasus holding her aloft. She took in the confident and prideful smile on the electric blue mare’s face. For an instant, it appeared that the determined wine colored eyes of the flyer cut over to her for an instant, almost as though they were checking to ensure that the airborne earth pony was alright.
Years later, Applejack would tell her children that that was the moment she truly fell in love with Rainbow Dash.
“You sure you’re okay?”
Dash’s voice broke her concentration and she shook her head with a smile. “Better than okay, sugarcube. Much better than okay.” She considered their position for a moment and looked upwards. “Can we go higher?”
Dash smiled and squeezed Applejack’s foreleg. “All the way to the stars if you want…”
Another quick maneuver and Applejack was on Rainbow Dash’s back. The farmer wrapped herself tightly around her ride and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “To the stars then.”
///////////////////////////
All too soon the pair found themselves back at Applejack’s front door, their first date and romantic flight over too quickly for either of their tastes. They faced each other and shuffled their hooves awkwardly.
“So…” Applejack started.
“So…” Dash followed.
“I… I had a good time.”
“Yeah? Me too.”
“Do it again sometime?”
Rainbow Dash’s wings fluttered uncontrollably. “Totally! You free sometime next week?”
“How’s about Wednesday?”
“Pinkie’s Post-Wedding Part Four Party? You want us to go… together?”
“Why not?” Applejack raised her eyebrows. “You embarrassed of us already?”
Dash stepped closer to the farmer and looked deep into her green eyes. “I could never be embarrassed of this.”
Applejack looked down and brushed a speck of dirt from the patio. “Dash?”
“Yeah?”
There was a strange buzz in Applejack’s head. Her brain felt light, almost as though it were still flying high above. “It's weird... I've never felt like this around anypony before...”
“Huh?”
“Hush up and let me finish. Ahem… do you think we could make this…” A deep breath. “Do you think we could make this… y'know, official? I guess what I'm askin' is…”
“…do you wanna be my special somepony?” Rainbow Dash spoke before she could find the words.
Applejack nodded. “Will you be mine?”
Dash shrugged. “I figure I have been for awhile now.”
Without another word, Applejack closed the distance between them and kissed the pegasi’s lips with as much tenderness and affection as she could muster. Dash didn’t resist for even an instant. Time stood still as the rivals turned best friends spoke their feelings without uttering a single syllable.
When at last they parted, it was Dash’s turn to look sheepish. “Technically… that was our first kiss, wasn’t it?”
Applejack chuckled and unconsciously licked her lips, still able to taste the sweetness of Dash’s kiss there. “I guess so. Even though we did a lot more than that after we drank that cider. S’pose that doesn’t count since we can’t remember.”
Dash narrowed her eyes suggestively. “Maybe we could… jog each other’s memories?”
Applejack was struck dumb for a moment. Here was something she hadn’t counted on. Sure the thought of spending the night with Rainbow Dash had crossed her mind once or twice (or thrice) but she hadn’t made any definitive plans. Even though Macintosh and Fluttershy were still on their honeymoon, Granny Smith and Applebloom were sound asleep inside. What if they woke up?
“So… what do you say?”
Applejack looked away anxiously and blushed. “I dunno, Dash. It’s not like the house is empty. If we woke anypony, it’d get mighty awkward, don’t ya think?”
Dash huffed and flapped her wings in irritation. “I seem to remember a certain Element of Honesty strongly hinting that we’d be sharing a bed tonight.” She raised her nose into the air in a show of disrespect. “It’s not like you to lie, Applejack.”
“Well… I…. It’s just…” Applejack’s sputtering reply was cut off by another loving kiss from her new marefriend.
“Relax.” Rainbow Dash chuckled when the kiss ended. “I’m just giving you a hard time, babe.”
Applejack playfully punched her shoulder and laughed. “Keep pullin’ stuff like that, and you really never will get into my bed.”
“You mean ‘into your bed… again.’”
“Shut up.”
They laughed until a warning bark from Winona alerted them that they were becoming too loud.
“See you tomorrow?” Dash whispered.
“You know it, sugarcube.” Applejack whispered back.
They kissed one final time before Applejack pulled herself away and started to open the door.
Rainbow Dash took this as a sign to leave and took to the air with a flap from her wings. With a final glance at her marefriend, she turned and prepared to head for home. Sure, she’d been hoping that things would go a little further than they had.
But some things in life were worth the wait.
A sudden familiar tug on her tail made her turn around in mid-air.
Applejack spat out Rainbow Dash’s tail and smiled up at her angel. “On second thought… the Crusaders haven’t used their clubhouse for a while.” A sultry look crossed her face as she indicated the blanket now draped across her back.
Rainbow Dash grinned. “Honey, you read my mind.”
