You Want Me

Chapters

The Part Where It All Begins
The Part Where It All Goes Wrong
The Part Where It All Begins Again
The Part Where It All Goes Right

The Part Where It All Begins

Streamers of every color Rainbow Dash had ever seen dangled from the ceiling, criss-crossing over and under each other in twisted, tangled knots. It reminded her a bit of herself, except in giant floating colorful spaghetti monster form. The balloons that had drifted up and gotten stuck in the mess even looked like they could be meatballs. She wondered if Pinkie Pie had decorated Sugarcube Corner like that on purpose. It seemed like the sort of thing she would do.

She took another drink of punch, swishing it from one side of her mouth to the other in a lame attempt to entertain herself, only half-listening to whatever Rarity was blabbering about. Usually, she looked forward to the times when all of her friends could get together like this, but Hearts and Hooves Day was only a couple weeks away, and that meant two things. The first was that the only thing Rarity would ever talk about for the next two weeks was who had asked out who, and who had seen so-and-so talking to whoever, and what some stupid pony had said to some other stupid pony. What was worse was that she always sucked all her other friends into talking about it too, all this boring gossip Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have cared about even if it showed up on her doorstep wearing stockings and holding a rose clenched between its teeth, threw her on the bed, and ravished her long into the night.

Her face flushed. Where the hay had that analogy come from? She took it as proof that she had been listening to Rarity talk for far too long.

She glanced up around at the others, all sitting in a circle around the table, to make sure they hadn’t seen her blush. Every other table at Sugarcube Corner was empty. The Cakes had closed up early just for them. She noticed that everyone was looking at Fluttershy. She perked her ears up.

“Oh come now, Fluttershy, you simply have to tell us something about him,” Rarity said to the other pegasus. “Please?”

Fluttershy looked down and blushed, smiling ever so gently. “Oh, um, well... they’re... nice.”

“Nice?” Twilight repeated.

Fluttershy nodded. “Nice.”

“But what is his name?” Rarity asked.

Fluttershy looked away again. “Oh. Well, we, um, wanted to keep it a secret, for now.”

“Why?” Applejack asked.

Rarity huffed. “Can’t you tell us anything at all about him?”

Rainbow Dash groaned. Unfortunately, no one noticed. She took another drink of her punch. There were cooler things to talk about than marefriends and coltfriends. Like how great her last practice had gone. Why weren’t they talking about that?

“Oh, well...” Fluttershy’s blush deepened. “It’s not a him.”

“I knew it!” Pinkie Pie shouted, standing up and slamming her hoof on the table.

Twilight frowned at her. “You did? How?”

Pinkie Pie blinked, and then sat back down with a chuckle and a wave of her hoof. “Oh wait, no I didn’t.”

Rarity cleared her throat, looking pointedly at Applejack and then glancing sidelong at Rainbow Dash. “Well, it seems that even Fluttershy will have a date come this Hearts and Hooves Day.”

And that was the second thing that Hearts and Hooves Day meant. Rainbow Dash dropped her head on the table. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a date—she didn’t care about that—it was who her friends wanted her to date that was the problem.

“Are you implyin’ something?” Applejack asked.

Rarity only winked.

“Both of you don’t have dates?” Pinkie said, passing a shamelessly obvious look between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “That’s bananas! Who’da thunk it? ”

Twilight cleared her throat and smiled. “Well, considering the statistics....”

Applejack looked between them. “And just what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means,” Rarity said with a chuckle.

“I’m sure I don’t,” Applejack replied flatly.

Pinkie hopped up on her chair. “You and Rainbow Dash should totally be each other’s dates for Hearts and Hooves Day!”

Rainbow Dash sunk lower in her seat. She couldn’t remember exactly when it had started anymore, but it was definitely some time after the whole Running of the Leaves debacle. Rainbow didn’t know if it was because she and Applejack were both athletes, or if it was because ponies thought they were both tomcolts, or what, but somehow all of their friends had decided that she and Applejack were a perfect match for each other. It usually wasn’t a big deal, more of a running joke than anything else, but when Hearts and Hooves Day came around, they stopped bothering to even try to be subtle about it.

Applejack sighed. “This again?”

“Dear, please,” Rarity began, twirling her mane with a hoof. “We’re only trying to help. It would be a tragedy for a mare as beautiful as yourself to be alone on Hearts and Hooves Day. If not Rainbow Dash, then surely you must find some stallion to escort you. Even Fluttershy has.”

“Um, my marefriend’s not a stallion,” Fluttershy quietly interposed.

“Well, maybe I don’t want a stallion,” Applejack said, crossing her legs over her chest. “Ever think of that?”

Rarity laughed. “That is no excuse! I’m certain there are more mares here in Ponyville than stallions.”

“She’s right,” Twilight added. “According to the last census, earth pony mares outnumber earth pony stallions in Ponyville three to one. Celestia let me accumulate all the data from the census surveys myself.”

“Maybe I don’t want an earth pony either,” Applejack replied.

Rarity sighed as she would while dealing with an overly picky customer at the Boutique. “Then what do you want, dear?”

“Well, since you asked, I’m partial to pegasi.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at that, and then quickly looked back down at her cup.

“Oh.” Rarity smirked. “Like the feeling of soft downy feathers caressing your flank, do you?”

Applejack merely rolled her eyes.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Pinkie Pie cried, hopping up and down. “Rainbow Dash is a pegasus,” she said, patting Dash on the back of the head.

Rainbow Dash glared at her, and she simply grinned back.

Rarity smiled. “Indeed, she is.” She turned to Applejack. “You two really would make the most darling couple. Can’t you go together just this once? What harm could it do?”

Rainbow Dash thought it could do a whole heaping lot of harm, but she kept her mouth shut, and thankfully so did Applejack.

“There are plenty of other pegasus mares living in Ponyville too,” Twilight said after a time, then quietly mumbled something about there also being one right there sitting at the table with them.

“Indeed.” Rarity winked at Applejack. “Somepony as charming as yourself would have the pick of the litter, if you don’t mind the expression.”

Applejack groaned. “I don’t, but I don’t see anypony hangin’ over your withers, either.”

“I’ll have you know that I have no fewer than three suitors vying for the pleasure of escorting me on Hearts and Hooves Day,” Rarity replied, sticking her nose into the air. “Now go on.”

Applejack raised one brow. “Go on where?”

“What kind of pegasus? Some beautiful maiden to sweep you off your hooves and whisk you far away from the humdrum routine of farm work, perhaps? Or”—Rarity grinned a very unladylike grin—“are you looking for some brash, outspoken, rough and tumble mare to, ahem, enliven your evenings?”

Rainbow Dash slumped so far down into her chair she might as well have been under the table.

“Well...” Applejack rubbed her chin. “She’d have to be somepony who ain’t afraid to get her hooves dirty and get work done when it needs doin’. No offense.”

Rarity laughed good-humoredly. “None taken. What else?”

“I guess she’d have to be somepony who I can just sit back and have a good time with at the end of the day too. Somepony strong, who can hold her own in bed.”

“Applejack!” Rarity admonished, even as she laughed. Everyone’s eyes widened, and Rainbow Dash blushed.

Applejack shrugged. “I don’t want somepony who’s too soft. I’m not gonna apologize for it. And she wouldn’t need me takin’ care of her all the time, either. I’ve got enough work on my plate as it is. She’d have to be somepony who’ll stick by me no matter what, and won’t run off at the first sign of trouble. She’d have to be somepony I can raise a family with.”

“It sounds like you’ve thought about this before,” Twilight said.

Applejack blushed ever so slightly. “Maybe...”

“Oh, wow! That all sounds just like Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie Pie said.

Rainbow Dash choked on her punch. “What?”

“Hmmm...” Twilight appraised Rainbow Dash the same way she would a variable in a math problem. “You’re right. That does sound a lot like Rainbow.”

“It does not,” Dash protested, doing all she could to avoid looking in Applejack’s direction.

“Oh?” Rarity smiled. “You’re too afraid to get your hooves dirty, are you?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“So you have a poor sense of humor, and are overly clingy and needy?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You guys aren’t as funny as you think you are.”

“You couldn’t hold your own in bed?” Pinkie Pie waggled her eyebrows. “I can totally help with that.”

“No thanks.”

“I think you two would be cute together,” Fluttershy added with a small smile.

“Fluttershy...” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “You’re not helping.”

Rarity cleared her throat loudly. “So, Applejack. What do you think? Do you see a dashing pegasus in your future?”

Rainbow Dash shot her a look. “That was terrible.”

“I don’t think it matters one way or the other,” Applejack replied with a frown, and Rainbow Dash breathed a sigh of relief. “Some of us don’t have the time to play around with the colts all day.” She smirked in Rarity’s direction, a smirk the unicorn promptly ignored, before continuing, “I’ve got a farm that needs runnin’, and chores that need doin’. I don’t have time for a marefriend.”

Rarity dismissed that with a wave of her hoof. “Oh, that is—”

“Oh my gosh!” Pinkie Pie cried for the third time that night. “I totally forgot.” She hopped off her chair and out the door.

“Last I checked,” Applejack said, as if nothing had happened, “Rainbow Dash isn’t datin’ anypony either. Why don’t y’all bug her about it?”

“Hey, stop dragging me into this!”

Rarity turned to her. “Hmm, that’s right. I can’t remember the last time either of you had a marefriend.”

“Neither of them have since I’ve lived in Ponyville,” Twilight agreed.

Rainbow Dash looked down into her cup. “I don’t date.”

“Why not?” Twilight asked.

“Because... I don’t,” she said lamely, not looking up.

Twilight looked like she was about to ask another question when Fluttershy cleared her throat loudly. “Um, Angel was feeling sick yesterday,” she said in a too-loud voice in Twilight’s direction.

Twilight turned to her. “Oh?”

Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a grateful nod that no one else noticed.

Unfortunately, Rarity couldn’t be dissuaded from the conversation. “Really, though, this settles it. You and Rainbow Dash simply must get together this Hearts and Hooves Day. She’s everything you said you wanted.”

Applejack opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking puzzled. “How do you mean?”

“A pegasus mare?” Twilight echoed. “Isnt afraid to get her hooves dirty? Strong? Will stand by you no matter what? Applejack, you have to admit Rainbow Dash fits nearly all of your criteria.”

Applejack looked straight at Rainbow Dash, chewing the inside of her cheek. Rainbow Dash prayed she wasn’t thinking about what Dash thought she was thinking about.

Rarity passed her a coy smile. “You know, you might not have a choice. Come Hearts and Hooves Day, you two will be the only single mares left in Ponyville.”

Just as Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to object, Applejack spoke. “Fine,” she declared, turning to Rainbow. “You wanna go out sometime?”

For a single moment, everyone around the table froze. And then they all erupted into roaring laughter, Dash even heard Pinkie laugh from the other room over. Well, almost all of them, Rainbow Dash noted as she chuckled half-heartedly along with them. Applejack simply frowned at her over the table. Dash coughed and looked away.

Abruptly, a board game fell onto the table between them, along with a bouncing pink pony. “Who wants to play Monopoly?”

“Me,” Rainbow Dash answered quickly, grateful for any distraction. “Finally, something actually fun to do.”

__________________________________________________

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Applejack frowned as everyone else smiled and gathered their playing pieces. They had laughed at her. Her frown deepened. Her friends had harped on the idea for so long that it had become nothing but a joke for them. Well, it wasn’t a joke for her. It was anything but.

She had never said what she wanted in a marefriend out loud before. She had never said what she wanted in a marefriend out loud while looking at Rainbow Dash before. She had never said what she wanted in a marefriend while looking at Rainbow Dash, and then had her friends point out how similar the two were before.

No. She shook her head. This was ridiculous. She had just heard them talk about how great she and Rainbow Dash would be together so often, that some of it must have leaked into her own head.

She thought about everything she had said she wanted in a marefriend, and then she looked at Rainbow Dash, comparing the two side-by-side, weighing them against each other. She had never seriously thought about Rainbow Dash before. She had told herself so long ago that she and Rainbow would never go out together that it had been as ingrained in her head as how to buck a tree. It was a silly idea, something to laugh about with her friends occasionally, and nothing more. But now that she really thought about it—actually, really thought about it—she couldn’t help but...

It bugged her sometimes—the way her friends talked about her and Rainbow Dash. She knew they were only teasing, but it bugged her all the same. She wanted somepony to be with, just the same as everyone else, but she still had work to do. That wasn’t an excuse; that was a fact. Working the farm took up nearly all her time. She couldn’t simply drop everything to go searching for her soul mate. She still thought about it occasionally though, usually when she was out in the orchards, alone with the apple trees and her thoughts. She thought about who she would want to come home to.

You have to admit Rainbow Dash fits nearly all of your criteria.

She looked up at Rainbow Dash. Could she be...?

Rainbow Dash smiled back at her, briefly, beautifully, before going about setting up the board game.

It was her, Applejack realized. She felt a tickling warmth in her chest. Rainbow Dash, smiling, her unkempt mane falling into her bright, magenta eyes, and her strong wings flared out behind her, framing her face over a backdrop of rippling feathers, strong, brave, laughing, loyal, maybe a little rough around the edges, but more caring than she let on, Rainbow Dash.

Applejack's smile fell as another thought crept into her head.

She wasn't in love with Rainbow Dash.

She loved her, sure, just the same as she loved all her friends. But she wasn't in love with her, and she was certain Rainbow Dash wasn't in love with her either. Was it possible, though? Could she fall in love with Rainbow Dash, someday? She couldn't find an answer to that question.

Ponies didn't have to be in love to go on a date though, did they? Worst case scenario, they would both realize they weren't right for each other and then they would have something to laugh and be embarrassed about together later. Besides, at least their friends would finally stop bugging them about it. Best case scenario...

Applejack saw herself waking up, rolling over in bed and seeing that smile as Rainbow Dash cuddled closer to her. She tried to shake the image away, but once it had come, it simply wouldn’t go. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. She saw Rainbow Dash and herself galloping through the blossoming apple orchards together. Rainbow Dash and herself sitting and talking together in the shade of a tree on a hot summer afternoon. Rainbow Dash and herself lying close together by a fire on Hearth’s Warming Eve a long, long time from now, both of them older, wearier, but still together.

Rainbow Dash and herself.

All that time in her orchards she had spent thinking she was alone, and Rainbow Dash really nearby all the time, napping on a tree branch.

“Applejack, are you going to play?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

Applejack smiled and nodded.

She decided it was more than worth a try, even if they only went on a handful of dates together before calling it off. She couldn’t say anything yet, but as soon as she and Rainbow Dash were alone together, she would tell her. Her heart raced.

__________________________________________________

“See ya later, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash called, stepping out the door along with the rest of her friends, each saying goodnight as they walked from Sugarcube Corner and towards their separate homes. Dash stopped, letting them go ahead of her. She stretched and took a deep breath of cool, night air. Besides them, everyone in Ponyville had gone indoors for the night, and there was something exciting about the idea of being out when no one else was, like she was getting to see something no one else did.

A hoof touched her shoulder.

“Aaggh!” Dash yelped, jumping in the air and spinning around. She saw Applejack standing behind her. “Jeez, AJ, don’t do that,” she said, lowering herself back to the ground.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize you were so antsy.” Applejack chuckled.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Did you want something?”

“Uh, yeah.” Applejack smiled. It was too wide for a normal smile, spread too thin. “About what I asked you earlier... you never answered me.”

“Answered what?”

“Well...” Applejack bit her lip. “If you wanted to go out sometime.”

Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, confused, and then let out a weak laugh. “Oh, right. That’s not really as funny the second time though.”

Applejack’s too-wide smile fell. “I’m not jokin’. I’m askin’ you out.”

Rainbow Dash looked back to her other friends. They had already walked far down the road, out of earshot. “Okay... it’s just kind of weird the third time.”

Applejack stared at her.

Rainbow Dash stared back for a few moments. “You’re not joking, are you?”

“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” Applejack smiled again. “So, what do you say?”

“Ugh,” Rainbow Dash groaned. “You too now?”

“Look, I know they’ve been buggin’ us about this a long time, but I thought about it and, well, they’re right.” Applejack smiled. “I think you and me could be really good together.”

Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side, feeling embarrassed for Applejack. Of all ponies, Applejack was the last she would have expected to buy into all that mushy nonsense. “Um, no thanks.”

Applejack blinked at her, looking like Rainbow Dash had just declared that apples were vegetables. “What do you mean ‘no thanks’?”

“Um.” Rainbow Dash frowned. “It can only really mean one thing, right?”

“Huh?”

Rainbow Dash furled and unfurled her wings. “It means no, I don’t wanna go on a date with you, but thanks for the offer.”

“I—but—you and me—” Applejack shook her head. “This don’t make any sense...”

“Since when do you care what Rarity says about you?”

“This isn’t about Rarity!” Applejack cried, her voice rising.

Dash backed up a little. “What’s it about then? Hearts and Hooves Day?”

“It’s about you and me,” Applejack said, pointing at her. “Sugarcube... I really think this is right. I really think I could make you happy. I really think we could be happy.”

For the briefest of moments, Rainbow Dash considered saying yes, and imagined what being with Applejack would be like. But then memories she didn’t want to remember flooded her mind. She looked away. “No thanks,” she said again, pushing them out of her head. “I don’t date anymore.”

Applejack stayed quiet for a second, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Just one date. Just give me one chance to show you what we could be. If it don't work out, then fine. We never have to go on another.”

“No,” Dash said, looking up at her. “No. We’re never going to be anything because I don’t want to be anything with you.”

Applejack simply stared back, her mouth hanging open slightly, looking... hurt?

Rainbow Dash cringed. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean that.”

Applejack nodded numbly.

They fell into silence for a time, Applejack quietly staring down at the ground, and Rainbow Dash nervously running her hoof through her mane.

“Sugarcube, can’t you see it?” Applejack finally asked, looking up.

“See what?”

“Us. You and me, sittin’ together, close. You’ve gotta be able to see it too. I know we could be happy.”

“How could you know that?”

Applejack smiled teasingly and stepped towards her. “Because I know you, and I know what you want. You want somepony who can keep up with you, and you can hardly even keep up with me. Because you never settle for anything but the best, and I’m the strongest, fastest, toughest pony in all of Ponyville.” She moved closer, so their noses nearly touched. Rainbow Dash felt her face and ears go warm, but she was rooted to the spot, unable to back up.

“Because you think I’m hot, and I know it,” Applejack said. Her warm breath brushed Dash’s lips. She leaned in close, grazing Dash’s neck with her muzzle, and whispered sweetly into her ear, “Because I know what you want, and you want me.”

Rainbow Dash gulped.

“Just think about it,” Applejack said. She leaned back, tipped her hat, and turned around. “Sweet dreams, sugarcube.”

“Uh, y-you too.” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help staring at Applejack’s rump as she walked away. Applejack glanced back, and Dash quickly tore her gaze away and pretended to have been looking anyplace else. When the farm pony was finally out of sight, Dash jumped up into the air and flew home, her face still tinged an embarrassing shade of red.

_________________________________________________

Applejack waited until Rainbow Dash had flown away before stopping. She let out a shaky breath. Where the hay had that come from? She remembered the way she had whispered in Rainbow Dash’s ear and blushed. She hadn’t meant to come on so... strong. She didn’t even know she had that in her.

She smiled. She kind of liked it. And, judging by the way Rainbow Dash had blushed, she had liked it too.

And then she remembered, Rainbow Dash had still said no, and her smile fell. Applejack had forgotten what it felt like to be rejected. It felt even worse than when her friends had simply laughed her off. It was like, instead of their usual evening stew, Granny Smith had boiled shame, and embarrassment, and humiliation, and disappointment all together in a frothing, steaming soup and Applejack had eagerly gulped it down, searing her throat, and then thrown it back up.

It didn’t make sense. It just didn’t make sense. She shook her head. She didn’t want to believe it. For a short time, everything had been clear. Rainbow Dash and herself, they were just... right for each other. It made so much sense to her now that she couldn’t understand how she hadn’t seen it before. But Rainbow Dash didn’t see it, and everything had gone murky again.

She began walking home. Her legs felt heavy, like she was treading through deep water. Her chest ached, a deep, numbing ache.

What now?

For a single moment, she had been certain Rainbow Dash was going to say yes, but then it was as if something behind Rainbow’s eyes had darkened, and she had said no instead.

I don’t date anymore.

That had to be it. Something must have happened to her. But what? If Applejack only knew, she could help her friend. Unfortunately, Applejack knew the odds of Rainbow Dash actually telling her were about as good as the odds that Granny Smith would spring out of bed tomorrow morning dancing the hoochie coochie.

Applejack looked up and saw that she was passing by the path that led to Fluttershy’s cottage. She smiled, remembering the nod that had passed between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash when the subject had come up at Sugarcube Corner. She could think of one pony who would know what to do about Rainbow Dash. She trotted up the path and knocked on the cottage door.

“Oh, hello, Applejack,” Fluttershy said, oddly chipper considering the hour.

“Hey, Fluttershy. Can I come in?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy replied quickly, moving out of the way. “I was just feeding the mice and owls.”

Applejack decided not to mention that owls ate mice. Or maybe that was why their feeding times coincided?

“Is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked. “It’s awfully late. Not that I don’t mind you visiting late! It’s just, this is a lot later than you usually come over.”

“I took everypony’s advice and asked Rainbow Dash out tonight,” Applejack explained, straight to the point, walking inside and sitting down.

Fluttershy gasped, beating her wings excitedly and hovering in the air, smiling brightly. “Oh, that’s so wonderful! What did she say?”

“She said no.”

Fluttershy drooped back down to the ground, her smile gone. “Oh, that’s not very wonderful at all.”

“You’re right about that,” Applejack said glumly.

“But why?”

“I was hopin’ you’d be able to tell me. She keeps tellin’ everypony that she doesn’t date anymore, but I’ve never heard her say why.” Applejack looked to Fluttershy.

In turn, Fluttershy looked down at her hooves. “Oh, um, well...”

“You’ve known her longer than I have. Do you know what’s eatin’ at her?”

“Um.” Fluttershy resettled her wings on her back. “Maybe if you asked her again very nicely, she’ll say yes. Did you ask her very nicely?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I asked her plenty nice, but it doesn’t matter how nice I ask, she won’t say yes. There’s somethin’ botherin’ her, but I don’t know what.”

“Oh... that’s, um, too bad,” Fluttershy murmured.

“It’s a whole heck of a lot more than just too bad.” Applejack scowled. “Do you know what’s buggin’ her? Did somethin’ happen to her?”

Fluttershy frowned. “I really shouldn’t say.”

Applejack groaned. She had never known Fluttershy to ever be anything other than helpful. “Sugarcube, you know I don’t mean to go stickin’ my muzzle places it don’t belong, but there’s somethin’ wrong with Rainbow Dash, and I want to help her. I want to be with her. But I can’t do that if I don’t have any idea what the problem is. If you know anything, please tell me. Why doesn’t Rainbow Dash date anymore?”

“Oh, well...” Fluttershy’s face twitched, her wings fluttered, and her legs fidgeted. It almost looked like her body was at war with itself. She opened her mouth as if to explain, and then closed it again abruptly. She bit her lip. “She just...”

“Fluttershy, please.”

“Rainbow Dash had some very, very bad marefriends,” she said quickly. “So she just, um, stopped.”

“Bad how? What did they do to her?” Applejack asked, feeling her muscles go tense.

Fluttershy’s face went red and she stamped her hoof on the floor. “They were... they were jerks! Oh, I’m sorry. I know it’s not right to call ponies names. But they were... rude, and selfish, and mean, and—and—jerks!” She covered her mouth with a hoof. “Oh, I’m sorry, Applejack. I shouldn’t talk like that.”

“What did they do?” Applejack asked again. Her blood boiled at the mere thought that someone might have mistreated Rainbow Dash.

“I’m sorry. Rainbow Dash made me promise not to talk about it to anypony.”

“Fluttershy,” Applejack said sternly, standing up. “Did they hurt her? You tell me right now if somepony hurt her.”

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide. “No, no. Nothing like that. They were mean, but they weren’t mean like that.”

Applejack took a deep breath to calm herself. “Okay, so what did they do then?”

“I’m sorry, I really wasn’t supposed to say anything about it at all.”

“Fluttershy, this is—” Applejack stopped herself. “Right, you made a promise and you gotta keep it. Ain’t nothing we can do about that. So what can we do to help her then? She can’t go her whole life never havin’ another marefriend.”

Fluttershy hesitated. “Um, you do want to be with her, right? Really want to be with her? It’s okay if you don’t, but—”

“I swear on my word that I do,” Applejack interrupted.

Fluttershy bit her lip. “Well, her other marefriends were, really, really nasty, so, um, maybe if you were really, really, um...”

“Nice?” Applejack suggested.

Fluttershy smiled. “Yes! Nice. If you were really, really nice to her, she would probably say yes.”

“Uh, okay.” Applejack lifted her hat and scratched her forehead. “I’m fairly sure I’m already pretty nice to her though. We are friends afterall.”

“Oh, of course you are,” Fluttershy said quickly. “It’s just that—well... Rainbow Dash had some really awful marefriends, so she doesn’t really know what a real marefriend is like. So you should be extra nice to her show her. You need to, um, woo her.”

“Woo her? Rainbow Dash doesn’t seem like the kind of pony who cares about that sort of stuff.”

Fluttershy blushed. “Well, she does, even if she doesn’t act like it. You need to do nice things for her, and say nice things to her to show her how much you like her. And then you can show her how much better you are than her other marefriends were.”

“Okay.” Applejack chuckled. It wasn’t the most elaborate plan she had ever heard, but it would do. “So, what? You want me to bring her flowers and breakfast in bed then?”

Fluttershy grinned. “That would be perfect!”

“Uh, I was jokin’.”

“Well, you should still do it. I know I would love it if somepony gave me flowers.”

Applejack squinted at her. “You and Rainbow Dash ain’t exactly the same pony.”

“Everypony likes getting flowers,” Fluttershy insisted with a huff. “None of her other marefriends ever brought her flowers.”

“Well, flowers it is then, I guess.”

Fluttershy smiled, and then covered her mouth to hide a yawn.

“Am I keepin’ you up?”

“Oh, no. I can stay up as long as you want to talk.”

“No, I can’t keep you any longer.” Applejack stood up and yawned too. “I should really get some shut-eye anyway. I gotta be up bright and early tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy replied, moving to the door. “Goodnight then.”

Applejack stopped in the doorway. “Thank you, Fluttershy.”

‘Oh, it’s really no problem.” Fluttershy giggled nervously. “Good luck.”

The Part Where It All Goes Wrong

Rainbow Dash rolled onto her side, away from the morning light spilling in through her bedroom window, and pulled the sheet up over her eyes. She groaned and pressed her head into the pillow. She had barely gotten any sleep. All night long, she had heard Applejack whispering those words into her ear again and again, as her face flushed at the memory of feeling Applejack’s warm breath on her lips.

Because I know you, and I know what you want. You want somepony who can keep up with you, and you can hardly even keep up with me. Because you never settle for anything but the best, and I’m the strongest, fastest, toughest pony in all of Ponyville. Because you think I’m hot, and I know it.

Applejack was wrong, she told herself. Well, maybe not about that first part. Of course Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be with anyone who couldn’t keep up with her. That was why she never dated, sort of. No one could keep up with her. They would just slow her down, and what would be point of that? Except maybe Applejack could keep up with her. Sometimes.

Applejack had done pretty well during that Iron Pony Competition, and she had showed her up during that whole Mysterious Mare Do Well ordeal, and she had always fared better than their other friends when they went on one of those periodic adventures Celestia enjoyed sending them out on. Though, that wasn’t saying much considering her competition. Rarity and Fluttershy were hardly adventurer material, Twilight managed to get by only because of her crazy awesome magic (which Rainbow Dash thought was a bit like cheating), and Pinkie Pie... just was whatever she was. To tell the truth, Rainbow Dash had often wished she and Applejack could try going out by themselves every now and then. They would kick all kinds of flank.

She groaned again. She was getting distracted. The point was that Applejack was wrong about everything else. Well, maybe not about that second part either. Rainbow Dash didn’t settle for anything but the best, because she was the best. She was the fastest, strongest, toughest pony in all of Ponyville, probably in Equestria.

Okay, maybe Applejack was a little bit stronger than her. Just a little. But that was only because she was an earth pony, and she worked all day long. Applejack could run pretty fast, but she couldn’t beat Rainbow Dash in a race, not so long as Dash was in the air. Rainbow was the toughest pony for sure though. Sure, Applejack was really tough too, and trustworthy, and understanding, and strong, and fast, and funny when she wanted to be, and pretty cool sometimes, a lot of times, and a little cute when she smiled in a stupid, nice sort of way.

Rainbow Dash shook her head, wrinkling the sheets. She was getting distracted again. The point was, Applejack was mostly wrong. And she was definitely wrong about that last part. Rainbow didn’t think she was hot.

She remembered the, er, generous curve of Applejack’s flanks as she had walked away, and felt a blush creep its way back onto her cheeks.

All right, Applejack could be pretty hot.

She remembered the feeling of Applejack’s muzzle caressing her neck, and her blush deepened.

Okay, fine. Applejack could be really hot.

She remembered the feeling of Applejack’s warm breath tickling her mane as she whispered sweetly in her ear, and her face burned.

She groaned. Applejack was hot. Big deal. But that didn’t mean Rainbow Dash thought so. That made sense, right?

Whatever. It didn’t matter. The point was... What was the point again? She scratched her ear. None of that stuff even mattered, because she was not going to go on a date with Applejack. Because... because... because friends just didn’t date each other. It would be weird. She didn’t date anyway, not anymore.

Why had Applejack even asked her in the first place?

Obviously, Rainbow Dash was really cool, and—she lifted the sheet to get a look at her backside—she had the hottest flanks in Ponyville, she confirmed with a smirk. Who wouldn’t want to date her? She smiled at that. She could get anypony she wanted.

You want me.

Rainbow Dash frowned. No she didn’t. She wanted somepony like Applejack, sure. She was mare enough to admit that, but that didn’t mean she wanted Applejack specifically.

Still, it was pretty cool that Applejack had asked her like that, just came right out and said it instead of dancing all around each other like those idiots in Rarity’s romance novels. That meant Applejack wanted her, right?

That thought brought an unfamiliar, tickling feeling to her stomach. Applejack was pretty awesome, so she must have thought Rainbow Dash was pretty awesome too. The tickling feeling increased. Applejack liked her. Not just liked her, but really liked her. It was a strange feeling, but Rainbow decided that she kind of liked it.

Something thumped somewhere outside her bedroom. Dash perked her ears up and out from beneath the covers. She heard the muffled thumps again.

She poked her head out. “What the hay?” she said, her voice groggy and dry.

She waited, and heard it again. It took another few thumps before she realized that someone had knocked on her front door. Ponies never knocked on her door. Seriously, like never. One of the benefits of living in a cloud house.

She slumped over the side of the bed and onto the floor. She stayed put, letting out a sleepy yawn. Maybe they would go away if she didn’t answer. But whoever was out there kept knocking, and louder. She picked herself up with a groan. Her hoof stubbed against something hard as she walked to the door.

“Oops, sorry, Tank,” she said quietly, opening the door.

Applejack stood on her porch, smiling with a mouth full of red flowers wrapped in cloth. “Mornin’!”

“Applejack?” Dash yawned again and ran a hoof through her mane. “What’s up?”

“I gopht theesphe for phou.”

“What?”

Applejack frowned and spit the flowers out onto the ground. “I got these for you.”

Rainbow Dash looked between her and the flowers. “You brought me breakfast?”

“No.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “I brought you flowers. They’re roses. They’re supposed to be romantic.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Do you seriously think giving me flowers is going to get me to go on a date with you?”

“Not really. I just wanted to do somethin’ nice for ya.” Applejack smiled. “Besides, what kind of mare doesn’t like gettin’ flowers?”

“The kind of mare who’s not a sappy loser, maybe?” .

Applejack smirked. “You can’t fool me, sugarcube. You can act tough, but I bet you like bein’ shown a good time and bein’ told you’re pretty just the same as any other mare.”

Rainbow Dash made a face. “Whatever. How’d you get up here anyway?”

“The same way I get everything I want.” Applejack winked. “With a little hard work and determination.”

“Um...” Dash scratched her neck and looked away. “Okay. Do you want to come in, or something?”

“I’d love to, but I have to get back to work. And so do you.” She pointed up to the morning clouds hanging in the sky.

“Ugh, I guess.” Dash heard her stomach growl. At least the flowers looked appetizing. “Is this all you came here to do?”

“Yup. Just wanted you to know I was thinkin’ about ya.”

“I’m not going out with you,” Dash said quickly. “I don’t date.”

Applejack’s smile wavered. “I know. I’m just askin’ you to think about it.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and leaned down to pick up the flowers. She stopped, her muzzle hovering just over the petals. She looked up. “If I eat these, that doesn’t mean I have to go out on a date with you, does it?”

Applejack laughed. “No, you’re safe. For now.”

“Good,” Dash muttered, picking up the flowers and holding them in her folded wing, careful to keep from being pricked by the thorns. When she looked up, she found Applejack staring at her. Not just staring, really, but gazing. Dash shifted on her hooves. “What’s up?”

“Ya know, you really are,” Applejack said after a time.

“Are what?”

“Pretty,” Applejack replied, as simply as she would say that the sun was yellow.

Rainbow Dash blinked. “What? N-no I’m not.”

Applejack nodded, a smirk playing on her lips. “Yeah, you are.”

Rainbow Dash felt her face flush. “You’re really lame and cheesy,” she said, but she smiled anyway.

“Yeah, when I see somethin’ worth bein’ lame and cheesy for,” Applejack said, sidling up to her. “And just so you know, I would show you to a good time too.” She winked, and then leaned forward. “A very good time.” She brushed her muzzle ever so softly against Dash’s neck.

Dash’s face burned furiously, but like last time, she couldn’t step away from the touch.

Applejack turned around and began walking away. “I’ll be back ‘round lunchtime. See ya then.”

“U-um, yeah,” Dash said, stumbling back into her house and closing the door. She dropped the flowers on the kitchen table and massaged her temples. That stupid tickling feeling was back in her stomach, like she wanted to smile and laugh for no reason at all. “Ugh, what’s wrong with me?” A couple lame one-liners shouldn’t have had this much of an effect on her. She was better than that.

Applejack shouldn’t have had this much of an effect on her, she thought bitterly.

She heard knocking.

She quickly collected herself and straightened her mane before opening the door again. “You forget something?” Dash asked, expertly nonchalant.

Applejack chuckled and smiled sheepishly. “Uh, well, the thing is... I can’t get back down.”

Rainbow Dash stared at her. “Are you kidding me?”

“Eh, no.” Applejack shrugged.

“And now you want me to help you get back down, right?”

“I’d sure appreciate it,” Applejack replied, smiling again.

Rainbow Dash groaned. “Fine.” She trotted out past Applejack and kneeled down, facing away from her. “Hurry up and get on.”

Applejack hesitated. “Um, are you sure? I wanted to go on the date first, but if you’d rather—”

“Just shut up and get on,” Dash grumbled.

Applejack chuckled. “No need to get all worked up about it, sugarcube.” Rainbow Dash felt Applejack step over on top of her and lean down, wrapping her forelegs around her neck. “All right. Sorry ‘bout this, by the way.”

Rainbow Dash stood up to test the weight. Applejack didn’t weigh as much as she thought she would, and her belly was surprisingly soft. If Rainbow Dash thought about it, she kind of liked the feeling of the other mare’s coat rubbing against her own, just a little. But she decided not to think about it, or about the feeling of Applejack’s breath on her ear, or the way Applejack’s hind legs lightly straddled her waist. She definitely wasn’t going to think about any of that, or even how incredibly warm she felt all over all of the sudden. Nope. Just not gonna think about it.

“Um, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. “Are you waitin’ for somethin’?”

“Uh, n-no. Just—yeah,” Dash stammered.

“What?”

“Nevermind,” Dash mumbled, and jumped over the side of the cloud. She flew towards Sweet Apple Acres.

“You could have just carried me down to the ground.”

“Uh, yeah, well... I might as well just bring you back home, right?” Dash replied quickly. “It’ll be faster this way.”

“If you say so.” Applejack nestled her muzzle into Dash’s mane, and Rainbow Dash decided that, if she thought about it, she sort of liked the way that felt too.

__________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash flew in through her kitchen window (sometimes she wondered why she even had a door), feeling a kind of giddy satisfaction she usually only felt after hearing the cheers of her friends after showing off a new trick. It definitely didn’t have anything to do with Applejack though. She just enjoyed flying in the early morning.

Okay, maybe it had a little to do with Applejack.

She shook her head as she landed on the floor. She needed to get her head in order. Applejack was making her look like an idiot. She saw Tank waiting by his food bowl.

“Tank, when the hay did I become such a brainless, sappy idiot?” she asked as she dropped some greens into his bowl and patted his shell.

He blinked up at her once and dipped his mouth into the bowl.

“You’re right,” she agreed. “It’s totally Applejack’s fault.”

She noticed the flowers, still lying on the table. She unwrapped them and sniffed. They smelled sweet and fresh. She quickly set about munching on the petals. She loved roses. Not in any silly romantic way though, their petals tasted delicious. These were particularly tasty; Applejack must have picked them that morning.

She hesitated when she got to the final one. She looked down at it. It didn’t feel right to eat all of them. Applejack had brought them for her, not as food, but as a gift. Even if the whole thing was sappy, she couldn’t simply throw away a gift from a friend.

She found a reasonably clean cup, filled it with some water, and dropped the remaining rose inside. She set it in the middle of the table, and stepped back to appraise her work. The rose added some small touch of charm to her otherwise bare home. Not that she cared about that sort of thing. She just happened to notice was all. And it smelled nice.

She spotted Tank staring at her from his place by his food bowl. “What?” she asked. “I’m saving it for later. I’m just not hungry right now.”

He blinked slowly, and it seemed to her deliberately so.

“Hey, I’m allowed to like getting flowers. What kind of mare doesn’t like getting flowers? It doesn’t mean anything.”

Ever so slowly, he smiled.

“Oh, just shut up.”

__________________________________________________

After Rainbow Dash finished helping the weather team prepare the afternoon forecast, she flew straight home to be sure she didn’t miss Applejack. She looked to the rose when she got inside and wondered what Applejack would do for her next.

She hoped it would be more food.

She checked the front door, but Applejack hadn’t shown up yet. She went back inside and tapped her hoof on the floor. If Applejack insisted on wasting her time like this, she should at least have had the decency to not waste time while doing it.

It wasn’t long before she heard knocking at her door again. She trotted over and opened it.

Applejack stood in front of her, smiling around a red, heart-shaped box clenched between her teeth.

Rainbow Dash eyed her suspiciously. “This isn’t some stupid symbolic thing about how you’re giving me your heart, is it?”

“What?” The box fell out of Applejack’s mouth. “They’re chocolates.”

“You brought me lunch?”

Applejack groaned. “No, I brought you chocolates.”

“Oh, cool,” Dash said, pulling the box to her hooves and flipping off its top. As Applejack had said, a dozen little square chocolates lined the inside. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if Applejack tasted like chocolate. “What does candy have anything to do with anything?” she asked quickly to cover up the thought.

“It’s romantic.”

Rainbow Dash popped three of the chocolates into her mouth at once. They were chewy and sweet, with fluffy chocolate filling that spilled onto her tongue as she chewed. “What’s romantic about candy?”

“I don’t know.” Applejack shrugged. “Fluttershy said so.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at her. “Fluttershy?”

“Um, no.” Applejack passed her an obviously fake smile. “They came in a heart-shaped box. That makes ‘em romantic.”

“Oh, right...” Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “I’m still not going out with you.”

Applejack frowned. “What would I have to do for you?”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t think of a good answer for that, so she kept chewing on her chocolate.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Look, Applejack...” Rainbow Dash swallowed the last chocolate. “This isn’t just some game for you, is it? Like a prank or something?”

“What? No.”

“Then why do you keep asking me out?”

“Because I want to help you.”

Rainbow Dash gave her a puzzled look. “Help me with what?”

“I mean...” Applejack shook her head. “I want to be with you. I really think everypony’s right. I really think we could be good together.”

“Why? You never thought so before.”

“Because I never thought about it before.” Applejack looked her in the eye. “I know you. I know I could make you happy, and I know that you know it too.”

Rainbow Dash looked away.

“Ah well, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a sigh. “I’m just askin’ ya to think about it.” She began walking away.

Rainbow Dash looked up quickly when she realized Applejack was leaving. “You’re not giving up, are you?”

Applejack turned around, looking confused for a brief moment before smiling again. “When have I ever given up on anything?” She turned back around.

“Good,” Rainbow Dash whispered, walking back inside. As soon as she closed the door, she flopped down on the floor (another benefit of cloud homes, comfortably sit wherever you want), dropped the empty box, and laid on her back. “Ugh...” She felt... she couldn’t tell what she felt. That happy tickling feeling was back, but now it came with a tightness in her stomach that made her sick.

Applejack, she decided. That was how she felt. She felt like Applejack. At least, Applejack had caused it. So she felt like Applejack. She groaned again. That didn’t make any sense.

She heard knocking on the door again. She rolled over and opened it.

Applejack stood in front of her.

Rainbow Dash stared at her, still trying to decide if she should be happy or annoyed when she realized what Applejack’s sheepish smile meant. “You can’t get back down again, can you?”

“Sorry, I tried. It’s just a lot easier to get up here than it is to get down from here.”

“How are you getting up here in the first place?”

Applejack smirked. “I told ya before, a little hard work and determination.”

“Does ‘a little hard work and determination’ let you float in the air and walk on clouds?”

“Yeah, and trees help some too. And havin’ a unicorn friend helps with the walkin’ on clouds part.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled at the thought of Applejack scampering up a tree to see her and stepped outside, leaning down. “Well, let’s go.”

As Applejack climbed over her, and held on close, Rainbow made up her mind that she should be happy, for now at least.

__________________________________________________

When Rainbow Dash got back home, she stepped over the fallen box of chocolates on her way inside. She bent down to pick it up and examine it. It was the same as every other cheap, heart-shaped Hearts and Hooves Day chocolates box. Except it wasn’t like any of those at all, because this one had been given to her. By Applejack.

She eyed the already overfull trash can and, after a moment’s hesitation, walked over to the table and set the box down by the rose, still just as red as when Applejack had given it to her that morning. She took some time to arrange the box and the rose just so.

Tank looked up at her from his place on the floor.

“What?” she asked. “I’m just saving it for... something. You know, in case I ever need somewhere to put... socks... sock chocolates... birthday sock chocolates...”

Her voice trailed off as she looked at the rose and heart box, thinking about Applejack, remembering Applejack whispering into her ear and smiling with a mouth full of roses, and she felt that annoying tingling feeling again.

“I like Applejack, don’t I?” she murmured.

Tank nodded.

It wasn’t the startling, life-changing revelation she thought it should have been, like waking up in the morning thinking it’s Monday and discovering that it’s really still Sunday. It was more like waking up on Wednesday, thinking it’s Thursday, and then realizing that it’s still only Wednesday, and nothing had really changed at all.

Except everything had changed. She liked Applejack, and not just in the way her grandmother liked sewing beanie hats either. Well, kind of like that actually. Her grandmother was notoriously fond of sewing beanie hats, and Rainbow Dash had a drawer full of them to prove it.

She wondered if she had only started liking Applejack the night before, or if she had always liked the farm pony and only now realized it because of Applejack’s recent attentions. Probably a little bit of both, she decided with a shrug.

The only crush she had ever had was on Spitfire, but that had been a long time ago. The only one of her friends who knew about that was Fluttershy. And Applejack. This didn’t feel anything like that though.

She didn’t feel giddy or giggly like she thought she should have. She didn’t feel all blushy and smiley like those fillies in her class at flightschool always looked when they talked about colts they liked. She didn’t feel like screaming her newfound love from the rooftops of Ponyville like those lovestruck stallions in Rarity’s romance novels. She didn’t feel like rushing after Applejack and kissing the farm pony on the lips, followed straight afterwards by a night of raucous pleasure in her barn. She didn’t feel anything she should have felt after realizing she liked someone. Except maybe a tiny bit of that last one.

She just felt right. Like this made sense. It felt just like how she did when she got her cutie mark, and decided that she was going to become a Wonderbolt, and that nothing would ever stop her from getting there.

The only problem now was to decide what to do about it.

She cantered to her bedroom and pulled the box of notecards Twilight had given her for her birthday out of the mess that was her closet. She knew this would be a serious decision. And serious decisions required notecards. She scribbled down each of her options on individual notecards, an organization method she had read about it in Fleetfoot’s self help guide, and laid them out on her bed.

When she had finished, only two notecards lay on her sheets. She looked between her two options. She could either go out with Applejack, or not go out with Applejack.

The notecards didn’t help much.

She narrowed her eyes at the ‘Go out with Applejack’ card. She didn’t date anymore, and with good reason, but then again, she didn’t have any really compelling reason not to go out with Applejack, did she? Why did she even like Applejack in the first place?

That thought gave her pause. She thought about it for a long while, glaring down at the notecard, but the only answer she could come up with was, “Because Applejack is cool.”

“And hot.”

Most importantly though, Applejack liked her. That wasn’t a freak occurrence or anything. She was awesome, and she had hot flanks. Lots of ponies liked her. But the one problem she had discovered concerning being awesome and having hot flanks was that most ponies who liked her didn’t really like her. They only liked that she was awesome and that she had hot flanks. She had gone through a dozen stupid jerks and disappointments before she decided to simply give up on dating forever. She hadn’t been in a real relationship since right after she had moved to Ponyville.

But Applejack was different. Applejack was actually cool. Applejack wouldn’t ask her to bed the first night, and then be gone the next morning. Applejack wouldn’t show her off all around town like Rainbow Dash was some kind of trophy. Applejack wouldn’t try to tell her what she was allowed to do or who she was allowed to be friends with. Applejack liked her. But why?

That thought gave her even more pause. It couldn’t just be that she was awesome and she had hot flanks. Applejack would care about more than that. Unless all Applejack cared about was a few nights of fun. Maybe that wouldn’t be terrible. At least Applejack wouldn’t be a jerk about it afterwards.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. Applejack was better than that. Rainbow had lots of other good qualities, and Applejack would recognize those. Like... well, she could make a pretty darn good sandwich.

She did have other good qualities.

She remembered the previous night’s get-together. Applejack had explicitly said what she wanted in a mare, and Rainbow was pretty sure being awesome and having hot flanks hadn’t even been on the list. Being good at making sandwiches hadn’t either, now that she thought about it.

Well, since you asked, I’m partial to pegasi.

Rainbow Dash grinned. Well, she nailed that one without even having to do anything. She got by on simply being a pegasus and a mare surprisingly often.

She’d have to be somepony who can get work done when it needs doin’.

Well, Rainbow Dash got plenty of work done. She didn’t usually come in late for work, or at least she didn’t come in late as often as she used to. She took a lot of naps, but that was only because she spent so much time practicing. Practicing counted as work. Though, Applejack probably meant the kind of work she did, getting up before the sun everyday and heading out into the fields for a full day of... farm stuff, and Rainbow Dash knew she fell well short of that. Oh well. One for two.

She’d have to be somepony who I can just sit back and have a good time with at the end of the day too.

Rainbow Dash’s smile returned. She could do that. Having a good time was easily her favorite kind of time to have. She hung out with Applejack nearly every other day anyway. Unless Applejack meant...

She’d have to be somepony strong, who can hold her own in bed. I don’t want somepony who’s too soft.

Rainbow Dash’s smile slowly fell. She certainly wasn’t bad in bed. She had never heard any complaints. Just the opposite actually, that was usually the only thing her marefriends ever seemed to really like about her. But it had been a long, long time, and Applejack clearly expected someone... experienced. More worrisome than that though, she had to admit that Applejack was a little stronger than her. Probably a lot stronger than her. Rainbow Dash had learned the hard way that the farm pony could be as tough as a rock, and she suspected she fell well over on the ‘too soft’ side of the soft spectrum as far as Applejack was concerned. Okay. One for three then.

And she wouldn’t need me to take care of her all the time either. I’ve got enough work on my plate as it is.

Rainbow Dash laid down on the bed and frowned up at the ceiling. She didn’t need to be taken care of all the time. She had lived on her own for years without any problems, but... Well, sometimes she thought it would have been nice to have somepony around to massage her wings when they were sore, or maybe reassure her that she was going to do a good job performing in front of an audience when she wasn’t totally sure she could do a good job, or tell her that she had pulled off a new trick well even though they both knew she really hadn’t, or that just because she messed up and crashed a couple times didn’t mean she would never get it right. Though, it sounded like Applejack didn’t want a part of any of that. She had enough trouble working Sweet Apple Acres already, and she didn’t need anymore. One for four then. It could have been worse.

More than that though, she’d have to be somepony who’ll stick by me no matter what, and won’t run off at the first sign of trouble.

Rainbow Dash never ran off at the first sign of trouble. She never ran off at any subsequent signs of trouble either. She ran towards signs of trouble. She would never abandon any of her friends. But what exactly did ‘no matter what’ mean? Did it mean that if maybe Applejack realized Rainbow Dash was a little lazier, not quite as strong, and wanted her sore wings rubbed a bit more often than she had expected, that she would be angry when they broke up? Did it mean their friendship would be ruined if she ever screwed up? Did it mean Applejack and the rest of their friends would hate her forever?

She took a deep breath and shook her head. No, she was being melodramatic. Applejack would never hate her, right? Whatever. It was still one for four.

She’d have to be somepony I can raise a family with.

Rainbow Dash shot up in bed, her eyes opening wide. “What?”

Raise a family? Nope. There was simply no possible way Applejack thought Rainbow Dash—slacker, not strong enough, wants her sore wings rubbed too often, runs head first at signs of trouble Rainbow Dash—could ever raise a foal. She was the exact opposite of what made for a good parent, and she knew it. She had more than once proudly declared that she would never have a foal. Not that it wouldn’t have been cool to have a smaller Rainbow Dash around to teach how to fly, but she knew it was simply silly and unrealistic. That made it zero for ten, at least.

She felt the chocolates and bile rising up in her throat, and did her best to swallow it down, the tickling feeling gone. Applejack thought she could be some kind of perfect marefriend. Rainbow Dash, Super Marefriend, with the power to get up early every morning for work, raise ten foals in the afternoon, perform unbelievable acts in bed at night, and solve all of Applejack’s problems on the side. As a comic book, it would sell millions. As Rainbow Dash’s actual future, it was quickly causing her to develop a cold sweat.

No, she thought, Applejack couldn’t have misjudged her so badly. Rainbow Dash couldn’t do any of that, and they both knew it. So if Applejack didn’t want her for any of that, what did she want?

Rainbow Dash scowled. All Applejack could have possibly wanted was a night of fun, a stroll around town to show Rainbow off like a trophy, and then an empty bed. She didn’t think that was all Applejack cared about. No, she didn’t want to think that was all Applejack cared about. But the alternative was worse.

She leaned over and tore the ‘Go on a date with Applejack’ card in half. Either Applejack wanted her to be Super Marefriend, or all she wanted was her flanks. It didn’t matter, because either way she couldn’t go out with Applejack.

_________________________________________________

Just as Rainbow Dash stopped waiting by the door and lay down in bed, she heard knocking. Night had fallen, and her house was dark and cool. It couldn’t possibly be anyone else. She took a couple deep breaths as she walked to the door. All she had to do was firmly tell Applejack no, and make it clear that she would never go on any kind of date with her. Applejack wouldn’t be mad at her, and it definitely wouldn’t mean that they would have to act weird around each other from now on. Or maybe it would. She didn’t know.

She steeled her face and opened the door. “Applejack, look—”

“You smell like trash, so can I take ya out?” Applejack asked, smiling.

Rainbow Dash blinked. “What?”

Applejack smiled a silly-looking, too-wide, bashful smile with just the faintest hint of red on her cheeks. “Could I get some directions?”

“What? To where?”

Applejack’s smiled widened. “To your heart.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “I... no... I don’t think so.”

“Did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?”

“Is this seriously what you’re trying right now?” Dash asked, shaking her head and covering her smile with a hoof. “Do you really think there’s any chance of this working at all?”

“Life without you would be like a broken pencil,” Applejack said, undeterred, smiling just as fully as before. “Pointless.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something about how this was Applejack’s worst attempt yet, but a laugh escaped her throat, and then another, and pretty soon she couldn’t hold them back at all. She laughed loud and long, until she had to grab the doorframe to keep from falling to the floor.

Applejack chuckled a little before saying, “I wanna live in your socks so I can be with you every step of the way.”

“All right,” Rainbow Dash said, her chest still seizing from laughing-fit aftershocks. “Please just stop. None of these are gonna work.”

“How ‘bout this one?” Applejack’s smile receded to its normal size, sincere. “You’re beautiful.”

All the laughs in Rainbow Dash’s stomach died at once. “That one wasn’t very funny...”

“It doesn’t have to be funny if it’s true,” Applejack replied with a wink. “I’ve got plenty more though.”

Rainbow Dash remembered what she had to do. She suddenly desperately wished Applejack hadn’t come back. Or that she had never asked her in the first place. She lowered her eyes.

“No, that’s enough...” Rainbow slowly blew her breath out of her mouth. “Applejack, look, I need you to stop asking me out. I really, really need you to stop asking me out, okay?” She looked up. For a brief moment, she hoped that might be the end of it, and Applejack wouldn’t ask any more questions and just go home.

But she had no such luck. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Because I can’t be all those things you want me to be!” Rainbow Dash cried.

Applejack simply stared back.

Rainbow groaned and shook her head. “I’m sorry—no wait, I’m not sorry, because this is kind of your fault.” She winced. “Nevermind. I bet you’re a super awesome marefriend, but I’m not as super awesome as you think I am, okay?”

Applejack tilted her head to the side. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“Sometimes I want my wings rubbed!” Rainbow Dash nearly shouted, feeling like she would throw up at any moment. “I like taking naps, and I’m not as strong as you are, and I run right at trouble! See? You don’t want me.”

“Why would I care about any of that?”

“Because that’s all the stuff you said you cared about!” Rainbow shouted, not just nearly this time, throwing her hooves in the air. “That’s exactly everything you said you wanted. And I’m not having any of your stupid foals either.”

“I never asked ya to.” Applejack looked at her like Rainbow had started babbling gibberish and walking upside down on the ceiling. “And I really don’t care about any of that anyway.”

A silence fell between them, and Rainbow Dash slowly narrowed her eyes. “So that’s it then? You don’t care about any of that? I get it. You’re just like everypony else,” she said bitterly.

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Rainbow Dash sighed, feeling calmer, the tickling feeling utterly dead in her chest. Everything made sense again. Nothing had changed. It was still only Wednesday. Maybe that was okay. “I’m pretty sure Berry Punch and Rose want my flank too, and Pinkie Pie definitely does. Maybe you guys can start a club or something.”

Applejack raised a brow at that, but she didn’t respond.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rainbow said again. “No. I’m saying no, I’m gonna say no, and I’m always gonna say no. I don’t care what you say or do, I’m always gonna say no. Do you need help getting down again?”

After a moment, Applejack nodded dumbly. She looked like Rainbow Dash had just torn up her hat and then spat in her face. And Rainbow Dash felt a little like it too.

Rainbow Dash trotted outside and leaned down. “Get on.”

She felt Applejack climb over her, but it didn’t bring the flush to her face that it had before. With a single beat of her wings, she raised them both into the air. As she flew, Applejack leaned into her mane, just a little. They gently glided through the clear, cool air. Below them, the town was dark and sleepy, and the only light came from the stars and moon above. It struck Rainbow Dash that under any other circumstances this flight would have been romantic.

They soon reached Sweet Apple Acres, and Rainbow unceremoniously dumped Applejack on the ground.

“Good night,” Applejack called to her as she flew away.

“You too,” Rainbow Dash called back without looking.

As she flew inside and trotted to her bedroom, Tank frowned up at her. She ignored him. It took her a long time to fall asleep, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just done some great wrong to her friend that she would never be able to take back.

________________________________________________

Applejack dragged her hoof through the dirt in front of her, back and forth, looking down, until she had dug miniature canal in the ground. She still sat in the same spot Rainbow Dash had left her. On one side was the Apple home, dark and still and quiet, and on the other side was the orchard, the leaves and branches gently rustling with a passing wind. She sat alone in the dark. She felt the numb ache in her chest again, but this time it didn’t have anything to do with being rejected. That didn’t matter at all anymore.

She remembered the sound of Rainbow Dash’s voice as she had asked her to stop. It had been pained, weak, distressed, and that was all Applejack’s fault.

Applejack had hurt her friend, and her chest seized at the thought.

She hadn’t meant to, but she supposed that didn’t make any difference. It didn’t matter what she had meant to do, it mattered what she had done. She had wanted to help Rainbow Dash, to show her how good a marefriend could be, but she had only hurt her instead.

Rainbow Dash had made it clear that she would never want Applejack, or any other marefriend.

Applejack slowly walked inside. Winona met her inside with a happy wag of her tail. Applejack felt entirely undeserving of the friendly welcome. She patted Winona on the head and walked up to her room. She dropped her hat on the floor and collapsed in bed.

She couldn’t sleep. The sheets felt scratchy. She was too hot. There was too much light coming in through the window. Her legs ached. And she had messed up everything with Rainbow Dash.

If Rainbow Dash didn’t want to be with another pony, it wasn’t Applejack’s place to tell her otherwise. If Rainbow Dash didn’t want to talk about what had happened to her, it wasn’t Applejack’s place to pull her secrets out into the open. If Rainbow Dash wanted to be left alone, it wasn’t Applejack’s place to be with her.

Applejack had screwed up, and she knew it. She had gone about it in all the wrong ways. She should have been straight with Rainbow Dash from the beginning. She should have asked her about her old marefriends, and explained that she wanted to show her that she could be better than them. But it was too late for that now. She had already pushed the pegasus away. Rainbow Dash had hated each and everyone of her attempts.

Making schemes and plans and being dishonest was always the wrong way. She knew that. She had always known that. How could she have messed up so badly? She especially knew that she shouldn’t have listened to Pinkie Pie’s suggestion about those cheesy pick-up lines. Of course Rainbow Dash wouldn’t think they were funny.

Winona abruptly hopped up onto the bed and lay down with her, as if she could sense her distress. Applejack frowned and scratched Winona’s neck. The only thing left to do now was apologize, and just let Rainbow Dash be. She could only hope Rainbow Dash wouldn’t decide that she never wanted anything to do with her again after it was done.

The Part Where It All Begins Again

Rainbow Dash woke up and slumped out of bed with a headache and a queasy stomach. She ate a light breakfast with Tank. Neither said much to the other. All morning, Rainbow Dash strained her ears to hear if some cowpony might come knocking on her door, and she jumped at every little sound she heard. She waited and waited, but Applejack never came. That was good, she guessed. It was what she had wanted, right? She couldn’t stop the lingering disappointment that followed her to work though. Late. Again. She blamed Applejack.

At work, she was too busy wondering where Applejack was and what she was doing to care about cloud masses and precipitation stratums. She wanted to go see her. She wanted to apologize. It was ridiculous. She didn’t have anything to apologize for. She hadn’t done anything wrong.

She wanted to be angry with Applejack for making her feel this way. But what had Applejack done to deserve that? Brought her flowers? Called her beautiful? And then Rainbow Dash had thrown it all back in her face. So what if all she wanted was Rainbow Dash’s flanks? It wasn’t Applejack’s fault that Rainbow was hot.

Lost in thought, she accidentally flooded the park with rain clouds, and then had to sheepishly apologize to the class of foals whose picnic she had ruined. She claimed not to be feeling well, and took the rest of the day off. It wasn’t a lie, not really.

She flew home as quickly as she could. “Did Applejack ever show up?” she asked Tank as she rushed in through the window.

He shook his head.

“G-good,” she replied. “That’s good.”

She idled around her house for a while longer, pacing from room to room, picking things up and then immediately putting them down again, fiddling with some old magazines, and generally doing nothing at all. She decided it would be best if she got out of the house. It was too stuffy.

She flew through crisp, clear air. A typical day in Ponyville. It seemed the rest of the weather team was getting along fine without her. That annoyed her. She wished it wasn’t a typical day. She wished they would need her for something.

She realized she was flying towards Sweet Apple Acres, and stopped herself. She could already see the hills of apple trees. Her stomach ached at the sight. Or maybe it was her chest. She didn’t care to stay and find out.

She turned the other way, back towards Ponyville proper. As she flew over town, everywhere she looked she saw Hearts and Hooves Day decorations and Hearts and Hooves Day couples. She imagined every pair of ponies she saw was really Applejack and herself. She saw Applejack and herself in a dozen different places and on a dozen different dates, walking together, sitting in the park, laughing, smiling at each other, cuddling, kissing. She decided to stop looking down.

For no reason at all, maybe by accident, she beelined towards the familiar shape of Carousel Boutique, and stepped inside. Its inside was empty and dark. The dresses hung quietly on their racks, and Rainbow Dash thought they looked lonely without anyone around to admire them.

“Rarity?” she called.

“Up here,” Rarity’s voice singsonged back from somewhere upstairs.

After a moment’s indecision, Rainbow Dash trotted up and found Rarity in her workroom. Sketches lay in a wide circle around the unicorn, along with a dozen circles and squares and triangles of different colored fabrics. It looked as if she stood at the epicenter of an explosion of unfinished dress designs and scraps of color. Rarity hummed as she floated the fabrics about her, mixing and matching different colors, smiling at some and frowning at others.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, not looking up. “How are you?”

“Fine,” Rainbow replied, trying to feel fine. She didn’t really know what she was doing at Rarity’s. A distraction, she guessed. “What’s up?”

Rarity laid a final pair of fabrics on the floor, smiled, and trotted towards Dash. “The usual. I have at least a dozen different orders I need to fill before Hearts and Hooves Day. Can I help you with something?”

Rainbow Dash stretched her wings and frowned. “Yeah, I really need to get out and do something. You wanna go get some lunch?”

“Sorry, I’d love to, but I am really too busy at the moment,” Rarity replied, gesturing to the sketches and fabrics littering the floor. “This is always a busy time of year for me, you know. Perhaps a little later? I will be taking a break soon enough, if you don’t mind waiting.”

Rainbow sighed. “That’s fine, I guess.”

Rarity must not have noticed the sigh, as she quickly trotted back to her sketches and went back to playing with her fabrics, humming and smiling all the while.

Rainbow Dash sat down and inspected her hoof, for lack of anything better to do. It looked about the same as it always had. She looked up at Rarity, seizing on a sudden idea. Rarity knew all about mushy, kissy stuff. She was like the Rainbow Dash of sappy romance. “Hey, Rarity,” she said casually, pretending to still be inspecting her hoof. “What would you do if Applejack asked you out?”

Rarity looked up at her. “Hmm?”

“Just a hypothetical question,” Rainbow added quickly. “Not that she actually has or anything.”

Rarity slowly laid down the sketch she had been examining and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, Rainbow, but I’d really prefer if none of my friends tried to play matchmaker for me. It’s not that I don’t trust your judgement in these matters, I, uh, simply prefer to do these things myself.”

“No, I don’t mean that she’s really going to, but just if she asked you out, what would you do?”

“Why, has she said something?”

Rainbow Dash groaned. “No. She’s not actually asking you out. I’m just asking if she asked you out, and she’s not, but if she did, what would you do?”

“Well...” Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “I don’t think that’s very likely. Applejack and I get along well enough as friends, but I think we both know we wouldn’t get far in a more serious relationship. She would be much better off asking somepony more like yourself.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked hopefully. She shook her head quickly. “No wait, that’s not what I’m asking about. I mean, what if you were somepony like me, and Applejack asked you out, what would you do then?”

“Is this about what I said at Pinkie Pie’s party? I was only teasing you, Rainbow. Though I do think it would be lovely if you found somepony by this coming Hearts and Hooves Day, and you know I’ve always thought you and Applejack would make an excellent couple,” she said with a wink.

“No!” Rainbow Dash cried. “This isn’t about Pinkie Pie’s party. I’m just asking, hypothetically, if you were somepony like me, and if Applejack asked me—you, asked you out, and you kind of thought you liked her and thought she was cool, and you thought she thought you were probably pretty cool, but maybe she thought that you were too cool, and she thinks you’re a lot better than you actually are, because maybe you want somepony to rub your wings when they’re sore too much.”

She took a deep breath, but the whole problem kept spilling out of her as soon as she opened her mouth again, regardless of whether she wanted it to or not. She had started pacing at some point, she didn’t know when. She stopped and continued in a lower voice, “Or then she said she didn’t actually care about any of that stuff she said that she did care about earlier, and so maybe she doesn’t actually think you’re that nice at all, but all she really thinks is that you’re awesome and have hot flanks, and it turns out she’s just a stupid jerk like everypony else.”

She turned to Rarity. “So what would you do then?”

“Um.” Rarity blinked at her. “What?”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter. Do you wanna go eat something now?”

Rarity carefully stepped over her sketches and fabrics, towards Rainbow Dash, frowning. “What’s wrong, dear? What is this about?”

“Nothing. I was just asking.”

Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it, and frowned instead. “Well, to answer your question then,” she said after a time, “I don’t know what I would do, but I know I would be very flattered if Applejack asked me out for a date, and I’m quite certain she’s not a stupid jerk.”

“Yeah, well how flattered would you be if you knew that all she cared about was some kind of one-night stand?” Rainbow Dash asked as she kicked at the floor.

Rarity laughed. “Are we talking about the same Applejack? What an idea!” She laughed again, shaking her head. “I can assure you that Applejack would never proposition somepony for a one-night stand.”

Dash’s ears perked up. “How would you know?”

“Because Applejack never asks anypony out. All the years I’ve known her, I’ve never seen her ask a single pony out on a date, much less a one-night stand. If she’s going to ask somepony out, it’s going to be because they are somepony very special to her.”

“Yeah?” Rainbow Dash let herself smile a little.

“And since when is Rainbow Dash afraid of anything?” Rarity asked, poking her in the chest.

“Hey, I never said I was afraid,” Dash replied quickly.

Rarity smirked. “Of course you’re not. Because you kicked a dragon in the face, didn’t you?”

“Uh, yeah. Why?”

“And you’re the only pegasus in Equestria who can perform a sonic rainboom, are you not?”

Dash glanced at her wings. “Yeah...”

“And you saved my life and won the Best Young Flyers competition?”

“Yeah,” Dash answered. Not only that, but she had showed up everyone in Cloudsdale who had ever doubted her. They’d be talking about that competition for decades, she thought to herself, standing up straighter, her wings flaring slightly, feeling her confidence return.

“Well,” Rarity said with a chuckle. “You can handle one measly date with little old Applejack then, can’t you?”

“Yeah I can!” Dash declared, turning around and rushing out of the Boutique.

“Wait, do you still want to go to lunch?” Rarity called behind her, but Rainbow Dash was already gone.

__________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash flew straight to Sweet Apple Acres, high on confidence, both in herself and in her friend, the tickling feeling sparking in her chest again. She glided over and around the rows of apple trees, but didn’t catch sight of any Stetson-wearing cowponies. She tried the house, the fields, and finally the barn, where she found Big McIntosh, who told her that Applejack had finished up early and headed into town for the day.

Rainbow thanked him and headed towards town, not flying as quickly as before, her newfound confidence ebbing the longer she didn’t see Applejack. How could Rarity be entirely sure of what Applejack wanted, or if Rainbow Dash met those standards? Dash pushed the worrying thoughts aside as she soared over Ponyville. She checked the library, Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy’s cottage, the park, the town square, the library again, everywhere she thought Applejack could be. She even stopped by Carousel Boutique again, but Rarity hadn’t seen her either.

Come evening, she had to give up and return home. How predictable it was that Applejack wouldn’t leave her alone when Rainbow didn’t want to be with her, but had disappeared just when Rainbow decided she wanted to see her. Her confidence had dwindled though, and some of her earlier doubts returned. The problem still remained, she wasn’t the pony Applejack wanted her to be. She was an awesome pony, no doubt about that, more than awesome enough to handle a single date with Applejack. Or spend the night with her, if that’s all Applejack wanted. She could at least get the urge out of Applejack’s system, and then they could be cool again.

But if Applejack wanted her for more than that? If Applejack wanted her for all those things she had said at Sugarcube Corner? Well... Rainbow Dash didn’t know what would happen then. Maybe it was for the best if she never found out either way. If Applejack had moved on, then so could she.

She dove in through her living room window, and crashed straight into Applejack. They fell to the floor together, a tangle of legs and tails and wings.

“There you are,” Applejack said, standing up and dusting herself off. She had four colorful balloons tied about her waist. “I’ve been waitin’ for you almost all day.”

“What the hay are you doing here?” Dash asked as she picked herself up. She groaned. Again, how incredibly predictable...

“You were takin’ a while gettin’ back, so I just let myself in. Sorry. It was that or spend all day sittin’ out on your porch. Tank’s been keepin’ me good company though.” She pointed to the tortoise lying on the floor, hiding in his shell after the sudden crash.

“Oh...” Dash settled and resettled her wings on her back. This was who she had been looking for all day. All she had to do was say yes. She opened her mouth, but the word lodged itself halfway up her throat, like a sticky piece of hard candy she had swallowed too soon. “Um... I... are those balloons for me?” she asked instead.

“These?” Applejack chuckled. “Nah, these are for me. I do have something I need to say to you though.”

“Uh, I guess I have something to say too.” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “Applejack, I—”

Applejack held a hoof up. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to say it. I know ya still don’t wanna go anywhere with me, and, really, I can’t blame you.”

“No, that’s not—”

“Just hear me out,” Applejack interrupted, her tone of voice not leaving any room for argument. Rainbow closed her mouth and nodded, while Applejack sighed and sat down on her haunches. “I had a little sit down last night to think about all this, and I realized I’ve been unfair to you. It isn’t right to keep botherin’ you like this.”

“No, really it’s—”

“Let me say what I came here to say,” Applejack said sternly. “I should have been straight with you from the beginning. I really thought we could be together—no, I really think we can be together. It just seemed right, and I was sure you’d think so too. When you turned me down... well, I thought there must be somethin’ botherin’ you, and that’s why you said no, and I’m not a pony who can just see a problem, and get a good look at it, and then not try to fix it.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. The point is, you said no, and I’ve gotta respect that.”

“W-wait, you’re just giving up?” Rainbow Dash stammered, feeling betrayed. “You said you wouldn’t give up.”

Applejack smiled. “Of course I’m not. I won’t bug you about it, but I still like you. I think I could show ya to a good time, and I think you and me both would enjoy spendin’ some more time together. And I give ya my word that I wouldn’t expect you to be anything but yourself. Whenever you’re ready, just come down to the farm and let me know. I’ll be waitin’ for ya.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so she only nodded. She could hardly understand what Applejack was telling her. Applejack still wanted to be with her, but she wasn’t actually going to try to be with her anymore? How did that make any sense?

“Well, I’d best be off then. It’s already gettin’ dark.” Applejack pecked her on the cheek so quickly Rainbow nearly missed it. “Goodnight.” She walked to the door.

“Don’t you need help getting down?” Dash asked, trying to keep the note of hope out of her voice.

“Nope. That’s what these are for,” Applejack replied, pointing to the balloons. She walked outside.

Rainbow Dash followed her. “I don’t think that’ll work. Four balloons definitely aren’t enough to hold you up.”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” She hopped right off the side of Rainbow Dash’s cloud.

Rainbow ran to the edge. For a single moment, it looked as if Applejack would slowly, safely drift to the ground. Then she dropped like a... well, like a brainless two-hundred pound farm pony that had just jumped off the side of a cloud thinking four measly little balloons would be able to hold her up.

Rainbow Dash didn’t even think. She dove off the side of the cloud and swooped beneath Applejack, catching her with plenty of room to spare.

“I told you that wouldn’t work,” she said. She realized her heart was pounding.

“Well, I can’t always be right.”

Rainbow Dash brought her to the ground. She glared at Applejack as she slid off her back. “Applejack, don’t do that ever again. Seriously, that was stupid.”

Applejack frowned. “Sorry, I thought it would work. I’m sure I’ve seen Pinkie Pie do that before. Thanks though. It’s a good thing you were there.”

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, feeling calmer. “No problem.”

“See you later then,” Applejack said casually, untying the balloons and walking away. If she was at all bothered by the fact that she had just almost died, she did a spectacular job of hiding it.

Rainbow Dash watched her go, waiting for something, but she didn’t know what. The balloons slowly bobbed past her and up into the evening sky. Applejack really wasn’t going to ask her again, she realized. It was entirely up to her if she and Applejack ever got together, and no one else could make that decision for her. It would have been easier if Applejack simply asked her again.

She had almost lost all chance of ever being able to go on that one date with Applejack. Not really, of course, because she would never let any of her friends get hurt. But still... the idea of Applejack being gone... it made her sick.

She made up her mind and ran forward, quickly catching up. “Hey, Applejack! Wait.”

Applejack turned around. “Yeah?”

Rainbow Dash dropped in front of her. “Uh, yes,” she said quickly.

“Yes?”

“Oh, come on.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Applejack didn’t react how she expected her too. Actually, she didn’t react at all. She simply stared numbly over at Rainbow Dash. “Really?” she said finally.

“Um, yeah.”

“But... you... what...” Applejack’s voice trailed off and her mouth opened and closed silently. Rainbow Dash thought she looked a little like one of Fluttershy’s goldfish.

“I’m saying yes. What’s wrong?”

“I just thought...” Applejack shook her head and laughed. “You’re more ornery than a rattlesnake with hives, you know that?”

“Whatever,” Dash said, pretending to be annoyed. “Is tomorrow good?”

Applejack nodded. “Tomorrow’s great. I can be finished with my chores ‘round lunchtime. I’ll come by then.”

“Cool,” Dash said, turning around. “See you then.”

“Hey,” Applejack called after her. Rainbow Dash turned back to her. “Thanks for givin’ me a chance. It really means a lot.”

“Oh, uh, no problem.”

She said goodbye, turned back around, and headed home. When she was back inside, tucked in bed beneath her covers, and certain Applejack was far out of earshot, she allowed herself one small, excited giggle. Just a little one.

__________________________________________________

Applejack trotted with a literal spring in her step. She practically bounced on her way back to Sweet Apple Acres. If anyone had seen her, they would have mistaken her for Pinkie Pie, and she knew Rainbow Dash would never let her live it down if she saw. But she couldn’t stop herself even if she wanted to, and truth be told, she didn’t want to stop. She laughed for no reason at all except that she was happy.

She knew she was acting silly, like a school filly with a crush, and not a grown, respectable, responsible, mature mare. But she didn’t really care about that either. Right now, she didn’t feel like acting like a grown, respectable, responsible, mature mare. She felt like acting like a school filly, and laughing and giggling and being silly.

She didn’t know exactly what had changed Rainbow Dash’s mind, but she was sure glad it had. Maybe it was because she had been more forthright this time? That must have been it. Honesty was always the best choice, and this was just more evidence of that.

She thought about her and Rainbow Dash, and what they would do together tomorrow. They would play horseshoes, and Rainbow Dash would get all cute and pouty the way she always did when she lost. They would stay up late together, eating sticky, sweet s’mores and looking up at the stars. They would go for a run through the orchard under the moonlight, and fall tired and exhausted to the ground together, and there, both of them panting and out of breath, Applejack would find Rainbow Dash’s lips.

She blushed, but smiled and just kept on thinking about it anyway.

Instead of walking straight home, she took the path that lead to Fluttershy’s cottage. This was news worth sharing. She skipped up to the door and pounded on the door.

“She said yes!” Applejack said as soon as the door opened. She grinned like an idiot, and she knew it, but she didn’t care.

Fluttershy hugged her. “That’s so wonderful!”

Applejack trotted inside and laughed. She turned back to Fluttershy, and realized she didn’t have anything else to say. All she really wanted to do was run back outside and tell as many ponies as she could find.

“Where are you going to take her?” Fluttershy asked, settling down on her couch.

“Oh, uh.” Applejack hesitated. “I didn’t really think about it. I guess we’ll just spend a day around the farm.”

“Oh...” Fluttershy looked down and rubbed her hooves together.

“What’s wrong with that?”

Fluttershy frowned. “I’m sure whatever you think is best, but I don’t know if that’s really a date.”

“Then what is it?”

“Um, I think spending a day at the farm is just spending a day at the farm.”

“I’m spendin’ a day at the farm with Rainbow Dash,” Applejack replied with a huff.

“Of course you’re right,” Fluttershy said quickly. She licked her lips. “I just think Rainbow Dash might appreciate it if you did something a little more, um, special for her.”

Applejack paused. That seemed like sound enough advice. Rainbow Dash would probably enjoy a night out. “Okay, like what?”

“Oh, well, I don’t really know...” Fluttershy picked at the couch fabric. “But most ponies like being taken out to eat.”

Applejack grinned. “Rainbow Dash especially, I’m sure. That girl could eat an entire field bare of grass if somepony let her. I’ll bring her to The Hay Barrel then.”

Fluttershy still frowned. “The Hay Barrel is nice, but maybe you should try somewhere, um, nicer?”

“How much nicer.”

“Um, maybe a lot nicer?”

“Sugarcube, I don’t think Rainbow Dash likes goin’ to any of those fancy places Rarity likes. And I can’t say that I do either.”

“But she will like it if you bring her somewhere really great to show her that you care about her,” Fluttershy said, looking up.

It was Applejack’s turn to frown. “I wanted to spend the day with her, just her, not at some restaurant with a bunch of other ponies.”

“Oh, you’re right,” Fluttershy said, biting her lip. “I just thought you should take her somewhere that would be special for both of you.”

Applejack blinked, her eyes going wide. “I know just the place! I gotta get ready! I’ll need to make some fritters, and turnovers, and... Thanks, Fluttershy,” she said quickly, running out the door. She would have to spend all night cooking to prepare, but if she could get it all ready in time, she knew Rainbow Dash would love it.

“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy said quietly.

The Part Where It All Goes Right

Rainbow Dash sped back home as soon as she was finished helping with the weather that afternoon. Not that she had been much help again. As she flew through her window, she realized she could hardly even remember what she had done at work, she had been so excited about what would come afterwards. She checked the front porch, but Applejack hadn’t come yet.

She couldn’t stay in any one spot for long. She shifted on her hooves and fluttered her wings as Tank watched her pace across her living room.

“Will you stop staring at me?” she said, hovering over him. “You’re making me nervous.”

He blinked.

“Very funny.” She grabbed his shell and turned him around the other way. She smirked. It would take him at least another half-hour to turn back around.

She looked out the windows to see if Applejack had arrived yet over and over, while Tank slowly made his way back around. She told herself that she needed to be calm, but her body wouldn’t listen, and the calm didn’t come.

Finally, she spotted a small bit of cowpony-shaped orange trotting down on the ground towards her home.

“See ya, Tank!” She bolted out the door, but then checked herself. She shouldn’t look too eager. She took a deep breath while she waited for Applejack to get closer. “Be cool,” she said quietly to herself. “She thinks you’re cool, and you are cool, so just be cool.”

She glided down to a low hover when Applejack came near. “What’s up?” she asked in what she thought for sure must have been perfect nonchalance.

“Hey,” Applejack said with a smile. “Ya ready to go?”

Rainbow dropped down next to her. “I guess. Where are we going?”

Applejack turned around and started walking away, motioning for her to follow. “You’ll see.”

“Is there gonna be food?” Dash asked hopefully.

“Yup,” Applejack replied. She stopped, looking up. “It’s not supposed to rain today, is it?”

Rainbow looked up too. Dark clouds were gathering in the sky over Ponyville. “No, not until tomorrow.”

“Good,” Applejack said, walking forward again. “I’d hate for us to get rained on.”

Rainbow Dash followed her in silence for a time. She frowned. Silence was bad, wasn’t it? “So, uh, how are your... trees... doing?” she asked, and immediately wished she had kept her mouth shut.

Applejack glanced back at her and smiled. “Fine, plenty of rain this season. How are your clouds doin’?”

“Good, I guess,” Dash answered lamely. “Um, how are, uh, your apples doing?

Applejack laughed. “Sugarcube, I ‘preciate the small talk, but you don’t have to make things up to talk about. I’m happy just to walk with ya, if’n you don’t mind.”

“Oh, right... cool.” They walked in silence again, but Dash found it to be a comfortable silence. There was something pleasant about simply walking quietly alongside a friend—her marefriend, she corrected herself with a smile—and not worrying about what to say. She looked around, and saw apple trees. She realized they were walking on the path into Sweet Apple Acres.

“Um, are we eating at Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Sort of,” Applejack replied, not looking back.

“I don’t think it really counts as a date if you don’t even leave your farm.”

“I did leave my farm. I went to your house.”

“And then you went back to your farm...?”

“Yup.”

Rainbow Dash waited for her to go on, but apparently that was all she had to say. When they reached the barn, Applejack went inside by herself. She came back out a moment later carrying a basket on her back.

“All right,” she said, walking away. “We’re ready to go.”

“Go where?”

Applejack waved her forward. “Just follow me.”

“So, what’s that?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing to the basket. She hovered over it. A red and white blanket lay inside, covering something underneath.

“That’s our lunch.”

Rainbow Dash paused for a moment. “We’re going on a picnic?”

“Yup,” Applejack replied, walking ahead.

“Oh.”

Applejack stopped. “You don’t like it? We can eat in town, I guess.”

“No, I just thought...” Dash scratched her neck. “I just thought it was going to be something more exciting than that.”

Applejack frowned. “Sorry, I was just thinking that we’ve done so many really big sort of things together—fighting changelings, and Discord, and Nightmare Moon, and all of that other stuff—I just thought it would be nice to to do something small and out of the way together for a change. We can do somethin’ else though.”

“No, you’re right,” Dash said, considering what Applejack had said. “This could be nice.”

Applejack started walking again, but her frown stayed put. “Well, I’m glad ya think so...”

“Seriously, I think this’ll be cool,” Dash insisted quickly, picking up her pace.

Applejack smiled at her. “Thanks.”

They walked out of the apple orchard and into the farmstead proper. The finely tilled soil of the field felt soft under Dash’s hooves and every hoofstep left a little crater in the dirt. It was so rare that she saw this part of Sweet Apple Acres, the fields where they grew their other fruits and vegetables, that she often forgot it was there at all, lying low and hidden behind the rows of apple trees.

“So, was this Fluttershy’s idea?” Dash asked after a while.

“Sort of,” Applejack replied, sidestepping a small, green stem of a plant. “She said I should take ya out to eat, but I wanted it to be somethin’ that was just you and me.”

Rainbow Dash blushed a little at that, and the tickling feeling returned. “Oh. The flowers and the chocolates were her idea too, weren’t they?”

“Yup. I thought they were a little silly myself.”

Rainbow laughed at the memory. “Then why did you go along with it?”

Applejack turned around and chuckled. “I told ya then. I wanted to do somethin’ nice for you.”

“Oh.” Rainbow Dash’s face flushed. “Since when do you get dating advice from Fluttershy?” she asked after a time.

“Since about two days ago,” Applejack answered with a shrug. “I figured she’s known you for a while, so she’d know what you liked.”

Rainbow Dash stiffened. Fluttershy had known her for a long time, and she knew more about Dash’s relationship troubles than anyone else. “Uh, so what’d she say?”

“To be extra nice to ya, more or less, and that you’d appreciate somepony flatterin’ you a bit.”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “So, she didn’t say anything about other marefriends I’ve had?”

“A little.” Applejack turned back to her.

Rainbow Dash’s stomach clenched. “L-like what?”

“Just that you’d had some bad ones.” Applejack frowned. “She didn’t say what they did though.”

“Were the pick-up lines her too?” Rainbow Dash asked quickly.

Applejack laughed, thankfully ignoring the sudden change in topic. “Nope. That was Pinkie Pie’s idea. Sorry ‘bout that. I thought you’d enjoy them, but I guess they were pretty dumb.”

“What? No they weren’t, they were hilarious!”

“Really? But why’d you get so upset afterwards then?”

“Oh, I was just...” Rainbow Dash looked up at the clouds. “I was just thinking about some stuff.”

Applejack glanced back, but didn’t question her.

Rainbow Dash smirked after a while, and trotted up next to Applejack. “So you’ve been talking to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy about me?

“Yeah, why?”

“So, what? Do you guys just get together and talk about how hot I am whenever I’m not around or something?”

“Sugarcube,” Applejack said seriously, “it’s all we ever talk about.”

Rainbow Dash noticed that they had moved from the brown, tilled cropland to a green, grassy field. All around her, tall, wild grasses bent and swayed with the rolling breeze, until the whole field stirred like something alive. She smiled and spread her wings, letting the wind tickle her feathers. Acting on a sudden impulse, she kicked off the ground and flew in a quick circle around Applejack. She decided then and there that she liked picnics.

“Havin’ fun?” Applejack called up to her.

Rainbow Dash smiled, feeling the wind rushing over and beneath and through her wings as she arced down. She hovered over Applejack’s back and peered into the basket. “So, what’d you bring?” She didn’t wait for an answer. She pushed the blanket out of the way and rummaged through the basket. It contained everything she would have expected Applejack to bring on a picnic. Baked apples, apple turnovers, apple fritters, a pie, and a couple plain old apples just for good measure. “Let me guess, this is an apple pie?” Dash said, holding it up.

“What’s wrong with apple pie?” Applejack asked, looking back at her.

“Heh, nothing. Oh hey, sandwiches!” Dash picked one up and took a bite. “What, did you run out of apples or something?”

“Hey, those are for the picnic!” Applejack scolded, flicking her tail at Rainbow. “You can’t eat them yet.”

Rainbow Dash fluttered down and landed beside her, closer than before. “Sorry,” she said, finishing off the last of the sandwich.

“You are not.” Applejack tried to glare at her, but ended up smiling instead.

“I can’t help it. I’m hungry. Are we almost there?”

“Just about,” Applejack replied, looking up and frowning. “Are you sure it’s not supposed to rain today?”

Rainbow Dash looked up. The clouds had followed them from Ponyville, and were slowly prowling through the air behind them, coming closer. “No, not until tomorrow.”

“Well, might as well give me one of those apples then,” Applejack said with a huff.

Rainbow Dash pulled one out of the basket and passed it to her. “So, why do you like pegasi?” she asked after they had walked a while longer.

“What?”

“The other night you said you liked pegasi. Is it for the reason Rarity said?” Rainbow Dash asked with a smirk.

“Yeah, sure, I like getting a mouthful of feathers in bed,” Applejack replied, without even having the decency to blush.

Rainbow Dash blushed for her. “Is that all?”

“Well, no...” Applejack rolled her jaw back and forth. “But you gotta promise ya won’t tell this to anypony else.

“That depends on what it is,” Dash replied coyly.

Applejack glared at her.

“Fine, fine. I promise. So what is it?”

Applejack looked down at her hooves as she walked. “Well, I’ve always been a little jealous of you pegasi.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked, eyes widening. She didn’t know if she should believe it. Applejack was earth ponyiest earth pony she knew. “Why?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m proud of being an earth pony, and everythin’ that comes with it. But I always thought it was a bit unfair that you lot got to fly and and we didn’t. Flyin’ just seemed, I don’t know, excitin’, like you could go anywhere. Anyway, when I was a foal, all I wanted out of another mare was somepony who could take me flying. I guess I never grew out of it.”

“Hey, I could totally take you flying,” Dash said, flaring her wings and giving them a flap to demonstrate. “Not just like to your house or something little like that, but real flying, like how I do when I’m on my own.”

Applejack smiled at her. “I’d like that.”

“We could do it today,” Dash suggested. “This field is perfect for it.”

“Yeah. Let’s eat first though.”

“Cool.” Rainbow Dash smiled as she realized how much she looked forward to taking Applejack up into the air for real with her, and showing her something that no one else could.

“So,” Applejack said, looking back at her. “You got to ask a question. Do I get to ask one now too?”

“Shoot.”

“Why don’t you date anymore?”

Rainbow Dash froze. Well, everything except her stomach, which felt like it had just done a full somersault.

“It has to do with those marefriends Fluttershy mentioned, doesn’t it?” Applejack asked, sounding concerned. “I remember seein’ you with a couple mares back when you first moved to Ponyville, but it’s been a long time. Did somethin’ happen?”

Rainbow Dash swallowed and forced her legs to start working again. Applejack was looking at her. She had to say something. “Uh, yeah, no. I, um... don’t really wanna talk about it.”

Applejack frowned at her. “Fair enough.”

They walked in silence again, not as comfortable this time. Rainbow Dash licked her lips and screwed her eyes shut. “I just had a few really sucky marefriends,” she said quickly, not opening her eyes. “Like nothing but really sucky marefriends. I just sort of decided it wasn’t worth bothering with anymore.”

“Sorry,” Applejack said. “What was sucky about ‘em?

Rainbow Dash sighed. “They were just jerks. I’d really rather not think about it.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.” Applejack looked at her and smiled. “If you ever want somepony to talk to about it though, I’m here to listen, all right?”

Rainbow nodded and kept walking. Somepony to talk to... She stopped again and chewed the inside of cheek, remembering. She hadn’t talked about it in a long time, ever really.

“Are you all right?”

She looked up, and into Applejack’s face, into her eyes. Rainbow studied them closely. She saw genuine concern there, concern for her, concern for her troubles. She made up her mind.

“They’d tell me how much they liked me, and how they’d never met anypony like me before, and how I was the most beautiful mare they’d ever seen.” Rainbow Dash said bitterly and kicked at the ground. “And then after... after we were finished, they’d just be... gone. Like it didn’t matter to them at all. And it happened over and over again too. Every single time they suckered me into thinking this one or that one would be different, but they were all the same. And the ones who stayed were even worse.”

By the time Rainbow looked back up, Applejack had already closed the distance between them. Applejack pulled her into a firm hug, nuzzling her withers. “I’m sorry.”

Rainbow Dash leaned into the hug. “Why are you saying sorry? You didn’t do anything.”

“Because somepony should.” Applejack pulled back and smiled. “I’ll be better than them, and I mean that. I promise.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “Yeah...” As she walked, she felt a little lighter, like she had dropped a saddle bag that had been weighing her down for a long time.

Applejack stopped and dropped the basket on the grass. “Here’ll do fine. Wanna help set up?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. They spread the blanket over the grass and set the food over it. Rainbow Dash licked her lips. She could hardly hold herself back. She looked around. They were far outside of Ponyville. The orchards of Sweet Apple Acres were only a vague outline on the horizon of the grassy plain they had brought their picnic to.

Out here, there was only one tree. It was a great, gnarled, old thing, looming over a hill some way over from their blanket, like an ancient sentinel keeping watch over the field. Its bark might have been knotted, but every twisted branch erupted in a burst of healthy green leaves that grew thick and tall.

The rest of the field was nothing but tall grass as far as she could see. It would have been hot, if it wasn’t for the clouds. Rainbow Dash frowned at that.

“You’re sure it’s not gonna rain?” Applejack asked again.

The clouds had covered the sky, and all Rainbow Dash saw was gray. She fidgeted on her hooves. “No. It’s definitely not supposed to rain until Friday.”

“Sugarcube,” Applejack said flatly, “today is Friday.”

“Oh.”

The rain began to fall.

Rainbow Dash tried to laugh, but it came out a weak pitiful thing. “Heh, oops.”

It wasn’t just a sprinkle, or a drizzle, or a shower, but a thundering, full downpour. It all started at once. Within moments, roaring, rushing, heavy droplets had utterly filled the air and begun storming down on them in great gusts of wind. It fell into the grass, over their heads, and onto their picnic. They moved to put the food away, but they couldn’t move quickly enough. Almost immediately, the fritters had been soaked, the turnovers had gone sodden, the sandwiches had turned to mush, and stinging raindrops had ripped the pie’s crust open and torn it apart. They gathered the blanket and what little was left into the basket. The only shelter was the old tree, and after a quick nod, they both set off at canter towards it. A misty, wet haze soon fell over the grass as they ran, hovering just over the tops of the grass, so the field became something romantic and mysterious.

As she ran, Rainbow Dash glanced in Applejack’s direction, catching her eye, and saw just the barest hint of a smirk. Rainbow Dash grinned back. And just like that, without a word spoken between them, they both broke out into a gallop, each set on reaching the tree before the other.

Rainbow Dash quickly pulled ahead. She could have flown, but that wouldn’t have been fair. It was hardly fair already. Her hooves splashed in growing puddles of water with each stride, the rain stung her eyes and face as she pounded through the grass, and the wind ripped at her mane and tail. Abruptly, Applejack ran up alongside and ahead of her. Rainbow shot her a mock-glare, but spotted a puddle ahead of them and smiled. She jumped in the air and landed in the water, sending a spatter of rain water at Applejack that brought the farm pony to a stumbling stop.

“Hey!” Applejack cried, wiping water out of her eyes. “That’s cheatin’.”

Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out at her.

Applejack’s mouth scowled but her eyes smiled. Rainbow Dash knew that look. It was on.

In an instant, they both started running again. But Applejack didn’t run for the tree. Instead, she sprinted straight for a large puddle in Rainbow Dash’s path. She didn’t so much jump into the puddle as she threw herself into it, bringing her full weight crashing down into the water just as Rainbow Dash came to it, and launched a wave at the pegasus. Rainbow didn’t see it until it was too late. The water hit her full in the face. She tripped and sputtered, shaking rain out of her wings.

Applejack laughed, and Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, just managing to hold back a laugh of her own.

They ran back and forth across the field, from puddle to puddle. Rainbow Dash ducked beneath flying mud, and jumped over hurtling rainwater, dodging left and right as she tore through the wet grass, searching out the next puddle, Applejack ducking and jumping and dodging alongside her. Rainbow dragged her wings through the rising water to hurl it at Applejack, before rolling out of the way just as Applejack flung another splash of water into the air with her tail. More often than not, she didn’t roll out of the way in time as she skipped in and out of muddy puddles, and the water soon poured from her muzzle and wings.

After getting hit by an especially big wave, she saw Applejack trip and fall hard on her side. She didn’t get up.

Rainbow Dash ran to her. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” Applejack groaned and sat up on her haunches. She coughed. “Just got the wind knocked out of me is all.”

Rainbow Dash held out a hoof to help her up. “Sorry. Truce?”

Applejack took her hoof and stood up. “Truce.”

Applejack was a mess. Her mane, tail, and coat all were matted with mud, and her hide was absolutely soaked through. The rain struck her head and flowed down her face, and neck, and back in miniature streams as the wind whipped all around her. Rainbow Dash glanced down at herself and realized she didn’t look any better.

They trotted to the tree. Rainbow Dash had never before so fully understood what ponies meant when they used the phrase soaked to the bone. The cold had set in, and she shivered as she walked, dripping water and panting heavily. Applejack pressed up against her side, sharing her warmth. Dash looked over, and Applejack smiled back at her. Rainbow Dash stayed close. They both walked slower.

When they reached the the tree, they pulled apart. Only a few, slow drops made it through the dense cover of leaves. Rainbow Dash shook her neck and wings like a dog, while Applejack flicked mud off of her hat and wrung water out of her mane. Her long, straw-colored mane slicked to her coat, trailing down her neck and over her back, accenting her curves in a way that made Rainbow Dash blush just to look at her. Applejack noticed her staring, and Rainbow quickly turned away.

She opened the basket. The blanket dripped water, and the rest of the food was wet. “Aww, all the food’s ruined,” she said, dropping the basket on the ground.

Applejack sidled up alongside her, her eyes half-lidded. “I can think of somethin’ else we could eat.” She leaned in and kissed Rainbow Dash’s neck.

“Heh, y-yeah...” Dash stammered. She stepped away, and Applejack stepped closer. Dash sighed. “Look, Applejack, this isn’t all you want me for, right? A mouthful of feathers in bed? If all you want is my flank, that’s fine, I guess, but could you just say it?”

“What? ‘Course not. Why would you think that?”

“Well, you know, with all the whispering in my ear, and getting up in my face, stuff like that, it sort of seems like it.”

“Well, I do want your flanks,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “I’m not gonna lie about that. That’s hardly the only thing I like you for, but it helps.”

“Okay, it’s just—you know, that’s sort of one of the ways my other marefriends were sucky.”

Applejack frowned. “I’m sorry. I told ya though, I’m gonna be better than them. I can wait ‘till you’re ready.”

“All right... cool.” Rainbow Dash sat down and leaned against the tree. Applejack came and sat beside her. “So, uh, if it’s not my flank, what do you like me for?” Rainbow Dash immediately regretted asking that. If Applejack didn’t think she was a needy loser before, she must have now. “Um, not that it matters,” she amended quickly.

Applejack didn’t say anything for a while, and Rainbow Dash hoped she simply hadn’t heard. “I know Rarity’s only jokin’ around,” Applejack finally said, quietly, looking out into the rain. “But she’s right, and it bugs me sometimes. I want somepony to be with too... Every now and then, I get a little lonely.” She laughed and shook her head. “I bet that sounds crazy. I’ve never been alone, not really. I’ve always had family around, and I’ve got you girls now. But when I wake up in the morning, and go out into the orchard—I love doin’ it, and I don’t mind the work—but every now and then I can’t help feelin’ like I’m on my own out there, and that I’m not gettin’ anywhere.”

Rainbow Dash listened. It felt strange to listen. She was almost always the one doing the talking, but now she suddenly felt that Applejack was sharing something private and secret, and sharing it just with her. She was both a bit proud and a bit embarrassed that Applejack considered her this close a friend. So she kept her mouth shut and listened.

“Whenever you train, you’re workin’ at somethin’, right?” Applejack continued. “You’re gonna be a Wonderbolt, and that’s what you’re workin’ for. Sometimes it feels like I’m not workin’ for anything. It’s not true, and I know it’s not true, but it’s still there, in my head. I want somepony I can work for. Somepony who I can look forward to just sittin’ down and talkin’ to and havin’ fun with at the end of the day, so it feels like I’m workin’ towards something.” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “I’m bein’ thick, aren’t I?”

“No, not at all,” Dash replied earnestly. “I get it.”

Applejack smiled. “Well, that’s it. I like you because you’re fast, and you’re beautiful, and you’re fun. I always work harder when I know I’m gonna get to see you when I’m done.”

“Oh.” Rainbow Dash’s face flushed, and she turned away to hide her blush. “So, uh, it doesn’t have anything to do with all that stuff you said at Sugarcube Corner the other day?” she asked, feeling relieved.

“No, it has everythin’ to do with that. I was serious when I asked you then. I know ponies have been sayin’ we should get together for a long time, but I never really thought about it ‘till then. When I said all that stuff about who I wanted, and then I looked at you, I realized I couldn’t find a better marefriend than you no matter how hard I tried. I don’t think I’d ever mind workin’ again if I knew it meant I was goin’ to get to see you.”

“But I can’t do any of that stuff you said,” Rainbow Dash said quietly, still turned away.

“What? ‘Course you can. You already have.”

“No I can’t!” Rainbow Dash cried, finally facing her again. “You think I’m some kind of Super Marefriend, and that I’m perfect, and I can be everything you want me to be, and I’m just not, and I just can’t. I knew this was a stupid idea.”

Applejack squinted at her. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“I told you already!” Dash nearly shouted, beating her wings and rising into the air. “I’m lazy, okay? I like being taken care of sometimes, and I’m not gonna be able to stick by you no matter what. I’m not Super Marefriend...”

Applejack laughed, and smiled so pleasantly that Rainbow Dash was hardly able to stay upset. “Is that all?” she asked. “I don’t want Super Marefriend. I want Rainbow Dash. I told you before that I don’t expect you to be anypony but yourself.”

“But what about all that other stuff?”

“First of all, you’re not lazy,” Applejack said, still smiling. “You act lazy. There’s a difference. You work when you know you have to, whenever somepony needs ya, and no pony can be as good a flier as you are without havin’ to work at it. I’ve seen you practice. I know you’re not just playin’ around up there.”

Rainbow Dash reached to scratch her neck, and then stopped herself when she realized what she was doing. She fidgeted in the air instead. “Well, yeah...”

“And I know you’ve been takin’ care of yourself for a long time. I have to, and I know it can be hard sometimes. I don’t mind takin’ some of the load off for ya, so long as you’re willin’ to do the same for me.”

“So... you, uh, wouldn’t mind rubbing my wings sometimes when they’re sore?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking up.

Applejack laughed. “I’d love to, but you have to rub my hooves sometimes when they’re sore too.”

Dash considered that for a moment. “Deal.”

“And when have you ever given up on anypony ever?”

“Um, I don’t know...”

“When Spike ran off to join that dragon migration, you went after him, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but so did Twilight and Rarity.”

“When Cloudsdale put you in charge of that tornado water thing, and Fluttershy was the only pegasus who didn’t join up, you didn’t give up on her, even up to the very end, did you?”

“No, but we’re friends.”

Applejack smirked. “And when I ran off after I lost the rodeo that time, didn’t you come for me? Even after I tried to run away again?”

Rainbow Dash chewed the inside of her cheek. “Yeah.”

“You don’t know how to give up on somepony. It’s just not in your nature. You’d stick by me just because you don’t know any other way to be.”

Rainbow Dash slowly lowered herself back to the ground. “Okay, but I can’t raise foals, Applejack. I really can’t, and we both know that.”

Applejack chuckled. “How many excuses are you gonna come up with? No wonder you took so long to say yes. While I was thinkin’ of all the reasons we could be together, you’ve been sitting around all day thinkin’ of all the reasons we couldn’t, and convincing yourself we wouldn’t work, haven’t you?”

“Oh, come on.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I might be able to do that other stuff, but there’s no way I can have a foal.”

“I’m not askin’ ya to have a foal with me right this second.”

“Yeah, but sooner or later you will, and when you do, I’m still not gonna be able to,” Dash said, pointing at her like it was an accusation.

Applejack nodded, unperturbed. “Yeah, that’s right. I thought about that too. I thought about all the ponies I know, and I realized that of all of them, you’re the pony I’d want to raise a family with.”

“You’re crazy.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Why?”

“For the same reason,” Applejack replied. “I don’t know what it takes to be a parent. I don’t expect anypony does until they’ve actually tried. But I do know you, and I know what you can do. You never give up on anypony, and that means you’d never give up on our foal. You’d do anything and everything, whatever it takes, to keep them safe. I know that, and I reckon I can’t think of anything more I’d want for my foal. Everything that makes you a good pony would make you a good parent too.”

“Oh,” Rainbow Dash said after a while, because she couldn’t think of anything else to say. Maybe, just maybe, she could be with Applejack, and raise a foal with her eventually, and get her wings rubbed sometimes, and everything would be okay. She smiled. “I think you’d be a good mom too.”

“Thanks.” Applejack smirked. “Now, do you have any other excuses why we can’t be together? Or is that it?”

“Uh, I guess that’s it.”

“Good, then come back over here and sit with me,” Applejack said, patting the spot beside her.

Rainbow Dash walked over and sat next to Applejack. She had forgotten how wet and cold she was until she felt Applejack next to her. Applejack was warm and soft. She got closer, leaning into the farm pony, and Applejack leaned back into her.

“Sorry for ruining your picnic.”

“Sugarcube, I can honestly say this went better than I ever could’ve hoped it would.”

Slowly, Rainbow Dash worked up the courage to rest her her head on Applejack’s shoulder. Applejack sighed appreciatively in response and nestled closer to her.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said, looking up. “We’re gonna go out again, right? Like, together?”

“Yup.”

“Cool... I can still take you flying when this rain stops, if you want.”

Applejack smiled. “I can’t wait.”

As they sat quietly together beneath the tree, listening to the rain fall down on the grassy field, Rainbow Dash stretched her wing out and curled it around Applejack’s side. Applejack leaned down and nuzzled her neck, and that stupid tickling feeling filled Dash's stomach and fluttered in her chest. They were both damp, and tired, and cold, but Rainbow Dash thought that was okay so long as they were damp, and tired, and cold together.

“Hey, AJ?” Dash asked as her eyelids grew heavy.

“Hmm?”

“This definitely seems like the part of the date where you would kiss me.”

Applejack smiled. “If you insist.” She reached a hoof out to turn Rainbow Dash’s head and kissed her on the lips. A comfortable, soft heat passed between them, warming Dash’s chest. She broke the kiss, and nuzzled into Applejack’s neck.

“Hey, AJ?”

“Hmm?”

“We totally get to sit here and make out now, right?”

“Yeah.” Applejack chuckled. “Until the rain stops. Then you’re takin’ me flyin’.”

“Sweet.”

And so that’s just what they did. They made out beneath the cover of an old tree, while the rain fell all around them, on a lonely, misty, grassy field.