Impulsively Committed an Appledash Tail

Two years later. Dash, Applejack, and their friends were walking back to Ponyville after a harrowing sleepover in the Everfree forest castle. The dark trees dimmed the suns rays as various animal sounds sifted ominously through the tree line...

Applejack was oblivious to all of it, her one track mind focused back on those first two days when she met Dash. Her eyes subconsciously stole little covert glances at her marefriend. Her plans for a romantic spooky night alone with her had completely fallen apart.

“What’s wrong Applejack, dear? Something’s bothering you, isn’t it?” Rarity trotted alongside her.

“What? Ah, nothin’ really, just issues with family, and farm, an’ all. The usual.” Applejack looked up, snapping out of her silent thoughts as Fluttershy fell into step on the other side.

“Well, uhm...you have been a little quiet lately…” Fluttershy whispered at her. “Those nasty vines were so mean to your farm. I’m sure you’re really sad. Do you, maybe, want to talk about it?”

Dash hovered in over head, a little sad they weren’t alone. “Yeah, and you were kinda grumbling in your sleep last night about vines now that I think about it.”

Twilight turned, intrigued and worried. “Applejack, are you having nightmares about the vines? I’m sure everypony will be more than willing to help you rebuild.”

“Huh? Uh...yeah, thanks girls,” She replied absentmindedly. “They tore up the farm bad.” She yawned, deep bags under her half lidded eyes. “Guess, I can’t stop seein’ that fight the other day either. The one where you were trapped. Didn’t want’a lose Dash to the vines. That’s all…” Applejack mumbled half to herself as she plodded along.

Everypony stopped.

It took a second for Applejack to realize they were all staring at her. “What?”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “I thought Twilight was the only one who got caught by the vines…”

“Eh? Of course.” Applejack looked around in confusion. “Why? What’d I say?”

“Rainbow Dash, dear.” Rarity hid a mischievous smile behind her hoof, and shared a glance with Fluttershy whose lips were scrunched up, looking on the verge of a delightful squeal.

“She’s just stressed out because of the farm getting destroyed by those stupid vines.” Dash covered for her mare. “It’s cool Applejack. Those vines didn’t even touch me.”

“Nice cover…” Spike rolled his eyes as he twisted around on Twilight’s back to watch. “What will those two come up…” Twilight bucked him slightly into the air. Spike flailed, and landed with a thud on her back.

Pinkie shivered in place, whispering in Twilight’s ear. “Something’s coming, and it’s a doozy.”

The ear did a double twitch, Twilight’s eyes growing wide with excited anticipation. “I’ll take your word for it Pinkie.”

“Didn’t touch you?” Applejack spun around, and growled. “They didn’t have too! Ya were too busy bein’ all gun-ho runin’ face first int’a some strange crazy spiked clouds like it was’n’no big deal!”

Dash frowned, landing in front of Applejack. “Relax, AJ, I didn’t hit any spikes. Would ya have a little faith in the best flyer in Equestria!”

“Ah don’t care if yar best flyer in the world!” Applejack stepped forward, slamming her hoof into Dash’s chest. “They were spittin’ lightning bolts at you!”

Dash stumbled back a little. “Hay! Whoa, I dodged every one of those!” She rolled her eyes. “Pffttt...lightning… Come on AJ. That was probably the least dangerous thing I’ve done this past month.” She smirked.

Applejack’s lip quivered. “That’s the attitude that scares me.” Her ears sagged as she studied the ground at Dash’s hooves.

Dash glanced nervously at her friends, who were all riveted on their argument. She looked back in confusion, embarrassment suddenly showing rosy upon her cheeks. “You act like you weren’t turning those vines into chewing gum. They were spiked too ya’know!”

“Ah was defendin’ mah farm, family, and friends…” Applejack diverted her eyes to the side, clenching her jaw.

“So was I!” Dash puffed her chest out. “I wasn’t about to back down when everypony was in danger either! What’s gotten into you?”

Applejack growled. “I don’t know! Okay? Ah just need ta think fer a bit. Ah cain’t get mah thoughts straight. Didn’t sleep a wink last night, and…” She shook her head. “Look, ah just didn’t like it alright? I didn’t like seein’ you fight.”

“What?” Dash smirked, trying to play down the embarrassment her friends eyes were burning into her fur. “You don’t think I can hold my own?”

“Ah know ya can Rainbow Dash! Doesn’t mean I have ta like it!” Applejack pushed her way past Dash, shaking her head again in agitation, fighting tears of frustration that threatened at the corners of her eyes as she pulled her hat down to hide her face. “Can we drop it? How’d we all get on this anyhow?”

“No, way!” Dash darted in front of Applejack. “I’m not letting you through until I get some answers. What the hay was all that about, huh?”

“Ah don’t want ta talk about it!” Applejack slammed her forehead into Dash’s, smushing her hat, and pushing her back, choking on apprehension as it clawed up her throat.

Dash shoved back hard, blinded by Applejack’s hat. “Don’t you think I’m weaker just because I’m smaller than you!”

Applejack’s voice wavered. “Dash yer takin’ this all wrong!” Tears trickled down her muzzle as panic set in. She desperately didn’t want to cry in front of her friends. “Ahm not lookin’ for a fight… Ah just don’t want to see ya get hurt! I had a few bad dreams, so what? Can we drop this now?”

“And I’m saying I wasn’t in any real danger! Pegasi are resistant to lightning!” Dash pushed forward, but Applejack didn’t budge.

“It’s not just about the lightning and the clouds you birdbrain!” Tears pattered the ground in front of Applejack’s hooves, her face still hidden behind her hat. “Any danger is real danger, RD…” She growled before Dash could reply. “We’re done. Now move…”

“Not a chance! I still...”

Dash’s words were cut off as Applejack thrust forward. Dash’s rear hooves were dug in and stood fast, but the rest of her body bent and twisted. She popped up, and pitched backwards, flailing as she lost balance, and flopped hard into the ground.

Everypony gasped.

Dash stared at her in shock, all anger lost, transfixed on Applejack’s wavering eyes. “What if it didn’t all come out okay, Rainbow Dash? Ah can take mah time rebuilding the farm…but I cain’t never replace lost family!”

She lowered her head, and charged forward, a stream of tears in her wake.

Dash looked on, her jaw slowly moving up and down, searching for lost words as Applejack disappeared around a bend in the road. “She...she was crying…”

“Dash! Go after her!” her friends screamed together.

Dash leapt back to her feet, and rocketed forward in a blurred streak. The suction left in her wake, dragged her friends stumbling a few steps forward.

Rarity smirked, trotting into the lead as she magically readjusted her frazzled mane. “I tried to tell you all, but you just wouldn’t listen…”

“Hehe! I’m so going to throw them the best making up party ever!” Pinkie leapt into the air with a squeal.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Let’s just give them some room to figure things out.”

“Well you certainly are staying calm about this, Twilight.” Rarity looked over curiously, but halted with a double take as she saw an excited, almost manic grin spread across her friends face.

Twilight lightly bounced along. “Well, I never said we weren’t going to get every last little detail from them once they do!”

Rarity, and Pinkie broke down into little fits of giggles, falling in formation next to Twilight.

I

Spike cleared his throat. “You know, this gossip is fascinating and all-” He looked around in confusion. “-but where did Fluttershy go?”

The friends joined Spike in glancing around the pathway.

Rarity gasped. “No! That sneaky little cheat!”

“Rarity!?” Twilight stared at her friend in shock.

“Don’t you see!? She flew after them!” Rarity stomped the ground. “Oooh! She better have some juicy details when she gets back.”

They all stopped, suddenly staring at each other with rosy cheeks.

Pinkie cleared her throat, a serious look in her eyes over a jovial grin. “Besides this weeks regularly scheduled spa get together on sunday.” She pulled out a calendar pad and a pen. “Oh, look! we’re in luck. There’s a special spa get together later today!”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “What!?” She went to pull out her own schedule, but she couldn’t find it. Then, taking a second glance at Pinkie’s. “Hay, Pinkie!”

“What?” Pinkie looked up innocently as Twilight snagged her calendar back.

“I don’t have that in my planner anywhere! We just had one yesterday. When did we plan this?” Twilight looked up in confusion.

Spike rolled his eyes with a shake of his head.

Pinkie giggled. “Just now, silly!”

“Oh…” Twilight’s blushed as she penned in the gathering on her planner, then again on her todo list.

They all laughed, chattering excitedly as they trotted down the lane.

Spike face clawed. “Mares…”

Dash streaked down the road, a trail of dust spraying into the air, trees bending after her. She homed in on Applejack, the much slower earth pony barely moving in comparison despite her hooves slamming the ground with every ounce of confusion in her tumultuous heart.

Dash hovered over Applejack, slipped her hooves around her waist, and hoisted her into the air.

Applejack bucked and squirmed, snapping at Dash’s hooves. “Put me down ya vermit.”

Dash guffawed. “You haven’t called me that for years!” She flapped hard, slowly ascending.

“Uh...Dash, hay now! What’er’ya doin’!?” Applejack’s lips pulled back into a terrified grin, her legs splayed out tensely as she watched the ground slowly fall away from her. “Hay! Knock it off Dash! This ain’t funny!”

“Relax, I’m just going to find a cloud where our friends won't bother us.” Dash caught a pale yellow streak out of the corner of her eye. “Though I may have to have a talk with one of them later.”

“What?”

Dash shook her head. “Never mind, don’t worry about it. Let’s just get somewhere we can settle down.”

“Ah never said I wanted ta talk to ya!” Applejack squirmed stubbornly.

“Who said anything about talking?” Dash snickered, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Are you outa yer mind!?” Applejack glared at Dash, her voice growing more and more angry. “That’s definitely not happenin’ dangit. Nah put me down!”

Dash dramatically looked past Applejack down towards the ground. “I don’t know A.J., that’s one heck of a drop.” Her grin didn’t waver.

Panic flashed across Applejack’s eyes. “Tha-t’ain’t funny neither!”

Dash flew up to a cloud, giggling the whole way, and then pretended to set Applejack down.

“Dash! D-dash! Dash! Earth pony! Earth pony!” Applejack clamored for Dash’s forelegs, holding on for dear life, her hind legs kicking frantically.

Dash laughed at the top of her lungs, flipping the flailing Applejack over, and pinning her tight in a vice grip hug. She bopped Applejack’s nose with her own. “Applejack! If only you could see your face right now!” She then flipped upside down, and flopped onto the cloud. Applejack lay on top, wrapped tightly around her, to nervous to speak. “Oh, come on A.J., relax, you know I got you. Remember that first night when we…”

“Yeah, I remember!” Applejack craned her neck back to look down at Dash, square in the eyes. Her lips scrunched up, her cheeks burning bright from the embarrassment of the whole situation, and the remembrance of that night long ago. “I didn’t let go fer nothin’! Just because ah let you fly me once, don’t mean you got the right to pluck me like an apple from the tree whenever ya dern well please!”

“Whaat?” Dash shrugged inocently. “I just wanted to talk for a bit. You know, see what’s gotten under your skin.” She reached a hoof up, and brushed a lingering tear from Applejack’s eye. “Come on Applejack, this isn’t like you and you know it.” Her voice dropped, low and sultry as she nuzzled her marefriend. “Our friends aren’t around, so let’s drop the act okay? Just tell me, what’s up with you? What happened back there? I know for a fact I didn’t say anything you couldn’t normally handle.”

Applejack deflated, her body giving in to exhaustion from sleepless nightmares, emotional stress, and the midflight terror of dearly missing dirt under her hooves. She rested her head on Dash’s neck as she sank into her embrace.

She took in a deep long breath, and sighed, giving in to the situation. “The trip to the castle, I kinda planned the whole thing…”

“What!?” Dash’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? That castle challenge was totally random.”

Applejack deadpanned. “Dash, ya aren’t exactly the most confusing corn maze ta get through, ya know.”

“Huh?” Dash’s head cocked sideways, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

“Yer easy to figure out!” Applejack’s head popped up, if she could face hoof without the fear of falling she would. “I had you pegged for challengin’ me to stay the night in that castle the second ah told you that story. Then I’d get ya all spooked up with ghost stories and old mares tales, and cuddle ya calm for a bit. Then...well…I-I-I was gonna…” She trailed off, her face turning bright red.

Dash blinked a blank look on her face. Then her lips curled into a lascivious grin. “Oh, Applejack...what were you going to do to me?” She leaned in close with a whisper. “I hope it was naughty.”

Applejack’s ears burned. “Nah hold on, it wasn’t like…”

Dash cut her off, wrapping her hind legs around Applejack’s mid and thrusting her hips upwards. “You were going to do a bit of this?” She let out a lecherous moan, giving Applejack a lustful glare.

“What!? No...no, well, maybe, but no! That wasn’t…”

Dash cut her off again, her eyes rolling back dramatically as she faked a loud orgasmic scream through clenched teeth. She held back a snicker as she heard a muffled ‘eep’ a few clouds over.

“Dash! I was gonna…”

Dash eyed Fluttershy’s hiding place, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Yes! Tell me! Yes, Applejack, what were you going to do to me!?” Dash broke up into a fit of giggled laughter as she could no longer keep a straight face.

“Propose!”

Dash’s laughter died in her throat, her look confused and vacant as her brain switched gears, suddenly sober and serious. “Wha-whaa?”

Applejack looked to the side shyly, her eyes darting back to Dash’s with little furtive glances. “I-I was gonna ask you to marry me…but the ring got lost in the confusion, and all. Then our friends showed up...”

Dash’s jaw dropped, her response as articulate as her addled brain could handle. “Why would you do that!?”

Applejack’s eyes widened, wavering as tears built back up, her lip quivering into a frown.

Dash sucked in a panicked breath. “No-no-no! I didn’t mean it like that!”

Applejack’s words came out in a high pitched whine as she fought a losing battle against a torrent of tears. “Ah know! Ah just cain’t wait any longer! I’m ready, now!”

“Well then why are you cry-ing!?” Dash’s voice cracked. “Don’t cry, please? Let’s start over! I’ll totally say yes! I mean, the answers always been yes, so, uhh, yes by the way. Yes!”

“No…whait, it’s not the yes, it’s the...uh, I don’t know!” Applejack sniffled through a frown, her tears flowing freely down Dash’s neck. “I just need to go an’ think for a bit to myself, but I’m stuck on a cloud with a crazy pegasus who never takes anything seriously, won’t listen, flies face first into danger without a care for her own safety, and is bad for mah heart.” She squeezed out her words through deep racking sobs, completely breaking down. “You’re a mean little vermit!”

“Hay, hay… I’m serious! Come on AJ what’s gotten into you? And why would you propose to me? It’s not like I’m an official Wonderbolt or anything yet. And! We’ve faced all kinds of danger in the past. You never freaked out then.”

“Ah know, but the farms destroyed, and I gotta rebuild almost everything. The roots tore it all up…” Applejack peeled off into painful sobs, burying her face into Dash chest. “We all worked so hard, and after seein’ it tore up…ah didn’t even care! Not one bit! All I could think about was how lucky ah was I didn’t lose any family...again.”

“Oh…” Dash’s ears fell flat. Her eyes darted around, searching the sky above for answers. Deep down she wish she could fly all of Applejack’s cares away. She closed her eyes, thankful her own worries were so easily blown away with a few flaps of her wings. “So...you were thinkin’ about your parents again huh?”

“No…” Applejack sniffled as she looked up. “Just you…”

The corners of Dash’s muzzle pulled down into a painful frown, her eyes stung, tears threatening to pool up. “Come on A.J. don’t worry about me.” Dash kissed a tear on Applejack’s nose. “I’m not going anywhere. I can take care of myself. Promise...”

“Yah keep sayin’ that! But ah want to take care of ya too!” She sniffled, another halting sob, and more muffled words as she hugged Dash tighter. “I was just scared when ah saw you rammin’ into that spiked cloud, and all that lightning. Then, fighting that rockodile, and the vines. All I could think about was how useless I’d be to protect you while ya were flappin’ around up there, and how my world would end without you...”

Dash nuzzled Applejack’s nose. Then looked off to the side, a stream of tears pattering into the cloud. “Hay, ok, shh… I’ll be more careful. I won’t do so many stupid stunts and stuff. What else do you want? I’ll do anything!”

“Marry me?” Applejack’s voice cracked as the weight of her words burned into her cheeks. “I mean…then ah’ll know for sure you’re taking this serious. I want ta share mah life with you Rainbow Dash...all of it. Commit to me, and I’ll give you everythin’ I am...”

Dash smiled softly. “What about our deal? We throwing that silly competition out the window?”

“There’s no way I can win now! You beat me fair an’ square.” Applejack stared at her expectantly. “Forget about it, you win. I’m proposin’ right here.”

Dash giggled, impulsively kissing Applejack, her hind legs kicking in excitement. She pulled back, her eyes bright, and vibrant, the biggest grin on her muzzle. “Applejack, as much as I love winning, the answer has always been yes no matter who won. I don’t really care about some silly two year old challenge.”

Applejack blushed, diverting her eyes, with a lopsided smile. “Now that’s a fib if I ever heard one...”

Dash giggled giddily. “Okay, maybe a little.” Her hoof ran down Applejack’s golden mane, slipping off her red scrunchie. “So, let’s renew our vows here. Right now…”

Applejack’s muzzle scrunched up. “Dash we kinda have to get married first before we can renew vows…”

“Duh…” Dash grinned mischievously as she snapped the hair tie around Applejack’s muzzle. “Of course I know that.”

Applejack blinked, staring crosswise at the red band. “But…” Her eyes widened, understanding slowly dawning. “You mean?”

“Mmhmm…” Dash’s grin widened. “I’ve been dead serious since day two. You’ve always had my commitment.”

Applejack’s eyes wavered, her vision blurring into a happy teary mess. A tingly fog washed over her thoughts as Dash’s lips press gently into hers, dragging her back into sweet memories...