Invisible Relationship

"Applejack, do you really like me as much as I think you do?"

"Of course ah do, Rainbow. Ah have fer the longest time now."

Rainbow Dash took a quick glance around the orchards below. The hill they were lying on suddenly came into view; behind Rainbow was a mass of green and red, apple trees as far as the eye could see.

"I like you too."

Applejack smiled and blushed as a breeze swept around the tree they were relaxing in the shade of. Dash smiled back, but suddenly her gaze became soft, something Applejack hadn't seen in her before. She rose to her haunches and leaned over to the orange mare, kissing her forcefully.

For a moment, Applejack was terribly confused, but soon gave in to the emotion, leaning back and placing a foreleg gently on Dash's shoulder. Before long, the tingling sensation in her chest rose dramatically as she felt Dash's tongue press against her teeth; of course, without a second thought, she let her in. Applejack sensed her pulse quicken and her blush deepen as she felt Dash's hoof on her face, caressing her mane slowly. She never wanted it to end.

It did, of course, and Dash pulled away, her mouth still open and her muzzle flushed a deep red. Her eyes were half-closed, and she leaned more towards Applejack, grinning seductively.

"You caught me. I'll admit it. I like you a lot." She came closer, pushing Applejack over onto her back, pressing their stomachs together, leaning her head down until it was less then an inch from Applejack's face. "I want you, AJ."

Applejack looked with wide eyes up at the baby-blue pegasus standing over her. She smiled, and another blush lit up her cheeks.

"Can I?" Rainbow asked, a grin crossing her face and a twinkle coming into her eye.

"Yer more than welcome," Applejack replied softly.

"Sweet." Rainbow laughed shortly and laid a kiss on Applejack's neck, and another on her chest, making her gasp and chuckle. She kissed slowly down her body, glancing up every so often and smiling, before reaching h-

~~~~~(A Split Second Later)~~~~~

"Hey, Applejack!"

Applejack awoke with a snort, her eyes snapping open as she tried to make sense of the world around her. She shook her head quickly when she noticed a short young olive-green stallion in the room with them, and stood respectfully. "Good mornin', sir," she greeted him with a nod and a smile.

"Oh, um, it's, like, three or... never mind. Good morning."

"Yeah, okay. So. Doc's got some great news for me, AJ!" Dash said happily. "I'm gonna - they're gonna let me - go ahead, tell her, Doc!"

"My name isn't - I've got a n-... never mind. Anyway, nice to meet you, miss..."

"Oh, uh, Applejack," she was able to reply, before Dash began speaking again.

"Just tell her!"

"Well, your friend here's getting out tomorrow. We just have to run a few more tests, should take most of this afternoon and a little of tomorrow morning, then she's free to go for physical therapy."

"See, isn't that - wait, physical what now?"

Applejack smiled. Just the kind of thing she'd know Rainbow Dash would say. She wanted to laugh so badly.

"Well, your wing hasn't been moving much, so, yeah, you'll have to take two weeks of muscular therapy. It shouldn't be too bad."

Rainbow Dash grinned and sat up as well as she could to face the doctor. "No way! I'm way too awesome. Ten bucks says I can fly the minute I get my cast off."

"You can't - nopony could - I can't make bets with... never mind. I'll give you the paperwork after we gets results Wednesday, uh, tomorrow, sometime around noon. You'll be taking basic exercises at the YMCA downtown." He flashed a quick, polite smile and turned to walk briskly out of the room.

Dash turned to her friend, smiling ear-to-ear. "Did you hear that? Tomorrow! I'm getting out tomorrow! I can't wait! What should I do first? The world is my oyster!"

Applejack sat back down, shaking her head. "Ah dunno. Ah'm pretty sure ya gotta catch up on yer weather stuff -"

"Oh, AJ. Always the pessimist. There's so much to do when I get out! It feels like I've been here forever," she groaned, before turning to look out the small window near her bed. "You know, we still have to make plans."

Applejack grinned, despite herself. She couldn't wait, either. "...Do ya wanna start now?"

"Sure," Dash replied, turning back around. "Time and place. I'll be there."

"Uhm... yeah. Thursday? Day after ya get out. If that's too soon, then, ya know, that's fine with me, but -"

"No, no, it's fine. Really. Stop worrying, AJ." She grinned. "You should be happy that you're going out with the awsomest mare in Equestria."

Applejack glanced around the room, and shifted her eyes to the door quickly. "Well, see, that's another point. Ah never reckoned ah was a f- fillyfooler before. Didn't even cross mah mind. Ah suppose it's not a bad thing -"

"I'll say," Dash snorted.

"Sorry. Anyways, ah suppose it ain't bad, but ah just never thought of it bein' me. Ah mean, what if somepony else thinks it's wrong? Ah mean, if we decide to tell anypony. Ah mean, not 'we', but, like -"

"Calm down, seriously. Everything's gonna be fine."

"Ah already tried to tell mah family. Found the nerve to tell everypony 'cept Granny, actually. Ah suppose ah thought they deserved to know." She sighed and stared at her hooves.

"How do you even know whether you're a fillyfooler yet? Have you tried before, or is this like, an experiment, like, an assumption-type-deal?"

Applejack sighed again. How on Earth could Dash sound so casual about this? "Ah'm pretty sure," she replied, remembering back to her accidental first kiss with a bit of chagrin.

"You're right. Wouldn't expect that out of you."

"Cain't say the same fer you, Rainbow. Ah always kinda expected it," Applejack said playfully.

"Hey! That's not fair!"

"You know ah was just teasin', Rainbow."

Dash stopped, and grinned, shaking her head. "Yeah. I know. It's just, ponies always seem to call me out 'cause... well, rainbows. And, you and I both know that I tend to be... well, dude-ish. Sometimes."

"Eeyup."

"Don't do that, it's weird. Anyway, up until maybe four or five years ago I pretty much stuck with colts. It wasn't bad; a met a few really nice guys. But, eventually, I remember being at a - a party somewhere or something and I was with a mare. And something just clicked. So, you know, what the hay, both," she finished with a chuckle.

"Was it really that easy fer ya? Hoo boy, it's takin' somethin' outta me jist to talk about it. If ah had a choice, ah always thought it'd be a colt."

"What, do you think it's just me?" She grinned again, egotistically now. "I wouldn't blame you. I'm awesome, remember?"

Applejack looked up at the small white hospital bed she'd grown so accustomed to staring at. "Ya wanna know the truth, Dash? Maybe it is." Dash looked back at Applejack in mild surprise. "Maybe it's yer personality, or the little competition we've always had goin' on, but..." She trailed off for a second, before picking up the courage to speak again. "Ah just really like you, Rainbow."

Dash blushed lightly, staring at her friend who, in turn, was still staring at the floor below. She turned to look back out the window, pondering this new development deeply.

"...Applejack."

"Yeah?"

Dash took a deep breath, and, without turning from the window, asked a question that Applejack never thought she'd hear. "...Would you say you love me?"

Applejack flushed a hearty maroon before nervously clapping her hooves together a bit and brushing the hair out of her face. She wasn't sure whether she felt uncomfortable.

Truth. Truth and honesty. "...Ah think ah do, Rainbow."

Dash turned, looking almost on the verge of tears. "You know, nopony's ever said that to me before. Nopony I dated or felt a connection with. Nopony at all since my mom, for that matter."

Applejack stood and walked quickly over to the baby-blue pegasus' bedside. "Oh, Celestia, Rainbow, ah'm really, really sorry -"

She was interrupted by a swift embrace from Dash, making her gasp in surprise. "Don't be," she whispered, and hugged her tighter. Applejack blinked, and her blush deepened just a little. She could feel her crush's heartbeat. And they hadn't even had a first date yet. Before long, damn the torpedoes, she gave in to the warmth she felt in her heart and reached her forelegs up slowly to hug Dash back.

After not long enough, Dash pulled away, her eyes a light pink. Without time for Applejack to react, Dash's lips were sealed with hers, for real this time. Applejack closed her eyes quickly, and pressed her lips as well as she could against Dash's. She leaned her head unintentionally forward, her back leg lifting ever so slightly and her chest tightening.

"Alrighty, Miss Dash, we're ready to - oh," the off-white stallion stopped, witnessing the short moment of passion between the two. Applejack gasped and pulled away, using all of her willpower and better judgment. "Um... I'll just... come back in a little while." He grinned nervously and turned to walk quickly out of the room.

Dash looked up at Applejack, who looked back embarrassedly. Suddenly, Dash burst into laughter, falling to her side and laughing until it developed into a cough. Applejack smiled, and joined in shortly. The moment of happiness lasted only minutes, but felt to Applejack like hours. And still, hours were not long enough.

Eventually, Dash's laughs trailed off into giggles and then to a happy sigh, before she sat back up and looked across at the orange mare, their eyes almost level. Applejack almost wasn't surprised for the next kiss, but it delighted her nonetheless. Dash moved her hoof up to Applejack's face, and she blushed terribly as the first part of her dream came true. She stroked alongside Applejack's mane, and before long, Applejack decided to join in, placing her hoof around Dash's neck.

In three minutes or so, Dash broke off, licking her lips and smiling, a blush still coloring her face.

"So... are we a 'couple' now?" Applejack asked quietly.

"You'll have to find out on Thursday," Dash replied, smiling wider.

"What, that's still on?"

"Yeah! Definitely! I wanna talk more. I wanna know more about you. I wanna know why you like me and I like you back."

Applejack smiled mischievously. "So, it's 'kiss first, ask questions later'? You always do this?"

"No, that's not what I -"

"You ladies ready?" the voice of the older white stallion interrupted.

"We're decent, if that's what you're asking," Dash joked, smiling at AJ.

As the stallion walked in, Applejack forced a polite (if embarrassed) smile, and murmured, "Well, ah guess ah should be goin' now..."

Dash called out behind her as she ducked out of the door. "Okay, AJ, see you Thursday!"

Applejack smiled, and stood behind the door, listening with half a mind to the muffled conversation.

"So, you and her have plans?"

"Yeah. First date, actually."

"Oh. Good for you two. Hold still, this shouldn't hurt."

"Ow!"

"Sorry. Anyways, you think something could develop? You seemed pretty sure of yourselves when I checked in last time."

"You know what?" Applejack's heart skipped a beat and a half. "I think something might. I kinda want it to."

Applejack sighed gladly and slumped against the door as quietly as possible as the stallion murmured his response. She stood up, nodded to a nearby nurse, and walked out of the hospital double doors, head held high. This was gonna work. It was gonna be excellent. And it was all... up... to her.

She gulped, and lowered her head slightly as she began walking the dirt path down to Sweet Apple Acres.

~~~~~(Meanwhile, Elsewhere in Ponyville)~~~~~

"Well, if it's true, then it's not just us, is it?" Rarity giggled, and traced a few little circles on Fluttershy's chest.

"I know. But I never really... well... never expected Lyra to be that type of pony," Fluttershy replied quietly, giggling along with Rarity as her hoof began to tickle.

"Darling, we're that type of pony," Rarity said dryly, reaching up to Fluttershy and popping her hoof gently into her mouth.

"Not you. Just me," Fluttershy replied, kissing Rarity's hoof before letting it fall back onto her chest.

"Well, you know, I suppose you're right about that," Rarity said thoughtfully, nuzzling against Fluttershy's neck. "Not anymore, though. I love you too much."

Fluttershy smiled, and nuzzled back, laying a hoof across Rarity's shoulder. Suddenly, Rarity moved away, sitting up at the edge of the bed. "Where - where are you going?" Fluttershy asked, slightly dismayed.

"I've been thinking," Rariy said, opening up a drawer in the bedstand next to her. "I know Twilight was thinking of something different, but everything finally fits together." She turned around to Fluttershy, lying down again next to her. A small, rectangular wooden box was clutched in between her hooves. "I bought this years ago, but never had the courage to ask. And when I did, I just thought of my friends, and everything fell apart. But now - now, tomorrow, we'll finally be able to tell everypony about us." She looked away, out the small, circular window, and looked back to Fluttershy longingly.

"Fluttershy." Rarity said, softly, lovingly. "We've been together for three years next Tuesday, but I can't wait any longer for this."

The yellow pegasus blinked, her eyes becoming shiny and teary. "R-rarity, is this wh-what..."

Rarity shushed her marefriend softly, and continued. "I love you more than anypony else I've ever met. Without you, my life simply wouldn't be complete."

A few tears fell down Fluttershy's cheeks. "R-rarity..."

"Fluttershy," Rarity said, opening the box to reveal a thin, shining silver-and-gold necklace. "Will you marry me?

Fluttershy's tears began to flow freely. "Yes. Yes, I will!" she said, sniffing and leaning forwards to hug her marefriend - er - fiancé - tightly, and sobbed into her shoulder. The box bounced on the pillows below and fell to the corner of the bed, out of the way for whatever may come next.

Rarity' tears soon dripped onto the sheets and pillows behind Fluttershy, and she smiled like it was the happiest day of her life. Because, in reality, it was - so far.

Before long, Fluttershy pulled back and kissed Rarity fully on the lips, slipping her tongue in quickly and blushing furiously. It was the most passion Rarity had ever felt in a kiss - and it was coming from Fluttershy.

After mere minutes, Fluttershy broke off, and began moving her hoof slowly down Rarity's body, tracing every curve and bone, and didn't stop at all.

Rsrity gasped, and moaned. "Darling, I don't think you're supposed to consummate it until after the marriage - mmm."

Fluttershy smiled probably the most alluring, seductive smile Rarity had ever seen on her. "It's your fault, you know," she replied softly, kissing her neck gently before whispering into her ear, "You proposed on a bed."