Competing From the Heart

by Aramadon

Rating: teen
Tags: Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance
Length: 8521

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both ask Rarity on a date. This kind of situation has torn apart countless friendships…but when the fate of Equestria may depend on you remaining friends, how do you handle competitions of the heart?

Rainbow Dash and Applejack are the closest of friends and often rivals, competing in various ways, especially as Ponyville's top athletes. When they both ask the same mare out on a date, though, a competition begins that will strain everypony's friendships.

This kind of situation has torn apart countless friendships...but when the fate of all of Equestria may depend on you remaining friends, how do you handle conflicts of the heart?

Published 2014-10-11 20:30:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-11-03 19:23:55 UTC

Rarity Faints

Rarity sat back from her work and had the best sigh of relief she’d had all day. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to rest mind, body, and soul. After a moment more, she decided that it was probably a good time to close up shop – it was already getting dark out, and if she was honest with herself, she wanted to be done for the day. Her “creative energy,” as it were, felt just about spent, and she still had days left before she had to be done with her next big order. That was plenty of time…truly. Well, truly-ish. Anyways, if worst came to worst, she could just ask her friends to come in and help her last minute. That usually worked.

In that case, it was settled – she was done for the day. She could let her mind wander to more whimsical things…like her spa date with Fluttershy tomorrow, or the dance on Saturday. Another sigh escaped her lips – once again, it looked like she would be dateless. Nopony had asked her out, or courted her, or shown up at her doorstep with flowers…she laid down on her couch. Truly, she led a hard life. Romance was something she wanted so much in her life, but she seemed to catch glimpses of it so rarely. She seemed to have no problem getting other ponies to approach her when she was in Canterlot. Oh, if only that wonderful Fancy Pants fellow hadn’t already been in a relationship! Perhaps Ponyville was simply the wrong place for her to find the romance she craved – she so loved the Canterlot culture, after all.

Even so, there wasn’t much she wouldn’t give to have a bit more of a dating life now. It was just like a hole where she felt she should really have something in her life. On the other hoof, it’s not like she couldn’t enjoy her life now. After all, her memories of the last town dance had all been positive. Rarity giggled to herself – it had been a blast. She spent a good portion of the event teaching Twilight how to dance. To tell the truth, that had been more fun than any “date” she’d ever had! Rarity let an even bigger grin cross her face. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad to go with her friends once more – and even if Canterlot was the place that she would find her special somepony…she wasn’t sure she was ready to move there just yet.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Coming, dear.” Rarity walked over to the door of her boutique and used her magic to open it. “We’re actually just closing, but if you have…oh, hello Applejack! What a pleasant surprise! Do come in.”

Applejack, a little more red in the face than usual, walked stiffly into the boutique with a set of saddlebags on her back. Rarity looked Applejack over and quickly pulled up some chairs and a circular table for them to sit at. “What brings you by the boutique today, darling? Are you all right? You know you can always talk to me, Applejack. I’m here for you.”

Applejack put down her saddlebags, and shuffled a bit in her seat. “Well, gee, thanks Rarity. I really appreciate it.” Applejack paused and swallowed a lump in her throat. “Ya see, Rarity, I came over to ask you something. To ask you something big, actually. It’s…”

“Yes? I’m all ears, dear.”

Rarity watched as Applejack took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Rarity, you’re a very special pony, and I think you’re amazing.” Rarity blushed, surprised by the sudden shift in the conversation. “I’m very grateful for having met you, and getting to know you. I know that the start of our friendship was a bit rocky, but we got through that, and I think that our bond is all the better for having overcome our differences. I believe…or rather, I know…that all of my friends are special, but their’s something in particular that’s special about you.” Rarity’s face reddened even further as she sat reeling from the sudden praise and compliments. She actually felt a bit silly, sitting here and listening to her friend go on like this…but where was Applejack going with this?

“And most especially, there’s something…between me and you.” Oh. OH. Ohhhh…Oh dear. Wait, was this really happening? She had to be sure – so she kept listening. “What I’m trying to say, Rarity, is that I feel something with you that I don’t feel about anypony else, and I hope that maybe you feel something like that, too.” Yep, this was happening. No doubt about it. Oh my. “It would make me very happy…I mean, um…I would like to ask you if you would please be my Very Special Somepony.”

Silence reigned in the boutique. After a moment, Rarity thought to herself that remaining silent this was probably a fairly large faux pas. Your friend has just asked you a very deep and personal question, Rarity, so you should probably give her an answer, and tell her how you feel. Well, how DO I feel about this? To her horror, Rarity’s internal search discovered that Rarity didn’t actually KNOW how she felt about this. Well, it would have helped if this hadn’t been so ridiculously sudden! I didn’t see this coming at all!

Rarity watched the color drain from Applejack’s face as time wore on. You should probably say something now, Rarity. Your friend really needs to hear from you. Rarity finally managed to find her voice. “Um…” Yes. Well done Rarity. I’m sure Applejack is very reassured now. Then again, what am I even trying to reassure her of? I don’t know how to deal with this.

Then, almost miraculously, an idea crossed Rarity’s mind. “Applejack, thank you for everything you’ve said. That was very brave and kind of you, and I am flattered to have your affections.” The color had drained so much from Applejack’s face that she was starting to look a sickly white, and Rarity thought she saw her pupils shrink – and Rarity realized that it probably sounded like she was trying to let Applejack down gently. In that case, it was time to be more direct. “What I’m trying to say, dear, is that I honestly don’t know what to say. I don’t know if a relationship between us is a good idea – but there is something I can do. What I’d like to do, Applejack, is to go on a date with you and see how it goes.”

Applejack suddenly began breathing again. It was her turn to have her brain stop down and process what she had just heard. Swallowing, she forced herself to say something. “Thanks, Rarity. I’ll do my best to make it a great date.” She tried to sound sure of herself, but her confidence was still rather shaky.

Once again, the awkward silence returned. Applejack and Rarity looked nervously around the shop, occasionally looking at the other in faint hopes of some sort of signal for what to do next. Then, Applejack’s mind caught on something. “Oh! I brought you flowers, by the way.” Applejack picked her saddlebags back off of the floor and put them on the table. Then, from one of the pouches, she took out a vase with six roses in it. “So, um…these are for you.”

Rarity felt herself smiling. “You know, Applejack, ponies usually give the flowers before they ask somepony out.” Applejack blushed. Rarity got out of her seat and took the vase to a windowsill, where the flowers would be able to get sunshine. Applejack got up as well, and put her saddlebags back on. Rarity walked her to the door. “Thank you for stopping by today, Applejack. It’s always lovely to have your company. And if I may say, I look forward to our… ‘date.’” Rarity gave Applejack a wink.

“Me too. Of course.” Applejack blushed again, and felt like she had pretty much reached her blushing quota for the year. “See you tomorrow.

“See you tomorrow, dear.”

Applejack walked out the door. Rarity closed it behind her, and finally had time to process what had just happened. In fact, Rarity knew just the place to do that – she took a few steps and collapsed on her fainting couch.

* * *

Applejack stood outside Rarity’s boutique, and took a deep breath. To be honest with herself, she had no idea what to do now. She was confused as to what to think, what to feel…everything. Before Applejack knocked on Rarity’s door, she had thought that she was either about to be extremely happy or extremely sad. What she thought for sure, though, was that once her meeting with Rarity was done, her emotions would at least be sorted out and understandable. Nope, they were just as confused and jumbled as ever. Feeling a state of Limbo come over her, she began to walk home.

* * *

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Rarity’s eyes flittered open. Groggily, she scooted off of her fainting couch and shuffled toward the door. She grabbed the door in her magic by instinct, but then stopped herself – a lady always needed to look presentable. Shaking herself awake, she peeked a look in a mirror. Deciding that she still looked fabulous (it’s a good thing she had practiced how to take emergency naps without messing up her hair), she opened the door, and was greeted by the sight of a Rainbow.

“Well, what brings you around tonight, Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash looked around hesitantly, and after a moment, asked “I wanted to talk. Is now a good time? The sign on your door still says ‘open.’”

“Yes, yes, come in! It’s a great time. In fact, I stopped working a while ago, I just got…distracted by something before I could close down the shop.” Rarity quickly corrected her oversight with the sign and ushered her friend inside.

Rainbow straightened up and puffed out her chest a little as she walked in, moving once more with the confidence that befitted her. “So, Rarity, I came to ask your advice about the dance this Saturday – how do you think I could make the most awesome entrance? I was thinking I’d actually come this time.”

“Oh Rainbow, that’s wonderful news! We missed you dearly last month. Hang on a second, I know JUST the dress.”

Rarity disappeared behind a set of double doors, and when she re-emerged, she had a clothesline with no less than two dozen dresses. Rainbow’s eyes widened. “I didn’t necessarily mean a dress…and I thought you said you had one for me.”

“Oh, but of course, darling. I wouldn’t think of letting you show up without a new dress for the occasion…not if I have anything to say about it, anyways. And of course it will be discounted for you, dear. Now, I did have one in mind, but while your here, I thought, ‘why not try a few?’ You could have come when the shop was open, really.”

Rainbows cheeks flushed with a slight tinge of red. “Well, I was hoping to talk to you alone…” Her eyes flitted about the shop for a moment, but she shook herself and continued as normal. “Anyways, with the dresses, why don’t we start with the one you had in mind, and just see if that works?”

Rarity sensed Rainbow’s aversion to spending time trying on dresses and smiled knowingly. “Of course, darling. But if you have time, I’d really like it if you could stay awhile so I could try a few designs on you. After all, it is so much more than finding something that “works.” We want to find what complements you the best! And that takes time, Rainbow.” Rarity looked at the collection of dresses she’d pulled out – now, she’d gone with a rainbow pattern for both the Grand Galloping Gala and the royal wedding (after all, it can be difficult to find a color to match somepony who had the entire rainbow in her hair), but she thought perhaps it was time she tried something different. She had a sneaking suspicion that she had a different style of dress would fit her well in a slightly less formal situation. “Here it is. Could you try this one on?”

A few minutes later, Rainbow Dash was in a green dress with blue accents – that was actually somewhat similar to Fluttershy’s Gala dress, but simpler and without as many flowers. Rarity watched as Rainbow sized herself up in a mirror, and eventually gave herself a little nod. Rainbow struck a few poses, and even a few dance steps, to make sure she could still move freely – it seemed she was happy with the result. It was always nice to satisfy a customer, and even more so to make a friend happy, but Rarity was still hoping to get Rainbow into a few more designs. She scooted closer to her friend and gave her best eye flutter. “Now, if you stay a moment, I have a few more dresses that I think would make you look just gorgeous. Surely you could stay a minute?” Surprisingly, she saw a big grin break over her friend’s face.

Rainbow thought it over a second, then responded, “Yeah, I could do that. I don’t think I’ll need to, though. There’s something else that I think would help me have an awesome showing at this dance.” Rarity felt Rainbow reach a foreleg across her shoulders. “That would be…if you came with me.”

Rarity tilted her head to the side. “Well of course I’m going to be there, Rainbow. You’re the only one who wasn’t there last time.”

Rainbow’s eyes shifted around a for a second, and she cleared her throat. “Um…what I meant, was…for you to come with me. You know, as my date.”

The world stopped for Rarity for the second time that day. Rainbow’s foreleg was still across her withers. Neither pony moved as Silence re-entered Rarity’s boutique. Silence sure seemed to like the place today – maybe she would become a regular customer. New customers were always great, but Rarity wasn’t sure she was very enthusiastic about this one.

“Um…Rarity?” Rainbow’s voice cracked as she tried to elicit a response from her friend.

Oh, right. Reality, Rarity. Once again, your friend requires an answer. Rarity took a deep breath and gave Rainbow the best response she could manage – “I’m not sure…I can.”

Rainbow slowly removed her foreleg from across Rarity’s back. “Uh…but I thought you said you were already going to the dance?”

Rarity’s breath left her slowly and painfully. Things were just about to get even more awkward. “You see…I’ve already been asked on a date by somepony else. Well, we’re not going to that dance, and we’re not together together, like, in a relationship…but I think it might be disingenuous of me to also go on a date with you at the same time.” Yes. Good job, Rarity. I’m sure that was perfectly clear, and she’s not at all confused by what you just said.

Fortunately, Rainbow Dash took the simple approach. “Wait, another pony? Who asked you out? When did this happen? Why don’t the girls and I know about this?”

Rarity quietly shuffled her hooves. “Actually, it was Applejack. And she left shortly before you showed up.” Rainbow’s jaw dropped. It looked rather unhinged, to be honest. Rarity stood helplessly as Rainbow’s brain took a few moments to process. Oh, good, Silence is back. We’re getting to be such close friends.

“Applejack.”

“Yes.”

“She asked you out.”

“Yes.”

“But she isn’t your special somepony?”

“No.”

“And you’re date isn’t to the dance this Saturday?”

“Well, that’s not really decided…”

As they stood staring at each other a moment longer, Rainbow’s face straightened into a look Rarity could only call resolute. “If you’re not together, then I totally deserve a chance. I just need to tell Applejack.”

Oh dear.

“Wait just a minute, Rarity. I’ll fix this.” Rainbow took a hop, skip, and a jump, and flew out of the door. Her voice came from the distance – “Be back soon!”

Rarity’s heart sank – she didn’t want to be the cause of a problem between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. It would break her heart to hurt their friendship.

On the other hoof, her brain was telling her that it had had enough, and was done for the day. Fortunately, the fainting couch was conveniently still nearby.

Until She Can't Faint Any More.

A cool, crisp night greeted Rainbow Dash as she flew her way towards Sweet Apple Acres. The night had officially begun, meaning that she had to fly by the low light of a crescent moon. In fact, it was so dark that she returned to her own house first, and navigated by the skies. There was one particular start that she could follow straight from her house to Applejack’s. Rainbow bit her lip. If there were no lights on at the Apple family home, she was worried she might fly right on by it.

So far, the night was as quiet as it was dark, so she was left alone with her thoughts. I can’t believe Applejack beat me to it! I hate getting somewhere second. Especially…well, it’ll all work out. Applejack will understand, and we’ll work something out.

Yes, all she had to do was go up to Applejack and tell her that she was going to be her romantic rival. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t something she looked forward to. She just had to tell herself that things were going to be just fine. Rainbow gulped. Applejack and I are always able to work something out.

* * *

Applejack had hoped that her state of emotional Limbo would have worn off by the time she got home, but it seemed that she wasn’t going to be so lucky. Perhaps she had to sleep it off. Taking a deep breath, she looked up towards the gate to Sweet Apple Acres. She let herself smile – at least she was home. What’s more, there seemed to be more good news – her best rainbow-colored friend and favorite athletic rival was swooping in from the sky to greet her. Once Rainbow Dash had landed, the farmer jogged up to her friend and gave her a great big hug. “Howdy, Rainbow! You don’t know how good it is to see you right now. What brings you around?”

Her friend seemed a little bit awkward and stiff in Applejack’s embrace. Applejack backed off a couple steps and looked Rainbow in the eye. “What’s up?”

Rainbow cleared her throat. “Okay, well, I just came over from Rarity’s place.”

Oh. OH. “Well, yeah…how much have you heard. Sorry for not tellin’ ya, but I didn’t really think I had anything to announce just yet.”

“Actually, it’s more than that. You see…well, there’s just no easy way to say this – I also asked Rarity out.”

Applejack’s eyes widened and her through suddenly felt dry. “You…did? And…what did she say?”

“Well, she was worried about what you might think.”

“Ah, yes. She did agree to go on a date with me.” The two of them got quiet, and Applejack found herself just staring at Rainbow. What does a pony even say in a situation like this?

“But, from what I understand, you two aren’t actually together.”

“Well, no.” As soon as the words, left her mouth, Applejack bit her tongue. Consarn it, why did she have to be so honest? About this too, of all things.

Rainbow stood as straight as she could, and proclaimed loudly, “Well then, Applejack, I challenge you for the heart of Rarity!”

Suddenly, the entire world felt jumbled to Applejack. And probably tilted a little bit to the right. “Challenge? How does that even work?”

Rainbow continued, not missing a beat. “Well, you don’t have plans for your date to be for the dance this Saturday, right?”

“No.” Consarn it again, Applejack. Why do you have to go and tell her these things?

“Well then, we’ll each have a date with her. I’ll take her to the dance, and you’ll finish planning whatever date you’re going to set up. Then, we’ll see who she chooses to keep going out with. We can keep going on dates for as long as it takes! Unless, of course, you’re not up to the competition, and you’d rather withdraw.”

Applejack looked at Rainbow with steel in her eyes. “Of course not. You’re on.”

“It’s decided then. Now, I just have to tell Rarity that we’ve started an official competition for her.” Rainbow poised to take off towards Rarity’s boutique, but Applejack grabbed Rainbow’s tail in her mouth first. Upon feeling the resistance, Rainbow settled back down and folded her wings again. “Uh…Applejack?”

Applejack spat the tail back out of her mouth and stepped up to look Rainbow in the eyes. Just a few inches away, she stopped. “There’s no way I’m letting you go tell Rarity that by yourself. We’re going together.”

“If you say so. It’s getting pretty late for us to walk there, though.”

“In that case, I guess you’ll have to give me a ride.”

Rainbow moved her head back a little in surprise. “But…you never let me give you a ride to places.”

“I usually like to walk when I can. I prefer to keep my hooves on the ground, unless there’s special circumstances – and we’ve got special circumstances here, don’t we?”

Rainbow shrugged and turned around. “Well then, climb aboard.”

* * *

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Rarity’s eyes flittered open once more. Groggily, she scooted off of her fainting couch and shuffled toward the door. She grabbed the door in her magic by instinct, but then stopped herself – a lady always needed to look presentable. Shaking herself awake, she peeked a look in a mirror. Deciding that she still looked fabulous (it’s a good thing she had practiced how to take emergency naps without messing up her hair), she felt a major wave of deja vu. Once that passed, she opened the door to be greeted by the sight of a Rainbow…and an Applejack.

A sense of foreboding settled within her stomach, but she greeted them graciously just the same. “Hello, girls. Do come in.”

As two of her closest friend walked into her boutique, A part of Rarity wished that she could just start talking to them about how her store was doing, maybe ask them to try on a few dresses, and just generally pretend that there wasn’t a metaphorical elephant in the room. Oh well, she supposed. Best to get it over with.

“So, have you two come to an understanding?”

Applejack cleared her throat. “Yes. We’re all important friends to each other here, so we had to.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, and took her turn to speak – “Neither of us was going to back down, so we decided to do what we always do – start a competition.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Wha?”

Applejack continued, “If you want to go to the dance with Rainbow, I figure you should go. If you still want to go on a date with me, then we should do that. And, when you’re ready, you can make your choice. You can choose either of us as your special somepony…” Applejack lowered her head slightly, “Or neither, if that’s what you end up going with.”

Rainbow then said something else, but Rarity didn’t quite hear it – everything was getting to be a little hazy. As they continued to explain their agreement, Rarity sat hoping for her brain to come back online. “Nope, I told you I was done for the day.” Fabulous. This couldn’t possibly go wrong.

The pair seemed to finish what they were saying, and looked at her expectantly, but she had no reply to give. Rarity watched Silence come back into the room. It seemed she was pregnant now. Rarity supposed that congratulations were in order.

Through whatever fog was currently inhabiting her mind, she could only think of one action to take. “Yes, we’ll do that thing you just said. Well, I’m glad that’s settled. Thank you for coming over, dears. I’ll see you both tomorrow, probably.” She opened the door and ushered them outside – “You two have a nice night, now.”

As she closed the door, she turned toward the kitchen. Even Rarity could only faint so many times in a row. She knew what she needed this time – ice cream. Oh dear Celestia, was it time to break out the ice cream.

The Fire of Friendship Burns in Our Hearts

Standing outside a fancy fashion boutique that didn’t really suit either of them, two long-time friends looked at each other in understanding.

Rainbow gave her friend a nod. “Well then.”

Applejack nodded in kind. “So it is.” Quietly, she turned to make her way back to the farm.

Seeing this, Rainbow quickly reached out and touched her friend on the shoulder – “Wait!”

Applejack turned around. “What is it?”

“I brought you all the way here, I should help you get home. I don’t want to make you walk all the way there twice. Besides, it’s really late.”

“To tell the truth, I’d appreciate it…I have chores in the morning and all. Are you sure?”

“Yeah, of course! Why not?”

“Well, with all this…” Applejack looked at her friend soberly. “We’re still gonna be friends, right?”

Rainbow smiled. “Heck yeah we will. Don’t doubt it for a second.” Inspiration struck her, and she spit on her hoof, holding it out towards Applejack. A big grin grew across Applejack’s face, and she completed their little ritual by spitting in her hoof and shaking Rainbow’s.

It was the happiest either of them had been all evening.

* * *

It was starting to get cold outside, but the body heat from Rainbow helped quite a bit. She’d never ridden directly on a pegasus’ back before – always opting for Twilight’s hot air balloon when she had to fly – but it wasn’t as bad as she thought it’d be. As long as the stunt-flier-in-training wasn’t doing any crazy tricks, the ride was actually quite smooth, and if she was going to take a ride from anypony, she was glad it was Rainbow Dash.

She had both sets of hooves wrapped around her friend in order to hold on tight. It was an oddly close situation for two ponies with so much at stake against the other. However, that was soothing, in a sense. After all the craziness of the day, there were still things a farm girl could depend on. Rainbow Dash, for one.

As time went on, Applejack found herself enjoying the flight more and more. Heck, maybe someday, she’d even ask Rainbow to take her for a flight and do a trick or two – that would be bound to get her blood pumping. Of course, that would only work if they were still friendly in the future. Which we will be. Rainbow promised.

Applejack saw Rainbow enter a glide, and felt herself gradually descend back towards the earth. Coming up on her come, she hugged even a little tighter for the landing.

* * *

Rainbow Dash was almost disappointed to see Sweet Apple Acres come into view – it meant her flight with Applejack was over. Tomorrow, they would go back to being rivals – and probably not in the fun way.

Once she touched down at the farm, Applejack didn’t immediately get off. She spoke, “That was…fun, actually.” Applejack’s voice dropped to a whisper in Rainbow’s ear. “Thank you.”

It was too dark outside to see a blush, but Rainbow was pretty sure she felt some blood rushing to her face. “Any…anytime.”

Applejack slid off of Rainbow’s back, then circled around to look her in the eyes. Applejack’s face was completely serious. “I don’t intend to lose.”

Rainbow’s face mirrored her friend’s. “I know. Me neither.”

Applejack turned towards her house, but stopped in her tracks. After a moment, she turned back around and gave her friend another hug. “No hard feelings, eh? I can’t blame you for feeling the same way that I do.”

Hearing that, Rainbow returned the embrace. “Same here.”

In that moment, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, they were both sure that everything was going to turn out fine.

The Next Day

The rooster crowed far too early for Applejack the next morning. After having been out so late, she wondered how many hours of sleep she’d actually gotten. Still, it wouldn’t be the first morning that felt like this. She’d probably take a nap later today – as long as she could keep it from getting into the newspaper this time around.

Her body felt numb as she rolled out of bed. I just need to get some blood flowing through my legs. She left her room, passed through the kitchen, and went out the door in to have a short walk in the cool, fresh air to wake up. Upon exiting the house, though, she noticed that the sky was still almost completely dark. If she squinted, she could just barely make out some color on the eastern horizon. She turned her head and glared at the rooster – or at least towards the spot where his perch was. “You call THAT a sunrise?” Applejack couldn’t tell in the dim light, but she hoped that the rooster looked sufficiently ashamed.

Wasn’t any point in going back to bed at the moment, though. Since she was up, she might as well make breakfast, and maybe figure out what to do for her date with Rarity. Since Applejack had gone over to ask if she would be her Special Somepony, she hadn’t actually planned out a date. As she got out bowls for breakfast, however, she got an idea – I could cook for Rarity! There’s nothing like the secret family recipe for Apple Pie! We could go on a picnic. She started a fire under the stove and started cooking some oatmeal. On the other hoof, we go out on a picnic with our friends fairly often. I probably need something special and unique for our first actual date. On the other other hoof, Rainbow’s taking her to a dance, and we dance at parties all the time. No more ideas came to her through the early morning fog over her mind, so she just kept cooking.

A big red mass lumbered into the kitchen. “Mornin’.”

Applejack looked her brother over. He had bags under his eyes and he was moving slower than normal. “Boy, do you look tired.”

Big Mac yawned. “Well, I was waitin’ up for you to get home.”

“Aww, you don’t have to do that.”

“I always wait up for my little sis.” It was true. After every adventure, she came home to find Macintosh waiting for her, even if it was two in the morning. It might be because they were a close family, and had to depend on each other so much after losing their parents. It might be because she risked her life sometimes when she was out trying to help ponies with her friends. It was hard to point to a specific thing. The two stayed silent for a little bit. After the moment had passed, Big Mac leaned across the table and spoke with a half-smile on his face, “So, anything of interest happen last night?”

Applejack blushed. “Wha – How…What do ya mean? You know very well that if I have something to tell you, I’d just tell you.” She wasn’t quite sure why Big Mac was acting the way he was. In fact, thinking about it, Big Mac usually waited for her in the living room, and greeted her when she came home. If he was still up, why had he kept his distance last night?

Big Macintosh’s smile shifted to the other side. “Well, I was just thinking that it might be of some importance to the family in the future.”

Before Applejack could respond, the youngest Apple sibling entered the room. To say she crashed her way into the room might be more accurate, as she was still sleepily stumbling over her own hooves. Apple Bloom yawned and greeted the day. “Mornin’ everypony. I can sure smell that breakfast.”

Applejack and Big Macintosh’s previous conversation abruptly ended, and not a word more was spoken about it for the moment. They had their breakfast (once Granny Smith had finally joined them), Apple Bloom went off to school, and everyone else headed out to get a start on their chores for the day.

But Big Macintosh didn’t stop thinking about it. In fact, he was happy for his sister, and figured that she didn’t need to be so secretive. He also figured that he could help Applejack out – but he might need some help himself if he was going to do that. He’d have to talk with Cherilee later about his sister’s late night escapades with Rainbow Dash.

* * *

It was just so slightly uncomfortably warm outside. At this time of the afternoon, it was warm on the farm, even in the fall – and it felt especially warm if one had trees to buck. Applejack was sweating as usual, but this kind of work would have her sweating even if she did it in the middle of winter. Also, I’d probably get sick if I did this kind of thing in the middle of winter. Her mind wandered as she followed the route she’d taken many times before. Routine physical labor might keep one physically fit, but it also left time for thinking. She kept coming up with ideas for her date with Rarity. She thought of everything from her picnic idea, to bowling, to a dinner at a fancy restaurant, to stargazing, to going to a play together. She even thought about taking Rarity to another dance, like Rainbow would be doing.

Eventually, she started thinking about the “spa dates” that Fluttershy would go on with Rarity. Perhaps something like that could be turned into a date date. In any case, Fluttershy is the perfect pony to ask about this sort of thing. She probably would know what kind of date Rarity would like the most. And with that, it was decided – she had a visit to make after she was done with her chores.

* * *

Standing outside Fluttershy’s door, Applejack felt a little jittery. On the bright side, she was nowhere near as nervous as she had been when she was about to confess her feelings to Rarity, but she still felt a little anxious. After all, she hadn’t really told any of her friends what was going on. If things had gone well that night with Rarity, the two of them would have obviously announced their relationship as soon as possible. However, with the way things are now, I just don’t know what to say. Besides, it’s a pretty weird situation to explain to other ponies. Still, they’re going to find out sometime – and I’m here now. I may as well knock. Applejack lifted her hoof.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A crashing sound came from inside. She faintly heard a voice. “Oh, I’m sorry! Just a minute!” A few moments later, her friend Fluttershy opened the door. Her head hung down a little, her mane was haggard, and a bird was perched in her hair.

Applejack reached a hoof out to her friend’s shoulder in concern. “Are you okay there, sugarcube?”

Fluttershy smiled wearily. “Yes, it’s just been a very busy day. There’s a cold going around and all of the birds are getting sick. What brings you around, Applejack? Would you like to come in?”

“It looks like it’s probably not a good time – I just wanted to wanted to talk to ya a little about something, and maybe ask for your advice.”

“Oh, I don’t mind, come in.”

As Applejack walked into Fluttershy’s house, she winced at the state of disarray. She could see birds lying down with damp rags on their heads, rabbits panicking, food and water bowls placed around the floor with little rhyme or reason, different types of animal clothing strewn about the place, and nothing looked clean.

Fluttershy smiled sweetly. “So, what did you need?”

Applejack shook her head. “No. Let me help you out first.” Applejack picked up an empty food bowl and took it to Fluttershy’s sink, only to find a bird already occupying it, taking a bath.

Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I know you’re very busy too.”

Applejack picked up a rag to clean up some water that had been spilled on her friend’s floor. “I won’t hear another word of it, Fluttershy. You need the help, so that’s what I’m here to do.”

The two of them worked for nearly two hours cleaning up – removing animal hair, picking up clothes, cleaning up food and water spills, putting all of the food and water in the same area, repeatedly calming the animals, and even disinfecting Fluttershy’s sink. With this many sick birds around, Applejack figured that Fluttershy’s entire house could use a disinfecting once this sickness had run its course. Once they were done, Applejack settled into a chair and Fluttershy collapsed onto the cushions of her freshly cleaned couch.

Letting out a deep breath, Fluttershy said, “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

Applejack smiled tiredly. “You’d do it for me.”

Fluttershy stretched herself out on her couch. “Well, I’m still sorry for taking so long to get around to helping you. What is it that you came here to talk to me about, anyways?”

“Well, you see, a situation has come up…I mean, I was involved in everything that happened, but it was still a surprise…Well, from a certain perspective, it’s rather simple. And complicated.” Applejack mentally kicked herself. And all of a sudden, I’m fumbling over my words again. Why is all of this kind of stuff so hard to express? She took a deep breath. “Okay, let me start at the beginning. The first thing you should know is that I asked Rarity out on a date.”

Fluttershy jumped off of the couch, eyes wide. “What? When? Does every pony know? I had no idea!”

Applejack gave a small smile. “I didn’t mean for anypony to have an idea, sugarcube. If she had said yes, I would have announced it with her to the rest of ya’ll. Well, she did say yes, kind of. I mean…dang nabbit, I’ve gone and confused it again.” Applejack closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with her hooves. After a moment, she opened her eyes again and spoke. “Okay, so the first thing to know is that Rarity has agreed to go on one date with me. As a trial run, maybe. We’ll see how it goes.” Applejack sighed. “I don’t think she was sure about what to do when I asked her, but she wanted to give me the benefit of the doubt.”

Fluttershy sat back down. “If anypony deserves the benefit of the doubt, Applejack, it’s you. But…what brings you here? What do you want me to do?”

“I’ve been thinking that if I only get one date to make this work, then I need to choose very carefully what kind of date to take her on. That’s why I’m here. That’s where I want your advice. I was thinking of taking her on a picnic at Sweet Apple Acres, or maybe one of those fancy restaurants that she likes, or maybe to the spa…I just don’t know what would be best. Do you know what she would like best?”

Fluttershy put her hoof under her chin. “Well, if you’re thinking about food or a spa date, why not both? Aloe, Lotus, and Vera have made a deal with a nearby restaurant to offer a special date package. That’s probably the best idea I have to give you.”

Applejack’s ears perked up. “That sounds great! I’ll go check it out.” Applejack’s ears folded back down and she shuffled uncomfortably in your seat. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll do my best to make good use of it.”

Fluttershy walked over and patted Applejack on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Applejack. You’ll do great. Your Ponyville’s Most Dependable Pony! And you and Rarity are such good friends – I’m sure everything will work out.”

Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, there’s something else – I’m not the only one who asked Rarity out. She’s going to be going to the Town Dance with Rainbow Dash. It’s a tough situation.”

Fluttershy’s ears fell flat on her head and shrunk down a bit, somehow appearing smaller. “You…both?”

Applejack’s concern for her friend kicked in immediately. “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “It’s just…I don’t want to take sides.”

Applejack reached over to give her friend a hug. “I won’t expect you to. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that I was being so tactless. You just…you just take care of yourself, you hear? You’ve got enough problems without Rainbow and me adding to them.” Fluttershy nodded quietly. “Thanks for your time. I’ll just be heading out now.”

Applejack started walking out and opened the door, but she was interrupted by a voice. “Thank you…” Applejack looked back at her friend. Fluttershy straightened up a bit and spoke again. “I mean…thank you for coming over today. You were a big help.”

Applejack smiled and gave a wave of her hat as she left Fluttershy’s house. “Anytime, sugarcube.”

As Applejack walked toward the spa, her head swam with new thoughts. She hadn’t really realized how this situation might affect her friendships outside of Dash and Rarity. How would she take it if one of her other friends took Dash’s side in this? She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

She would have to take care of her other friendships too, and deal with problems as they arrived. For now though, Applejack decided to look on the bright side – for the first time since this situation started, she finally had a plan.

HOOOOOOOOOOONK

*HOOOOOOOOOOONK*

Rainbow Dash blearily opened her eyes from within the fluffy covers of her bed in her cloud home. The sun was out, but it still felt way too early.

*HOOOOOOOOOOONK*

“WHAT?!? WHO IS IT?!?” Rainbow yelled in exasperation. She tumbled out of bed and stumbled towards the window, barely managing to keep from tripping on her squishy cloud floor.

The most energetic voice Rainbow Dash had ever heard in the morning rang from outside. “It’s me, Dashie! It’s Pinkie!”

Rainbow facehoofed. Of course. She would have been able to predict that one if she’d been slightly more awake. She dove out the window and hovered toward Pinkie, who apparently had a small portable tower so that she could stand outside Rainbow’s house. “What brings you over so early, Pinkie? I mean, it’s still morning.”

“Well, DUH! You said we were going to go out pranking this morning!” Pinkie said cheerfully.

Rainbow Dash had no recollection of this, but she couldn’t be sure – Pinkie had a habit of occasionally being right when it seemed impossible for her to be. Rainbow stalled for time, hoping Pinkie would explain herself. “Um…wait a second…it’s coming to me…”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “The last time we went out pranking in the morning, you were all like, ‘let’s do this again next month!’” Pinkie suddenly raised one of her hooves into the air. “Well Dashie, it has officially been exactly one month!” Pinkie lowered her hoof to point straight at Rainbow – “Which means it’s time for YOU to go out pranking with me again!”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her head. “But we just went out pranking two days ago…”

Pinkie blew a raspberry. “Pfffttttt. That was evening pranking. This is morning pranking!”

Rainbow’s head started to hurt from being confronted with this after getting so little sleep the previous night. While pranking was usually fun, she was in no mood for it this morning. Besides, there were other problems which Pinkie seemed to be forgetting. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “Well in that case, Pinkie, I don’t think we thought this through very well. Do you remember what happened the last time we went out pranking twice in a week? Mayor Mare almost gave me a ticket for disturbing the peace!”

Pinkie blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Oh yeah…heh heh heh.”

Rainbow gave her a reassuring pat on the back. “Sorry Pinkie, but I don’t think we should go this time.”

Pinkie let out a big breath of air. “Okay…You’re right.” Rainbow wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but three seconds later, the tower that Pinkie Pie had been standing on had collapsed together enough to fit in Pinkie’s saddlebag, and Pinkie was standing on the ground.

Rainbow still had something to talk about, however, so she slowly descended to talk to Pinkie again. “Oh, hey Pinkie – there’s something that you should know about. You know about the town dance?”

Pinkie’s mouth flatlined and her eyes narrowed into slits. “You mean that party I threw for the entire town last month that you totally skipped out on?” Pinkie’s eyes narrowed to slits, and Rainbow realized that she had entered dangerous territory.

“W-Well I’m totally going this month!” said Rainbow.

Suddenly Pinkie was all smiles again. “Well of course you are!” Pinkie began pronking down the road to wherever she was going next.

Rainbow Dash flew over and hovered alongside Pinkie in order to keep talking with her. “I just figured, you know, that I should let my friends know that I’ll be bringing a date.”

Pinkie jumped over twice her height and her legs flailed about. “WHAT?!” Pinkie landed with squarely on her back with an audible thud. She tilted her head to look at Rainbow and assaulted her with a rambling rampage of words. “Whoareyoubringingisthiswhyyouarecomingthistimewhoareyoubringingandwhydidntanyofyourfriendsknowyouweregoingtodothisatleastidontthinkanyonedi…” Pinkie was interrupted by Rainbow’s hoof in her mouth.

“Care to repeat that so a normal pony can understand it, Pinkie?”

After Rainbow removed her hoof, Pinkie spoke in a more normal (for Pinkie, at least) style. “THIS IS AMAZING NEWS!! I have to throw you a party! I mean...ANOTHER party! Who are you bringing? Is that the real reason you’re coming this time? Did Applejack finally convince you to come?” Upon reaching that thought, Pinkie gasped so hard that the ground itself shook. “ARE YOU GOING WITH APPLEJACK?!?”

“What? No! I’m going with Rarity, what are you talking about?!?” Rainbow quickly looked around to see if anyone had heard Pinkie talking so loudly. As it so happened, there were about a dozen ponies having a picnic not too far from their current position.

Pinkie sat back and kept talking as if nothing had happened. “Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense – especially if you’re going to a dance. Rarity is just the best dancer, after all. Well, everypony’s the best dancer when they put their minds to it, but Rarity is the best best.” Pinkie nodded matter-of-factly. Rainbow supposed it made sense to Pinkie, at least. **GAAAAASSSP** “Rainbow! I didn’t know you knew any ballroom dancing!”

Rainbow’s eyes twitched left and right, as she tried to figure out why Pinkie would even ask that. “Me? Oh nononono. I don’t know any ballroom dancing.”

Pinkie tilted her head to the side. “You’re taking Rarity to a dance and you don’t know ballroom dancing?”

Rainbow pulled her head back and waved her hooves in front of herself defensively. “I didn’t think that it would be that kind of dance!” Rainbow was suddenly very unsure about her choice of date.

Pinkie giggled. “Well, it won’t be most of the time, but Rarity always insists that I play some formal songs There's a whole bunch of different partner dances, though – it's not just ballroom. So…you don’t know any Waltz or Foxtrot dance moves?”

“Um…no.”

“Do you know how to do the Flamenco?”

“No.”

“Swing Dancing?

“No.”

"Cha-Cha?"

"No."

“Salsa?”

“Wait…I thought that was food.”

Pinkie’s face fell. “Oh dear…what do you know?”

“Well, I usually just groove to the beat of whatever comes on. If the beat is good enough, that is.”

Pinkie raised her hoof tentatively. “Um…I don’t think that’s the kind of thing that Rarity takes a date to a dance for.”

Upon reflection, Rainbow realized that Pinkie was probably right. When it all came out like that, it seemed pretty obvious, actually. Rarity would want a partner in her dances. With whom she could do dances that they both knew – and at that moment, Rainbow Dash realized that she had absolutely no idea how to formally dance. Clearly, she hadn’t thought this through as perfectly as she thought she had.

Prologue

Her heart was pounding so hard that she could feel the veins pulsing under her skin. She had never before experienced such a confused jumble of emotions. Strong emotions, yes, but never as mixed up and thrown together as now, standing in front of the door. She felt scared, excited, hopeful, nervous…and that’s just off the top of her head. There were emotions inside that she didn’t even know how to name. She was happy to be here, but part of her wished she was anywhere else. On top of all that, it just felt so weird to be feeling all of this in front of a door she had entered hundreds of times before. Even so, there was nothing for it: now was the time for action. Applejack raised her hoof and knocked.

* * *

There it was again – that date on her calendar. No matter how much she tried to ignore it, it just kept getting closer. She kept changing her mind as to whether or not she was even going. Was she, Rainbow Dash, the type of pony to show up to some fancy dance? Well, she’d been to the Grand Galloping Gala, and she’d dressed up for more than one occasion in Canterlot, so it wasn’t like this was something she never did. Even so, this was a Ponyville town dance, not something in Canterlot, and a pony could be judged by the types of events she showed up to and the ones that she didn’t. On the other hoof, there definitely were positives. She’d been meaning to ask somepony out for a while now, and this was just the kind of event to ask her to – and if she came along, there’s no way it would be bad for Rainbow’s reputation. After all, even the worst of events could be made cool if you brought sufficiently awesome company – and she knew just the mare she was going to bring.