Double Date Dash

“So…” Twilight stood at one corner of the table of four, sifting through a pack of flashcards with her magic. “Normally, speed dating would require that partners exchange other partners between each other through the process. However, in Witherkers’ Double Date Dash, this is forfeited so that the bonds between two best friends can be emphasized, promoting high compatibility and—”

“Yeah yeah, dating ponies and BFF’s, we got it,” Rainbow interjected. “Now c’mon, let’s do this!”

Raising an eyebrow at the mare for a moment, she looked once more through a few of her cards. “Alright. Is everypony ready?”

“Mhmm,” Rarity hummed in acknowledgement as the other ponies nodded.

Clearing her throat, Twilight began. “Okay. Each round will include a simple question that each partner will answer between the other. I’ll be skipping some of the more obvious questions we already know the answers to.” Pulling a stack of notes to the front, she said, “I believe Rarity and Fluttershy should go first, just so the girls here have an example to go by.”

Rainbow and Applejack crossed their forelegs and huffed. Smirking, Rarity said, “Sounds good to me. How about you, Fluttershy?”

“Oh yes, I’m ready,” she said with a gentle nod.

“Alright then, first question…” Reading the note silently first, she smiled warmly, then read aloud, “What do you believe is the most important value in a relationship?”

As the two contemplated the question, Fluttershy asked, “So, which one of us should go first?”

“Oh, after you, my dear,” Rarity said with a defined courtesy, glancing over at Rainbow with a wink.

Rainbow merely snorted and watched.

“Okay,” Fluttershy started. “Well… I believe a pony should always be kind to those she cares about. Love and kindness go hoof-in-hoof, I think.”

Rarity nodded, smiling softly at her date. “What an excellent answer, Fluttershy. And I believe generosity goes quite well with that philosophy. Being generous is often like an act of kindness!”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I can see how that might be true!” Off to her side though, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were trying desperately to not snicker. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “And what do you two think’s so funny?”

“Snnnkt–heheheh…” Rainbow took a moment to calm her jitters before she said, “Don’t you see, Twi? They’re talking about the Elements of Harmony!”

“Well, yes, I noticed that too. Is there a problem with that?”

“Well, no, I guess not.” Shrugging, she said, “I dunno though. Like, yeah, I get my thing’s loyalty and what-not. But if I was going out on a date—”

“You are, Rainbow—”

“If I was going out on a real date,” she added firmly, casting a quick grin toward Applejack, “then I’d want them to be somepony cool.”

Rarity face-hoofed. “Of course you would say that, how predictable an answer…”

Rainbow tilted her head toward her. “Hey, what’s wrong with wanting someone to be cool?”

“I think she means to say it’s a rather simple response,” Twilight answered for her.

“Seriously? You wanted an answer, and I gave you a—” Suddenly, she stopped short as she noticed Pinkie at the table behind Twilight, looking her way as she fervently wrote her notes. Sighing, she said, “Ugh… alright, fine – whatever. You want a real answer?”

Everypony at the table titled their heads curiously at the mare as Rainbow leaned back in her seat, breathing out a sigh.

“So… back when I used to date – like, actually date, when I was still living in Cloudsdale –  the biggest thing I looked for in somepony was someone who could keep up with me.” Rolling her eyes, she said, “And I’m sure you probably think ’Oh, that’s so like Rainbow,’ or whatever. But really? I just liked knowing that whatever I did, wherever I went, somepony would be right there by my side, keeping up the pace.” She rubbed a hoof to her chest with a smirk as she added, “Of course I never met anyone there who could do that. There just ain’t no keeping up with the Dash.”

For a moment, everyone stared at the pegasus in surprise. Eventually, Applejack broke the silence. “Heh. Never thought I’d hear ya word it so seriously like that.”

“What?” Rainbow shrugged as she looked away. “I can be serious, when I need to be…”

Applejack smirked at that. “Yeah, y’mean when you’re tryin’ to keep from losin’ a bet.”

“Hey,” Rainbow barked as she pointed a hoof at her, “you’ve got just as much at stake here, pal. So, you gonna play along or not?”

Leaning back in her chair, Applejack scrunched her muzzle with a frown as she glanced over at her other friends. “Guessin’ I gotta answer this question too, huh?”

Twilight and the others nodded earnestly.

“Right, of course…” Sighing, she began. “Well… kinda like Rainbow with loyalty I guess, I think honesty is important too. But just as important, I believe a pony should be close to their family. That’s just a good sign of a dependable pony to me.”

Rubbing a hoof to her chin, Twilight said, “Well, what if somepony doesn’t have any family to be close to?”

“Hmm…” Applejack tapped a hoof idly on the table in thought. “Well then, I s’pose they’d least need to be close with some friends, or be willin’ to give gettin’ close to family a try.”

“You mean like your own family, right?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah. That way, I’d know if they’d be committed enough for a real relationship.”

“Huh… You know, that makes sense,” Rainbow commented as she leaned back in thought. “It’s kinda like this one pony I dated before moving to Ponyville. Pretty awesome guy, ‘cept he used to make fun of my parents for not being as cool as us.” Scowling at the memory, she added, “And you just don’t call somepony else’s parents lame. That’s so not cool.”

Applejack and the others nodded in agreement, though Rarity seemed to not be quite as enthused. “Well, that’s a fine first answer, the both of you.” Glancing up at Twilight, she said, “So, what’s the next question, then?”

“Oh, right then…” Sifting through her cards, Twilight pulled one to the front and read, “Where do you see yourself in five years time?”

“Well,” Rarity began without hesitation, “I’d hope to broaden my couture line to Manehattan or Fillydelphia by that point… notwithstanding my responsibilities with the Cutie Map, of course,” she quickly added as an afterthought. “How about you, Fluttershy?”

“Well…” The pegasus shrugged. “I suppose I’ll still be taking care of the animals around here. At least, that’s what I hope.” She darted her eyes between her friends across the table before saying, “Is that a good answer?”

“Of course,” Twilight reassured her. Leaning over to catch Rainbow’s eye, she said, “And how about you?”

As Rainbow polished a hoof to her chest, she said, “Wonderbolts, of course.”

Twilight nodded. “Fair enough.” Glancing down at her flash card, she furrowed her brow before turning to Applejack. “I guess I should’ve picked another question since you probably want to stay at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Hey now,” Rainbow said just as Applejack opened her mouth to answer, “just ‘cause she’s done the same thing for a long time doesn’t mean she wants to forever.” Turning to Applejack, she said, “Didn’t you once say you wanted to work with some family to build a restaurant in Ponyville one day?”

Applejack slumped a little in her seat, trying to avoid the surprised gazes she was now receiving from her other friends. “Yeah, uh… I-I might’ve mentioned something like that once… I mean, I’m not sure if I really wanna do it or not yet. It’s jus’ somethin’ I’ve been thinkin’ over…”

“Yeah, ‘cause you said as much as ponies like the stuff you sell at your stand, you’d like to be able to cook for everyone in Ponyville. Right?”

Looking anywhere but at her friends, Applejack nodded hesitantly. “I guess I did say that… ya didn’t have to answer for me, though.”

“But I didn’t—” Rainbow blinked. “Uh… eh heh…” Grinning sheepishly over at Twilight, she said, “Th-that doesn’t count against us, right?”

Twilight glanced back at Pinkie Pie, who shook her head. “Doesn’t look like it.”

“Okay, phew, sweet.” Turning back to Applejack, she said, “Sorry, AJ. Didn’t mean to steal the spotlight.”

“Heh, well… that’d be a first for you, sugarcube.”

Rainbow grinned at that as Twilight sifted once more through her cards. “Alrighty…” Pulling yet another to the front, she read, “What is one thing about yourself that your date may not already know about you?”

“Ooooh, this should be a fun one,” Rarity said as she grinned over at Fluttershy.

“U-um…” Smiling nervously up at Twilight, Fluttershy said, “I don’t suppose… we could try another question?”

Twilight furrowed her brow at the mare. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. You can tell Rarity whatever you want, even if it’s something simple, so long as she doesn’t know about it already.”

“Oh. Well… okay then…” Looking down at the table, she murmured, “Um… w-well… I used to take ballet lessons when I was a filly.”

“Really now?” Rarity’s eyes widened in fascination. “How long did you take lessons?”

“About three years…” She tucked her hooves beneath the table, which had just started to tremble a little.

“Did you ever take any lessons at the Canterlot Ballroom Society?”

“Um… once, yes…” Her voice was decreasing in volume with each word.

“My, that must have been a marvelous experience.” Prodding further, she asked, “Did you happen to compete in any events around Equestria?”

“I… w-well, you see…”

As Fluttershy’s words began to trail off, leaving Rarity leaning in closer and closer with anticipation, Applejack cleared her throat loudly. “Well, not to be rude er anythin’, but mind if I have a go? Reckon we don’t wanna run outta time before the food gets here, right Fluttershy?”

Rarity glared at her from across the table, allowing Fluttershy a moment to collect herself as she gave a grateful smile to Applejack. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Well…” Twilight scrunched her muzzle in thought. “Normally, the other partner would be the next to go—”

“I figured as much,” Applejack interjected, following up with a stiff chuckle. “I’m just ready to share mine with everyone here, s’all.”

That caught Rarity’s attention. “You mean with your date, right?”

Applejack’s shoulders slumped as she returned a flat expression to the mare. “Yeah, with Rainbow Dash.” Turning to the pegasus in question with a smirk, she said, “So… didja know I once ate an entire basket full of apples when I was a filly?”

For the past couple of minutes, Rainbow had been paying little attention to the others, leaning back in her chair with her forelegs crossed behind her head, staring at the ceiling. Flicking her ears forward, she said, “That’s nice.”

“Granny Smith ‘bout near hollered my ear off when she found out.”

Rainbow rolled her shoulders. “Huh.”

Applejack arched an eyebrow. “Yep… ate so dern much, I chucked apple-flavored rainbows.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s coo—” Suddenly, Rainbow stumbled in her chair, looking wildly back at her friend. “You did what when you what?!”

Slapping a hoof across the table, Applejack fell back in her chair laughing. Rarity merely grumbled her dissent while Fluttershy giggled amiably.

“A-alright, Applejack,” Twilight said as she tried to keep from laughing too, “unless that actually happened, I’d advise you give a real answer.”

“Alright, alright,” Applejack said as she leaned forward against the table, catching her breath. Looking at Rainbow, she said, “Well, ya already learned one thing new ‘bout me today.”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, that you wear egghead glasses, right?”

Applejack slouched against the table. “Yeah. Sure… So what’s somethin’ ‘bout you I don’t know?” Leaning back a little, she said, “Can’t imagine with all the times we’ve hung out there’d be much left.”

“Oh yeah?” Crossing her forelegs, she said, “Well, did you know I once flew backwards for a whole day in Junior Speedsters Camp, just to win a bet?”

“Uh, yeah, actually. That was one of the very first things you ever bragged about when ya first met me… Still can’t say I see how that’s brag worthy,” she added with a smirk.

Rainbow reared her head back a little. “Really? I told you about that?”

Applejack shrugged. “You brag about a lot of stuff, sugarcube. Unless it’s somethin’ not worth mentionin’, I probably already know about it.”

“Huh. Oh well.” Glancing at Twilight, she asked, “Does that mean I can pass?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said, unconvinced. “Are you sure there isn’t something she might not know about you?”

“Hm…” For a moment, Rainbow thought in silence. Eventually, she looked over at Applejack. “Where was I born?”

“Not in Cloudsdale, but down in Fillydelphia – your parents were visitin’ with family, if I remember right, when your mother went into labor.”

“When did I fly for the first time?”

“The day you were born, still in the hospital.”

“What’s my favorite dessert?”

“Apple brown betty, served chilled, not warm.”

“And where’s my favorite sleeping spot?”

Applejack smirked. “Well, I used to think it was in my apple trees, what with you takin’ a nap in ‘em all the time.” Her smirk faded into a slight frown as she said, “But it was actually the top-most branch of Golden Oak Library.”

Twilight blinked at that before turning to Rainbow. “Y-you used to sleep on top of the library?”

“Yep.” Leaning back in her chair, she said, “Sometimes I didn’t feel like flying all the way back home right after a weather shift, so I’d fly up to the top of the library and perch on this one really sweet branch.” She frowned a little as she thought back on the memories. “Best place to nap in all Ponyville when there weren’t any clouds.”

“Wow, Rainbow, I…” Twilight’s ears folded back. “I never knew that.”

“Yeah…” Gesturing a hoof nonchalantly in the air, she said, “Sorry, Twi, but AJ already knows me pretty well.”

As everypony stared at them for a moment, Fluttershy said, “Wow, it’s almost like they’re a real couple!”

“ARE NOT,” Rainbow and Applejack shouted at the mare in unison.

“Okay,” Fluttershy squeaked in response as she hunkered down in her chair, “you’re not, I’m sorry…”

For the next several minutes, the round of questions continued on like this before their food eventually showed up. As Twilight sat back down with Pinkie to enjoy her dish, Savoir and the waitress made their rounds between the others.

Once everypony except Rainbow Dash had been served their dishes, Savoir nodded toward the waitress, who took off for the kitchen. Leaning beside Rainbow, he cleared off an unusually large section of the table in front of the pegasus.

Rarity glanced over at the cleared tablecloth, then up at Savoir. Raising an eyebrow uncertainly, Savoir shrugged and glanced back at the returning waitress.

Just as everypony was leaning down to take a bite, they stopped mid-way as the waitress, bowing a little under the weight of the dish hefted onto her back, sidled over next to Rainbow and slid the dish off in front of her. With a strained voice, Savoir announced from aside, “Presenting… Pomme Galette.” He then muttered, “Bon appetite… I think…”

“Aw yeah!” Grinning ear to ear, Rainbow watched as Savoir removed the cover to reveal—

“Oh my stars!”

“Goodness, that’s…”

Snickering, Applejack shook her head and said, “And knowin’ your appetite, Rainbow, I’m guessin’ you plan to eat all that in one go?”

Smirking up at her friend, she drawled, “Ya darn tootin’,” before she began to gorge herself on the enormous potato cake.

__________

Once everypony finished their meals, the six gathered together at the same table for a moment. Twilight took a seat between Rainbow and Applejack, smirking between the two, while Pinkie sat between Rarity and Fluttershy.

“Well,” Twilight began as she folded her hooves on the table, “first off, I’d like to commend Rainbow Dash and Applejack for making it through the whole night without too much trouble.”

The two nodded apprehensively at the mare.

“However,” she continued, “I believe it should be clear who tonight’s victors are.” Clearing her throat, she leaned back a little and said, “Pinkie. The results?”

Pinkie sat upright in her seat, mimicking a dignified pose. “Well, according to the notes I took, the questions answered between each pony, and the rules and guidelines observed tonight, it is clear that…”

Rainbow and Applejack were already hanging their heads in defeat.

“… Rainbow Dash and Applejack are the winners!” Throwing her hooves in the air, a modest display of streamers exploded quietly behind Pinkie. Savoir nodded favorably from a distance.

Twilight, on the other hoof, stared at the pink mare in disbelief – as did everypony else. “But… I thought Rarity and Fluttershy followed the rules best!”

Pinkie bobbed her head in understanding. “You would think so – at first glance, perhaps.” Pulling her notebook and pencil out of her mane, she said, “Thing is, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were the only ones who really took tonight seriously.”

Both mares in question blinked at that. “We were?”

Pinkie nodded. “Mhmm. Fluttershy did a great job playing along, but in the end, a lot of marks were against Rarity.”

Rarity’s expression quickly shifted from confusion to skepticism. “And exactly how might that be the case?”

Scanning over her notes, Pinkie said, “Well, with the first question, you and Fluttershy both gave the obvious answers: the Elements of Harmony. While Fluttershy did her best to answer the question honestly…” Pinkie leaned a little to the side, looking down at Rarity’s lap. “It seems you came prepared with a list of answers to certain questions.”

Immediately, Rarity tried to tuck away a notepad she had been holding in her lap. “Th-that’s preposterous! How could you think—”

Without hesitation, Rainbow reached across Pinkie and snatched the notepad out of Rarity’s hooves, jerking it up in the air away from her reach. “Seriously? You came with a cheat sheet? For a date?!”

Applejack was equally as shocked. “Why you sneaky lil’ varmint! You were gonna try to win this thing even if we played along!”

Glancing frantically between each of her friends, Rarity eventually crossed her forelegs and huffed, looking away from the group. “Well, Fluttershy here at least cooperated honestly. That should count for something.” She batted her eyes toward the pegasus. “Isn’t that right, dear?”

Pinkie Pie looked skeptically at the mare in question, who in fact murmured, “Well, we did go over that list once before I took the dress over to Applejack’s…”

Twilight gasped in shock as Rarity began to slump in her seat, her cheeks now fully blushed. Rainbow and Applejack shared a hoof-bump.

“There’s also the matter of the third question,” Pinkie continued. “Rarity failed to notice Fluttershy’s nervousness when talking about her experience with ballet. It was Applejack, in fact, who stepped in to keep her from feeling uncomfortable.”

Shocked by the revelation, Rarity turned to Fluttershy and said, “Is… is this true?”

Looking down at the table, she murmured, “Kind of, I’m afraid…”

Ears folding back, Rarity leaned forward and gently touched a hoof to one of hers. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Fluttershy…” Shaking her head somberly, she said, “Goodness, what a terrible friend I’ve been this evening, let alone date. I never meant to carry this so far as to hurt your feelings!”

“Oh no,” Fluttershy said as she looked up at her friend. “You didn’t hurt my feelings. I was just… nervous talking about it. That’s all.”

“Well then, why did you choose that to bring up?”

Fidgeting with her hooves, Fluttershy murmured, “Well, it… it was the only thing I could think of that I hadn’t shared with you.” Smiling a little, she added, “We do know each other pretty well after all, what with all the time we spend together at the spa.”

Nodding with a soft smile, Rarity said, “Well, regardless, I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable.” Leaning back in her seat, she added, “Though I’m not sure why you’d feel ashamed about taking ballet?”

“Oh, um…” Hanging her head low, she said, “L-let’s just say things didn’t work out so well…”

“Meaning she got famous real quick,” Rainbow added from aside. “I remember when we were still fillies, before the race where I did the Sonic Rainboom, Fluttershy’s mom enrolled her in ballet as an after flight-school project. Apparently, she was one of the best in her age-group – even out in Canterlot.”

Eyes glazing over in realization, Rarity turned back and said, “And it was the fame that made you uncomfortable, wasn’t it? Just like when I had you modeling?”

Glancing away in embarrassment, Fluttershy nodded gingerly.

“Well…” Turning back to Pinkie with a little more emphasis, she said, “That’s all fine and well, but how exactly does that count against us?”

“Well,” Pinkie said, “Applejack noticed by her tone and actions that she was uncomfortable, so she decided to do something that would help her feel better. That counts as an act of courtesy – on her part.”

“B-but… I…” Rarity sputtered, before eventually slumping back in her seat. “Alright, fine… I see your point.” Turning to Pinkie with a look of desperation, she said, “But what about affection? I never once saw Rainbow Dash or Applejack show any form of affection to one another.”

“Hmm…” Pinkie’s tongue stuck out a little in thought as she tapped a hoof to her chin. “Well, that is true.” Taking her notepad and scribbling down a line, she said, “Guess that’s one mark against Dash and AJ.”

“Hey,” Rainbow said, “we’ll take it if it means we still win.”

“Yep,” Pinkie nodded as she tucked her notes back in her mane. “You guys still take the cake! Or I guess Rainbow ate the cake, this time.”

“Well…” Rarity muttered with an expression split between guilt and defeat. “I guess this means… that—”

“You’ve gotta do whatever we dare—” Rainbow began,

“—whenever we dare it,” Applejack finished.

Looking between the two mares, Rarity sighed in defeat, before mumbling, “I really do hate dares.”

__________

“Well, aside from losing the bet, this was certainly an… interesting evening,” Rarity said as she escorted Fluttershy out of the cafe. “Thanks for coming along again, Fluttershy. Tonight simply would not have been as enjoyable without you as a date.”

“Oh, you’re most certainly welcome,” she said with a genuine, albeit tired, smile. “I had lots of fun.” Giving her friend a quick hug, she broke off from the group and bade her adieus.

“Well,” Twilight started as she examined the moon’s position overhead, “I better get back to the castle and see how Spike’s been holding up. The library’s been busier recently since everypony’s gotten used to the place.” Smiling toward her friends, she said, “See you girls later?”

“Yep,” Pinkie chirped from beside her. “And thanks again for a superrific evening, Twily! You’re the best.” As the pink mare pulled her friend into a tight hug, Rainbow and Applejack watched as Twilight closed her eyes and lost herself for a brief moment. Blinking her eyes open at the two, she broke off abruptly from the hug and smiled awkwardly.

“A-and thank you too, Pinkie! Goodnight!” And with that, Twilight hastily made her way back to the castle.

“Well then… guess you’re headin’ off too, Pinkie?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah. Got a looonnng day ahead tomorrow. Mrs. Cake and I have to bake a whole delivery before tomorrow night.”

“Gotcha.” Yawning for a second, she then bade her a goodnight and watched as the pink pony bounced her way out of sight.

Alone now with Applejack, Rainbow Dash turned to her and said, “Phew… am I glad tonight’s over with.”

“Yeah,” Applejack agreed as the two began walking together toward the outskirts of town. “Hopefully this’ll teach ya to not open your big mouth when Twi and Rares try to make a bet.”

“Hey, you were in on it as much as I was!”

“Yeah, only ‘cause you made ‘em drag it out s’far as they did!”

“Oh yeah? W-well…” Unfortunately, Rainbow couldn’t argue against that. Looking forlornly toward the ground, she sighed and mumbled, “I guess you’re right.”

Applejack glanced over at the mare. “Ah, don’t worry nothin’ bout it. It’s all over now. And the best part is, now we’ve got somethin’ to hold over Rarity!”

“Heh, y-yeah, we do…” Even with that revelation though, Rainbow continued to canter forward with her head drooped down.

Applejack furrowed her brow. “So what’s botherin’ ya then, sugarcube? I thought you’d be glad this was all over with.”

“Yeah. I am.” Looking over with her eyes only, she muttered, “I was just worried that, y’know… you’d be upset about all this happening in the first place.”

“Really?” Arching an eyebrow, she smirked as she looked forward. “Well… I can’t say I would’ve been too keen on losin’ tonight’s bet. But I went along with it as well – jus’ remember that.” Smiling, she added, “Besides, I really did have fun tonight, even if it was kinda short.” She glanced around briefly, as if someone might overhear her. “‘Course, don’t you ever tell anyone I said that.”

“Heh, no worries there, buddy,” Rainbow said as she perked up a little. “Still though, I feel kinda bad for not knowing you wore glasses.”

Applejack made a face. “And why would that make you feel bad?”

“I dunno…” Slouching her shoulders a little, she said, “It just seemed like you knew everything about me back at the cafe, and I didn’t even know something as simple as that.” Kicking a pebble in her path away, she mumbled, “Even Rarity and Fluttershy seem to know each other better.”

Without warning, Applejack stopped mid-trot. Rainbow followed suit a couple steps later when she realized she was no longer beside her. She looked back at her friend with a nervous expression.

“Rainbow,” Applejack started with a hushed tone, giving her friend a confused look. “First off, Rarity didn’t know about Fluttershy bein’ in ballet. But secondly, it sure ain’t like ya to feel bad about somethin’ as simple as that.” She took a step toward her friend. “Am I missin’ somethin’ here?”

Rainbow averted her gaze from Applejack, although she maintained a steady tone. “Hey, if you know everything about me, I wanna know everything about you.” Smirking a tad her way, she added, “I can’t have my best friend beating me in something as simple as that.”

“I…” With a humored scoff, she said, “Seriously? You’re even competitive when it comes to who’s the better friend?”

“Well, I wouldn’t word it like that, buuut…” With a cheeky grin, Rainbow started down the path again, leaving Applejack to shake her head before following.

A short distance down the path, Rainbow spoke up again. “But yeah, I guess tonight wasn’t so bad. Especially after Pinkie called out Rarity for cheating.”

Applejack chuckled. “Yeah, no kiddin’. Who would’ve thought that Rarity would bring a cheat sheet for somethin’ like that?”

“I know, right?” The two shared a short, good-spirited laugh between each other, just as they reached a break in the path. Looking out at the outline of an apple orchard beyond the left path, Rainbow said, “Well… guess that’s it, then.”

“Yep,” Applejack agreed with a nod as she trotted a few paces down the path. Stopping mid-step, she looked back at Rainbow. “I guess, uh… I’ll see ya later, then?”

“Um, yeah – duh,” Rainbow scoffed. “You think tonight changes that?”

“Course not,” Applejack said with a firm tone. “I was jus’ sayin’ goodnight is all, ya dang featherbrain.”

“Oh. Right, heh,” Rainbow chuckled as she ran a hoof through the back of her mane. “Well, uh… goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight, sugarcube.” And with that, the two slowly parted ways.

For once, Rainbow didn’t immediately take to the air, choosing to stretch her legs for a moment longer before flying home. As she cantered down the other path beneath the moonlight, she thought back on the events of the night. Much as she hated admitting it to anyone but Applejack, she actually had enjoyed herself for the most part. While the questions were both corny and boring, just going out on a ‘date’ wasn’t so bad – especially with one of her best friends. Perhaps if it had been a real date, she could’ve done something to liven things up a bit more. For a moment, she smiled as she considered the idea of dating again, even if it was sometime later down the road.

But quick as the smile came, it faded, soon as she considered going out on a date with somepony else. Somepony that wasn’t a good friend. Somepony that wasn’t…

“Applejack.”

With a sigh, she glanced across the adjacent field at the mare in question.

To her surprise, Applejack, at some great distance, was glancing over as well.

The two stood there for a moment, simply staring at each other in the calm of night. Eventually, they took a step toward each other in unison, which then turned to another step. Which eventually turned to a walk.

As the two grew closer, they met eyes for a moment, then quickly looked away. Once they were within a hoof’s length of each other, Applejack said, “So… heh. Th-this is kinda silly, I know, but…”

“… Hey.” A strange, bizarre sort of thought suddenly occurred to Rainbow Dash that brought a smile back to her. Looking her friend in the eyes, she said, “There was one question we never answered tonight.”

Applejack tilted her head slightly. “Yeah? Which was that, again?”

“What kind of affection we like.” Rainbow smiled warmly at her best friend, just before she reached a hoof gently to her cheek, leaned forward, and gave her a soft, loving, fleeting kiss.

And with that, Rainbow spread her wings and took to the skies.

Applejack stood there motionless for a moment, lips parted and eyes wide, as the cerulean pegasus disappeared into the blanket of stars above. Eventually, she shook her head and grinned to herself, before turning back for home.