Under the Stars

by CrystalTheUnicorn

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Applejack, Drama, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Random, Slice of Life
Length: 2705

Rainbow Dash has a birthday party at Pinkie Pie's house, and everypony is sleeping over, including the one mare Dash has had her eyes on for so long.

Rainbow Dash's party starts as a simple sleepover at Pinkie Pie's house. Toward the end of the night, Rarity suggests they talk about stallions, of course. Dash gets really uncomfortable, since it's not a stallion who has caught her eye, and everypony but that one mare knows who it is.
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This story was based off of an experience of mine, me being in Dash's place. I don't know why but I wanted to make a fic on this, so enjoy. And remember this is my first fic, so I'd love to get a good critique!

Cover art by me~

Published 2016-01-04 02:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-10 22:51:12 UTC

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash sat on Pinkie Pie's bed, with her best friends- not including Twilight, for the unicorn had been called to Canterlot to help Princess Celestia with some royal duties.

The five ponies were bored. Cake was gone, presents were opened, and despite it being 1 in the morning, none of the mares were tired.

After a few moments of silence, Dash looked at each of her friends, and finally asked, "How about Truth or Dare? I know it's a really overused and lame idea, but at least it's something to keep us occupied."

Instantly Pinkie Pie jumped up with sparkling eyes, "Of course! That's a wonderful idea Dashie! Oh! Oh! Let me go first!!!"

All the ponies chuckled.

"Of course you can start Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said with a slight smile.

"Yes!" The pink mare leaped off the bed and trotted over to Fluttershy.

"Truth or Dare, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie asked, a wide smile on her face.

The shy pegasus flapped her wings once, inching back a bit.

"Do I have to be the first one? Why not Applejack or Rainbow Dash? They'll do almost anything...." Fluttershy suggested, shaking slightly. The thought of going first scarred her, especially since Pinkie was the one asking. Who knows what crazy ideas that mare had?

Applejack trotted over to Fluttershy's side and wrapped one hoof around her, "It'll be okay, sugarcube. You can trust Pinkie, can't ya?"

Fluttershy nodded and replied to Pinkie's question, after a hesitant sigh, "Umm, how about truth?"

"Alright!" Pinkie smiled, "Let's seeeeeeee...."

The pink mare thought for a little while, then jumped up as an idea hit her.

"What would you do, if Applejack kissed you?"

"What!?!" Both Applejack and Fluttershy gasped in confusion. Rainbow Dash, chuckled, picturing that happening. She really couldn't see Fluttershy reacting in a good way, but then again, some things about Fluttershy surprised her.

"They would be a good couple, don't you think?" Rarity asked Rainbow, her first words of the game.

Rainbow Dash nodded, but before she could get any words out, Applejack spoke.

"I would never kiss Fluttershy! She's mah friend! Nothin' more!"

"I said what if you kissed her," Pinkie Pie chuckled, then turned to Fluttershy, "Well?"

"I um.. well," She stammered, a slight blush appearing on her face, "I would be confused... But I wouldn't really be mad....."

Rainbow Dash held her hooves over her mouth, to stop herself from laughing, while Applejack blushed a little, looking at Fluttershy and trying to process what had been said. The other two ponies looked pleased.

"Speaking of kissing," Rarity broke the awkward moment, "Who does everypony have a crush on? We haven't updated each other on this for a while."

Rainbow Dash's face turned red as Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy instantly looked at her with smirks on their faces.

"Um... Well, Rarity, why don't you go first?" Rainbow Dash asked, choking out each word, as sweat began to trickle down her face.

"Well," Rarity began, flipping her beautiful purple mane back, "I don't necessarily have a 'crush' on anypony, I just find quite a few stallions hot."

"And these stallions are...?" Applejack pressed her on.

"Oh, well Fancy Pants, Thunderlane, oh and since Twilight's not here, Shining Armor. That's just a few," Rarity said, sounding so casual. Rainbow Dash was a little disappointed to hear only the names of stallions, but this was Rarity. Of course she was straight, she was into fashion and girly things.

"Ohhhhh I really think Thunderlane is cute toooo!!" Pinkie Pie beamed, jerking Dash out of her thoughts.

"What about you three?" Pinkie Pie asked looking at Applejack, Fluttershy, and finally Rainbow Dash.

"Ah don't really care that much for romance, y'all should know that by now," Applejack said simply.

"But you must have a crush on somepony, or at least find somepony a bit attractive," Rarity said looking straight at the farm pony.

Applejack shrugged, "Well, if ya want an answer, ah guess Soarin' is okay. What about you, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy blushed hard and looked around at the other mares in the room. "I um... None of you would know him..."

"Come on Flutters, I know everypony here! Just say his name!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Well, um..." Fluttershy trailed off.

"If she doesn't want to say, she doesn't have to," Rainbow Dash pointed out. Probably a mistake though because that made everypony turn to her.

"Then what about you Dash?" Rarity asked, eyes full of wonder.

"You all know, I told you all before," Dash said, hoping three of the ponies wouldn't point out Rarity didn't know.

"You told Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, sounding astonished.

"Of course I did! Remember Rarity? You me and Applejack were at that festival, and I told you I liked Braeburn?" The lie was almost see-through, but she hoped nopony would notice.

"Braeburn?!?!" Applejack exclaimed, though she soon realized her mistake, and tried her best to fix what she had said, but being the element of honesty made it very hard for her to lie. "Oh... Yes Braeburn, I remember now..."

Rarity looked unconvinced. "Really Dash. Having a crush isn't bad just tell me who he is. I won't judge."

Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack started snickering a little, and Pinkie leaned over to Dash's ear to whisper, "'he.'"

Rainbow's face instantly turned a bright red.

"Shut up!" She hissed to the three laughing ponies.

Rarity looked more confused than ever as she eyed Rainbow Dash.

"I am so confused. How about I guess? Is it Soarin? Big Mac? Thunderlane?" Rarity asked, her eyes filled with wonder.

"Nope!" Pinkie bounced up.

Rainbow Dash glared at her. She would have been fine with saying it was Soarin, but of course, she knew her friends actually wanted her to tell her. Then an idea hit her.

"It actually is Soarin. I never told any of you. I told you all it was somepony else because I wanted to cover it up.." Rainbow Dash said, trying to look as serious as she could.

"Really?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded and glanced at Rarity. She was happy to see she looked content with the answer.

"But, you sounded soooo sure when you talked about the other pony!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"I uh... well I um used to have a crush on that pony.." Dash said quickly, blushing hard.

Rarity smiled, "Well if you don't have a crush on him anymore, why can't you tell me who he is?"

Rainbow Dash slapped her hoof onto her face and sighed.

"I don't see why that information is needed anymore," The rainbow maned mare growled.

"Well we're friends, so I would love to know," Rarity said blinking her beautiful blue eyes.

Applejack stood up and looked at Pinkie Pie then Fluttershy, "Come on, y'all. Rainbow would probably like it better if we weren't hear."

The three other ponies left the room. Rainbow Dash sighed, then looked at Rarity, feeling her heart beat faster.

She screamed as the door flung open again as Pinkie Pie yelled in, "Rainbow Dash is not straight by the way!!!"

"PINKIE PIE!!!" Dash yelled in anger and worry. Her face was brighter than a tomato, when she looked back at Rarity.

"Sooooo... It's a mare?" Rarity asked, making Rainbow's face feel like it would burn off.

The pegasus nodded slowly. She put her head down on the bed.

Rarity thought for a moment. "Is it Twilight?"

Dash shook her head. Rarity would most likely get it right in the next few guesses.

There was a long pause. Rainbow Dash's heart started to beat faster than she could fly, and her face was getting even hotter. Having her face buried in the bed sheets didn't help her much either.

After a while, Rarity touched Rainbow's hoof, making the cyan mare blush uncontrollably, and look up at Rarity in astonishment.

Rarity blinked, "Raibow Dash.... Is it me?"

Dash felt her heart race. She thought about saying no, but that would ruin the moment. And this was a moment she didn't want to ruin. Plus at this point she had hesitated for to long to say no.

She tried to speak, but couldn't, so she just nodded. Rarity smiled. "It's fine with me, I won't judge you."

Rainbow sat up and smiled.

Her three other friends came rushing into the room. They all looked excited, and obviously were eavesdropping on them, but Dash couldn't care less at the moment. She was just so glad to have that off her chest.

"So, do you like her back?" Dash heard Pinkie ask.

"Why, no, of course not, you all know I like stallions. It doesn't matter anyway, Dash said she only used to have a crush on me, remember?" Rarity replied. Dash chuckled and smiled.

"Yeah, remember? I told you guys I like Soarin now," Dash replied. On the inside though, Rainbow was dying. She had felt such a connection with Rarity and was certain she liked her back. But, it was probably true, Dash thought. The unicorn had never shown any interest in mares anyway.

Fluttershy yawned, "I'm tired."

"Me too," Applejack said.

The others nodded in agreemant. With that, they all headed for their sleeping bags, and started to fall into sleep.

All except Dash, whose mind was set on what had happened that night.

Chapter 2

Rainbow Dash must have fallen asleep at some point last night, because she woke up to the sun's rays shining in through the window. She sat up and looked around to see everypony else was gone. Before standing up completely, Dash yawned and stretched out her wings.

She walked downstairs to find all her friends sitting around a table, eating breakfast. Rainbow trotted over to the table and stood there, waiting for somepony to notice her.

It didn't take Pinkie too long to notice Dash was now awake.

"Good morning, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie greeted, "Want some pancakes?"

The pink pony pushed a plate of fresh, steamy pancakes over to Dash. Dash smiled and took a seat in the one empty chair, in front of the pancake pile.

Applejack spoke next, "We left ya to sleep, seeing as it was yer birthday an' all. Ah hope that was fine with ya."

Rainbow nodded while chewing a pancake.

"I'm afraid I will have to leave in about ten minutes. I have a new client coming, and I don't want to be late," Rarity said, after a short silence.

"Do you want me to help you pack up your stuff?" Fluttershy asked.

Rarity flashed her a smile, "As long as you don't mind, dear. Thank you!"

When the two mares disappeared up the stairs, Pinkie Pie broke the silence, "So Dashie, how was your birthday? You seem reeeeeally quite this morning, so I was thinking maybe your birthday sucked, and if it sucked that would be my fault since I planned this for you, and if it's my fault then I'll be really sad beca-" Applejack stuffed a hoof in Pinkie's mouth to silence her.

"Ah'm sure she's fine. Let let her explain," Applejack said plainly.

Rainbow Dash chuckled slightly, "The party was great, Pinkie. I'm glad you took your time to do this for me."

The pink pony shoved Applejack's hoof away, "Good, because I thought you hated it. If you hated it then-"

"Slow down, sugarcube," Applejack said, attempting- but failing- to silence Pinkie Pie with her hoof again.

A few minutes later, Rarity and Fluttershy came downstairs, Rarity holding a few suitcases with her magic, and Fluttershy carrying some on her back. The ponies said their goodbyes to both Rarity and Fluttershy, and the two ponies headed off to Rarity's boutique.

"Well what should we do now?" Pinkie Pie asked, after closing the door.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. Applejack started picking up the plates and forks and put them in the sink.

"Ah suppose we should clean up. Then we can figure it out," She said, as she started washing a plate with a soap covered rag.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie grabbed some of the plates and helped Applejack clean up. When the dishes were done, the three ponies went back up to Pinkie's room.

"What now?" Rainbow asked.

"Truth or Dare?" Pinkie Pie replied, a smile plastered on her face.

"We just did that last night," Dash sighed.

Pinkie Pie's smile faded and was replaced with a frown. "What else are we going to do than?" She asked.

"Well, I don't know. I guess me and AJ could go home......" Rainbow Dash suggested.

Pinkie Pie's frown became even more apparent at this.

"But I thought we were going to have fun..."

"We had fun. Last night. But I think it's time we go home," Dash said glancing at Applejack, who seemed to have no opinion whatsoever.

Pinkie Pie's hair started to droop a little, as Rainbow Dash and Applejack started to pack up their things.

"Well... Bye then," Pinkie said sadly.

"Cya later Pinkie," Rainbow replied grabbing her bag and heading to the door. Applejack was right behind her.

Rainbow started to fly off to her home in the clouds, but she stopped when she heard Applejack calling to her.

"Dash, do you mind comin' back to mah place for a bit? Ah wanna talk to you."

Rainbow cocked her head to the side a bit, confused. After a few seconds, she nodded and flew just a bit over AJ's head. They continued on to Sweet Apple Acres in silence.

When they reached the farm, Applejack lead Rainbow to the barn where they put down their bags. Once the two ponies settled into a hay bale, Dash decided to ask her question.

"So, what's up?"

Applejack sighed, "Ah know ya probably ain't gonna appreciate this, but I noticed yer silence too. It's not like ya. Are you sure nothin's wrong?"

Dash's heart seemed to stop, but she didn't let it show. Of course something was wrong. She was just rejected by the one pony she loved more than anything. Of course she couldn't tell Applejack this, so she settled for an easier answer.

"Of course nothing is wrong. Why would there be?"

Applejack gave her a look that told Dash her lie wasn't going to be believed.

"If ya don't wanna tell me, that's fine. But is there anything ah can do to help?" The farm pony asked, pure concern showing in her eyes.

Dash felt her heart crack. She didn't understand why this had to happen. Why did she need to have a crush on a mare? Couldn't she be normal and like stallions like most other mares? Why did her, Rainbow Dash, the coolest pony in Equestria have to fall in love? Why was this so hard? All this thinking sent a tear trickling down her cheek.

Applejack touched Rainbow's shoulder, and lifted Dash's head with a hoof to look in her eyes. It made Rainbow uncomfortable to be seen like this, but it also made her feel safe. Without saying a word, Applejack hugged Dash. Normally the pegasus would push away, she didn't like hugs. But this hug was something she needed. It made her feel like Applejack really cared, even though she didn't even know what was going on. The two ponies held the embrace for a long time, Rainbow Dash beginning to full out cry. Applejack felt tears running down her face too, in sympathy for her friend.

Eventually the two ponies released the hug. Rainbow's cheeks and eyes were still damp from tears, but the crying had stopped. Applejack got up slowly and looked at Rainbow Dash.

"Do ya want somethin' to eat? We got apples," Applejack said softly.

Rainbow Dash smiled slightly and nodded. She felt her nose tingle a little, and her eyes started to water again as she whispered, "Thank you, Applejack."

Applejack returned the smile and disappeared into the house, leaving Rainbow Dash to sit in the hay, sobbing again.

Author's Note

I know I'm terrible at describing things but I tried. :derpytongue2:
At the end it was really hard for me to keep the Applejack and Rainbow scene a friendship. I really wanted to make it AppleDash, but this is a RariDash story so nope.