Inside the Sweet Apple Acres barn, the only sound that could be heard was a steady schlick-schlick-schlick. Further investigation would reveal that the noise was coming from an orange apple farmer, seated on her haunches with a barrel on either side of her, a bucket in front of her, and a small blade attached to one hoof. The barrel on her left contained a large number of freshly bucked apples, some of the tastiest in all Equestria, while the barrel on her right held a few of those same apples, only sans their peels, stems, and cores. Those parts of the tiny fruits were currently occupying the bucket, ready to be mixed with other food waste and fed to the pigs later. For now, Applejack concentrated on the slow but steady process of preparing this latest bushel of apples for some fancy cooking, courtesy of Granny Smith. Her mouth watered slightly as she imagined the sugary apple pies, their sweet scent wafting out of the oven.
It was to her credit that she paused to picture the parade of pies, because at that moment, a loud crash came from the direction of the barn door. With a start, Applejack leaped up and turned rapidly to face her intruder, only to be met by a familiar cyan pegasus with a wild rainbow mane. “Rainbow Dash!” the farmer shouted, “What in tarnation are ya doin'? Ah coulda cut mahself!” She gestured with her blade-wielding hoof for emphasis.
The newcomer put on an apologetic look as she sunk to her haunches. “Sorry, AJ, but Apple Bloom said you were in here, and I really wanted to talk to you. You okay?”
The earth pony sighed and smiled softly; it was almost impossible to stay mad at her energetic friend. “Ah'm jus' fine, Rainbow.” She slid the blade off her hoof and placed it next to the full basket, trotting over to take a seat next to Rainbow Dash. As she drew closer, she could have sworn she saw the faintest glimmer of a tear in the rainbow-maned pegasus' eye. This piqued her curiosity, and as she took a seat beside her friend, Applejack draped a hoof across her withers in a gesture of comfort and inquired, “What'd ya wanna talk about?”
Dash's eyes were pinned to the dirt floor as she mumbled out an incoherent response.
Applejack was starting to become quite concerned. This wasn't like Rainbow Dash at all; normally by now, she'd have been talking the farmer's ear off about some sweet new trick or some complaint about her weather job, not speaking so quietly that AJ could have sworn that she was talking to her other best pegasus friend. “Now, RD, 't ain't like you t' go soundin' like Fluttershy. Somethin' th' matter?” She rubbed her hoof on her friend's back softly.
After a moment of silence, Rainbow Dash finally lifted her head, and Applejack could clearly see that she was right about the tears; while the cyan mare wasn't shedding any at the moment, the tracks of recent crying were evident on her face. Dash answered her friend's question, oddly enough, with a question of her own: “AJ, do you think I'm pretty?”
Well then. Applejack's eyes widened in shock, but she kept her hoof where it was, eager to reassure Rainbow Dash in her apparent time of crisis, though the question still caught her quite off guard. She stammered out, “Well, uh, er...RD, Ah think yer right purty, fer a mare. Ah don't go that way mahself, but...ya do look real nice.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled slightly, the tension lifting a bit. “I know that's kind of a weird question. It's not like I'm gonna ask you out or anything, AJ, sheesh; I'd rather go on a date with Big Mac.” Narrowed eyes and a stern glare from Applejack drew another giggle from Dash. “I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Just saying, I'm into stallions. And thanks.” Almost as an afterthought, she added, “Oh, and, uh, I think you're pretty too, AJ. Like, if you were a stallion, I'd totally want to go out with you or whatever.”
Applejack tried to remember receiving a stranger compliment in her life; she couldn't come up with anything, instead shifting her gaze away nervously and saying, “Um...thanks, RD...Ah think.” She cleared her throat and continued, her face straight. “Now what brought this on in th' first place, anyway?”
Dash averted her eyes and mumbled, “Nothing.”
AJ smiled as she recognized the technique often employed by Applebloom when she was insisting innocence, and she drew Rainbow Dash closer to herself. “Now, Rainbow, Ah think Ah know a thing er two 'bout lyin', seein' as how Ah'm th' Element o' Honesty an' whatnot.” She poked her other front hoof into Rainbow's barrel. “An' you, missy, are lyin' like Winona in the springtime sun. Now, Ah ain't gonna let ya leave this here barn 'til ya tell me what's wrong.”
A weak grin spread across Rainbow Dash's face as she turned back toward AJ, but it was quickly replaced by a look of concern. “Promise you won't tell anypony else?”
“Ah promise.”
“Pinkie promise?”
“Oh, fer the love of...fine, Ah Pinkie promise mah lips are sealed.” AJ performed the familiar gesture, crossing her hoof across her barrel and poking herself in her (closed) eye. “Now, enough dodgin', let's hear it.”
“Okay,” Rainbow said with a long exhale. “It was earlier today. Star Hunter had asked me for some flying tips, seeing as how the Best Young Flyer's competition is coming up, and I agreed to meet him at Ponyville Park today at noon...”
***
“And that's how you do the Buccaneer Blaze!” Rainbow Dash crowed as she came to land, flapping her wings rapidly as her hooves made contact with the grass. She turned to the dark blue pegasus that was settling onto the ground beside her. “Any questions?”
“Only one,” the wide-eyed stallion said. “Where'd you learn all these awesome tricks?”
Rainbow felt herself blush slightly at the compliment, but recovered her bravado quickly. “Some of 'em are Wonderbolts staples, so I've practiced those a lot. The other ones I've sort of come up with on my own.”
Star Hunter was obviously impressed, an elongated “Wow” his only response.
He stepped closer to Rainbow Dash, both pegasi fluttering their wings to keep them loose after their extended flight. His gaze seemed locked on Dash, and as she watched, his eyes started to wander, focusing first on her vibrant mane, then on her mighty wings, and finally coming to rest in a stare directly at her colorful cutie mark. She felt her cheeks flush a bit as she realized that he seemed rather enamored with her flank, and she decided to poke a little fun. “See something you like, flyboy?” she asked, giving a little wiggle of her backside.
He seemed to snap out of a trance, rapidly looking left and right, any which way he could to avoid the cyan mare's gaze. “Um...no...I mean, yes...I mean...” He wisely let the words die in his mouth before he could dig a deeper hole for himself as he stepped backwards.
Rainbow smiled. “It's okay, Star. Stallions check me out all the time. I'm kinda used to it.”
“And that doesn't bother you?”
His response puzzled the pegasus mare, and she answered, “Well, I guess it did at first, but now...like I said, I'm used to the attention. It's not like it means anything anyway.”
“I don't know,” Star Hunter said softly. “It seems kind of...disrespectful to me, I guess.”
“So what you were doing just now was disrespectful?” Rainbow said with a smirk.
He had fallen into that trap hard. “Oh! Well...I...didn't mean to...” For the second time in as many minutes, the stallion closed his mouth before he could condemn himself further. Unfortunately for him, he didn't keep it shut. “It's just that I think you...look really cool, and...I kinda...like you.”
Now that was unexpected. “You like me? Like, how?”
He gulped, but seemed to steel himself. “Well, Rainbow Dash, I...like like you, is what I'm trying to say.”
The number of times Rainbow had found herself speechless in her life were very few; this was definitely going to be added to the list. For the first time since their practice session had begun, she found herself eying the stallion before her in an entirely different way: His mane was wild and spiky, but full of energy much like hers. His dark blue coat made him stand out among many of the other pastel-hued ponies of the town, and his cutie mark, stars in the shape of the constellation Orion, was a stunning addition to his overall look. He was strong, but not bulky; sleek, but not gangly; and he was quite a good flyer, capable of producing wing-power numbers above 10.0 with little effort. The craziest of ideas began to form in the pegasus mare's head. “Say, Star Hunter...do you wanna try one last trick?”
He seemed upset that she had ignored his confession, but a small fire lit in his eyes at the possibility of flying with her again. “Sure, I'm down.”
Quick as a flash, the rainbow mare leaped from her standing position and tackled the stallion to the ground, a multicolored contrail indicating the speed of her leap. Star never stood a chance, tumbling to the grass and sprawling on his back with Dash landing on top of him. Before he could even utter a cry of surprise, Rainbow had pressed her lips into his, her cheeks flushing bright red as she kissed the stallion. His eyes went even wider than they had been before, and she felt him twitch and struggle underneath her for a moment before his body relaxed and he gave in to her oral attention.
The rainbow mare's tongue ventured forth from its hiding place and began to circle around his mouth, quickly overpowering his own tongue and allowing her to absorb his scent on her taste buds. It was sharp and vibrant, almost like what lightning would taste like, and she eagerly continued her journey into him. He seemed content to lie back and let her do all the work, and she gladly took the lead, her flexible pink organ exploring every inch and space of his mouth.
Her hoof, meanwhile, drew small circles on his barrel beneath her, but soon it began to drift lower. Past his stomach, past his haunch, ever downward until it made contact with a very sensitive part of his anatomy. He immediately broke the kiss, crying out in surprise. “Hey! What?”
Rainbow, unsure of how to react, answered, “Just lay back and relax, big guy. I'll take care of everything.”
For a moment, Star Hunter's eyes glazed over with what looked like acceptance, but even as she started to move her hoof toward the twin orbs adorning his underside, he suddenly jerked his head, almost like he was waking up from a dream. “Wait! Rainbow, stop!”
She did, stunned. “What's wrong?”
“I don't – er, I can't – ugh, I have to go!” the stallion shouted, a mighty flap of his wings propelling him off the ground and knocking Rainbow Dash onto her back. In the next instant, he was gone, flying as fast as he could over the trees of the park, leaving the cyan mare sitting with an open mouth and very red cheeks.
***
“I didn't know what to do, AJ. I've never had a stallion reject me like that. It was totally not cool.” Rainbow wrapped up her story with a frown and glistening eyes, the moisture of impending tears gathering at the corners of her rose irises.
“Hoo-wee, that's some story, Rainbow,” Applejack said, having listened to the tale in patient silence. “But Ah still don't understand somethin': How's come ya came in here askin' if Ah thought you was purty?”
Dash blushed and hung her head again. “I started thinking...Star was the first stallion to just turn me down and leave like that. I guess I started coming up with my own reasons, even if they were kinda...stupid.” Her lip quivered slightly, signaling that the dam was ready to burst.
The apple farmer would have none of it, her hoof once again stroking her friend's back. “'S all right, sugarcube. Ah understand. Heck, Ah've done the same thing once er twice mahself.” Something in Rainbow's retelling snapped to the forefront of AJ's mind. “Wait...y'all said he was the 'first stallion' ta turn ya down. Have y'all...y'know...'done it' before?”
The cyan pegasus looked away from her friend's gaze, giving her answer away even before she said anything. “I haven't gone all the way or anything, but...yeah, I've done that a few times in the past. It's not like I was in love with any of 'em or anything, I just wanted to show 'em a good time, have a little fun.” She gave a sheepish grin. “Some stud thinks I'm hot or whatever, and if he wants a taste of the Rainbow, I'll give him a taste of the Rainbow.” Applejack's face indicated that she found absolutely no humor in that statement, and Dash shrank back down. “Sorry.”
“Ah ain't the one y'all need t' be apologizin' to, Rainbow,” the earth pony said. “Y'all want mah honest opinion?” Dash nodded weakly. “Well, Ah think what ya got on yer hooves this time might be the real deal, not just some young buck thinks he can get ya ta please 'im fer a few minutes.”
“Huh?” Rainbow asked, one eyebrow raising high.
Applejack chose her words carefully, speaking slowly and deliberately to her cyan friend. “What Ah'm tryin' ta say, RD, is that there's a lotta stallions out there that just want one thing, and up 'til now, y'all 've been willin' ta give 'em just that. It's few 'n' far between that you'll find a good one, but Ah think Star's one of that type. Far as Ah can tell, he doesn't just wanna get a little fun from ya; sounds ta me like he's serious, an' you jumpin' all over 'im and bein' all aggressive jus' plain scared 'im off. Understand?”
“But I thought stallions would like me if I gave them what they wanted,” Dash said, her face scrunching up in confusion.
AJ sighed. “Sugarcube, the only kinda stallions that'll like ya fer that reason are th' kind that y'all shouldn't hang around. Any self-respectin' male won't jus' go 'round tryin' ta score with anythin' that's got four legs an' a marehood, an' far as Ah know, we shouldn't go 'round givin' ourselves up like that. Only encourages 'em.” Applejack gestured toward the barrel of apples beside her. “See, RD, there's a whole lotta spoiled apples out there, but you just gotta toss 'em aside 'til you can find the good ones, an' when ya do, you'll enjoy it that much more.” The orange mare gave her friend a soft smile.
Dash's eyes flickered back and forth as she mulled over her friend's wisdom. Finally, she said, “I think I get it, AJ. Thanks a lot.” She suddenly turned and threw her forelegs around the earth pony's body in a tight hug, which Applejack gladly returned, patting the cyan mare's back. After a few seconds, Rainbow pulled away and said, “But I think I made a real mess of things with Star Hunter. I'll never be able to talk to him again after that.”
AJ playfully punched the pegasus on the shoulder. “Nonsense! Y'all jus' gotta go find 'im an' apologize. Ah'm sure he'd be willin' ta give it another go, if he really does like you like that.”
“Heh, I guess that's true,” Rainbow said with a smile, her cheeks flushing again. She turned to AJ with a sly look in her eyes. “And if things don't work out with Star, I guess I could always go after Big Macintosh.” A scowl and a growl from the apple farmer showed that she was still not amused. “Okay, okay, sheesh, calm down AJ. But really, thanks a ton. I'd love to stay and talk some more, but I gotta go find a certain pegasus and try to smooth things over.”
With a flare of her wings, the cyan mare was swiftly out the door and off into the midday sky, and as AJ waved goodbye to her friend, she muttered under her breath, “Best o' luck, RD. Hope it works out fer ya.”
