One Night (a.k.a A taste of an Apple)

Everywhere she felt the judgement… felt the eyes stare at her, the whispers.

And she deserved them… she deserved it all.

The only one that still loved her; saw her as real and not a monster was her, her angel,

…Applejack,

And she couldn't know life without her, pulling her through.

Rainbow walked down the streets, but her heart nearly froze when she saw that pink pony walk her way.

The pink mane straight and dead… bandages around her stomach, her eyes empty and Dash only said,

"I'm sorry…"

The pink pony only walked past her, all the horses around watching the scene and Dash just felt tears fall from her eyes…

Everyone knew.

She took off from the ground and flew away from the town, no matter how much she tried she knew how everyone saw her, knew the monster she was and there was nothing that could be done about it.

She was a hated horse, she knew she was.

And all she had now was Applejack.

XXXX

Applejack came home, her body tense with fear; her head hurting her and only wanted to run away from this situation she had gotten herself in.

She never thought that sleeping with Buckweed would come back to haunt her as she now held his foal in her womb, her whole world being put on pause as she tried to realize what to do.

"What did the doctor say?"

She paused, looking behind her to see Big Mac was there in the room with her and knew she had to tell someone… anyone to release this burden.

"He said I'm pregnant."

Big Mac's face literally became empty with the surprise, as he took a small step forward.

"You are?"

Applejack only nodded her head, holding back her own disbelief and Big Mac only asked,

"Is it Buckweed's…?"

"Yes…"

He didn't know what to do now… besides the obvious question,

"Are ya gonna tell him?"

"No." Applejack said in one short word, "He can never know."

"But what will ponies say?" he asked confused, wanting to know what to do and she just crossed her eyebrows replying.

"It don't matter what ponies say, it only matters how this affects Rainbow."

Big Mac looked at her shocked. So it didn't matter if Buckweed wasn't told as long as that Pegasus knew.

"How can you not tell Buckweed?"

"Because I don't want him in my life." Applejack said coldly… she knew what she was saying was harsh, but if Buckweed ever discovered this it would only complicate things… and the only pony that needed to know was Rainbow Dash. She was the only one that mattered.

She looked at her brother with a serious stressed face, heading away to the kitchen to eat something, her stomach starving and Big Mac just stood there, not understanding.

If he ever got a mare pregnant he would have to know… not telling Buckweed would be the cruellest thing… the young colt was leaving back to his farm tomorrow… how could she keep this news from him?

He only stared at his sister and shook his head, going away outside, leaving Applejack to her own worries… for she had far more than him now.

What will I tell Rainbow? She thought as she ate her apple, she's gone through so much… but if this gets out before she knows… it'll kill her.

She stopped chewing realizing then and there… the doctor knew, some nurses knew, her brother knew. She had to get to Dash before the news spread like wild fire.

She swallowed down her food and got up, heading outside the house and going into town.

She saw Fluttershy walking down the street and stopped her with the simple question,

"Where's Rainbow…"

Fluttershy went quiet… she hadn't talked to AJ in a week, and just looked at her nervously.

"How are you?" she only asked in a meek voice.

"Please Fluttershy," Applejack asked in a beg, "Do you know?"

Fluttershy took a scared breath, "I saw her fly away from town half an hour ago. She was heading in the direction of her house… she was crying."

That nearly pierced AJ, the last sentence, and she just gave Fluttershy a weak pat on the back.

"Thanks."

Leaving her after that and running in the direction of Rainbow's cloud house.

She had never been inside that house, it being made of clouds and none accessible to earth ponies. But that never bothered her, it had only ever mattered that Rainbow could stay at hers.

She reached it soon, looking up scared as she called,

"Rainbow!"

There was no reply and she took a breath as she yelled louder,

"Rainbow, please come out!"

She watched quietly as Dash flew weakly out of the clouds and landed down beside her… pain the only thing in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this to ya self?" Applejack asked her barely.

"Because I deserve to suffer." She only said in near tears and AJ just hugged her… oh god, how was she going to say it? She looked at her nervously,

"We need to be in private." She whispered, and Rainbowdash looked at her confused.

"Why? What's wrong..?"

Applejack bit her lip, but saw the woods only a few minutes away and nodded her that direction, Rainbow dash only following her with her head to the ground.

They reached it shortly afterwards and Applejack looked around nervously.

She sighed… looking into Dash's pink eyes and only said.

"I'm pregnant."

Everything seemed to grow silent… the wind stopped blowing, the trees stopped swaying, birds stopped tweeting and Rainbowdash's heart stopped beating.

Applejack had betrayed her.

"Who. Is. He."

Was all she asked. Her voice in dead anger.

The horse she loved had betrayed her.

"It happened before we were together!" Applejack said quickly scared, she had never seen such rage and Rainbowdash just said,

"What's His Name."

"I won't tell you unless you listen!" Applejack only said, Rainbowdash's stillness was frightening her.

The Pegasus took a deep breath in… regaining air in her lungs and Applejack only spilled it out,

"I slept with him the day I told you I loved you. I slept with him to convince myself that I didn't love you but it only convinced me that I COULDN'T be with anyone but you!" She only saw tears swell up in Dash's eyes and said in a cry of her own "It was a MISTAKE! But if I had never slept with him I wouldn't have realized how much I love you. PLEASE!"

Dash felt like her heart was struggling to beat… Applejack had been with someone else… she was carrying some colt's foal, she could never carry hers and all she asked was,

"Does he know?"

"No, and he will never find out… tell me how you feel?" she begged… Dash's face was one of pure misery, pure disbelief but Applejack needed to know something more than that and all Dash replied back with was tears… whispering.

"AJ…" looking at that beautiful orange mare, the one that was still with her after all she had done, "I love you, I don't care what you did." Looking into those amazing green eyes as she said,

"AJ, I can't live without you."

Applejack only felt her own eyes fill with tears as she hugged Dash tight, the two holding each other in one another's hoofs as they weeped but Dash only said, looking into AJ's eyes,

"We can run away… no one will know."

Applejack stopped her tears in hearing that, looking at Dash confused and said slowly,

"What?"

"This isn't my home Applejack… I'm not wanted here anymore." Dash just said with a cry, "I'm a monster here… everyone hates me, and there's nothing I can do to fix this."

"Rainbow," Applejack said shaking her head and let go of her. She said with a smile "I hav' to show you something… come with me."

Rainbow Dash looked at her a little afraid as the two left the woods… going somewhere she didn't know, but knowing she couldn't go back to that town.

XXXX

The awkwardness he had put himself in since that terrible dump had made Buckweed think he must be some brave horse.

Who would have known Applejack was a fillyfooler… she did not seem like one at all.

He had kept out of her way mostly, avoiding her in the house and just working out in the fields but in time he knew he couldn't remain in this mixed up situation, especially when he heard of what happened to her friend, that pink pony… and it was because Applejack had fallen for her rainbow coloured girlfriend.

He had never been around so much drama… but being around depression, plus his awkward feelings for a mare that would never be returned, was too much to take and he had to escape back home to his plantation.

He was sweating when he arrived back into the Apple house, the hard work had killed him but he knew he couldn't leave the family without showing that he could make a last great harvest and went to the kitchen, getting a drink but paused when he saw Big Mac at the table… the older horse seeming in stress.

"You okay Big Mac?" he asked with a friendly smile, "Everything goin' alright…?"

Big Mac shook his head and Buckweed felt awkward, knowing his absence from tomorrow onwards would really affect the family.

"I'm sorry I hav' to leave tomorrow," he admitted… "But I just feel like if I stayed things will only get worse."

Big Mac looked at the kind colt with sad eyes. How could Applejack want to keep this from him? It was wrong. It was wrong to not tell this horse. It was his child, his foal she was carrying and he just said in a scared voice… but knowing he could not keep this secret.

"Buckweed," he said quietly, the young colt looking at him with a confused face, "I hav' somethin' to tell ya."

XXXX

"Look."

Rainbowdash didn't want to open her eyes but did, and looked across over the cliff to the land below feeling tears rise to her eyes. She looked quietly to Applejack and only asked,

"Why are you showing me this."

"Because all you've been looking at is Pinkie," AJ said with a soft smile, "You haven't bothered to look at the whole picture."

"All I see is a town that hates me…" Dash said quietly in tears, "A place that wishes I had been the one to try and kill herself, not her."

"Look at everythin'!" Applejack just said, grabbing Rainbow's head and pointing down to the beauty of the Ponyville,

Their home,

"This won't last forever. This pain won't always be. Everythin' will be alright."

"How do you know?" Dash only cried, turning away from the town and back to Applejack, "How do you know?"

"Because I just do," Applejack said with a smile, and sighed continuing, "Before I told you about my pregnancy… I was terrified that you may just leave me… but you didn't." she kissed her on her cheek, wrapping her hoofs around her as she whispered, "And you know why? Because the past doesn't matter… only the future."

"AJ… I can't stay here," Dash just said with tears coming down her face and Applejack just shook her head.

"Well you can go, but I'm stayin'."

"Applejack?"

The two froze as they looked behind them seeing Buckweed standing there with a face of disbelief on him.

"Buckweed," Applejack said in surprise… what the hell was he doing here, "I thought you were preparing to go home?"

"You're carrying my foal?" he asked with barely a voice… only confused and angry, "and you were never going to tell me?"

Applejack only froze… he knew. She looked at him in silence.

"Please… don't do this," she said weakly, "Not right now…"

"Can I please talked to you?" he asked and she hated how nothing could be kept secret in this town.

She sighed, nodding barely and he looked to Dash saying quietly,

"Can she leave?"

Rainbow Dash only looked at him in disbelief… how had he found out, she had only been told a few hours ago and already her future was being taken out of her control yet again. She looked at AJ who only nodded to her and took a breath, taken flight.

She flew away to a cliff further off and only looked at the two, worry and caution coming over her.

Buckweed stared at Applejack still with a face that had been betrayed and asked,

"So you were never goin' ta tell me?"

"I just didn't think it was the time." She said weakly,

"And would it hav been time once the foal had been born?" he asked with anger that was so pure it made her step back afraid, the edge of the cliff just under her legs.

"Applejack, what were you thinkin'?" he asked, he had never felt such betrayal, such rage "That two mares could raise it?"

"Yes," she said back in anger, "Why couldn't we!"

"It's not right! I'M THE FATHER!" he yelled and Applejack stepped back again, feeling rocks break off the edge of cliff and she looked at him scared.

"Please don't lose your temper!" she said fast and he only stared at her furious, grabbing her in a shake,

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!"

But it was too late, as when he shook her she had slipped frightened,

And fell off the cliff.

She dropped faster than a bullet, Buckweed yelling in horror,

"APPLEJACK!"

Rainbowdash heard her love's name the second it was yelled and everything became slow as she saw Applejack fall through the sky, about to smash into the ground and she took off, speeding so fast as her heart beat in terror, Applejack a second from the ground before she sonic boomed so hard that she caught her with so much impact,

A snap was heard.

The two toppled over on the ground as Rainbowdash caught her breath in worry, shaking Applejack quickly to wake her up,

"AJ you alright?"

Applejack only lied there… not making a sound, her eyes closed and Dash shook her harder.

Something was wrong.

"Applejack get up! Don't mess AROUND!"

No response. The pony just lied there.

"APPLEJACK!" she yelled.

No! This couldn't be happening! Her eyes began to water, none of this made sense as she screamed to Buckweed,

"GET HELP!"

He left and Dash shook Applejack again harder and harder, tears coming to her eyes in desperation.

Why wasn't she waking up? Why wasn't she responding!

"Please WAKE UP!" Dash yelled at her, shaking her in tears, "DON'T LEAVE M-ME!"

This was not their future! This was not real!

She cried as she held her close to her… her tears falling on the orange pony's fur… as she cried in loss…

Her world being taken from her… her angel,

...Applejack

Not this…

…not t-this.