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

Rainbow Dash felt nothing in her body. All the tears were gone, all the pain subdued as she faced the final chapter of her life with Applejack.

She had imagined one night that when their time to depart would come; they would be old and ready to leave this world.

It was just a thought she had had that night when she laid with her in that grassy field… a crazy thought.

When she saw that horse beneath her under that cliff with closed eyes… barely a breath, reality hit her in how precious the now was… because it would soon only be the past, a memory.

The past was not always a happy place, but it would only keep growing with every second.

Whereas the future was crueller.

One couldn't predict the future… it was in the hands of no one… yet everyone.

And everyone had paid a part in the future she was now living in.

Soon this present moment of numbness would fade and she would have to feel again. Soon her eyes would grow strong and she could cry again.

Soon Applejack would be gone.

But she was still there, waiting for Rainbow Dash to say good bye to her.

Life was not always fair… but one thing was certain. It didn't favour anyone over someone else. It was all just a random pick, a quick snip of a thread and a life was gone.

She stood there in front of the hospital doors… the sun shining brightly down, the grass green, birds tweeting.

She was scared.

She was scared to go inside, because she knew once she did it was going to be the past… and that Applejack's plug was going to be pulled.

Pinkie stood beside her, the pony that had comforted her hours ago as she lay on that grass crying… the pony she had thought had hated her… but now there was no ill feelings between them.

There was no point as life was so short.

"Are you okay?"

She looked to Pinkie weakly and shook her head,

"N-no…"

"You don't have to do this today…"

"I do…" she said. For one thing about now was that it was unpredictable… and Applejack may just not be breathing if she waited any longer.

She pushed weakly open the doors and looked through the halls, ponies talking, some laughing, some crying but when they saw her they all stop… and just looked at her.

Dash took a nervous step in, looking at the quiet horses as they watched her walk silently through the halls… she didn't know why they all stopped talking… and didn't know why some started to smile at her.

Was this some sort of cruel joke… everyone knew who she was and why she was here.

But yet, they smiled.

They gave her warm looks of love, of kindness.

Dash realized that Pinkie wasn't by her side anymore and she became more nervous… scared. This whole moment didn't make sense.

Death was never beautiful… death was only one thing,

The end.

Her hoofs walked on the ground with weak steps… ponies surrounding both of her sides… all with smiles and then she saw Twilight walk past her, tired, worn and the two didn't say a word, their eyes the only things meeting as they past each other, .

Everything seeming unreal.

She reached the door of her destination and stood at it, taking a deep breath… but it hurt her to say that goodbye.

Those words were used so often to not mean anything… but now, they meant the world.

She pushed opened the door softly and heard a weak voice say,

"…h-hey..."

She looked up slowly to see who it was, expecting it was only her imagination but instead saw a pony looking at her… her lips smiling weakly.

Dash just stared at her slowly… looking at those green eyes she hadn't seen in days.

The pony was still lying in a bed… weak… feeble… a body worn out that had expected itself to be buried two feet in the ground by now but was breathing air, beating blood… looking in sight at the blue Pegasus that stood at the door, just staring at it in disbelief.

Rainbow Dash turned her eyes quickly to the ground… an angel was in her presence… a fallen angel that hadn't made it up to heaven yet but froze when she heard the pony say,

"Rainbow…"

How was this real…

Was this all a dream? A pretend memory coming to life.

And she only whispered back in response.

"I thought I lost you…"

The sun shining in and making the room as bright as day.

XXXX

She woke up… she had just had a terrible dream, a dream that made her cry as she lay there in that bed… her heart beating in fear that it could've been real and only felt hoofs hug her as a orange pony held her tight.

It had been so long since that day but it was still clear in her mind.

"What's wrong…?" Applejack asked tiredly, but whenever Rainbow Dash stirred it woke her and Dash just looked at her in tears.

She tried to wipe them away… everything was okay … Applejack was still with her but she had to tell her… she had to tell her whenever she had that dream.

"I dreamt you were in that hospital bed again…" she whispered "and t-they pulled your plug."

Applejack sighed, hugging the weak Pegasus beside her as they lay there in her bed… a night so dark outside with rain pitta patting on the ground.

"But it wasn't real." She said trying to reassure her, "It was only a dream…"

"But it was real to m-me…" Rainbow only whispered, feeling the warmth of Applejack's fur, the beauty of her love and the memories of when Applejack had lay there dying,

"And I keep dreaming it… and it keeps scaring me."

"But you shouldn't be scared… it's the past, it's gone. Just keep looking into the future." Applejack replied kissing her on the cheek and Rainbow Dash only sat up in the dark… a storm brewing outside and she shook her head in fear,

"That's what worries me more…" she said scared, "I can't see the future." She looked at her love on the bed, "And I can't know if tomorrow you'll be still here."

Applejack only looked at her in worry now… she did not like hearing those melancholy thoughts… they were such sadness… Rainbow Dash had such fear in her heart since that day so long ago that even though they were together alive in this moment, the Pegasus would always wait for that moment to come when she would die… and leave Dash like she had nearly done.

She had to tell her.

"I never told you why,"

The Pegasus only grew quiet as she looked down at Applejack with scared eyes.

Applejack sat up beside her, hugging her against her as she began… began from what she remembered.

"I was with them in this white place…" she said in soft words "the sun shone so bright it was hard to see but I knew who they were."

Rainbow Dash only had a tear slip down her cheek as she was held in AJ's hoofs.

"They said I could stay with them… that it was my time."

Applejack didn't want to say this… a memory that was so foggy now after the months that had gone by but continued weakly.

"But I looked around… I looked around and saw so many faces in the light…"

Dash seemed to stiffen as she listened to her speak in such soft words… something Pinkie had never mentioned.

"I saw my parents…" Applejack continued weakly, stroking the rainbow mane softly "I-I saw… my foal…" she said and finally looked into those pink eyes, making sure she was in her sight.

"And I saw…" she smiled, "I saw you…"

Dash looked at her quietly, listening… the only sound was the rain outside.

"And I knew I couldn't leave you… so I came back."

"What…?" she whispered,

"Rainbow…" Applejack said looking her quietly in the eyes, her face in happiness, "The only pony that will be ever leaving is you… because," she smiled with watery eyes, "Because I can't die without you."

The two sat there in each other's hoofs… just looking into the other's eyes and Rainbow Dash finally said,

Her voice scared.

"How do you know..?"

She only felt AJ's lips touch hers… the two kissing in the dark, rain pouring outside and finally Applejack pulled away with a smile.

"I just do."

"Can I ask you one thing," Dash said a little afraid, and Applejack looked at her in love, "Was this planned… did this all just happen by accident? I don't understand." She whispered looking at AJ completely out of her depth "I haven't understood since that storm… how I fell in love with you."

Lightning lit up the sky outside as it thundered down and the two just looked at each other in silence.

A night like this so many months ago… a night where they shared a bed in fear and Applejack only smiled as she said,

"You know Rainbow... I've been thinkin' about what you said."

Dash looked at her confused,

"When you said we were more than sisters… I think I know what we are."

Dash smiled at her… realising now what she was talking about and replied,

"I think I know what we are too…"

"I can't wait to get to know you," Applejack said with a grin and Dash only smiled larger.

"Dido…"

Applejack reached Dash's head toward her and they kissed… laying back on the bed, the blankets wrapping around them and Rainbow Dash only whispered, as she was held in AJ's hoofs.

"...promise you'll never leave me?"

Applejack looked at her with soft eyes… staring into Dash's and said with a voice that was beauty to Rainbow's ears.

"Only if you do..."

The two falling asleep in one another's hoofs, the rain falling outside… the pain that once was long ago.

The past was gone, the future yet to come but this moment,

It would last forever...

The End.

Okay, that was part 1, there's still two more parts to this story but I don't know if I'll post them or not, considering how goddamn sad the third part is, but I might