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

Pinkie sat behind the counter as she watched the customers coming in and out for the day, Mrs. Cake getting her to bring out the orders when requested and Pinkie did it because she was happy to have a place, a purpose not matter how small.

When the clock hit three that day Mrs Cake jumped remembering something in panic,

"I have to order my cream puffs! Pinkie, could you look after the shop for me for a few minutes?"

"No problem, Mrs Cake," Pinkie said with a happy spirit and Mrs Cake just smiled at her, leaving in a hurry, Pinkie going to the counter, seeing Lyra coming in.

"What can I do you for, Lyra?" she asked the aqua coloured unicorn with a smile and Lyra looked at her nervously,

"I just need to pick up a cream cake."

"Oh yes! It should be in the storage room," Pinkie said happily and walked off but when she came back out with the cake box being held by its ribbon in her mouth she saw Lyra give her an awkward look… though since her attempted suicide, she did seem to get a lot of that from ponies.

"Here it is," she said a little dampened now as she placed the box on the counter and Lyra seemed a little off so Pinkie sighed, preparing to go back to work but heard a voice ask scared,

"Pinkie?"

"Yeah…" she said turning her head back to the unicorn.

"Would you like to… hang out sometime?"

Pinkie blinked her eyes confused, she looked at the unicorn a little bewildered and Lyra only continued weakly,

"You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I'd love to meet up with you," she said nervously with a smile and Lyra smiled back relieved.

"How about tomorrow for lunch?"

"Sure!" Pinkie said a little more enthusiastic than what she expected and Lyra smiled, levitating the cake box and departing on her way.

Pinkie was a little confused about all this as she watched her go… did Lyra know she was a fillyfooler? And more importantly,

Was she just asked out on a date?

XXXXX

Rainbowdash looked quietly out her window as the train slowed its speed, arriving into the station. It had been a four hour trip, the train leaving at two and arriving into Ponyville at six on the dot.

The sun had set now, as darkness had spread around every inch where light once was in the sky and she looked out quietly seeing a shadowy town, light only coming from the houses.

She got up and began her journey home, her wings lifting her off the ground and she soared silently back to Apple farm.

She was scared coming back… and only because of what she was going to do tonight, the necklace box being kept safe in her bag.

But another thing made her question if she should say or not… the kiss.

She knew it meant nothing, it was just misread signals… and Applejack could always recognise these things for herself.

But still, a part of her felt guilt and knew she couldn't propose with that kiss hanging over her head… though how was she going to say it?

She saw the farm house and descended down, landing in front of the door and coming in.

"Rainbowdash!"

Applebloom came running to her with a gleeful face and Rainbowdash just ruffled up the little tyke's mane with a warm smile,

"Hey Applebloom? Much happened since I've been gone?"

"Well me and the girls tried pie eating for our cutie marks but we didn't get any," she said as if no loss in that and Dash just chuckled but still remembered the mare she wanted to see and left Applebloom, going into the sitting room and seeing Applejack standing up, looking at the fire in silence and she smiled nervously as she approached her.

"I'm back,"

Applejack looked up to her, her green eyes tired and she smiled weakly giving Dash a small hug.

"Did ya enjoy it?"

Dash didn't answer that straight away… not knowing if she should say yes or no, considering what happened after all the fun.

"I actually need to talk to you in private about something," she said slowly a little nervous and Applejack looked at her confused.

"Okay?"

Dash went and closed the door turning back to her marefriend a little afraid of what was to come next.

"Last night… Spitfire invited me to the after party after the show… and she kissed me just as I was about to leave."

Applejack just looked at her silently… Spitfire had kissed her…? Dash's hero, the pony she idolised …had just kissed her?

"What?"

"I did not expect it at all." Dash tried to clarify and Applejack scuffed.

"Are ya sure you weren't flirting with her?"

"What? No!"

"So Spitfire, the pony you've idolised for years just kissed you? Without you leading her on or anythin'?"

"APPLEJACK? I would never cheat on you!" Dash said hurt, h-how? How could she not believe her?

AJ just looked to the ground, her eyes swelling up in tears… how could Dash expect her to believe that? That she had played no part in this and Dash just grew angry at what AJ was thinking of her.

"How could you even think I would?" she yelled in rage, "You're the only one I want!"

"You want this!" Applejack just cried back, "You want this handicap when you could have someone else?"

"Why are you saying this?"

"Look, if you just wanted to try a different pony that's fine!" Applejack said to her in tears, "But don't lie to me and say you had no part!"

Dash couldn't believe this! Had Applejack always seen her like this? One that would just go with another as soon as she was out of the picture and flung open her bag with her wing quickly, pulling out the necklace box and throwing it on the ground in fury.

"LOOK!" she yelled, her eyes also filling with tears and AJ just looked down to the box confused, the necklace had falling out and was glittering in her watery eyes,

"YOU THINK I WOULD CHEAT ON YOU THE DAY BEFORE I PROPOSED!"

"…w-what?" AJ said confused, taking a weak step back so lost with all that was happening, "Why did you get this?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF MY LIFE WITH YOU!"

"You don't want this," Applejack only said in a cry, looking at Dash in tears, "You don't want to do this; it's not right for us!"

Dash looked at her with a breaking heart at every word Applejack had said.

"Why?"

"We've never even talked about this! How do you even know this is what you want?"

"Because I love you more than the world!" Dash said in tears. This was not how this was meant to go, not the way she wanted this to turn out.

"You're not r-ready." Applejack said in a weak stutter "Are you sure you really want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

Dash didn't understand. Why was she saying this? Telling her she wasn't ready when Applejack couldn't even admit what she was basically saying!

That she didn't want to spend the rest of her life with her!

She couldn't take it… couldn't take how Applejack was acting… it was killing her, listening to all these excuses when she couldn't just tell her the truth!

"You don't love me…" Dash just whispered in tears, Applejack shaking her head quickly,

"No! That's not it!"

"Then what is it?" Dash said looking at her with still eyes, just wanting to know the answer to finally put her out of her misery, "Yes… or no."

Applejack couldn't answer that… she knew if she said yes then she would be taking everything away from Rainbow Dash.

Her freedom, her dreams… her life and the choice to be with another that could give her so much more…

But losing her would be too much to take… when she wanted to give Rainbow Dash the choice to leave her, not force it on her and she just looked into those pink eyes, her heart breaking seeing them.

"This…" she said slowly "this isn't what you want,"

"No. This isn't what you want!" Dash yelled in tears and left, she couldn't take anymore, leaving the house and flying with all her speed… trying to get away from that place… trying to get away from that pony that just couldn't tell her the truth!

She zoomed past Ponyville but heard a voice yell to her,

"Rainbow Dash!"

She didn't want to stop, but she was flying to nowhere, her cloud home didn't exist anymore and she looked around sadly, seeing Twilight was below her, looking at her worried.

She landed on the ground… she didn't want to be alone and only heard Twilight ask her confused,

"What's wrong?"

"Applejack s-said no!"

Twilight didn't understand but she saw veined red eyes on the Pegasus and asked,

"To what?"

"To my p-proposal…" Dash only cried in tears and Twilight's eyes only widened in surprise.

"You proposed?" Rainbow nodded her head in a quaky shiver and Twilight didn't know how to handle this… she had barely spoken to her in months, "Do you have anywhere to go?"

"N-no…"

She sighed, putting her hoof weakly around Rainbow Dash's shoulder and said,

"You can take my spare bed tonight…"

Dash just looked at her in sorrow, seeing Twilight's comforting eyes and just nodded, following her quietly back to the library, sitting at the table as Twilight made tea and Dash just looked blankly ahead of her… her mind empty… not able to handle what had happened.

Twilight poured her a cup and Dash only looked at it silently, whispering,

"Thanks…"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Twilight asked quietly and Dash just looked at her, helpless and alone.

"I thought it would make her happy… as happy as how I was… but all she kept saying was 'you don't want to do this'"

"Did you think… maybe it was too soon?"

Dash looked at her confused,

"How?"

"Well you two have only been together for a year… maybe she just wants you to be sure."

"Be sure if I love her?" Dash said weakly, "I can't bare even a day without her… she's the one that keeps pushing away…"

"Maybe she just doesn't want to hurt you…"

"By telling me how she feels? How the hell would that hurt me?" Dash said back lost. Twilight remained quiet and only heard Dash say, "Could it be because we've only done it once?"

"What?" Twilight said, confused to what she heard.

"She said it was okay… but whenever we try, I just hurt her… and I can't see her like that, in pain." Dash whispered and just cried… Twilight felt a little awkward hearing this… she didn't know things were that bad since that day.

"Are you sure, marriage would solve any of this? The distancing, the intimacy?"

"I just want to be with her… forever," Dash said, her eyes streaming out tears, and she just fell her head into her hoofs… Applejack only hurting her when she loved her so much.

She lay in Twilight's spare bed that night, feeling so much pain… hating that it was another night away from her love… Applejack not able to answer her… but she would have to go back tomorrow.

If it was no… she knew it would hurt, but it would hurt all too much more if it was over… she loved her too much to live her life without her, why couldn't Applejack see that?

She opened her eyes slowly, seeing she was in an apple field and saw Applejack bucking a tree hard, the necklace dangling on her neck.

"Applejack…" she said, getting up and coming to her confused, "You're wearing it?"

"I was jus' surprised," Applejack said with a smile "But how could my answer be anythin' else but yes?"

"It… looks amazing on you," Dash said with a small smile and went to approach her but Applejack took a step back.

"If ya can catch me," She said with a wink "then ya can have me." and she began running away, Dash grinning as she galloped quickly after her.

They ran through the fields fast, Dash laughing until she did a sudden leap, catching Applejack and pinning her to the ground, Dash gasping in lost breaths,

"Y-you can run!" she said in happiness.

She saw AJ's eyes glitter as she pinned her down and the orange mare just said in a panting breath,

"What are ya waiting for?"

She kissed Dash suddenly, their lips colliding with such force as Dash kissed her back hard.

Their lips pushed against each other so fiercely, as their mouths joined and separated several times in lust. Dash's tongue fought to conquer her lovers, as they slid hungrily against each other, so much heat going through her body in desire-

But when she looked back into her lover's eyes, their colour was dark yellow… and she froze as she saw Spitfire below her.

The yellow Pegasus just smiled at her whispering,

"What are you waiting for?"

Dash jumped up on her bed… panting quickly.

It was morning as the sun shined across the room lighting up the library but Dash just lay in her bed… her chest beating up and down… so confused.

Her dreams never went that way… and she hoped they wouldn't go like that again.