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

Just as a warning to anyone who hasn't heard of this story, this is probably one the darkest stories you'll read (in my opinion) but still a great story.

The whole story is over on Fanfiction.net but I'll be posting a chapter here every one to two days. Giving permission by Feeling Grand

"Goodnight Rainbow Dash!" Applejack called as she switched off the hallway light and headed to her own bed. She had led the nervous pegasus to her little sister's room, something unnerving the blue pony greatly but she couldn't figure what.

Rainbow Dash had just suddenly gone withdrawn a little while they were eating dinner and she couldn't guess why… but somehow, that nervous feeling had passed on to her and she didn't know how to act really around her friend, so just put on her good hospitality.

Rainbow Dash lay in Applebloom's bed with her eyes wide awake as a million thoughts ran through her head. For some reason she couldn't get what Applejack had said about her out of her head… what was worse… she couldn't get Applejack out of her head.

Applejack, that courageous pony… the only one that would call her bluff, and somehow she knew that horse had picked up on her change in attitude.

She wanted to just go home to the clouds… she guessed she was an air head. Rainbow Dash smirked at the joke she told herself and snuggled into the blankets. She was sure that everything would just be fine in the morning.

A giant bolt of lightning struck suddenly outside the house and the two ponies jumped in their beds, Applejack galloping to her window seeing a tree had been struck and had fallen to the ground.

"Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she heard that call from away and peeped back nervous "Yeah?"

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" she said with a fake smile that no one could see.

Another lightning bolt jolted down nearly hitting the house and Rainbow Dash jumped terrified, running out to the hall to turn on the light but the power had gone out.

She blinked silently as she saw Applejack standing across the hall, a look of terror also in her eyes and the orange pony said scared.

"You okay?"

"Oh yeah… it's just a bit of electricity." Dash said putting on a fake brave face before the hall lit up with a bolt outside the window and the two suddenly found each other hugging one another tight.

The two realized quickly what they were doing, and let go nervous, Rainbow Dash laughing with an off voice and Applejack said scared.

"Maybe you should sleep with me tonight."

"What…?" she said suddenly afraid of that idea but as another bolt hit she nodded her head fast saying "Good plan."

The two went into Applejack's bed silently, Rainbow Dash hugging her blanket worried as she looked outside the window to the gusting rain and turned around, seeing Applejack was shivering… probably with fear.

"You okay, Applejack?" she asked quietly.

Applejack turned to her and nodded, "Yeah, this wind will be over soon enough."

"I didn't expect the storm to be this bad."

"I know… we lost an apple tree." she muttered a little saddened.

"Man, that sucks,"

"At least we haven't lost the house, that's all that matters."

Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. Applejack's green eyes looking slightly mystical in the dark. She stared at them silently… Applejack staring back into her eyes, before it felt a little too long for comfort and Rainbow Dash turned on her back, laughing nervously.

"Do you think your family will be okay?"

"Wait, is the storm spreading to out west?" Applejack said suddenly worried, and Rainbow Dash turned to her quickly saying fast,

"Oh no no… just trying to make small talk."

"You don't need to do that with me Rainbow, we're like sisters."

"Right…" Dash said… but didn't like that word, they were good friends, but sisters just felt… not the way to put how she felt.

She saw Applejack as something more than a sister, but didn't know what.

"Sisters? We're not that close are we?" she joked nervous.

"Well all my bffs are like sisters to me, I see you girls as my family."

"Yeah…"

"What's wrong?" Applejack said worried, picking up an air of sadness from the blue pony.

"Oh nothing," Rainbow Dash lied.

"Come on, spit it out." Applejack said.

"No, it's fine." Rainbow Dash said quietly and felt Applejack's hooves suddenly tickling her.

"I'm gonna get it out of you Rainbow Dash, it's not good to keep things in."

"H-hey!" she laughed going frantic on the bed "S-seriously! HA HA! It's nothing!"

"You swear?"

"Yes! Ha ha! Please stop!"

"Fine, you win this round," Applejack said defeated and Rainbow Dash smiled at her with a spark in her eyes… Applejack almost feeling it back, but the orange pony just looked off… whatever she was feeling, just wasn't possible.

"If you want to know…" Rainbow Dash said quietly, looking at the orange pony who was still looking away, "I was just thinking, well, me and you are closer than sisters."

Applejack blinked her eyes slowly, looking at Rainbow's ruby ones quietly and said,

"…really?"

"Yeah… like we get each other." Rainbow Dash said slowly, but seeing Applejack's confused eyes quickly muttered "Don't… you think?"

"Of course…" Applejack said nervous, looking into Rainbow's eyes, the life that was in them, the spirit of the pegasus and she said afraid, "Well then, what are we?"

"I… don't know." Dash said quietly… what had she got herself into? She wanted to tell Applejack something deep, something which she felt but didn't know how to say.

She looked into those green earthy eyes afraid, before slowly moving her face towards Applejack's, the orange pony's eyes dimming as their mouths nervously touched.

What was this… that Applejack felt suddenly with this strange gesture, before pulling away in a gasp… she had just touched Rainbow Dash's lips with her own, and she saw the blue Pegasus looking at her nervous.

"Good night, Rainbow Dash." Applejack said nervous, but couldn't draw her eyes away from hers and the blue pony nodded slowly,

"Goodnight."

The two closed their eyes, both seeming afraid of what they had done, but Rainbow Dash opened one of her eyes, just looking at her friend… before closing it again.

Why did Applejack have to act like that to her… but what other way could the orange pony had reacted?

It took a good half hour before Rainbow Dash felt herself drifting off to sleep.

XXXXXX

And when she woke up she saw that Applejack's side of the bed was empty.

"Applejack?" she said confused and got out of bed quietly, walking out confused to the kitchen seeing the orange pony chewing softly on an apple as she looked outside the window with sad eyes.

"Hey,"

She turned seeing Dash at the door and smiled nervous replying fast,

"Oh hey," finishing her apple and walking over to her, "How was your sleep?"

"It was good," Dash said fast, laughing nervous before looking at the orange pony and saying slowly "Do you remember anything happening last night?"

Applejack shut her eyes hard, she had hoped that Rainbow Dash wouldn't have bought that up but now that she had she couldn't lie.

"Yeah… I do,"

"I guess we were both scared huh?" Rainbow Dash laughed afraid.

"Were we?"

She looked at Applejack surprised and shook her head weakly,

"I guess we weren't… were we?"

"Look I don't know exactly what happened last night between us Rainbow," Applejack said bluntly and the blue Pegasus looked at her worried, "But… it felt… like it was okay."

Rainbow Dash blinked her eyes surprised, looking at Applejack with a small smile,

"Really?"

"Yeah… Rainbow… I think, I don't know how I see you."

"I don't know how I see you either…but yesterday you were saying all these things about me, and did you mean it?"

"Of course, I don't lie."

"I know… silly question," Dash laughed and looked into Applejack's eyes with a small smile.

Applejack gazed back into hers slowly.

"Do you, want to hang out today…?" Rainbow asked nervously.

"Sure," Applejack said smiling and Rainbow Dash beamed back, "But I have work to do before anything."

"Man, you really work everyday, huh?" Rainbow Dash said kidding and Applejack chuckled nodding her head to the window which Dash turned towards,

"Well when a storm comes and destroys nearly half an acre, there does need to be some clearing up."

"It really destroyed all that…?" she asked quietly looking outside the window to the torn down trees and branches that stretched down the field and she looked at Applejack with a smile saying "Let me help."

"Really?" Applejack said surprised, "Well… thanks,"

The two smiled at each other, their eyes wanting to linger on the others longer but they both broke it off after a couple of seconds and they headed outside, getting ready to start the work.

Rainbow Dash flew through the fields, sweeping the branches into a pile where Applejack threw them into a cart, getting ready to pull them away and the pegasus flew down beside her, smiling largely as she watched her friend hard at work.

"You must have some stamina," she said eagerly, picking up the little branches that Applejack passed and dropped them in the cart as a helping hand.

"Well generally my brother does the work round here, but the family won't be home till this afternoon."

"What you gonna do with these branches?"

"Probably store them for winter," Applejack said knowledgeable and smiled at Rainbow Dash as she flew beside her.

The two reached the barn and unloaded the branches, Dash getting a branch and spanking Applejack's behind, the pony jumping shocked a little and looked at her with a grin.

"What's gotten into you?"

"You need to work harder, Applejack… you need to feel the burn in your thighs."

"Excuse me?" Applejack said confused and Rainbow Dash just giggled, landing beside her.

"I'm just messing with you,"

"Yeah…" Applejack said slowly, Dash getting scared that she offended her before Applejack said with a grin, "I know."

She suddenly grabbed Rainbow Dash in a head lock, rustling up her rainbow mane and Rainbow Dash laughed, tackling her to the ground, the two wrestling each other, Dash pinning Applejack down.

The two panted exhausted before Rainbow Dash realized what she was doing and looked nervously into her hostage's green eyes.

She felt so alive around her, so herself, so free and she licked Applejack's cheek softly, Applejack looking at her quietly.

"What was that…?"

"I don't know…" Rainbow Dash said shyly, but suddenly felt Applejack's lips on her own, the two doing something that felt so foreign but so right.

Rainbow Dash kissed her back, they lips slipping between each other softly, their mouths so warm… a feeling so hot fluttering through their chests.

The two jumped suddenly as they heard a creak, and Rainbow Dash sprung off Applejack into the air as Big Macintosh opened up the barn door, a confused face coming across his own as he saw his sister on the ground and said lost.

"Applejack?"

"Er, Big Macintosh, I-I fell!"

Big Mac looked at her confused before turning his head up to see Rainbowdash floating above her with a big blushing face on.

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Oh HEY, Big Mac!" she said nervously "I was just helping Applejack collect twigs."

"Yup," Big Macintosh said, still a little lost, "Got to help Applebloom and Grandma Smith," he said slowly and turned to leave, but looked back at his sister saying "Coming?"

"Er, sure, yup, of course!" Applejack said nervously and followed her brother, her head hanging to the ground.

"I guess you best get going, Rainbow," she said looking quietly up to her friend and Rainbow Dash felt like her heart was close to breaking as she said nervous,

"Yeah, sure… see you later, Applejack," she said quietly and left, flying off into the sky but gazed back down at the farm, seeing Applejack following her brother with her head hung low.

Applejack looked slowly up at the sky, seeing the blue pegasus in the distance hovering in the air. What was wrong with them both… why were they acting this unnatural way towards each other?

They were meant to be just friends… but the way they were acting, it felt so much more than that. Why did big Mac have to walk in on them… and did he see anything?

"What were you and Rainbow Dash doing, sis?" Big Macintosh asked slowly as they reached the house.

"Nothing, Big Mac…" Applejack lied and her heart stung with that, "Nothing."