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

"I'm such a fool!" Rainbow Dash yelled at herself angrily as she zoomed through the sky. Just wanting to be alone, wanting to kill herself for what was almost seen.

"Oh smart move Rainbow Dash!" she said angry "Now all of Equestria will think you like Applejack!"

She stopped mid-air when she realized what she said and hovered there thinking… but I do like Applejack.

She felt it was wrong even thinking those words so out in the open, but she couldn't deny that incredible feeling she got when Applejack had kissed her.

Applejack… had kissed… HER!

She wasn't one to gloat… well yeah actually she was, but God if anyone did find out what happened, the amount of teasing and ridicule she'd get would be unbelievable.

Did Big Mac see anything? She hoped to pony sake he didn't. But when Applejack said she 'best be going'… it was like a knife through her heart.

But Applejack must like her… they had kissed- TWICE, and Applejack hadn't pulled away the second time.

"So much thinking!" Rainbow Dash yelled to herself, grabbing her head from the thoughts… but smiled slowly as she whispered to herself in glee "she kissed me back…"

"Who kissed you?"

"Gah!" she yelped as she saw Derpy flying beside her with a confused look on her face, "No one!" she said quickly.

"Oh! Alright Rainbow dash!" Derpy said with a goofy assured face "Wasn't the STORM last night AWFUL?"

"Tell me about it," Rainbow Dash said quietly, "It destroyed some of Apple farm."

"Oh! Okay! See ya Rainbow Dash!" Derpy said loudly with a wave and flew off, the blue pegasus looking confused as she watched that grey one leave.

"There's something seriously wrong with that pony…" Dash muttered to herself before flying on… but it wasn't soon later that the worries began to regroup and possess her mind.

XXXXX

Applejack was silent as she did her work for the day, an ashamed look painted on her face. She couldn't believe that Big Mac had walked in on them… she couldn't believe anything.

And she still couldn't believe that Rainbow Dash, after only one night… had awakened so much uncertainty in her.

But her heart still longed for some reason… to see that blue pegasus fly her way.

"What's wrong Applejack?" Applebloom asked confused as Applejack returned back to the barn with a cart full of apples.

"Nothin' sis, why you ask?"

"Oh… I don't know, just seems you're a bit down that's all."

"No…" she lied with a strained face "Don't worry about me, I just had a bad sleep last night, that's all."

"Okay… could you take me into town later?" Applebloom asked daringly and Applejack looked at her confused.

"Why? What you need?"

"Oh nothing sis, I'm just meeting up with Sweetiebell and Scootaloo, we're going to-"

"Try find your cutie marks…" Applejack said knowing where this was going, "Sure Applebloom, let's get heading."

XXXXX

They reached the town not soon after, but Applejack had remained reasonably quiet throughout the trip.

"Go on and find your friends," she said to her little sis, a bit dampened "I'm going to go visit Twilight."

"THANKS!" Applebloom squeaked cheerily "Yo girls! Where are you?"

Applejack wandered over to the library tree house quietly and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

She smiled weakly as she entered and saw Twilight reading away, but the purple unicorn looked up quickly from her book and smiled saying fast,

"Hello Applejack, what a pleasure to see you."

"Hey Twilight" the orange pony replied a bit beat.

"Would you like some tea and cake?"

"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry, a glass of water will do just fine."

Twilight smiled warmly as her horn glowed and a glass of water landed on the table, Applejack coming over quietly and took a sip.

"So what's on your mind? What brings you to town today?"

"Oh, Applebloom wanted to meet up with her friends that's all… but I need your advice."

"Sure, happy to help."

"My… cousin," Applejack said slowly, wincing a bit with the lie "has a problem."

"What is it?"

"Well… he kissed…" she began slowly "one of his friends, and now he doesn't know what to do…"

"Right… well have they talked about this?"

"I don't think so."

"Well, if his friend allowed him to kiss her, I'd guess she likes him too."

Applejack had a feeling Twilight would think it was between a stallion and a mare.

"What if his friend… was of the same sex?"

Twilight froze for a second… before going quiet and looked at Applejack confused.

"Two stallions?"

"Yeah…"

"That is… odd."

"Is it really?" Applejack said worried.

"Well, a special pony for another pony, generally needs to be able to have a future with each other… two stallions… its likely to not end well."

"What if they were two mares?"

"Two mares…?" Twilight said a little suspicious and Applejack looked around nervous, "I'd say it's pretty much the same fate."

"So there's no point for him… to even try to talk about it… just to pretend it never happened?"

"That's what I'd say would be best… Applejack."

"Yeah?" she said quietly.

"Thanks for telling me this… but I would be careful who I ask for advice around here… maybe you should tell your cousin not to tell anypony else."

"Right." Applejack said ashamed… fearing that Twilight was seeing straight through the fake story.

She sipped some more of the water before turning to leave "Thanks Twilight… for the drink and all."

"Not a problem Applejack, are you sure you don't want to stay longer?"

"No, it's fine… I best be going."

As Applejack walked outside the house she took a deep sigh… she had to just ignore this feeling. It was nothing but a silly feeling… yet it pained her that it was so… stupid.

She should have known she wouldn't be able to have any sort of future with Rainbow Dash… two mares couldn't be anything. It was just a stupid kiss, a stupid night and that's all.

She walked over to where Applebloom and her two friends were laughing and said quietly,

"Applebloom, I'm gonna head on home now… you'll be able to find your way back fine?"

"What? Why!" Applebloom said sadly.

"I just need to tend the farm."

"Fine… you sure you're okay, sis?"

"Yep, just a bad sleep last night, that's all."

"Rarity says she always has a bad sleep when I stay over," Sweetiebelle said out of nowhere and Applejack smiled weakly saying.

"That's nice Sweetiebelle."

"It is?" the white unicorn said confused and the two little fillies beside her just shrugged their shoulders confused.

Applejack wandered off from that, reaching the farm a while later and just saw a hill… smiling sadly as she headed up to it and sat down under an apple tree quietly.

"Why'd this have to happen?" she said to herself and sighed, looking up to the sky… a part of her afraid Rainbow dash would fly by… but a part of her wishing she would.

She closed her eyes slowly, resting them, before hearing a voice say slowly.

"Applejack?"

She would recognize that voice from anywhere and slowly opened her eyes… seeing Rainbow dash hovering above her, her wings flapping slowly as she was about to land but Applejack said fast.

"Don't."

"What's wrong…?" she asked confused.

"You being here…"Applejack said sad "that's what wrong."

"I need to see you." Rainbow dash said nervous and Applejack just got up, starting to leave "PLEASE DON'T GO!"

Applejack hated hearing that cry of desperation and turned around quietly.

"What is it?"

"Are we not even going to talk anymore?"

"About what?"

"About what happened…"

"Nothin' happened." Applejack said hard.

"But we kissed…?"

"NO, you kissed me."

"Not the second time…?"

"Well what do you want me to say?" Applejack said harshly walking over to Rainbow Dash still in the air, "I was just doing what you wanted me too."

"That's not true…"

"Isn't it?" Applejack said angry "I don't lie."

"But…"

"Look… I need to tend the farm…" Applejack said quietly and began to walk away but Rainbow dash lowered her eyebrows angry and flew in front of her.

"You kissed me because you wanted to! You said what happened last night was alright! Why are you making all these lies and excuses! I thought we were friends!"

"We…" Applejack said nervously, the pain of all the lying getting to her and she sighed, a tear dropping from her eye "we are…"

"Then what's wrong…?"

She wanted to tell her it could never work… that them being happy together was just a fantasy… but as she looked into the confused pink eyes… she knew that couldn't be the truth.

And she had already lied enough today.

"Rainbow dash… I… I-I'm sorry…" she said in tears, "I did kiss you… and it felt… amazing, but if anyone found out."

"No one is going to find out ," Rainbow Dash said quietly, landing beside Applejack with a shy smile "All I've been thinking today since I left the farm is how great I felt when I saw you… how GORGEOUS you are… we don't have to suddenly be like a couple or anything… I don't want that. I… I just want to be around you…"

"Really…?" Applejack said slowly looking at Rainbow Dash with a smile of her own… "So we'll just hang… no strings attached."

"Applejack…" Rainbow Dash said nervously "I just want to be around you… that's it…"

Applejack could feel herself blushing slightly… she didn't know if this was flattery or not… but she wanted to be around Rainbow Dash too… as friends.

They weren't together, but they could still be literally together…

"Okay…" Applejack said and felt Rainbow Dash's hooves suddenly around her shoulders as the Pegasus gave her a hug. Applejack hugged her back shyly and as Rainbow Dash pulled unwillingly away she felt her nose touch Applejack's barely… the two looking into each others eyes nervously.

"Well what do you want to do…?" Rainbow dash asked Applejack quietly… and Applejack grinned… the thought coming to her mind.

"Well, I still have some chores to do… but if you can show me something better to do with my time, I'm all ears."

"How about we just run?" Rainbow dash asked with a grin of her own, "Just run until we're all out of air?"

"Where to?" Applejack asked smiling slowly.

"Through the fields and further than that."

"You're on girl," she said and just as Rainbow Dash was about to rise into the air, Applejack pulled her down and said with a mean gleam "But no wings…"

"How did I know you'd say that?" Dash said grinning and suddenly zoomed ahead of her, Applejack following with a happy nay as the two ran with all their speed through Apple acres, until they reached the large opened fields and ran through them laughing.

They ran and ran and ran some more… they hooves getting tired but their hearts aflame with excitement, until Applejack finally fell on the soft grass panting, Rainbow Dash coming down and resting beside her, the two panting as they looked into each others eyes so full of life.

Rainbow Dash tried her luck and actually lay right down beside Applejack, cushioning into her and staring at the panting pony with a small smile.

Dash's body was so warm from the race, but having her lay beside her, Applejack felt the closeness.

The blue Pegasus wanted to rest her head on Applejack's neck… but settled for just gazing into her eyes…

There felt restrictions in what they had let themselves have… and Rainbow Dash… being a forceful type of pony moved her face closer to Applejack's… their noses nearly touching.

"Rainbow D-"

"Yes?" the blue pegasus interrupted slowly, just looking at Applejack's warm lips and Applejack only smiled, hugging Rainbow Dash close, letting the warmness fill her… and the incredible feeling in her chest last a little longer.

As long as no one could see them… they could be together in this way… as friends.