Pillow thoughts

Chapter 5
Bite-marks and Twilight’s Plan

“Ow... ow ow ow”

Dash couldn’t see anything in the darkness. She could feel stuff though. She felt pain in her right shoulder... “that’s gonna leave a bruise.” Also, she felt something rather furry underneath her.

“Oh no”, she thought to herself. “Not again!”

“Ah’d appreciate it if y’all would get off me”, Applejack’s voice came from underneath, with a surprisingly calm tone.

Dash was on her feet the next second. “Sorry! I can explain! Actually, I can’t, but I can try—“

“Dash, shut up”, the earth pony said, without a hint of anger in her voice. That scared Rainbow even more. She’d rather have Applejack yell at her... at least that way she could anticipate what’s coming next. “Twilight, y’alright?”

“Yeah, I think so... that was quite a fall. Oh, horsefeathers... my head hurts.”

The purple unicorn tried standing up but collapsed to the wet ground. “I’m really dizzy, maybe I should just... wait a few moments”.

“Can ya make that light thingy again?”, asked Applejack, slowly getting up from the floor.

“I can try... Ow... better make that: I can’t even try. It makes my head spin. The spell is too complicated.”

“Make something simpler... like... a fire or something”, suggested the pegasus.

“Dash, there’s nothing here to burn. Besides, we’d all choke to death”, replied Applejack. Rainbow knew she was upset... usually, when she called her “Dash” a lot, that meant that the pegasus messed up something.

Even so, her point of view was valid... and getting them all to see was the most important thing right now. “Listen, AJ, we wouldn’t choke. Look up, see that faint ray of light? Air is coming from up there. And since we just tumbled down here, I would say there’s plenty of space for the smoke to let us breathe.”

“She’s right”, mumbled Twilight as her horn started to glow. One, two... three logs were created out of thin air, the last one being lit just a few moments later. “Believe it or not, but this was one of the first spells I learned as a filly. I think I can cast this one with my horn tied behind my back... well, so to speak.”

Soon, tiny sparks started flying in the air as the fire grew and grew. It wasn’t very big, but just enough to keep them warm and to help them see their environment. Fortunately, there were no bats in this part of the cave. There were no crystals either which meant that the fire would soon become their only, and most important, source of light for quite some time.

***

It appeared that they landed in a small opening... which is awkward considering the fact that all exits were either too high or too narrow to be usable. As Rainbow said, somewhere high up there was a big hole through which they could see the sky. It was getting dark but, at least, the rain stopped a while ago.

The ground started drying up thanks to the fire. They won’t die of cold, that was for sure. To their surprise, Twilight revealed she was carrying a bag with 3 sandwiches, one for each. They ate and now they were just sitting, trying to recover from the shock.

Or the shocks, plural.

Rainbow looked at Twilight. She was still in pain, so teleportation was excluded. “Unless you want to risk spending the rest of your life without those blue wings of yours”, she politely explained. Of course, Rainbow flew towards the hole in the ceiling and found out that there were several holes up there... but none of them big enough for her to crawl through.

The way through which they fell was covered in heavy boulders... and there didn’t seem to be any exit around.

The ponies were quiet, sitting near the fire. The crackling of the burning wood echoed slightly as the wind was howling somewhere far, far away. Applejack was staring at the fire, concentrating on her own thoughts... Rainbow looked at her, remembering her face when she found out that there were no “bedbugs” responsible for her marks.

Rainbow knew she had to talk about this with her... but how? Twilight didn’t exactly give them a good start on the subject. She looked at the ground...and then at her again. The orange flames gently played with their own reflections in her eyes. She was concerned and Rainbow hated seeing her like that. Especially if she was the cause for the cowpony’s troubled thoughts.

“Um... maybe now is not a good time to talk about this...”, started Rainbow, looking down at her own hooves.

“Consarn it, it'll never be, so we might as well just do it now...”, replied the mare, without looking at her. “What... really happened?”

“I don’t know. I just went to bed, normally, on my side of the bed... and when I woke up... I was...”, she started blushing furiously. She gesticulated with her hooves, trying to find the right words. “ I was, somehow, on... top... of... you...”

Applejack looked at her friend and noticed that she was blushing. This was uncomfortable for both of them and she didn’t want to make it even harder. “And the biting?”, she asked.

Dash was still looking down. “I don’t know.”

“What, did ya...uh...dreamed I was a big apple or somethin’?”, continued Applejack, with a crooked smile, trying to lighten up the mood a bit. Sure, it was embarrassing but why should they make it even gloomier?

“No, AJ... I... I just didn’t realize what I was doing. I was sleeping, honestly”. Rainbow crossed her front legs as she continued: “I don’t know what’s going on lately... but I cannot sleep well since, well, that night.”

“Hm... and what was that thing with ?”

The pegasus’ ears dropped on the back of her head and she blushed even more. “I, uh... when I woke up that morning... I thought you were a cloud. Yeah, I know... silly, right? ....and, well...”, she started looking anywhere but directly at Applejack. Finally she fixed her gaze upon the flames... the orange flames. “You know how I love clouds and... I started hugging my... cloud. Warm, fuzzy... orange... my little orange cloud that smelled like freshly picked apples”. She gave a fake grin. “Pretty funny, huh?”

Twilight never saw Applejack blush before. At least, not as much as she was blushing now. The earth pony was staring at Rainbow and couldn’t really believe that the pegasus had such... nice thoughts... such gentle and sensitive thoughts about her. Even if she confused her with a cloud... those attributes were hers. Every. Single. One. Wait, these thoughts only emerged because the pegasus just woke up back then. “Snap out of it, AJ”, she told herself. “This is Rainbow we’re talking to... she’s just being... silly”.

“Of course, you realize that I had no idea it was you... and I’ve just woken up--”, continued Dash, lifting her gaze upon the cowpony, only to stop mid-sentence. “Uh... AJ?”

“Yeah, I know, of course... go... go on”, the earth pony mumbled. She knew it was pointless to try and hide it... She probably would’ve denied it, but Applejack knew better than anypony else that Dash’s words hit her fully. It was the nicest thing anypony ever said to her... and the best part, it wasn’t so much what Dash said... it was what the pegasus felt when she was hugging Applejack.

“Uh...so...yeah”, Dash continued, trying to ignore that, “I immediately tried to get my hooves back where they belonged and I managed to do that just in time. I had no idea about the bite-marks until you mentioned them later... and Twilight lied for me because, well, we just didn’t know what happened.”

“Yes”, the purple pony intervened. “Rainbow was really confused and we didn’t want to make the situation worse at that moment. At least, not in front of the other girls. At some point after that, an idea did cross my mind but...”

Rainbow pricked up her ears. “But what?”, she asked.

“Nothing... no, nevermind”, replied Twilight, looking down at the dry floor.

Dash didn’t like where this was going... she did suspect it before.

“Well, if we don’t know what happened that night or why did it happen, then we’re back where we started... sort of”, said the orange pony, adjusting her hat. “Ya said you cannot sleep since then. Any ideas, Twi?”

Rainbow looked at her friends and then back at the ground, frowning. She knew why she couldn’t sleep... but that was too much to admit. It could wait for when this entire mess was over.

“I do have a hunch...but...”, she looked at Rainbow and figured out that maybe her hunch was...actually quite true. “I don’t know... my head hurts, I’d rather think about this when we get out of here.”

“Yeah, you’re right... get some rest, Twi”, replied the cowpony.

Silence fell, bit by bit, interrupted only by the howling wind in the distance.

***

Sleeping on a hard surface was not pleasant, and as the night laid its dark, shredded cape over Equestria, the ponies still shifted in the belly of the cave.

“This ain’t so bad”, thought Applejack to herself. “If ah had mah guitar, it would be just like campin’”. She looked at Twilight who was really trying her best to sleep. Maybe the purple pony did fall asleep, either way she was calm, probably because the pain might’ve decreased.

Applejack tuned her gaze towards Rainbow. The pegasus was lying on the ground, near the fire... her eyes were closed but the orange mare knew she wasn’t sleeping. She saw her sleeping so many times, it was easy to make the difference.

She had a question in the back of her head... but by this point, it was irrelevant. Or maybe she cared less about it. Another question kept emerging in her mind... and she hesitated a lot until she gathered up the courage to ask it.

“Rainbow?”, she whispered. “Can ah ask you somethin’?”

Dash didn’t respond, but after a few seconds, she opened her eyes and looked directly at the earth pony.

“Ah don’t know how to ask this... but it can’t be worse than all mah other questions.”

She paused... thinking how to put it in words.

Rainbow kept looking at her and quietly whispered: “What is it?”

A tiny gust of wind caressed the pegasus’ mane, as the flames trembled. Her colors were so beautiful. Applejack always found them to be a bit funny... but not now. They were just... beautiful. She looked at the only pony who ever approached her in an intimate way, the only pony who came close to her. She had to ask... or else she would probably regret missing this chance of knowing... if...

“Rainbow... this is silly but... ah’ve been a bit scared that mah... mah ... you know, that I smell like... apples... that maybe when I meet somepony... somepony special for me... that, you know... maybe it’s not a pretty smell... or maybe... ah mean... is it a nice smell?”

Rainbow closed her eyes then opened them again and lifted her head off the ground, changing to a more comfortable position.

“AJ... “, she started, softly, but then stopped... not knowing how much to say. Then again, she had nothing more to lose. “Initially as I was waking up and realizing where I was, a part of me probably knew what was going on at that moment. A tiny-tiny part of me probably knew that I wasn’t on a cloud... and that I was holding you...”, she paused... it was still hard to talk about this, but slowly... it was getting a bit easier. Just a bit.

“Yeah?”, asked Applejack, preparing for the worst.

“Applejack, I didn’t like the smell of apples.”, the pegasus replied.

She didn’t like it... it wasn’t...nice. The earth pony had prepared for the worst response but... it still hurt. A little. It was something special for her, it meant something... special.

“Maybe it’s not so special after all”, she thought. “Heh, silly me and mah silly ideas... nopony ever noticed it anyway”

She looked at Dash: “Oh... ah... ah see... Well, thanks fer—“

“...because now I realize... that was not the smell of apples.”

Applejack could feel her heart skipping a beat in her chest. Why was she so nervous about this? ...it’s just an opinion, right? Just one of many opinions... many...

“That was the smell of Applejack.... it was your smell. It was you.”

Just an opinion... It’s not so important.
It’s just an opinion...

“And I like it.”

For the first time that day, Applejack really felt like smiling with all her heart. So what if it was a silly thought? Somepony liked it. No...somepony still liked it.

...no...

Rainbow liked it.

“And I’m sure the colt you’ll find someday will like it too.”, the pegasus added, half-heartedly.

Silence.

After a few moments, Applejack nodded and readjusted her hat. She kept staring at the floor, not being able to look at Rainbow for some reason... Maybe that question in the back of her mind was really pointless. After all, everypony knows how things must be. She has a farm and a family to think about and a colt will be the perfect companion.

“Companion?”, she found herself repeating her thoughts in her mind. “No, ah mean, partner, yeah. Husband!”

“Ah mean, that’s any mare’s dream, right?”, she continued thinking. “Somepony to be beside her and with whom she can form a team. A team of two, based on love, respect and loyalty.”

Well, basically loyalty represents the other two aspects of the “triangle” that forms a solid relationship.

Not that she thought about it, nono, but just for fun... everypony knows Dash doesn’t really show a ton of respect, well, maybe she does...to her friends... and who knows if she was ever actually capable of loving somepony! Not to mention the entire loyalty-part... does she really have what—

Applejack halted her thoughts. “Right”, she thought. “Elements...”.

“Even so, what are the chances...”

“What are the chances of what?”, asked Twilight who carefully was stretching her legs. Her pain hasn’t disappeared completely yet.

“What?”, asked Applejack, confused.

“You just said , didn’t you?”, the purple pony repeated what she just heard a few seconds ago.

“Ah did? Ah don’t know... just, farm stuff, thinking out loud.”

“There it is again, you lied! That’s twice today!”, said Rainbow, pointing at her orange friend.

“Well ah don’t see y’all being the element of Loyalty all day and all night long!”, snapped Applejack, leaving her friends confused.

“Where did that come from?”, asked the pegasus.

“Yeah, what do the elements of harmony have to do with... wait, what are we talking about?”, asked Twilight, trying to make sense of it all through her headache.

“Nothin’... just drop it.”, replied the orange mare, crossing her front hooves against her chest, while leaning on the cave’s wall.

Rainbow looked at Twilight who returned the puzzled look. Maybe this entire caved-in situation is taking a toll on everypony.

***

“How are you feeling, Twilight?”, Rainbow asked the pony, with a concerned look on her face.

“A bit better... but I wouldn’t risk any teleportation spells yet. I think we’re safe if we wait until morning.”

Applejack just returned from her second walk along the cave’s walls. She was trying to find weak spots that she could buck...or, at least, push over to find an exit of some sort. The area they were in was not small, but it was like the perfect prison. It was frustrating since they each found various holes in the walls that just turned out to be too tiny or too solid to break through them.

“Anything?”, Rainbow asked the earth pony.

Applejack just leaned against the cave’s wall and placed her hat on her eyes. “Nope.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait for the other half of our team to find us”, said Rainbow after a while. “It’s a good thing you went to them first and told them where you were going... otherwise, they’d have no idea where we are. They’ll probably start searching for us first thing in the morning.”

Twilight flinched a bit at those words. “Umm... yes, about that... I kind of went straight to you two.”

Quiet. Again.

“Wait, so... you asked me first? But ah was the one who suggested we go grab Dash!”, said Applejack.

“Yeah... heh I was expecting you to say that. I wanted to go with just the two of you from the start”, replied Twilight, scratching the back of her neck. “Sorry.”

“Why?”, snapped Rainbow. “Out of all the silly—ugh! Couldn’t you just let it go, Twi?”

“Let go of what?”, asked the purple pony.

“No, really, stop it. It’s a bad idea and I really don’t think you should play dumb, giving the situation we’re in.”, the pegasus continued, waving her hooves nervously. “Right now, thanks to you, nopony knows where we are... and you almost made a whole mess out of my friendship with Applejack.”

“Woah there, don’t ya go accusing Twi of the stuff you did!”, said Applejack, jumping on all fours.

“The stuff that I did? Think about it, AJ... she wanted to go with us from the start... you just happen to trip right into my bed – really, Twi, did you really think that was smart? Magic should be used... in other ways – and she was the only pony who was awake when I woke up... like that...then... so maybe she set me up!”

“Are ya sayin’ what ah think you’re sayin’?”, asked the orange pony, a bit scared to hear the answer, looking at Twilight and then back at Dash.

“Was this the plan Twilight? You actually tried to hook us up?”, asked Rainbow, trying to hold back on her frustration.

Twilight widened her eyes and she started blushing hard. She let her ears drop to the back of her head and started smiling awkwardly. “Heh... I uh...”

Applejack and Rainbow shared glances and then looked back at the purple pony. Why would she do that? Even as a joke, if it was a joke, it was stupid and inconsiderate. Didn’t she care for their feelings? She could’ve broken their friendship.

“I mean, yeah...now it kind of makes sense why you two were acting so weird this whole time. I mean, I have nothing against that... but, girls...”, the unicorn said, rubbing her hooves together in an uncomfortable gesture.

She looked back up at them, with an honest expression of bewilderment on her face.

“I had nothing to do with you two hooking up.”

• End of Chapter 5 -