Marefriends
"Ah don't know why anypony would want to talk here, but yah seemed really set on it, so Ah thought I should stop by." Applejack elaborated. "What is it ya wanna say?"
"Yeah, I know talking here is a little weird," admitted Rainbow Dash. "But this is something I can't say elsewhere."
"Anywhere else? As in, there was no place you could have possibly decided to chat other than at the edge of a highly dangerous forest on the outskirts 'a Ponyville in the middle of the night?"
"Yes," the cyan pegasus told her friend. "This is something that can only be said here."
"Well, no use standin' around doin' nothing. What is it a have ta say?"
"Er... this could take a while. This isn't something I can say easily." Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack and saw her face fill with curiosity. Rainbow cleared her throat, took a deep breath, gathered her thoughts, and began.
"SoawhilebackIwasdreamingyouwereapplebuckingandyouwereworkingreallyhardandthenyoutoldmethat-"
"Whoah there, Dash. I didn't hear a thing you just tried to say."
"Okay... so, a few weeks ago, I dreamt was over at your barn. Granny Smith and Big Mac were getting supplies for Zapapple Jam, and Apple Bloom was with the other crusaders trying their next ridiculous scheme to get their cutiemarks, so we were the only ponies there. Neither of us could remember what I was doing there. You were working, harder than I've ever seen you work, so I eventually told you that you should probably take a break. You listened, and lay on the ground beneath the shade of a tree for a few minutes. I trotted over and took a seat beside you. You couldn't stop panting, and I thought you might be hurt or sick. After around ten minutes, you appeared to be okay. I asked you how you felt, and you said... you said... you..."
Oh... thought Applejack. This isn't going where I think it is... is it?
"What did I say?" asked Applejack. She thought she knew but refused to think she had guessed correctly.
"You... you said you couldn't possibly be happier than you were right at that moment in time, because I was there with you, and then you jumped on me and nuzzled my neck with your nose, and then, I kissed you. We held that way for a long time, at least a minute, and then... I woke up." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath before continuing. "Ever since I had that dream I've been noticing things about you. Like how pretty your mane looks, or how your coat is the loveliest shade of orange I've ever seen, or how nice you are to me..."
Applejack, who had been wearing her curious/confused face for the past several minutes, began to rapidly change to her utterly shocked one.
"This is the spot I went to to think about anything since I came to Ponyville, and this was where those observations took root, I guess. That's why it had to be here.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is... I like you. As more than just a friend. I want to be your marefriend, if you will let me."
Several agonizing seconds passed before Applejack was able to formulate an answer. "Ah... well... um...er... I don't know what I'm supposed to say."
Rainbow Dash's face began to glow with joy before the next phrase was spoken.
"Ah... Ah don't feel the same way."
The pegasus appeared crushed. She drew her wings closer to her body, and took a single step back. Tears began forming in her eyes.
"A'm sorry, Rainbow, but I can't lie to you, or to mahself. I like you as a friend, but not like anything more. We can still be friends, though, Dash. Right?"
"I...guess..." was all she could formulate. A tear slowly trickled down her face.
"Now, Ah'd think we should probably head back now."
"Yeah. Just... give me a few minutes. I'll be back, soon."
Applejack nodded and slowly turned around, walking towards Ponyville. Rainbow Dash stayed where she was for several seconds, until the earth pony was out of sight before falling to the ground and crying softly.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack lay next to each other in a luscious, soft bed. Applejack was staring into Rainbow's eyes, while Rainbow continually rubbed Applejack's flank. It was a soft and tender moment, where neither dared to speak. Applejack shifted into a more comfortable position as Rainbow Dash tenderly kissed her on the cheek.
"Applejack," Rainbow finally broke the silence.
"Rainbow Dash," the Earth pony replied.
Applejack began to rub the pegasus' back, before slowly moving around her side and on to Rainbow's-
Rainbow Dash awoke with a start, sweating from the dream she had. She glanced around for Applejack, but she was nowhere to be found. Dash sat up, leaned over to the side of her bed, and began to slowly cry. It was such an awesome dream. Why couldn't it be real? Rainbow sat up, dried off her tears, and decided to try her ultimate distraction mechanism. It had never failed before, so how could it buck up now?
"Daring Do and The Something Something," she mumbled. "My favorite volume."
"Chapter One: The Deadly Duo. Daring Doo ran through the city, fast enough to let her friend, Mapplejack, catch up. Mapplejack was an Earth pony, not quite as fast as Daring Doo, but just as brave and willing to do the right th- Motherbucker!"
Applejack trotted along towards Rarity's house, a determined look on her face. She was having the strangest of times. Ever since that occasion a few days ago with Rainbow Dash, she'd felt like she didn't belong anywhere. Applejack didn't know why.
"Rarity's boutique, how may I help- oh, Applejack!"
"Howdy," Applejack gave Rarity a passing glance before returning her stare to the floor.
"Is something wrong?" asked the unicorn. "I can-"
"Ah came to ask you something," said Applejack quietly.
"Oh? Well, go on then. You can say it."
"It... Ah forgot what it was," Applejack lied.
"Really? Well, come back if you remember!"
"Ah will, Rarity." She looked down at the floor. "Ah will."
BAM! Rainbow Dash crashed into the defenseless purple unicorn walking along Ponyville's streets at midnight. "Oh, hey there Rainbow Dash! Are you okay? You've been crashing a lot more then usual these past few days."
"I'm fine. Just... had a rough time sleeping lately."
"Oh? Is that because you've been out in the middle of the night like you are now?"
"No... it's something else."
"What would that be?"
"Nothing, nothing, nothing." Rainbow Dash repeated the word over and over. "Nothing at all."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I'm just going somewhere to think about some stuff right now."
"Yes? Well, I won't bother you any more than I have to. I'll just bring these books back to the library like I was before and leave you to do that."
"Okay..." Rainbow muttered before rapidly flying off again.
"Big Mac? I hafta talk to you about something. Do you promise not to tell anypony what I'm saying here?"
"Eeyup."
Applejack looked down, cleared her throat, and continued. "About a week ago now, Rainbow asked me to follow her to the outskirts of the Everfree. Ah went with her, and she told me..."
Several minutes later, Applejack was tearing up slightly and Big Mac's eyes were wide. "But even then, after Ah said that to her, Ah've begun to notice some things about Rainbow. She's... actually kinda cute. Ah think Ah like her, but... after that day, what am Ah supposed to do?"
"You need to do what you truly think is the best thing to do," said Big Mac in proper English.
"Ah... Ah think that the right thing to do is to tell her. It's late, around midnight, but Ah don't think Ah should wait. Big Mac, you don't think there's... anything wrong with me liking mares... right?
The crimson pony laid a reassuring hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "Nope."
"Thank you, Big Mac. That's exactly what Ah needed to hear." Applejack ran off in the night.
Big Macintosh wiped a tear from his eye. "She's growin' up now."
Rainbow Dash lightly touched upon the ground outside the Everfree Forest. At least this place is still around. I need to think. Rainbow lay down and closed her eyes so she could settle in with her thoughts.
Those dreams I've been having. The ones where Applejack and I have s-are together, they've been getting worse. Every time, they go on longer and longer. They're torture. They are brief glimpses of what could have been, of what should have been. I can't bear them anymore. I have to stop the dreams. Rainbow Dash stood up, noticing that tears were coming out of her eyes, and walked deeper into the woods. I have to stop them.
"Rainbow? Rainbow? Oh, why the hay does she have to be out now?"
Applejack stood underneath Rainbow Dash's cloud mansion, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Why now, Rainbow? Ah'm trying to make you happy..."
As the tears began to dry up, Applejack noticed a trail of hoofprints leading away from Rainbow's house. Ah ha! That's where she must have gone! Just hold up, sugar cube! A'm comin' for ya.
Several minutes passed before the pegasus reached her destination. A small, slow creek that ran in the Everfree Forest, a serene break from the acres of deadly woods that surrounded it. Rainbow collapsed in front of the creek and began to sob, tears streaking down her face en masse.
"Why..." Rainbow choked out between cries. "Why, Applejack... I love you..." Rainbow's statement came as a slight surprise even to herself, but she could not focus on when she realized this. Her vision wavered, as she put her head between her forehooves and cried uncontrollably. "Why... why... why..." Dash stuttered over and over.
Gradually, Rainbow stood up, and moved closer to the stream. Her head said to stop, to go back, to wait and give Applejack time, maybe even find somepony else. Her heart, however, couldn't be told to anything different than what she was planning right now. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shoved her head into the water, letting its icy embrace dull her senses even more than the lack of oxygen was. It's not worth it, thought Rainbow somberly. Life's not worth it.
Come on, Applejack, move faster! Ya hafta get to her soon! Ah need to tell her that I lo-
A howl pierced the night, followed by Applejack talking to herself. "Timber Wolves! They must be after Rainbow Dash! Ah hafta save her!"
Just before Rainbow fell asleep forever, she heard something. A growl of some sort. She couldn't hear particularly well, as she was underwater, but it sounded like a Timber Wolf. Dash opened her eyes for a split second upon hearing the noise, but disregarded it and closed them, as her body went limp and her heart beat for the last time.
Applejack charged past the trees, back into the Everfree. Dash wasn't where she stood before, but hoofprints betrayed her location. After several agonizing minutes of running past everything to follow the tracks, Applejack saw something horrible.
No... this can't be true... it just can't be. There, beside a small creek, lay Rainbow Dash's corpse. The neck was craned over the river, her head laying inside, telling a gruesome tale of suicide.
All of this would be bad enough, even if there wasn't a lone Timber Wolf preparing to bite into Dash's still warm flank.
An entire town of ponies gathered around a single area. The open landscape just under Rainbow Dash's house was always a perfect spot for town meetings. Yet, everypony knew they would have to find a new spot. None of them would have dared to direct a meeting upon the spot where a pony had been buried.
Everypony Rainbow Dash had known arrived to pay their respects. All of Ponyville had arrived, not a single one of them displaying the inherent cheerfulness the town was known for. Most were crying; all looked downtrodden. Scootaloo simply curled up into a ball and began twitching uncontrollably at the loss of her idol. Several citizens of Cloudsdale had arrived as well, including the bullies who had tormented Rainbow Dash as a filly and the mostly-but-not-completely heartless Lightning Dust. The Wonderbolts had arrived as well, Spitfire looking downtrodden, if not tearful, at the loss of one of her greatest students. Nopony there could avoid looking at least upset, if not outright crying. Not even Celestia and Luna could keep a straight face, their thousands of years of stone-facedness proving worthless.
Shining Armor and Cadance arrived, halfheartedly attempting to comfort Twilight. The unicorn and her four remaining friends stood at the front of the mass, right in front of the grave. Rarity abandoned her fashion sense during town meetings and chose to wear nothing at all. Fluttershy sobbed and hid behind her mane. Pinkie Pie's mane was straight and the happiest pony in Equestrian history was extremely somber. Applejack appeared sadder than the rest of them put together, however. She couldn't stop crying, and kept periodically toppling onto the ground and sobbing uncontrollably, her tears forming a river across the entire ground.
Twilight, tears streaking down her face, slowly raised her horn and brought out the one peice of Rainbow Dash Applejack was able to recover. A single blue feathered wing. Blood was smeared across the entire appendage, giving it a strange, purplish look. The skin was missing in several places, and the muscle beneath was hanging out on one side. Bone stuck out of the end of the wing, showing the connecting spot between limb and body. The tears of the rest of the crowd grew as Twilight lowered the single wing into the six-foot pit. Applejack took this as the cue to began burying it.
The earth pony, joined by many others, slowly filled in the large pit in the center of the field. The grave became filled with tears that began to wash the blood off of the wing, almost symbolically ending Dash's existance in Equestria.
The moment the grave filled, Applejack began to sob yet again, and whispered to her remaining friends, "I need to go and be alone now. Don't follow me." Applejack ran off toward Sweet Apple Acres, leaving a trail of tears behind her.
"Oh, Rainbow, how do you know to do this? There is only one way this could be any better."
"Is this it?" asked Rainbow, switching one, then both, hooves over from Applejack's flank to her belly, continuing to massage her as she did so.
"Oh sweet Celestia." Applejack had never managed to get anypony, mare or stallion, to look at her as if they even liked her before now, yet here she was, under a blanket getting felt up by the bravest, strongest, and not the least bit sexy pony in Equestria.
Applejack lay her head on Rainbow's chest as she massaged her and closed her eyes. It was at least ten minutes before either of them said anything. "Rainbow... you should lie down. It's mah turn."
"Applejack... really... thank you." Rainbow Dash flipped on her side as Applejack lowered her hooves onto her torso. Rainbow Dash gasped slightly, clearly in ecstasy, before placing her head just like Applejack had and breathing slowly, her wings spreading out on her back at the same time.
Once again, it was quite a while before either of them spoke. "Applejack... come over here and kiss me already."
Applejack slowly raised her hooves from Rainbow's body and leaned in toward the pegasus. "A'm the luckiest pony in Equestria, Dash, because you're here. I want you to know that."
"You're wrong. I'm the luckiest, because you're here."
Their lips met, and for a moment, everything was perfect.
Applejack slowly blinked awake and saw that it was the middle of the night. Rainbow... Ah'm so glad you're here. If you're awake, I'll wrap mah hooves around your waist, and if you're asleep, Ah think Ah'll lay mah head on your flank, or just stare at you for a while.
The Earth Pony turned her head, expecting to see the muscled, slowly breathing form of Rainbow Dash, yet she saw nothing.
Confused for a moment, Applejack sat there, before realizing what had just happened. Ah was dreamin'. Rainbow isn't here. Rainbow is- Applejack realized where Rainbow was, and toppled to the floor, tears streaming down her face.
"She's dead. She's dead. She's dead, and it's mah own fault. If Ah had realized how Ah felt about her before, none of this would have happened, and she would still be alive. Ah deserve punishment. Ah know what Ah must do."
Applejack grabbed a pen in her mouth and hastily scrawled a note which she left on her bed, and she left the room. She knotted her trusty rope into a noose and walked out of the house.
I am the Element of Honesty, yet I couldn't be honest with myself. I told myself I didn't love her, even though I loved her more than anything else, because I couldn't face the fact myself. Rainbow Dash was already dead when the Timber Wolves found her. She took her own life because of what I said to her. I deserve death for what I have done. She will never forgive me for what I have done, but as I write this, I pretend in my mind that we are marefriends.
