Trial Run

Chapters

Chapter Two: Three days 'til Hearts and Hooves
Chapter Four: One day 'til Hearts and Hooves
Chapter Five: Hearts and Hooves Day
Epilogue: Hearts and Hooves Evening
Chapter One: Four days 'til Hearts and Hooves
Chapter Three: Two days 'til Hearts and Hooves

Chapter Two: Three days 'til Hearts and Hooves

The wind blasted into Rainbow's face as she soared through the sky, hooves held out in front on her and wings working tirelessly at her sides. Her final target of the morning was in sight—a fluffy white cumulus bobbing haplessly along over Sugarcube Corner. She narrowed her eyes as the cloud drifted slightly to the left in a vain attempt to escape her. But Rainbow Dash wouldn't be fooled by such a manoeuvre.

She neared the cloud, twisted her body and kicked out her legs with a wordless yell, blasting the poor thing into oblivion. She turned around to make sure that there were no leftover pieces and found, with a smirk, that there weren't.

“Y'know, sometimes I almost feel bad for you guys,” she said to no-one in particular. She paused in thought for a moment, then shook her head. “But not today.”

With that, she flipped over and rocketed off towards the other end of town. Now that her day's work was done, there was nothing left to distract or keep her from the thing that'd had her brimming with excitement all morning...

And that was winning this bet and watching Rarity clean out the pig sty on Sweet Apple Acres. She stifled a giggle at the thought and brought her hooves together, making like an arrow and piercing the air as she shot towards Applejack's farm.

It was seconds or less before she slowed down to hover over the apple orchards, casting her eyes about for the farmpony in question—no doubt she'd be up and kicking trees, as was her wont. But there was no sign of that trademark cowpony hat amidst the trees or the fields, so she headed towards Applejack's next most-likely haunt.

Sure enough, she found the farmpony outside the barn, barking up at her elder brother who balanced dangerously atop the roof. He had his teeth around some kind of weather vane, as if he was trying to align it. Or maybe he was just holding it so that he wouldn't fall off...

Rainbow Dash alighted behind Applejack with a thud, making sure that it was loud enough to draw her attention. When Applejack turned, it was with a questioning look on her face, but that quickly morphed into a smile when she saw who it was.

“Well, I'll be!” she said in surprise. “What in tarnation are you doin' up this early, RD?”

“Had some early morning work to do,” Rainbow lied casually. “And I finished pretty early too, so I figured I'd come see what my best pal AJ was up to.”

Applejack gave a short laugh. “Best pal, huh? And you wouldn't have an ulterior motive or nothin', would ya?”

From atop the barn, Big Macintosh made a funny noise, but Rainbow ignored it. “Well, now that you mention it,” she began with a smirk. “I was kind of wondering if you had any plans for lunch today.”

“Lunch?” Applejack repeated, creasing her brow in thought. “Hmm... nope, reckon I don't. Wh—”

Rainbow gave a triumphant laugh. “Haha! Perfect! Alright, come over here a sec and I'll explain.” She gestured vaguely over her shoulder, away from the barn.

Applejack gave her a long, questioning look, but then she nodded and trotted forwards. Big Macintosh made another funny noise, a little louder this time, as the two of them started trotting away.

“Looking good, Big Macintosh!” Rainbow called back, offering an acknowledging wing wave.

He growled back something that was either “Thank you, Miss Rainbow Dash,” or something else entirely.

“Alright, what's goin' on?” said Applejack tiredly, as if she knew that Rainbow was about to say something she wasn't going to like. Oh, how wrong she was, Rainbow thought with a smirk.

“Okay, so here's the deal—I was walking Rarity home after the party last night, and the two of us got to talking...”

Rainbow recounted the important parts of the conversation she'd had with Rarity the night before. Applejack's face went from doubtful to confused, and finally to disapproving as the excited pegasus finished her recount.

“So y'all just went ahead and made this 'bet' without asking me first?” said Applejack chidingly. “You know this kind of affects me too, right?”

Rainbow waved a hoof idly. “Duh, that's why I'm here,” she explained. “Besides, I knew you'd be down with it. I mean, c'mon—imagine Rarity working on a farm! You're always saying that she needs to loosen up.”

“Ain't saying I don't like the sound of that,” said Applejack with a shake of the head. “Only... when we—” She glanced around to make sure that nopony was looking. “—talked about this—the whole romance thing—ya seemed pretty sure of yourself...”

“I am sure of myself!” said Rainbow proudly. “We'll show Rarity that we're totally not right for each other when it comes to dating, and then I'll win the bet and you'll have a new farmhoof for the week. C'mon, is that a foolproof plan or what?”

Applejack's deadpan look probably could've spoken for her, but she went ahead anyway. “Yup, sure sounds foolproof to me. Absolutely no way that could end in tears for somepony...”

“Exactly!” said Rainbow, with renewed excitement.

Applejack breathed a heavy sigh. “I just ain't sure that it's a good idea,” she threw back, along with a look of concern. “You and I both know why it wouldn't work. Not that I wouldn't like it to, but... you sure we should be messing around like this?”

Rainbow waved a hoof. “Who's messing around? We're just gonna go out, have some totally platonic fun and call it a date. What could go wrong?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Where shall I start?”

“AJ, c'mon, please?” Rainbow tried, giving a pleading grin. “Otherwise I'll lose the bet and you'll have to put up with me for a week!”

As hard as she obviously tried to hide it, that brought a little smirk to Applejack's face. “You're threatening me now?”

Rainbow unfolded her wings and gave them an idle flap before refolding them with a smile, waiting for an answer. Despite her attempted coolness, Rainbow could feel a warmth creeping into her face as she waited in silence, whilst Applejack's eyes scrutinized her own. The normally brazen pegasus found herself shuffling her hooves a little—the recent movement of her wings was making her practically itch to take to the sky...

At long last, Applejack closed her eyes and huffed. “Why am I agreeing to this?”

Rainbow's face brightened with a grin so wide that it threatened to escape her face. “'Cause you want to see Rarity doing farm work as much as I do,” she explained, making only a little effort to mask the excitement in her voice.

The farmpony grunted and smiled. “Yeah, maybe...” She looked up at Rainbow Dash with a renewed smirk on her face. “Alright, RD, you've got yourself a deal. From here 'til Hearts and Hooves day, you can be my marefriend. I guess it can't hurt too much, so long as I get a farmhoof out of this...”

“Are you kidding?” said Rainbow loudly, wings shooting out to the side as she beamed. “This is gonna be awesome! C'mon, let's go right now!”

“Hold your horses, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled. “I've got some work to finish, in case ya forgot.”

Rainbow deflated a little. “Oh yeah, right... Well, what about lunch?”

“Like I said, I ain't got no plans,” said Applejack with a smile. “Meet ya in the Square at noon?”

The Square at noon? Sounded just about perfect to Rainbow—plenty of ponies would see them together, which meant plenty of ponies would report it to Rarity, letting her know that Rainbow had kept up her end of the bargain. From there, it was smooth flying and, in three days, the fashionista would be bucking apple trees, watering crops, and otherwise getting covered in ten different kinds of muck.

Rainbow couldn't contain her mirthful cheer as she jumped up and punched the air. “Woohoo! It's a date!” she yelled.

The rest of the morning just couldn't go quickly enough for Rainbow Dash. She tried busying herself with reading, playing with Tank, and eventually practising some aerial tricks, though none of it really held her attention. With the prospect of the date in such a short while, she made sure to keep one eye on the Town Square as often as she could, just in case Applejack was a little early.

By about five minutes past noon, Rainbow was impatiently fiddling with the money pouch hanging from her neck as she perched atop the Town Hall, wondering what was keeping the usually prompt farmpony. She wondered if Applejack had somehow forgotten, but quickly dismissed that as very unlikely. After all, this was way too cool an opportunity for even Applejack to pass up.

A few huffs and sighs later, Rainbow's eyes darted towards the bridge leading into the Square, trotting over which was the mare herself—orange coat and distinctive cowpony hat unmistakable against the background. Rainbow was in the air and darting towards her within the second.

“Hey! Farmpony!” she called down, drawing Applejack's eyes as she touched down beside her. Rainbow threw the unpunctual mare a scolding look, preparing to tell her off for being so late. But, when she saw the smile on Applejack's face, the thought evaporated almost immediately.

“Afternoon, partner,” Applejack bade with a nod. “All set?”

“Sure am,” said Rainbow, giving a short nod as the two of them fell into step. Neither of them really needed to ask where they were going—there was really only one diner in Ponyville where they'd ever had lunch.

A smirk crossed Rainbow's face as she bumped into Applejack playfully. “Hey, you excited about our date?”

Applejack chuckled. “Maybe a little. Don't really see how it counts as a date, though,” she added with a thoughtful frown.

Rainbow shrugged. “So long as we're going out together, we've held up our end of the deal. She didn't say anything about having to go to some fancy restaurant or anything, so...” She idly rolled her neck and trailed off.

Applejack grunted doubtfully and set her eyes front. Not that it really mattered, but Rainbow found herself trying to think of some way to convince her that it counted. She curled her lip in thought, and an idea came to her a moment later.

With a smirk, Rainbow unfurled her wing and draped it over Applejack's back, drawing a wide-eyed look from the startled earth pony.

“There,” said Rainbow proudly. “Now it's a date.”

The way that Applejack was looking at her made Rainbow expect to be thrown off any second. But she still refused to move her wing and kept that determined smirk on her face all the while.

After a long moment, Applejack smiled, a faint chuckle escaped her, and she nodded her approval. Together, they looked ahead and made their way onwards to the diner.

The place was pretty quiet, all things considered—of the six tables dotted around the outside of the diner, only three of them were taken up. Rainbow and Applejack found themselves a table for two away from everypony else and ordered sandwiches from the unicorn waiter that swooped over as soon as they were seated. Sandwiches were totally first date material, after all.

When he'd taken their menus and left to get their food, they looked across the table at each other.

“So,” said Applejack awkwardly. “Here we are...”

“Yup, here we are,” Rainbow acknowledged happily. She didn't know why Applejack looked so uncomfortable, because personally she was brimming with excitement—at both the concept of winning the wager and getting some food in her hungry belly. Deciding to cheer her partner up, she flashed her a smile and nodded. “Hey, I like what you've done with your mane!”

Applejack promptly rolled her eyes. “I ain't done nothing to my mane, this is how I always wear it.”

“Yeah, I know,” said Rainbow coolly.

The farmpony let out a laugh. “Well, thanks, I guess. Random pegasus,” she added in a mumble.

“Hey! Nothing wrong with being random,” Rainbow threw back. “Just look at Pinkie Pie.”

“No!” came a familiar voice from somewhere around the corner. “Don't look at me! I'm covered in cupcake batter! It's horrible!”

Rainbow and Applejack exchanged a glance, then burst out into giggles.

The waiter soon returned with their sandwiches, for which Rainbow was very grateful, having not eaten a bite all day. She dug in almost as soon as the plate touched the table, mumbling a quick “Thanks!” through her mouthful. The waiter gracefully bowed out, leaving Rainbow to gorge herself and Applejack to look on silently.

After about three mouthfuls, when Rainbow finally decided that it might be a good idea to pace herself, she looked up to see that her friend still hadn't even touched her own food. “What's up? Not hungry?” she said, creasing her brow.

Applejack stared for a moment longer, before resting a hoof on the table and curling her lip in thought. “You sure Rarity put you up to this?”

Rainbow blinked in confusion. 'What kind of question is that?'

“Uh, now that you mention it, I'm not sure. It might've been a chipmunk...” she mused jokingly. As Applejack gave her a deadpan look, Rainbow smirked and nodded condescendingly. “Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was a chipmunk.”

“Alright, alright, dumb question,” Applejack granted with a roll of her eyes. “Just doesn't seem like her to agree to farm work. Or to gamble, at that.” She shrugged and turned her eyes to her food, taking a generous bite of one of the daffodil and daisy sandwiches.

“She seemed pretty confident,” said Rainbow thoughtfully as she took another bite of her own. “I guess she really believes it could work... Shows what she knows, right?”

Applejack gave a vague grunt and a nod, though she was obviously putting more thought into it. After almost a minute of silence, Rainbow decided that the farmpony was putting too much thought into it, and decided to steer the 'conversation' in a more interesting direction.

“So c'mon, what're you gonna do with Rarity when we win this bet?” Rainbow asked with an excited smile.

Obviously, something in her tone caught Applejack's attention, because the thoughtful look on the orange mare's face turned to a smirk as she chewed. “Well, I reckon it's about time the old pig sty got a good cleaning...”

With their lunch date fully underway, the two of them talked, laughed and generally enjoyed each others' company for as long as the first and second rounds of sandwiches lasted. It wasn't at all unlike any other time that Rainbow'd had lunch with Applejack. In fact, aside from the exciting prospect of winning the bet with Rarity and watching the fashionista muss herself up, it was 'exactly' like a normal lunch date. The thought of the 'romantic' side of things didn't even occur to Rainbow... until it did, of course. But, even then, it was dismissed almost as soon as it popped into her head.

Having just polished off the final sandwich on her second plate, Rainbow leant back on her stool, closed her eyes and sighed in satisfaction. “One more round?” she suggested to Applejack, who'd just pardoned herself after a belch.

“Mmm, I reckon not, sugarcube,” said the farmpony dreamily. “Any more food and we ain't gonna be moving all afternoon.”

Rainbow grunted. “Doesn't sound like such a bad idea...” She opened her eyes and met Applejack's again, smiling. “But I'm guessing you don't feel like taking a nap?”

“Can't,” said Applejack with a shake of the head. “I've gotta get back to work in half an hour—got lots of chores that still need doing.”

“Oh,” said Rainbow, a frown dancing across her face. She rolled her neck and gave it a moment's thought. “Well, half an hour's still plenty of time to hang out, I guess.”

“Hmm? What's that, now?” Applejack grunted.

“Uh, I mean, there's still some time to hang out, if you want,” said Rainbow hurriedly, trying to sound nonchalant. She'd instinctively assumed that they'd be hanging out for a little longer, though she probably shouldn't have. Applejack had only agreed to lunch, after all...

The farmpony glanced up at the sky for a moment, then gave Rainbow a lop-sided smile. “Well, I guess we could do something to burn off some of this food,” she mused aloud.

Rainbow cocked her head. “Hmm? What, like, a run?” Usually, running wasn't very high on her list of things to do right after eating, but if Applejack was going...

“A run sounds good, don't it?” Applejack said, getting to her hooves and stretching. “'Course, if you'd rather have your nap and call it a day—”

“No, no, I'm game,” said Rainbow hurriedly. She nosed into the money pouch that hung around her neck and tossed several bits onto the table, before rising to her hooves as well. “I'm thinking Sweet Apple Acres via Whitetail Woods—should take about twenty minutes, right?”

Applejack curled her lip as if she was trying to calculate it, then gave a satisfied nod.

Whitetail Woods were pretty awesome at this time of year—with all the plant-life and flowers in full bloom, and the branches of the trees all filled with dark green leaves. The grass underhoof was soft and warm, and Rainbow savoured every step as she galloped along beside Applejack.

The sound of laughter brought her back to her senses. Cocking her head, she turned to give the grinning farmpony a questioning look. “What?”

“Nothing,” said Applejack, keeping her eyes ahead and not slowing down for a second. “Just trying to figure you out, is all.”

Rainbow creased her brow. “Huh? What's there to figure out?”

“Well, you invite me out on this lunch date,” she began matter-of-factly. “...And you're determined not to have fun, so's you can win a bet or some such. And now, here we are, running through Whitetail Woods 'cause you want to spend more time with me—” She gave Rainbow a sidelong smile. “—Kind of backwards, ain't it?”

“Hey, nopony said we can't have fun!” Rainbow threw back. “In fact, I think I remember saying we were gonna have fun. Rarity said I only lose if we have a 'thoroughly delightful and romantic time' —” She stuck out her tongue and closed her eyes in a gag, narrowly dodging a tree when she opened them again. “—And there's nothing romantic about this, right?”

Applejack's smile widened a little. “Nope, nothing at all! Just two totally platonic friends on a casual run through the forest! It's like we ain't even on a date at all!”

Their eyes met for a moment, and Rainbow found herself copying Applejack's smile, as if infected by it. They shared a short laugh before turning back to the winding trail ahead and upping the pace a little.

'This is what I'm talking about,' Rainbow thought to herself. Just like she'd told Rarity, she and Applejack were perfectly awesome just the way they were—as friends. Neither of them needed anything more than that, and there was no sense in making a mess of things by trying to make a romantic relationship work when they both knew that it wouldn't. 'If it ain't broke...'

They cantered on in companionable silence, before long emerging from the treeline and rejoining the trail that lead up towards Sweet Apple Acres. It was strange, but Rainbow could've sworn that she saw Applejack stumble a few times during their run, as if she was tired or unfocussed. Rainbow kept herself from pointing it out though—even if it might've been good ammunition for a tease or a playful stab, she didn't want to ruin the subtle magic of the run.

As the farmhouse drew into sight, far in the distance, the two ponies exchanged looks and smirked in a silent agreement. As always, the last leg of their run would be a sprint. Rainbow didn't need a countdown or any cue other than the shared look—as she sped up, so did Applejack, and the two of them dashed, side by side, towards their goal.

If they hadn't been running for so long already, Rainbow would totally have left Applejack in the dust within seconds. As it was, she started to feel the aching in her legs the moment she sped up, but she managed to keep pace with her partner all the same. Running was a total pain, compared to flying...

The two of them slowed together and eventually came to a stop outside the farmhouse, both panting a little and both offering content smiles as their eyes locked.

“Well, here we are, I guess,” said Rainbow redundantly, when she'd managed to catch her breath. She smirked at Applejack. “Want me to walk you to the door, or have you got it from here?”

Applejack rolled her eyes and bumped playfully into Rainbow's side. “I'll manage. Thanks for the run, sugarcube—it was good to let off some steam.”

“You said it,” Rainbow agreed, idly turning her gaze back towards the trail. A run with Applejack always seemed to have the same effect on her—somehow leaving her both utterly exhausted and completely refreshed at the same time. It was a weird feeling, and one she didn't get nearly as often as she'd like.

“You alright there, sugarcube?” came Applejack's voice.

Turning, Rainbow saw the farmpony regarding her with a concerned frown. Rainbow quickly shook her head. “I'm cool. It's nothing...” Almost as soon as the words had left her mouth, a certain thought wormed its way to the front of her mind. “...Hey, AJ?”

“Yes, partner?” said Applejack.

“I'm just wondering... you said a couple of times that you don't see how this counts as a date,” Rainbow said thoughtfully. “I mean, we obviously have different ideas of what a date is, 'cause it seemed like a date to me, I just... D'you think Rarity'll buy it?”

Applejack blinked at her, clearly not following. After a moment of staring and pursing her lips, Rainbow shook her head and looked away. “Ah, whatever. It's a date as far as I care, so—”

She was interrupted as something soft and warm pressed up against her cheek. Her eyes went wide and her wings shot out instinctively as she realised what Applejack was doing. She was kissing her. Only on the cheek, of course, so it wasn't really that big of a deal, but still...

As Applejack pulled back and their eyes met, the farmpony offered a confident smirk. “There ya go. Now it's a date,” she said coolly.

Rainbow blinked, then broke out a smirk of her own. “Yeah. Pretty sure she won't be able to argue with that one.”

“Glad that's settled then,” Applejack chuckled as she trotted up to her door and laid a hoof on it.

Ears perking, Rainbow hurriedly spoke up. “Uh, so, see you tomorrow?” she said, a little louder than intended.

Applejack paused mid-way through pushing the door open and turned to give her a smile and a nod. “Sure. So long as we can do something other than 'just grab lunch', I mean. Maybe something a little more like that run?”

“Y-you bet!” said Rainbow, nodding emphatically as elation—and a little relief—washed over her. “Uh, cool! Yeah, catch ya later!”

With one last smile, Applejack disappeared inside and closed the door, leaving Rainbow to stare after her for a moment, before finally flapping her wings and taking to the sky.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel a little like Pinkie Pie as the warm bathwater and bubbles lapped up against her neck that afternoon. The goofy smile she wore as she stared at her toy boat was for a myriad of reasons... She smiled because of the comfortable water in which she was submerged. She smiled because of how much fun she'd had in such a short time with Applejack earlier. She smiled because absolutely nothing romantical had happened on their date, and because she was well on her way to winning the bet with Rarity.

In fact, she couldn't think of any reason not to smile. Even the prospect of having to get up early to clear the sky again, after tonight's planned rainfall, was made brighter by the knowledge that she'd get to go on another date with Applejack when she was finished.

It was a weird thing to look forward to, really. They usually saw each other pretty much every day anyway, and hung out two or three times a week. Even so, she was looking forward to their date much more than she typically looked forward to hanging out with anypony...

Rainbow turned her head towards the sound of movement at her side. Her pet tortoise had just just alighted on the stool beside the bathtub. The blades of Tank's magic-propelled helicopter whirred to a halt as he gave Rainbow a slow, meaningful look.

“That time already?” grunted Rainbow, casting an instinctive glance towards the window. She'd promised that her weekly flying session with Tank would be today, though she'd still had an hour to go when she'd gotten into the bath... “Huh... Okay, I'm coming. Wait for me on the porch. And try not to fall off, this time!” she added hastily as the tortoise took off out of the window.

With a smile and a shake of the head, Rainbow drew herself up out of the bath and grabbed a towel from the nearby rack. As she set about drying her coat and mane, her mind wandered back to Applejack...

Maybe it was the prospect of doing something more exciting than 'just lunch' that had Rainbow so excited about tomorrow. More likely, it was just the chance of winning the bet with Rarity. Or maybe it had something to do with that kiss on the cheek that she'd been given when they parted—

She stopped mid-way through drying her hooves as that thought crossed her mind. For a long moment, she stared straight ahead in silence...

“...Nah,” she said, shaking her head dismissively.

Chapter Four: One day 'til Hearts and Hooves

Rainbow Dash reached into the wildflower bush and plucked out a selection of different colours—the last few that she needed to finish her bouquet. With a satisfied smirk, she gathered up the dozen or so she'd collected thus far and broke into a gallop towards Sweet Apple Acres, careful not to bite down on any of the stems.

It was still early morning, but Rainbow hadn't been able to bring herself to waste time waiting for Applejack to finish her chores, especially after waking up at the crack of dawn without any work of her own to get on with. That said, she hadn't found the time to come up with a half-decent plan either...

As the farmhouse drew into sight, she slowed down to a jog, then a trot, and finally to an uncomfortably steady walk. The door to Applejack's place seemed to get bigger and bigger as she drew nearer, and it was impossible not to feel just a little anxious. The evening before, she'd had a fire in her chest that would've chased away any such doubt in a second. Now, that fire had died down to mere embers, and she was finding it a lot harder to stay cool than she would've liked.

She stood before the door for seconds or minutes, trying to figure out what exactly she was going to say. Unlike Twilight or Rarity—with whom she still had a score to settle—Rainbow wasn't so great at planning ahead. She usually just 'went with the flow'—'played it by ear'—that kind of thing. She hoped that it'd work this time, because this was kind of important, and she really didn't want to mess it up.

From inside, there came the familiar twang of Applejack's voice—something about cutie marks and a missing saucepan. The sound alone was enough of a push to make Rainbow shake off her nerves.

She lifted a hoof and rapped on the door with a determined look on her face, made somewhat harder to achieve by the bouquet in her mouth. It went silent for a moment, then hoofsteps approached from the other side of the door. Rainbow squared her shoulders.

The door swung inwards, and there was Applejack—standing as casually as she pleased and wearing a welcoming smile on her lips. That all changed when she caught sight of Rainbow Dash, at which point the farmpony's smile froze and her eyes went wide. She stared blankly at the bouquet.

“Peace offering,” Rainbow coolly slurred around the flowers, stepping forwards to present them to Applejack, whose look of surprise only seemed to deepen.

“Dash, what—”

“If you don't take 'em, I'm gonna eat 'em,” said Rainbow in a mock dangerous voice. She proffered the flowers again.

Applejack seemed able to do nothing other than stare blankly, throwing in the occasional blink to mix things up.

With a roll of her eyes, Rainbow bent down and laid the bouquet at Applejack's hooves. The pegasus stopped just short of drawing herself back up with a smile, knowing that that wasn't really appropriate after all that happened the day before.

An apologetic frown made its way onto her face as she looked up to meet Applejack's eyes.

“I'm... sorry, alright?” she managed, averting her gaze again as soon as the words left her. “What I said yesterday... I didn't mean it. Not like it sounded, anyway.”

Applejack huffed loudly. “Dash, you—”

“Let me finish!” Rainbow pleaded. “Look, I know it was really uncool. And I know you probably hate me for it. I brought you breakfast 'cause I didn't want to leave things like that...”

Rainbow trailed off, not sure what to say next. For the second time in as many days, the words wouldn't come when she needed them. And it was really, really annoying!

Applejack just shook her head, probably offended by the pathetic attempt at an apology. She lifted a fetlock, and Rainbow instinctively closed her eyes, expecting a punch in the jaw, which, to be completely fair, she more than deserved.

What she got instead was a hug.

“I ain't mad at you, ya dumb pegasus,” said Applejack tiredly. “You didn't have to bring me flowers to make up...”

Surprised, relieved and a little confused, Rainbow closed her eyes and let out a huff. “Maybe not. But I wanted to.” She pressed her head up against Applejack's mane. “I was an embarrassed jerk yesterday... I couldn't just show up here empty-hooved and expect you to forgive me.”

Applejack's chest rattled a little. “Sure you could've. But I appreciate the gesture all the same.” She squeezed Rainbow a little tighter before going on. “Y'know, I didn't really believe Rarity over you. I was just teasing... didn't think it'd set you off like that. I guess I'm sorry too.”

Rainbow opened her eyes. “Huh? You believed me?”

“'Course I did. I know you ain't the kind of pony to make up a story like that—” She broke off and made a little grunting noise. “—Not that I'd have really minded if ya did...”

“Wait, so... I'm off the hook?” said Rainbow, pulling back to look Applejack in the eye.

The farmpony's expression darkened a little. “Well, you still shouted at me.”

“But you said you're not mad!”

“Oh, so you were listening to that part,” said Applejack with a roll of her eyes. “Yeah, you're off the hook. This time.”

Rainbow unfurled her wings and took to the air with a cheer, performing a quick, backwards loop in her excitement. She flashed Applejack a wide grin as she landed, to which the farmpony responded with a smile and a shake of the head.

“Great!” Rainbow declared. “Then I guess I can get right on to that other thing.”

Applejack creased an eyebrow. “Other thing?

Giving the suspense a moment to build, Rainbow idly rolled her neck and flicked back her mane. She gave Applejack a moment longer to try and guess, but decided to take mercy when the farmpony still looked utterly clueless after ten seconds or so.

“AJ, I want to go on another date with you,” said Rainbow shortly. It came out a lot easier than expected, and she couldn't help but smirk at the powerful feeling the words gave her.

For her part, Applejack's mouth fell open a little. When she managed to regain herself a moment later, she shook her head and smiled back at Rainbow. “Well, I guess that ain't too much of a surprise. You wanting to win your bet and all—”

Rainbow put a hoof to Applejack's lips. It was an instinctive little gesture that didn't really mean anything, but Rainbow still felt heat rising to her cheeks as Applejack's eyes went wide. She tried not to let it bother her.

“Forget the bet,” said Rainbow. “And forget Rarity, forget all that junk. I don't even care anymore. I just want us to go out on a proper date that works, without having to think about any of that. I don't care if we just have some fun or if we end up making out in a field somewhere—I just have to go out with you again, okay?”

There was long pause. Rainbow's cheeks burned, despite how cool she probably just sounded. There was a little more truth to her words than she would've liked, but she stood by them, all the same.

When the silence was finally broken, it was by Applejack's laughter. It was unexpected, it was short and it was honest. And, when she'd finished, the farmpony practically beamed at Rainbow. “You really mean that?” she asked. “All of it?”

“E-every word!” said Rainbow, drawing herself up and puffing out her chest defiantly.

Applejack's warm, smiling stare lasted a moment more, until she reached up to adjust her hat. “Well, I reckon I can't say no to that, can I?”

It wasn't really a question, but Rainbow shook her head anyway. In truth, there would've been no way that she'd leave without a 'Yes' anyway.

“Let's go now,” said Applejack. “It's Market Day, so the Town Square's as good a place as any to start, right?”

Rainbow Dash blinked as Applejack picked up the flowers and offered them to her.

“We can eat these on the way,” the farmpony declared. “No sense leaving 'em here.”

“Uh... cool,” said Rainbow. Surprised and gratified by Applejack's sudden enthusiasm, she leant forwards and took the bouquet. Their cheeks brushed by necessity, and Rainbow held the touch for a little longer than she should have, just to enjoy the warm feeling.

When she pulled back with the flowers in tow, Rainbow flashed Applejack one last smile before making for the trail.

“RD, hold on a sec!”

Rainbow stopped dead and raised her eyebrows at Applejack, who had suddenly stepped closer so that their snouts were touching. The green-eyed mare had a determined look about her. “...You'd better not be messing with me,” Applejack said, quiet but firm.

Rainbow had nothing to worry about. She gave a short nod and turned to face the trail again. Nopony was messing around this time.

The Town Square was always loud and bustling on Market Day, but with this being the last one before Hearts and Hooves day, it was even busier than usual. Rainbow Dash and Applejack practically had to press up against each other to avoid getting separated by the throngs of ponies milling about. Not that Rainbow minded, and Applejack didn't seem to have any complaints either.

They weaved in and around the Square, strolling up to the occasional stall to browse the goods it sported. Hat stalls, food stalls, jewellery stalls... there was enough in that one Square to keep them busy for the whole afternoon.

'And why not?' Rainbow thought as they finished looking at a stall that showed off a selection of radical-looking sunglasses. 'I'm not going anywhere—today's all about hanging with AJ.'

She cast a smile over at her partner, who returned it gladly.

They came to a stop beside a particularly quiet curios stall, the owner of which was somehow managing to sleep in his chair, even with the racket going on all around him. Rainbow had to admit to being jealous of that kind of skill—it'd sure be useful when she was trying to catch a few winks around Pinkie Pie.

“What's this thinger?” said Applejack, poking at something on display. “Looks like a windmill.”

Rainbow leaned forwards so that she could get a look. “That? It's an anemometer,” she said off-hoofedly. “Pegasi use it to measure our wing power. It's cool, check it out...” She bent down and blew on the device, sending its blades twirling gently. The little gauge on the side shifted a little.

Applejack raised her eyebrows. “Huh. Neat.”

Rainbow smirked. Applejack probably had no idea what wing power was, or why measuring it was important, but she acted interested all the same. Rainbow decided to take that as a compliment.

They spent a few more minutes perusing the even less interesting contraptions on display before heading for the next stall that caught their eye. Normally, Rainbow would've been bored out of her mind by now. Every time she'd browsed the market before, she'd gotten tired after about twenty minutes and flown off to do something more interesting. Like nap.

This time, it'd already been an hour or so, and she was actually having a hard time keeping the goofy smile off of her face. The company, the idle comments and the occasional small talk she shared with Applejack proved to be more than enough to keep her entertained...

“What're ya thinking about?” said Applejack, as if she could read it on Rainbow's face or something.

The pegasus shook her head and smiled at her sidelong. “Oh, nothin'.”

Applejack gave her a look that said 'Yeah, right' and opened her mouth to make some kind of smart comment. But, before she could say anything, her gaze drifted to something behind Rainbow, and her eyes went wide as she stopped moving.

“Hmm? You see something?” said Rainbow, pulling back and following her eyes.

Applejack grunted vaguely and trotted towards another stall with a curious look on her face. With an idle shrug, Rainbow followed.

An assortment of mane and tail accessories dotted the dark blue cloth of the stall in front of them—flowers, headbands, cute little metal things in the shape of critters... but Applejack's eyes were fixed on one item in particular.

“Whatcha looking at? The bow?” said Rainbow, joining her.

Applejack nodded slowly. “Kind of pretty, ain't it?”

Rainbow grunted and leaned in to get a better look. A neatly tied, rose red bow that looked as if it doubled as a hair tie... yeah, it was kind of pretty, she guessed. If you were into that stuff.

“Good eye, you've got there, fillies,” said a brown pegasus stallion, presumably the stall's owner. He was on the weather team, but Rainbow couldn't remember his name. “That there bow is yours for six bits if you want it. Just give me a holler!” With that, he trotted off to speak to another customer.

Rainbow cast Applejack a glance. “Six bits, not bad. You gonna buy it?”

“Hmm? Oh, nah. It's a waste of money,” said Applejack casually. “I've already got a hair tie, don't need another one.”

“Um, I thought you just said you liked it,” said Rainbow, furrowing a brow.

“I said it was kind of pretty. But if I went ahead and bought everything I thought was pretty, I'd have to sell the farm.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “It's just six bits.”

“Ah, I don't really want it anyway,” Applejack lied poorly. “Besides, I didn't bring any money. C'mon, let's go check out that stall over there.”

As the farmpony started walking away, Rainbow offered the bow a lop-sided smile. Then she shook her head and made to follow Applejack, only to stop a moment later and glance back at the stall.

“You coming, RD?” asked Applejack.

“Uh... actually, you go on. There's something I've gotta do quickly,” said Rainbow.

Applejack creased her brow and offered a doubtful look.

Rainbow just waved her off. “I forgot to feed Tank,” she lied. “It'll take, like, thirty seconds. Just trust me, go on!”

After a long stare, Applejack shrugged and turned to head towards the next stall, mumbling something about 'random pegasuses'.

As soon as her partner was out of earshot, Rainbow leaned over to the stall owner. “Hey, buddy! C'mere a sec...”

Hours later—Rainbow wasn't sure how many—the two of them sauntered along a trail through the park. They each wore content smiles, having just enjoyed a full meal and a dessert of ice cream from an incredibly popular stall run by the Cakes of Sugarcube Corner. By the time they'd finished there, Rainbow was finally starting to get a little bored of the market, but she didn't get the chance to say anything. Funnily enough, it was Applejack who suggested a change of scenery, and together they agreed to get out of there and find somewhere a little quieter.

With everypony no doubt still back at the market, the park was relatively quiet. There were a hoof-full of other couples wandering around here and there, but they were so few and far between that they were hardly noticeable.

Other couples... If Rainbow had said that out loud, she'd have had to bury her head in the ground to hide her shame. She and Applejack weren't a couple, that was a totally presumptuous thing to think. They were just dating for today. Anything beyond that was for future Rainbow Dash to worry about.

With a forced gulp, Rainbow brought herself back to the present. They'd been walking in silence for way too long now. Not that it was awkward. It was more like the cool kind of silence that friends had sometimes. Even so, there was something she'd been meaning to surprise Applejack with, and now was as good a time as any.

“Hey, Applejack, mind if we take a break?” said Rainbow coolly as they neared a bench beside the fountain.

Applejack smiled across at her. “Don't mind at all, sugarcube. I was just thinking the same thing.”

With a satisfied grunt, Rainbow hopped up onto the bench and settled herself down on her belly, whilst Applejack did the same opposite her. In hindsight, it was kind of an awkward sitting arrangement for two non-romantically-involved ponies, but Rainbow didn't really care. There was nopony around to see them anyway.

For a while, the two of them just smiled across at each other, chilling out in each others' company. Rainbow chuckled beside herself—'Applejack, taking the time to chill out? That'd be the day...'

“C'mon, spit it out,” said Applejack, rolling her eyes.

Rainbow just gave her an innocent smile. “Spit what out?”

Applejack tried and failed to hide her smirk. “There's obviously something you're itching to say. What is it?”

“Nothing!” said Rainbow happily. “I've just got something for you. But, if you'd rather I talked instead—”

“Something for me?” the suddenly-curious farmpony repeated. “Like what?”

“Ah, it's nothing really... Maybe I'll just save it for another time,” Rainbow teased.

Applejack huffed grumpily and reached out to poke her in the chest. “That ain't fair—you've mentioned it now!”

“Mentioned what?”

“RD—”

“Alright, alright!” Rainbow half-chuckled. Still grinning widely, she lowered her snout and started forcing her way into the pouch around her neck.

Applejack gave a little, interested grunt. “I thought that thing was lookin' a mite bulky. Whatcha got in there?”

Rainbow struggled with her pouch for a moment longer before dropping it down onto the bench and trying again. When she finally managed to get in, she bit softly down on the red material inside and lifted it out into the light.

Shock played across Applejack's face as her mouth fell open wordlessly, staring at the red bow in Rainbow's teeth. The pegasus couldn't help but chuckle at the dopey look on Applejack's face as she laid it down between them.

“Dash,” Applejack breathed. “...I said it was a waste of money.”

Rainbow flicked her mane back coolly. “Yeah. And I said it's only six bits. It's my money to waste how I want, right?”

Applejack blinked, huffed and averted her eyes. “You didn't have to waste it on me...”

“Whatever. You gonna let me put it on you or what?” said Rainbow, smirking at her embarrassed companion.

A long moment passed before Applejack's hat fell from her head. She caught it with her teeth and propped it up against the back of the bench, out of the way, before shrugging so that her mane fell down around one shoulder. She still wasn't looking at Rainbow, but she was smiling beside herself.

Happily taking that as consent enough, Rainbow hopped down from the bench, grabbed the bow and leant in to tie it into Applejack's mane. She was as gentle as she could be, and she took her time so that she could enjoy the way Applejack's coarse, but somehow still soft, mane felt against her nose. And so that she didn't drop the bow or something embarrassing like that...

“And... there!” said Rainbow finally. She pulled back to admire her work and tossed the old hair tie onto the bench in front of Applejack.

For her part, the cute farmpony shifted her hoof and pulled the end of her mane around so that she could see it. Her smile widened as she saw the bow.

“Well, how does it look on me?” she asked, flashing a hopeful look up at Rainbow.

“It looks pretty awesome,” Rainbow admitted with a smile. It really did. She wasn't one for hair ribbons herself, but the way that Applejack laid there, with her mane in front of her and her smile highlighted by the big, red bow just below her snout... it sure was hard not to look at. In a good way. “...But there's something missing,” Rainbow added, furrowing her brow in mock thought.

Applejack's smile fell a little. “There is? What—”

In one, smooth motion, Rainbow leant forwards, grabbed Applejack's hat from the bench and set it down atop the surprised farmpony's head. She paused for effect in the face of Applejack's expression, then nodded to herself. “There. Now it's perfect.”

Not even Applejack could avoid being impressed by that gesture. Her cheeks took on a satisfying tinge as she returned the smile with something shining in her eye. “Thanks, RD,” she said. “Y'know, you can be kind of sweet when you want to be.”

Rainbow felt a rush of pride and elation at the compliment, though she was determiend not to show it. “Sweet? Bleh—” She performed an exaggerated gag. “—I'd rather be awesome... or radical.”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, that goes without saying, don't it?”

There was a short pause before Applejack turned her eyes to the sky in thought. Rainbow opened her mouth to ask what was up, but she closed it again a moment later, in favour of waiting to see if Applejack told her anyway.

Suddenly, Applejack bounced to her hooves, taking Rainbow by surprise. “Wait here for a sec,” she said, already turning to trot down the trail towards Ponyville.

“Huh? Where're you going?”

“I've got to go pick something up. It'll take ten minutes or so. You can take a nap while I'm gone if you want,” said Applejack off-hoofedly, not slowing down.

“W-wait!” Rainbow spat. Her voice came out a little louder than she'd intended... This would be the second time that Applejack had left her in the park, and Rainbow couldn't stop the nagging thought that she'd done something to upset her again.

The farmpony stopped and cast a knowing smile back at Rainbow. “Just trust me, sugarcube. I've got an idea for what we can do next, but you've got to wait here for a bit, so's you don't spoil the surprise.”

Rainbow shut her mouth. “Oh... Right. Okay.”

With that, Applejack turned her back on Rainbow again and trotted away down the trail, soon breaking into a brisk canter. Rainbow idly curled her lip, hopped up onto the bench and watched her go, wondering what this sudden idea of hers was all about...

The afternoon was drawing to a close, with the Sun sinking ever closer towards its western resting place. It was still pleasantly warm out as Rainbow followed Applejack across the grassy outskirts of town, merrily watching her golden tail bob from side to side as she walked.

“Just up here,” said Applejack, bouncing her newfound pair of saddlebags atop her back. They bore Twilight's cutie mark, and Applejack claimed to have borrowed them from her, since it would've taken too long to go home and get her own.

Rainbow was still trying to guess what was inside, since Applejack had refused to tell her, for fear of 'spoiling the surprise'. Judging by the softness which Rainbow had felt when she'd 'accidentally' bumped into the bags a couple of times, her first guess was scarves—not that she could fathom what use scarves would be on a hot day like this.

The two of them crested a particularly tall grassy knoll, and Applejack finally came to a stop. Rainbow drew up alongside and gave her a questioning look. “Uh, you okay?”

“Yup,” said Applejack. “We're here.”

“...We are?” said Rainbow, even as Applejack slipped the bags from her back and started rifling through them. “But... there's nothing here.”

Applejack gave a little grunt. “Exactly. Nice, ain't it?”

Rainbow furrowed a brow. “I guess?”

When Applejack pulled her snout out of the bag, she had a thick-looking blanket held in her teeth. 'Not scarves, then...' but Rainbow still couldn't guess what they'd need a blanket for.

She watched with interest as Applejack laid the blanket out on the grass, stood atop it and padded around to flatten it.

“There, perfect!” Applejack declared, lowering herself onto her belly atop the blanket and casting an inviting look back at Rainbow.

“So... what're we doing?” said Rainbow, her heart beating subtly faster as she took a nervous step towards her partner.

“Ain't telling ya. You're gonna have to wait and see,” said Applejack smugly. “But I'm pretty sure you'll like it.”

Rainbow gulped as Applejack turned to look towards the horizon. She wasn't scared, of course. There was nothing scary about her date laying out a comfy-looking blanket on a totally non-romantic hilltop, asking her to join her for a mystery activity...

Rainbow's heart beat faster still.

“Well?” Applejack prompted, looking back at Rainbow again.

The neither scared nor nervous pegasus shook the thoughts from her head and hurried forwards to join Applejack, laying down beside her, about a hoof's distance away. Applejack smiled her approval.

A half-awkward, half-content silence fell between them—with Rainbow's being the awkward half. She tried to think of a topic of conversation, but she wasn't really sure if that was what Applejack had in mind. Maybe she was just supposed to wait.

“Mighty nice of Twilight to lend us this,” said Applejack randomly.

“Yep. Mighty nice,” Rainbow repeated with feigned cheer in her voice.

Applejack slid a little closer, though she kept her eyes on the horizon. “Pretty comfy, ain't it?”

Rainbow could practically hear her own heartbeat now. “I-it sure is.” A timid part of her wanted to shuffle away, to keep a comfortable distance between her and Applejack. But her muscles wouldn't listen—almost as if they'd gone to sleep.

'Wait a sec...' she thought to herself. 'What am I trying to move away for?' She glanced sidelong at Applejack, who'd stopped a few inches away, probably waiting for Rainbow to make the next move.

The pegasus licked her lips in consideration for a second, before shifting her weight and forcing herself to swallow the block that was forming in her throat. She unfurled a wing, held it high in the air for a long moment, then draped it over Applejack.

The little gesture brought a smile to her partner's face—a gentle smile—but Applejack made no move other than that. Rainbow Dash exhaled through her nose and shook her head lightly, scolding herself for doubting her friend. With renewed confidence, she slid closer and pressed her side up against Applejack.

Between the closeness, the blanket beneath them and the wing they shared, the whole hilltop was draped in a softly warm atmosphere. Rainbow wasn't quite sure what this was supposed to be—beyond comfortable, that is. Maybe this was how proper, earth pony dates ended. It made sense... the hill, the gentle wind, the simplicity—earth ponies were usually pretty straightforward about most things, why not dates too?

“Y'know, I never thought I'd find myself here,” said Rainbow accidentally. She was so deep in thought that she didn't even realise she'd said it until Applejack gave her a questioning look.

“Hmm? What's that?”

Rainbow closed her eyes. “A head-in-the-clouds pegasus and a down-to-earth farmpony...” she mused aloud.

“You've lost me, sugarcube,” said Applejack.

With a shake of the head, Rainbow dismissed the dreamy thoughts from her mind. Maybe she should've taken that nap earlier after all... “Ah, it's nothing. Just something somepony said.”

Applejack grunted as if to say 'Whatever' and went back to watching the horizon. “...Well, I reckon I know what you mean 'bout not thinking you'd end up here,” she said after a moment. “I never pictured myself skipping chores to go on a date.”

“You skipped chores?” Rainbow snickered.

“I'll do 'em later,” said Applejack casually. She smiled and shook with a silent chuckle. “Guess some of that flighty pegasus attitude is rubbing off on me.”

Rainbow giggled at that, albeit quietly, so as not to disturb the atmosphere. It felt weird to be worrying about something like that... maybe Applejack was rubbing off on her, too.

In the silence that followed, the pegasus idly stared down at the blanket, wondering about what Applejack had planned, about how the date would end. She tried not to think or fantasise, but as her mind wandered back to the kiss Applejack had given her on their first date—or not date, as it was—she couldn't help herself.

She cast a glance over at her partner. “Um, hey, Applejack? Are we—”

“Wait,” Applejack interrupted. She nodded towards the horizon. “It's starting.”

“What's starting?” said Rainbow, only to have her question answered for her when she followed Applejack's eyes.

The Sun had just started to sink beyond the horizon, and an orange-red shadow was creeping across the clear, blue sky. Rainbow suddenly became aware of just how quiet it was on that hilltop. It was almost as if the swishing of the mild breeze against her ears and the rhythmic breathing of Applejack at her side were the only sounds in the world right then.

Rainbow's mouth formed an 'o' as she watched the horizon lighting up with a gentle glare, casting its radiance across the rolling plains beyond Ponyville. It spread all the way from the mountains in the distance, across the edges of the Everfree forest and up the side of their own hill, bathing each of them in amber light.

Turning on instinct, Rainbow saw that Applejack was staring out at the sunset with a brilliant smile on her lips. The glow caught her eyes just right, giving them a speckled glisten... a sort of sparkle in the twilight. As inappropriately blunt as it sounded in the face of such an awesome phenomenon, Rainbow couldn't stop herself from thinking it...

Applejack looked beautiful.

If Rainbow had tried—really, really tried—she might've been able to look back at the horizon and watch the last of the sunset. But, looking hard enough, she could kind of see it reflected in Applejack's eyes too, and that was a way cooler picture.

Of course, the moment of utter awesomeness was over all too soon. The glow steadily withdrew, leaving the two of them in a vague sort of half-light. Rainbow blinked slowly as Applejack turned to her. The smile on her partner's face was twice as gorgeous when it was directed at her.

Words. Rainbow needed to say some words. Not because it was awkward to sit there staring, but just... because.

“...Thanks,” she said scratchily. “For this... And for today, I guess.” She returned Applejack's faint little smile. “I had fun.”

Applejack chuckled quietly. “Me too, sugarcube.” There was a short, staring pause before she rolled her head a little and went on. “And I got myself a new hair thingy out of it, so it's all good.”

They shared a little laugh, but Rainbow Dash stopped almost immediately and adopted a thoughtful sort of smile as she glanced towards the ground. Applejack's chuckling died down a second later.

“...That was a joke, RD,” the farmpony clarified.

Rainbow scoffed and looked back up at her. “Yeah, I know. I was just thinking...”

Applejack's smile went somewhat lop-sided. “I reckon I know what about,” she said, her voice quiet. “...And I reckon I'm thinking about it too.”

Rainbow's throat went dry. “Really?” she managed. “Because what I'm thinking about is... pretty stupid.”

“Yup,” said Applejack with a tiny nod.

From the look in Applejack's eye, Rainbow was starting to get the distinct feeling that she was thinking along similar lines. 'But how could she be?' Rainbow wondered. Applejack was dependable, realistic... there was no way—

“A-and it's reckless,” Rainbow continued hesitantly.

Those already huge, emerald eyes seemed to draw steadily closer. “Sounds about right,” Applejack muttered, clearly not bothered in the slightest.

Rainbow gulped, finding herself drawn forwards by some invisible force. “And... probably friendship-wrecking.”

“Uh huh,” grunted Applejack, her eyes becoming half-lidded. Rainbow could feel her breath against her nose.

Rainbow's own eyelids started to droop. “And... just really... really—”

She was cut off as her lips pressed up against the sweet softness of Applejack's own. The perfect silence resettled over the hilltop as Rainbow's eyes closed and months or years of latent anticipation twisted and swirled into purest elation within her stomach. She let out a breath through her nose and pressed her lips further into the farmpony's.

Her mind was completely blank. No objections, no reservations, just pure, unbridled emotion, channelling itself into the kiss. It was like a dream, only... real...

Again, the moment ended all too soon.

As their lips began to part, Rainbow leant forwards to snatch one last instant of pleasure before her perfect fantasy ended and she had to face the real world again. She caught Applejack's lips just before they escaped and tugged them gently back for the most amazing fraction of a second of her life. And then they slipped away.

Rainbow's eyes drifted open in harmony with those of the beautiful, softly breathing farmpony beside her.

“...Wow,” Rainbow managed, her throat even drier now than it had been before.

Applejack ran her tongue over her lips before tilting her head up ever-so-slightly to meet Rainbow's eyes. “That about says it...” She offered the warmest smile she'd ever given.

Rainbow smiled back. Anything more than that seemed... pointless. Redundant.

She turned to look towards the darkening horizon again, and Applejack turned along with her. The Sun had long since hidden itself, and the last flecks of orange were fading into purple. They softly leant their heads up against one another and revelled in the touch—a shared, unspoken sentiment that they still had a few minutes of sunset left to enjoy before the day drew to a close... Still had a few minutes of this perfect togetherness before whatever tomorrow would bring.

Chapter Five: Hearts and Hooves Day

The following morning saw Rainbow Dash floating down the trail towards Sweet Apple Acres. Not darting, soaring or dashing—just floating at an ever steady pace and bobbing from side to side with a goofy smile on her lips. If it seemed alternate-universe-level strange to Rainbow herself, then she could only imagine what everypony else would think if they saw her.

There hadn't been anypony on the trail so far, which wasn't uncommon—especially not so early. That said, as Rainbow turned her eyes ahead again, she could make out a mare-sized white figure coming in the opposite direction. It wasn't exactly hard to guess who it was.

Rainbow glided down to the ground and alighted on the trail, shifting to a gentle walk as her friend drew closer.

“Hey, Rarity,” she said coolly. “Whatcha up to?”

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity chirped with a smile. “I just finished stitching up Applebloom's 'Crusader Cape' and thought I'd drop it off, since I didn't have anything else to do this morning.”

Rainbow grunted. 'Yeah, right. As if that's all you're up to.'

“But what about you, darling? Didn't you say that you were working all day?”

“Yeah, I was,” said Rainbow with a flick of her mane. “But not anymore. I got Cloud Kicker and Blossomforth to cover for me. If I was working all day, I wouldn't be able to keep my promise, would I?”

“Oh? And what promise is that?” Rarity asked.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Don't tell me you seriously forgot about our bet, Rare...”

“Ah, yes... about that,” said Rarity, adopting a sheepish grin. “I wasn't really trying to back out of our arrangement or anything like that, I was just... er—”

“Cheating?” Rainbow suggested.

Rarity at least had the decency to blush. “Well... yes. But, now that we're on the subject, would you mind if I asked how your dates went?”

Rainbow gave a short laugh. “What, have you lost touch with your gossip sources or something?

“Not exactly, but I've been getting... mixed messages. I'd prefer to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, as it were,” said Rarity.

With a huff and a little smile that betrayed how not exasperated she was, Rainbow looked to one side. “Yeah, alright, you won. Feel free to gloat.”

“I'm sorry, what was that, darling?” Rarity said with a grin.

Rainbow let out a sigh. “We had a 'thoroughly delightful and romantic time',” she deadpanned.

Rarity squealed. “I knew it! I knew you two were perfect for one another! What happened, darling? You must tell me everything! Are you two going on another date today? That's why you had someone cover you, isn't it? Oh, I—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Rainbow, hushing her with a hoof. “Another date? Why would we go on another date?”

“Well, it is Hearts and Hooves day,” Rarity said matter-of-factly. “I would think that, as marefriends, you'd be spending the occasion together?”

Rainbow managed to hide her smirk under a look of mock confusion. “Marefriends? What're you talking about, Rare? Trial run's over, right?”

Rarity blinked. “I'm... sorry? The two of you are together now, are you not?”

“Oh, you thought—Oh, no way!” Rainbow laughed. “Nah, we're not together.”

“What?! Why not?” Rarity gasped.

Rainbow waved a dismissive hoof. “Ah, we had fun dating for a while, but it just wasn't my thing. I mean, like, all the touching and being all fluffy and romantical all the time... bleh—” She gagged. “Y'know, this thing really opened my eyes. I didn't know romance was so... cutesy... I think I'm just gonna forget about it altogether.”

The slack-jawed look of shock on Rarity's face was utterly priceless. She stammered, her chin waggled and her eye twitched.

“Funny thing, too,” Rainbow continued, unable to help herself. “Applejack said that she was gonna ask me out next week. But, after your 'trial run', she and I are on pretty much the same page when it comes to dating. Hey, I guess we should thank you, right?”

Flashing her widest smile, Rainbow unfurled her wings and gave them an idle flap as she watched Rarity's shock play out on her face. It wasn't quite as much fun as the imagined pictures Rainbow had of the dirt-fearing unicorn working on a farm, but it was still almost impossible to keep from breaking out into laughter.

On that note, the pegasus shook her head and started walking again, right past the motionless Rarity.

“Anyways, I've gotta get going,” said Rainbow. “Like I said, I've gotta keep my promise. A week of chores... I guess the exercise'll do me good. Thanks, Rare, see you around!”

With that, she left Rarity behind on the trail and continued on her steady way to Sweet Apple Acres. The second that she was out of her friend's sight, a boastful smirk spread across Rainbow's face. 'I think that's payback enough,' she mused happily.

The trail brought her all the way up to the farm, and, as she drew near, she caught sight of a familiar, green-eyed knockout pulling an empty cart from around the back of the house. As her gaze met with Applejack's, the orange-coated mare offered a warm smile.

“Well, look who's up early again!” she called over to Rainbow. “You ain't here to ask me out on another date, are ya?”

They came to a stop beside each other and Rainbow rolled her eyes as Applejack slipped out from under her harness. “Yeah... I think I'll give the daily dates a break for a while, if that's cool with you.”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, good! I've got a list of chores building up so fast I can't even keep up. You're a bad influence, y'know that?”

Rainbow smirked and flicked back her mane. “Maybe, but you didn't have a problem with it yesterday.”

“Ain't saying it's a problem,” said Applejack lightly. “What're ya doin' here then? Come to help?”

“Uh, yeah,” said Rainbow, as if it was obvious. “I do owe you a week of chores, y'know? Where do I start?”

If Applejack tried to hide her surprise, she didn't do a very good job of it. “Ha! Seriously? Just like that?” she said. “Well, shoot, I thought you'd at least try to wriggle your way out of it. Celestia knows, I wouldn't blame you if you did, after what Rarity pulled on ya.”

Rainbow scoffed and waved a hoof. “Believe it or not, AJ, if helping you out with some chores means we can hang out a little more, that's cool with me. Besides, it's no big deal about Rarity—I got her back for it.”

“I'll bet,” Applejack grunted with a smile. She paused and cast her eyes over to the cart behind her. “Well, if'n you're sure, I guess ya could start by hauling this thing over to the west field. There's a bunch of junk over there I need to haul back to the barn. Wouldn't hurt to have a helping hoof.”

“Sure, whatever,” said Rainbow, trotting over to the cart. Even if the prospect of farm work wasn't exactly Rainbow's idea of a good time, helping Applejack with chores would be enough of an excuse to give them a chance to talk. As long as Applejack didn't ask her to clean out any pig sties, it wouldn't be so bad.

“Hey, RD?”

Rainbow stopped short of climbing into the harness and looked over. “Yeah?”

“I, uh... well, I've got something to ask you...” Applejack said. Rainbow nodded to show that she was listening, but Applejack hesitated. The look on her face made it pretty obvious what was going through her head, so she didn't actually have to say anything.

Rainbow would've rolled her eyes at Applejack's awkwardness, but she'd be lying through her teeth if she said she wasn't thinking along the same lines. Frowning in thought as she stared into Applejack's eyes, the impulsive pegasus cast about for something to say.

The answer came to her a second later and, after glancing around to make sure that nopony was watching, she went right ahead with it...

Rainbow shot forwards and kissed Applejack on the lips.

It was only a short, split second gesture, but it sent an incredible wave of fire down through her cheeks and across her body. As she pulled back from the kiss that was really more of a nip, Rainbow let out a content breath through her nose.

“...Well?” she said. “Is that what you were gonna ask?”

Applejack blinked dumbly a couple of times, going red in the face. It was awesome to have her on the defensive for once, when it came to looking embarrassed and totally cute.

Eventually, the farmpony managed to gulp and speak up, albeit in a very subdued voice. “...I was actually gonna ask about sleeping arrangements...”

Rainbow's jaw dropped. 'Uh... oops.'

Applejack blinked rapidly a couple of times before taking a step closer, so that their snouts were inches apart. “...But yeah,” she said. “I reckon that about answers my question.”

She leaned in and pressed her lips up against Rainbow's.

The surprised pegasus' wings shot out on instinct and her eyebrows threatened to jump from her forehead. Unlike the last time their embrace had lingered like this, Rainbow's mind started to race. 'Did she mean that how it sounded? No. No, she couldn't have. But what else could she have meant?'

The kiss broke with a muffled smack as Applejack started giggling, her lips still a matchstick's distance from Rainbow's. “Gotcha,” the orange-coated prankster chuckled.

With that, their lips met again, with Applejack still shaking a little from the giggles. Cheeks red and eyes narrowed in a pointless, dagger-filled glare, Rainbow seethed for all of a split second before Applejack's warm touch melted her completely. She closed her eyes, parted her lips and pushed back against her farmpony, determined to prove that she totally hadn't fallen for it...

Epilogue: Hearts and Hooves Evening

It was late evening when Rainbow Dash finally collapsed into the spare bed that she'd dragged into Applejack's room. She let out a drained sigh as the aching weight of a million and one chores melted from her legs.

“What's the matter, RD? You tired or somethin'?”

She lazily rolled her head and flung a look towards the farmpony, who had just hopped up onto the other bed, across the room. “We're done, right?” groaned Rainbow. “Moved junk, cleaned barn, baled hay... we can take the rest of the week off, right?”

Applejack gave a bark of laughter and laid down on her back atop the mattress. “Sorry, sugarcube, but we ain't even touched that list of chores I mentioned. If you want a break, you'd better work harder tomorrow!”

Rainbow groaned again. “Harder? You're not a farmpony, you're a slave driver! Remind me why I agreed to this.”

“'Cause you're sweet on me,” Applejack chirped.

As hard as she tried, Rainbow couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face, though she did her best to hide it by burying her head in the pillow. “...Shut up,” she grumbled, drawing another chuckle from Applejack.

If she was honest, it really hadn't been so bad. Well, the chores had been pretty bad... not so much a healthy workout as backbreaking, hard labour. But hanging out with Applejack had been as much fun as she'd hoped, even with all the jeers and taunts Rainbow got for being built for speed rather than endurance. She'd managed to get in a few playful stabs of her own though.

As the silence dragged on and Rainbow's fatigue began to fade away, she dragged her head out of the pillow and rolled over to face Applejack. The farmpony was still staring up at the roof with an unusually girlish smile on her lips... probably thinking about the kiss. Rainbow knew she was, because she, herself, had done the exact same thing the night before.

She let Applejack daydream for another minute or so before speaking up. “So, AJ, I hear you've got a new farmhoof working around here,” she said casually.

A smirk spread across Applejack's face, and she brought a hoof up to her nose as if to hide it. “That I do,” she said. “Gotta admit, I'm surprised she made it through today. Pegasus like that is liable to just fly off with that much work thrown at her.”

Rainbow found her own smirk. “But she didn't, right?”

“Nope,” said Applejack, shaking her head. “She didn't. And considerin' how much she hates farm work, I'm starting to think there might be somethin' else going on.”

“Hmm,” Rainbow grunted in mock thought. She rolled over to lay on her back, mimicking Applejack. “I guess I can relate to that—farm work is a pain in the flank. There's gotta be something pretty special on this farm if she'd take on a whole week of chores for it. Any idea what that could be?”

A glance towards the other bed told that Applejack was no longer trying to hide her smirk. “Might be that I do,” she said. “See, I ain't normally one to listen to hearsay, but there's a rumour going around that the pegasus might be a little sweet on the farmpony that works here.”

“No kidding?” said Rainbow, raising her eyebrows.

“And that ain't all,” Applejack continued. “I heard another rumour the other day, 'cept that one says it's the farmpony who's got a crush on the pegasus.”

Rainbow let her head roll to the side and faced Applejack properly. “You think there could be anything to those rumours?” she asked, smiling expectantly.

The orange mare gave a cursory grunt and met Rainbow's eyes with a more lop-sided smile. “Nah, can't be. Wouldn't work, y'know?”

Rainbow's smile wavered. She wasn't sure whether Applejack had meant that as more playful banter, but even if it was, it was treading an uncomfortable line. “H-how come?” she managed, not wanting to steer the conversation away in case Applejack actually wanted to talk about it.

The stare with which Applejack fixed her lasted a long moment before she finally broke the silence. “The pegasus says their lives are too different,” Applejack explained. “Says there ain't no way a pegasus like her could be with the farmpony, on account of her wanting to fly off and join some big-shot group up in Cloudsdale some day. And even if the farmpony wanted to come with her, she couldn't, on account of having her whole life down here on the farm...”

Rainbow choked. That answered the question, at least.

It was her own argument, turned back upon her in Applejack's accented voice. 'It wouldn't work' she'd said. She'd always assumed that it applied to both the short term and the long term—that worrying about what would happen eventually would make it impossible for them to have any kind of relationship. But that hadn't been the case yesterday. Or today, in fact. The thought had hardly even crossed her mind.

So she'd been wrong about that, but it didn't change the long term problem...

“What does the farmpony think?” Rainbow found herself asking. If anything, that was a good place to start.

Applejack turned her eyes to the ceiling again, before closing them and breathing a quiet huff. “Don't matter. It don't change the fact that the pegasus is right—”

“It matters to me,” said Rainbow, cutting her off firmly.

The pair of emerald eyes snapped open, but they didn't turn to Rainbow right away. When they did, it was with an honest stare that only Applejack could pull off. “I think none of that mattered yesterday, when we kissed on that hilltop,” she said quietly. “Besides that, I don't know.”

Rainbow grunted and adopted a thoughtful frown as she held Applejack's stare. That made two of them that hadn't been thinking about it... It raised the question as to why Rainbow had come up with the argument in the first place. Maybe it was an excuse—just something that seemed convenient at the time.

“Maybe it doesn't matter,” Rainbow mused aloud. “Maybe I just said it because I was looking for a reason for it not to work.”

Applejack curled her lip. “...'Cause you didn't want it to work?” she guessed.

Rainbow hesitated. Thinking back, she'd never actively wanted things to go badly between them. Part of her had wanted their trial run to be a flunk—in order to prove Rarity wrong—but when that happened on their second date, she felt terrible.

With a bushed huff, the pegasus slid herself to the edge of the mattress and climbed down. She trotted over to Applejack's bed, upon which the farmpony stirred and rose to sit upright. Rainbow didn't wait for permission before hopping up onto the bed and sitting beside her, eyes held low.

“Honestly, AJ, I don't even know,” Rainbow confessed heavily. “All I know is that I was determined to make it work yesterday, and I was happy when it did. But that doesn't mean I was wrong about there being problems—” She shook her head with a huff. “—I don't even know.”

“...Let's forget it, then,” said Applejack.

A twinge of panic forced Rainbow to look at Applejack, wide-eyed, as her mind started racing again. 'Forget it? Just give up? Is she serious?'

“The future, I mean,” Applejack clarified.

Relief washed over Rainbow, but it only lasted a moment. “Forget the future?” she repeated sceptically. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Applejack reached across with a fetlock and laid her hoof on Rainbow's leg. The farmpony's gaze turned to the middle of the floor, in thought or nervousness, as she spoke. “I know you're gonna go off and join your Wonderbolts someday, RD. And I know you're gonna be real busy... probably too busy for a Ponyville farm girl like me—”

Rainbow opened her mouth to argue, but was silenced by a look from those emerald eyes.

“—But I don't care,” Applejack continued. “As long as we're together now, why does it matter what might happen tomorrow?” She leant forwards and laid a soft kiss on Rainbow's lips, before pulling back with a tiny, expectant smile.

It took a long moment for Rainbow to get over the pleasant shock of the kiss and words both. On defensive impulse, her mind latched on to the strangeness of the sentiment. Once she'd found her voice, she had to point it out...

“Isn't that a little reckless, for you?” she teased, scolding herself for it immediately after.

Applejack just shook her head and smiled wider. “Not even a little bit,” she said confidently. “Ya see, I'm countin' on a certain pegasus' determination to make it work.”

Rainbow blinked. “Huh?”

“I'm talking to the pegasus who pulled off the 'impossible' Sonic Rainboom, aren't I?” said Applejack, with an unnerving coolness in her voice. “If this is really what you want, then there ain't a doubt in my mind that you'll try to make it work. Am I right?”

“Well, yeah,” Rainbow granted, flushing a little from what she was pretty sure was a compliment. “I mean, of course I'll try, but—”

Applejack shut her up by pressing more firmly on her leg. “I've got a feeling that's all it'll take.”

Rainbow opened and closed her mouth a few times, not quite sure what to say to that. “G-geez,” she managed eventually. “Talk about pressure...”

“Didn't mean I expect you to do it alone,” said Applejack, smiling even more warmly. “I'll be trying too, you can count on that.”

“But what if—” This time, Rainbow cut herself off. She'd been about to ask 'What if we don't figure something out?' But she already knew the answer. If they didn't figure something out, then it wouldn't work between them. The thought brought a dark shadow across Rainbow's face.

Applejack obviously noticed, because her constant smile began to falter as the silence dragged on. She let out a sigh and her eyes fell to Rainbow's chest. “Look, sugarcube, I ain't trying to make ya do somethin' ya don't want to,” she said heavily. “I had fun these past few days, and if you want to leave it there... well, I can't say I'm happy 'bout it, but I can understand. 'sides, if ya really think it won't work, then there ain't nothin' I can say that'll make a difference anyway. If it's ever gonna work, we have to both want it.”

“B-but I do want it!” Rainbow threw back. She put her muzzle under Applejack's chin and aggressively lifted it up, before pulling back to meet her eyes determinedly. And then, as she stared into the depths of those startled, emerald pools, it hit her like a sack full of apples to the gut...

'I do want it to work.'

She pursed her lips to stop them from trembling in excitement or anxiety or something else completely. After a long moment of staring, she bit the bullet and did what did best—lived in the moment.

Rainbow Dash leant forwards and captured Applejack in another long, passionate kiss, doing her best to recreate the feeling from the hilltop. Clearly caught off guard, Applejack took a second to adjust before returning the gesture. She put so much weight on Rainbow's leg that it was almost painful, but that was the last thing that the brazen pegasus cared about right then. All she cared about was enjoying the kiss for as long as possible, and showing Applejack that they really did both want the same thing.

When, after what felt like minutes, they finally pulled apart, Rainbow saw that Applejack had found her smile again. The more than content pegasus returned it. Anything more than that seemed... pointless.

Rainbow Dash knew what she wanted. She wanted this to work. And when Rainbow Dash wanted something to work, it worked. Sometimes it might take a while, others it might take no time at all. Whatever the case, there was no doubt in her mind right then.

'I'm gonna make this work,' she promised.

Chapter One: Four days 'til Hearts and Hooves

Rainbow Dash breathed an exhausted sigh as she stepped out of Sugarcube Corner and into the refreshingly cool night air. As much fun as Pinkie's parties always were, it sure got stuffy in that bakery sometimes—and getting outside was as much a relief for her lungs as it was for her aching legs.

Her friends ambled out after her, each offering a sigh of their own, at which Rainbow couldn't help but smirk. Fluttershy and Twilight looked about ready to fall asleep. Rarity's mane was messier than anypony had ever seen it. Applejack's eyes were half-lidded and she had the same kind of tired smile that Rainbow did...

And Pinkie Pie was wearing a wide grin and bouncing around them all excitedly.

“C'mon! After-after party?” she pleaded again. “I still have enough cake and punch for at least three and a half hours! C'mon, say yes! Say yes!”

Twilight offered her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Pinkie Pie, but I'm ready to drop. I couldn't possibly stay any longer.”

The others offered grunts and murmurs of agreement. Even Rainbow had to admit that she was pretty beat, and she couldn't wait to get home to bed.

“Aw...” Pinkie fell to her haunches and pouted. Everypony exchanged glances, dearly hoping that they wouldn't have to commit to another three hours of partying to keep her happy. Thankfully, in her infinite randomness, Pinkie brightened up three seconds later. “Oh well!” she said, flashing another toothy grin about. “There's always tomorrow!”

Everypony giggled at that, except for Fluttershy. The demure pegasus let out a loud, tired yawn, which caused a couple of raised eyebrows. When she saw everypony looking, her cheeks flushed red and she hid behind her mane. “Oh, I'm sorry. I... I'm very tired.”

Rainbow chuckled. “We all are, 'Shy—don't panic.”

Twilight brought a hoof up to rub her eyes. “And, on that note, I think it's time for me to get going. I have to be up early tomorrow anyway. Thank you for the party, Pinkie.”

As Twilight turned and started towards the library, Fluttershy took her cue and unfurled her wings. “Yes, me too... I have to get up to feed the chipmunks. Um, see you tomorrow, everyone?”

“That makes three of us,” said Applejack, rolling her neck and starting forwards. No sooner than Rainbow had opened her mouth to bid her goodnight, the farmpony stumbled and gave a yelp.

Reacting on impulse, Rainbow was at her side in an instant, catching Applejack with a hoof just in time to stop her from falling flat on her face. “Geez, AJ—take it easy!” she chuckled.

Applejack regained her balance and gave Rainbow a sheepish grin. “Whoops... Guess I'm a little more tired than I thought—” She gave a little chuckle of her own, which faded into a subtle smile as their eyes met. “Thanks, RD. G'night.”

A familiar, dreamy sort of warmth washed over Rainbow at hearing the gentle tone. She kept her voice hushed as she returned the smile. “G'night, Applejack... Sleep tight.”

“Always do.”

The stare lasted for a moment longer, before Applejack turned in place and headed for home, lazily swishing her tail behind her. Rainbow watched until she'd disappeared around the corner, then smiled at the ground, enjoying the warmth that still hung around her...

It wasn't until she heard a shuffling to her side that she noticed Rarity watching her.

“Uh, sorry... did you say something?” said Rainbow, scratching her head with a hoof.

“Nothing at all, darling!” said Rarity quickly. “But, if you're heading home now, I wouldn't mind some company. Be a dear and walk me to my door?”

Rainbow grunted and smirked. “Yeah, sure. Hey, thanks, Pinks! Catch ya later!”

Pinkie bade each of them a cheery farewell as they set off down the trail towards Rarity's home, leaving behind the light and heartiness of Sugarcube Corner in favour of a nice, quiet evening walk. Quiet walks weren't usually Rainbow's style, but if walking to Rarity's place meant that she wouldn't have to fly as far to get home, then she was game. Besides, the company was nice enough.

“So,” said Rarity conversationally. “It's nice to see you and Applejack getting along so well.”

“Uh huh,” grunted Rainbow with a nod. “AJ's great.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “Indeed she is! And if you don't mind my saying so, I think you two are absolutely lovely together!”

Rainbow furrowed her brow. “Uh, we are?”

“I assume you'll be doing something special for Hearts and Hooves day next week?” Rarity continued. “Of course, I don't want to seem like I'm prying, but it is always nice to hear about the romances of one's friends, don't you agree?”

Rainbow blinked a few times, processing the information, before turning to give her friend a deadpan look. “I'm not dating her, Rarity.”

“You're... not?” said Rarity, stopping in her tracks.

Rainbow shook her head and carried on down the trail, trying to ignore the irritating surprise in her friend's voice.

Rarity hurried up alongside a moment later. “O-oh, I see... It's just that, outside the bakery, it seemed like you two were—”

“We're not,” said Rainbow. “Sorry to disappoint.”

She wasn't angry, exactly—it was an easy enough mistake to make if, like Rarity, you were looking through the eyes of a hopeless romantic. But it wasn't cool for ponies to always assume like that.

“...Are you sure?”

Rainbow threw the fashionista a seriously questioning look. “Pretty sure, yeah.”

“Sorry, of course you are,” said Rarity, shaking her head. “It's just... I'm not usually wrong about these things.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Really? How about that time when you thought Twilight and Fluttershy were taking that week-long trip to Trottingham just so they could... what was it you said? Oh yeah! 'Further their lust-driven, sapphic affair'...”

Rarity went red in the face. “I said I'm not usually wrong... Besides, who's to say that they weren't?”

“Tch! Get serious, Rare!”

The two of them shared a little laugh, and they both ended up smiling. As far as Rainbow was concerned, that was the end of the conversation, and it was a good place to leave it. Apparently Rarity didn't feel the same way...

“Darling, forgive me for being such a pest, but may I ask why you and Applejack aren't... you know—”

“Dating?” Rainbow finished. “I don't know. Maybe 'cause it wouldn't work?”

Rarity curled her lip and furrowed her brow in question.

Rainbow unfurled a wing and waved it idly. “A head-in-the-clouds pegasus and a down-to-earth farmpony... How often do you see something like that in those romance novels of yours?”

“Well, actually—”

“Stupid question, don't answer that,” said Rainbow quickly. “But seriously, there's no way it'd work between us when she's always got her farm to worry about. I mean, between that and me training for the Wonderbolts, we're not exactly... uh, what's the word?”

“Compatible?” she and Rarity said together. Rainbow gave a quick nod to show that that was the word she was looking for, whilst Rarity simply gawped at her.

“But you are, darling!” said Rarity desperately. “I've never seen two ponies more compatible in my life!”

Rainbow shrugged coolly. “If you say so.”

Rarity's mouth opened and closed without sound, making herself look kind of like a fish. Rainbow couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Maybe it was a little mean to rile her up like that, but she was the one who started the conversation in the first place.

At long last, the unicorn managed to retrieve herself and get a few words out. “B-but... do you have feelings for her?”

Rainbow gave a half-amused grunt. “Yeah, sure I do. So what?”

“So what?!” breathed Rarity, eyes going wide as if Rainbow had just said a swear. “How can you be so... so flippant?! You can't just... not give love a chance because of some technicalities!”

Rainbow shook her head with a smile, taking mercy on the poor mare. “I'm telling you, Rare, it'd never work. Applejack knows it too, it's not like it's just me being weird or anything. Besides, we both agreed that we're more than happy to stay 'just friends'. Nothing wrong with that, is there?”

Rarity fell silent and Rainbow went back to looking at the trail ahead, still smiling. She might not have been so understanding if it were anypony other than Rarity pressing her this hard, but she knew that this particular unicorn genuinely had trouble grasping the concept that real-life relationships weren't the same as in her fairy tale novels. Two ponies who liked each other didn't necessarily get a happily-ever-after. There were other factors to consider...

Rainbow scoffed at her own thoughts. As if she, herself, had any experience with romance.

“With respect, Rainbow Dash, I think you're wrong,” said Rarity all of a sudden.

Rainbow could only manage a vague “Huh?” in response. Looking over at Rarity, she received a determined stare.

“I think that you're being ridiculously stubborn!” said Rarity firmly. “You say you both 'agreed' on the matter, but tell me—did you have a proper conversation? Or was it you who suggested the idea that it wouldn't work, and Applejack merely agreed with you?”

Rainbow blinked. “Uh, the second one. But who cares? It's the same difference, isn't it?”

In a flash of white, Rarity darted forwards and spun around to plant herself in front of Rainbow, blocking the path. “Rainbow Dash,” she said boldly. “I think you're full of it.”

It was Rainbow's turn to gawp in astonishment. 'You're full of it?' Well, that was going on the list of things that she never expected to hear from Rarity... And the dark look that the fashionista was giving her was unnerving to say the least.

“W-what do you want me to say?” said Rainbow defiantly. “That I think it could work? Well, sorry, but I don't.”

Rarity shook her head. “No, what I want is for you to prove it.”

Rainbow blinked again. “What, that it wouldn't work? How? You got a test or something?”

“Go out with her.”

Rainbow choked on air. “E-xcuse me?! What d'you mean 'go out with her'?”

“It doesn't have to be serious,” said Rarity off-hoofedly. “Just take her out on a date. You've never done that before, have you?”

“Well... no,” Rainbow threw back. “Because it wouldn't—”

“How can you know if you've never tried it?” Rarity interrupted. “I don't normally gamble, but I'd be willing to bet that, after even a day together with her, you'd think that this 'wouldn't work' argument is as silly as I do.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to retort, only to close it again and look away. As much as she hated to admit it, Rarity had a point... “You'd be willing to bet, huh?”

“Yes, I'm that confident,” said Rarity. “And you're obviously just as confident about your own opinion, so what do you say to us making a little wager?”

Rainbow's ears perked up. “Wager? What kind of wager?”

A smirk danced across Rarity's face, though she was quick to hide it. “Hearts and Hooves day is four days from now, correct?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, but I'll be busy with work then. Like, all day.”

“But, until then, you'll have enough time to spare for a little date each day, won't you?” said Rarity. Rainbow didn't have time to retort before she pressed on. “So, here is what I suggest—tomorrow, you will ask Applejack to go on a date with you, and from now until Hearts and Hooves day, the two of you will be considered together—” She held up a hoof to forestall Rainbow's objections. “—And, in the unlikely event that you don't have a thoroughly delightful, romantic time, then I will agree to perform one dare of your choosing. Anything, no matter how embarrassing or unladylike it may be.”

“...A dare?” said Rainbow, reservations forgotten as her lips curled into a mischievous smirk. “So, if I said you had to go live on AJ's farm for a week and do all her chores...”

Rarity's eyes went wide and she started stammering. “W-well... I mean, I... That's a little...”

“You said anything,” Rainbow reminded her slyly.

Rarity huffed and hung her head. “...I suppose I did. Very well—” She looked Rainbow in the eye again. “—I agree to your terms. Should I lose our wager, I will spend a full week on Applejack's farm.”

“...Seriously?” said Rainbow. Sure, she didn't sound like she was joking, but Rarity agreeing to farm work? It had to be a dream. Either that, or something that Pinkie had put in the punch. Rainbow had thought it'd tasted funny...

“I'm that confident,” Rarity repeated. “But, when you are proven wrong and I win the wager, you must submit to the same—a week on the farm, chores and all, no excuses. Agreed?”

“Tch! You know there's no way you're going to win, right?” Rainbow said, creasing a brow.

“We shall see.”

Rainbow scoffed and shook her head. Rarity really didn't know what she was getting into. But, if she was volunteering for some uncharacteristic hard work that was bound to get a few laughs from their friends, denying her would practically be a crime.

“Alright, you're on!” said Rainbow. She spat on her hoof and extended it with a sly smirk. “Better get your work boots ready.”

Rarity gave the hoof a look of utmost disgust. “Darling, when you're done with your stay on the farm, we really must work on your etiquette...”

With that, she lit up her horn, grasped Rainbow's hoof with her magic and shook it daintily.

It was on.

Chapter Three: Two days 'til Hearts and Hooves

The dawn of the following day brought with it what felt like the hottest Sun that Rainbow had felt in years. After she'd hurriedly wrapped up her morning's work of clearing the sky, she took cover indoors to get out of the blistering heat, until the time came for her date with Applejack, of course. And, by then, she'd come up with a pretty good idea of how they were going to spend it...

“Oho, Dash, you're a genius, y'know that?” said Applejack with a grin as she looked down over the sharp edge of the hilltop.

Rainbow rubbed a hoof against her chest and smirked proudly. “Yeah, I know.”

Here, on the hilltop just on the outskirts of Ponyville, the two of them had the perfect diving spot. The surface of the lake below shimmered invitingly in the afternoon sunlight, promising a cool, refreshing shield from the heat. If Rainbow Dash found that idea appealing, then she could only imagine how Applejack felt, having spent the whole morning at work out in her orchards.

The smile that Applejack cast across at her summed it up well enough.

For her part, Rainbow didn't think anything needed to be said. The impulsive pegasus unfurled her wings and flapped them once before galloping forwards and leaping into the air. She spun and twisted as she dived towards the water, until she finally broke the surface with an awesome splash and quickly re-emerged to take a gasp of air.

Another splash came from beside her, making her close her eyes to shield them from the wave of water that followed. Applejack poked her head up and let out a content, ear-twitch-inducing whistle. Her hair was wet and plastered to her coat, but her hat hadn't moved an inch. Somehow, Rainbow wasn't surprised.

The wet-maned farmpony turned her emerald eyes on Rainbow Dash with a smirk. “Got to admit, RD, I figured you for one of them pegasi who're afraid of swimming,” said Applejack casually. She kicked off and started propelling herself through the water with her hooves as Rainbow shot her a look.

“What d'you mean? You've seen me swim loads of times!”

“Actually, I haven't,” Applejack said matter-of-factly. “Only time I've seen you in water deep enough to swim in, you were waving your hooves all over the place in a panic.”

Rainbow didn't have to think hard to bring up the memory, and she rolled her eyes when it came back to her. “That was one time. For your information, I'm an awesome swimmer.”

“Sure. If you say so...”

Applejack smirked and turned away to start paddling towards the middle of the lake. Rainbow stuck her tongue out defiantly, before flipping over to lay on her back atop the water's surface with her wings spread at her sides. “...I'm not afraid of anything,” she muttered, almost on reflex, as she looked up towards the sky, eyes half-squinting to shield them from the sunlight.

“Well, that's a load of hooey,” said Applejack shortly.

Rainbow furrowed her brow and turned her head to watch Applejack paddling by. The other mare wasn't looking at her, but it had sure sounded like an accusation...

“Everypony's afraid of something,” Applejack elaborated. “I reckon even you've got something that scares you.”

“Nope,” said Rainbow, closing her eyes. It was true—she couldn't remember anything that had really scared her recently. Equestria wasn't exactly a very scary place, outside of the Everfree Forest, at least. And even that wasn't scary at all when you had friends watching your back.

“Really?” said Applejack. “So, you ain't afraid of snakes, ghosts, clowns... nothing? I find that a bit hard to believe.”

Rainbow gave a casual grunt. “Guess I'm just the bravest pony in Equestria... as well as the most awesome.”

Applejack chuckled at that. “Guess you must be,” she muttered. “Well then, I guess you ain't afraid of getting off your flank and swimming a few lengths with me, hmm?”

Their swim lasted the better part of an hour before its novelty started to wear off and the touch of the water became more itchy than comfortable. They raced the last length to the shore and clambered out of the lake together, stepping up onto the warm grass.

Rainbow found herself frowning in thought as she rolled her neck. It'd been a pretty cool hour, of course, but now it was over, and Rainbow realised that she had absolutely no idea as to what they were going to do next. She glanced over at Applejack, searching for an answer, only to be met by a unexpectedly stunning sight.

Applejack was sat back on her haunches, wringing her hat with her hooves. Her mane and tail still clutched, in places, to her coat, the wetness of which caught the sunlight at just the right angle to make it shine. On top of all of that, the Sun's heat beating down on Applejack had already started to dry out the farmpony's damp coat, so steam had begun to rise in a cloud around her.

She caught Rainbow looking and gave a little, sheepish smile as she adjusted the hat atop her head, hiding her eyes. “What're ya looking at?” she asked quietly.

Rainbow shook her head hurriedly. “N-nothing!” she said, turning to look idly out over the plains that rolled away from Ponyville, towards Canterlot. She could feel Applejack's eyes on her, and her own cheeks heating up. She gulped.

Stay cool, Dash, she told herself. It wasn't like she'd never been caught staring at Applejack before—when the farmpony wore her hair down or when she was working out in the orchards, all sweaty-looking. But somehow this felt different. Weirder, warmer and a whole lot more embarrassing.

'Whose stupid idea was this date thing, anyway?'

Something brushed against her fetlock. Turning, she saw Applejack standing beside her with a questioning smile on her lips. Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, only to close it again a second later and shake her head, which she hoped would let Applejack know that she was okay.

Applejack stared for only a little longer before looking up the sky, apparently dismissing it. “Sun's still out for a good while,” she said. “Reckon we should take a walk to dry off?”

Rainbow, suddenly becoming aware of the wet strands of hair that hung down over her face, brushed them aside and nodded, grateful for the change of subject. “Yeah, not like we've got a towel,” she granted. “And my wings are too wet to fly.”

Applejack smiled at her. “The park, then?”

“You're kidding me!” cried Rainbow Dash, giving Applejack a dramatised look of shock as they walked along the trail leading through Ponyville Park. “How can you have never seen 'Of Mares and Magic'?!”

Applejack gave an indifferent eye shrug. “Like I said, no theatre in Ponyville. Only play I ever saw—'cept from in school, of course—was with my aunt and uncle when I went to stay in Manehattan. Don't rightly remember what it was called, but it didn't make a shake of sense and I was bored stiff through the whole darn thing—” She rolled her neck idly. “—Not exactly much incentive for me to go back and try again.”

Rainbow shook her head. “That's crazy! You can't just not see 'Of Mares and Magic'!” She gave it a moment of thought before nodding to herself. “I'm taking you to see it.”

“Are ya, now?” said Applejack amusedly. “You reckon we've got enough time for that today?”

“Nah, we'll have to do it next time we're in Canterlot or something,” said Rainbow.

Applejack smirked. “Assuming I think you deserve another date after this 'trial' thing.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but smirk a little herself. “Tch, whatever.”

Their walk took them under the boughs of trees and past the occasional gathering of little critters out enjoying the sunlight, which had gotten just a little gentler by now. There were a bunch of other ponies about too, taking cover in the shade, but most of them were too busy with their own conversations to notice the two steamy mares strolling through the park with their manes in a mess. Well, most of the fillies, at least.

As they approached the fountain near the centre of the park, Rainbow caught sight of a familiar face. Rarity was coming in the opposite direction, idly searching through her saddlebags as she walked, so she hadn't seen them yet. Sensing an opportunity for a little gloating, Rainbow smirked and steered towards her, nudging Applejack in the side as she went.

“Hey, Rarity!” Rainbow called out as they drew near.

Rarity looked up with a smile and gave a dainty little 'Oh!' as she caught sight of them. This was going to be great...

Without waiting for approval, Rainbow unfurled her wing, draped it over Applejack and pulled her close. Beyond a quiet yelp of surprise, the farmpony made no objection, and Rainbow found herself smirking more widely as Rarity looked between them both. “Check it out—we're on a date!” Rainbow declared proudly.

Rarity blinked for a moment, but then her face lit up into a smile. “You two? On a date? Why, that's wonderful news, darling!” she said happily. “I didn't know you two were together! When did this happen?”

Rainbow's smirk wavered. Applejack glanced at her sidelong.

“W-well, just yesterday,” said Rainbow, creasing her brow a little. “You know, like we talked about? A... uh—”

“A trial run,” Applejack finished for her.

“A trial run?” Rarity repeated, her eyes lighting up. “How intriguing! How did you ever come up with that idea?”

Rainbow's proud look had fallen into a downright confused expression by now. Was she serious? “B-but... we didn't. You did!” said Rainbow desperately.

Rarity put a hoof to her chest, feigning surprise. “I did? You mean it was something I said that sparked this date of yours?”

Applejack shifted uneasily at Rainbow's side and threw her a seriously questioning look. For her part, Rainbow was starting to feel uncomfortably hot...

“D-don't play dumb, Rarity!” she said, a little louder than she'd intended. “This whole thing was your idea! Remember? The bet?”

“Darling, I assure you that I have no idea what you're talking about,” said Rarity with a little shake of her head. Then she smiled. “Oh, but how tactless of me! Here I am, bombarding you with questions, when you clearly have a date to finish. Not to worry, I'll get out of your hair.”

Rainbow stammered as the fashionista started walking past.

“Enjoy the rest of your day, you two!” Rarity bade them, before disappearing from sight.

Rainbow didn't turn her head to follow her. She just stared blankly ahead, moving her tongue and lips in a vain attempt to try and make sense of what had just happened. Not only had Rarity just denied all knowledge of the bet, but she'd done it right in front of Applejack...

Remembering the farmpony at her side, Rainbow cast a glance her way. Applejack was looking back at her with an eyebrow half-raised and a smile tugging at her lips.

“Something you ought to tell me, sugarcube?”

Rainbow shook her head emphatically and jumped backwards, hurriedly snapping her wing from around Applejack. “N-no! She's lying! It's a prank or something!” she cried. “I swear this was her idea, just like I told you!”

The usually-cool pegasus' cheeks were burning hot—partly with anger towards Rarity, but mostly with embarrassment. The sound of Applejack's tinkling chuckles only made it worse.

“C'mon now, RD, drop the act,” she said lightly. “I mean, it was really a weak story to begin with, wasn't it?”

Rainbow's jaw dropped. “What story?! Don't tell me you believe her!”

Applejack chuckled again. “Alright, let me tell ya what I think... Y'all got a little carried away with the spirit of the season and wanted to ask me out on a date—” Rainbow made to object, but Applejack held up a hoof and continued. “—But after all that yapping ya did about how it wouldn't work 'tween us, you were too proud to go back on your word. So you made up this story—”

“No way!” said Rainbow, stomping the ground in exasperation. “That's totally backwards! I wouldn't do that!”

“Settle down, sugarcube, I ain't mad at you for a little white lie—”

“I'm not lying!” Rainbow snapped.

Applejack's smile fell a little as she drew back from the near-yell that had escaped Rainbow's lips. For her part, Rainbow had just become aware of how fast her heart was hammering, and how heavy her breathing was getting. But she couldn't calm down, she had to make Applejack understand!

“It's true, AJ! I don't know what in the hoof is up with Rarity, but we made that bet! This was her idea, not mine!”

“RD...”

Rainbow's wings unfurled of their own accord as the pegasus practically growled at Applejack. “No! I swear, the only reason I asked you out yesterday was because Rarity promised! If I knew she was going to pull something like this and go back on her word, I never would've done it!”

A silence fell between them in the wake of the words, broken only by Rainbow's heavy breaths. Only now, when the hot-headed haze had softened a little, did she see the look Applejack was giving her.

The farmpony wasn't smiling at her mockingly any longer. Nor was she gawping in shock. Instead, she wore what could only be described as a look of hurt—or, at least, as close to being hurt as Rainbow had ever seen her...

Rainbow suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

“I... A... Th-that didn't come out right,” she managed, though the words sounded cold and empty, even to her. She tried to step forwards and give Applejack some kind of reassuring gesture, but her hooves were rooted in place.

“...Is that right?” said Applejack quietly, turning her head and looking down at the ground.

Rainbow stammered. “W-well, I mean... sort of. But not totally—I didn't mean to for it to sound like that...”

“Uh huh,” Applejack grunted. As she closed her eyes, a dark shadow seemed to play across her face, which even Rainbow had to admit was a little scary...

“...AJ?” she tried, biting her lip.

A second later, Applejack shook her head and looked up with the most forced smile that she'd ever given to anypony. “It's fine. No big deal. You just caught me off guard, is all.”

Rainbow mouthed wordlessly, lost as to how she was supposed to take it back. “...I—”

“Sorry to be a sour apple, Rainbow, but I've just remembered a couple of chores I forgot to do this morning,” said Applejack, emotionless. “We'll have to cut this date short... Sorry.”

Just like that, she turned her back on Rainbow Dash and started sauntering off down the trail leading towards Sweet Apple Acres, her still-damp tail dragging along behind her.

Rainbow desperately reached out a hoof and opened her mouth to call her back, but still no words came out. It was like she'd lost her voice... but even if she could speak, she wouldn't know what to say. Her mind was completely blank.

The moment came and went. Applejack disappeared as the trail turned a corner around a copse of trees, and Rainbow was left alone in the park.

“Stupid Rarity!” snarled Rainbow, kicking her hoofball across the room, where it lodged in the cloud-wall opposite with an unsatisfying 'poof'. Tank's eyes followed her from his basket as she stormed about the bedroom in a particularly destructive huff that had started the moment she'd gotten home.

“Who the hay does she think she is? Messing with ponies' feelings! That's not a prank, that's just... just—” She shot a look over at Tank. The tortoise blinked sluggishly in response. “—Exactly!” cried Rainbow. “I mean, of all the stupid things to do, why would somepony—Whoa!”

Tripping over something she hadn't even seen in her rage, Rainbow toppled over forwards and hit her chin on the mercifully soft windowsill. As she groaned and made to push herself upright again, she caught an awakening breath of the evening air and paused when her eyes settled upon the familiar structure in the distance.

Sweet Apple Acres... It was too far away to tell whether anypony was working down there, but she couldn't help but picture Applejack slouching through her orchards with a solemn frown on her face. The very thought pulled Rainbow's attention away from her anger and right back to her gloominess.

“...Ah, what'd I do, Tank?” she groaned, closing her eyes. “Rarity's not the only one being stupid. I mean, what was I thinking—yelling at Applejack like that?”

She idly ground her chin against the windowsill, for all the good it did to soothe her... It was pretty bad for her to have flipped out in the middle of a public park, but what really pained her was that look Applejack gave her. She couldn't hold back a cringe as the image made its way to the forefront of her mind.

Something heavy touched down on her back. She craned open an eye and turned her head as far as she could, just enough to make out the eyes of her pet tortoise looking back at her in what was clearly meant as a comforting gesture. Not that she deserved it.

“Ugh, thanks buddy,” Rainbow groaned, turning to look out of the window again. She stared longingly towards the farm and gave a lop-sided fake smile. “Hey, at least I won the bet, right?”

Her cold laugh died in her throat, giving way to a sigh. She didn't give a damn about some stupid bet—even seeing Rarity knee-deep in pig muck wasn't worth this. It hurt twice as much knowing that she'd actually been enjoying her date with Applejack, just as she did the day before. She probably would've had fun tomorrow too, but there wasn't much chance of that now...

Tank ground one of his hoof-things into Rainbow's back, making the pegasus' eye twitch at the sharp pain. So, that was it, was it? She was just going to leave it at that and let Rarity win? Or... not win... whatever. The whole thing was backwards anyway.

'The truth is,' Rainbow found herself thinking, 'I'd rather let her win than miss out on another shot with Applejack...'

That thought didn't so much as snap her back to her senses as it sparked a fire in her chest. She shot to her hooves so quickly that it sent Tank soaring across the room, where he landed safely atop Rainbow's bed.

“You're right, Tank!” she said determinedly, drawing herself up and turning to face the upside-down tortoise. “I'm not gonna sit here, feeling sorry for myself! Even if it totally, absolutely could never work in a million years, I'm gonna go back to that farm tomorrow and take her out on another date!”

There was a short pause, then she turned towards the window again as an unstoppable smile made its way onto her face. Her eyes settled upon Sweet Apple Acres and, for what felt like the first time, she wanted it to work...

And, even if it was only for one, single day before everything went back to normal, she was going to make it work.