"A little nonsense now and then
Is cherished by the wisest men."

~Willy Wonka

What Lies Under The Bed, and Other Curious Places

The first to stir from slumber was Applejack. She had the odd feeling of being moved back and forth, two small hooves on her back being the cause. She opened her eyes slowly and sighed.

The light shaking wouldn't stop.

"Ah'm awake, Apple Bloom. Y'all can stop now," she said groggily.

"Ah was jus' makin' sure," the smaller Apple replied. She then stood back on all four hooves. "Would you mind wakin' up Rainbow Dash for me? Ah don't really know 'er as well as you do, sis."

Applejack sighed. "Sure thing..." She turned on her other side and watched as her sister left the room, closing the door behind her. She was confused. Not once had she asked what Dash was here for. "...Huh."

She then rolled back over and looked at the cyan Pegasus in question laying next to her. She could remember last night's events as clear as day. As she went over the memory, a smile inched its way up her face, followed by a small redness.

She had just kissed this pony. A pony who happened to be her best friend. A pony who was in the dilemma of feeling uncomfortable around Applejack. A pony tried to find a way to fix things between them.

Also, a pony who may have found the solution.

As a last resort of action, she had kissed the farm pony with little hope. And yet...

...it may have been enough. She may have done the right thing.

Applejack found herself wondering what this would lead to. The first thing that crossed her mind was dating. It would be fun, hanging out more often with each other, just them two. None of the others included. The second thing that crossed her mind was kissing. There would be kissing. And then more kissing. Different kinds of kisses. Different ways of kissing.

Despite trying to avoid the thought, she couldn't help but imagine she and Dash... the sun setting slowly... the bed ready and made... made to be turned into a mess.

She was glad the Pegasus was still asleep. Her cheeks were burning.

The last thought she had was that of coming home to each other. When she was done with the farm, and when Rainbow had a break from Wonderbolt duties, they would arrive back at the front porch of the Apple house, give each other a quick kiss, and head inside to talk about work. Rainbow would have moved in by then. They would share a life together, waiting anticipating, for the other's return. Rainbow would be away for large portion of their time. At times, it would be to much to bear for one or the other, and they would cry at one another's absence. And when they finally returned, they would confess about everything they felt for the other while they were away. There would be smiles, and there would be tears. Lots and lots of tears.

But then, there would be kisses for all of those tears. Many tears meant many kisses. Affectionate, meaningful, loving kisses.

Applejack found herself smiling stupidly. Maybe this was how it was meant to happen. She then stopped smiling at came close to a frown.

In the midst of their life's adventure...

...would they ever get married?

She didn't know. It was a foreign matter to her. She knew it would take a lot of love, devotion, and dedication for one another, but that was all she could think of for the moment.

Would they get married?

Would she really love this pony that much in the end?

She had become sweaty just thinking about it all, and her heartbeat had increased its pace.

She once again focused on her friend, finding her to still be asleep. The adorable obliviousness to the outside world was shown on her face. Such peaceful feelings could make one envious. Applejack sighed and then reached over and shook her lightly. In response, Rainbow took the farm mare's hooves into her own forelegs, hugging them tightly and snuggling with them. Despite this, she was still asleep.

Applejack raised a brow.

She then decided to use her left hind leg to brush up against Rainbow's own, in hopes of waking her. The Pegasus's reaction was similar to before, taking the leg and wrapping both hind legs around it. Applejack rolled her eyes and then blushed.

Finding another way of action, she flicked the sheets off with her tail, uncovering them both. She then opted for using her tail to brush up against Dash's face. However, before she managed to do so, her tail was caught half-way by none other than Rainbow's own colorful tail, which immediately caused them to twist together.

Applejack was now unconvinced that she was still asleep. These kinds of things didn't happen involuntarily.

Maybe playing the game was a better option...

Smirking, she slowly inched her muzzle toward her friend's. It was then that she realized Rainbow was, in fact, awake. Her breathing became faster the closer Applejack moved. The same went for a nervous shake the Pegasus seemed to have, as well as a loosening of her grip on Applejack's legs.

Knowing Dash would probably open her eyes soon if nothing else happened, she went in and finished what she started. She kissed her slowly, the hold on her legs becoming non-existent. Rainbow's hooves instead placed themselves on Applejack's rump, feeling every inch of it.

Applejack moaned quietly, and most of her thoughts were scattered and driven away by Rainbow's actions. The Pegasus's hooves roamed freely around the orange mare's flank, eventually moving slowly up her back, wrapping around her tightly and bringing the two closer together.

With the lack of space between them, Applejack shifted swiftly, rolling on top of Rainbow. She then began to put more effort into the kiss, poking at Rainbow's lips with her tongue. Feeling her friend's mouth open, she and Dash greeted each other half-way, trying to gain dominance over one another. Their duel last for a half minute, before Applejack surrendered, giving off a quiet whimper.

Deepening their kiss, both mares let go of their hesitation, completely tuning out any and all reality they were once aware of. The only thing they knew was each other. Their passion and desires had taken over them.

Their coats developed a light sweat, and they both blamed their arousal. Applejack found herself rubbing her right leg sensually against the outside of Rainbow's left, earning a small moan from cyan mare. They could feel the tempo of each other's heartbeat. Applejack's was calm and relaxed, as was Rainbow's.

Rainbow's hips writhed mildly in a slow rhythm of their own, showing her naturally growing impatience. Applejack's own hips replied in a similar manner. Their breathing became increasingly unbalanced, and, having the same idea, the let go of each other's lips.

Both of them keeping their eyes closed, Applejack gasped lightly before beginning to speak. "Are we really gonna d--"

"Yes," Rainbow said, breathless, her voice seeming more girlish than normal. Her lips trembled. "You and... me, I want... to..." she didn't want to finish her words, knowing she had already implied her desire.

Applejack laid quiet atop Rainbow Dash. Neither had opened their eyes yet, neither wanted to. Neither could comprehend what was happening, neither wanted to. Neither knew what would happen after this, and neither wanted to.

They wanted each other, and both were well aware of the fact.

What started out as simply being playful had become something that was now inevitable for the both of them.

"...alright then."

The farm mare slowly eased her head back down, meeting Rainbow's lips another time with her own. The world around them became blur once again. Both became in tune with one another, aware of every action the other made.

Nothing else seemed to matter anymore.

<><><>

Apple Bloom sighed and slumped against the wall. It had been an hour since she woke her sister up. A whole hour. What was the point of waking somepony up if they didn't actually plan to get out of bed?

They could use whatever sad excuse they could come up with, but still, a whole hour had passed since their wake up call, and not one of them had emerged from the bedroom. Apple Bloom had begun to lose her patience.

What were they even doing in there?

Apple Bloom knew that when two fillies shared a bed, it was always a sleepover, or something of the like. She sure as hay didn't know what two mares did while sharing a bed, but it definitely didn't seem like just a friendly sleepover when she first came in to wake those two.

She leaned over and placed an ear against the door to Applejack's bedroom. She could hear them whispering to each other, combined with the sound of rustling bed sheets, scattered breathing, as well as a few small moans and whimpers of each other's name.

Taking a step back from the door, she now had a basic idea of what they were up to. She didn't know the details, but what she did know was that fillies her age weren't supposed to witness such activities, or anything akin to them.

Needless to say, she was shocked. Her face wore that of discomfort and confusion. Her spine felt a small shiver run through it. Rainbow Dash and her sister were...

She couldn't even finish the thought.

...but... with each other?

...what...?

...Why?

The bedroom noises had died down. There was an anxious silence. She could then hear soft sniffling. First from one, and then from the other. It quickly grew into soft crying from the two.

She put her ear back up to the door.

"Applej--... AJ..." Rainbow sounded at the edge of bursting into tears. Apple Bloom couldn't recall a single time she had heard Rainbow Dash cry.

"Shh, shh..." Applejack seemed somewhat calmer than the Pegasus. "Don't cry, sugarcube..."

"We... I... we shouldn't have--..."

"It's okay, Rainbow. It's alright."

"I... I don't think... I think it's--... I don't think it is..."

A painful silence hung for a good ten seconds. The only thing heard was their gradually slowing breathing.

"...No... it's not..."

More sobs could then be heard, but with more volume this time around.

Apple Bloom was speechless. Her mind was plagued with confusion. She never knew Rainbow - or her sister, for that matter - could ever become so emotional. These were the two strongest mares she knew. They weren't supposed be this way.

It scared her a little.

Nevertheless, she shook her head, focusing on what she was originally planning to do.

She raised her hoof to the door.

<><><>

Three quick but hesitant-sounding knocks were heard the door.

The two mares in bed gasped. Their eyes shot open, quickly looking at the door before looking at each other.

They didn't want to answer it, but they both knew one of them had to. They were both willing to do it, but they also silently hoped the other would insist.

Neither said a word.

"Hey...!" came a muffled, high-pitched, squeaky voice from under the bed. The two jumped visibly. "Somepony get the door...! We don't wanna keep Apple Bloom waiting..."

"Apple Bloom?" the two said together.

"What? How'd ya know it was me?" came said filly's voice from behind the door.

Rainbow was dumbfounded, while Applejack was speechless. Rainbow spoke up.

"D--... Well, uh... Pinkie told us, I guess."

"...Oh."

"What'd ya need, sis?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, uh, nothin' really. Jus' wanted ta let ya know it's been a whole hour since Ah woke ya up. Ah really think it's time ta actually git up now, don'cha think?"

"Oh," said Applejack. "...Yeah... A-a whole hour? Really?"

"That's what the clock told me."

Applejack sighed. "Well, okay then. We'll be up in a minute. Ah promise, alright?"

"Ya better."

"'Kay, go ahead an' head back to the kitchen, Apple Bloom. Ah'll be makin' dinner in a jiffy."

"Whatever you say."

"Jus' git."

"Ah'm a gittin', Ah'm a gittin'..."

And gittin' she was. They could hear her hoofsteps leading to the kitchen. They looked at each other and sighed simultaneously. At least they had avoided anything that could have been more awkward than what it already was.

"That was close," said Rainbow.

"Yeah." Applejack nodded slowly and rested her head on Rainbow's chest.

"You're wel-come," came another whisper from under the bed, emulating a sing-song tone.

To know that there was a pony under your bed while you were doing it was quite a scary thought. Knowing that pony was one of your best friends was horrifying and more than a little creepy.

"Thanks, Pinkie," they said in unison.

There was no reply.

Hesitantly, Applejack leaned over the edge of the bed and peeked under it.

Nothing. Nopony.

"Huh."

Shaking her head, she pushed herself back on top of Rainbow. "Ya, know..." she started, "funny thing is... Ah'm so tired of that. And yet, Ah don't think Ah ever will be."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like something Pinkie would say."

Applejack chuckled. "Well, she's prob'ly rubbed off on more ponies than jus' me."

"That's true." Rainbow shrugged.

Another moment passed before either of them said a thing.

"...I still don't get it."

"Me neither. But she ain't worth tryin' ta understand, okay?"

"No, no that..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean... this. Ya know... us."

The farm mare looked at her. "Yeah, Ah know what ya mean..." It took her a few seconds to think of her next few words. "...but somehow..." She saw Rainbow back at her. She continued. "...it feels okay. Ya know? It jus' feels like what we did..." She paused and swallowed. "... what we did was supposed to happen. Ah don' know what it is, but..." She looked Dash straight in the eyes. "Ah think Ah might be... A-ah might jus' be in love with you, Dash."

Rainbow raised both eyebrows.

"A-ah think Ah might wanna... maybe spend the rest o' my life with you."

It took Rainbow a moment to respond. She was no longer on the same planet as the pony on top of her.

"Dash?"

"Huh? What?"

"Didn't ya hear me?"

"Possibly...?"

"Ah said Ah'm in love you, an' Ah wanna spend the rest of my life with you."

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I heard that."

"Well..." Applejack twirled her right hoof in a circular motion. "Ain'cha gonna say somethin' about that?"

"Oh, well, uh..." Dash rubbed her neck again. She tried to think of something to say.

"You do make an awesome blanket."

Applejack face-hoofed.

"Sorry, sorry," Rainbow apologized, half-chuckling. She put a hoof under her chin. "Well, life with AJ, let me see..."

Applejack punched her lightly. "Ah ain't foolin', RD!"

"Owww..." Rainbow rubbed her foreleg. "Sorry, I'm just not sure it would work, alright?"

Applejack was taken aback. "What? Why not?"

"Think about it." Rainbow put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "You want to run a well-known brand of apple products. I want to be a Wonderbolt. You may be staying here your whole life, but I'd have shows to perform at in different cities, countries even. There's no way we'd ever have time for each other. I just... I don't think it's possible."

"Whoa, whoa. Wait half a minute... Y'all're the Element of Loyalty, am Ah right?"

"I'd be loyal to the Wonderbolts, yes. That's what I'm say--"

"Ya wouldn't be loyal to your friends!?" Applejack interrupted, rather loud. She then shed a tear and lowered her voice. "Or possibly even your own fillyfriend?"

Rainbow didn't say anything. She couldn't. She didn't know what to say.

"Ah know we promised we'd help each other with our dreams an' goals, Rainbow... but... just, y'know, think about this: If you had the chance to settle down with somepony, possibly even start a family, would ya really pick bein' a Wonderbolt over somethin' like that?"

Rainbow did think about it.

Being a Wonderbolt had always been her lifelong dream. Being with Applejack would probably keep her from ever becoming one, and it was very sudden. Applejack was everything she would ever want in a mate, if she ever really thought about it. Her spirit was sweet, yet strong. She was strict, but forgiving. She had endless work to do, yet she always made time for her friends. She was a pain sometimes, but she was always reliable in the end.

She was beautiful.

She was the Element of Honesty.

"...I don't know..."

Applejack stared at her. "There's no Ah don't know about it, Rainbow. There ain't no neutral zone in this. Ya do, or ya don't."

Rainbow put her hooves over her face and started shedding tears. "I don't know..."

Applejack buried her face in her own hooves, letting out a drawn-out sigh. She then lifted her head again and spoke in a shaky voice. "...Ah don't want you ta give up on the Wonderbolts, okay? Ah just want you ta see what you have. You can take what you still have to work for, or you can take what's bein' offered to ya here an' now. Ah know that becoming a Wonderbolt has always been yer dream, an' Ah think you'd be amazin' at it. But ya gotta at least gimme an answer..."

She waited.

"...Please, Dash?"

"Tomorrow."

"What?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Wh--... Why?"

Swallowing, Rainbow looked around at nothing in particular. "Well, it's just a little a pressuring, knowing that you're right here, and it makes it kinda hard to think, so... I think it'd be best if I had some time to think about it alone..." She looked back at Applejack. "...okay?"

Applejack could see her logic. Maybe that would be best.

"Alright, sugarcube." She sniffed a bit before adding, "Can Ah at least leave you with somethin' ta help ya think about it?"

"Sure, I guess."

The farm pony then leaned forward and placed a short, chaste kiss on Rainbow's lips. Rainbow almost followed her when she pulled away. Applejack then brought her muzzle to her ear and whispered, "There would be alot more o' those."

Rainbow laid stunned for the moment, but she quickly shook her head, smiling. "Yeah, I got it, I got it... That would definitely be worth it, but I still gotta sleep on it, okay?"

Applejack sighed and nodded. She then climbed off the bed and ushered Rainbow over to the window, briefly turning the Pegasus toward her for a second.

"Ah love you."

Rainbow stretched and spread her wings. She then smiled warmly. "...I think I love you, too, AJ." She looked out the window, but then back at Applejack and cupped her cheek with a hoof. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Applejack closed her eyes and held onto the hoof, nodding as a few tears escaped her eyes.

"...okay."

Rainbow frowned. "Hey, either way, I'm still gonna help you with your dream. That I can guarantee."

Applejack opened her eyes and stared at the Pegasus. She then hugged her tightly, sobbing into her shoulder. "Oh, Rainbow...! Ah know Ah've said it before... but you really have no idea what that means ta me." The crying only increased. "You mean so much to me. You really are amazin'...!"

Rainbow nodded and hugged her back. "This crying thing is really getting old now, ya know..."

Half-laughing, half-crying, Applejack let go of her and nudged her. "Hey, shut up. You've been cryin', too, alright?"

Rainbow blushed. "Yeah... Please don't tell anypony..."

Applejack smiled lightly. "Don't worry, Ah got'cha covered on that."

Rainbow then glanced at the bed. "Oh, yeah... You, uh... might wanna change your sheets..."

"Rainbow..." Applejack gave her a less sympathetic look with a raised eyebrow. "Ah ain't that hard-headed, alright? Now, go on! Git!" She slapped Rainbow's flank with a hoof.

Giving off a small whoop, the cyan Pegasus clumsily launched out the window, almost hitting her head on the way out.

Applejack used up what little laughter she had left in that moment, for she knew there were more tears to come.

Many more tears.

"Aaaapplejaaaack!"

She turned her gaze to the door.

"Ah thought y'all said ya'd be makin' dinner in a jiffy!"

She groaned.

"Ah'm a gittin', Ah'm a gittin'..."

And gittin' she was.

Author's Note

Once again, I apologize for all of the delaying I've been doing recently. I've just been focused mostly on my music lately. I actually got another song in EQD's Spotlight Music recently. It's called Emerald Eyes, if you're interested. And my YouTube name is 4EverfreeBrony.

I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I am working on it, so have faith.