//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: It's Not Easy Being In Love (Anachronic Version) 
// by Gutovi 
//------------------------------//

Date: Two years after King Sombra’s failed attempt to take Crystal Empire back.
Before “The Games”.
Location: Unknown
Point of View: Rainbow Dash

“You two little ponies really take the ‘love against all odds’ thing to another level.”
“W-who are you? Or what are you?”
“Hmm…” The strange creature, still hidden in the shadows seemed to be pondering.
Rainbow Dash was feeling blind, because the creatures didn’t show any aura, something was really strange about them 
“Are you saying ‘you’ as in me? Or as in us?”
“B-both?”
“Well… we go by many names, but you may call me Amnesia, and my little brother here is Oblivion. And regarding what we are… we could tell you, yeah, but what’s the point in doing so?” the voice asked, it seemed to be slightly maniac.
“So… there’s no point on telling us what y’all two are, but there’s a point in tellin’ us yer names?” Applejack asked, and judging by the look on her face, she regretted it just as the words left her mouth.
“Ah yeah, you’re the complaining and judging one… Applejack was it?”
“Uh, yeah? How did y’all know?”
“Ah, right! You don’t remember us thanks to me! Silly me, I’m sorry but I tend to forget lots of things.”
“Do you mean we met before?”
“Ah yes, it was ten years ago, though you’re supposed not to remember it. I have a certain power over living beings’ minds. I usually don’t mess with anypony, but you two entered our domains, so it was a possibility we couldn’t miss.”
“We entered your domains? Where exactly are we?”
“CLOSE YOUR FILTHY MOUTH, HE’S TELLING YOU THE STORY.” The second creature vociferated. He didn’t talk much, but when he did, it wasn’t good. Both ponies held each other in fear and nodded at the unknown source of the voice, but they remained silent.
“I’m sorry girls; my brother can be a bit… enthusiastic.” Amnesia stated with a hint of apology in his voice. “Anyways, as I was saying, you two weren’t trying  to get into our domain. It was more of an accident.”
The creature seemed to be moving around them, because Rainbow Dash could notice the voice circling her.
“For what I can remember and what I understood back then... Applejack was taking the funny colored one on her back to a romantic picnic. To celebrate the anniversary of their first date, and also to make her forget about her parents’ death.”
“S-so… it was exactly ten years from now? Today’s the anniversary of those two things...” Rainbow Dash said, letting a tear fall down her cheek.
“Yes.”
“B-but how come we don’t remember this? N’ what do y’all mean by ‘romantic’? Ah wasn’t in love with her until many years later!” Applejack inquired.
“Well… that’s what I wanted you to believe. You see, you were a couple back then, and were very happy and, even for me, very cute. But sadly, you came to us, and as I said, you were a chance we wouldn’t let pass.” Once again, the creature moved around them while talking, he seemed to be floating, flying or silent as a shadow, because Rainbow couldn’t hear any footsteps. 
“You two came in, and… to make things simple, we were in a good mood, and seeing you were just fillies and you wouldn’t be able to defeat us in any possible way, we asked you a single simple question.”
“And that was?”
Oblivion decided to talk this time. “Amnesia has power over ponies’ minds and memories. I have the power to destroy everything I want to, and send it to a dimension of eternal damnation. I believe your ancestors called it Tartarus, I am unaware if you still call it that way.”
“So...?”
“Well… we decided to ask you to choose one of us. Obviously the one that wasn’t chosen would have his little revenge. My brother would destroy both of your hometowns and all of its citizens, while I would make you forget the most precious memory to you and all related to it, and fill it with blank spaces. That memory happened to be you two being a couple. That’s why you don’t remember anything about it.”
Rainbow Dash focused on remembering what happened ten years ago, the day her fathers died in an accident. She could remember going to the acres afterwards, to talk to Applejack, but after that, she couldn’t remember anything.
“So we chose Oblivion?”
“Yes you did. But I was far too generous, so I decided to give you an opportunity to get your memories and everything else back.”
Applejack seemed to be thinking, and soon she said “The one-in-a-billion chance y’all were talkin’ ‘bout some minutes ago.”
“Exactly, the only way to get your memories back, was to be together again, and for Applejack to say the exact same words, in the exact same pose, and in the exact same state of emotion as when I found you two in your little ‘picnic’ ten years ago. So, you see it was almost impossible. Yet you managed to do it! So you’re here, and I shall give you back your memories.”
Suddenly Rainbow Dash started feeling a bit dizzy, and  her head started pounding and a strange noise rang in her ears, she later realized they were voices and noises, mostly Applejack’s, of every moment she spent with her as a couple. Wave after wave of images and sounds pierced her brain and she collapsed on the floor.



Date: Two years after King Sombra’s failed attempt to take Crystal Empire back.
First day of the New Year.
Location: Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville.
Point of View: Applejack

“So… what happened last night? Why do you have bite marks?
“Y’all should tell me, y’all are the one who told me doing it had been yer dream fer quite a while.” Applejack stated smiling at the pony by her side. They were still lying on the hay.
“Oh… so I guess I told you I’m a biter… You can’t tell anypony about that”
“Ah know, y’all made me Pinkie Pie promise it last night… well, y’all tried.”
“What do you mean I ‘tried’?”
“Y’all were so hammered y’all couldn’t even say the sentence right. Ah believe yer exact words were ‘Blinky Prey Miss’.”
“Yeah… I’m definitely not gonna drink cider anytime soon. So… anything else I said last night?”
“Well… y’all tried to kiss me and get me to sleep with me.”
“WHAT?” Rainbow’s eyes looked like they would pop out of her eye-socks.
“Ah’m jes kiddin’, Ah mean y’all just made what Ah suppose it was a sleep-deprived, intoxicated bad taste prank when we saw the girls making out.”
“Ah… yeah, it was probably just a prank hehe.” Rainbow Dash said giggling worriedly. 
“W-why don’t y’all look so convinced when y’all say that?”
“I’m… thinking that I do pretty crazy stuff when drunk. Never touching alcohol again.”
“Why don’t we keep this… ‘under the wing’ like y’all say.” Applejack suggested with a little wink.
“Thanks Apples, you’re the best.” She suddenly started blushing and looked away. “S-say… would it be too weird if I… uh…” she started fidgeting with her front hooves.
“Y’all can if y’all wanna Sugarcube.” Applejack stated simply, opening her hooves and moving her head slightly to the side, presenting her ear to her polychromatic friend and secret love.
Rainbow Dash blushed a bit more but a wholehearted smile full of joy and glee appeared on her face. “You truly are the best AJ.”



Date: The year of Nightmare Moon’s return.
The day after the Running of the Leaves.
Location: Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville.
Point of View: Rainbow Dash

Rainbow Dash was waiting for her friend to come down, sitting on the Apple’s kitchen table.
“I can’t believe I did that! I’m not a perv for looking at my best friend showering… r-right? In my defence, her body is too good for me not to watch it…” She surprised herself with that train of thoughts “Wait, do I find her attractive? Well let’s see, there’s that beautiful blonde hair, those cute little freckles, those sexy green eyes, and I have no words to describe her body…”
Rainbow felt a bucket of frozen water fall over her “Oh dear Celestia, I have the hots for AJ.”
“What was that Sugarcube?” a voice behind her asked.
Blushing furiously she turned around to find Applejack, drying her mane with a towel. Once again, she wasn’t wearing her iconic hot, nor the mane ties and part of it fell down her shoulder in a very alluring way, and some beads of water were still dripping down her coat.
“You gotta be kidding me! Darn girl, you can’t tell me it’s my fault now.” “Uhh… nothing.”
“Were y’all thinkin’ ‘bout me?”
Rainbow blushed a bit more and breathed “Maybe…”
“Look Ah’m gonna save y’all from any embarrasin’ moments, so we won’t mention this ever again. A’ight? Now what was that y’all wanted to talk ‘bout?”
“Oh yeah, that. But first you gotta answer a question that’s been lingering since I saw you uh… in the shower.”
“What is it?” asked Applejack smiling.
“Why do you always have your mane tied? It looks really good when loose! I swear you could have any stallion you could want if you do so.”
“Ah can’t, it would be too troublesome when workin’ at the farm. Wearing it loose would mean bits of woods and leaves getting stuck in it, n’ it would be a pain to clean it every day.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“So…”
“Oh yeah” Rainbow Dash remembered the reason she asked the orange pony to talk in the first place. “Look, yesterday we said stuff and did things we shouldn’t. You see, I never cuddled with you and slept in the same bed.”
“N’ Ah never told y’all Ah loved y’all.”
“Me neither.”
“Y’all didn’t kiss me goodnight.”
“And I definitely didn’t call you ‘Sugarcube’.”
“Well… Y’all know Ah can’t lie, so Ah could say it was almost like every other sleepover.” 
“Well, that’s not a lie, and since the girls don’t know what we usually do on our sleepovers, that’s like… the best we could ask for to keep our reputation intact.” Rainbow Dash said with a wink.
“Sounds good to me.”


Date: The year after Discord’s return.
The day after the Equestria’s Rodeo Competition.
Location: On the Friendship Express, Ponyville’s outskirts.
Point of View: Applejack

“I still can’t believe you did that.”
“Rainbow, Ah told y’all six times now, Ah thought y’all would be ashamed of me, n’ Ah didn’t want to get back empty hooved.”
“You being empty hooved for not having prize money? And what about me? I would be without my eternal friendly rival, my best friend, the best mare I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, the pony I l…I… the pony I prefer over any other…” Rainbow Dash spurted, tears threatening to roll down her checks. “The mare that saved my life! And all you were worried about was some stupid mon-”
Applejack suddenly tackle-hugged the polychromatic pegasus. “Ah missed y’all too Rainbow.”
And with that, the tears started flowing freely down both mares’ cheeks.
“Thank Luna we had this compartment for just the two of us.”
“Y’all jes started crying ‘cause Ah almost left y’all, but y’all still try to keep yer cool n’ reputation?” Applejack laughed.
“Oh shut up.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“I can’t be mad at you… not anymore.”
Applejack raised her eyebrow at that “N’ why not?”
“I just realised something important.” 
“N’ that is?”
“Not telling ya!” Rainbow Dash said while suddenly grabbing Applejack’s head and giving her a noogie.
“Ouch, stop that!” the mare responded between giggles. 
The two ponies shared a good laugh and soon they were resting together in the compartment’s floor.
“It’s getting late don’t you think? We should get some sleep.”
“Ah’d like that, but y’all ain’t letting me get up.”
“Oh no, after this little ‘escapade’ you pulled, you’re gonna have to repay me by sleeping here with me.”
“Can’t say no, can Ah?”



Date: Ten years prior to Nightmare Moon’s Return
Rainbow’s first sleepover at Applejack’s house.
Location: Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville
Point of View: Rainbow Dash

Applejack placed her hoof in front of her mouth, signalizing her to be quiet. “Mah family is usually asleep by this time.”
“Isn’t this a bit early to be sleeping?” asked Rainbow Dash, out of pure curiosity.
“We Apples usually wake up with the first sunray, so…”
“Yeah, I get it.”
Applejack got closer to the front door and opened the door as quietly as she could. Luckily they were fillies, so their hoofsteps made little noise. Unluckily, not every member of the family was asleep already.
“So… y’all finally decided to come back from yer lil’ date lil’ filly.”
Both fillies froze in place and looked to their right, and suddenly a lamp was turned on revealing an old pale green mare.
“Uh… h-hi Granny! Yeah… Ah jes came back, n’ Ah… Dashie needs to stay over Granny. Y’all always said we should care fer our friends, n’ Ah don’t want her to fly back to Cloudsdale this late, it’s dangerous fer a lil’ filly.”
The old mare looked at Rainbow Dash sternly “Dashie?”
“Rainbow Dash at your service ma’am! Best flyer to ever come out of Cloudsdale ma’am.” Rainbow instinctively said with a smile.
She noticed Applejack’s eyes widen and shaking her head in disapproval.
“She’s an assertive n’ pretentious one huh?” the mare frowned “Y’all see… in this family we admire humbleness.”
“Horseapples” Rainbow thought, cursing herself.
“Pony-feathers” Applejack said under her breath before looking at her grandmother and with her head held up high, exclaiming. “She’s a good gal Granny, don’t be impolite to a guest. Y’all yerself taught us that!”
“Guess y’all are right Applejack, besides, y’all have a good eye fer ponies, n’ if y’all brought her here, then she’s a good catch.” She said getting up from the armchair she was sitting on, and walking up the stairs.
Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack with a quizzical expression, just to get the same look from the farm-filly in front of her. She got a bit closer and whispered “You told her about the ‘date’ stuff?”
“No Ah didn’t.”
“Then why is she talking to us like we were dating?”
“Ah have no clue, now follow me, Ah’ll take y’all to the guest room.” Applejack said while walking up the same stairs as the old farm mare did some seconds ago.
“You know, I found something funny about us.”
“N’ what is that Sugarcube?”
“You say pony-feathers and I say Horseapples, but you’re the apple one, and I’m the feathered pony. Isn’t that weird?”
The orange pony stopped and smiled at her “Ah guess that jes means we’re meant to meet!”
“That’d be so awesome!”



Date: After King Sombra’s failed attempt to take Crystal Empire back.
Rainbow Dash’s first day working at the farm.
Location: Ponyville’s Train Station, Ponyville.
Point of View: Applejack

“So, we’re starting today?”
“Let’s start teachin’ y’all the technique n’ stuff before we start with the applebuckin’.”
“Okay, let’s get going then.”
“Y’all are really excited aren’t y’all?” Applejack asked smiling at the pegasus.
“Isn’t that better?”
“It is, unless y’all are too excited to stay still n’ listen to me tellin’ y’all what to do.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll listen to every word you say, count on that.”
“Well this is mah best chance to make sure y’all don’t do that. Too much for playing the nice way, no more trying to get y’all by showin’ mah fun n’ prankin side,  no more trying to get you through yer stomach. Ah’ll be as sensual an inviting as possible n’ try to get through yer eyes n’ yer most feral n’ basic instincts.” she sighed and continued thinking “Ah hope those seduction methods Rarity taught me but Ah didn’t want to use prove to be useful now.”
The blonde mare looked at her friend and decided the best way to start.
“Ah’m glad y’all are so eager. First we’re gonna do sumthin’ y’all won’t like. Y’all are going to get used to be second in the chain of command. N’ to do that, Ah’m gonna walk in front of y’all, n’ y’all can’t complain nor talk, unless Ah ask y’all something, understood?” Applejack said, looking at her sternly trying to look as much of a high-rank member of the royal guard as she could.
“Okay.”
Applejack coughed a bit and stared at her friend.
“Yes ma’am?” Rainbow Dash said inquiringly.
“That’s better.”
Applejack made a little trot to get in front of her new applebucking apprentice and started walking, adding a little swing, a certain sway of the hips that she was told by Rarity ‘will most certainly get her to at least look at your behind, which is, I got to say so myself, positively uh… eye-catching and more than good-looking.’ “Besides, RD liked mah ‘kicking curves’… Ah wonder if she’s still jealous n’ she’s trying to have the same body by applebucking.”

After some minutes of walking, no word came from the pegasus, which make Applejack wonder “Ah’m not sure if she’s a quick-learner, or if she’s too distracted… Guess there’s one way to know.” Apart from the seductive walk, she decided to start swinging her tail with her flank, showing a bit more of her behind. It was imperceptible at first, but she started moving it more and more until with a particularly wide swing she revealed something with the hope of getting a good response.
Her ears perked as she heard a little *POMF* behind her, and a grin appeared on her face. “Rainbow may not know what it means, but Ah knew what that ‘wing springing’ meant. Ah’m getting her! she mentally patted herself on the back and noticed a little rock some hooves away.
“Everything alright Dash?”
“Uh-huh…”
“Ah could tell her to say ‘ma’am’, but knowin’ she’s all distracted is a whole lot better.” “Okay, now be careful, there’s a little rock right here, don’t wanna trip n’ fall do y’all?”
“Uh-huh….WOAH!”
Applejack heard the pegasus say before hearing her whole body hit the floor.”Perfect.. “Y’all alright Sugarcube?”
“Yeah, just tripped over a stupid little rock.”
“Ah told y’all to be careful.” Applejack said, not even looking behind at her friend.
“You did? Sorry, I was distracted by… uh… that strange apple-shaped cloud.”
“What!?” “She’s gotta be lying, don’t tell me Ah did all that n’ she wasn’t even watchin’!” looking up she realized there was in fact, an apple-shaped cloud “N’ now Ah dunno if she was lookin’ at the cloud or if it’s a lie, too late to notice. Consarn it! Anyways the plan is still up, Ah’ll just have to do a better job at the farm.



Date: Two years after King Sombra’s failed attempt to take Crystal Empire back.
The day of “The Games”.
Location: Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville.
Point of View: Rainbow Dash

“Rise n’ shine Sugarcube.” She heard.
“Hey babe…”
“C’mon Dash, get up! We gotta go to town to tell the gals” Applejack whispered.
“Oh yeah… right. Well, wait for me outside, I’ll leave through the window and meet you in a minute.”
“Alrighty then!”
When the mare left the room, Rainbow Dash started rolling in the bed and sniffing the bedsheets.
“We’ve been sleeping together since the day we confessed our love, and I still can’t get enough of her smell. Stupid sexy Applejack…” “Well… no use on delaying it anymore… Might as well go. Besides, what is there to lose? Twi and Pinks are together, they won’t say a thing, and there’s a 90% chance Pinkie will start prancing around and saying ‘I knew it’. Fluttershy knew it for a long time, and I doubt Rarity objects against it. It’s certainly gonna be a good day today.”
She decided to get up, brush her teeth and fly out the window.
“How can y’all spend so much time to get up of the bed?”
The daredevil pegasus gently landed besides her lover, there was no need to show off now that they were together. “It’s your fault, not mine.”
“How in Luna’s name can it be mah fault?”
“It just is, now let’s get walking, I’d like to tell the girls before lunch, so we can have a romantic picnic near the Whitetail Woods.”
Applejack nuzzled her and smiled “Romantic Dash is a secret pony nopony but me knows, isn’t her?”
“She’s a secret pony nopony but you know, and will ever know, get it?”
“As y’all wish Dashie.”

After a little walk, they were in front of the town’s library, knocking on the door.
After some seconds Pinkie Pie opened the door with Twilight by her side. “Hi Dash! How are you in this fine, fine da-” She suddenly froze in place.
“Hey Pinks, ‘sup Twi.”
“You two are back!”
“How come you’re here so early Applejack? And where were you Dash? I haven’t seen you in two weeks!” the lavender unicorn asked.
“Sweet Apple Acres wasn’t needed there anymore, n’ Dash has been with me since the first day. In fact… she’s been with me in more ways than jes one, that’s kinda why we’re here.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight’s area was turning slightly orange.
“Pinks, Egghead… we’re dating!” Rainbow Dash said, smiling at the two mares.
Suddenly, both Twilight’s and Pinkie Pie’s aura disappeared, as well as their facial expressions. Their stance changed as well, getting straighter, and looking blankly to a point in the infinite, behind the new couple.“What the hay?”
“Y’all feelin’ alright gals?”
“You two can not be in love, that is unnatural and illogic. I am ashamed of you, please get out of my front door.”
“Twilight? What are you talking about? This is not some kind of bad taste prank, is it? ‘Cause I’m not laughing.”
“Get out of my sight, sick filly-foolers.” Twilight spitted with such venom in her voice, that made Applejack shed a few tears.
That was the last straw Rainbow Dash would take. “What the hay is wrong with you Twilight? You’re with Pinkie! How is that any different!?”
“It just is. Now, since you will not get out willingly, I will have to do it myself.” Twilight stated before closing the door forcefully.
In less than the blink of an eye, a purple bubble-shaped magic shield was created around the tree, getting bigger in size and hitting the two mares in the process, pushing them some hooves away from the library.
“W-what happened Rainbow? D-did we do sumthin’ wrong?” Said Applejack, looking in the verge of crying.
“No AJ, we did nothing… And I don’t have a single clue what the hay just happened, but we should get the hay out of here, we’ll ask for an apology later.”
“L-let’s go with Rarity, Ah know she’ll be happy ‘bout us, she… she has been helpin’ me since the Nightmare Moon thing.”
“Really? Then I’ll have to thank her when I see her!”

Luckily the Carousel Boutique wasn’t that far away from the library, and Applejack had recovered from the previous encounter, so the couple was somehow happily knocking on the shop’s door.
Soon they were greeted by the white fashionista. “Oh my! Girls you are back, that are some pleasing news! You have certainly brightened my day.”
“N’ prepare to get yer day even brighter Rar, ‘cause we’re here to tell y’all that y’all did it! Well, it was me, but thanks to y’all, we’re together Rarity! We’re a couple!”
Suddenly, Rarity’s aura disappeared along with her facial expression.
“Oh no, not this again.”
“That is unnatural and totally uncouth, you two disgust me.” Rarity said, closing the door.
Applejack’s fragile happiness was destroyed.
“Let’s get outta here Apples, something smells fishy here; we should go ask Fluttershy about it.”
“B-but what is wrong? Ah thought she’d be happy about us!” Applejack said, shivering.
“I don’t know AJ, but we’ll find out, now hop on, I’ll fly us to Flutters’ house.”

After a short flight they were in front of Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Now, you’re not in your best Apples, stay here please, just in case, I’ll go and ask her about what’s going on.”
“O-ok Dashie, Ah’ll wait fer y’all.” The orange mare said while resting on the floor, drying her tears.
Rainbow Dash walked the few hooves to the shy pony’s door and knocked five times. After all this time, Rainbow Dash had decided to create a kind of ‘knocking code’ so Fluttershy could know who was at the door.
The butter-coated pegasus opened the door and smiled at the sight, a green aura creating around her. “Oh you’re back, that is great! How was everything in Canterlot?”
“Great, I could confess to AJ and we’re together no- DARN IT I’M STUPID!”
As she expected, she noticed the same symptoms as the others right before the pink-maned pony looked at her in the eyes and said “I despise you.”
Seconds later, Rainbow noticed Fluttershy’s gaze strengthen as her body moved by its own, walking backwards, until she was next to her lover. Fluttershy closed the door of her cottage and Rainbow regained control of her body.
“W-what happened?” her marefriend asked her
“I accidentally screwed up, she acted all strange like the others and then used The Stare on me…”
“The hay happened to our friends Dashie?”
“I have no clue babe, I have no clue…”



Date: Two years after King Sombra’s Failed attempt to take Crystal Empire back.
During “The Games”.
Location: Unknown.
Point of View: Applejack

“Where are we?”
“It’s some kind of tunnel. Luckily, he’s too big to fit here, so Ah guess we can make it to the finish line jes fine… but jes to be sure, Ah’d say we should fly a bit faster.”
“Won’t complain, just remember to tell me where to go.”
“Don’t y’all worry, jes fly straight, there’s nuthin’ in between.” After some seconds she regretted saying that, as she head a rumble, and a spike protruding from left to right, in front of them.
“Go up RD!”
Rainbow Dash went up just as told, but since she was deprived of her sight, she couldn’t measure how ‘up’.
“Gah!” Applejack cried as she felt the cave’s roof hitting her back.
“Oh no, are you alright Apples? I’m sorry, I can’t know how far I have to move!”
“Ah’m okay, should’ve been more specific. Stay sharp, there may be more unexpected stuff happening.”
As she finished saying that, a lot of spikes started appearing in front of her. “Y’all gotta be kiddin’… okay listen RD, there’s a big row of spikes, listen carefully!”
“Okay!”
“Left three hooves, right four hooves, down six hooves, left eight hooves n’ up three more, four to the right n’ two down.”
Luckily, they managed to successfully evade every single one, and the tunnel’s end was close.
“We’re near Dash, jes a few more hooves!”
In a jinx-like manner, two solid rock walls started closing in the way out. By the time the two mares get there, the gap would be wide enough for a pony to pass through.
But Rainbow Dash had wings. “RD… when  Ah told y’all too, y’all close yer wings.”
“What!? Are you crazy!? We’ll plummet to our death!”
“Have sum faith will y’all? Close yer wings now!”
Her marefriend did as told and they managed to get through the small gap.
“Now fly again!” The orange mare ordered, and the pegasus obeyed. They could soar up once again, and crossed the finish line.
“We did it! And I got my sight back!”