“Applejack where are you!?”, yelled a cyan pegasus through the wind, rain and thunder. Applejack could see and hear the pegasus calling out for her, and searching the trees for her orange friend. The orange mare started to gallop to her friend, but she didn’t seem to get any closer. This only made her run faster. A bright flash of light made her stop dead in her tracks. She looked up to see that lightning had struck a tree branch right above the cyan pegasus as it began to fall toward its unsuspecting victim.
Applejack gasped and sat straight up in her seat and looked around the train car. She then looked out the window into the inky blackness that surrounded her, she sighed and looked around the car once again, this time searching for her rainbow maned friend. The rainbow maned mare in question was in the seat across the aisle from AJ. The orange farm pony stood and silently walked over to her sleeping friend, giving her a quick once over to be sure she was alright, and put her mind at ease after the nightmare she had. As she sat in the seat across from the sleeping mare, she thought back to their conversation they had in the cave.
“Could Rainbow really wanna go out with me?” She asked herself “Ah mean… Oh Tartarus just pony up and ask her out. Quit actin’ like a scared little filly… Alright fine but if Ah’m gonna do this Ah have ta do it right... Ugh fine why don’t ya tell somepony about ya likin’ her and maybe they’ll have an idea about how you could ask her out… But who should Ah ask Rarity is out cause if Ah tell her the whole town’ll know before Rainbow does… Well what about Pi--NO! Pinkie can’t keep a secret ta save her life… Ugh fine...well how about Fluttershy? Hey yeah that's a great idea she'll either be too shy, or embarrassed ta tell anypony. But when should Ah tell Fluttershy?... As soon as you get back take her aside or go to her house and tell her… Okay.”
As she finished the argument with herself she felt a hoof touch her shoulder. She jumped and turned to see whom the hoof belonged to.
“Um… Is everything alright Applejack?” asked the pale yellow pegasus
“Ferget everithin’ tell her now!”
She blinked and stared at her friend and sighed, “ No everithin’s not alright.” she said uncertain of how her friend would take her having feelings for their rainbow maned friend.
“Care to share?” Fluttershy asked taking a seat next to her friend, “ I Pinkie promise I won’t tell anypony.” she finished as she went through the motions.
Applejack sighed once more and avoided eye contact with Fluttershy, “ Well… Ah think Ah have a crush on somepony.” she said quietly
“You have a crush?! Applejack that’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you.” Fluttershy said giving Applejack a gentle hug, “Who is it… your crush I mean?”
Applejack didn’t know what to say she simply stared at Fluttershy.
“Oh.. I’m sorry… if you don’t want to share I understand.” she said putting a reassuring hoof on AJ's shoulder
“Well Ah don’t think she even knows Ah like her.” said the farm mare
“Oh your crush in a mare?”
“...Yeah...why… don’t tell me you are the kind of folk that hates mares who like other mares.” she said now worried
“I never said I was. Besides I swing both ways.” said the pink maned pegasus
Applejack looked her in the eye shocked at what her friend had just said, “ You swing both ways?”
“Yeah… Actually you’re the first pony I’ve told this to.”
Applejack continued to stare at her.
“...Would it make you feel better if I told you my crush is?”
“...Sure… Ah mean if ya wanna.”
“Rarity.” Fluttershy said confidently
“Really?” said Applejack
“Yep, I haven’t told her yet… but I will… Now that I told you who my crush is, it’s your turn.” Fluttershy said smiling broadly
Applejack sighed as felt her face begin to flush. Too embarrassed to say who it was she simply pointed a hoof at the sleeping pegasus across from her and Fluttershy.
Fluttershy put a hoof to her lips and let out a small gasp, “ You have a crush on Rainbow Dash?”
Applejack nodded slowly and waited for something to happen… nothing did, except another hug from Fluttershy.
“Oh I’m really happy for you know. I tried to go out with her a while ago … but either I was too subtle or she just wasn’t into me.”
At those words Applejack felt a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. She turned to Fluttershy and said, “ Thanks Shy, Ah really needed ta hear that. But how am Ah goin’ ta get her attention?”
“Well...I don’t know, but the way I am going to get Raritys attention is by leaving a rose out side her door every night until she has eleven, then with the last one, if I don’t talk myself out of it, going to knock on the door and with it in my mouth and give it to her in person.” the timid pegasus said seaming confident that she was going to go through with her plan.
“ But you know as well as Ah do that Dash isn’t the best on pickin’ up on the subtle things… and Ah don’t wanna just outright ask her. Ah wanna do somethin’ romantic, then at the end of whatever tell her how Ah feel, and ta tell ya the truth Ah think she has a crush on me too.”
“...Well when we were in the cave she asked me if Ah would ever go out with a pony like her.”
“Oh.. so what did you say?”
“ Ah said Ah didn’t know if Ah would go out with somepony like her, but then she asked me what Ah was lookin’ fer in my special somepony, and Ah darn near described her to a tee.” Applejack finished now staring longingly at said blue pegasus, still asleep across from her.
“Oh my… Well...um you--” the light yellow pegasus was stopped mid sentence
“ And while we were in there Ah couldn’t catch a wink a sleep so,” Applejack got up and walked back over to her original seat and opened her sketchbook to the drawing of Rainbow in the cave,” Ah drew this, “ she turned the book to show Fluttershy
“Oh wow that’s really good Applejack. I didn’t know you could draw.”
“Neither did Rainbow,” she sighed “ It’s one of mah little obsessions.” she turned the drawing back to look at it again and smiled, “and ever since we got on the train Ah can’t seem ta stop drawin’ her.” AJ turned the page to reveal yet another drawing of the cyan pegasus, “Here have a look… Ah don’t mind.” she said handing the book to fluttershy
Fluttershy took the book and began flipping through the pages, on the front and back of every page, except the first drawing, was one or two drawings of the rainbow maned mare depicted in all sorts of landscapes, some with her wings flared showing off her feathers, and others had their artist drawn either kinning her,which made the light yellow observer blush lightly, hugging her, or in some other affectionate embrace.
“Oh my Applejack you really like Rainbow.” Fluttershy said handing the book back to Applejack.
“ Yeah Ah know Ah do… and Ah wanna ask her out but Ah’m too scared ta do it.”
“Well I would take your favorite drawing of her and on the back I would write a date, time and place and have something really romantic set up, and mail her the drawing asking her to meet you there. Or… if you don’t want to you can always find another way to ask her.” Fluttershy suggested.
Applejack looked at her friend in surprise, “ Wow Shy that’s a really good idea, where did ya come up with that?”
“I read a lot of romance novels.”
“Ah shoulda guessed.”