The Untold Secret

by Rubez2525

Chapter 4: Revelations

It has been a full day before the three ponies were making final preparations at Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was going over some last minute details with Big Mac and Applebloom about what was needed to be done on the farm. Even though there was no big sale or anything out of routine to prepare for in the next few days, she still wanted to make sure that her duties there will still be taken care of.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were cinching down their saddlebags, preparing for the long hike through the woods to Windson Falls.

Deciding on the destination was not easy. It took a lot of convincing from Fluttershy just to be able to discuss it with Rainbow Dash. The blue pony thought that the camping trip was a stupid idea, and refusing to go. However, after some pleading from Fluttershy and more protests from Rainbow Dash, they finally decided on the waterfall destination. Even though Rainbow Dash went there with Applejack before, she figured that it would be beneficial to show it to Fluttershy, and it would minimize aggravation of not having to navigate to some unknown location.

"Alright, y'all ready?" Applejack asked as she trotted up to the pair.

"As I'll ever be" Rainbow Dash responded with a sigh.

"Are ya sure? You don't seem very enthused." Applejack frowned.

"Yea, yea. Let's get on with it." Rainbow went ahead and walked towards the hilly path that leads into the woods. Applejack raised an eyebrow at her, but did not probe her any further.

The trio walked towards the hills without much conversation. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and relished the cool and crisp mid-afternoon air. Of course, she would rather have been flying, to let the wind hit her face and run down her body, but taking in the slight breeze on the ground would have to do. She took a moment to recollect her thoughts towards her friends.

She could not help but think that Applejack was mocking her, picking on her for the one true sign of weakness she practically presented in front of her friends. However, that sincere look on Applejack's face when she apologized, Rainbow knew that she could not lie with a look like that, but the way Applejack held her and spoke into her ear made Rainbow nervous all over.

Then there was Fluttershy. Why could she not reveal her burdensome secret to her? The thought that her closest friend was keeping something away from her scared her. What if all her friends were hiding something, talking behind her back even?

Rainbow Dash had to shake those thoughts from her mind. She was here on a nice camping trip. This trip was for her. She did not want to ruin it over something that might have not even been true.

As they approached the entrance of the forest, Fluttershy looked nervous.

"Is something wrong sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Well…that forest looks pretty scary." Fluttershy receded a bit.

"Hey, don't worry. It's not like the Everfree forest or anything. You don't have to worry about anything with me around." Rainbow flexed her wings, showing off her typical bravado.

Fluttershy looked at her and nodded a slight, confident nod. They continued well into the forest.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

As the sun started to set, the three ponies decided to stop and set up camp for the night. They each had their own tents which were constructed within minutes. Afterwards, Rainbow Dash swiftly collected logs and rocks to prepare a campfire in the middle.

Applejack lit the fire. She distributed some daisy sandwiches as their first meal of the trip. They each sat around the fire and ate.

"Oh my, it is getting awfully dark" Fluttershy said after a short while.

"I guess this wouldn't be a good time to tell my ghost stories then, huh?" Rainbow said with a smirk.

"Nah. Besides, Ah already heard your stories" Applejack snickered.

"No, you heard my HEADLESS HORSE stories." Rainbow Dash corrected her.

"Same thing" Applejack waved her off.

"Is not."

"Umm, girls, I don't think I want to hear scary stories right now anyway." Fluttershy shrunk down.

"You have nothing to worry about Fluttershy. I already told you that is forest is safe." Rainbow Dash tried to reassure her.

"I know. I just can't help it." Fluttershy took a nibble out of her sandwich.

"Then is there anything else we can do before we hit the hay?" Applejack asked Fluttershy.

"I don't know, whatever you want to do" Fluttershy said.

"Oh, how about we do some stargazing?" Rainbow Dash pitched in.

Fluttershy and Applejack both simultaneously stared at her.

"What?"

"Ah didn't know you were into such a passive activity Rainbow" Applejack said, smirking slightly.

"Ok, and? You already know that I am into napping, and that seems pretty passive to me" Rainbow Dash responded.

"But that's different."

"Are you really going to make a big deal out of it?" The blue pegasus snorted.

Applejack had a look of horror on her face. "No, no, Ah actually think it's very nice. There is one problem though."

"Oh yea, what's that?"

"How do you suppose we go about stargazing when the trees here are blocking our view?" Applejack pointed to the towering trees over them to emphasize her point.

"Simple" Rainbow Dash responded, pointing to one of the taller trees "We can just sit on top of that tree."

"How am Ah supposed to get up there? Ah can't climb that tree."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I'll just carry you up."

"Ya sure you won't drop me?"

"Oh please Applejack, since when have I ever dropped somepony?" Before Applejack could protest any further, Rainbow Dash swooped in and picked her up by the chest, leaving her hind legs and tail dangling beneath her as they pulled away from solid ground. Fluttershy followed them up.

Applejack was gently placed on one of the high, sturdy branches. She sat at the root of the branch and leaned up against the tree trunk for support. Rainbow Dash sat perched next to her while Fluttershy took the outermost spot.

"Wow, the stars do look beautiful" Fluttershy said. Applejack looked equally awestruck as she looked up at the sky. Neither of them really took the time to sit and watch the stars whenever they are away from town. Being out in the woods and away from the nightly town lights, they could really see the stars in their full glory.

”So, Applejack, do still think this is lame? Aren't you going to laugh at me again?" Rainbow Dash snarled.

"Well...no...she..." Fluttershy started to answer for her before the earth pony snapped.

"Consarn it Rainbow! Ah never ever said that! Why are you always assuming the worst of me ever since that night with you and Fluttershy? Ah already apologized! Are ya still going to hold it against me?" Despite sitting around thirty feet up a tree, Applejack was not afraid to stand her ground.

Fluttershy's ears twitched. "Umm, girls" she meeked.

"Geez Applejack. You honestly expect me to forgive you just like that? You bully me and then pretend it's no big deal." Rainbow looked at her angrily.

"Girls"

"For the last time Rainbow, I was just teasing you. Why do you gotta be so sensitive about this anyway?!"

"Uhh." Rainbow Dash was momentarily at a loss for words.

"GIRLS!" Fluttershy yelled.

"What is it Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Listen" she responded.

All three of them paused for a brief moment. What they heard was the faint howling of timberwolves along with the sound of them running towards their location.

"Oh…my" Fluttershy was shaking.

Shortly after, five timberwolves ran into their campsite. They were sniffing out the place, trying to find the ponies that were there just moments ago. Their breath could even be smelt from high on the tree branch.

"We could take them" Rainbow Dash spoke softly yet harshly. She was getting ready to dive down to them.

"No Rainbow, there's too many of them. We can't take the risk." Applejack held her back.

"I'm not some timid mare who needs your sympathy."

"Fer pony's sake Rainbow! Be reasonable!" Applejack was hardly whispering at this point.

Rainbow ignored her, opened her wings, and slid herself off the branch. Applejack, in a vain attempt to keep her still, held onto her. Her grasp tightened when she realized that she too was falling.

The added weight that held onto Rainbow threw her off, and before she could correct her flight, she clipped her left wing on one of the lower branches. This sent both ponies tumbling down the branches of the tree. They both hit the ground with a loud thud. Applejack was on her back, the wind knocked out of her. Her hat had landed a couple of feet from her head. Rainbow Dash sat there, looking at her injured wing. Before either of them could fully recover, they found themselves staring in the faces of the timberwolves. The terrible breath of the wooden canines filled their nostrils.

Fluttershy watched in horror from the tree branch. She wanted to do something, but she could not figure out what. Unfortunately, there was no rocks to throw at the timberwolves or distract them with. Her nervous eyes darted back and forth between the wolves and her friends until they eventually landed upon the now abandoned campfire behind the wooden creatures.

"C'mon AJ, we gotta move!" Rainbow Dash was now tugging at Applejack’s shoulder trying to get her to stand up, all the while staring at the timberwolves, knowing they could pounce at any moment. Still trying to recover from having the wind knocked out of her, Applejack could not move or even get a breath big enough to voice a response.

Suddenly, a flaming branch arched through the air and landed right on one of the wolf's back. It yelped in agony when its wooden body caught fire. The attention of the other four timberwolves were shifted onto the fire and trying to put it out.

Rainbow Dash used this opportunity to haul Applejack onto her back. Applejack was limp but was able to firmly hold Rainbow’s neck to secure herself. Rainbow, with her wing still injured, galloped as hard as she could, only to slow down to pick up Applejack’s hat with her teeth.

Fluttershy flew away silently and followed Rainbow, hoping that none of the timberwolves will see them and give chase.

Rainbow Dash continued to gallop away at full speed with Applejack on her back. Fluttershy flew closely behind them. It was not until Rainbow started to run out of breath that she felt it was safe to stop and recuperate. She placed Applejack on the ground and removed her hat from her own mouth and handed it to her. Applejack wiped the saliva from the brim where Rainbow was holding it in her mouth and placed the hat on her head. By now, Applejack was able to breathe normally again.

"Thanks Rainbow" she said. "But what in tarnation was that little stunt all about?!"

"What stunt?" Rainbow Dash responded.

"Jumping outta that tree like that, duh. Ya could've gotten us killed! All ya had to do was...ow." Applejack's sentence got cut off by a tinge of pain.

"My goodness, are you ok?" Fluttershy asked her.

"Ya, ya. My back just hurts after taking that mighty fall." Applejack rubbed her lower back. She glared at a Rainbow Dash, who was actually now trying to tend to her injured wing. "'Course it could've been avoidable if somepony didn't have to act like a foal back there."

Rainbow Dash glared back. "Well if you didn't grab me, I would've been fine."

"Landsakes Rainbow! I was preventing ya from killing yerself. What was yer plan anyways from jumping into that mess of timberwolves?"

Fluttershy quickly placed a hoof on Applejack's chest. "Now Applejack, I'm sure she had good intentions." Fluttershy gave Rainbow a concerning look which, in turn, prevented the blue pony from vocalizing a response.

Applejack let out a sigh. "Either way, we are now hours away from home and all our supplies are probably infested by them timberwolves. What do we do now?"

"I don't know..." Rainbow Dash said as she tended to her still injured wing.

"Let me see." Fluttershy walked over to her and examined her wing. Much to Rainbow's discomfort, she lightly massaged it, using her critter clinical skills to help heal the wing. Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip as the other pegasus kneaded the bruised area. "How does that feel?"

Rainbow Dash tested her wing by stretching out a few times. It felt a little looser from the massage, but it was still too painful to fly with or even move. "It still hurts pretty badly." Fluttershy brought her hooves up again to the wing but Rainbow Dash stopped her. "No, no. I think I just need some time to keep off of it." She looked up at the sky. "As much as I'd hate to be grounded."

"Oh...well if you say so."

Meanwhile, Applejack was looking at them with a curious look on her face. As soon as the two pegasi looked at her she turned away.

"Uhh, maybe we should find some shelter" she said. "Wait until morning 'fore we go anywhere."

The other two ponies nodded in agreement.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

It was past midnight, as far as Applejack could tell. The moon shined brightly into the forest. She had volunteered to be the first to keep watch while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash slept. With the timberwolves roaming about, they could not take any chances. The two pegasi were sleeping against a larger tree. It may not be the most comfortable place to sleep nor provided much shelter, but it was all they could find. Applejack would occasionally hear the wooden creatures howling from a distance or even the creaking of their legs. It put her on edge, which is why she jumped when she felt something touch her back.

"Heh, sorry AJ" a familiar raspy voice spoke.

"Don’t do that" Applejack retorted.

"Yeesh, I said I was sorry" Rainbow Dash gave her a look. "What is your deal?"

"It's nothing." Applejack huffed and crossed her forelegs.

"Hey, don't get all grouchy at me, all I did was poke you" Rainbow said, slightly annoyed.

"But ya almost got us killed, and got us into this mess. Now ya are being careless again." Applejack stood up and faced her. "Why ya gotta act like nothin' happened?"

"Oh, that? It's not like it was my fault that those timberwolves showed up. I would have been fine if it wasn't for you."

"Why do ya gotta be so selfish? Yer always thinking about yerself." Applejack was starting to get really frustrated at this point.

"Oh, I'm being selfish?" Rainbow hovered over her, giving a threatening stance. The tension quickly grew thick. She was not going to let Applejack stand there and call her selfish. "YOU'RE the one that was making fun of me, and have you ever considered that I never even wanted to go on this lousy trip? It was just something for you to make yourself feel better about yourself, huh?"

"Take that back!" Applejack growled. She shifted and hoofed the ground.

"Make me!"

That was it. Applejack leapt up at her with a surprising amount of speed. Before Rainbow Dash could react, she was grabbed and tackled to the ground. She landed painfully on her back with the stronger earth pony pinning her neck down with a hoof. Applejack raised her other hoof, as if ready to pound Rainbow's face in. Helpless to react, the pegasus closed her eyes and tensed up, bracing for it. However, instead of getting a hard hit to the face, she received a soft caress on her cheek.

Rainbow opened her eyes to see Applejack looking down at her with a teary expression.

"What are you..." she started, but before she could finish her sentence, Applejack threw herself into a forceful kiss, straight on the lips. Rainbow Dash struggled before she shoved the amorous pony off of her.

"AJ, what are you doing?!" Rainbow Dash stood up and gave Applejack a shocked look.

"Oh, uhh, well, Ah..." Applejack mumbled as her cheeks became flushed. Tears became slightly more visible as embarrassment and shame settled in.

"Wait, don't tell me." Rainbow Dash looked at her, puzzled. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

"Yes, Ah suppose Ah am..." Applejack, now lying on the ground, looked away and covered her head with her forelegs. She prepared for the abuse, be it physical or verbal, it did not matter.

Rainbow Dash snickered "AJ, have you ever considered that I don't, uh, 'swing that way'?" She instantly regretted her remark when she saw how hard it hit her. "It was a joke, it was a joke!" She emphasized before Applejack could burst.

The earth pony, on the brink of a breakdown, slowly raised her head and looked at her.

Rainbow Dash bit her lower lip. "On a serious note, well gosh, I don't know what to think. You are saying that you love me, right? As in love me? Well, it just seems...odd, and sudden..."

Applejack cringed at the 'L' word. "Ah'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

Rainbow Dash continued. "You should know that I love you too, as a sister. You and me together though? I just can't picture it." Applejack opened her mouth to respond before it was covered by a blue hoof. "But that doesn't mean I wouldn't try." Her face became softer, a little more feminine as she looked at the reddened pony right in the eyes. At that point, she knew the earth pony never meant to be mean or angry, or was out to make fun of her and tease her. She had realized all those things were simply cover ups for Applejack's true feelings.

She leaned down and replaced her hoof on Applejack's mouth with her own lips. The earth pony, unable to resist, gave in to the move and returned the favor. Rainbow Dash savored the kiss. It tasted new, exhilarating, and has a hint of apples. To think that this is her friendly rival and one of her longtime best friends that was on her lips sent a slight shiver up her spine. She was excited.

After a short moment, Rainbow broke the kiss and hauled Applejack off the ground. They both sat down to admire each other in a new light.

Applejack was the first to speak. "Rainbow, Ah was so scared when you threw yourself towards those timberwolves. Ah couldn't let you get yourself hurt. Uh, I guess you are not mad at me then?" Her cheeks were still burning.

"Of course not." Rainbow reached out and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry that I was so brash. I had no idea. I guess this explains the way you have been acting lately." She spoke over her shoulder.
Applejack teared up more. She was amazed how well Rainbow Dash was taking it. She regretted being so harsh on the pegasus earlier. She could not be happier on how forgiving Rainbow Dash was being. "But, but are ya sure you want to have a kind of 'relationship' with me? Ya really don't have to do this on my accord."

"Nonsense, but it would've been nicer if you just told me before instead of taking me out on this trip."

"But this trip wasn't really about that. It actually IS to make it up to ya and Flutter...oh."

They both broke the hug to turn and see Fluttershy was standing there, staring right at them with a mix of surprise and disgust on her face. It was clear that she saw enough to know what is going on.

"Fluttershy, are you ok?" Rainbow asked.

Fluttershy snapped out of her stupor and responded. "Yes, I'm fine. I am really happy for you two." Her feigned smile was quite unsettling. One of the timberwolves howled in the distance.

-----

Twilight put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “Do you remember what I said before, about doing it for yourself? It’s not about me, Rainbow or anypony else.”

Fluttershy pulled away and got up. She took a few steps away from Twilight and stared at the ground. Her tail swished uncomfortably while she stood there, deep in thought.

Twilight figured it was time to go. “Well, I leave you to think about it. I’ll be at the library if you need me. I’ll check on you later, ok?” She got up and made her way to the door.

“Twilight”

The unicorn turned around and looked at the pegasus, and even though she addressed Twilight, she was evasive of any eye contact.

“Yes Fluttershy?”

“ok”

“Ok what?”

“I’ll tell you.”

"That's good Fluttershy. Tell me what is on your mind." Twilight smiled.

"Promise to keep it a secret?"

"Of course, that goes without saying."

"Promise not to get mad?"

"Fluttershy, please. There is no way that will ever happen."

Fluttershy took a long, drawn out breath and paused. She gathered her thoughts. Twilight was trustworthy, she knew that. There was no reason to hold back, too late to back down. After a moment, she decided to just say it and think about it later. "I am in love with Rainbow Dash" she blurted out. "Ok, now you know."

Twilight had a look of disbelief on her face. Fluttershy wondered if she regretted her decision. "Well, that is a relief. I thought it was something bad" Twilight finally said.

"You are not disgusted with me, ashamed maybe?"

"Of course not Fluttershy. It's just...well...a bit surprising, but to be honest, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised." Twilight noticed the slight tinge in Fluttershy's face. "That doesn't matter anyway, the important thing is that you told me, and that is a good thing."

"Can you tell her, for me?" Fluttershy had a pleading look on her face. She hoped she could kill two birds with one stone, sort to speak.

"Fluttershy, I assure you I will help anyway I can to get you through this, but I can't tell Rainbow. That is something you need to do yourself."

Fluttershy whimpered. How was she supposed to tell Rainbow Dash herself?

-----

Author's Note:

Yikes, has it been over a year already? I apologize to existing readers that read the earlier chapters long ago, it must be very frustrating to deal with my sort of release schedule. I cannot even formulate an excuse for this kind of delay. If I had known about how long it would take me to write this story, I would have released it all at once as a completed story. Either way, big things happened in this chapter and more things have yet to come (hopefully within a reasonable time frame).

Comments

[Fanskapet]

I actually completely forgot wtf this was about thought it was one of them stories here fluttershy was scootaloos mother but nope it was a lesbian story which I like

[Rubez2525]

6239721 lmao, come to think of it, that would have been a better plot. Oh well.

[BlackTails25]

Please more!