- What Was Said -
- Few Words Exchanged -
Rainbow Dash, Canterlot High School's best female athlete, was just about to hit another black-and-white sphere into the dark bluish-tinted net with amazingly awesome perfect aim. Her eyes scrunched up in concentration as she tried to focus all of her brainpower on the ball. If she was going to kick this ball as well as she had the others, then she needed a perfect focus. Rainbow's eyes expertly fixated on the sphere, and she lifted her nimble leg cautiously so as not to upset the earth underneath her. Finally, Rainbow stood in the perfect stance, ready to make one of the best goals of her life.
That is, Rainbow was ready, right up until her great and daring feat was interrupted by an annoying and loud country accent.
"Hey! Rainbow Dash!" a voice called, snapping said girl out of her concentration. Rainbow Dash abruptly stopped kicking soccer balls into the overly decorated goal, whipping around to see none other than Applejack. They had been dating for a while, until Applejack had gone and lied to Rainbow for one of her big bake sale events. Rainbow Dash was supposed to bring the softball team to support it, but when had Applejack bluffed about the date, Rainbow had showed up with the entire softball team to an empty field. Then, a couple days later, Applejack broke up with Rainbow Dash over the phone, barring no explanation, and was never to be heard from again.
In other words, Rainbow Dash was more than a little bit frustrated with the cowgirl.
"What do you want?" Rainbow sneered, her hand on her hip in disgust. It wasn't helping that Applejack looked absolutely gorgeous in this light. And that she had her beautiful blonde hair in its usual loose ponytail, tied back with her usual maroon hair tie. And that-
Rainbow cut off her trail of thought, not wishing to be overcome by Applejack's stunning beauty... again. This is why it had been so hard on Rainbow after the breakup - because every time she saw Applejack, it was like another reminder of what she was still missing out on. Every time she saw Applejack, it was like all the good memories flowed back into her brain instead of the bad ones, and suddenly she had no reason to be angry anymore.
But Dash had to be angry. Without a reason to be angry, there was no way Rainbow could ever overcome the sadness that would follow.Without a reason to be angry, Dash would become the school softie, and dismiss her title of "Best Female Athlete". Heck, she might even give up sports forever out of depression, or sadness, or something. Rainbow was not going to let that happen. And if she had to put a wall up around herself to protect that, so be it, she would build that wall.
Rainbow had just finished putting all her defenses up before hearing Applejack's tired sigh. "Dash, stop. Ah came to make amends." Applejack pointed an index finger at Rainbow, who in turn raised her eyebrows, surprised.
"Really?" Rainbow Dash lowered her hand to her side in surrender. Never once did Rainbow think that the next time Applejack talked to her, it would be to apologize. Maybe some more yelling or something about how Dash was so not loyal, or that Applejack could never depend on her. Rainbow had never known Applejack to be very forgiving.
"Yes, really. Listen, Ah'm sorry that Ah did that. It wasn't very sportin' of me." Applejack blushed, obviously embarrassed about having broken up with Dash via text message. "And I wanted to tell ya somethin'."
Rainbow smiled genuinely and cut Applejack off, knowing extremely well what Applejack was about to say. "It was Sunset Shimmer, wasn't it? I knew it couldn't've been you. Applejack, someone left me a message from an anonymous number claiming they were you, and told me it was moved to another day. That's why I didn't show up to your bake sale, and why I thought you lied to me."
Applejack threw her hands up in the air and grinned from ear to ear. "Ah knew it! Dash, you're the most loyal person Ah know. Ah knew you wouldn't lie to me."
Both girls blushed a little at their confessions. Maybe they had been a little impulsive with their ways of splitting apart, and maybe they should have made a better effort to talk to each other after the mix-up. But it didn't matter now. There was no possible way yet to change the past. All that mattered was that maybe... maybe they could start again.
Dash grinned and shrugged, and Applejack did the same. It appeared to Rainbow that they had been thinking the same thing all along.
They needed each other, now more than ever. They needed to be in each other's embrace, to feel the space between them close, and the silent battle that they had been having for over a year needed to be over. This was not the Applejack show anymore, or the Rainbow Dash show. Now it was going to be the Rainbow Dash and Applejack show, and for as long as they could manage, this show would air.
Throwing their arms around one another, both Rainbow Dash and Applejack started to feel just a little better about the whole thing. Applejack had definitely changed from her old impulsive self, and Rainbow appreciated it. Dash kept her eyes closed in the warm embrace, so as not to upset the balance in their world at that moment. But Rainbow, being the daredevilish risk-taker that she was, decided that maybe she could try just one more thing.
Rainbow's left eye popped open. "Applejack?" she whispered carefully into the cowgirl's ear.
"Yeah, sugarcube?" Applejack's eyes were still shut. You could hear the nervousness in her tone from a mile away.
"I... I love you," Rainbow mumbled, and hugged the cowgirl tighter.
"Me too, sugarcube," Applejack's tone embodied relief, and her strong arms found some way to pull the athletic girl even closer.