//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two 
// Story: Our Year 
// by AJtheRaven 
//------------------------------//

Rainbow Dash threw herself down at her desk, propped her chin up on her fist, and sighed huffily, blowing her choppy bangs out of her eyes. Fluttershy, who was one of her closet friends and was remarkably adept at telling the difference between a 'get-me-out-of-this-lame-o-class' sigh and an 'I'm-hurting-and-I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it' sigh, peered at her worriedly, her big blue eyes wide with concern. "Um... Dashie? Are you alright?"
Rainbow glanced over at the conspicuously empty seat on her right where Applejack usually sat. Her heart surged with longing for that warm smile, those friendly green eyes, that adorable drawwwwwling voice, that trademark Stetson perched carelessly above those silky swinging locks. Being without Applejack was almost a physical ache; being without her was like being hit with a punch to the gut; being without her was a loss whose pain refused to fade until she was there again, smiling and laughing and listening with her typical patience and warmth...
"Yeah. I'm totally fine."
Fluttershy bit her lip, looking skeptical. "If you say so..."
All of a sudden, Twilight Sparkle spun around in her seat and flapped her hands at Rainbow impatiently. "Shush! Class is starting!"
Their English teacher, Miss Oswald, beamed at her students. "Good morning, class. Now, before we discuss last week's book, let's have a tiny pop quiz on Stylistic Elements..."
Dash groaned with disgust and slouched down in her seat. Twilight, on the other hand, sat up a little straighter and primly folded her hands, her look of absorption unmatched by any other student in the room. Rainbow smirked to herself. Nerd alert!
"Can anyone tell me what 'asyndeton' is?"
Naturally, Twilight was the first (and only) one to raise her hand. "Asyndeton is the absence or omission of a conjunction between two parts of a sentence," she answered in a tone that could only be described as 'Walking Dictionary'. "As in the quote, 'I came; I saw; I conquered'."
"Ten points to Ravenclaw," Miss Oswald teased. Twilight beamed at the reference to one of her favorite book series and hastily adjusted her glasses, as was her wont whenever she was pleased or embarrassed. "Well, I guess that concludes our pop quiz for the day. Let's move on."
Frankly, Rainbow had been lost at 'Stylistic Elements'. What did 'stylistic' mean, anyway? 'Cause it sounded like 'style', which was, of course, something that she knew a lot about, being as awesome as she was. 
Dash found herself staring blankly at the chalkboard as their teacher wrote something down, her brain taking in all of the individual letters but unable to combine them into a meaningful word. She felt annoyed, not at anyone in particular but at the world in general, for forcing her to adopt a schedule that required her to be apart from Applejack for an hour every Tuesday. 
Her gaze drifted around the classroom as she started idly tapping her faded sneakers against the leg of her chair. She was surrounded by her closest friends on all sides: Fluttershy sat on the left, behind Rarity (Rainbow had a perfect view of her checking her reflection in the small pocket mirror that she had sneakily concealed in her textbook!) Directly in front of her was Twilight, and Rainbow had to admit that she was pleased with this seating arrangement... it was absolutely hilarious to launch little wads of paper at the back of her head and then pretend to be innocently reading or writing as Twilight looked around furiously for the culprit. In all their years of friendship, Twilight had never suspected that it was actually Rainbow - she'd never even think to suspect someone who was 'engaged in academic pursuits', as she put it, of committing such an offense. 
Applejack, of course, sat on Rainbow's right, and Pinkie sat behind her. This was a pity. Pinkie was always fun to watch in class. One time she'd even managed to smuggle in a cake disguised as a textbook. Now that had been a masterpiece... until she'd tried to open it to prove to the teacher that it really was a book and ended up sending cake flying across the room in all directions. 
Rainbow Dash licked her lips just at the thought and sighed; lunch was still an hour away. She rested an elbow on her desk and used it to prop up her chin, trying (and failing) to suppress a massive yawn. Sunlight slanted in through the window and fell onto the desk, sending little dust motes swirling through the air. 
Hey, even dust is a lot more fascinating than English class. Rainbow tilted her head, staring out through the window, which looked out onto the lawn. The grass sparkled in the sunlight, gleaming with tiny droplets of dew. Rainbow wasn't much of a nature lover - well, it wasn't that she didn't like nature, she just didn't pay much attention to it - but even she had to admit the fresh, clear green of the grass blades was one of the most beautiful colors she'd ever seen. 
Yes, it was a gorgeous shade of green, but Rainbow had seen better. There was only one other hue more pure, more clear, than the color of that grass, and it resided in Applejack's eyes, those beautiful, honest eyes. 
Rainbow grinned as she always did whenever her thoughts turned to Applejack, recalling how long it had taken her to fall for the farm girl... and how hard she'd fallen when she finally had. 
She'd fallen in love with her eyes first. Those soulful, emerald eyes, with their long eyelashes and the little crinkles that appeared around the corners whenever she laughed. Applejack's eyes could see right into your soul, but they also let you see into hers. They were open and raw; they hid nothing. But they weren't vulnerable - far from it. Those vibrant irises, flecked with barely visible streaks of gold that shone like little pieces of the sun if you looked closely, were piercing and filled with a kind of warm, quiet inner strength that was always present but rarely revealed itself. They were beautiful, beautiful eyes, but you had to be wary of them, too, for they could draw truths and secrets out of you that you sometimes weren't even aware of yourself. Rainbow's mouth twitched in a smile as she recalled all of the various times Applejack had read her mind simply by looking at her, not to mention those of all her friends. She seemed to have a knack for it. 
Yes, it had been Applejack's eyes that has attracted Rainbow to her first. And then it had been her heart. Applejack had the biggest heart of anyone Rainbow had ever met, and what was really adorable was that she didn't even know it. In her own eyes, she was nothing special, just your average farm girl with an average life. But Rainbow Dash could see how special she really was; Rainbow could see and admire the honesty and loyalty that permeated every fiber of Applejack's being. Not to mention the gentleness, generosity, humor, steadfastness, determination, cleverness, wittiness, and the frickin' impossible humility. Her character was so admirable that it almost made Dash want to cry tears induced by the presence of pure awesomeness (almost, but not quite, because of course only Rainbow herself could be purely awesome).       
Still, Applejack was incredible. She had room for everyone in her heart, and gave her love and openness and patience freely; she always saw only the best in people. She was good at anything she put her mind to, thanks to her stubbornness and perseverance, and she was a firm friend. She'd never hesitate to help someone in need, and Rainbow had to admit that Applejack was just as good as she was at risking her butt to save someone else. She was good-natured and had an insanely clever wit that mostly came out in the form of sarcasm. And yet she'd developed the perfect blend of being sarcastic while avoiding hurting people's feelings... Applejack rarely criticized people without need, which was why all of her friends usually turned to her for advice and help. She was the glue that held their friend group together... and boy, did she give the term 'hot glue' a whole new meaning. Plus, she had no qualms about getting dirty and being rough-and-tumble, and the fact that she was the only person in school - heck, probably the only person in the entire city - who could beat Rainbow in any kind of athletic competition only made her even more attractive. 
That's not to say that Applejack didn't have her faults. She did, and they were glaring ones. But Rainbow loved them just as much as she loved her strengths, because they were crucial aspects of her character and Applejack wouldn't be Applejack without them. 
She was overprotective and occasionally honest to a fault; she was stubborn and sometimes a little slow on the uptake; she was often more cautious than a situation warranted and was unwilling to admit when she was wrong; she was competitive and tenacious; she was a control freak and wasn't good at dealing with change; she tended to lash out and hurt people's feelings on the rare occasions when she did get angry. Additionally, Applejack had the amusing and rather oxymoronic habit of being politely rude - at least, she did whenever she was around Rainbow Dash; Rainbow had no idea how she behaved when she was around people who weren't her close friends or family. For example, if Rainbow was standing in her way, she'd give her a rough nudge and then follow it up with a "'Scuse me, sugarcube" or a "Mind if Ah squeeze by, darlin'?" She wasn't trying to be coarse or presumptuous, it was simply part of her nature. 
So Rainbow Dash had fallen in love with Applejack's eyes, and then her heart. And then, slowly but surely, she'd fallen in love with the rest of her. Her tanned skin and numerous freckles, which were especially prominent across her pert nose. Her muscly arms that she usually hid beneath a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up past her elbows. Her perfectly toned legs, partially concealed beneath her trademark denim skirt. Her prominent collarbones and her alluringly rumpled collar. Her slender neck and her slim waist...
Rainbow loved the soft golden eyelashes that lined her eyes. The low but musical Southern twang that sent a shiver up Rainbow's spine whenever she heard it. The wide, open smile that she cheerfully bestowed upon everyone she met. The way her hair, sometimes flaxen and sometimes bright gold depending on the angle at which you looked at it, was always tied back with same faded red ribbon and swung around her shoulders when she walked.  The way she sometimes tied a red bandana around her hair so that her blonde bangs poked out from underneath. The way the tips of her hair were actually curly, the way her bangs were always ruffled, the way little strands of blonde hair were constantly escaping her neat ponytail.           
The way her lips were equally suited to smiling or pouting (although she definitely did more of the former).   The way her early-morning voice was even huskier than Dash's. The way she always wore the same pair of boots and her trusty hat. The way she occasionally wore leather elbow-length gloves. The way she sometimes came to school with her face smudged with dirt; the way she didn't care one whit for her appearance. The way she always drove the same old rusty, battered pickup truck to school every day. Th way that she was too modest to admit that she was actually one of Canterlot High's most talented musicians, who could proficiently play fiddle, bass guitar, banjo, and harmonica, and who was remarkably adept at improvising and learning to play new instruments. The way her whole face lit up when she and Rainbow played guitar together and made up songs, as they sometimes did whenever they had time in the afternoons. 
The way she stuck out her lower lip when she was feeling particularly stubborn. The way she stood, crossing her arms and sticking out her hip in her trademark confident stance, with one of her booted legs jutting out to the side. The way her tongue poked out of her mouth when she was focusing on something. The way she interacted with people, instantly making herself likable. The way she knew how to fix everything from a broken heart to a broken refrigerator. 
Perhaps the cutest thing about her, though, was her stature... Applejack was the shortest one in the group, standing at five feet three inches with her boots on. Even Fluttershy was a good inch taller, and Rainbow herself was taller by at least six inches. Applejack had to stand on tiptoes whenever she wanted to whisper something to Rainbow, and it annoyed her to no end. Naturally, Rainbow teased her mercilessly, even though she secretly thought it was adorable. However, AJ looked far taller than she actually was due to her cocky attitude, and despite her shortness, Rainbow, to her chagrin, was still terrified of her when she was angry (you'd be a fool not to be; the girl had a ferocious temper). Applejack was clearly a leader, small or not. She might have been short and stocky, but she made up for it by being slender and well-built (How can someone be slender and stocky at the same time? Rainbow had no idea, but Applejack certainly managed it). 
All of a sudden, a sharp voice rudely yanked Dash out of her all-too-pleasant daydreams. "Miss Dash? Would you care to share with the class the source of your unfocused eyes and evident mental vacancy?"
Rainbow yelped and shot up in her seat. Miss Oswald was staring down at her, looking completely unamused. Curse you, stupid green grass that reminded me of Applejack's eyes! Her eyes flicked over to the clock on the wall and she stifled another yelp. Sweet Principal Celestia, she'd been zoning out and thinking about Applejack for nearly forty-five minutes!!!
"Well? Do you care to share your thoughts?" Miss Oswald raised an eyebrow, ominously tapping her foot against the floor. 
Rainbow gulped, her throat dry. "No," she said hoarsely, her voice cracking in her fear. What if someone guessed that she liked Applejack? She'd never be able to live it down. 
Miss Oswald pursed her lips. "Hmmm. Well, by rights I should be giving you detention... but I won't, only because I want you to be spending all of your free time practicing on the sports field so we can destroy Crystal Prep during the sports competitions next spring." 
A ripple of laughter ran through the class, and Rainbow Dash found some of her confidence returning. "I promise to deliver," she replied with a roguish curl to her lips and a cocky wink. 
"Make sure you do. And please try to pay attention for the remaining fifteen minutes of class." The teacher returned to the front of the classroom and cleared her throat. "Now, back to work..."
Twilight spun around and glared at Dash with such disapproval that she found herself almost feeling guilty. Sighing, she sat up straighter and folded her slender hands on her desk, resolving to try to listen. 
It was going great... until a neatly folded sheet of paper landed on the floor by her sneaker. Rainbow jumped, her concentration shattered, and frowned at the seemingly innocent note. After glancing around warily to make sure no one was watching, she bent down and snatched it up with the speed of a tiger.
She unfolded it as unobtrusively as possible. The note was short and sweet; in large, loopy letters, it read, 'Are you okay, Dashie?'
Rainbow felt involuntary tears well up in her magenta eyes and hastily brushed them away. She twisted around to stare at Pinkie Pie, whose eyes were huge with concern, and felt another tear come dangerously close to slipping down her cheek. Pinkie Pie was far more observant than people gave her credit for, as evidenced by her uncanny knack for being able to tell when her friends were hurting. And her willingness to risk getting herself in trouble by sending a note in class just to make sure Rainbow was okay was too touching for words... Hence the tears. 
Rainbow Dash picked up her pencil, rolling it around in her fingers, and then scrawled a simple reply. Yes. 
Casually dropping the crinkled note to the floor, she used the back of her foot to kick it back to Pinkie's desk. She never heard Pinkie pick the note up, but a second later it was back on her desk. 
Raising an eyebrow, Rainbow flipped the note open. 
A tiny sugar cookie covered with orange and blue sprinkles sat in the middle of the page, still warm, as though it had just come out of the oven. But that was impossible, wasn't it... actually, never mind. Nothing was impossible when Pinkie Pie was around. 
There was a large, scribbly smiley face drawn next to the cookie in orange and blue marker. Orange and blue sprinkles, orange and blue marker... Rainbow idly wondered if that was supposed to symbolize her and Applejack, or something. But Rainbow had never hinted that she liked Applejack to any of her friends, especially not to Pinkie, so that really was impossible. 
Probably. 
Dash shook that thought out of her head, biting back a smile at the thoughtful gift. She hastily popped the cookie in her mouth before the teacher caught sight of it. It was delicious, as Pinkie's desserts always were, and she spun around to mouth a 'thanks', which was received with an ear-to-ear grin. 
The rest of the class was uneventful. They were given a ridiculous amount of homework to do as per usual and then dismissed, with a reminder that next week they needed to write a ten-page comparison of the last two books they had discussed. Oh joy. 
Rainbow Dash and her friends walked over to their lockers to deposit their things before lunch. "I can't believe you didn't pay attention for forty-five whole minutes!" Twilight groused. "Forty-five! And the book we were discussing was absolutely fascinating!"
Rarity draped a soothing arm around Twilight's back, her sapphire eyes soft and sympathetic. "Relax, darling. Dashie obviously has something else on her mind right now."
Fluttershy slipped her hand into Dash's and murmured something in her ear. "If you ever want to talk, I'm right here," she whispered in her characteristically soft tone. 
Rainbow smiled and squeezed her hand. She normally disdained hand-holding, but Fluttershy was her oldest friend, so she figured she could make an exception for her. "Thanks, 'Shy."
Pinkie Pie skipped along next to them, completely oblivious to their muted conversation. "I'm so excited for lunch! I wonder what they have this time. Yesterday it was some kind of mystery meaty thing. So this time I brought my own lunch just in case, 'cause I like surprises but not the bad kind, like getting a mystery meaty thing when I really want cakes and sprinkles!"
They all shook their heads fondly at her randomness as they reached their respective lockers and opened them. Rainbow unceremoniously tossed her English folder inside and prepared to close it back up, but something caught her gaze on the back wall. She peered closer, her eyes fighting to adjust to the dinginess. It was a picture of her and her five friends, standing in a line with their arms around each other's backs. Rainbow smiled wistfully as she stared at herself and Applejack, standing next to each other with their hands wrapped around each other's waists. The picture had been taken a few years ago, but even then AJ had been the shortest one in the group. Her head was turned sideways and she was staring at Rainbow's face with a tiny smile on her lips. For a brief moment, Rainbow allowed herself to dream... did that expression in Applejack's face signify a little more than just friendship?
Then she sighed unhappily, her polychromatic bangs falling over her eyes, making no move to brush them away. No. No, that was just wishful thinking. Applejack was so honest; surely if she had a crush on Rainbow Dash she'd have told her by now. 
"Rainbow Dash? Are you coming? We're going to lunch." Twilight deftly slung a strand of dark hair behind her ear as she awaited Rainbow's response. 
Her forehead creased as she came to a decision. "You know what, Twi? You guys go on without me. I'll catch up. I'm going to wait for Applejack." Her voice caught slightly as she said the name. 
Pinkie Pie stared at her, narrowing her eyes, and for a brief, terrifying moment Rainbow thought she'd guessed her secret.  But then she leaned away and shrugged, her pink curls flouncing as she moved. "Okay! If you say so! We'll take our usual seats!" She snapped a quick picture of Rainbow's face for unknown reasons and then turned around and brightly skipped away, humming a cheerful tune to herself. 
One by one, the rest of her friends followed. Rainbow watched them go and then sighed and leaned against her locker, bending her knee so that one of her feet was pressed against the cold gray metal. She didn't have long to wait. Applejack emerged from the sea of students heading to the cafeteria within a few seconds, her eyes lighting up as she caught sight of Rainbow. "Hey, Dash!" she called, giving her a sunny smile. "Nice of ya t' wait." All of a sudden she dropped a book on her foot, wincing as it hit her toes. "Awww, shoot."
Rainbow snickered, and Applejack frowned at her as she picked it up. "It ain't nice t' laugh at other people's bad luck, Rainbow," she scolded her. 
Dash laughed and shrugged, feeling confident and at ease as she always did when she and Applejack were bantering. "Hey, you know what they say. Best friends will always pick you up when you fall down... after they've laughed their butt off."
"An' who said that?" Applejack asked sourly, depositing her books in her locker, which was adjacent to Rainbow's. 
"Me," she said slyly. 
Applejack shook her head and adjusted her Stetson. "Yeah, Ah thought so." She suddenly flashed Rainbow another smile and nudged her elbow. "C'mon, let's go t' lunch." She proffered her hand for Dash to take. 
Rainbow stared at it. It was small and slender - surprisingly so, for someone who spent their days working on a farm. But it was beautiful. Her eyes rover over the faint lines on her tanned palm, the calluses near the bases of her fingers from holding farm equipment, the creases were her knuckles were. Was it even possible to fall in love with someone's hands?
Apparently so. 
Suddenly Applejack chucked her gently under the chin, jolting her out of her reverie. "Honey? Ya there?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She shook her head and reached for AJ's hand, nestling their fingers together and feeling her heart thudding. She knew Applejack was only doing this in a friendly way, and she called everyone 'honey' (although she used the term only rarely), but oh, how she wished it meant something more!
Applejack tilted her head, seeming to pick up on her discomfort, and then grinned. After all these years of friendship, she knew exactly what to do when Rainbow was in a bad mood. "Ah bet Ah can beat ya t' th' cafeteria."
Rainbow instantly forgot her sadness at the prospect of a competition. "You're so on!" she shouted, dropping Applejack's hand and surging forward with a wild grin.