//------------------------------// // Doubts // Story: Old Fashioned Love // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// When I woke up, AJ was gone. Which, of course, isn’t an unusual occurrence with her. She’s an early riser, trying to get a few hours of work in at the orchards before school for the longest time. Now, it’s just ingrained in her nature. Me, I was always a few minutes shy of being an early riser and was always down for a nap - and the orchards were a great place for those. I got up and meandered my way downstairs, yawning and scratching my bed head into something resembling orderly locks. I looked long into the mirror after using the bathroom and brushing my teeth. Would AJ like it if I grew my hair out a bit or styled it? Or would she be upset if I changed it at all? I had settled on the spiky, feathered locks out of a simplicity. A few seconds in the morning were all I needed to be ready. I once heard Rarity say she spent an hour on her hair some days. I don’t have the patience for that. “Hey, Dash,” Apple Bloom said as I walked into the kitchen. “You’re up early.” “Dangers of sleeping over at a farmgirl’s house,” I said, dropping into a chair. “I’m sure I’ll find a nice tree to nap under later today.” “Just don’t do it in the west orchard,” she said as she pulled on a wide brimmed hat. “It’s due to get sprayed later today on account of that weevil infestation we found.” I nodded, another yawn sneaking out as I did. I got up and rummaged in the cupboard for a moment before sitting down with a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. I tried to focus on planning my workout for today, but I kept thinking about last night. AJ had let me talk at her parent’s graves, and gave me privacy while I did it. That was something that spoke volumes to me, about how she felt about me, how much she trusted me. Trusted me with her parents. And I was worried. How was I going to screw things up this time? I ate the cereal in silence, my mood turning the sugary meal slightly sour in my mouth. I had an idea, and I had just enough time to do it before my training session. I bent over at the waist for a moment, then stood and put my hands on my head, expanding my rib cage which allowed for maximum expansion and let you catch your breath faster. Bending over actually compresses your lungs and takes longer to recover from exertion, and was one of the first things you learn when you’re serious about making a professional team. I had just done a 500-yard dash, timing myself without using my newfound speed. My time was down two seconds, but it still was too slow for my tastes. I’d never qualify for a starting spot with these times. I kicked at the grass angrily as I walked up a small hill and plopped down under a weathered old tree that grew next to the racetrack. I couldn’t figure it out. I was fast, no doubt. I had destroyed records back at CHS, but trying to shave another three seconds off a five hundred seemed impossible. I scrubbed my hands across my face and sat there with my eyes closed as my breathing returned to normal. When I opened my eyes again, they fixed on an icy bottle being held in front of me. I looked at it dumbly for a second, trying to figure out where the bottle of water had come from. “Ya gonna take it, or am Ah going to have t’ dump it on ya?” a voice came from behind me. I looked up and saw a peach arm holding the bottle, and the arm was connected to the farm girl I loved, even if I couldn't quite say it to her yet. Her face was split in a grin, the spray of freckles across her face even more evident from the angle I was seeing them from. The ones on her cheeks were what everyone thought of, but there was a smattering of smaller ones across the bridge of her nose. They gave the usually serious woman a girlish charm. And I got to say, they looked good on her. I took the bottle and sipped it slowly. “When did you get here?” I asked. “About the time ya kicked the grass,” she said, sitting next to me and rubbing my shoulders. “What’s eating at ya, Ace?” I smirked at the nickname. She had started calling me that when I had legit won against her in a dogfight simulator. The first time we played without me worrying about looking bad. It had started as a joke and grew into something more. I hadn’t really picked up on it until our recent outing involving a hang glider. It was kind of fitting. I felt the smirk die into a frown and just sipped at the water. “I’m not fast enough,” I said. “Yer joking, right?” she said, tipping her hat back with her thumb. “Even after that boost at camp?” “I mean without that,” I said, hoisting the stopwatch around my neck. “I need to get three seconds faster, but I can’t seem to hit it. I think I’m against the wall.” “Why is it important to be that quick?” she asked. “You already made the quals for the team and you’ll be training against folk who have slower times to begin with.” I squirmed internally, not wanting to answer, but I also knew that she could read me like one of those Neighponese graphic novels Fluttershy had gotten her into. “I don’t want to just be good,” I said. “I have to be at my best. Otherwise, it’s not worth it.” “Now, Ah know we’re not having one o’ those fits again,” she said, turning a stern look at me. “It might have been a needed thing on t’ cruise, but Ah don’t see why yer thinking like this again.” I ran my hands through my sweat-soaked hair, the worry and exasperation overflowing. “Because I don’t want to screw this up!” I cried, unable to stop some tears from bubbling up. She looked at me shocked as I started rambling. “This is the best thing I’ve ever gotten, AJ,” I said. “Between the spot on the team and you, this is the best my life has been in a long time. I’m just worried that if I can’t stand out from the rest of the herd, I won’t get any real play time, and that will hurt my chances on the pro teams. But beyond that, there’s you.” “Me?" she responded in surprise. “You are more than a stupid showoff deserves,” I said, staring at my feet. “I just wonder when I’m going to do something to drive you off or make you realize that you deserve better. And even though you have the farm, I still want to be able to contribute if we get super serious like Twi and Sunset. I want to…” “Ya want to prove you can pull yer own weight,” she finished. “Dash, ya ain't got to impress me, ya know that.” “I feel like I’m just drifting sometimes, AJ,” I admitted, leaning over and resting my head against her shoulder. “I don’t know what I’m doing sometimes.” She ran a hand along my shoulders. “Ah know, sugar cube,” she whispered. “Ah know.” I closed my eyes for a second. “I don’t want to screw this up, AJ.” I felt her hand slow a little. “Us, I mean. I don’t know what I’m doing half the time and the other half I’m scared stiff inside.” “Ah don’t know what Ah’m doing either,” she said softly. She put a hand under my chin and brought me up to look her in the face. “Rarity’s the one with the dating experience outta all of us, next to Sunny. Ah don’t know for sure how this is supposed to work. Apples, them Ah know.” She looked over towards the farm, just visible from the hill we were sitting on. “Soil, fields, plowin’ ’n sowin’, harvest time, plantin' season. Them’s things Ah know. But mah heart? It confuses the ever-loving blazes outta me sometimes.” She looked back at me, her emerald green eyes glittering. “Ah may not understand it, but Ah know when somethin' is important t’ me. And you are, Rainbow Dash,” she whispered. “You are important.” I smiled a little, but I still felt down. “Thanks, AJ,” I said. She reached over and nabbed the stopwatch from around my neck, the safety cord popping open as she pulled. She grinned at me and took her hat off and set it to the side. As I watched, she pulled the tie from her hair and ruffled it, it’s fullness causing it to cascade down around her shoulders like liquid gold. “What…” I started to say. “Ah’ll make ya a deal,” she said. “If you can run the five hunnert in the time, you get a kiss.” She put a finger on my lips as a grin spread. “But if you don’t, you got to help me harvest the south forty tomorrow, no magic allowed.” I grimaced. The fact that I could fly in the orchards as I helped pick from time to time was pretty much the only reason I volunteered when I did. That, and the blonde country girl sitting next to me, of course. “Seems you get all the benefits,” I said with a smirk. “Help with harvesting or kissing a smokin’ hot girl.” “You going to run,” she said with a smile, holding up the stopwatch. “Or you going to flap yer gums all day?” “Just say the word,” I said, jogging over to the starting line. “Go!” “It’s getting late,” she whispered into my ear as we sat under the tree a few hours later. I nodded, thinking. “Yeah, it is,” I said. “Rainbow,” she said. “Why are ya so worried about screwing things up? Ya been doing just fine so far.” “I don’t know,” I said. “Sometimes it feels too good to be true. And you know the old saying.” “Ah sure do,” she responded, nodding. “Thing is though, neither of us know what we’re doin’, but we seem to be doing just fine.” I ruffled my hair a little, sighing. “But isn’t love supposed to be this massive flood of emotions?” I asked. “I mean, I keep hearing how people in love can’t stop thinking about each other, doin’ little things for each other, and being generally annoying.” I chuckled. “But we aren’t like that.” “Oh?” she said. “Ah saw the flowers on mah folks graves today, and Ah know they didn’t come from our garden.” I blushed. “It seemed appropriate,” I whispered. “And runnin’ interference for me on AB’s birthday?” “You worked hard on her surprise party,” I said. “I didn’t want the effort wasted.” “Ok, then,” she said, plopping her hat on my head. “When you see and apple, what goes through yer mind?” “You,” I said before realizing what I was saying. “Sounds like ya got the trifecta,” she said smugly, planting a kiss on the tip of my nose. “Sides,” she whispered into my ear. “Truth be told, Ah’m moren’ a little infatuated with you mahself.” We climbed to our feet and started back to the farm. I grabbed her hand and brought it up to kiss it gently. “AJ,” I said. “You realize we just kinda officially said I love you to each other just now?” She nodded. “Ah reckon we did,” she said. “You know,” I said, grinning. “You still owe me a kiss from those timed trials you put me through.” She grinned and took off sprinting. “You’ll hafta catch me first, Ace,” she said as she darted away. I grinned. I may have doubts about things, but I know a sure bet when I see one.