"...so, lemme get this straight..." Applejack rubbed her head and placed her hat back on. "You wanna replace this 'Captain Spitfire' pony?"
"What? No!" Rainbow Dash shook her head. The sun had long set, and a starry night hung overhead. "Well..." A devilish smirk. "...I want her to last long enough for me to impress the heck out of her."
"Heheheh... you've got yer priorities straight."
"And how!" Rainbow winked. "It's high up there on the bucket list, y'know. Flying side by side with Spitfire."
"Also them other Wonderbits. Soundin' and Fleetwood."
"Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes—nearly falling off the boulder. "Soarin' and Fleetfoot! Cheese and crackers, Applejack!"
"Heheheh... whoops..." Applejack squirmed slightly where she sat on the hilltop. "Reckon I could stand to be a better listener."
"Eh..." Rainbow shrugged. "At least you get the general idea." She smirked. "Wonderbolts are awesome... but I'm awesomer... and one day I hope to wow the horseshoes off of them and become top flier in all the Equestrian skies!"
"Why settle for that?"
"Buh?" Rainbow Dash blinked.
"Well, dun get me wrong, sugarcube..." Applejack gestured. "But you kinda sorta strike me as a lone wolf. The spotlight's gotta be yers and yers alone. Why aim to be a Wonderbolt? Seems like bein' on such a regimental team wouldn't be your style."
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash blinked again.
"I... uh... I dun mean nothin' bad by that..."
"Nah, it's cool. I get what you mean... sorta..." Rainbow chuckled nervously. "I guess I... wouldn't sit well with a bunch of uniformed ponies... trying to fly in formation, huh?"
"Well, dun get me wrong!" Applejack looked up at her with a bright smile. "You've more than proven yerself to be a real whizz-banger of an Element of Harmony! Why... where would Twilight and the rest of us be if we didn't have Loyalty to depend on?"
"You'd probably be pacing yourselves better," Rainbow muttered. "Especially considering what a total manurebag I've been on days like this."
"Nawwwwww..." Applejack chuckled. "Dun say that! Yer alright..."
"I wanna be more than 'alright,'" Rainbow Dash droned. "I want to be awesome. What's the use in being awesome when you do too many cruddy things to be called 'dependable?'"
"But you are dependable!" Applejack smiled warmly "Just a lil' rough around the edges. But that's good and fine. It's yer flavor... it's what we've learned to expect from you. And—believe me—we ain't disappointed. Heh..."
Silence.
Rainbow Dash contemplated that... and she eventually imploded under a breathy bevy of giggles.
Applejack raised an eyebrow.
"Y'know, AJ... I gotta say..." She folded her forelimbs tighter beneath her. "You really get me."
Applejack's brow furrowed. "I do?"
"I mean—sure—Flutters and I have been around for ages and ages, but—face it—she and I are on completely different wavelengths. Pinkie understands the fine art of pranking, and that's cool and all. Twilight, in the meantime, is a total egghead. And Rarity..." She rolled her eyes. "Tccch..." Another smile. "But you? You and I really gel on the same level. It's different than the other girls."
"Hmmm... well then..." Applejack tilted her hat back. "Reckon that helps a lot."
"Oh yeah?"
"Darn tootin'! It means we can act as the foundation to the rest of the lot! Pinkie's a wildcard, of course, but the rest? Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity? Them's wiltin' violets in one way or another. Good thang we're such good friends with each other... cuz then we can be even stronger friends for them. Is... is that what yer cookin' up in that noggin' of yers? Am I smellin' you right?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash coughed. "Yeah. That's what I meant. Totally."
"Heheheh..." Applejack chuckled. "Ya sure, darlin'? You seem unsure of yourself."
"No. I'm... uh..." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "... ... ...I've never been more certain of anything before in my life."
"Oh?" Applejack craned her neck. "And what's that?"
"It's that... it's that..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted beneath the stars. Crickets and autumn winds. At last, after a sigh, she murmured: "..it's that I'm really really glad that we worked out our spot earlier today... and that we're st-still friends."
"Hmmm..." Applejack nodded with a smile. "I'm happy that we're still friends too, Rainbow."
"I know you are, Applejack."
Applejack arched an eyebrow at that.
Rainbow Dash was getting up... slowly. Applejack caught a glint of teeth in the starlight. A grimace? "Mrmmfff... it's super late. I must have ran enough leaves off their branches to fill Ghastly Gorge."
"You weren't alone now, ya hear?"
"Heh... for realsies." Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, levitating off the rock with dangling limbs. "I... uh... should head for home."
"Yer lovely cloud in the sky, right?"
"If you wanna call it that, sure."
"Reckon I should be headed home too."
"You... uh..." Rainbow tongued the inside of her muzzle. "It's a long trot to Sweet Apple Acres, isn't it?"
"Eeyup."
"Do... do you need a pegasus to fly you home?"
"Pffft. Heck, no." Applejack waved a hoof. "I know these parts like the back of my hoof."
"Oh... ... ..."
"Besides, reckon I ain't half as pooped as you look," Applejack said, nevertheless yawning. "Figured I'd take my time. Enjoy the cool weather. Besides..." She smiled into the evening winds. "The Gala's comin' up."
"Oh right."
"I'll be workin' extra hard over the next week or two so that I'll have enough apple treats to sell at the event. Won't have much time for leisurely walks like this."
"That's... kinda sucky."
"Eh. No big deal. I'm sure I'll be rollin' in bits after the dance," Applejack said with a smile and a wink. "I can go on all the cool country walks I like."
"Sounds... snazzy."
"Heheheh... that's yer new word for everything, ain't it?"
"Don't tempt me."
"You take care of yourself, Rainbow."
"Yeah... I will..."
"G'nite!"
"Good night, AJ..."