Flash Sentry was wrapping up the day’s class with some kind of lecture, but Applejack couldn’t pay attention to it; her focus was totally fixed on the chair that had stayed empty for over a week now, where a rainbow-haired goblin used to sit.
Applejack tapped her finger against her desk as her classmates got up and left the room without her. Maybe one or two of them called out to her, but probably not, unless it was to try and heckle her and get under her skin about something that she couldn’t possibly have cared about.
It didn’t matter, even if someone was trying to get her attention, she wasn’t listening; she was going over the last three weeks in her head, over and over again.
It had been three weeks since Applejack and Rainbow’s impromptu sleepover, and Applejack had barely seen hide nor hair of Rainbow since.
In fact, that very same morning after the sleepover, Applejack left real early to buy Rainbow new clothes—like she said she was going to do—and when she got back to the house, Rainbow had already left for the Academy, and Applejack only saw her that day during class and ever so briefly in the hall, where Rainbow said a mumbled greeting and then bounced.
Applejack sighed wearily as she forced herself to stand up. She waved goodbye to Flash Sentry— who was cleaning up his desk and politely waved back— before she meandered into the hall, hands in her pockets and mind totally focused on trying to figure out where she went wrong with Rainbow Dash.
She thought that her and Rainbow were starting to hit it off after the sleepover, but then in the weeks since, Rainbow had been more distant than Applejack had ever known her; heck, Applejack found herself starting to miss Rainbow’s daily challenges!
Applejack wandered the halls for a few minutes before accepting there was no Rainbow in sight, so she went outside to the courtyard and sat on the waist-high cement wall of the outer halls, under the awning and watching the last remnants of rain drip onto the grass.
Applejack let out a bitter grumble. She hated to admit it, but she found herself missing Rainbow Dash. She wondered for a moment if it was really Rainbow she missed, or just the company in general; no one else in their class wanted to give Applejack the time of day, they all were either jealous of her, saw her as nothing more than competition, or as some kinda silver spoon kid who wasn’t worth their time.
But after thinking it over for just a sec, Applejack realized she did miss the company, but she missed her troublemaking little gremlin just as much.
“Applejack!”
Applejack perked up at hearing her name called, and turned to see a pink-haired girl with flowy, flowery clothes awkwardly walking toward her.
“Hey, Fluttershy,” Applejack put on a cheerful smile and waved at Fluttershy. “How ya doin’?”
“I’m doing okay,” Fluttershy chirped as she sat down next to Applejack, her legs dangling off the wall. “You don’t look so good, though. Are you tense?”
“Uh, a little, I guess,” Applejack shrugged and tried to relax by watching the rain drop, but it wasn’t helping.
“Is it about Rainbow Dash?”
Applejack’s whole body turned stiff as a post, and she nervously fidgeted with her straw hat. She wanted to deny it, but it’s not like she could tell a lie.
“I, uh, well, um…” granted, didn’t seem like she could tell the truth either, “wh-why would you say th—"
“Rainbow’s been avoiding you, hasn’t she?” Fluttershy said casually, gently kicking at the air.
Applejack’s shoulders slumped, and she felt a depressed frown slowly warp into a bitter scowl.
“She really has been avoiding me,” she growled, “hasn’t she?”
“Um, oh,” Fluttershy bit her lip and hastily scooted away from Applejack, “oh no, you’re mad now, aren’t you?”
“I’m not—” Applejack wanted to say she wasn’t mad, but what would be the point of denying it now? Applejack took a deep breath and placed her hat beside her. “Yeah, I am mad. But not at you, Fluttershy.”
“Oh, good,” Fluttershy curled her feet up in front of her.
“Any idea why she ain’t talkin’ to me?” Applejack asked. “She say anything to you?”
“No,” Fluttershy shook her head furiously like she was trying to buck a rustler off it, “she didn’t say anything to me. She didn’t even tell me that she was avoiding you, I just—well, she used to talk about you all the time on our walks to the train station, but then she just suddenly stopped, and whenever I bring you up, she really quickly changes the subject and I pretend not to notice because I don’t want to pry.
“But I saw you sitting here all alone, and I never see you two together anymore, and I know you two don’t really get along, but you looked really down and I was worried about you.”
“I thought we were gettin’ along,” Applejack rested her fists up against her cheeks. “At least, I thought we were gettin’ somewhere after I had her over at my place, but now she ain’t even showin’ up to class, and I have no idea what that’s abo—”
“She switched classes,” Fluttershy said, like it was the most normal thing in the world, and Applejack just stared at her like she was an oncoming train. Fluttershy blinked and her eyes widened. “Did—did she not tell you? She transferred over to the Lancer class last week.”
Applejack blinked. She opened her mouth, but wasn’t sure what to say. Of all the reasons Applejack conjured up to explain why Rainbow stopped showing up to class, Rainbow transferring out of the Squire class was never one that would have come to mind.
Applejack recalled that during a break in one of their many fights, she asked Rainbow why she didn’t start in the Lancer class to begin with, arguing that Rainbow’s speed would make her a perfect fit for a Lancer.
“Cuz Lancers don’t become Knights,” Rainbow scoffed, “they don’t get the glory, and they aren’t the ones that everyone looks at, and looks up to! No way, I’m gonna be a Knight!”
“She transferred out?” Applejack said distantly, wracking her brain to come up with an explanation, but nothing made sense. “Why? She say anything?”
“Mm-mm,” Fluttershy shook her head. “She only told me once the transfer was all done, and that was last week. I didn’t really think anything of it, and it honestly never occurred to me that she didn’t tell you, but…” Fluttershy hummed, and held a finger up to her chin.
“What?” Applejack asked.
“On second thought,” Fluttershy tapped her cheek, “you two… you aren’t really friends, are you? So why would she tell you? Why would she think to run that by you, or think it would matter to you? Is that the kind of relationship you two have?”
“I…” Applejack was at a loss for words as her face turned red, shame burning her cheeks as she grabbed her hat and tried to hide her eyes under its shadow, “I dunno. I guess yer right, we don’t have that kinda relationship.”
I thought…
…
I guess… never mind what I thought.
“Hold on a tick,” Applejack decided it might be good to change the subject to something less personally shameful, “each of the three classes needs thirty students in it, no more and no less, so where’s the new Squire? Someone had to transfer outta the Lancer class, right?”
“That’s right,” Fluttershy nodded and hummed ponderously, “I think I heard about that. The student who transferred out originally applied for the Squire class in the first place, but was put in the Lancer class because she injured a couple of other students during her application test.”
“So they made her a Lancer to try and teach her to be a team player?” Applejack asked, and Fluttershy just shrugged. “I guess that makes sense? Must’ve taken too, if they’re lettin’ her be a Squire now.”
“Hell yeah, it took!” a rowdy, boisterous woman’s voice roared from behind Applejack and Fluttershy, and Applejack turned around and jumped off the wall, just in case whoever this gal was wanted to pick a fight.
Applejack sized up the woman who spoke; she was a teal skinned woman with golden, swept-back hair, donning a proud grin and wearing a black trench coat with golden lightning streaks down the sides.
Applejack immediately had reservations.
“And you are?” Applejack asked tepidly, glancing over at Fluttershy to make sure she wasn’t too scared and seeing her scooch behind Applejack.
“The name’s Lightning Dust,” the girl pounded herself on the chest, “and I’m now the number one team-player in the Academy, so the instructors saw fit to put me in my rightful place, aka the Squire class!”
“Uh-huh,” Applejack muttered. “So you injured your fellow students, huh? How’d that happen?”
“Look,” Lightning Dust shrugged, and her proud grin didn’t falter for a second, “sometimes when the chips are down in an intense situation, people get hurt. Sometimes a spell or two gets cast when your teammates aren’t expecting it, and they’re too slow so they get caught in the crossfire.”
“Right.”
Applejack’s single word reply oozed with her disdain for her new classmate. It looked like this girl wasn’t any better than any of the rest of the bullies and stuffed shirts.
“Anyway,” Lightning Dust flicked her nose, “I got a bone to pick with you, Applejack.” Applejack arched an eyebrow. “See, you and me are basically at the top of our classes, and now that we’re in the same class, I think we need to find out which of us is better.”
“Huh, y’know it’s funny,” Applejack grit her teeth and tried not to emit literal steam from her ears or something, “I don’t. Y’ain’t the first person to get a bug up yer ass about challengin’ me, and honestly I’m tired of it, so don’t bother me ag—”
“C’mon, Applejack,” Lightning Dust took a step closer, her grin only growing wider at Applejack’s frustration, “I’m not suggesting some back-alley street brawl, I’m talking about a real fight.
“The Academy has an arena set up for official sparring matches,” Lightning Dust clapped her hands, “I already registered some time to use it just in case. I’m talking about an honorable, on the books, fair and square contest of skill between two students. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Applejack was silent at first, even as she clenched her fists. It wouldn’t do to get provoked into yet another battle with a student, but damn if she wasn’t in a mood to knock someone’s lights out.
She was mad. Mad at Rainbow, mad at Lightning Dust, but mostly mad at herself for being Equestria’s biggest idiot. Way she saw it, this fight was the perfect opportunity to let some of that rage go, and worst case, she got herself a concussion or something, which she probably deserved anyway.
“Alright, Lightning Dust,” Applejack held out her hand, and Lightning wasted no time in firmly clasping it, “yer on.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Fluttershy asked nervously as Applejack entered the arena opposite Lightning Dust.
Applejack didn’t feel the need to answer with words, and instead winked at Fluttershy while slapping her forearm; judging by the giggle and nod of her head, Fluttershy got the point.
The arena room was basically just a gymnasium, with a polished wood floor for the arena itself and a waist-high wall around it so onlookers wouldn’t get too close. And there were a few onlookers aside from Fluttershy, a little handful of students who caught wind a fight was starting and wanted to watch, but a cursory glance among them revealed that Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found.
Not that Applejack cared, of course.
Lightning Dust cracked her knuckles and drew her weapon as Applejack approached; a wooden sword.
“Bringin’ a sword to a fistfight?” Applejack cocked her head and grinned. “Seems a little low, don’tcha think?”
“Hardly,” Lightning Dust scoffed. “School doesn’t have any rules against personal weaponry, just against using them on other students outside of sparring matches. Not my fault you can’t be bothered to learn how to use a weapon.”
“Oh, I got weapons,” Applejack chuckled, “two of ‘em!” Applejack raised her fists and punched them together.
Lightning Dust slashed her sword, and Applejack could almost see sparks of electricity crackling around the blade, though she figured that was just her imagination— or maybe Lightning Dust just had a really intense fighting spirit or something.
“Interesting choice, though,” Applejack pointed at the sword. “Nothin’s stoppin’ ya from usin’ a real sword, so why bother with a wooden one?”
“Cuz if I can be the strongest student here with this,” Lightning Dust slapped the sword against her palm, “imagine how strong I’ll be with the real deal!”
“Fair enough,” Applejack adjusted her hat and cracked her knuckles. If nothing else, she admired Lightning’s enthusiasm, and she got the feeling that despite her attitude, Lightning’s skill wasn’t anything to sneeze at. “’nuff talk, then. Let’s do it to it!”
Lightning Dust grinned and grit her teeth, before charging at Applejack with speed that mirrored her namesake. She was halfway across the arena before Applejack could even blink, and Applejack’s mind reeled at the amount of intense training Lightning Dust must have done to get such skill.
That said, Rainbow was faster.
Applejack dodged Lightning’s first attack, then her second and third, jumping back into a defensive stance as Lightning Dust sneered and slapped her sword against her palm.
“You thought just bein’ fast’d be enough?” Applejack snapped her fingers at Lightning, who paced back and forth while narrowing her eyes at Applejack. “Don’t make me laugh! Yer speed’s somethin’ else alright, but y’ain’t the fastest I’ve seen!”
Lightning didn’t like that, if the grinding of her teeth was any clue, and Applejack took a sec to smirk at her opponent’s flustered reaction.
Truth be told, Applejack hadn't realized how much her constant fights with Rainbow had increased her own speed until just this moment. If she’d met Lightning before Rainbow, Lightning’s speed and intense attacks would’ve bowled Applejack right over, but Applejack had gotten so much stronger in the six weeks since school started.
She’d have to thank Rainbow later for being such a troublemaking little gremlin.
“So what’s this, then?” Lightning scoffed, brushing off her shoulder. “You’re just gonna play defense? Make me do all the work? C’mon, Applejack! You gotta show a little initiative!”
“Not if I wanna stay on my feet,” Applejack replied coolly. “I’ll play defense long as it keeps me alive, thanks!”
“Is that how it is?” Lightning’s face warped in disgust, and she slashed her sword again, and this time Applejack saw clear as day the crackle of electricity following the weapon. “You think you can win by playing defense? What’re you afraid of?!”
“I ain’t stupid,” Applejack kept her fists raised and her eyes down at Lightning’s feet; she’d have to react the second Lightning moved, or else she’d have no chance to defend. “I know yer a lot faster than I am, so if I don’t stay on defense and keep an eye on yer movements, I ain’t gonna win.”
“Not much of a risk taker, are you?” Lightning laughed.
“When yer life or yer honor’s on the line, it’s better to play it safe.”
Lightning clicked her tongue and spat on the ground. “No way are you beating me with an attitude like that! Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’!”
With that last word, Lightning jumped forward. Applejack saw her coming just soon enough to jump out of her way, and to duck under the sword swipe that accompanied her charge, but Applejack couldn’t go in for the counterattack without leaving herself totally open, so she jumped back again.
Best to let Lightning Dust exhaust herself, then Applejack could switch to the offensive.
“Something else that’s pissing me off,” Lightning growled as she turned to face Applejack and point her sword her way, “you aren’t using magic! I know you have it! Whole Academy saw you break Rainbow Dash’s hip or whatever!”
“That don’t seem fair,” Applejack shrugged, “to use magic on a first-year.”
“What do you think this is?!” Lightning shouted. “Some kind of game?! This may just be a sparring match, but this is a fight, Applejack! If you don’t use every tool you have during a fight-“ Lightning Dust pointed her fingers like a gun at Applejack’s arm “-you’re gonna die.”
Electricity crackled through Lightning Dust’s hand and shot like a bullet out of her fingers, striking Applejack’s right arm before she even knew what was happening.
“You didn’t think you were the only student here with magic, did you?” Lightning said proudly, grinning ear to ear as Applejack’s right arm fell limply at her side and went completely numb, Applejack just staring at it completely dumbfounded.
Honestly, Applejack did think she was the only student who had magic, and it was only hindsight that revealed what an idiotic assumption that was, especially now that she remembered Lightning Dust mentioned using a spell during her entrance exam.
Applejack’s assumptions seemed to have a way of repeatedly biting her in the butt today, it seemed.
“Well now,” Applejack panted, trying to move her right arm, but nothing doing, “color me impressed, Lightning Dust. That’s a mighty powerful spell you got.”
Applejack’s right pinkie finger twitched, but nothing else was moving; but that was enough to tell Applejack the effect was temporary, and likely didn’t work for that long either. Lightning Dust’s magic may have been flashier than Applejack’s, but it seemed like the actual effects were pretty similar; simple disabling spells that got taught in the Knight class.
Still, Applejack wasn’t going to lose this fight to yet another assumption, so she figured she’d best stay cautious.
“So what now, Lightning?” Applejack said confidently. “You knock out my arm and pat yerself on the back? Not much of a strate—”
Applejack’s sentence got cut off by a hard thwack of a wooden sword slamming across her jaw. As Applejack hit the ground— a painful thud resonating through her back— she wondered how Lightning managed to get even faster, until she saw the crackling of electricity around Lightning Dust’s feet.
Lightning Dust pointed her fingers at Applejack’s leg, and Applejack tried to sweep Lightning off her feet with a kick, but Lightning just jumped, stomping down on Applejack’s ribs with a painful pound.
“If you’re not gonna give this your all,” Lightning kicked Applejack once more in the side for good measure, before she turned and walked away with a disappointed sneer, “then don’t bother getting up. If you’re afraid of taking risks and getting hurt, you won’t be much of a Knight.”
Applejack wondered if Lightning was right; if she should just stay there on the ground and not bother trying to get back up. This is what she deserved, wasn’t it? To get knocked around like the chump that she was.
Still though, there were other students watching, plus Fluttershy. Wouldn’t be fair to them to give up halfway through a fight, and it wouldn’t do to make people think that the Apples were quitters.
Applejack could move her shoulder now, but not much else. Still, she planted her left palm on the ground and struggled to her knees.
“Hold on, Lightning Dust,” Applejack wheezed, “I ain’t finished yet.”
Another bolt of electricity shot through Applejack’s left leg, the limb giving out instantly and causing Applejack to clatter to the floor in a heap.
“Yeah?” Lightning Dust clicked her tongue. “How about now?”
Applejack’s entire leg was frozen; there was no way she could stand on it, and she could barely move even as she writhed on the ground. This fight was well and truly over.
Applejack looked into the crowd as her cheeks started burning, and she meant to look at Fluttershy so she could apologize for such a lousy performance, but her line of sight never quite reached the rosy-haired gal, because it stopped on the girl standing next to her— Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow’s hands were pressed firmly against the waist-high wall, and she was biting her lip as she watched with tense anticipation while Applejack just laid helplessly on the floor.
Welp. When did she get here?
Applejack decided right then and there that she had to win this fight now.
“Lightning Dust,” Applejack said firmly, lying flat on her back, “hold on. I said I wasn’t finished yet.”
“How do you figure?” Lightning cackled. “You can’t even mo—”
Applejack felt the magic of the Earth Aura coursing through her right arm as she punched it into the air, drawing a gasp from the onlookers, and Applejack turned her head up just in time to see Lightning’s jaw drop. Applejack felt the Earth Aura flow through her legs as she raised them up, jumping up from the ground and straight to her feet.
She tossed her hat to the side and tore her jacket off, Lightning Dust grinning maniacally and slashing her sword, electricity trailing behind it.
And one last thing, just for my own sake…
Applejack took the needle out of her hair that kept it in its tight bun, letting her blonde hair flow freely down her back and shoulders, shaking her head a bit to get her hair all loose.
“YYYYYYYEEEEAAAAHH!!!” Rainbow screamed, and Applejack bit down the biggest smile of her life. “Go get ‘er, AJ! Knock her right on her ass!”
“Sorry, Lightning Dust,” Applejack shrugged, “I can’t turn down a pretty lady’s request. Guess you gotta get knocked over.”
“You can try!” Lightning Dust charged at Applejack, electricity coursing through her legs from her magic, but Applejack just closed her eyes.
It was a major risk to shut her darn eyes during a fight, but her eyes could barely keep up with Lightning’s enhanced speed anyway, so Applejack figured she may as well rely on her magic and her gut instead.
Lightning Dust’s attack never reached Applejack, but Applejack’s fist reached Lightning’s gut, stopping her advance dead in its tracks. Lightning reeled, and she stumbled backward, gasping for breath. She grit her teeth and growled, then stomped on the ground, but gasped as no electricity greeted her frustrated stomps.
“Hm, funny that,” Applejack stretched her arms over her head, mostly in a show of just how much they both still worked, “yer magic ain’t workin’ so good now, huh?”
“What did you—”
Applejack slammed Lightning Dust’s stomach with a second punch, then hit her twice in the face, before finishing with an uppercut that threw Lightning Dust off her feet and onto the ground.
“I just used the tools I had,” Applejack shrugged, “and one of my tools is a spell called Magic Break. I feel it’s pretty self-explanatory how it works.”
“That… was…” Lightning grinded her teeth and glared up at Applejack, who just stared back at her with a satisfied smile. Lightning cackled and raised her hands in the air, and Applejack grabbed one to help her back to her feet. “…awesome! You totally threw me for a loop, Applejack! Nice job!”
“You put up quite a fight yerself, Lightning Dust,” Applejack firmly clapped Lightning’s hand, the two combatants smirking proudly at each other.
“But don’t think that I’m gonna lose to you again!” Lightning yanked Applejack closer to her and bashed their foreheads together, grinning excitedly.
“You’d better not be thinkin’ I’m gonna lose either,” Applejack snickered, and Lightning let go of her hand and clapped her on the shoulder.
“See you around, Applejack,” Lightning raised her fist.
“Yeah,” Applejack tapped her fist against Lightning’s, “I look forward to sharin’ a class with ya, Lightning Dust.”
Applejack and Lightning Dust went their separate ways, and Applejack headed over to Fluttershy and Rainbow, offering the two a thumbs-up, and Fluttershy sticking both her thumbs in the air and smiling brightly for Applejack’s victory.
“Good job, Applejack!” Fluttershy said, softly clapping her hands.
“Heh, thanks, sugarcube,” Applejack smiled back and ran a hand through her hair, forgetting for a sec that she’d let it all loose.
“Yeah, you were alright, I guess,” Rainbow said with her arms crossed, big grin on her face. Applejack wished she could mirror Rainbow’s enthusiasm, but now that the adrenaline was gone, Applejack could only muster a scowl for the woman who’d spent three weeks blowing her off.
Rainbow kept smiling at Applejack for a moment, but after a few seconds passed and Applejack said nothing, Rainbow’s cheer faltered.
“Um, is something wrong, Applejack?” Rainbow asked.
“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy spoke softly and tugged at Rainbow’s sleeve, “I’ll meet you at the front gate, okay?” Fluttershy winked at Applejack, who nodded in reply.
“Uh, sure,” Rainbow nodded, and Fluttershy ran off and left Applejack and Rainbow; with the other onlookers having left after the fight ended, it was just Rainbow and Applejack alone in the arena room.
“Can I talk to ya a sec, Rainbow?” Applejack placed a hand on her hip and stared Rainbow down.
“Yeah, I guess?” Rainbow cocked her head; if Applejack didn’t know better, she’d almost think Rainbow was completely oblivious to Applejack’s icy behavior.
Applejack sighed and headed back into the arena to pick up her stuff, Rainbow hopping over the wall to follow her.
“What’s up, Applejack?”
“That’s kinda what I wanna ask you, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack put her straw hat back on and flung her plaid jacket over her shoulder. “You been avoidin’ me lately, how come?”
“Wh—I haven’t been ‘avoiding’ you!” Rainbow scoffed and backed up a few steps, scratching behind her neck as her eyes darted around. “What would make you think that?”
“C’mon, Rainbow,” Applejack groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, “don’t lie to me. I know you’ve been avoidin’ me on purpose, and I wanna know wh—”
“You two… you aren’t really friends, are you? Is that the kind of relationship you two have?”
Applejack blinked, and felt her cheeks burn. She grit her teeth into a snarl and snatched her hat off her head, tossing it away before throwing her jacket at the ground.
“Woah, you okay, Applejack?” Rainbow asked, taking a step back.
Applejack turned away from Rainbow and covered half her shameful face with her hand.
“I’m sorry, Rainbow,” she said. “I totally misread the situation. I thought we were—er, I guess it doesn’t matter what I thought. I had no right to get angry with you, so… sorry.”
Applejack slumped her shoulders and shrugged, looking at her discarded items and wondering if it was even worth the effort of picking them back up.
She shook her head and walked past Rainbow toward the exit of the arena. “I’ll see you around, I guess,” she said, “or maybe not? I dunno, whatever you wanna d—”
“Hold on,” Rainbow said sternly, and Applejack turned to look at her with a tired frown. Rainbow was staring at Applejack’s jacket on the ground, biting her lip as she ran a hand through her hair. “You’re right, Applejack. I lied before, I’ve totally been avoiding you on purpose.”
“Why?” Applejack asked wearily.
“Wh-why do you even care?!” Rainbow snapped back, cheeks turning red. She wore a shaky smile and let out a weak laugh. “I thought you’d be glad to be rid of me!”
Applejack didn’t have the energy to tell Rainbow just how wrong she was, and settled for a sigh instead.
“I thought we—” Applejack paused, wondering if it was worth it to tell Rainbow the truth and why she was hurt, or if she should just let sleeping dogs lie and move on with her sad life.
“If you’re afraid of taking risks and getting hurt, you won’t be much of a Knight.”
Applejack inhaled sharply and faced Rainbow dead-on, clenching her fists and staring Rainbow down, the shorter girl taking another step back at Applejack’s sudden intensity.
“I wasn’t glad to be rid of you, Rainbow,” Applejack said softly. “I thought we agreed to start over as friends, and I was lookin’ forward to that. So, when you started blowin’ me off, it…” Applejack paused, feeling that familiar heat stinging her cheeks, “…it really hurt. I’m sorry, but it did.”
“Don’t apologize to me,” Rainbow clicked her tongue. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I should’ve… I dunno. I should’ve done something different, I guess.”
“You wanna tell me what this is all about, at least?”
Rainbow took a deep breath and drew herself up, but as she tried to make eye contact with Applejack, her gaze fell to the floor.
“I was… embarrassed,” Rainbow muttered, “after what happened three weeks ago.”
“Embarrassed?” Applejack tilted her head. “How come?”
“C’mon, Applejack!” Rainbow yelped. She looked around to make sure the room was still empty and brought her voice down to a whisper. “We slept in the same bed! I mean, geez, you even sang me a lullaby! And it worked too! Knocked me right out!”
“Yeah, I was really proud of that,” Applejack chuckled, and this time she didn’t mind the warmth gracing her cheeks. “But I’m still not sure why that embarrassed you. I thought we were becomin’ friends, so I didn’t think anything of it.”
“We were,” Rainbow bit her thumbnail, “that’s why I—” Rainbow groaned and threw her hands up to her face, shaking her head quickly before throwing her hands back down. “Look, getting close to people isn’t—it hasn’t, like, historically, been the best thing for me. So when I started liking you, it freaked me out and I tried to run away. And you didn’t deserve that at all, so… I’m really sorry.”
“I like you too, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack went for her hat, but just ended up awkwardly placing her hand atop her bare head. “And I’d really like it if we could still be friends.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow’s whole face practically turned red, and she kicked at the ground, “I’d like that too.”
Applejack held out her hand, and Rainbow hesitantly took it, with Applejack pulling Rainbow into a hug. Rainbow snickered and hugged Applejack back, nuzzling against her chest for a sec before clearing her throat and pushing Applejack away.
“So, uh, anyway,” Rainbow blurted out, “so what happens now? Where do we go from here?”
“I reckon wherever we want to,” Applejack said with a smile. “There’ll be some growin’ pains, but I don’t see why we can’t have whatever kinda relationship we wanna have with each other, right?”
“Yyyyyeah,” Rainbow said, awkwardly nodding her head and rapidly tapping her fingers against each other. “So, what do you wanna do?”
Applejack blushed and scratched her cheek, holding out her hand. Rainbow looked at her funny but held out her own hand, gently placing it in Applejack’s.
“I like this,” Applejack said curtly, brushing her fingers against Rainbow’s, “this is pretty alright.”
“I don’t hate it either,” Rainbow coughed, and clenched her fingers around Applejack’s.
“Oh hey,” Applejack said suddenly, just remembering something she wanted to ask and definitely not wracking her brain to come up with an excuse to keep talking so she didn’t have to let go of Rainbow’s hand just yet, “I just remembered, you switched classes! After all this hubbub, it’s kinda a shame we won’t be classmates anymore.”
“Right, that,” Rainbow said, looking away from Applejack, “I wanted to tell you about that. I was actually gonna do it today… but that’s what I said yesterday too, and the day before that, but I kept losing my nerve every time.”
“It’s not like I wasn’t gonna catch on eventually,” Applejack laughed, “though it took me a lot longer’n I’d like to admit. So why the change? Was that just a part of you tryin’ to get away from me?”
“No,” Rainbow said firmly, looking Applejack right in the eye with an intensity that made Applejack blush. “The opposite, actually. Two Squires become two Knights, become two Captains, lead two squads. Squire and Lancer graduate into the same squad.”
“Oh,” Applejack said, the implications of Rainbow’s statement taking a second to dawn on her, but when they did, Applejack’s whole face brightened up. She beamed at Rainbow before yanking her into another hug.
“Yer a sweetheart, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack ruffled Rainbow’s hair with a big ol’ smile on her face. “A little troublemakin’ gremlin, but a sweetheart.”
“Thanks,” Rainbow muttered, leaning into Applejack’s hug with a soft sigh.