It was a beautiful sunny day in Ponyville. That also meant it was a perfect day for a certain cyan pegasus to take one of her trademark naps. She had been practicing new flying tricks earlier in the morning, but the summer heat wore her out pretty quickly. Originally she was just going to look for a tree to lie under, but before she could do so, a small cloud in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She flew up and inspected: seemed legit. After getting comfortable, Rainbow Dash slowly drifted off to sleep.
The sound of a hollow banging began to revitalize her senses. It took a few moments, but eventually her brain was able to register the sound. Was somepony, hitting wood? Rainbow Dash was still half asleep, and she couldn't tell if this was real or just part of a dream. It wasn't until the smell of apples hit her nose that she was able to regain more consciousness, her body slowly becoming aware of its surroundings. She was fairly certain she knew where she was, but just to be sure she slowly opened one eye, glancing towards the ground. Immediately her suspicions were confirmed; she was right above Sweet Apple Acres.
The breeze must have sent me over here, she thought. She almost wanted to laugh; of course out of all the places she could've ended up, it had to be here.
"Wow, maybe this really is a sign," Rainbow muttered to herself. The truth was, although not certain, Rainbow was pretty sure she had a crush on Applejack. It wasn't because she was a girl or anything, Rainbow already discovered she was attracted to both mares and stallions, but something about AJ was different. Of course Rainbow Dash loved all her friends, but her and Applejack always had a certain banter the others didn't. They were the two best athletes in Ponyville, and although that often led to competition, she truly did appreciate Applejack's strength. All that bucking had also really toned out Applejack's backside. She wasn't going to lie, she had accidentally caught herself checking out the farmer's flank a few times before. Okay, so yeah she occasionally appreciated Applejack's body, but usually when she liked someone, boy or girl, she was always the one to make the first move. She knew what she wanted and radiated confidence. But with AJ she just...didn't. It was a weird feeling; it was like she'd rather admire her from a distance, watching her do her chores, and just be in her physical presence. That was what made her uncertain––isn't that the same as what best friends do? Besides, even if her feelings were more than platonic, she wouldn't want to ruin their friendship by revealing them, only to find they aren't reciprocated. She also had no idea if she was even into girls like that! Although...Rainbow had kind of always suspected it. They had been friends for almost 6 years now, even before Twilight moved into the library, and not once did Rainbow remember AJ ever being into a guy; all the times a stallion had asked her out, Applejack had always turned them down. It was like when Trenderhoof came to town. Not only did she reject him, but she seemed genuinely bothered by his interest in her. Truthfully, however, it wasn't until the past couple of months had she started to see AJ in this light, so really she had no idea; she hadn't been paying good enough attention before.
Rainbow Dash peered down from her cloud, looking for the orange farmer. She saw her cart with the apples she had already collected that day, and the buckets with apples under the trees, but she didn't actually see Applejack. She looked back and forth, but it was just dirt and trees for miles. Flying down from her cloud, she inspected the cart. Clearly somepony had pulled it out here. She looked at the harness; it was definitely set for Applejack. Apple Bloom was still too short for the height, and Big Mac was way too wide. Maybe she got tired or something and decided to take a break, Rainbow thought. Or maybe she forgot it out here and already went back to the barn. She could probably bring it back for her and help ou––
"BOO!" Applejack yelled, sending the pegasus into the nearest apple tree in a flash. Just as fast as she had flown into the leaves, Rainbow Dash came out, hovering over AJ as she toppled over onto her back, laughing uncontrollably. Rainbow was about to make some remark to hopefully make it seem she wasn't actually scared, but just before the words slipped out, that odd feeling overtook her again, and she found herself almost lost in the moment. AJ's laughter rang out as she squirmed on her back. She really did have the cutest laugh. Then again Twilight had a cute laugh too, so maybe still just a friend thing. Damn, Rainbow thought. She hated these mushy gushy feelings she kept having. They were...gross.
Realizing there really was no way to recover from what just happened, Rainbow Dash decided to move on.
"So Applejack, what's up?" Rainbow asked, unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she said it.
"Whoo wee sugarcube," Applejack said as she wiped her tears from her eyes, finally starting to calm down, "sorry bout that, it was just the funniest darn thing ah've seen all day."
Rainbow only made a face in response.
"So watcha doing here anyway? Pretty sure apple buckin' ain't your first choice of things to do."
"I was taking a nap and I guess the wind brought me here. But now that I'm up and awake I could help a bit if you wanted?"
"Well that's mighty kind of you Rainbow, ah really appreciate it," Applejack said with a smile. Ugh that smile. And that voice. Southern drawl. Rainbow didn't even like that accent, but Applejack somehow made it...cute? As the pair locked eyes, Rainbow could feel a blush coming on.
"Alright I-I'll just get started now," Rainbow said, quickly moving over to a nearby tree. She couldn't believe she almost blushed from a smile from Applejack that lasted mere seconds. What was wrong with her? This was her best friend! First thinking her laugh and accent were cute and now blushing? This was so out of character. She really needed to get this under control, whatever it was.