Lyra and Bon Bon had a special bet whenever they saw the familiar rainbow streak across the sky.
"Wonderbolts practice." "Sweet Apple Acres."
When the streak headed towards the countryside, Lyra gave her wife a smug smile.
"Told you."
Rainbow Dash arrived at Sweet Apple Acres a moment later. Before she had to decide where to begin searching for Applejack, she heard laughter coming from inside the barn. With narrowed eyes, Rainbow Dash flew to one of the window and peeked inside.
Applejack and Rara sat on the barn floor, their bodies leaning against each other's. In front of them was a thick record album, and a record player sat a few ways off from them.
Rainbow Dash felt a pang of nostalgia at the sight of Applejack. She hadn't seen the mare in weeks, and it took everything she had to not simply fly into the barn and hug her.
Or, alternatively, tell her off for missing brunch.
"Okay okay, we have to do this one," Rara pointed at a record that was too far for Rainbow Dash to read its inscription.
Applejack gently pushed Rara in repulsion, glaring fondly at her.
"Rara, I love you, but I'm never singing that song ever again," Applejack tried to hold in a laugh, but couldn't. "You don't remember the last time we sang that song?"
"Of course I do!" Rara joined in Applejack's laughter. "Which is why we should sing it again. You know, for the memories."
"Singin' this song at camp karaoke is a memory from fillyhood I've worked very hard to forget," Applejack pushed back again, but the huge grin on her face betrayed she was close to breaking. "I still can't believe there are ponies out there who might remember me singing this silly song."
Rara glared playfully at AJ.
"Hey! I wrote this silly song," she complained, but couldn't hold back another laugh. "So if anypony should wish that nopony ever heard this, it should be me."
"Then why don't we find another song to sing along to?"
"Oh, come on AJ! Pleaaase?" Rara pleaded, poking Applejack's shoulder repeatedly with a puppy-dog eye expression. "For me?"
"Oh alright, fine!" Applejack finally relented with another laugh. "But only because you're so darn annoying."
Rara squealed, throwing her hooves around AJ and hugging her tightly.
"You know you love me," Rara sing-songed, prompting a smile from Applejack. The two nuzzles noses affectionately as Rara got to her hooves and took out the record.
Rainbow Dash gagged. Since when is Applejack so sappy? She thought to herself in revulsion.
But Rainbow Dash couldn't help but to unconsciously feel it a little unfair that her and Applejack's nose touches were limited to competitive stand-offs. They were never gentle touches of affection.
The realization prompted a sour emotion in the pit of her stomach, one she couldn't name.
Shaking off the unidentifiable and very unpleasant feeling, Rainbow Dash refocused her attention to what was happening inside the barn. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion when AJ procured two handheld microphones from seemingly nowhere. She tossed one to Rara, keeping the other for herself.
The appearance of the microphones made Rainbow Dash take a look at the rest of the space. The inside had changed from a typical barn to the backstage set of a concert. It was fraught with various instruments and sound equipment, as well as trunks she assumed contained Rara's things.
Rara trotted to place a record on the record player. It began to spin, letting out a cheerful and bouncy beat. It was the type of beat Rainbow Dash never would have associated with Applejack, even if she hadn't already known that AJ's favorite genre of music is country.
Rara playfully danced back to Applejack, bouncing to the rhythm of the beat. It triggered a sudden realization for Rainbow Dash as she realized what was about to happen.
"Oh please, karaoke?" She chortled nastily to herself in a low voice, blowing a raspberry. "That's so lame!"
So much for earth pony fun, Rainbow thought to herself smugly. I don't have to be an earth pony to know AJ is musical. She and I have sung plenty of songs before.
Rainbow's ears twitched as she heard running hooves behind her. She didn't bother turning: the hooves and accompanying boing boing was enough to know that her friends had finally caught up to her.
"Oh Rainbow Dash, thank heavens you decided not to interrupt," Rarity called breathlessly, stopping to stand below a flying RD.
"Agreed," Pinkie chirped, "I didn't think you'd hold back. But here you are!"
"Puh-lease, I—"
Before Rainbow Dash could continue her defense, a powerful soprano voice drifted from inside the barn. The sudden singing caused Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity to sprint to the window, peeking inside the barn with Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash's mouth dropped and her eyes widened. Throwing caution to the wind, she pressed her face fully against the window to get a better look inside.
AJ and Rara were standing face-to-face, singing in a classic duet style into their microphones. It was obvious that Applejack was trying to hold in laughter, but the huge grin on her face was one Rainbow Dash hadn't seen in a while. They moved in sync as they sang the chorus, their simple choreography making it clear that they had, indeed, performed the song before.
In the middle of her lyric, Rara shook her flank in the exact way Twilight and Princess Cadence do during their weird greeting. At the sight, Applejack couldn't contain her laughter. She fell on her back, laughing hysterically.
Rara stopped singing, going to the record player to turn off the loud music. She tried to give a scolding look to Applejack but failed miserably. Instead, she burst into laughter, falling right besides the cowgirl on the barn floor. The two mares were hysterical, barely forming sentences as they tried to speak.
"I- I can't believe you actually tried doing the dance!"
"Applejack, you were supposed to do it with me!"
"I— I couldn't. It was too— too—"
Applejack cut off, another guffaw stopping her.
Rainbow Dash couldn't watch anymore. She landed on the ground, feeling strangely defeated. She and Applejack have sung plenty of songs together.
But never for fun. And never with the intention of being silly, letting loose, and having fun.
Rainbow Dash shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake off her thoughts. It's not like she was actually in a competition with Rara to see who Applejack had the most fun with... Right?
"Now Rainbow Dash, do you do goofy karaoke with Applejack?" Rarity interrupted Rainbow Dash's brooding, a smirk on her face. "You and Applejack's activities always focus on sports and the like. You forget that she isn't just an athlete. She's a mare of many talents and hobbies. While you may share emotionally and physically exhausting athletic play with her, perhaps Rara is better equiped to partake in more fun and pleasurable activities."
Fluttershy frowned at Rarity, sensing her friend was trying to instigate. Choosing her words carefully, Fluttershy said, "Don't feel bad, Rainbow Dash. None of us— besides Pinkie Pie, obviously— are as musical as Applejack. Ponies don't have to share every single hobby to have fun."
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie interrupted. "And don't feel bad that Applejack is having loads more fun hanging out with Rara when, on the other hoof, you two always end up arguing when you hang out!"
Rainbow Dash's nostrils flared. Pinkie Pie may have been well-intentioned, but the comment was much more blunt than Rarity's sly attempt to get under Rainbow Dash's skin.
"What Pinkie means," Fluttershy interjected hastily, "Is that maybe this is what Rara meant by 'earth pony fun.' Most pegasi like to fly or do sporty things, which can get really competitive and scary. It's why I like being on the ground more; there's more options for things that count as fun."
"Yup!" Pinkie agreed with a vigoruous nod. "Earth ponies and unicorns can't fly and do cool tricks. But we can definitely throw a mean sleepover with karaoke and face masks and cool stories!"
Pinkie Pie let out a loud gasp.
"I bet that's what Applejack and Rara are going to do every. Single. Night!" She exclaimed, bouncing in place. "An endless sleepover! That's a recipe for endless fun! And—"
"OKAY!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her cheeks flushed in annoyance. "I get it! Rara and her stupid, boring 'earth pony fun' is better than whatever AJ and I do!"
"Darling, no-"
"That's not true—"
"Yup!"
Rarity and Fluttershy glared at Pinkie Pie, who hastily corrected herself.
"Um, I mean, nope! Karaoke and sleepovers and laughter and fun are definitelyb no better than competitions and exercise and trying to one-up each other and getting angry all the time."
Rainbow Dash sighed in frustration, but couldn't be too angry.
Because Pinkie Pie was right. As the element of laughter, who better to judge when AJ had the most fun? Applejack's current situation with Rara versus the many competitions Pinkie had referee'd for Applejack and Rainbow Dash over the years made the choice obvious.
Maybe she's right, Rainbow Dash thought forlornly. Maybe me and AJ don't have as much fun together as I thought.
"Cheer up, Dashie. You can't be the best at everything," Pinkie Pie beamed. "Besides, you don't have time to keep spying on Applejack and being sad! You have Wonderbolts practice!"
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened.
Oh, horse apples! How did I forget? When have I ever forgotten a Wonderbolts practice?
Never. Not until today.
Her eyes anxiously shifted back to the barn. She couldn't help it: she wanted one last peek.
Rainbow Dash flew over her friends to the window, peeking in. AJ and Rara were sitting up again, sifting through the album. They were laughing, smiling, and just, overall, enjoying each other's company.
For the briefest of seconds, Rainbow Dash imagined herself in Rara's place. Sitting on the barn floor, her and AJ's tails tangled, leaning against each other to stay upright, laughing as they recounted memories...
"rainbow dash? Rainbow Dash? RAINBOW DASH?"
Rainbow Dash made an indescribable sound of surprise as she was snapped back to reality. Fluttershy was flying besides her, waving a hoof in RD's face.
"Right! Yes! Wonderbolts practice!" Rainbow tried to sound excited, but the comment came out slightly bitter. "Well, see you girls later!"
And with no further goodbye or explanation for her behavior, she was gone.
Rarity sighed, exchanging glances with the remaining ponies. They all had a look of dread.
"We should check on her later," Fluttershy said softly, to which the other two nodded.
"Who knew Dashie could get so jealous?" Pinkie Pie commented off-handedly, the three mares walking back up the path that led to town.
"I'm not surprised," Rarity said darkly. "When it comes to each other, I'm never surprised the extent to which Applejack and Rainbow Dash get caught up in their emotions."
Fluttershy gave Rarity a questioning look.
"Do you think...?"
"Darling," Rarity deadpanned. "It's been obvious for a while now."
But was 'it' obvious to Rainbow Dash?
Most certainly not. As the pegasus sped towards the Wonderbolts compound, Rainbow Dash replayed the image of Applejack sprawled on the barn floor laughing again and again. Rainbow Dash knew she was upset because of it, but she didn't understand why.
All she knew was that it had something to do with the visiting earth pony that was laughing alongside AJ.
A pony that wasn't her.