//------------------------------//
// Are they really...? 
// Story: Caught in the Act 
// by Doom Trot 
//------------------------------//

	Spike could only stare blankly, unsure what to make of what he saw as he thought, Well... that's kinda...  The two ponies didn't seem to notice him, but no matter how hard he listened, Spike couldn't clearly make out anything they were saying to each other.  What he heard, however, wasn't all that necessary to be entertained, or, in Spike's case, weirded out by what he saw.  Bewildered, he thought, What are they doing?
"Oh, ah'll always love ya!" shouted Applejack, enticing a giggle from Rainbow Dash.
Didn't know AJ's voice could go that high. Spike thought, his eye twitching.
"You know it," Rainbow Dash mused back loudly enough for Spike to hear, causing Applejack to giggle.
"Who," stated Owlowiscious very matter of factly as he perched on a nearby branch.  Applejack and Rainbow Dash both glanced to the branch with a gasp, then sighed with relief upon discovering that it was only Twilight's faithful owl sitting in the tree.  With a chuckle, they returned to what they were doing, only for their attention to be captured by a nearby hiccup.  
Uh-oh, Spike thought, smiling nervously with reddened cheeks as the disbelieving gazes of Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned to him.  
"Tarnation, Spike!" Applejack stammered, hurrying to her hooves, face even more flush than Spike's.  "How much did ya see?!"
Spike tried to avoid Applejack's gaze as he scratched at his neck, meekly answering, "Not a lot."  He shook his head, asking, "What were you doing?"
Coughing weakly, Applejack stammered, "Well, we was just... ah mean... Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow Dash, face a deep crimson, put a hoof to her chest, defensively shouting, "Why do I have to explain it?!"
"Well, it was yer idea!" Applejack shouted back, clearly a bit more discomforted by the predicament than Rainbow Dash.
"So?  I, uh... why the hay have we gotta explain ourselves, anyway?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing an accusing hoof at Spike.
Spike shrugged, looking a little guilty as he mumbled, "I just wondered what you were doing.  I didn't really ask for an explanation, but it was just sorta..."
"Spike, it's not what ya think it is.  We was just"—Applejack twirled her hoof, carefully considering what to say—"messin' around."
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash affirmed, nodding emphatically.  "That's it.  Messing around.  That's all we were doing."
Spike cocked his head, eyeing the two of them suspiciously as he asked, "Just messing around, huh?  So, where did you get those—"
"That ain't important!"  Applejack interrupted, kicking aside the objects Spike was referring to.  "They ain't important!"
Spike scratched at his cheek, glancing to the items as he said, "Really?  'Cause with what you were doing with them, I'd say that—"
"Spike, just forget it." Rainbow Dash interrupted, putting a hoof to Spike's shoulder and grinning nervously.  "It's really nothing you should be worried about."
"Well, sorry to say it, but this has me a little worried.  You know that this is gonna offend somepony.  In fact, I'm a little offended myself." Spike said, brushing off Rainbow Dash's hoof.
"Well, we ain't hurtin' nopony.  We're all by our lonesome." Applejack argued, wiping the sweat from her forehead.  "'Sides, ain't nothin' wrong with it."
Spike shrugged, pointing out, "You might say that there was nothing wrong going on here, but I'm sure somepony begs to differ."
Rainbow Dash threw her hooves on Spike's shoulders, her tone panicked as she asked, "You aren't gonna tell her, are you?"
Spike rolled his eyes, mumbling, "Well, if you aren't, then I am."
"Spike, listen.  Lettin' Twilight find out 'bout this would upset 'er somethin' awful.  Ya don't wanna do that to 'er, do ya?" Applejack reasoned, a pleading gleam in her eyes as she looked over Rainbow Dash's shoulder.
Spike sighed, pushing away Rainbow Dash's hooves and answering, "Fine.  Tell me what you were doing, and I won't let Twilight in on what I saw."
Rainbow Dash and Applejack exchanged grimaces, then the two cleared their throats in unison, the farm filly to Spike's left beginning, "Well, ya see, what we was doin' was sorta... it was kinda... a game."
Spike raised an eyebrow, his tone stern as he asked, "That was a game?"
Rainbow Dash nodded her agreement, continuing for Applejack, "Yeah!  It was just a stupid, pointless little game... is all."  Rainbow Dash cleared her throat once more, laughing weakly and rubbing at her ear.
"You certainly seemed into it, even if it was just a game," Spike observed, crossing his arms and hardening his dubious scowl.
"What's wrong with that?"  Rainbow Dash asked defensively.  "Can't we enjoy what we're doing?"
"Rainbow Dash has a point," Applejack added before Spike could get a word in.  "Ah admit, we was really puttin' some energy into it, but it was still a game all the same.  Ain't nothin' meant t' be taken seriously."
Spike raspberried, rolling his eyes once more as he muttered, "'Energy.'  I see how it is.  And what about those things you were saying?"
Applejack bit her lip as Spike asked his question, looking deeply panicked as she glanced to Rainbow Dash.  Rainbow Dash breathed a shaky sigh, then asked, "What things?"
"You know.  Things like 'Ah'll always love ya!'" Spike said, his impersonation of Applejack less than spot on.
Applejack gasped, putting a hoof to her cheek as she looked to Spike with fear in her eyes and asked, "What else did ya hear?!"
Spike raised a claw, then dropped it, along with his scowl, slowly answering, "Actually, I only heard one thing after that: Rainbow Dash saying, 'You know it.'"  His attempt to sound like Rainbow Dash had failed as well.
Rainbow Dash bit at the tip of her hoof, obviously embarrassed by Spike's recount, but Applejack merely sighed, readjusting her stetson and answering, "That was just some banter, really.  Nothin' really meant by it."
Spike furrowed his brow, responding, "Oh, okay."
Applejack nodded, seeming to relax a little as she said, "Alrighty.  Ya satisfied?  'Cause there ain't much more to it than that."
Spike pondered the question as he stroked his chin.  After a moment, he said, "One last question.  Why?"
Rainbow Dash and Applejack both seemed to shrink at the question, asking in unison, "What?"
"You heard me.  Why?" Spike reiterated, sounding slightly annoyed.  "Honestly, it's a little weird, it kinda creeped me out, and you'd seriously get some ponies mad if they ever saw that.  So why do it in the first place?"
Applejack and Rainbow Dash exchanged dire glances.  Rainbow Dash turned her attention back to Spike, then rolled her neck, answering meekly, "Cause it's... fun."
"Who?" asked Owlowiscious in confusion.  
Spike propped himself against the tree he stood beside, giving Rainbow Dash a cold stare and asking, "Fun?"
Rainbow Dash giggled weakly, avoiding Spike's stare as she mumbled, "Well, yeah.  Just a little bit of fun.  What's wrong with that?"
Spike glanced to the items that Applejack had kicked away, then disapprovingly shook his head, stern as he said, "You know, if Twilight ever found out about this, you'd have some serious explaining to do; and I don't think 'because it's fun' is gonna cut it."
"Spike, please don't tell 'er!" pleaded Applejack, her nose pressed against his.  "She'd blow 'er top if she found out!"
Spike stared into Applejack's eyes, then sighed, withdrawing from her and muttering, "Okay, I won't tell her," Applejack and Rainbow Dash both brightened at this, about to say something as Spike pointed to Applejack, starkly interrupting them with, "but only if you promise me that you won't do that... whatever you were doing ever again.  Got it?"
Applejack glanced to the items she had kicked away, sounding a bit resentful as she said, "Uh, sure.  Sure thing, Spike."  Rainbow Dash hovered a short distance off the ground, a glare on her face as she crossed her forelegs, but the pegasus made no objection to Spike's proposal.
Spike nodded, turning away from the two as he said, "Alright.  I'll forget everything I saw if it doesn't happen again.  See you around."  He began to walk away, but he froze mid step, looking to Owlowiscious and adding, "But before I go, I need to get what I came out here for.  Owlowiscious, what did you do with my sapphire?"
Owlowiscious stared blankly at Spike for a moment, then took off into a tree nearby.  After a little rustling about in the leaves, Owlowiscious reappeared, a gleaming blue gem in his talons.  As Owlowiscious flew over Spike, he dropped the gem.  Spike's quarry struck him on his head, causing him to yelp and Owlowiscious to chortle a hardy, "Who who who!"  Spike rubbed at his head, then snatched the sapphire off the ground, muttering unintelligibly as he stomped after Owlowiscious.  As they watched Spike disappear into the trees, Rainbow Dash and Applejack both sighed a relieved sigh, then exchanged lighthearted laughs.  
"Well, now that he's gone, you wanna...?" Rainbow Dash asked, flicking her head in the direction of the objects they had sworn not to use.
"Ha!  What he don't know won't hurt 'im." Applejack answered, trotting over to and plucking off the ground with her tail one of the items.  "Now where were we?"  Rainbow Dash giggled, flying over to Applejack with a smile on her face.





Diamond Tiara, huffing with rage, stomped down the road with Silver Spoon trotting behind her, the latter trying to suppress her laughter.  Furious, Diamond Tiara muttered, "Oh, those three are going to pay.  They are so going to pay!"  She shook her head, wet locks of mane sticking to her face.
"You have to admit, they got you pretty good, Diamond Tiara." Silver Spoon said, muffling a snicker.
Diamond Tiara spun around, glaring at her friend and yelling, "Look what they did to me, Silver Spoon!  They ruined my perfect mane, and they've tarnished my beautiful face!"
Silver Spoon bit her lip, trying ever so hard not to laugh at the Diamond Tiara's flour caked face as she mumbled, "Yeah.  'Tarnished.'"  She doubled over, laughing hysterically.  Diamond Tiara turned forward again with a growl, continuing on her way.
"Once I get my hooves on them, I swear, I'm gonna-"
"Rainbow Dash and Applejack did what?!" shouted Pinkie Pie from out of sight.
"Shh!  Not so loud!" Spike scolded.  Intrigued, Diamond Tiara hurried over to where she'd heard the two, her natural sense of "curiosity" piqued.  She glanced from Spike to Pinkie, listening intently for any sort of juicy gossip.  As Spike told the story of what he'd seen and what Applejack and Rainbow Dash had said to him, Diamond Tiara's fiendish grin grew wider and wider until it became a full blown sinister beam.
"That's just silly!" giggled Pinkie, waving a dismissive hoof.  "Applejack and Rainbow Dash would never do that."
"That's exactly what I thought.  Until I caught them in the act." Spike said, tossing up his sapphire and allowing it to fall back into his palm.  "You've gotta promise not to tell anypony.  I don't want this getting back to Twilight."
"Cross my heart and hope to fly,"  Pinkie swore, acting out the pledge, "stick a cupcake in my eye!"
"Good.  See you around, Pinkie," Spike said, waving as he turned and continued toward Ponyville.  
"Bye bye!" Pinkie shouted back, bouncing away in the opposite direction.
With a malicious giggle, Diamond Tiara rubbed her front hooves together, glancing to Silver Spoon with a crazed smile and asking in a maniacal voice, "Did you catch all that, Spoon?"
"Yeah..."  Silver Spoon answered, adjusting her glasses as if to accentuate how awkward their eavesdropping had proved to be.
"Do you know what this means?" Diamond Tiara asked, her hooves pressed together as she leaned closer to Silver Spoon.
"That the Cutie Mark Crusaders aren't the weirdest ponies in Ponyville?" Silver Spoon answered, sounding unsure.
"Well, there's that, but isn't it true that Applejack is Applebloom's older sister?"  iamond Tiara asked, brushing back her soaked mane.
Silver Spoon put a hoof to her chin in thought, mumbling, "I think so."
"And how about that Rainbow Dash?"  Diamond Tiara asked.  "Doesn't Scootaloo worship her?"
Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow, asking, "Where are you going with this?"
Diamond Tiara cackled, placing a hoof on her friend's shoulder and happily answering, "Don't you get it?  It's the perfect revenge!  We won't do anything to those blank flank losers.  We'll just ruin their heroes, Rainbow Dash and Applejack!"  She laughed triumphantly, Silver Spoon adding a hesitant chuckle in conjunction.  Diamond Tiara stood, already starting toward Ponyville as she declared, "Come on, Silver Spoon!  Gossip doesn't spread itself!"