Rainbow Dash held her breath as she heard footsteps approaching. This was it. She'd get this done so early that there would be no way she'd see it coming. This would be the greatest prank ever, and even she'd have to acknowledge it.
Rainbow Dash then had to resist the urge to groan. The footsteps went past, marking the fourth false alarm since she'd come to be in the position she was in. And not only was it an uncomfortable position, but she really wished she'd decided to heed Pinkie's warning and go to the bathroom first. At least they'd had the forethought to clear out the space. If she were sharing space in here with an extra jacket and school supplies it would be massively more uncomfortable.
But now Rainbow had to decide again. Were those her footsteps coming this time? Was it worth the risk to just slow her breathing or should she hold it? This might be her best chance so she wasn't going to take any risks. She quietly took a deep breath and held it. And she had to restrain a sound of glee as the steps seemed to slow as they got closer. A devilish smile spread across her face as the combination lock on the locker she was crammed into began to turn.
"BOO!" A mere moment after her exclamation a rough fingernail made contact in the dead center of her forehead. "Ow"
She looked down to see a very unamused look on the face of Applejack. "Nice try sugarcube, now where's my stuff?"
"Oh come on!!!" Rainbow shouted as she began to try to pry herself from her friend's locker. "I've been stuck in here, for thirty minutes."
"Oh I know. Why do ya' think I decided to go to the library and print out my homework before class." Rainbow Dash could only glare at her friend at the revelation. Applejack smiled smugly right back. "I also used the bathroom, checked out what was for lunch, and talked to Miss Cheerilee about that report we got coming up for a while."
"Alright, I'm kicking your... ahhh." Rainbow Dash let out another loud exclamation as she finally managed to pull herself from the cramped space. However, the moment her feet hit the floor she realized just how cramped the space had been. Her legs had apparently lost some feeling in the time she'd been locked away. Scratch that, she might as well have not had legs at that moment.
She fell forward, but didn't go very far. Her face impacted something soft while something firm wrapped around her, holding her tight.
"Whoa, you alright there Dash?" Rainbow Dash looked up to see concern on the face of her friend, who had managed to catch her almost as soon as she started falling. The sudden fall had caused Rainbow's face to collide with Applejack's chest as she was being caught.
Rainbow Dash had to pull her face away quickly, using the support of her friend to stand herself up as feeling started coming back to her legs. She rubbed her cheek before she looked back to the other girl to respond. "Yeah, I'm good. I'd be better if that had worked though." She grumbled in her friend's embrace for a moment before adding, "Your stuff is in Pinkie Pie's locker by the way."
Rainbow Dash tried to playfully push her friend's arm away, only to find her legs still a little shaky. Applejack reacted quickly again, managing to hook her arm behind Rainbow's shoulders to pull her in and keep her steady. "Hold up sugarcube, give yer'self a minute." She gave a laugh as she held the smaller girl in place.
Rainbow Dash had to turn her face away, grumbling to distract herself. "I don't need a minute. What I need is to find a way to scare you so bad you'll never forget it."
Applejack gave a little chuckle at that. "Yeah, good luck with that Sugarcube." She gave Rainbow's shoulder a little squeeze before releasing, slowly to make sure she was steady on her feet.
Rainbow shooed her arm away, snorting defiantly at the humoring tone of the farmer. "Oh just you wait. It's Halloween, I'm allowed to sneak around today." She pointed a finger threateningly at her friend. "There's nowhere you're safe. I'll... hey!"
Rainbow Dash pulled her finger away as Applejack playfully snapped her teeth at its convenient placement. She then met Rainbow's glare with a smug smile. "Lookin' forward to it Sugar." She tipped her hat as she began to saunter away.
Rainbow stuck her tongue out at her until she rounded a corner. She paused for a minute, raising the finger she'd barely saved. The smallest tinge of color began to come to her cheeks, but the moment it did she clutched a fist. "This is gonna work."
***
"How in the???!!!"
Rainbow Dash was really starting to get frustrated. Jump scares were clearly not effective on Applejack. That probably should have been clear to her months before, but Rainbow was nothing if not persistent. But it would seem that Applejack was nothing if not observant.
Rainbow Dash had spent way too much time making and setting up spring loaded traps for them to be getting found out this easily. They'd all been set up to suddenly make various scary things jump out at people. Well, one person in particular. And they had all been set in very promising locations. Some were even moved around based on her targets activities as she monitored them as best she could during passing periods.
She really wished she had more classes with Applejack.
The trap she'd set in Pinkie's locker for when Applejack went for her stuff she had thought was a particularly impressive stroke of genius. But as with all the times she'd been following Applejack and/or staking out her traps throughout the morning, she could only watch as the unflappable farmer seemed to be waiting for them to spring. Sometimes even yawning as they did so while shooting a smug look to where she shouldn't have known Rainbow was hiding.
The one and only fun thing that had come out of it was that Applejack had at least let some of them spring on other unsuspecting victims. She'd even reset the one in Pinkie's locker. Pinkie was a hard target and Applejack knew Rainbow took some pride in managing to prank her. When this was all over she'd have to thank her for that little assist, Pinkie had literally jumped out of her shoes when it triggered.
From her hiding spot behind a trash can down the hall she now seemed to have to bear witness to Applejack deciding she really didn't like finding yet another trap hidden in her locker. She still hadn't jumped at the sudden action, but her reaction had been getting less smug and more irritated for some time now. Thus she apparently decided to pull this one out and maliciously begin to disassemble it piece by piece as Rainbow watched.
Now having a nice little pile of parts, the farm girl grabbed her textbook for her next class and closed up her locker. But she didn't go in the direction of her class. In fact, she seemed to be heading straight for Dash's hiding spot.
Rainbow Dash made to move from her hiding place. This of course didn't involve stumbling and definitely didn't involve running into the wall and letting a swear escape as she rounded the corner behind the trash can. She very smoothly made her way around and hid herself in the gap behind the door of the math classroom. She heard Applejack whistling a jaunty tune as she came up to the trashcan Rainbow had previously been using for cover.
"Such well constructed little contraptions, and I seem to be runnin' inta' a lot ah' them lately. Whoever made these little gizmos I'm sure wouldn't like to see anything bad happen to them." There was a loud thunk and a spattering of thuds as the device and its components came to rest in the trash can. "Shame I guess."
Rainbow watched as Applejack mosied on to her next class, the tune she was whistling now continuing.
Rainbow had to glare at how smug she looked. After rubbing her cheeks that is. "Fine, you want to play rough, we can play rough." A bell sounding above her made her eyes go wide. "After a full sprint to my next class that is."
***
Applejack had been surprised when lunch had gone by without incident. On some level she was concerned. The random jump scares had been getting annoying even if they weren't working at all, but she hoped she hadn't hurt Rainbow's feelings or anything with her declaration. Well the attention the athletic girl had been giving her had been a little much, it wasn't like she minded it.
As she opened the door to the stairwell to begin her climb to the third floor of the school, she found herself thinking about her friend's behavior. Throughout the entire day she'd been able to tell she'd been watching her almost nonstop. So Rainbow almost seeming to ignore her while they ate had been almost off-putting. She had to wonder at the current moment if that meant she was fine for the day or if something bigger was on the way.
'No', she decided to herself as she climbed. Rainbow wasn't the type to give up so easily. It was one of her best, and also worst, qualities. And even if she had declared that today would be more intense than others, Rainbow had been doing stuff like this for months now. Granted, not nearly this obviously or frequently, but Applejack couldn't figure out why it seemed like every time she turned around it seemed like the rainbow haired girl was trying to get a rise out of her.
Applejack just sighed. It wasn't like it mattered. There was no way any of it would work out. Rainbow would get bored eventually, and Applejack would be able to stop watching her so closely once she did. Everything would be....
Applejack came to a sudden stop. She glanced down the gap between stairs to the landings below. Not seeing anything she also checked above her. She shrugged her shoulders and kept climbing stairs.
But what if Rainbow Dash didn't stop? Would she have to take more direct measures to make her? And did she want to go that far? What.... in the hey is that?
She came to a stop again, about halfway to her destination. "Hello?" She asked forcefully, checking her surroundings again. She was sure she'd heard other footsteps on the stairs, but there didn't seem to be anyone around. She took another few steps, then stopped quickly. She was sure she'd heard it, but they were matching her steps so perfectly she couldn't be sure. "Who's there?" She said at just a little over speaking volume.
Total and complete silence was all that responded. She took a few steps. There were no accompanying sounds this time. But she stopped again and listened to the void. Ever so slightly she started to hear something. Murmuring, ever so slight, but definitely there. Not distinct enough to make out.
She took another few steps. The sound was louder when she did. Loud enough that she felt like she could make it out, but not while her footsteps were drowning it out. The moment she stopped again they quieted down.
Applejack checked her surroundings again.
Then rolled her eyes.
"Really good try sugarcube. But seeing how y'all went and told me you'd be tryin' ta' scare me all day, somethin' subtle like this really isn't gonna work. I'm gonna just assume anything weird going on is just you messing with me." She made her way up the final set of stairs, smiling to herself at the lack of any other sounds following her. "See ya' in science."
***
Applejack was surprised to find that Rainbow had already made it to their science class by the time she got there.
"That was smooth. How in the hey did ya' get here before me after settin' all that up?"
Rainbow was digging through her backpack and seemed relieved to find her homework there as the words were spoken to her. She looked up as if just noticing her friend's arrival. "Setting what up?" She asked as she pulled out a pencil as well.
Applejack rolled her eyes. "I already know it was you. Honestly, y'all should be proud of that one. How the heck did you make that work in the stairwell?"
Rainbow Dash now seemed genuinely confused. "Stairwell? What happened in the stairwell?"
Applejack now rolled her eyes even more sarcastically. "Oh come on Dash. The footsteps following me and stuff. If I didn't know it was you that woulda' been real spooky."
"Footsteps? Who's following you? Is everything ok?" She asked this with what seemed to be genuine concern in her voice.
"Yeah sure Dash. Feel free ta' keep tryin' but if I know it's you it ain't gonna work."
Rainbow now seemed almost spooked by what Applejack had said. "No seriously AJ, if you heard footsteps following you you should be careful. That wasn't me messing with you this time I promise. I already gave up."
Those words made a pang of something Applejack couldn't identify shoot through her chest. She wasn't sure why, but she had to force it down her list of priorities fairly quickly.
"Wait... what?"
"My locker is a little ways off, but do you need me to walk with you after class?"
The question seemed to snap Applejack out of a mild stooper she hadn't realized she'd been in. "No, I'll be ok. Ain't no one gonna do nothin' ta' me."
"Ok, just be careful. Some creeps think touching is OK just because it's Halloween." Rainbow Dash went back to preparing for class.
"Thanks Dash." Applejack found herself staring at Rainbow without quite knowing why. "W.. what did ya' mean?" Rainbow looked back over to her, confusion in her eyes again. "What did ya' mean by... you're givin' up?"
Rainbow Dash still seemed confused. "Well obviously this isn't working. It was fun trying to get you to break, but I'm bored now."
Applejack was taken aback. She could only stare for a few moments, so it was lucky that the teacher took that moment to start class. Rainbow Dash's attention turned to the front of the class, while Applejack could only watch her in disbelief.
***
"So, I don't really need anything for our next class. You want to walk together?"
Rainbow Dash and Applejack had all of their afternoon classes together, but unfortunately lockers were assigned at random and could not be exchanged. They and their other friends had a fair few classes together, but they could rarely ever manage walking to class together. The pair in particular had their lockers on nearly opposite ends of the building, so they would normally either have to part between classes or lug around several large textbooks. Applejack suddenly found herself very curious as to why Rainbow Dash would want to walk to their next class together.
"Ain't no reason to fuss over me. Why would you want to go with me anyway?"
Rainbow Dash gave her a deadpan stare. "It sounded like you were saying someone was following you earlier. I know you could level just about any creep in the school, but that doesn't mean I want you to have to do it."
"So you're still saying that wasn't you huh?" Applejack questioned as the pair now made their way in the same direction.
"I leaned into jump scares this year. I don't have the set up to pull off creepy footsteps following someone this time around. I think maybe Pinkie might have that kind of stuff ready for some Halloween pranks, but I think she's busy for the most part today. Where did you say it happened before?"
The nonchalance of the way she said it actually made Applejack laugh a little bit. "Not that y'all don't know, but it was the stairway."
"Oh, you don't say." Rainbow now looked around suspiciously as they in fact were entering a stairway.
"Not this one sugarcube. East side, by my locker."
"Are you sure? Aren't these supposed to be the haunted stairs in the school?" The words came out mockingly.
Applejack rolled her eyes. "And just where do you get that information from. Don't think I've ever heard of no haunted stairs in the school."
"No no no, I think I hear something. Someone trying to call to us. Don't you hear it?" She gave an obviously fake questioning look to her friend as she cupped her hand around her ear as they walked.
"Yeah, and if y'all didn't do it before how'd ya' know there was a voice too. I only said footsteps."
"Well that was your creepy stairs. My creepy stairs have a voice. Can you hear it?" Rainbow tried to urge Applejack to put her own hand to her ear. Applejack just rolled her eyes and made a turn around a landing between stairs much more aggressively than necessary. "Yeah it's saying," she now dropped her voice into a low, attempted scary tone, " 'Aaaaapplejack you know oranges are waaaaaay better right.' "
Applejack now turned back to the other girl, stopping on a stair just below her, and glared. "Now that's not scary, that's just plain rude. And it's a lie ta' boot."
"I don't know AJ. The ghosts seem to think so, and I don't think you can argue with ghosts." She was barely containing a laugh as she spoke.
Applejack turned away and began making her way down the stairs in a huff. Although she smiled from her turned away position.
Rainbow Dash kept pace, trying to whisper in her ear as they walked. " 'Aaaaapplejack, give oranges a chance. Vitamin c is gooooood for you.' "
They came to the bottom floor of the building again. Applejack got to the door first and aggressively held the door open. "Get the heck out of here ya' darn varmint."
Rainbow laughed at the fake show of anger. "Thanks AJ, you're a real pal." She left the stairwell with a tongue directed at her from the girl holding the door open.
With Dash walking on ahead Applejack moved to leave the stairwell as well. Then she stopped. She could swear she heard footsteps behind her again, but only for the brief moment Rainbow Dash wasn't around.
She wasn't sure what to make of that.
***
"So your not hearin' none of that?"
"Eeeeeenope."
"And your not doin' it neither?"
"Eeeeeeenope."
"I'm gonna slug ya' of ya' keep answering like Big Mac."
Rainbow Dash snickered as she took a fast step to get out of Applejack's reach. "Well what else do you want me to say? I've told you a dozen times I'm not doing it."
"Ya' say that. But I know one thing about ya' that makes that sound like malarkey ta' me." Applejack gave her a confident look as they made their way down the hall from their last class. "Y'all are nearly as stubborn as me, ain't no way you'd just give up on me... on scaring me I mean."
"True usually," Rainbow Dash replied casually. She then turned away nonchalantly. "But I can still decide I'm bored if I want to. I'm not going to keep wasting my time if it's never going to work out."
That statement made Applejack frustrated, but she kept it off her face as she replied. "Well if you're gonna give up that easily, I guess that means I win."
Applejack was surprised when this did not inspire defiance in her athletic friend. She had figured that would cause her to narrow her eyes in challenge, as such a thing usually did between them. Instead her constant competitor just rolled her eyes. "Yes, and what you win is my vast stores of all the cares I give. Look upon your bounty and rejoice." She proceeded to indicate an empty hallway they were passing.
"Hilarious. You're just lucky that hall was actually empty."
"I know, that was pretty cool. But I'm this way, so hopefully the spooky ghosts are done following you for the day." Rainbow gave a wave as she proceeded down the empty hall, turning to flash a smile. "See ya' AJ."
"Yeah, see ya'...." Applejack stood staring for a few moments. Of all the things she thought Rainbow would never do, giving up was probably near the top of the list. She should be happy though, it would mean not having to watch her so much anymore.
'That's a good thing, right?'
She couldn't quite decide why it felt so wrong to see her friend walk away from her at that moment, but she couldn't manage to look away until she rounded a corner. But that was it, it was over. Rainbow Dash had given up.
..... Or did she?
Applejack turned at a sound as she took her first few steps in the direction of her locker. She turned back to where the sound should have been coming from, and couldn't help but to smile at the lack of anything there.
"This ain't over, is it Sugarcube?" She said it under her breath as she turned towards the main hall of the school. School was letting out for the day, so that's where the majority of the activity was going on at the moment.
She knew nothing would happen in a crowded area, so luckily she was going straight through that area. Her locker was down a less used hallway a fair ways off of the main one. That was a much more likely place.
The footsteps seemed to die off when she came to the more densely packed area. A few people greeted her as she cut through but she gave them little time as she went. The crowd thinned out as she made her way away from the main hall. Even moreso as she turned a corner to a separate hall. Down here was her locker, and there were only a few other students left here gathering their belongings together before joining the fray in the main hallway.
She proceeded slowly, and smiled as she did as she heard footsteps following her again. She made it to her locker, but took her time getting into it. While there weren't many around there were still a few. She wanted there to be no audience. She groaned as a couple seemed to be having a conversation before they left.
She decided to get her own belongings ready as she waited for the rest of the hall to conclude their business. After what felt like an eternity they finally did, leaving her alone in the hallway. She smiled more as this seemed to start the non-distinct voices from earlier. She tried to listen, but decided what they were saying wasn't important.
She closed her locker and planned her route as she slung her backpack on. She wanted to avoid populated areas at all costs. And she didn't need to catch a bus so she could take as long a path as she needed. She was on her way.
The footsteps followed no matter the route she took. And the voices always seemed to get clearer even though she still couldn't make them out. She decided she'd be coming out on the side of the school, where she'd have to walk around the building to the main parking lot where her family's old truck was parked.
"You'd better take this bait Dash." She said this under her breath as she made her way along. She'd be outside soon, only an old, dark access hallway behind the auditorium left. It only occurred to her that that was probably the best ambush location as she pushed through the doors.
The moment she was thoroughly alone in the space the lights cut off. Now the only source of illumination was from a few dirty and high up windows. She only scoffed as the voices now grew louder, now distinct enough for her to be able to tell that they were calling out to her again and again. The footsteps now seemed to be coming from all directions at once. And they were getting closer.
They even kept coming as she came to a stop in the most opportune place. Despite the fact that they were now deafeningly loud, she couldn't tell where they were coming from. But she knew something was coming.
All at once the noise stopped. Save for the smallest sound of feet coming to rest. Right behind her. She turned to face her fate.
"OoogaBoogaBooga!!!!!!!!!!!"
".....Pinkie?"
Even behind what could have passed for a tribal mask were it not green with a cartoonishly large nose, the voice and mannerisms of her bubbly friend were unmistakable. The pink haired girl now lifted the mask from herself, an impressed look on her face.
"Wow, Dashie told me you were a tough cookie to crack, but I had no idea you were that good."
"What? What are you doin' here? Where's Dash?"
Pinkie Pie now seemed to have pulled her backpack from nowhere and was now shoving the mask that shouldn't have fit into it. "Well considering school is over and there's no sports going on right now, I'd imagine she's already jogged halfway home by now."
"But why... isn't she here?"
Pinkie seemed unaware of the shock and disbelief on the farmer's face as she now was moving around the area retrieving speakers from hidden places where they clearly weren't. "Well she told me you weren't getting scared, so she was giving up." Rainbow Dash had said the same, so why did hearing it from another of her friends now make her breath catch in her chest. "So since she wasn't claiming dibs anymore, I figured I'd try to give you a scare. And boy was she right. I was setting that up for half the day and nothing."
Applejack was barely listening to her at this point, she just stared as the party planner packed up. "So... Rainbow really gave up..... on me."
"Oh I don't think Dashie would ever give up on a friend. Element of loyalty remember. No, I think she's just done with trying to get one over on you."
A surprisingly hollow feeling settled into Applejack's chest as Pinkie finished up and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She turned to give her friend a smile before leaving, but then paused.
"Applejack, are you OK?"
Realizing the state she was in, Applejack straightened herself up and forced a smile onto her face. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I'm done dealing with all that hassle right."
Apparently whatever look she'd managed to put on wasn't quite convincing. "Are you sure? You look a little sad."
Applejack made the smile on her face bigger. "Don't worry about me Pinkie, you still gotta catch the bus don't ya'?" Though she was hesitant Pinkie gave a nod to that. "Than get going. I promise I'll be ok. Just... need some time to relax after all the stuff Dash was throwing at me all day."
Pinkie smiled, but it didn't seem quite convincing. "Okiedokiloki, just... make sure things are OK between you and Dashie. Ok?"
Applejack's smile felt even more fake. "We're good Pinkie, now get going."
With one last half smile, Pinkie made her way back towards the main hall of the school.
***
It was several minutes more before Applejack made her way out of the school. She had zoned out in the hallway for longer than she realized. In the back of her mind she figured the busses had probably left already, but that wasn't a concern to her. Running on autopilot she had her keys out before she even entered the parking lot.
'Rainbow Dash really gave up'. The thought played on repeat in her head. It really shouldn't be a big deal to her. And yet the thought still lingered in her head. It wasn't like she wanted all the attention from Rainbow Dash.
'Of course you don't. Now just get home and get some rest. It's been a long day.'
She sighed and did her best to pull herself from her thoughts as she came to her old pickup truck. She felt the need to reach up and rub her eyes as she worked the lock and pulled the old heavy door....
"BOO!"
Applejack was taken aback. Defensive instincts kicked in and tried to shuffle her away as prismatic hair suddenly filled her vision followed by magenta eyes very close to her own. Her feet didn't quite keep up with the instincts as one ran into the other and the sky soon became visible as she looked forward. Her body let out a choked cry as it became more horizontal than vertical. The cry cut off as her rear end hit the ground with an audible thud.
***
Rainbow was concerned to see Applejack trip as she jumped back at the scare she just gave her. But at the same time her elation was too great for her to not laugh at her triumph. She laughed even as she pulled herself from the driver side floor of Applejack's truck where she'd scrunched herself into. She tried to stifle it some as she reached out to try to help her fallen friend up.
"I'm sorry, hahaha, but I FINALLY got you." Her offered hand was not accepted as Applejack stayed where she had fallen and only looked at her with wide eyes. "What's the matter, did I scare you that much?"
"You, what the.... You said you gave up."
"Yeah, and it worked perfect. You had no id..."
Much like Applejack had not long before, Rainbow Dash suddenly found herself staring straight forward into the sky. However, hers was accompanied by a stinging feeling in her nose. She landed on her back, years of sports having taught her to take a hit and how to land when falling being the only reasons she was conscious.
She was shocked and a little scared as her hand went to her bleeding nose as she looked up to her friend. Applejack looked furious.
"Don't you ever do something like that again!" She hadn't managed to unclench her fist yet, so she pointed it at her fallen companion in threat.
Rainbow Dash might not be as strong as Applejack, but she was still not one to back down. She'd been hit, so she was going to match fury with fury. She was on her feet in a second, blood mixed with saliva flying as she shouted back. "What the heck! You don't off and punch someone over a little prank!"
"I don't care about yer' stupid pranks! Don't you ever say something like that to me ever again!"
"What did I say!? What the heck was that for!? Rainbow maintained her rage even as she became confused.
Applejack seemed to be struggling with how to answer the question as she seemed to shake with anger. So why were there tears in her eyes? Despite the situation, Applejack was her best friend and she knew she wasn't prone to tears when she was angry. Words finally broke through as her resolve seemed to break and she turned away. "Nevermind. I'm sorry for hitting ya', I just need to go."
She attempted to get into her truck, but Rainbow was too fast and got in the way of the door before she could. "Oh no, that's not gonna work since I don't really care that you hit me. I just want to know why you're suddenly so upset, because I know you don't take jokes that seriously."
"Go away Rainbow Dash, I don't wanna even look atcha' right now." She tried to push her away but Rainbow stood her ground.
"Applejack, you're my best friend. Tell me what's wrong."
Applejack now seemed stuck on a moment of indecision again as she clutched the wheel of the truck. "If that's true than why? Why do you treat me different than the rest of the girls? Why have you been trying so hard to get under my skin fer' so long?"
This question now gave Rainbow pause, finally making some of the tension leave the situation. Her voice cracked a little as she began to reply. "I... thought that would be pretty obvious by now." Applejack didn't look up, so Rainbow just braced herself for what might come next. "I just wanted you to notice me, because I've had a crush on you for a while now."
Applejack now turned to face her, but Rainbow was not able to prepare herself enough for what she saw. While she had managed to finally spook her friend not long before, this was something entirely different. Applejack..... was scared. More scared than Rainbow had ever seen her, even when facing down magical threats. The now panicking farmer threw caution to the wind and cranked the engine of the old truck to life.
Rainbow made a quick decision. No matter what happened after, she knew she couldn't leave her friend alone like that. So she couldn't let her get away. She dove over the driver, landing very ungracefully across her lap. A battle for control of the stick shift and keys ensued, wherein they thankfully made little progress through the parking lot. It was lucky that Applejack usually took a spot at a far corner of the lot, otherwise remaining staff in the building might have been alerted.
"Stop it Applejack! You can't drive like this, you'll get hurt." The struggle finally came to an end as Rainbow managed to turn the keys off, pull them from the ignition, and throw them from the still open door.
Applejack was out of the truck in a second, stomping over to where the keys fell. Rainbow managed to extract herself from the truck in short order and moved to the farmer.
"No, don't you dare Dash." Rainbow did stop but she did not back down. She waited to see what Applejack might do. She didn't reach for the keys, she just stood very obviously trying not to look at Rainbow Dash. "It was OK when it was just me. It's not lying if I'm just lying to myself. But I can't lie to you."
Despite the situation, a little flutter managed to build in Rainbow's chest. "What.. what are you saying?"
"Don't make me say it Dash. It's not ok fer' me to say, I know it's not."
"Not saying it is the same as lying. I want to hear it."
"Goldernit ya' idiot. Why do ya' think ya' could never sneak up on me? Do you know how hard it is fer' me to keep my eyes offa' ya'? How much time I spend thinkin' about ya' when I shouldn't be? I shouldn't be thinking about ya' like that at all. I got things I gotta do. I can't be fallin' for a girl, not when I gotta be the future of the Apple fam.."
Applejack's rant finally came to a stop as air left her body. The more lean athlete now had her shoulder in the heavier built girl's gut and was in the process of tackling her to the ground. When it was done, Rainbow Dash found herself straddling her crushes midsection.
"Sorry, but I owed you for the sucker punch anyway. And besides that, you did once tell me that you trust me to put you down and talk sense into you if you ever started acting really crazy. And I think this is worse than when you tried to harvest the whole orchard by yourself."
Both girls took a minute to catch their breath. Applejack was the one to speak first, little emotion entering her voice as she did. "It wouldn't work Rainbow. I got too much I gotta do. Not to mention I gotta have kids someday too."
"That's a bunch of bull and you know it. If I knew you were this scared of a relationship I would have led with this. First of all: Between your brother and all your cousins, the Apple lineage is going to be just fine. And I don't think any of your family is going to make you pretend to like guys just to pop out some kids.
Applejack turned her head away in weak defense of the words.
"Second: We're sixteen. It's not like I'm proposing to you." She was glad Applejack was looking away as she felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I just think you're pretty awesome. And I know you got a lot on your plate with running the farm and stuff, so the last thing I'd want to do is make that harder for you. Just, you know... you're really hot. And you push me like no one else ever has. And sometimes after we're done with some kind of contest I'm a little pent up. There's been so many times when the only way I want to cool down after is by making out with you, even if you beat me."
Once again both girls seemed to need to take a minute to breathe. And once again it was Applejack that broke the silence. "Do it." Though she couldn't see it, Applejack could apparently tell when Rainbow quirked her head in question. "Kiss me. I've told myself no for so long I don't know if I can. I'm sca..."
Her words were cut off as she was turned to face the girl above her, and their lips were fiercely pressed together.
Trying to be mindful of her crush's previous hesitance, Rainbow gently pulled away from the kiss first. But she found she couldn't break the contact as Applejack pushed herself up from where she lay. They ended up upright with Rainbow now on Applejack's lap before need for air caused them to relent.
"I...I could get used to that." The farm girl panted this out while still trying to catch her breath.
Rainbow Dash couldn't keep a tone of smug satisfaction from her voice as she responded. "Are you sure? You're not scared are you?"
Applejack had to be honest with herself. "Yeah. I honestly think this is the most scared I've ever been. But I think this time, it's a good kind of scared."