Applejack awoke from her sleep. “Huh? Rainbow, what are you doin’?”
“Nothing, just go back to sleep”
“Are you strokin’ my mane?”
“No, just go back to sleep.” Rainbow said more insistently.
“You ARE strokin’ my mane. What’s goin’ on Rainbow? It’s quite unusual for me to wake up with my marefriend’s hoof in my hair.”
Rainbow searched for a way to still get Applejack to sleep. “I, euh... was sleep-ruffling your mane? So, n-nothing’s wrong here, just go back to sleep.”
“C’mon Rainbow, I know you too well to know when you’re speakin' the truth. Sharin' a bed with somepony will do that for you.” Applejack was getting a bit worried about her, if Dash felt the need to lie about it, it must be some serious matter.
Rainbow took a breath to steady her nerves. “Applejack, remember how I didn’t have a family to grow up with since I was five?” Applejack nodded in confirmation. “Sometimes I just want to touch you, your mane, so I can tell myself this is real, you are real and you’re still with me.”
“Dash, you know that I’d never leave you if I had anythin' to do about it. Our time will eventually come and we’ll stay together, through life and through death. Now just go to sleep and touch as much as you want.”
Dash snuggled closer to AJ and closed her eyes facing her. A snortle sounded through the bedroom.
“What”
“You like my mane”
“Be glad your mane isn’t as awesome as mine, I’d never let go otherwise.”
“I wouldn’t mind that”
Dash ruffled through AJ’s mane for good measure and went to sleep, contented.