//------------------------------// // The Part Where It All Goes Wrong // Story: You Want Me // by HoofBitingActionOverload //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash rolled onto her side, away from the morning light spilling in through her bedroom window, and pulled the sheet up over her eyes. She groaned and pressed her head into the pillow. She had barely gotten any sleep. All night long, she had heard Applejack whispering those words into her ear again and again, as her face flushed at the memory of feeling Applejack’s warm breath on her lips.   Because I know you, and I know what you want. You want somepony who can keep up with you, and you can hardly even keep up with me. Because you never settle for anything but the best, and I’m the strongest, fastest, toughest pony in all of Ponyville. Because you think I’m hot, and I know it. Applejack was wrong, she told herself. Well, maybe not about that first part. Of course Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be with anyone who couldn’t keep up with her. That was why she never dated, sort of. No one could keep up with her. They would just slow her down, and what would be point of that? Except maybe Applejack could keep up with her. Sometimes. Applejack had done pretty well during that Iron Pony Competition, and she had showed her up during that whole Mysterious Mare Do Well ordeal, and she had always fared better than their other friends when they went on one of those periodic adventures Celestia enjoyed sending them out on. Though, that wasn’t saying much considering her competition. Rarity and Fluttershy were hardly adventurer material, Twilight managed to get by only because of her crazy awesome magic (which Rainbow Dash thought was a bit like cheating), and Pinkie Pie... just was whatever she was. To tell the truth, Rainbow Dash had often wished she and Applejack could try going out by themselves every now and then. They would kick all kinds of flank. She groaned again. She was getting distracted. The point was that Applejack was wrong about everything else. Well, maybe not about that second part either. Rainbow Dash didn’t settle for anything but the best, because she was the best. She was the fastest, strongest, toughest pony in all of Ponyville, probably in Equestria. Okay, maybe Applejack was a little bit stronger than her. Just a little. But that was only because she was an earth pony, and she worked all day long. Applejack could run pretty fast, but she couldn’t beat Rainbow Dash in a race, not so long as Dash was in the air. Rainbow was the toughest pony for sure though. Sure, Applejack was really tough too, and trustworthy, and understanding, and strong, and fast, and funny when she wanted to be, and pretty cool sometimes, a lot of times, and a little cute when she smiled in a stupid, nice sort of way. Rainbow Dash shook her head, wrinkling the sheets. She was getting distracted again. The point was, Applejack was mostly wrong. And she was definitely wrong about that last part. Rainbow didn’t think she was hot. She remembered the, er, generous curve of Applejack’s flanks as she had walked away, and felt a blush creep its way back onto her cheeks. All right, Applejack could be pretty hot. She remembered the feeling of Applejack’s muzzle caressing her neck, and her blush deepened. Okay, fine. Applejack could be really hot. She remembered the feeling of Applejack’s warm breath tickling her mane as she whispered sweetly in her ear, and her face burned. She groaned. Applejack was hot. Big deal. But that didn’t mean Rainbow Dash thought so. That made sense, right? Whatever. It didn’t matter. The point was... What was the point again? She scratched her ear. None of that stuff even mattered, because she was not going to go on a date with Applejack. Because... because... because friends just didn’t date each other. It would be weird. She didn’t date anyway, not anymore. Why had Applejack even asked her in the first place? Obviously, Rainbow Dash was really cool, and—she lifted the sheet to get a look at her backside—she had the hottest flanks in Ponyville, she confirmed with a smirk. Who wouldn’t want to date her? She smiled at that. She could get anypony she wanted. You want me. Rainbow Dash frowned. No she didn’t. She wanted somepony like Applejack, sure. She was mare enough to admit that, but that didn’t mean she wanted Applejack specifically. Still, it was pretty cool that Applejack had asked her like that, just came right out and said it instead of dancing all around each other like those idiots in Rarity’s romance novels. That meant Applejack wanted her, right? That thought brought an unfamiliar, tickling feeling to her stomach. Applejack was pretty awesome, so she must have thought Rainbow Dash was pretty awesome too. The tickling feeling increased. Applejack liked her. Not just liked her, but really liked her. It was a strange feeling, but Rainbow decided that she kind of liked it. Something thumped somewhere outside her bedroom. Dash perked her ears up and out from beneath the covers. She heard the muffled thumps again. She poked her head out. “What the hay?” she said, her voice groggy and dry. She waited, and heard it again. It took another few thumps before she realized that someone had knocked on her front door. Ponies never knocked on her door. Seriously, like never. One of the benefits of living in a cloud house. She slumped over the side of the bed and onto the floor. She stayed put, letting out a sleepy yawn. Maybe they would go away if she didn’t answer. But whoever was out there kept knocking, and louder. She picked herself up with a groan. Her hoof stubbed against something hard as she walked to the door. “Oops, sorry, Tank,” she said quietly, opening the door. Applejack stood on her porch, smiling with a mouth full of red flowers wrapped in cloth. “Mornin’!” “Applejack?” Dash yawned again and ran a hoof through her mane. “What’s up?” “I gopht theesphe for phou.” “What?” Applejack frowned and spit the flowers out onto the ground. “I got these for you.” Rainbow Dash looked between her and the flowers. “You brought me breakfast?” “No.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “I brought you flowers. They’re roses. They’re supposed to be romantic.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Do you seriously think giving me flowers is going to get me to go on a date with you?” “Not really. I just wanted to do somethin’ nice for ya.” Applejack smiled. “Besides, what kind of mare doesn’t like gettin’ flowers?” “The kind of mare who’s not a sappy loser, maybe?” . Applejack smirked. “You can’t fool me, sugarcube. You can act tough, but I bet you like bein’ shown a good time and bein’ told you’re pretty just the same as any other mare.” Rainbow Dash made a face. “Whatever. How’d you get up here anyway?” “The same way I get everything I want.” Applejack winked. “With a little hard work and determination.” “Um...” Dash scratched her neck and looked away. “Okay. Do you want to come in, or something?” “I’d love to, but I have to get back to work. And so do you.” She pointed up to the morning clouds hanging in the sky. “Ugh, I guess.” Dash heard her stomach growl. At least the flowers looked appetizing. “Is this all you came here to do?” “Yup. Just wanted you to know I was thinkin’ about ya.” “I’m not going out with you,” Dash said quickly. “I don’t date.”          Applejack’s smile wavered. “I know. I’m just askin’ you to think about it.” Rainbow Dash sighed and leaned down to pick up the flowers. She stopped, her muzzle hovering just over the petals. She looked up. “If I eat these, that doesn’t mean I have to go out on a date with you, does it?” Applejack laughed. “No, you’re safe. For now.” “Good,” Dash muttered, picking up the flowers and holding them in her folded wing, careful to keep from being pricked by the thorns. When she looked up, she found Applejack staring at her. Not just staring, really, but gazing. Dash shifted on her hooves. “What’s up?” “Ya know, you really are,” Applejack said after a time. “Are what?” “Pretty,” Applejack replied, as simply as she would say that the sun was yellow. Rainbow Dash blinked. “What? N-no I’m not.” Applejack nodded, a smirk playing on her lips. “Yeah, you are.” Rainbow Dash felt her face flush. “You’re really lame and cheesy,” she said, but she smiled anyway. “Yeah, when I see somethin’ worth bein’ lame and cheesy for,” Applejack said, sidling up to her. “And just so you know, I would show you to a good time too.” She winked, and then leaned forward. “A very good time.” She brushed her muzzle ever so softly against Dash’s neck. Dash’s face burned furiously, but like last time, she couldn’t step away from the touch. Applejack turned around and began walking away. “I’ll be back ‘round lunchtime. See ya then.” “U-um, yeah,” Dash said, stumbling back into her house and closing the door. She dropped the flowers on the kitchen table and massaged her temples. That stupid tickling feeling was back in her stomach, like she wanted to smile and laugh for no reason at all. “Ugh, what’s wrong with me?” A couple lame one-liners shouldn’t have had this much of an effect on her. She was better than that. Applejack shouldn’t have had this much of an effect on her, she thought bitterly.          She heard knocking. She quickly collected herself and straightened her mane before opening the door again. “You forget something?” Dash asked, expertly nonchalant. Applejack chuckled and smiled sheepishly. “Uh, well, the thing is... I can’t get back down.” Rainbow Dash stared at her. “Are you kidding me?” “Eh, no.” Applejack shrugged. “And now you want me to help you get back down, right?” “I’d sure appreciate it,” Applejack replied, smiling again. Rainbow Dash groaned. “Fine.” She trotted out past Applejack and kneeled down, facing away from her. “Hurry up and get on.” Applejack hesitated. “Um, are you sure? I wanted to go on the date first, but if you’d rather—” “Just shut up and get on,” Dash grumbled. Applejack chuckled. “No need to get all worked up about it, sugarcube.” Rainbow Dash felt Applejack step over on top of her and lean down, wrapping her forelegs around her neck. “All right. Sorry ‘bout this, by the way.” Rainbow Dash stood up to test the weight. Applejack didn’t weigh as much as she thought she would, and her belly was surprisingly soft. If Rainbow Dash thought about it, she kind of liked the feeling of the other mare’s coat rubbing against her own, just a little. But she decided not to think about it, or about the feeling of Applejack’s breath on her ear, or the way Applejack’s hind legs lightly straddled her waist. She definitely wasn’t going to think about any of that, or even how incredibly warm she felt all over all of the sudden. Nope. Just not gonna think about it. “Um, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. “Are you waitin’ for somethin’?” “Uh, n-no. Just—yeah,” Dash stammered. “What?” “Nevermind,” Dash mumbled, and jumped over the side of the cloud. She flew towards Sweet Apple Acres. “You could have just carried me down to the ground.” “Uh, yeah, well... I might as well just bring you back home, right?” Dash replied quickly. “It’ll be faster this way.” “If you say so.” Applejack nestled her muzzle into Dash’s mane, and Rainbow Dash decided that, if she thought about it, she sort of liked the way that felt too.          __________________________________________________ Rainbow Dash flew in through her kitchen window (sometimes she wondered why she even had a door), feeling a kind of giddy satisfaction she usually only felt after hearing the cheers of her friends after showing off a new trick. It definitely didn’t have anything to do with Applejack though. She just enjoyed flying in the early morning. Okay, maybe it had a little to do with Applejack. She shook her head as she landed on the floor. She needed to get her head in order. Applejack was making her look like an idiot. She saw Tank waiting by his food bowl. “Tank, when the hay did I become such a brainless, sappy idiot?” she asked as she dropped some greens into his bowl and patted his shell. He blinked up at her once and dipped his mouth into the bowl. “You’re right,” she agreed. “It’s totally Applejack’s fault.” She noticed the flowers, still lying on the table. She unwrapped them and sniffed. They smelled sweet and fresh. She quickly set about munching on the petals. She loved roses. Not in any silly romantic way though, their petals tasted delicious. These were particularly tasty; Applejack must have picked them that morning. She hesitated when she got to the final one. She looked down at it. It didn’t feel right to eat all of them. Applejack had brought them for her, not as food, but as a gift. Even if the whole thing was sappy, she couldn’t simply throw away a gift from a friend. She found a reasonably clean cup, filled it with some water, and dropped the remaining rose inside. She set it in the middle of the table, and stepped back to appraise her work. The rose added some small touch of charm to her otherwise bare home. Not that she cared about that sort of thing. She just happened to notice was all. And it smelled nice. She spotted Tank staring at her from his place by his food bowl. “What?” she asked. “I’m saving it for later. I’m just not hungry right now.” He blinked slowly, and it seemed to her deliberately so. “Hey, I’m allowed to like getting flowers. What kind of mare doesn’t like getting flowers? It doesn’t mean anything.” Ever so slowly, he smiled. “Oh, just shut up.” __________________________________________________ After Rainbow Dash finished helping the weather team prepare the afternoon forecast, she flew straight home to be sure she didn’t miss Applejack. She looked to the rose when she got inside and wondered what Applejack would do for her next. She hoped it would be more food. She checked the front door, but Applejack hadn’t shown up yet. She went back inside and tapped her hoof on the floor. If Applejack insisted on wasting her time like this, she should at least have had the decency to not waste time while doing it. It wasn’t long before she heard knocking at her door again. She trotted over and opened it. Applejack stood in front of her, smiling around a red, heart-shaped box clenched between her teeth. Rainbow Dash eyed her suspiciously. “This isn’t some stupid symbolic thing about how you’re giving me your heart, is it?” “What?” The box fell out of Applejack’s mouth. “They’re chocolates.” “You brought me lunch?” Applejack groaned. “No, I brought you chocolates.” “Oh, cool,” Dash said, pulling the box to her hooves and flipping off its top. As Applejack had said, a dozen little square chocolates lined the inside. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if Applejack tasted like chocolate. “What does candy have anything to do with anything?” she asked quickly to cover up the thought. “It’s romantic.” Rainbow Dash popped three of the chocolates into her mouth at once. They were chewy and sweet, with fluffy chocolate filling that spilled onto her tongue as she chewed. “What’s romantic about candy?” “I don’t know.” Applejack shrugged. “Fluttershy said so.” Rainbow Dash looked up at her. “Fluttershy?” “Um, no.” Applejack passed her an obviously fake smile. “They came in a heart-shaped box. That makes ‘em romantic.” “Oh, right...” Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “I’m still not going out with you.”          Applejack frowned. “What would I have to do for you?” Rainbow Dash couldn’t think of a good answer for that, so she kept chewing on her chocolate. “That’s what I thought.” “Look, Applejack...” Rainbow Dash swallowed the last chocolate. “This isn’t just some game for you, is it? Like a prank or something?” “What? No.” “Then why do you keep asking me out?” “Because I want to help you.” Rainbow Dash gave her a puzzled look. “Help me with what?” “I mean...” Applejack shook her head. “I want to be with you. I really think everypony’s right. I really think we could be good together.” “Why? You never thought so before.” “Because I never thought about it before.” Applejack looked her in the eye. “I know you. I know I could make you happy, and I know that you know it too.” Rainbow Dash looked away. “Ah well, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a sigh. “I’m just askin’ ya to think about it.” She began walking away.          Rainbow Dash looked up quickly when she realized Applejack was leaving. “You’re not giving up, are you?” Applejack turned around, looking confused for a brief moment before smiling again. “When have I ever given up on anything?” She turned back around. “Good,” Rainbow Dash whispered, walking back inside. As soon as she closed the door, she flopped down on the floor (another benefit of cloud homes, comfortably sit wherever you want), dropped the empty box, and laid on her back. “Ugh...” She felt... she couldn’t tell what she felt. That happy tickling feeling was back, but now it came with a tightness in her stomach that made her sick. Applejack, she decided. That was how she felt. She felt like Applejack. At least, Applejack had caused it. So she felt like Applejack. She groaned again. That didn’t make any sense. She heard knocking on the door again. She rolled over and opened it. Applejack stood in front of her. Rainbow Dash stared at her, still trying to decide if she should be happy or annoyed when she realized what Applejack’s sheepish smile meant. “You can’t get back down again, can you?” “Sorry, I tried. It’s just a lot easier to get up here than it is to get down from here.” “How are you getting up here in the first place?” Applejack smirked. “I told ya before, a little hard work and determination.” “Does ‘a little hard work and determination’ let you float in the air and walk on clouds?” “Yeah, and trees help some too. And havin’ a unicorn friend helps with the walkin’ on clouds part.” Rainbow Dash chuckled at the thought of Applejack scampering up a tree to see her and stepped outside, leaning down. “Well, let’s go.” As Applejack climbed over her, and held on close, Rainbow made up her mind that she should be happy, for now at least.   __________________________________________________ When Rainbow Dash got back home, she stepped over the fallen box of chocolates on her way inside. She bent down to pick it up and examine it. It was the same as every other cheap, heart-shaped Hearts and Hooves Day chocolates box. Except it wasn’t like any of those at all, because this one had been given to her. By Applejack. She eyed the already overfull trash can and, after a moment’s hesitation, walked over to the table and set the box down by the rose, still just as red as when Applejack had given it to her that morning. She took some time to arrange the box and the rose just so. Tank looked up at her from his place on the floor. “What?” she asked. “I’m just saving it for... something. You know, in case I ever need somewhere to put... socks... sock chocolates... birthday sock chocolates...” Her voice trailed off as she looked at the rose and heart box, thinking about Applejack, remembering Applejack whispering into her ear and smiling with a mouth full of roses, and she felt that annoying tingling feeling again. “I like Applejack, don’t I?” she murmured. Tank nodded. It wasn’t the startling, life-changing revelation she thought it should have been, like waking up in the morning thinking it’s Monday and discovering that it’s really still Sunday. It was more like waking up on Wednesday, thinking it’s Thursday, and then realizing that it’s still only Wednesday, and nothing had really changed at all. Except everything had changed. She liked Applejack, and not just in the way her grandmother liked sewing beanie hats either. Well, kind of like that actually. Her grandmother was notoriously fond of sewing beanie hats, and Rainbow Dash had a drawer full of them to prove it. She wondered if she had only started liking Applejack the night before, or if she had always liked the farm pony and only now realized it because of Applejack’s recent attentions. Probably a little bit of both, she decided with a shrug. The only crush she had ever had was on Spitfire, but that had been a long time ago. The only one of her friends who knew about that was Fluttershy. And Applejack. This didn’t feel anything like that though.          She didn’t feel giddy or giggly like she thought she should have. She didn’t feel all blushy and smiley like those fillies in her class at flightschool always looked when they talked about colts they liked. She didn’t feel like screaming her newfound love from the rooftops of Ponyville like those lovestruck stallions in Rarity’s romance novels. She didn’t feel like rushing after Applejack and kissing the farm pony on the lips, followed straight afterwards by a night of raucous pleasure in her barn. She didn’t feel anything she should have felt after realizing she liked someone. Except maybe a tiny bit of that last one. She just felt right. Like this made sense. It felt just like how she did when she got her cutie mark, and decided that she was going to become a Wonderbolt, and that nothing would ever stop her from getting there. The only problem now was to decide what to do about it. She cantered to her bedroom and pulled the box of notecards Twilight had given her for her birthday out of the mess that was her closet. She knew this would be a serious decision. And serious decisions required notecards. She scribbled down each of her options on individual notecards, an organization method she had read about it in Fleetfoot’s self help guide, and laid them out on her bed. When she had finished, only two notecards lay on her sheets. She looked between her two options. She could either go out with Applejack, or not go out with Applejack. The notecards didn’t help much. She narrowed her eyes at the ‘Go out with Applejack’ card. She didn’t date anymore, and with good reason, but then again, she didn’t have any really compelling reason not to go out with Applejack, did she? Why did she even like Applejack in the first place? That thought gave her pause. She thought about it for a long while, glaring down at the notecard, but the only answer she could come up with was, “Because Applejack is cool.” “And hot.” Most importantly though, Applejack liked her. That wasn’t a freak occurrence or anything. She was awesome, and she had hot flanks. Lots of ponies liked her. But the one problem she had discovered concerning being awesome and having hot flanks was that most ponies who liked her didn’t really like her. They only liked that she was awesome and that she had hot flanks. She had gone through a dozen stupid jerks and disappointments before she decided to simply give up on dating forever. She hadn’t been in a real relationship since right after she had moved to Ponyville. But Applejack was different. Applejack was actually cool. Applejack wouldn’t ask her to bed the first night, and then be gone the next morning. Applejack wouldn’t show her off all around town like Rainbow Dash was some kind of trophy.  Applejack wouldn’t try to tell her what she was allowed to do or who she was allowed to be friends with. Applejack liked her. But why? That thought gave her even more pause. It couldn’t just be that she was awesome and she had hot flanks. Applejack would care about more than that. Unless all Applejack cared about was a few nights of fun. Maybe that wouldn’t be terrible. At least Applejack wouldn’t be a jerk about it afterwards. Rainbow Dash shook her head. Applejack was better than that. Rainbow had lots of other good qualities, and Applejack would recognize those. Like... well, she could make a pretty darn good sandwich. She did have other good qualities. She remembered the previous night’s get-together. Applejack had explicitly said what she wanted in a mare, and Rainbow was pretty sure being awesome and having hot flanks hadn’t even been on the list. Being good at making sandwiches hadn’t either, now that she thought about it. Well, since you asked, I’m partial to pegasi. Rainbow Dash grinned. Well, she nailed that one without even having to do anything. She got by on simply being a pegasus and a mare surprisingly often. She’d have to be somepony who can get work done when it needs doin’. Well, Rainbow Dash got plenty of work done. She didn’t usually come in late for work, or at least she didn’t come in late as often as she used to. She took a lot of naps, but that was only because she spent so much time practicing. Practicing counted as work. Though, Applejack probably meant the kind of work she did, getting up before the sun everyday and heading out into the fields for a full day of... farm stuff, and Rainbow Dash knew she fell well short of that. Oh well. One for two. She’d have to be somepony who I can just sit back and have a good time with at the end of the day too. Rainbow Dash’s smile returned. She could do that. Having a good time was easily her favorite kind of time to have. She hung out with Applejack nearly every other day anyway. Unless Applejack meant... She’d have to be somepony strong, who can hold her own in bed. I don’t want somepony who’s too soft.         Rainbow Dash’s smile slowly fell. She certainly wasn’t bad in bed. She had never heard any complaints. Just the opposite actually, that was usually the only thing her marefriends ever seemed to really like about her. But it had been a long, long time, and Applejack clearly expected someone... experienced. More worrisome than that though, she had to admit that Applejack was a little stronger than her. Probably a lot stronger than her. Rainbow Dash had learned the hard way that the farm pony could be as tough as a rock, and she suspected she fell well over on the ‘too soft’ side of the soft spectrum as far as Applejack was concerned. Okay. One for three then.          And she wouldn’t need me to take care of her all the time either. I’ve got enough work on my plate as it is. Rainbow Dash laid down on the bed and frowned up at the ceiling. She didn’t need to be taken care of all the time. She had lived on her own for years without any problems, but... Well, sometimes she thought it would have been nice to have somepony around to massage her wings when they were sore, or maybe reassure her that she was going to do a good job performing in front of an audience when she wasn’t totally sure she could do a good job, or tell her that she had pulled off a new trick well even though they both knew she really hadn’t, or that just because she messed up and crashed a couple times didn’t mean she would never get it right. Though, it sounded like Applejack didn’t want a part of any of that. She had enough trouble working Sweet Apple Acres already, and she didn’t need anymore. One for four then. It could have been worse. More than that though, she’d have to be somepony who’ll stick by me no matter what, and won’t run off at the first sign of trouble. Rainbow Dash never ran off at the first sign of trouble. She never ran off at any subsequent signs of trouble either. She ran towards signs of trouble. She would never abandon any of her friends. But what exactly did ‘no matter what’ mean? Did it mean that if maybe Applejack realized Rainbow Dash was a little lazier, not quite as strong, and wanted her sore wings rubbed a bit more often than she had expected, that she would be angry when they broke up? Did it mean their friendship would be ruined if she ever screwed up? Did it mean Applejack and the rest of their friends would hate her forever?          She took a deep breath and shook her head. No, she was being melodramatic. Applejack would never hate her, right? Whatever. It was still one for four. She’d have to be somepony I can raise a family with. Rainbow Dash shot up in bed, her eyes opening wide. “What?” Raise a family? Nope. There was simply no possible way Applejack thought Rainbow Dash—slacker, not strong enough, wants her sore wings rubbed too often, runs head first at signs of trouble Rainbow Dash—could ever raise a foal. She was the exact opposite of what made for a good parent, and she knew it. She had more than once proudly declared that she would never have a foal. Not that it wouldn’t have been cool to have a smaller Rainbow Dash around to teach how to fly, but she knew it was simply silly and unrealistic. That made it zero for ten, at least. She felt the chocolates and bile rising up in her throat, and did her best to swallow it down, the tickling feeling gone. Applejack thought she could be some kind of perfect marefriend. Rainbow Dash, Super Marefriend, with the power to get up early every morning for work, raise ten foals in the afternoon, perform unbelievable acts in bed at night, and solve all of Applejack’s problems on the side. As a comic book, it would sell millions. As Rainbow Dash’s actual future, it was quickly causing her to develop a cold sweat. No, she thought, Applejack couldn’t have misjudged her so badly. Rainbow Dash couldn’t do any of that, and they both knew it. So if Applejack didn’t want her for any of that, what did she want? Rainbow Dash scowled. All Applejack could have possibly wanted was a night of fun, a stroll around town to show Rainbow off like a trophy, and then an empty bed. She didn’t think that was all Applejack cared about. No, she didn’t want to think that was all Applejack cared about. But the alternative was worse. She leaned over and tore the ‘Go on a date with Applejack’ card in half. Either Applejack wanted her to be Super Marefriend, or all she wanted was her flanks. It didn’t matter, because either way she couldn’t go out with Applejack.          _________________________________________________ Just as Rainbow Dash stopped waiting by the door and lay down in bed, she heard knocking. Night had fallen, and her house was dark and cool. It couldn’t possibly be anyone else. She took a couple deep breaths as she walked to the door. All she had to do was firmly tell Applejack no, and make it clear that she would never go on any kind of date with her. Applejack wouldn’t be mad at her, and it definitely wouldn’t mean that they would have to act weird around each other from now on. Or maybe it would. She didn’t know. She steeled her face and opened the door. “Applejack, look—” “You smell like trash, so can I take ya out?” Applejack asked, smiling. Rainbow Dash blinked. “What?” Applejack smiled a silly-looking, too-wide, bashful smile with just the faintest hint of red on her cheeks. “Could I get some directions?” “What? To where?”          Applejack’s smiled widened. “To your heart.” Rainbow Dash snorted. “I... no... I don’t think so.” “Did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?” “Is this seriously what you’re trying right now?” Dash asked, shaking her head and covering her smile with a hoof. “Do you really think there’s any chance of this working at all?” “Life without you would be like a broken pencil,” Applejack said, undeterred, smiling just as fully as before. “Pointless.” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something about how this was Applejack’s worst attempt yet, but a laugh escaped her throat, and then another, and pretty soon she couldn’t hold them back at all. She laughed loud and long, until she had to grab the doorframe to keep from falling to the floor.   Applejack chuckled a little before saying, “I wanna live in your socks so I can be with you every step of the way.” “All right,” Rainbow Dash said, her chest still seizing from laughing-fit aftershocks. “Please just stop. None of these are gonna work.” “How ‘bout this one?” Applejack’s smile receded to its normal size, sincere. “You’re beautiful.” All the laughs in Rainbow Dash’s stomach died at once. “That one wasn’t very funny...” “It doesn’t have to be funny if it’s true,” Applejack replied with a wink. “I’ve got plenty more though.” Rainbow Dash remembered what she had to do. She suddenly desperately wished Applejack hadn’t come back. Or that she had never asked her in the first place. She lowered her eyes. “No, that’s enough...”  Rainbow slowly blew her breath out of her mouth. “Applejack, look, I need you to stop asking me out. I really, really need you to stop asking me out, okay?” She looked up. For a brief moment, she hoped that might be the end of it, and Applejack wouldn’t ask any more questions and just go home.   But she had no such luck. “Why? What’s wrong?”          “Because I can’t be all those things you want me to be!” Rainbow Dash cried. Applejack simply stared back. Rainbow groaned and shook her head. “I’m sorry—no wait, I’m not sorry, because this is kind of your fault.” She winced. “Nevermind. I bet you’re a super awesome marefriend, but I’m not as super awesome as you think I am, okay?” Applejack tilted her head to the side. “What are you talkin’ about?” “Sometimes I want my wings rubbed!” Rainbow Dash nearly shouted, feeling like she would throw up at any moment. “I like taking naps, and I’m not as strong as you are, and I run right at trouble! See? You don’t want me.” “Why would I care about any of that?” “Because that’s all the stuff you said you cared about!” Rainbow shouted, not just nearly this time, throwing her hooves in the air. “That’s exactly everything you said you wanted. And I’m not having any of your stupid foals either.” “I never asked ya to.” Applejack looked at her like Rainbow had started babbling gibberish and walking upside down on the ceiling. “And I really don’t care about any of that anyway.” A silence fell between them, and Rainbow Dash slowly narrowed her eyes. “So that’s it then? You don’t care about any of that? I get it. You’re just like everypony else,” she said bitterly. “What?” “It doesn’t matter.” Rainbow Dash sighed, feeling calmer, the tickling feeling utterly dead in her chest. Everything made sense again. Nothing had changed. It was still only Wednesday. Maybe that was okay. “I’m pretty sure Berry Punch and Rose want my flank too, and Pinkie Pie definitely does. Maybe you guys can start a club or something.” Applejack raised a brow at that, but she didn’t respond. “It doesn’t matter,” Rainbow said again. “No. I’m saying no, I’m gonna say no, and I’m always gonna say no. I don’t care what you say or do, I’m always gonna say no. Do you need help getting down again?” After a moment, Applejack nodded dumbly. She looked like Rainbow Dash had just torn up her hat and then spat in her face. And Rainbow Dash felt a little like it too. Rainbow Dash trotted outside and leaned down. “Get on.” She felt Applejack climb over her, but it didn’t bring the flush to her face that it had before. With a single beat of her wings, she raised them both into the air. As she flew, Applejack leaned into her mane, just a little. They gently glided through the clear, cool air. Below them, the town was dark and sleepy, and the only light came from the stars and moon above. It struck Rainbow Dash that under any other circumstances this flight would have been romantic. They soon reached Sweet Apple Acres, and Rainbow unceremoniously dumped Applejack on the ground. “Good night,” Applejack called to her as she flew away. “You too,” Rainbow Dash called back without looking. As she flew inside and trotted to her bedroom, Tank frowned up at her. She ignored him. It took her a long time to fall asleep, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just done some great wrong to her friend that she would never be able to take back. ________________________________________________ Applejack dragged her hoof through the dirt in front of her, back and forth, looking down, until she had dug miniature canal in the ground. She still sat in the same spot Rainbow Dash had left her. On one side was the Apple home, dark and still and quiet, and on the other side was the orchard, the leaves and branches gently rustling with a passing wind. She sat alone in the dark. She felt the numb ache in her chest again, but this time it didn’t have anything to do with being rejected. That didn’t matter at all anymore.          She remembered the sound of Rainbow Dash’s voice as she had asked her to stop. It had been pained, weak, distressed, and that was all Applejack’s fault. Applejack had hurt her friend, and her chest seized at the thought. She hadn’t meant to, but she supposed that didn’t make any difference. It didn’t matter what she had meant to do, it mattered what she had done. She had wanted to help Rainbow Dash, to show her how good a marefriend could be, but she had only hurt her instead. Rainbow Dash had made it clear that she would never want Applejack, or any other marefriend. Applejack slowly walked inside. Winona met her inside with a happy wag of her tail. Applejack felt entirely undeserving of the friendly welcome. She patted Winona on the head and walked up to her room. She dropped her hat on the floor and collapsed in bed. She couldn’t sleep. The sheets felt scratchy. She was too hot. There was too much light coming in through the window. Her legs ached. And she had messed up everything with Rainbow Dash. If Rainbow Dash didn’t want to be with another pony, it wasn’t Applejack’s place to tell her otherwise. If Rainbow Dash didn’t want to talk about what had happened to her, it wasn’t Applejack’s place to pull her secrets out into the open. If Rainbow Dash wanted to be left alone, it wasn’t Applejack’s place to be with her. Applejack had screwed up, and she knew it. She had gone about it in all the wrong ways. She should have been straight with Rainbow Dash from the beginning. She should have asked her about her old marefriends, and explained that she wanted to show her that she could be better than them. But it was too late for that now. She had already pushed the pegasus away. Rainbow Dash had hated each and everyone of her attempts. Making schemes and plans and being dishonest was always the wrong way. She knew that. She had always known that. How could she have messed up so badly? She especially knew that she shouldn’t have listened to Pinkie Pie’s suggestion about those cheesy pick-up lines. Of course Rainbow Dash wouldn’t think they were funny. Winona abruptly hopped up onto the bed and lay down with her, as if she could sense her distress. Applejack frowned and scratched Winona’s neck. The only thing left to do now was apologize, and just let Rainbow Dash be. She could only hope Rainbow Dash wouldn’t decide that she never wanted anything to do with her again after it was done.