//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Holding It In Never Lets It Out // by democritus //------------------------------// "So, Applejack," Rarity said, undoing the red band around her ponytail. "What finally made you decide to get a makeover?" Rarity magically fetched a brush, regarded Applejack's hair, and got a second brush. One might not be enough. This would be the most dangerous makeover Carousel Boutique has seen. "Have some occasion planned? A fancy party to attend? Have somepony you're wanting to dazzle? Business negotiations with a high-class client? Spontaneity? Did you finally admit to yourself that 'prettyfying' is an amazing and transcendent experience?!" "Uh," Applejack said aprehensively. "Not to burst your bubble or anything, but it's the third one." "Oh, well," Rarity frowned. "Perhaps some day you'll realize the joy of-" Rarity flinched. The brush fell to the ground. "Wait, you found your special somepony? Rarity swiveled Applejack's chair and seized her shoulders. "Who is it? Tell me who it is!" she pleaded with stars in her eyes. Applejack smiled nervously. "I don't think she'd appreciate me jawing off about it. Besides, I don't know if she's quite at special somepony. I'm trying it out, or something." "Hmm, fair enough," Rarity said, disappointed. "Though would you at least let me pry a little? What do you mean by trying it out?" "Well, she likes -oof- me plenty," Applejack replied, flinching as the brush got caught in a tangle. "she made that clear as day. But trying to -ah- figure out if I liked her just confused-gahh! Tarnation, Rarity, you trying to pull my mane out?" Rarity grimaced in determination. "Sorry, Applejack, but I simply cannot leave it in such deplorable condition! How often do you brush it?" Applejack pondered for a moment. "Last time was..." She reached deep into her memory, farther and farther back... "Wait, you should know, 'cause you did it that time too!" "How in goodness's sake do you even care about..." Rarity shook her head. "Never mind, I feel like we had this conversation then, too. Anyway, as you were saying, she likes you, and you couldn't figure out if you like her?" "Yeah, I-" "Oh my, Applejack!" Rarity said loudly while braiding Applejack's hair. "That's quite charitable of you! Giving her what she wants more than anything while also sorting out how you feel, why, if everypony gave chances I believe we'd all have a special somepony!" Applejack laughed. "Sheesh, took me a couple of hours to work it out and you get it in seconds! I always thought it'd be clearer if I liked somepony or not, but it's not like that. With it seriously in front of me I just can't tell." Rarity snipped off a few split ends. "I know what you mean. We're all told so much about love at first sight from the time we're fillies that we just expect to suddenly know who we like, but we've got to remember that Mrs. Right might just not present herself so readily. It might take some time, but you could find she was waiting there all along." Applejack smirked. "Like a diamond in the rough?" "Applejack, fair warning, if I hear that from you one more time I'll stab you," Rarity said softly. "And, seriously, remember, don't try to make this into something it isn't." Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Whaddaya mean?" "We can become so enamored with the ideal we can't see the reality." Rarity said as she applied the finishing touches to Applejack's mane. "Don't try to force anything. Let it come naturally, and if it doesn't work, there's no point in hanging on to what it could be. If Mrs. Right is really Mrs. Wrong, well, that's that, and trying to force it will hurt you both." "Huh." Applejack was a little surprised. "Did Blueblood teach you that one?" "In a manner of speaking, yes," Rarity replied. "Honestly I'm shocked he hasn't been stabbed by some mare with much less grace than moi," she said, bouncing her curled mane with a hoof. "Anyway, Applejack, you're all set. Prettied, but not too fancy, just like you asked." "Thank ya' kindly!" Applejack said, reaching as if to tip her hat by instinct but only finding air. "And for the advice, too. I don't know how I can repay you." Rarity held up a hoof. "No, no. If you're happy, then I'm happy. Besides, you let me get that whole spiel off my chest. I never knew I had that in there." "Shucks, Rarity, if you just need someone to talk to, I'll listen." Applejack said sheepishly. "Just don't you go jawin' off about it neither, 'cause it's still kind of embarrassing. And ask before you use that 'mask-ar-uh' stuff next time!" "Hee hee, alright, alright, I understand, darling," Rarity said. "And I hope your date with Mrs. Whoever goes well!" Applejack smiled. "I know it'll be a blast!" The clock struck seven. Applejack spent the entire hour before meeting with Rainbow Dash worrying if it'd be a blast or not. She'd never been on a date before. She was only mildly aware of what a date even was and what one resembled. Two ponies dress fancy and go to a fancy place and eat a fancy dinner and have a good time. So she waited at the booth she reserved at Dreamhorse for Rainbow Dash. She waited. And waited. "If she got cold hooves after all this, I'm gonna... gonna..." Before she could articulate the brutality she was imagining, she spotted a vivid rainbow mane - all styled in a bun. Applejack liked it. Rainbow Dash usually took so little care of her mane, which was a shame since it's so pretty, and it looked so great with even a little attention, and... Applejack caught herself, blinked, then noticed Rainbow looking around. She waved for her. "Applejack! You're not dead!" Rainbow said, smiling widely and never breaking eye contact as she sat down. "With no thanks to somepony," she replied flatly. "Hey! It was either cider or no cider, and you're pretty good with stampedes," Rainbow said with a grin. "Cows are one thing, ponies are..." Applejack groaned. "Never mind, here comes the waiter." The waiter, a tall tan unicorn, floated a pen and notepad out of his pocket. "What will the ladies be ordering tonight?" he said, his face stiff, almost statue-like. "I'll have the hay fries. Low salt, plenty of ketchup," Rainbow said. Applejack looked cross at her menu. "What in tarnation is a Caeser Surprise?" "If I told you, it'd ruin the surprise," the waiter replied, unflinching. Applejack thrust her menu at the waiter. "Heck, what's one more surprise for the pile? I'll take the Caesar Surprise." "As you wish, madams." The waiter said, before moving on to a different table. Applejack and Rainbow, finally alone, managed to stare at each other awkwardly. "So, uh," Rainbow finally eked out, "how about them Wonderbolts? Who's your favorite?" Applejack frowned slightly. "Rainbow, I was hoping to ask you some questions." Rainbow sighed. "I knew this was coming, I practiced. Rehearsed in front of a mirror until I could tell the whole story! "It turned out to not help at all." She propped her head on a hoof. "I think I'll put a hat on the mirror next time." "Rainbow Dash, if you aren't going to take this seriously then I'll just leave right now and we can pretend this never happened." "I know, I know," Rainbow said, whirling a hoof. "Go ahead, shoot." "Well, one's been bugging me. Why me? Of all the ponies, an apple farmer?" Applejack pleaded. Rainbow snickered darkly. "I've been asking myself that for months. It feels like one day I woke up and decided the only thing in the world that mattered was you. Suddenly I thought about you, felt about you entirely differently. I couldn't tell you what I was thinking any better than I could read other ponies' thoughts. "Sorry the answer's lame," Rainbow said sheepishly. "I wish I could tell you but I'm no good at this mushy stuff." "Eh, you tried." Applejack shrugged. "I really want to know what the hay you were thinking then, with the... well... everything," she said, scowling a little. Rainbow looked vacantly at the ceiling. "I know you've already seen me be really pathetic already, but, still-" "SURPRISE!" The waiter slammed Applejack's meal onto the table, causing both ponies to leap into the corner of the booth. "And the hay fries for you," he said, gently placing Rainbow's plate on to the table with such grace that it barely made a sound, then returned to his rounds. "Applejack, were we just murdered?" Rainbow asked, staring at the Caesar Surprise. "I'm not completely certain, sugarcube," Applejack answered." Oh, whew, there it is, my heart's beating again. I think I'll make it." Rainbow still stared at the salad. "You sure it's not a bomb or something? Is the surprise really something that... chintzy?" Applejack took a bite. "It's a regular salad." Rainbow grimaced. "I'm not sure I like this restaurant anymore. Will my hay fries scream at me next?" "I think that's just the Caesar Surprise, unless you ordered Hollerin' Hay Fries or something," Applejack said. "They were." Rainbow Dash and Applejack stared at the hay fries. "I am fairly certain I don't like this restaurant anymore," Rainbow said. The clock read seven-thirty. Applejack took another bite of her salad. Rainbow Dash lazy munched one of her fries. Applejack swallowed and spoke up. "You never answered my question." Rainbow Dash nearly choked on her hollerin' hay fry. "I didn't-" She coughed a few times. "I didn't mean to!" Applejack glared. "I swear! I forgot when the waiter dropped the salad!" Applejack glared harder. Rainbow glared back. "You forgot until now too, didn't you?" "Snrk," Applejack said, her facade breaking. "Okay, hehe, yeah, you caught me. But, still, I want to know. If you liked me, why'da do everything but tell me?" Rainbow sighed. "I barely understand why myself. I think... I was afraid of you saying... no." Applejack raised an eyebrow. "No?" Rainbow cringed. "Okay, yeah, it was that. I didn't want to hear you telling me no. I didn't want you to even have the chance. So I did everything I could to make you like me." She pantomimed flapping with her hooves. "I'd sweep you off your hooves." She clasped her hooves together. "You'd meekly confess your undying love for me, that sort of thing." Applejack raised an eyebrow again. "I know, it's completely silly, right? Bleh!" Rainbow said, lolling her tongue. "But, no matter how awkward things got, I just held on to that hope that as long as you didn't tell me no..." Rainbow looked down. Applejack smiled. That smile. "I don't think there ain't any pony who likes rejection, sugarcube." "Yeah, there's not liking it, then there's being afraid of it. What was that thing Rarity said once?" Rainbow asked. "'Better to have love and lost, than to have never loved at all'? I guess I just disagreed. "But," she added, "I think I finally get why she said it. I don't have to hide something from you anymore. It's been ages since I felt so... light." "The way you can put down those hay fries," Applejack said, "I don't think you're going to stay light for long." Rainbow Dash briefly considered bashing the love of her life in the face. Rainbow fidgeted. She looked at the clock. Seven forty-five. "Hey Applejack?" "Yeah, Rainbow?" "How about them... uh... what is your favorite hoofball team?" She said with an insincere grin. Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Seaddle. Hoofball season's been over for a few months though." Rainbow sighed. "I know." Silence hanged in the air. "I just," Rainbow said, "wonder why we're here." Applejack laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day where Rainbow's existential." "No, at least, I think so? I don't know what that word means exactly." Rainbow shrugged. "I mean, this place." Applejack frowned. "The food bad or something?" "No, it's alright, it's just..." Rainbow grunted in frustration. "I liked talking to you, getting stuff off my chest, all that. But why do we need to be at a restaurant for that? Can't we do that anywhere?" Applejack winced in confusion. "But, this is a date, isn't it?" Rainbow scowled. "What does that have to do with it?" "Ponies have dates in fancy restaurants," Applejack said. "It's what everypony does!" "Yeah, but, are we everypony? Why do we have to do something they do?" "I..." Applejack thought for a moment. "I don't know," she finally admitted. Suddenly, words came echoing back to her. "Don't try to make this into something it isn't." Rarity was right. Applejack did not want to admit it, but she was right. Applejack threw her head back and laughed. "Uh, AJ, you okay?" Rainbow asked. "You're right, Rainbow!" Applejack said. "Wha-uh, well, yeah, of course I am." Rainbow beamed proudly. "The night's still young," Applejack said, "so what do you want to do? Horseshoes? Races? Kicking trees?" Rainbow laughed nervously. "Any of the above?" Applejack grinned and slammed down eight bits on the table. "Alright then, bill's paid, so what are we waiting for?" Rainbow Dash smiled a real, unguarded smile, her first that night. Applejack and Rainbow Dash laid in a field near Ponyville, staring up at the stars. They did everything. Horseshoes, races, kicking trees, and anything that came to mind. They lost track of time and only quit when they couldn't keep going. Applejack was only somewhat worried what her family would think when she came home in the middle of the night all sweaty, or if she never bothered coming home at all until the next day. The grass was comfy. The night was cool. The company, though... "I totally won, by the way," Rainbow said, apropos of nothing. "In your wildest dreams, maybe," Applejack retorted. A soft wind blew, rustling the tall grass around the two ponies. "What was the score, anyway?" Rainbow asked. "Heck if I know. I just know I had more." Applejack replied. Applejack tried to name constellations. All she knew was the Big Dipper. She thought about going stargazing with Twilight one of these days. She never knew how beautiful the heavens could be. "Kept you up all night again, didn't I? Sorry about that." Rainbow said. "It's alright. Big Mac'll handle the morning chores. Besides, I had fun." Applejack closed her eyes and felt the wind blow over her. "Think we could... do this again, sometime? I don't mean, like, this this, but, just, like, hanging out?" Rainbow stuttered out. Applejack laughed. "I was wondering how long it'd take you to finally ask me out." "Yeah yeah, laugh it up now AJ, but one day the shoe's gonna be on the other hoof," Rainbow said. A breeze stirred up, and the grass tickled Applejack. She didn't mind. "Sure, whenever's fine with me." "Sweet." It was all Rainbow said. "Hey, Rainbow," Applejack said, "thanks." Rainbow sat up. "Huh? For what?" "For showing me that relationships don't gotta be a certain way, just that the two ponies have a great time," Applejack said with a smile. Rainbow laughed. "You seriously didn't know that?" "I guess I just got it in my head that two ponies dating had to go on dates at fancy restaurants and had to give each other flowers, and this and that, or else it wasn't a date, it wasn't dating. "But, I guess it's what we make of it, or something." Applejack took off her hat. The grass was cool. "If this doesn't work out - if we don't - we'll still be friends, right?" Rainbow murmured. "Now, sugarcube, don't you worry none. After all we've been through, breaking up wouldn't come close. Besides, I know you. You wouldn't do anything to break my little ol' heart." The crickets were silent. "Applejack?" "Yeah?" "Can I say something, since there isn't anypony else around for miles to hear?" "Uh, sure." "Because, I just wanna say it once, but if any-" "Oh just spit it out already!" "I-I love you." Rainbow stammered slightly. Applejack laughed. It was a warm laugh. "You ain't too bad yourself, neither." The breeze was soft, and the stars beautiful.