The train ride back to Ponyville was also a quiet one. Perhaps that might have been because this was the first opportunity to rest for most of them.
Pinkie looked at her friends. Rarity slumbered quietly on a bench, Twilight stared out the window, but Applejack and Rainbow Dash continued to sit separately.
“So did it work?” Pinkie whispered in Fluttershy's ear. “Are they happy together again?”
“They're hurting,” Fluttershy corrected quietly. “They've both got scars that need healing; Applejack from getting rejected and Rainbow Dash for hurting a friend she deeply cares about. It's going to take some time before they're back to normal, that's all.”
When they arrived at the train station, Rainbow Dash and Applejack met each other's eyes, and then both turned to go to their respective homes.
* * *
Applejack bucked another tree, and heard the satisfying thumping of apples falling into her baskets. She paused just long enough to push her hat back up and wipe the sweat off her brow before dropping down and preparing to buck again.
She froze as she saw movement. Rainbow Dash approached, walking through the orchard. She looked nervous but resolute, and Applejack stood to face her.
“Hi,” she started.
“Hey,” Rainbow said, bringing a hoof up and scratching the back of her neck. “So, uhh... How's it going?”
“Good,” Applejack said slowly.
“Listen, I… I wanted to apologize.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow.
“For the whole letter thing, and making fun of you and stuff. I really didn't think it was you writing them.”
“You didn't?” Applejack asked flatly.
“It just didn't seem like you, you know?” Rainbow explained, looking down at the ground. “You're the kind of pony who would just go out and get what you wanted. I just figured if you did like me, you'd just get up and ask me.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Fine, then. Rainbow Dash, you wanna go out with me?”
“Yeah!” Rainbow shouted, then paused, and then shrugged in an attempt to seem nonchalant. “I mean… yeah, it'd be cool, I guess.”
Applejack blinked. She hadn't really been expecting this answer. “Really?” she finally managed to say.
“Yeah, really.” Rainbow smiled. It was a nervous smile, but a genuine smile. “I'd like that a lot.”
Applejack's eyes narrowed slightly. “What changed?” she asked.
“Nothing, I just… didn't know you felt that way about me; and now that I do, I figure I might as well give this whole thing a try because, well, if I haven't told you this recently, you're pretty awesome yourself. And if you're brave enough to make the first move, I guess I'm brave enough to make a move back.”
Applejack allowed herself a small smile, and she gave Rainbow an affectionate bump with her hips. “Well, good,” she said. “I'm glad you think so. Because tonight, Ponyville's most awesome marefriends are going out for a night on the town.”
“Cool,” Rainbow said, trying (and failing) to keep a wide smile off her face. “See you at seven?”
Applejack nodded. “Sounds good. I'll be waiting.”
“See you then,” Rainbow said, flaring her wings and flying away. As soon as Rainbow thought she was out of sight, she let out a triumphant whoop and performed a celebratory loop. “This was even better than my dream!” she crowed.
Applejack's eyes narrowed.
* * *
Late in the afternoon when the sun was beginning to set, Applejack returned to the farmhouse. She opened the ice box and pulled out a large, cool jug of water. She poured herself a tall glass and drank it greedily. Then she wiped her lips off and spoke. “Thought you said you couldn't interfere,” she said.
“I said, I am forbidden to interfere with the waking affairs of ponies,” Luna said pointedly. “What happens in the Night is my prerogative, and mine alone.” She frowned. “How did you know I was here?”
“I didn't,” Applejack admitted. “That's the fourth time I've said that, just hoping for a reaction. I just expected you to drop by sometime and check on your handiwork.”
Luna placed a hoof on her chest and feigned offense. “Fair Applejack, art thou insinuating that I had anything to do with this? That is, as they say nowadays, 'most uncold'.”
Applejack chuckled. “It's 'uncool', your highness.” Her laugh died away, and she shuffled uncomfortably. “But seriously, though. How much did you do?”
“Do?” Luna asked innocently. “However do you mean?”
“You know, to get me and Rainbow together. She mentioned something about it being better than her dream, and I thought-”
It was Luna's turn to laugh. “Oh, Applejack; I did nothing. Her dream was a bad one; she feared your anger and rejection and she also feared you would have… what is the phrase? 'gotten over her' before she had a chance to express her love.”
“Huh?” Applejack frowned. “But…”
“She reacted to the letters poorly, it is true; but who did she come to? You. Who does she trust most? You. Who is the first one she shares things with, the first one she thinks of? You. She was not expecting you to have such a romantic side, and it surprised her. It took her some time to reconcile her view of you with this new information; but believe you me, she has always admired and loved you.”
Applejack let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. “Is that so?”
“Oh, it is very, very so. Trust me. And if you ever take her up on an offer of intimacy, be advised of her personal preferences.”
Applejack frowned and cocked her head. “Just what's that supposed to mean?” she asked.
A sly smile played on the princess's lips. “Not all of her dreams are of cider baths and first-prize medals, Applejack. She likes being bitten on the neck, having her mane pulled, having her wings bound, and having her cutie mark traced over by a tender tongue.” Luna laughed at the shocked expression on Applejack's face and she turned away, walking out the door and slowly fading from sight into the shadows of the orchard long before her laugh disappeared.
Applejack turned around and headed up the stairs... and then froze, a deep blush coloring her face as something occurred to her. “Wait, your highness!” she called, sprinting downstairs and sticking her head out the door. “You didn't... you know... tell her about my dreams, did you, Princess?”
The orchard remained silent, but Applejack could have sworn she heard a rather un-princess-y giggle come from somewhere in the shadows.
“Did you? Luna? Luna! Luna!”