//------------------------------// // Plans - Shikilicious // Story: AppleDash Group Collab // by DbzOrDie //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash was a pony who always had dreams – and plans to make these dreams come true; plans that never accepted failure. When Rainbow Dash was just a filly, her dream was to become a Wonderbolt and her plan to do everything possible to reach it. She trained hard and inexhaustibly improved her abilities for many years and one day she was being accepted as recruit in the Wonderbolt Academy. However, along with joining the ranks of the most famous flying squadron in all of Equestria, her ambitions also changed. Instead of just becoming a Wonderbolt, she now dreamed of becoming the captain of the Wonderbolts. Her plans had changed and became even more challenging than ever before, but eventually, after many years of hard work, this dream had came true. With becoming the Captain of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash seeked for a new dream and therefore aspired to become the best flyer ever been - and her plan to achieve this goal was to be the first and only pony who would ever perform not just a double, but a triple Sonic Rainboom. For many years Rainbow Dash trained harder and harder, but with the high goal she had set for herself, the progress she was making continuously became smaller and smaller. She almost performed a triple Sonic Rainboom on several occassions, yet did she always fail by the length of a hoof - until one day on which she also overcame that last hurdle. For performing a stunt that was thought to be even physically impossible, the pegasus herself became a living legend. But despite Rainbow Dash had become a hero whose name would be passed on over centuries was there something she was missing. In fact, it was something that had bothered her for a very long time, and the sense something was missing got stronger with every day she lived on. While the pegasus always strived to make the best of herself and achieve things other ponies could just dream of did a feeling of emptiness slowly, but continuously devour her heart and despite she had reached everything she had ever dreamed of, did Rainbow Dash know exactly that there was another dream she always had pushed back. Flying was still one oft he best things in the entire world, but setting new records was nothing that could give her the feeling of being fulfilled any longer - and probably also nothing an aging mare who had survived more fatal accidents than any other pony should do any longer. Over the years Rainbow Dash had grown close to all of her friends who always supported her and helped her getting back on her hooves when she crashed. But to one of them she felt of having grown closer than to all the others and with every day that passed on, the spare room in her bed and the longing for this very special pony to fill it up got bigger and stronger. Rainbow Dash had a plan - a simple one she had pushed along for already far too long. She wanted to ask that one special friend for a date. At least, that was the plan she once had. But with the seasons passing by over and over again, she added many details to it, and in the meanwhile that simple plan she once had had grown to a really complicated project with countless of facets. Rainbow Dash didn’t just want to ask that one special pony for a date - she wanted to confess her love to that pony, to buy her a hoofband made of pure gold, to marry the mare she longed for more than words could say – and perhaps one day even settle down and found a family. But confessing ones true feelings to a friend is not an easy task, and so it never had been for Rainbow Dash. She always feared that her feelings wouldn’t get returned and with her proposal getting rejected, all of her hopes getting shattered like the special friendship she shared with that one special pony, and so she kept those dreams for herself - until one day. The nurse gave Rainbow Dash another injection that made her not exactly feel calm, but it would at least make the pain go away for another few minutes. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she knew that it was the last one she would get before she would go to sleep, but she wouldn’t mourn for another one. Despite Rainbow Dash hated needles, especially those that were thrusted into her, did she had a good run, and knowing that the one special pony she needed to talk to was staying with her helped her to find some inner peace. When Rainbow Dash reopened her eyes, the nurse and all the others were gone, the door closed. The pegasus turned to the side, her turbid magenta eyes meeting the concerned face of a clearly saddened mare. “I’m right here sugarcube,” said Applejack and gently squeezed Rainbow’s hoof, a strand of gray hair falling into her face. It made a small grin grow on Rainbow’s snout. “You’ve gotten old, Applejack,” she more coughed than chuckled, yet was the amusement that accompanied her words written on Rainbow Dash’s snout.“But this last iron pony competition, I think you might have a fair chance for winning it,” she complemented with another cough. Applejack couldn’t hold back a little yet depressed smile as her friend was still thinking of their challenge that had started just a few months earlier. “Pretty sure about that sugarcube,” she sighed, thinking that it in fact was the only one competition she didn’t look forward to win. “Pretty sure…” she said again and let her depressed voice trail off. For some minutes, their eyes kept just locked with each others and except for the periodically bleeping of the machine standing besides the pegasus’ bed, an oppressive silence filled the room. Rainbow Dash had made many plans to make her nearly lifelong dream come true, probably much more than even a smart pony like Twilight could possibly count. But with her whole body and especially her eyelids slowly beginning to feel heavier and heavier, she knew exactly that if she wanted realize any of them, she had to do so now. “Applejack…” Rainbow Dash weakly said looking down at her and Applejack’s hooves. “I might be an idiot telling you this now, but…” another short break in which the other mare patiently waited for Rainbow Dash to continue followed. Then Rainbow cocked her head to the side again, her tired and slightly scared, yet at the same time determined glance meeting Applejack’s. “...I love you, okay?” Once again both mares had fallen into silence, the one more or less expectantly waiting for a reply, the other turning more and more nervous with every second that passed. “I… - what?” Applejack looked down at her friend, not able to either figure out the right words nor to sort her mind. Not sure if Rainbow Dash was getting senile during her last hours or just suffering from the strong medication, Applejack awkwardly chuckled and let her view abruptly wander from one side of the room to the other, desperately searching for something interesting to look at. After some moments however their eyes met again, and Rainbow Dash wasn’t looking like she would be any less determined than a minute before. A weak smile grew on Rainbow’s muzzle. “You remember that day when I lost consciousness for a few moments while training for increasing my flying altitude extremely fast and you catched me the last second before I would have hit the ground?” It took a few seconds, but after all Applejack slowly nodded. “I regained little of my senses just so in time to realize that you saved me, but I never said anything,” Rainbow Dash added with little guilt in her undertone and closed her eyes for a second. She heavily sighed and forced herself with all her remaining strength to open her eyes again. “Perhaps I had these feelings before, but since that day I know for sure that I love you, Applejack.” Applejack gulped. She knew she had to say something, she just didn’t know what. In fact did Rainbow’s sudden confession stir up quite some feelings she had reppressed a long time ago. “That’s - that was even before you’ve been accepted at the Academy... that must be more than 60 years ago,” replied Applejack as the emotions she had pushed back herself for so long rushed back into her mind and tears started gathering in the corners of her eyes. “Why…” “Because you don’t ask either the pony who challenges you to the most awesome mudslinging with applepies, the farmer who bucks you from her trees every day at seven, nine and eleven, or the mare who pushes you forward beyond your own limits over and over again to go out with you into a fancy restaurant for the reason that you can make a lame proposal and become something else than the best friend one pony could possibly imagine.” Rainbow Dash explained and slightly abashed looked down at their hooves again. She gently tightened the grasp, then she directed her view back to Applejack. “And especially because you don’t ask exactly that pony - your best friend - for a date,” she added before her expression changed to a questioning one. “What if she says ‘no’?” “I… I...” Applejack stammered, hot tears running down her cheeks and burning narrow lanes in them. “I never would have said ‘no’ Rainbow Dash,” she whimpered and squinted her eyes. “I... never…” Applejack’s miserable sobs just stopped when at once something warm gently touched her snout and made her open her eyes again. Caught in mild confusion, Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash’s other hoof that was just so touching her muzzle before the pegasus removed it again. “You don’t have to think about what your reply might have been sixty or more years ago.” Rainbow Dash gently stroked over Applejack’s hoof. “Just tell me, what is it now?” This time however, Applejack didn’t need more than the glimpse of a second to respond to the other mare’s question. “Yes, Rainbow Dash,” she shot out, almost jumpig from the edge of the bed she was sitting on, at the same time realizing that the sudden haste didn’t fit the otherwise enjoyable atmosphere. She slowly let herself sink back on her haunches and cleared her throat.. “What I want to say…” Applejack warmly said, eyes locked with her friend. “I... love you too, and...” happiness filled her face. “...in fact, I’d love to be your very special somepony for many years.” Rainbow Dash genuinely smiled at Applejack, not regretting to having waited for so long to tell the other mare about her feelings, just purely happy about the reply she received. Thinking about her next request, a strong heat stroke her cheeks. “My head is feeling a bit heavy right now,” Rainbow Dash said and pulled Applejack a little closer, eyes filled with hope and expectations. “Might you help me giving my very special somepony a kiss she had deserved for a long time?” The strong heat that warmed Rainbow’s face and the tingling feeling in her belly both infectiously jumped over to Applejack. Also for the farmpony something she had secretly yearned for much longer than most ponies could probably remember was coming true. “Sure…” Applejack said quietly, shifted closer to Rainbow Dash and leaned forward. It wasn’t exactly a spectacular one, but it was just as special as a kiss could possibly be, filled with all kind of positive emotions and the strong love the two ponies shared for each other. Once their lips parted again, Rainbow Dash looked up to her marefriend, eyelids half shut and feeling heavy, but the expression on her snout purely happy. „I’m feeling tired Applejack.“ Applejack mildly smiled at her. „I know sugarcube…“ she replied, tightening the grip she had on Rainbow’s hoof once again. Perhaps not all dreams were meant to get fulfilled and not all plans to become reality. But yet, even if took a while, did for both mares at least the most important one become truth and Rainbow Dash could close her eyes with a warm and happy smile filling her face.