"Sooooo how do I start the letter, Fluttershy?" asked Rainbow.
Rainbow had borrowed Twilight's scrolls and quill for this assignment.
Rainbow was ready to admit her undying love to the pony of her dreams. She was ready to dazzle her with her prose. To amaze with her intricate sentence structure. To wow her with a beautiful dissertation on love.
Or so she thought.
For the life of her, she couldn't think of what to write or how to even begin. She had gone to Fluttershy's house for some help but she was having tea with Rarity and Rarity was not a pony to be ignored.
She held the quill in her mouth, scrawling the words, "Dear Applejack". The quill's feather end tickled her nose and the inevitable sneeze took place, wrecking the first scroll. Ponyfeathers.
"Perhaps you should use a pen dear. Or if you want, I'd be more than willing to write it for you!" Rarity chimed, as her magic took hold of the quill.
"No. I have to do this myself. I just...I don't know what to write. I'm not really good at writing down my feelings" Rainbow admitted.
"Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It just takes practice is all." With that, Rarity scribbled down a few sentences on the piece of scroll and handed it to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow read it out loud.
"My love for you is like a red rose. The colour of passion, the colour of desire. It emanates deep within my sou-what is this?!" Rainbow Dash scrunched it up in a ball and threw it over of shoulder.
"Well that was rude!" Rarity exclaimed.
"It's just not me! I don't need all that sappy, mushy stuff. I don't know what I want to say but it's certainly not that!" Rainbow shot back.
"Girls!" Fluttershy yelped weakly. The two charged mares backed down instantly. "Now Rainbow...you just mentioned that Rarity's writing style isn't you. Do you know why that is?"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes again. She hated explaining things that were obvious. "Duh! Because Rarity is Rarity. I'm me. How I feel is wayyyy different from what she feels. She likes all that sappy, romantic stuff. What she wrote, I don't feel that way about Applejack."
"Well...how do you feel about Applejack?" Fluttershy pressed on.
"Close your eyes for a minute dear. It might be a bit easier to void yourself from any distraction" Rarity suggested carefully.
Despite the brief quarrel between them, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a few seconds. Her thoughts wandered to Applejack. For a long moment, no pony said anything.
"I feel scared..."
Rarity did a double-take with her tea while Fluttershy angled her head, looking at Rainbow curiously.
"I feel scared...because I never want her to think less of me. I always think she's going to see me as some dumb pegasus who crashes into everything and always messes up."
There was a long pause.
"Oh Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy said with a comforting tone. "I'm sure she doesn't-"
"I know she doesn't. That's what's so weird but so cool about her. She doesn't change her view of me when I do mess up and she doesn't throw past mistakes in my face. And I love how she can always keep up with me. I've never met another pony that matched my awesome skills. Well, except maybe Spitfire and Gilda, but she's a griffon. I mean she's like Ponyville's best athlete. And have you seen her flank!"
Immediately, Rainbow Dash put her hooves over her mouth and blushed from embarrassment. Rarity's jaw dropped and Fluttershy flushed faintly.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is..." Rainbow started again. "I like the way she's like me and how we get each other. We don't even have say anything, we just do. She's like the most honest and most dependable pony I've ever met. She even rivals in me in my Element, seeing how she's really loyal to her friends and family...I mean she even helped you during that dragon quest Flutters, even if it meant slowing us down. I should've been the one...."
Fluttershy remained silent but smiled, letting the moment come to her.
Rainbow let out a small sigh before she went on. "She...she keeps me grounded sometimes and even as a pegasus....it doesn't seem so bad."
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to see Rarity smiling at her with tears in her eyes. Fluttershy's face mirrored the pale unicorn's. They then looked at each other and giggled like fillies.
Rainbow turned red. "I mean...I'm just saying that...Shut up! Quit looking at me like that!"
"Dash darling...that was absolutely the most sweetest thing I've ever heard. And it came from you!" Rarity said in a loving manner. Fluttershy nodded her head as well.
Backing down, Rainbow Dash smirked. "I always knew I was brilliant!"
"What Ah mean ta say is that Ah love how yer the most honest, most hard-working and most dependable of all ponies. Ah love how you are with yer family. But most of all...ah love ya for makin' me see that there's more ta life than just followin' yer dreams... and that makes it even more special... as you are." Applejack read out loud, feeling the warmth in her heart.
The three mares watched the orange farmpony from afar, with the leaves from the bushes perfectly disguising them. Or so they thought.
"Oh my gosh! She's reading it!" Rainbow said, her insides exploding with excitement.
"Shhhh" hissed Rarity, from behind her. Her mane was oddly still in perfect condition, considering she was in a bush.
Applejack looked up from the scroll, with a present blush on her face. Rainbow knew that she had read the last line, containing those six words.
Will you go out with me?
She swallowed hard as Applejack rolled up the scroll, signaling she was done reading it.
Then, the three hidden friends heard Applejack mutter something to herself.
This is it!!!! Rainbow practically squealed in her head.
"Well doesn't that take the cake! Ah have an admirer. Sucha shame though. There's no name on it. How am Ah suppose ta know who it is?"
"You. Didn't. Put. Your. NAME?!" Rarity practically spit out each of her words.
"Hehe...Oops!"
Rarity facehoofed. "What would possess you enough not to even bother writing your name!" scolded Rarity.
"Now now Rarity" Fluttershy said quietly. "Don't worry. I'm sure she has plenty of other ideas on how to confess."
"Confess to whom?" a familiar voice asked, coming closer to them.
"Eep!" shrieked Fluttershy, falling paralyzed to the ground in fear and made a goat-like sound in the process.
Rainbow's blood drained from her face as her flight instinct kicked in. She leapt off the ground and zipped into the sky, leaving the three mares below.
Applejack just looked to Rarity, whose purple mane was poorly hidden from the contrast of color from the bush.
"Rarity? What are y'all doin' hiding in a bush? And what's their deal?" Applejack pointed to Fluttershy and up to the rainbow wake that the cyan pegasus left. Seeing Fluttershy lying on the ground in a weird position, made her chuckle a bit, but Applejack offered her a hoof in aid.
Rarity simply stepped out of the bush, now left with the responsibility of making an excuse.
"Well dear, we were umm simply strolling out to see the birds. Yes, they are rather spectacular this time of year."
"Uhh Rarity? It ain't even spring yet."
Rarity just had only one thought in mind.
You're going to get it Rainbow Dash!