"Pick up the phone!" I yelled aloud to my phone. I panicked and felt my fragile heart sink as it continued to ring.
"Pick up the phone," I repeated, this time more gentle, pushing back the feeling of fear. My voice croaked and I thanked God that I was alone.
"PICK UP THE PHONE!" I screamed at the very top of my voice, tears breaking from my eyelids and racing down the coarse surface of my skin. I spoke like nobody could here me, but like everybody could see me. The line beeped. I thought back to how this all began:
Applejack and I ran side by side in a joyful, contest-free gallop down the maple tree road. We giggled at the near silence broken solely by the clattering of sneaker and boots upon a hard, dirt coated, beaten track. My chest rose and fell as I panted for breath. I turned my head to the left and saw Applejack looking back at me: smiling. I felt her heavy breath against my cheek, feeling light and merry as we ran side by side.
I constantly had to remind myself; this wasn't a race.
The leaves behind us fell softly. The caressed the ground as they touched it and the setting sun burnt the whole sky a gorgeous, thick orange colour. Puffs of dirt burst from beneath mine and Applejack's feet and surrounded our legs. Not a cloud, nor a fault in the sky. This scene, this feeling, it was almost picturesque. Of course I would never say that out loud because sounded so damn gay.
Then I turned and looked at her again. This time she was looking directly at me, with round apple green eyes and smiled with her lusciously slender lips. Something deep inside of my clicked. My heart began to melt and I felt my extremities all limp as a tried with all my might to keep up with the girl beside me. My weak knees could no longer withstand my weight and under the pressure of my sudden emotion; I fell.
I lead on the ground with a sore cut deep into my knees and hands on which I had fallen, yet the pain as numbed by the strong feeling that had risen to the surface of my skin by the single glance from a dear friend of mine.
I heard her heavy footsteps sprint towards me yet the many colours that fell before my eyes from atop my head blinded my vision. I lifted my left hand to wipe the air from my face and saw the blood gushing from my palms.
'Crap' I thought as I stared at my left hand. I hadn't realised that I had been cut that deep. It was weird for the pain to have to flow to my hand in slight intervals. I knew that Applejack wasn't my enemy yet in the very back of my mind I could not help but maintain this feeling that she was somebody that I was battling with. It pained my to allow her to see me in pain.
"Rainbow? What happened? Are ya okay?" She asked, offering out her hand to lift me up.
I stared at her hand with a slight hesitation, causing her expression to change from concern to confusion. I grabbed her lightly tanned hand and as she pulled me up, she looked directly into my eyes with a gentle glimmer and my hand suddenly released, causing me to stagger backwards. I clumsily fell into a bucket of collecting syrup, knocking it off the tree I stammered forward into a puddle of syrup and mud.
'Oh God,' I thought to myself, pulling my clammy hand up to my head and bushing the multi-coloured locks from in front of my crimson eyes. 'How much of a clutz am I gonna look to her now?'
I looked at her sideways smile and crossed arm and felt my pale skin begin to pinken. I pulled my body to my feet and brushed off the dust bunnies that had settled onto my clothing. My face still red with blushing, I narrowed my eyebrows as I looked at Applejack "that's not funny, Applejack!" I yelled.
She began to giggle as her force to control it gave way "Well, Rainbow Dash, I think 'tis mite. What ya gonna do?" She quipped.
Just like that, my devotion to AJ's devilishly good looks vanished. I smirked at her mischievously and leapt at her, causing her to quickly fall to the ground. I was on top of her and she tried to wrestle me away, but I put down as much force as I could muster after all the running to push her back. She used her knees to jab my tummy, my body jolted upwards allowing Applejack to roll on top. We spun and tussled our way into the trees and down a sudden drop. We continued to playfully scrap, giggling uncontrollably as we fought. We halted just before a river, with Applejack sat on my stomach and me with no energy left to fight.
"Look at that Rainbow Dash, looks like I win!" She giggled. I hated losing so much, but I had no energy left to fight or even argue against her statement. So I just led there panting for breath.
Applejack stood and walked away, yet it was just outside of my vision as to where she had walked to. I sat up and turned to see Applejack with her legs hovering over the short ledge that curved into a lake. She didn't look quite so happy as she was before. Just like that: the mood changed.
I crawled and sat beside her.
Grabbing a stone in my right hand, I firmly spun it and watched it bounce across the surface of the water. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!
"Six bounces!" I exclaimed "that's pretty good, even for me!" My attempt to liven the mood was hopeless. Applejack remained silent. "You wanna go? I'll warn you, you won't get as good as m-"
I halted mid sentence as Applejack turned and looked at me, like she did when we were running. Her gorgeous eyes blossoming delicious, green apples. Her lips rosy and tender. Her freckles perfect and unsubtle. Her hair was a delectable collection of golden strands. Her heavy breath glistened in mid-air and I felt it caress my exposed neck.
I gave an awkward smile and stroked the back of my neck with my hand.
But she didn't stop looking at me. Her pupils got wider and wider the longer I stared. Her face got slowly closer and what was realistically about 30 seconds felt like forever. My chest tightened until my lungs felt so constricted I could scarcely breath. Her hand touched mine and I could do nothing but intertwine my fingers in hers.
"Girls!" Yelled a familiar voice, abruptly. Applejack stood up with a smooth, simple glide whereas I simply remained seated. My face was the brightest shade of red there could be and I felt my forehead burning at, like, thousand degrees.
"We're down here Twilight!" Applejack called back. I turned to look at her; as soon as our eyes met her cheeks turned pink and she looked away.
Twilight's head appeared from the sweet brown leaves of he maple trees. She looked at me, then at Applejack with a very confused face "what in Equestria are you doing down here, girls?"
"Skimming stones..." I responded before Applejack could say anything. She went even pinker.
"Oh. Well the girls and I are going to Sugar Cube corner, are you coming?" She asked us.
I wanted to say no.
I so wanted to say no.
But I knew that they'd know something was up. If I went home early, they would definitely know something was up. "I'd love to, Twilight." I replied, barely gasping for breath as a swallower hard and loud.
"Yeah, that's mighty nice of y'all to offer..." Applejack responded. We shared a single, worried glance when we knew Twilight wasn't looking. Sugar cube corner it is...
It had actually been an awesome time. Applejack and I laughed and talked as though nothing was up. It didn't at all seem awkward. Finally I felt like I could just leave this whole business with Applejack behind me and look ahead to the future in being the strongest, most daring girl that has ever lived!
"Good heavens I'm tiered. I think after running today I've gotten some blisters on my feet... Maybe me and Spike should head home..." Twilight announced.
"I'm kind of tiered too, actually, I think Angel bunny must be waiting for me, he gets oh so restless if I leave him alone. So... I think, perhaps, I should leave too, if that's okay, Pinkie?" Said Fluttershy.
"Nah, maybe we should all go to bed. I think I should go to sleep too! The Cakes said I can look after Pound and Pumpkin tomorrow and you know how much of a handful they are!" Giggled Pinkie.
"In that case, farewell everybody." Uttered Rarity as she stood and strutted to the door.
"Her Rainbow," Applejack whispered to me "y'all mind walkin' me home?" Her lips curved gently at the end with a smile.
It was a strange request, but I didn't want to make things feel too awkward "what, you afraid of walking home by yourself?" I laughed.
"Maybe..." She replied, her smile widening.
"Fine," I stood up bidding Pinkie Pie good night and left Sugar Cube bakery.
"Ah shoot! Rainbow, looks like it's about to rain..." Applejack said, looking up to the large, heavy, black clouds hovering above there heads.
"I'm not afraid of some silly rain, Applejack, I'm a weather pony!" I taunted.
Suddenly a clap of lightning and a gigantic roar of thunder caused me to flinch.
Applejack began to laugh.
"That's not funny, Applejack! I just don't wanna get hit by lightning is all! I do have my whole life of training with the Wonderbolts..."
"Well, you're not a Wonderbolt yet, missy!" Applejack hissed.
"Not yet, but I will be soon. I have incredible skill, as soon as they see that they'll be begging me to join!"
"Oh, is that a fact?"
Suddenly the rain poured down on them.
"Quick, into the barn!" The two sprinted as fast as they could into the dry coverage of the barn.
"Great, now I'm stuck in here! With you!" I yelled, immediately regretting it.
"You got a problem with me?"
I blushed "No! I just meant..."
"You meant what? You wanna go home to boast to yourself about what amazin' talent you have?"
"What!? NO!" I snapped "I don't do that!"
"Oh, please, you're s arrogant as they come. You think that everybody has to be obsessed with you, and you're a cheat!"
"This again? I'm not a cheat!"
"You are too a cheat!" She said, moving closer to me.
"I am not, I never cheat. Applejack you are clearly just jealous because I am t-" I was interrupted by her tender lips on mine. They were so soft and warm. I felt like my knees were going to give way as soon as my lips touched hers. It was everything that I imagined it to be and so much more.
She pulled away, her arms still either side of me, as she stared at me, silently smiling. She began to blush and as she did I felt myself doing to. I looked down at my feet and kicked at the dirt, nervously with one foot.
"I-" She began to talk.
This time I moved in to kiss her. I didn't want to ruin he moment by getting into yet another blood-curdling, spine shivering screaming match. I snaked my arms around her waist and pulled her closer to me. She pushed me further against the wall and her hand began to wander up my shirt, Her hands were icy cold and my skin cooled as they touched, which made me tremble.
The rain came to a stop and the sky cleared. It didn't matter anymore. I wasn't here for the safety of the indoors, I was here for Applejack. For all of Applejack.
"Pick up the phone!" I repeated after my seventh time of trying to contact her. "Answer your texts!" I slipped my body down onto the floor and allowed the phone to dangle there, not caring who heard me sob.
I knocked my head on the wall so hard it began to hurt. "Well I apologise about last night I really didn't mean to disrespect... YOU!"