//------------------------------//
// Chapter VI: Sorry 
// Story: Regret 
// by I Am The Night 
//------------------------------//


Chapter VI: Tears


The entire next day was nothing more for you but packing the common essentials for the trip: Toothbrush, toothpaste, your mp3 player, shampoo, a bit of soap, and...

...That was pretty much all. If ponies wore clothing on a day-to-day basis, there would be a reason to pack some. No need to pack swimming trunks, as it was quite unlikely that you would be swimming all that often---not that many ponies wear trunks to swim anyhow---and there was no need to pack winter gear, being the middle of spring, with winter being eight months away.

So other than your common dental-care, tunes, and hygiene, you were pretty much ready to go.

With the few supplies you had, you simply placed them into your satchel rather than use a suitcase, as it would be pointless for just a few small things.

Once you were certain that you were fully packed, you spent the rest of the day doing nothing but listening to the radio and relaxing on the couch. Today was a much better day than the last few days. You still weren't quite active or outdoorsy, but you were in a much better mood today, that was for sure.

You didn't, however, spend the day alone. At around three o'clock, Applejack came by and wanted to hang out for a little while. She had decided that she wanted to make up for what you heard her say and made you think. You said that she didn't need to do that, but she rather insisted.

For a good hour, the two of you spent time indoors talking and joking about. Every once in a while, one of you would end up telling somewhat of a flat joke, but redeem it with an addition to it, leading to laughter from the both of you. When neither of you could think of a joke, you thought of a story, so for half the time she was there, the two of you did nothing but reminisce of your pasts. 

You did talk about what happened five days prior, but it was rare. Even Applejack was the most uncomfortable with it, saying that she wanted the past "to be the past."

Whatever awkwardness ensued was fixed with an apology and a change of subject.

"So...What're you gonna do---y'know, when we get to Manehattan, Ah mean?" she asks, "With you and Dash?"

You didn't hesitate all that much to answer, but you were still thinking.

"You know---I'm not exactly sure, really. I haven't really thought about it. But---even if I did, she probably wouldn't listen to a thing I said anyway."

"Typical Rainbow," she remarks. A bit of silence comes between you, but AJ was the first to speak up, adding to her response.

"Ah can't believe she's still holdin' a grudge against you after all this time. Heck, I can't believe anypony's still holdin' a grudge against you!"

"Well, it's hard to forgive and forget when it's happened time and time again," you add, "regardless whether or not it was my fault."

"Ah know, Ah know, but still."

While you wanted to add onto your statement, you couldn't seem to just find the right words. So rather than talk, you simply looked down onto the floor, unable to reply properly.

This look of sadness only lasts for a few seconds before Applejack lifts your head to face her. Just like Twilight, her face was also of concern and care.

"Look...Sugar-cube...It's gonna be okay...y'hear? It'll be okay...Ah know it."

For a moment, you crack a smile, to which Applejack responds with her own. But not too long after, your smile fades away, and you once more look at the floor.

With a sigh, you say in a sad tone, "Sometimes, I wonder if that's even true."

Seconds of silence pass; while not awkward, it was somewhat uncomfortable being so quiet.

Almost by surprise, Applejack gently places her hoof on your shoulder. What she did was similar to that of Twilight's tactics. It was odd, but at the same time, it was quite comforting; still just as comforting as Twilight's tactic.

"It is true...Dash can't be this way forever---Sooner or later, she's gonna have to talk to you."

You didn't look at Applejack, but you did smile again, and while you didn't exactly see her, you knew she was smiling right back at you.

Noticing her looking at the clock, she states that she needs to be back at the farm. Giving you another heartwarming hug, she bids you goodbye for now and leaves you alone once again.

And for the remainder of the day, you were all by yourself, doing the same thing as you were before, music and chilling. It wasn't until at least around eight-thirty that you started up dinner; hayloaf was pretty good, especially with garlic and cheese to it.

Once you stuffed yourself with food, you cleaned up your dishes, placed them into the dishwasher, then headed upstairs for a shower. You always loved showers; there was just something about them that brought you to pure bliss.

As you finish your shower and dry up, you head back into your bedroom. Wanting to try something new for a change, you turn on the radio and gently float into bed.

Turning off your bedside lamp, the radio begins to play what clearly sounds like old music, clearly a few decades old.

At first, you find the song rather relaxing, finding yourself enticed to its rather gentle tune, but halfway through the song, you find yourself growing tired just from listening to the music alone, and by the end of the song and onto the next one, you're out like a light, the sounds of dreamland drowned out by the music of the old days.

And you didn't have a single problem with it.








Morning came in what felt like a few short moments, despite sleeping for nearly twelve hours, but regardless how fast time felt had passed, you were refreshed and ready to go upon awakening.

After freshening up a bit, you make your way downstairs and cook up some breakfast. Like most of the other breakfasts, this one wasn't special, but it was a bit different. Who knew cinnamon on toast could be so damn good?

After finishing your meal and washing the dishes, you make sure everything is prim and proper so nothing goes wrong while you were away. You and the others would be away from town for at least a week, so surely nothing too bad can happen, right?

The first thing you do is, once all of them were clean, put all of the dishes back in their designated cupboards. The last thing you'd want upon coming home was dishes that smelled like mold---which reminds you to call Handy Dandy to check on that.

What you do next is make sure no food is left around the house; on the floor, on the couches, bed, anywhere, you make sure no bit of food is left lying around. Just thinking about it made you remember the last time that happened.

It took a week for those pesky roaches to be eradicated. Not even Fluttershy could get rid of them, and she's the animal goddess. Well, she's also an insect goddess, but still, they didn't listen. You never really approved of killing anything, but once your last nerve was gone, you said, "Screw it," and gave them hell.

There's still ash on the carpets.

And the thing to be done was to make sure your bed was clean and made. You weren't all that OCD when it comes to keeping your bed clean, but you wanted to come home to a lovely fragrance, not sweat.

Once the bed was made and the air was filled with the smell of a fragrant rose, you smiled at your work. Sure, you were a bit---lazy at times, but when you wanted something done, it got done, no matter the obstacle.

On some occasions, of course.

With the job done, you turn away from the bed and begin to make your way to the door. But just as you reach to touch the knob, your eyes find their way to a photograph, standing on your dresser top.

You hoof moves away from the door knob, and you begin to walk towards the photograph. Upon picking it up, you realize exactly what it is, and you blush, somewhat heavily.

It was a picture---no...the picture of Rainbow Dash, sitting by the Ponyville Lake, in a rather---sultry pose, most likely from some sort of exercise. The picture was about a few years old, dating back to the time of the Gabby Gums incident.

You weren't the one who had taken the picture of course, but there was a small number of ponies who could have possibly given it to you. 

One suspect was Featherweight, a scrawny-looking colt with a thing for photography; because of the fact that mostly everypony in town knows about your affection for Rainbow, that likely meant he knew as well, and tried doing something good for you. You never really approved of him invading her personal privacy, but nonetheless, you kept the photo a secret, only using it for when you really needed it.

Another guess was that an anonymous pony had taken the picture and mailed it to you, but you'd figure that there would be at least some kind of note, obviously with no signature.

But the third guess, and very likely the least plausible, was the photo had been purposely taken and given to you by Rainbow herself. Maybe she was aware that you had a thing for her early on, when she actually liked to hang out with you, and decided to give you something to remember her. There wasn't the impossibility of her having taken the photo herself; there were cameras with timers, so she could have purposely posed just for you.

But like you assumed, it was the least plausible guess in your head.

Regardless, you didn't discard the photo, and nopony except you---and whoever gave it to you---knows about it.

In honesty, this had been the first time in months that you've actually looked at this photo. You were wondering why in the world it was on the top of the dresser, in front of open windows, where anypony, even her, could just fly right by and see it in its full glory. You don't remember taking it out of the drawer. Maybe you just forgot.

For about a good minute, you took a good look at the photo. It was nothing more than Rainbow Dash staring off in a random direction, laying on the ground, clearly stretching, but with a leg in the air and the other stretched outward. With that, you were given a full view of everything down there.

You wondered how the photographer never got caught, but you assumed they were hiding in a bush.

As you looked on, you began to find your wings growing stiff as you became aroused. However, your wings were not the only thing that was stiff.

You wanted to put the picture away for now, walk it off, and get ready.

But as your arousal grew, you took a peak at the clock. 10:20 AM.

An hour and thirty minutes before you were to head to the station.

...

"I've got time," you say to yourself out loud.

As quick as you could, you closed the blinds, locked the door---just in case--- laid on the bed, held the picture in your hooves, relaxed and stretched your wings, and got to work.

Wings were better to use anyway.






Once the deed was done, you made sure to clean up and throw away any messes. By the time you were finished, it was nearly 11:30. To some, taking that much time is slow, but you like to take things slow. Makes the outcome more effective.

For the next twenty minutes, you spent your time downstairs, sitting on the couch and listening to the radio for a little bit. It wasn't old music, rather new, in fact. While you weren't a 100% fan of rock and roll, songs of the genre always manage to get your head banging.

Twenty minutes of rock and metal later, you made sure your satchel was prepared with your essentials. You double checked the place to make sure nothing was bound to leak or break or blow up---not saying it could happen, but just a precaution.

Once everything was safe and sure, you lifted the satchel strap over your head and properly fastened it.

But as you made your way to the front door, you caught a faint sight of something just beside the couch. When you looked fully at it, you realized what it was.

It was Rainbow's birthday gift---well, gift(s).

For a moment, you were thinking of wanting to just leave it here and give it to her when you get back---that is, if she forgives you by then. But the other part of you wanted to take it with you. Hoof it to her over a nice dinner, a relaxing lay in the clouds, something friendly and the like.

But as the clock began to ring once to signal ten minutes before noon, you quickly made up your mind.

Grabbing the gift, you unwrap it, revealing the satchel containing the soon-to-be-released Daring Do novel and the tickets for the upcoming Wonderbolts show. As quick as you could, you put the strap over your head and place the satchel on the other side of your body, properly fastening it. You didn't worry about her thinking of it as Daring's; not that she would really look at you during the trip much, really.

Once you were sure it was tightly secured, you open your front door, head out, close and lock it. Unfurling your wings, with a great push, you make your way to the station.

It doesn't take very long to reach the station, less than two minutes by flight. When you first reach the place, you begin to look around for the others, and for a second, you fear you were too late, that the train might have already taken off.

But not more than a minute after you arrive, you spot the train in the distance, quickly making its way towards you, before beginning to slow down and stop at its designated spot.

You watch the train intently as its side-doors open, and a great crowd of ponies flood the platform, walking in all directions. Some looked quite exhausted, while others looked refreshed and awake. Some even looked like they had way too much caffeine.

Another minute passes, and you still wonder where the others could be. Just before you make a decision to board the train and wait, you hear a voice calling out behind you.

"Over here, partner!"

Turning around, you are greeted with the Elements of Harmony walking towards you, all of them---well, almost all of them---holding cheerful smiles on their faces.






"So sorry we're late, darling," Rarity says as they reach you, "We had no idea the time got away from us."

"Actually, you're right on time," you remark, "The train just got here."

Adding onto the conversation, Twilight adds, "Well, it looks like we'll be getting first seats then."

Looking towards Twilight, the lavender unicorn gives you an appreciative wink. With a smile, you wink in return.

Not too far from where you stood, one of the train staff yells into the air.

"All aboard!"

"Well, we best get our seats. C'mon," Applejack says.

Agreeing with the mare, you and the others begin to board the train, but decided to let them to board first. There was nothing wrong with being chivalrous sometimes. Twilight giggled a bit as she walks by you. Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy smile and thank you kindly.

As Pinkie hops by, she shouts, "Thank~you~!" in a sing-song tone, hopping with less effort in order to avoid bumping into the top of the doorway. It actually made you laugh a bit.

But when Rainbow passed you by, she didn't acknowledge you in the slightest bit at all; it was as if she was pretending you didn't even exist.
You weren't expecting her to praise you for letting her on first, but you struggled to accept that such an accident could cause nothing but hatred within her for you. Of course, this has happened frequently. But do you ever mean it? No. At least to you.

Once Rainbow makes it inside, you let out a depressed sigh---the first depressed anything since two days ago, really---you folloq her and shut the door behind you.

Now inside, you begin to take a good look at the cabin. Sure, you've been inside trains before with the occasional seats and aisles, but never had you really been inside the back areas of a train, the cabins that held not just seats, but beds too, likely for those long trips to farther away towns and cities, Manehattan being an example. According to Twilight, the train won't reach the city until tonight, nearly close to midnight, so the only usefulness for these beds would be mostly for a quick nap.

As the seven of you got prepared for the train's departure, a thought came up, and you just had to ask.

"Uh, where is your luggage?" Your question prompts an answer from Rarity.

"Oh, we've left it with Spike, of course. He's in the back, making sure it's all put away. Such a good little helper. Ooh, do be a dear and see if he's alright, could you?"

For a moment, you hesitate, but you promptly volunteer and decide to head back to the storage cabin.

And for the first time in nearly a week, you hear Rainbow talk to you from behind. "Just don't burn anything while you're back there, alright?" 

Her voice clearly hints slight mockery.

You ignore her statement and make your way to the next cabin behind, the second-to-last of the train. As you transition your way from one cabin to the next, you begin to hear Rarity faintly talk about "how rude that was," before her voice fades out.

As you enter the storage car, while you can hear the noise of the train beginning to move beneath you, the sound of struggling grunts fills the distance. You knew quickly who it was and decide to go see how he was doing. Following the noise, you eventually turn a small corner of suitcases and come across Spike, only now lifting the last of what must have been Rarity's luggage onto the pile. Listening closely, you can clearly tell he was out of breath.

And honestly, you couldn't blame him, looking at the several cases that belonged to Rarity. Why bring all of this stuff? She probably wouldn't use a fourth of it.

With a bit of worry, you say, "Spike?"

In a sudden spasm of fear, Spike screams and falls to the ground, clearly surprised beyond belief. While the impact of his fall was felt, it wasn't anything to tilt the small tower of baggage.

You had to hold a hoof to your mouth to keep yourself from laughing aloud. A faint snicker did come out, but it was so quiet, not even Spike could have heard it, especially with the train's racket.

Deciding to be a bit of a smart-ass, you ask the fallen dragon, "Having a bit of a nap there?"

Looking up at you, clearly embarrassed, Spike begins to blush and chuckle with a clear awkwardness to his voice.





"H-Heheh... Well, I could use one right about now..."

His nervous response brings a bit of a chuckle to your throat, and you decide to help him up. His blush goes away and the awkwardness slightly fades. As you look on to the pile of luggage, you ask him if he carried all of this into the train.

You shouldn't have been surprised that he said, "Yep," yet you were.

"... And none of them decided to help you?" you ask.

"Well, Rainbow Dash brought one of them in, but that was it."

As much as you were upset with her, you still had to chuckle just a little bit, sigh, and add to his statement.

"Typical Rainbow."

Spike laughs a little bit along with your saying, but it remains quiet for a few short moments. When Spike talks, his voice contains a more serious tone to it.

"So... how's it with you and her?"

For a minute, you were considering lying to him, telling him that things were a little better than a few days ago. But as you could see, Spike may be young, but he's not dumb.

"... Not good," you reply after a moment to catch your words, "She still hates me."

"Seriously? After five days, she still won't even talk about it?"

"Well, she kinda insulted me about it a minute ago, so I guess some progress?"

With a frustrated groan, Spike rubs his eyes. "Why can't she just get over the fact that it happened? I've burnt down tons of things by accident, yet I never get yelled at! ... Okay, well, maybe sometimes I get yelled at, but at this point, it's just ridiculous! She just needs to grow up and make up!"

"It's not that easy, Spike," you remark after his little rant, "You're a dragon. Obviously, you're going to have some kind of flammable accident from time to time. But me? I'm a Pegasus. A pony. Not a dragon. Sure, accidents happen, but... I seem to cause an accident every time I step out the front door."

With a defeated sigh, you look to the floor.

"I don't think she's ever going to forgive me for this." For a few moments, you continue to look down at the wooden floor of the car, trying to keep your spirits up, but no matter what, you felt yourself growing sad again.

But then as Spike put his claw on your shoulder, it made you look up. As you looked to him, he removes his claw from your shoulder, but he shows a caring smiles towards you.

"Rainbow Dash may be a pain most of the time," he begins, "and even though she's being a pain right now, she'll forgive you... sooner or later."

"And you're sure about that?" I ask him, unconvinced and somewhat joking at the same time.

"Of course! Trust my gut!"

You laugh a little as Spike pats his gut a couple of times. As he looks back to you, he holds one of his claws up into a fist, looking for a hoof-bump.





"So relax, alright bro?"

It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for Spike to call you his 'bro' every now and then. Upon first arriving in Ponyville, he was one of the first you had met, and whenever you had time, you would visit him, your friendship growing stronger with each visit. Eventually, a month after you arrived in town, as a friendly gesture of trust, he decided on doing a hoof-bump, which you found nothing wrong with. And every day since then, you two have done it as a sign of trust.

As the two of you bumped hoof-to-fist, Spike felt his stomach gurgle. Agreeing on grabbing something to snack on, he asks you if you were coming back to the car.

"In a little bit," you reply, "I'm gonna hang out at the end for a little by myself."

"Alright then. Later."

Spike turned away in the opposite direction from you and headed back into the car with the girls, while you went in the opposite direction from him and made your way to the very end of the train, the next car over.

As you enter the car, you are greeted with a fancy looking decorative cabin. To the left were a couple of comfortable looking beds with a couple of chairs next to them. Still to the left, but close to the back exit, was a table, with long seats attached to the structure. To the right, there was a sink, a furnace, a mini-fridge, and even a toilet. You were a bit curious on where exactly pony waste went, but you've always assumed there was a series of tanks connected throughout the train that would be stored and dumped once full.

Note to self: Ask Twilight next time.

Walking over to one of the beds, you place a hoof gently onto it, feeling the texture and softness of the mattress. It was almost as soft as the mattress back home.

With a little yawn, you decide to just hop onto the bed and relax for a little while. Dash clearly didn't want to have you in her sights, so you let her have her 'alone' time.

As you land on the mattress, you are over taken by the sheer softness of it, encasing you in pure bliss. It wasn't just almost like the one back home; it was better than the one back home.

Getting yourself comfortable, you lay flat on your back, letting your hind legs reach the hind-hoof end of the bed. Looking up to the ceiling, you notice a little chandelier, gently rocking about to the train's movements. The movement of the train itself was gentle and calm; it was a little strange, but at least you weren't being rocked about by boulder-sized bumps.

In fact, the movement of the train was gentle enough to tire you even further. Already, you could feel yourself beginning to drift off from the rocking.

It wasn't long before your eyes closed. You felt a good nap would be a bit nice, just to make the trip a little shorter.

But as you were in the middle of losing consciousness, you heard the sound of the door---not the exit door---beginning to open up. You didn't open your eyes, as you hoped you'd be asleep before the pony even entered.

However, once the country accent spoke your name, you had no choice but to open your eyes and look at the very pony who spoke to you. But once you opened your eyes, Applejack was already sitting on the bed beside you, looking at you with questionable eyes.

"Tired?"

It was the first question she spoke to you, to which you replied with an 'Mmm-Hmm,' nodding your head slowly. It made Applejack laugh a little, but then it was awkwardly silent except for the train moving.

Applejack was not looking at you directly, but to the side, the ceiling, the bed, out the windows, and other places. Eventually, her eyes found their way back to you.

A few moments later, her face scrunched up slightly, and with an awkwardness to it, she asked, "Can we talk about somethin'?"

You raised an eyebrow a little at the question, but nonetheless, you let her talk. Again she went with the looking around, but you knew she was likely thinking of either something to say or a way to say something. Either way, it was a bit cute to you.

"Ah... W-... Well..."

She was unable to get more than a word out of her mouth without stuttering in what seemed to be embarrassment or nervousness. But you only asked yourself why she would be embarrassed.

And then after a few seconds, she got her words out.

"Why do you have a picture of Rainbow Dash?"

'''

So that was why the picture was on the stand.

As she asked that question, your eyes opened wide, your pupils dilated, and your face turned red in sheer embarrassment. Already, you were beginning to stammer and have trouble responding to the question.

When you did get ready to respond, you had no idea how to even put it in words or make it even believable.

So you waited a few more seconds for the suddenness to fade away, and when you felt as though you could talk somewhat normally again, you asked her.

"H-... How do you know about the picture?"

Well, you did know how she knew, but you wanted to hear how she even managed to find it to begin with.

"Well... you said Ah could use your bathroom, so Ah just walked upstairs, went into the bathroom, and there it was, just sittin' on the counter."

So that's where you left it. You always had the assumption it had been in the drawer the whole time, but it was really on the bathroom counter. How come you never noticed it? Or maybe you did notice it and never thought of it as being something that guests should never find.

Either way, you were quite embarrassed, your blushing face showing it. Applejack apologized for even bringing it up, but at the same time, promised that your secret was safe with her, that she would never tell anypony, even Dash.

So really, the problem solved itself, but said discussion wasn't over. You never really answered her first question, and she reminded you of that.

With no way to really change the subject, you decide to answer her question, but in the best way you possibly could.

"I don't really know who took it. It just kinda appeared in my mailbox one day."

With an eyebrow raised, she asked, "Really?" However, it sounded like a mixture of 'I understand' and 'I don't believe a thing you're saying'.

Regardless, you kept explaining. "Yyyeah. I woke up one morning to get the mail and... well, there it was, in a little envelope. The one thing that was a bit... off was the fact that the envelope had no signature. Like, there was no name, no address nothing. I still don't know who did it, but they can tell I like her. I mean, it was still a few months after I moved to Ponyville, so I just kinda assumed it was... her, maybe, that sent it to me. I kept it a secret and that was that."

Applejack blushed a little, but she managed to keep her composure. "Have you...um...y'know...?"

It didn't take a genius to understand what she was asking, and as awkward as it was to think of, you just decided to answer her question and get it over with.

"I... yes? I mean, I... ... Yeah."

The farmer's face became flushed and dark with red. She shifted a little in the bed, but for some reason, it didn't seem much like it was of discomfort, but you didn't think anything of it, so you shrugged it off.

Another few seconds of silence passed before Applejack had suddenly announced that she was going to head back to the others.

"You comin'?"

With a tired outlet, you reply, "Maybe in a little bit. I'm just gonna lay here for a bit."

"Alright then."

Turning around, Applejack headed for the car door. Opening it, she passed through and shut it behind her. But as you watched her leave, it seemed like she was in a bit of a hurry to go. You didn't know why, really, but you were too tired to think into it.

You let it go and decided to re-position yourself in the bed to get yourself comfortable again. Once you felt relaxed, you once again closed your eyes, the slight bumping of the train seeming to massage your body all around, bringing you closer to sleep.

But as you finally drift off into dreamland, a scent slowly, but surely, caught your fading attention. You couldn't put it into a thought or word, but it was a strange scent. Somewhat enticing, you could say.

It smelled like... like...

... Apples.







Waking up wasn't special or surprising, just normal as usual. The smell was gone, thank Celestia. But thinking of it now, you assume you were just hallucinating the scent. It wasn't a bad or foul smell; it was rather nice, in fact. Sweet.

A little too sweet for your nose, perhaps.

You stayed in the car for a few more minutes, just enjoying the sound of the train engine and the gentle bumps here and there, before deciding to head back to see what the others had been up to.

Getting up from the bed, you turn around and properly make it, making sure it was as tidy as it was before. Once that was done, you took a look at the clock to see how long you had slept for.

The time was near one-thirty, so you had slept for well over an hour.

A little early, you think.

Whenever you napped, it was always, or always around, three hours long. Sometimes, you were refreshed, but other times, you still wanted to just go back and sleep longer.

However, there were slim chances of sleeping for more or less than you wanted. One time, you took a nap at noon and didn't wake up until midnight. It nearly ruined your sleeping schedule, but it was fixable.

Once you took a note of the time, you left the car and continued back to the others. When you arrived at the car, the girls had been busy eating what must have been lunch: Cucumber sandwiches, Egg-Salad sandwiches, potato chips, Prench Fries, and even lemonade.

Not to mention some cupcakes for later, of course.

Twilight was the first to see you and said, "Hey! You came just in time! We saved a seat for you!"

With a hoof, she patted a free hoof on a seat next to hers.

A seat next to Rainbow Dash.

Who was looking away from you.

Still angry, you can tell.

But regardless, you weren't going to sit on any of the beds. As long as you were sitting next to Twilight---or any of them, rather---you were fine. She could deal with it for a little bit.

Heading over to the group, you sit down right in between Twilight and Rainbow. The seat, upon first sitting down, was a bit cushion-y and comfortable.

Looking over the assortment of sandwiches and chips, you wonder what you really want to have first.

It wasn't long before you chose the Egg-Salad sandwich. They were always your favorite, hooves-down, so you could never resist. 

Taking a bite into the bread, the moment that Egg-Salad touched your taste-buds, it was better than laying in a bed by a long shot.

The taste was too good, in fact, you closed your eyes and unknowingly moaned a little from the delicacy. For a second, you thought it was a quiet one, that none of them could hear it.

But opening your eyes again, you found them, all of them---even Rainbow---looking at you funny. Rarity looked like she was about to cry out in laughter.

"What, did that turn you on or something?" Rainbow asked, her question not being insulting, but sounding more of a joke, rather. You knew it was offensive, regardless.

Other than blushing heavily, you couldn't respond, at least until you swallowed your food. When you did, you laughed a little, clearly embarrassed.

Twilight could see your embarrassment, and trying to save your plot, tried to change the subject.

"So---how long will it take to get to Manehattan?"

Rarity, seeming to have already forgotten you, replied, "It shouldn't be too too long. If we don't come across any trouble, we should be at the city by morning, assuming the stops aren't too long."

Looking towards you, the mare continues, "Oh, you are going to looove Manehattan, darling! It's everypony's dream to be there! It has everything you could ever want!"

Taking another bite into your sandwich, you look up at Rarity and smile as you swallow.

"Can't wait."

Then not more than a couple seconds later, Rainbow pushes her plate slightly forward and leaves the little table, flying up and laying in her bed. All of you saw her leave, but none of you said anything.

You had assumptions that she left simply because of you. But you didn't say anything about it, and neither did the others, so you continued to eat.

A minute or so passed before the girls began to engage in conversation again. You talked every now and again, but not as much as they had. You played games with them, such as Tic-Tac-Toe or Charades, and you even listened to Twilight as she talked to you about something historical. It was mostly Starswirl The Bearded, but other times, it was something else. It was always interesting to learn what she knows.

After a couple of hours, you found yourself growing a bit sad. Eventually, you didn't want to play any games or hear any piece of history.

You just wanted to lay down and look out the window.

For a couple of hours, you did just that. The girls did notice at some point, and Twilight even asked if you were okay, and you said, even promised, that you were fine.

It was only a little true.

By the time it was nine o'clock, you found it a bit difficult to see out into the distance, so you decided to look up at the bottom of the top bunk bed. Crossing your hooves over your stomach, you stared at the bottom for Celestia-knows-how-long.

The girls were still talking and playing at the table. Even Spike jumped in a couple of hours back. But here you were, in your bed, just laying down and staring at that same bottom.

Just staring, and staring.

...

With a sigh, you get up from the bed and let out your wings. With gentle flutters, you hover upward until you are level with Rainbow's bed. She's staring out the window, but seeing her reflection, you notice she's still angry.

However---at the same time, you can see...

...Sadness.

She looks up and sees you through the reflection, and that sadness seems to fade.

Sighing, she asks, "What do you want?"

You look her for a few seconds, trying to figure out the words to say, but can only usher a single question.

"Can we talk?"

She continues to look at you through the reflection, but after a couple of seconds, she looks away from you and covers her head with a pillow.

Her voice, while muffled, says, "There's nothing to talk about. Just leave me alone."

You hover there for a few seconds, deciding whether or not go back to your bed or try to coax her into talking to you.

It didn't take much brain-power for you to choose.

"I want to apologize"

And you wish you chose the former.

In a huff of anger, Rainbow jumped off her bed and flared out her wings.

"Are you an idiot? Do you not pay attention to anyone, or are you so deaf that you didn't hear me the first time?"

"I... I-"

"Let me make this real clear to you, buddy. I. Don't.  Care. About. Your. Apology! I said LEAVE ME ALONE. What part of that did you not understand?!"

"But... I just wanted to-"

"NO! I don't care about your STUPID apology! Do something right for once and leave me the buck alone!"

Almost immediately, the whole car goes silent. Pinkie and Rarity stop playing their game, Twilight stops teaching to Fluttershy, Applejack is woken up in shock, and Spike just... stares. As do you.

Rainbow quickly found herself becoming the center of attention. It seemed like the first time she didn't want it. With a frustrated 'UGH', she unfurls her wings and flies off, heading to the back of the train.

For a few more seconds, you sit there, staring at the place where Rainbow was sitting. Then slowly, you return to your bed and with a gentle 'plop', you sit down and look out the window. And that's all you do.

Twilight called out your name, but all you could do in response was rest your head against the window pane and tell them you were fine. Of course, it was a lie.

Eventually, one of the girls comes up to you and sits right next to you. You don't bother to look, nor do you tell them to leave you alone. You just let them sit there. But after a few seconds, they wrap their forelegs around you and pull you into their grasp.

"C'mere, sugar-cube."

Embraced in the hug, you opened your eyes and find yourself held against Applejack's warm fur. She held you close to her, as close as she could.

"I'm sorry... I just wanted to..."

And like she was your own mother, she comforted you with words of her own as she rubbed your back.

"It's alright, sugar-cube... It's alright..."

For a while, you and Applejack sat there on the bed, hugging, apologizing, and accepting over and over again. You didn't want to cry. You felt it weak. You wanted to laugh at the irony of that as you sit pressed against your friend. How pathetic you looked, right?

"Don't say that."

You said that out loud. Of course you did.

In that moment, for that one night, there was no happiness or laughter, nor was there fun had all that much for the remainder of the night.

It wasn't supposed to be like that. You just wanted to say you were sorry.