Applejack spat the black liquid back into the cup, scrunching up her face in disgust. She levelled a look at Rainbow Dash across the breakfast table. “'S bitter.”
“Uh, yeah,” said Rainbow, lifting her own mug. “It's supposed to be bitter. Helps to wake you up in the morning.”
“I'm already up,” Applejack drawled. “You thought of addin' milk or sugar?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “If it tasted nice, it wouldn't work.” She took a swig from her own mug, and her face creased a little.
Applejack's mouth quirked up at one side. “You hate it.”
Rainbow snorted. “Do not.”
“Uh, yes you do,” said Applejack. “Why do you bother drinkin' the stuff if you don't even like it?”
“Because my only other options are apple juice, apple cider or apple liqueur?”
Applejack raised a brow at Rainbow's barb. Rainbow either didn't notice, or just ignored it, and took another sip of her coffee. Her eyes, Applejack noticed, were rimmed with red, and her expression was glum and grumpy. It always was in the morning.
“...Hey, Dash,” Applejack said, putting an effort of will behind the words. Rainbow was slow to respond, but she did blink and raise her head, managing a weak smile. “You can go back to bed if ya want. I know I give ya hassle, but I don't mean nothin' by it. If ya need to sleep in, it's alright--”
“I don't,” said Rainbow shortly. She shrugged and shook her head. “I don't.”
Applejack just stared at her. Rainbow never was good at lying, least of all to her. She hated mornings, it was obvious to anyone. It was just as obvious that the only reason she got up this morning was because Applejack did. It made her feel a little guilty.
Rainbow's eyes said that she could hear the thoughts going through Applejack's head. She let out a sigh and turned her eyes down to her mug. There was a long silence.
“I hate coffee,” Rainbow said finally.
“Ya don't say.”
“And yeah, I've never been too fond of mornings, either. Heck, before I met you, I was hardly ever awake to see the sunrise, unless it was because I was out partying all night...”
Applejack let out a breath and raised a hoof. “Then why--”
“That was before I met you,” Rainbow continued. “Since we started dating, mornings are different. They're still a pain in the flank, and they still make me grumpy and tired, I can't help that until the coffee kicks in. But they're something else too.”
A curious frown had made its way onto Applejack's face. “What else?”
“I used to wake up thinking about work, or flight camp, or whatever, and always want to go straight back to sleep.” Rainbow started batting her mug softly between her two hooves. “But now, you know what the first thing on my mind every morning is?”
Applejack said nothing.
“You,” Rainbow confirmed. “If I know I'm gonna be spending time with you, I wake up first thing and can't get back to sleep, no matter how tired I am. Waking up to your voice at five AM might be painful, but if you gave me the choice between two hours of Applejack and two hours of sleep, I'd choose you every time.
“So yeah, I hate coffee. But it wakes me up.” Rainbow lifted the mug again and smiled over it at Applejack. “And I'll take a little bitterness if it means I get to spend more time awake with you.”