Lost Time

by bookplayer


For the First Time

Tank stuck his head out of his shell with a pop. Sky laughed.

Rainbow smiled and shook her head.

They were sitting in a sunny spot on the living room floor, where light flooded in from the clear sky outside. Applejack was out there somewhere doing farm stuff, while Rainbow played with Sky and Tank. It had been a few days since she and AJ had their day out, and the fourth sign of the zap apples still hadn’t shown up. Applejack was starting to grumble about that, but underneath the complaining there was a light in her eyes. Rainbow knew; she was looking for it to make sure.

This was the eighth time in a row Tank stuck his head out, and Sky still thought it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. But Rainbow could see Tank’s head was starting to droop; he was ready for a nap, so Sky was going to have to find something else to do for a while.

 “Alright, kiddo,” Rainbow said, scooping Sky up in her foreleg. “Break time for Tank.”

The kid wasn’t light; she was going to have some serious muscle soon. She looked around the living room for something to distract him while Tank slowly made his way to the safety of behind the couch.

Her eyes landed on the bookshelf. The lowest shelf was full of kids’ books, a lot of them beat up or chewed after being handled by three careless mouths and sets of hooves.

“Let’s read a book. How about…” She looked at the shelf. Half of the books sounded like what happened when you asked Fluttershy how her day was: Fluffy Bunny Learns to Hop, What Mr. Sparrow Said, A Little Field Mouse Built a House. The other half looked like Pinkie wrote them after a two-week candy bender. A few days ago Rainbow had found My First Adventure, a Daring Do book they made for little kids. She tried it for three days, but Sky totally wasn’t into it. She figured they could come back to it later.

But right now she needed something that Sky would pay attention to. She glanced up, and noticed the shelf of photo albums. There was an idea… She’d been getting kind of curious about them anyway.

Rainbow pulled an album off the shelf and held it up for him. “How about we look at this? You like pictures.”

Sky looked at it and chewed on his hoof, so she took that as an okay. She flew over to the couch with the album in one foreleg and the baby in the other. Sitting sideways on the couch, she nestled Sky in front of her. His baby wings tickled a little when he twitched them, but she didn’t mind. It was kind of nice knowing he was comfortable there.

She laid the album in front of them both and opened it.

On the first page was a large picture of her and Applejack. She was wearing a Wonderbolts dress uniform, starched and pressed and looking sharp. Applejack was wearing a white gown, and they stood next to each other in front of an arch formed by two apple trees in bloom.

What really made Rainbow pause was the smile on her own face. She didn’t recognize it. She looked at herself a lot—she was one of her favorite things to look at—but she’d never seen herself smile like that.

She wanted that smile. It was everything she’d ever wanted to be, strong and dedicated and proud. With that smile, she knew she would be unbeatable; anything she’d said she would do was as good as done. But she wouldn’t even have to, because that smile said she’d already won everything she ever wanted.

Rainbow blushed, but Sky didn’t notice. “Okay, so… That’s Mommy and Mama. And it looks like this is when we got married.”

She turned the page to find pictures of the Apple family and their friends, all dressed to the nines. She pointed to first one, then the other. “And this is Uncle Mac, and Aunt Bloom, and that’s Granny Smith. She died before you were born. This one is Twilight and Pinkie and Fluttershy and Rarity. And they’re all dressed up for the wedding. I bet Rarity made those.”

“And this is Spitfire and Soarin. They used to fly with…” She paused. Had they flown with her, really? Or with that pony in the uniform? “With Mommy when she was a Wonderbolt. And this is Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.”

The next pages were big portraits of Applejack and her. She frowned slightly. There was that smile on her face again.

“And this is your Mama. She looks awesome, right?” Rainbow smiled at Sky. “That’s a trick question, your Mama always looks awesome. And this is Mommy. That’s a really cool-looking uniform, isn’t it? You could wear one someday, ya know. Just work those wings.”

Sky pounded a little hoof on the book and tried to crawl across it, but Rainbow pulled him back with one foreleg. “I meant later.”

She turned the page in the album. The picture was of her and Applejack during the ceremony, standing in front of Princess Celestia. Applejack was looking at the princess, but Rainbow was just smiling at Applejack. “And this is Mama and Mommy at the altar. And it looks like Princess Celestia was doing the wedding.”

On the other side of the page was a picture of her and Applejack locked in a deep kiss. Rainbow bit her lip; she’d only kissed Applejack like that once, and it hadn’t gone well. “And this… this is right after they got married.”

Rainbow moved on quickly. Sky probably didn’t want to see his moms doing that anyway.

There were some snapshots from the reception next. Rainbow grinned and pointed to one. “This is the party. That’s Mommy smushing cake into Mama’s face, and… I don’t think Mommy was supposed to do that.” She chuckled a little at the expression on Applejack’s face. Then she pointed to the next one, of Applejack dumping a glass of champagne on Rainbow’s head. “And this is Mama getting even. You can always count on her for that.”

“And… this is Mommy and Mama dancing.” There was that smile again; this time Rainbow had her eyes closed while she and Applejack held each other.

“And looking at each other. And…” Rainbow trailed off, partially because she wasn’t sure what they were doing in all of the pictures; talking to ponies, standing there, sitting next to each other. But it was more because she was distracted. In most of the pictures, she was looking at Applejack with that smile that she’d never smiled.

Rainbow felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t smile like that, she didn’t know how to feel that. She didn’t know she could feel that.

Obviously she could. She did in the picture. Somehow.

But… what if she couldn’t? She wasn’t that pony. What if she’d missed whatever important thing would let her feel like that? What if she could never give Applejack that smile? Applejack would know it. She’d figure it out eventually.

And there was no way Rainbow could compete with that smile.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. What was she even thinking? That was the pony Applejack loved. That was Leaf and Cider and Sky’s mom, the pony who could smile like that. Rainbow felt like… a fake. She looked like the real thing, probably acted like it most of the time, but she didn’t have it inside.

Applejack had to know it. It made Rainbow wonder why AJ even agreed to go out with her. She thought about canceling the date, but she couldn’t do that. Maybe AJ thought she’d be leaving soon, and it wouldn’t matter. That would be fine, they could have a good time together. But… if Rainbow never got to go home, this was the pony she had to be, for AJ and the kids.

She’d just have to figure out how to be that.

Without realizing it, she’d flipped to the end of the album. On the last page was a picture of Winona with a rainbow bow around her collar sitting next to Tank, who was wearing a red bow tied around his propeller.

“And that’s—” Rainbow pointed, but Sky slammed his hoof down on the picture.

“Tak!” he said, grinning.

Rainbow blinked. It almost sounded like he said… She shook her head and pointed to the tortoise. “Who’s that, Sky?”

“Tak!” he said. Then he looked around the room. “Tak Tak Tak?”

Rainbow set the foal on the floor, then scooped Tank out from behind the couch. He poked his head out, blinking drowsily. Rainbow pointed at the real Tank this time. “Sky, who’s this?”

“Tak!” Sky squealed.

“That’s right!” Rainbow grinned and lifted the foal as she flew into the air. He laughed as she spun him around. “You know a word! And Tank is an awesome first word.”

Looking at his giggling face, she felt like she was going to burst. Part of it was that he was so awesome. Not only did he figure out a pretty huge thing like talking, but he totally recognized how cool Tank was. She hoped they’d always be best buddies as he grew up, just a colt and his tortoise, palling around Ponyville.

But on top of that, she was there. She was an awesome mom, looking at pictures with her foal, and it had obviously been the right thing to do. She hadn’t managed to mess him up, she gave him the things he needed, and he was growing up like he was supposed to. He was safe and happy and totally a genius, and part of that was because she was there.

A little dark cloud in the back of her mind reminded her that part of it, most of it probably, was because of that pony in the pictures, and it was sad she was missing this. But Rainbow pushed that away. That pony had tons of moments like this, with Leaf and Cider, and other things Sky had done. This was hers, forever, and she needed it. It was proof that she could do this.

Spinning the kid around was making her forelegs tired, but she didn’t care. She shifted Sky into one foreleg and grabbed Tank in the other. “Come on, guys, let’s go show AJ.”

• • •

“TAAAAAAAAAK!” Sky wailed.

Rainbow grit her teeth. He was in the foal carrier at her side, so it was practically in her ear.

Then Leaf let out a cough like he might have been possessed by something they’d need the Elements of Harmony to get rid of.

It was supposed to be the night of Rainbow’s date with AJ. She was supposed to be halfway to Fluttershy’s right now, to drop the kids off for the evening. But Sky had recently decided that he wouldn’t be separated from Tank, and he was making this known at top volume, while Leaf had come home from school with a runny nose. He promised both Applejack and Rainbow Dash that he was okay, but that cough sounded the opposite of okay.

And Cider had disappeared sometime within the last ten minutes. She was waiting by the door last time Rainbow had checked, but now Rainbow was there with the colts and Cider was nowhere in sight.

“Cider! It’s time to go!”

There was no answer.

Rainbow knew she couldn’t have gone upstairs; that’s where Rainbow had just been, helping Leaf find the very specific paper that he kept in a big stack with all the other notebooks and very specific pieces of paper. Sometimes she wondered if Leaf would get his cutie mark the first time he could actually find whatever trick he was looking for.

But if Cider wasn’t upstairs, she’d either gone outside, or she was in the kitchen. And she’d better be in the kitchen; she wasn’t allowed to go outside without asking somepony.

“Cider Splash! Get your tail out here!”

“TAAAAAAAAAAK! Tak Tak Tak!” Sky shouted, almost drowning Rainbow out. He kicked his little hooves, and the steady thumping against her side was starting to give her a bruise.

Rainbow glanced at the clock. She wanted this date to be special for Applejack. She didn’t want to have to rush through dinner, or not have time to take the walk she had planned. She wanted to do whatever it took to make a spark that would let her feel like she had in those pictures.

Maybe she could ask Fluttershy to keep the kids overnight…

Leaf coughed again.

…and give Leaf some cough medicine.

She glanced toward the kitchen. Cider had to be in there. “Cider! If you’re in the kitchen, and I come in there, I’m not going to be a happy pony!” She marched across the living room to the kitchen door.

Rainbow stepped inside and her mouth fell open.

The floor where her hoof landed was wet and sticky. The floor was wet and sticky because it was covered in honey, which was because a large honey pot on the counter was lying on its side, slowly dripping down the cabinets into a spreading puddle on the floor. There was a trail of small hoofprints going from that puddle to the sink, where the water was running and splashed all over the counter and floor. From there a trail of honey and water led to the door where Rainbow was standing, and finally under the kitchen table, where it seemed to end.

Rainbow looked at the table and narrowed her eyes as Sky continued to cry in her ear.

“Get out here. Now,” Rainbow growled.

Cider slowly appeared from beneath the table, covered mane to tail in honey, except her wings, which were dripping water. Her eyes were as large as a filly could make them, and she looked up at Rainbow. “I was trying to clean it up.”

Rainbow closed her eyes and physically fought the urge to scream.

“Dash?” Applejack’s voice came from the other room, barely audible over Sky’s continued crying. “I thought y’all were leavin’…”

“Don’t come in here, AJ. You’ll get all sticky,” Rainbow called back.

“Sticky? What in Equestria…” Applejack appeared in the doorway, and her mouth fell open exactly as Rainbow’s had as she took in the scene.

Cider bit her lip and glanced between them, as Applejack’s eyes narrowed.

“Cider,” she said slowly. “What did I tell you ’bout the honey?”

Cider looked down. “Not to touch it.”

“So just what were you doin’ in here?” Applejack went on, her stare never leaving the filly.

“I was making sure there was enough for the zap apple jam,” Cider said, glancing at the wall.

For a moment, the only sound was Sky’s crying, then Applejack said, “Did you just lie to me?”

Cider looked up and glanced around frantically before they landed on Rainbow. “Mommy sometimes lies to you!”

Rainbow’s eyes went wide. “Hey, leave me out of this!”

Applejack ignored her and raised an eyebrow at Cider. “And when your mommy lies she gets herself in plenty of trouble. Now you get on upstairs to the bathroom and get ready for a bath. And you ain’t gettin’ dessert for a week.”

“But—” Cider started with a quivering lip.

“NOW!” Applejack shouted and stomped her hoof.

Cider hopped into the air and zoomed between Applejack and Rainbow, then through the living room and up the stairs.

Applejack looked over at Rainbow and sighed.

Rainbow closed her eyes and nodded. “You clean her up, I’ll get Sky put to bed and then head over and tell Fluttershy we’re not going out.”

Behind her, Leaf started coughing again.

Rainbow turned around and walked over to him, giving him a nudge toward the stairs. “You oughta get in bed, too. You need some rest. I’ll bring you some cough syrup or something.”

• • •

Rainbow got back from Fluttershy’s to find Applejack sitting in the living room. There were no books open; she seemed to just be waiting for Rainbow to get home. Her mane and coat were damp from Cider’s bath, but she was smiling.

Rainbow gave a half-smile back. “Hey. Cider in bed?”

Applejack nodded. “She sure is. And I checked on Leaf, and took him up some hot tea. And Sky’s stayed asleep. I dunno how you did that, he was right worked up when you took him up there.”

Rainbow sighed. “I stuck Tank in the crib with him. I just couldn’t deal anymore.”

“Can’t argue with results.” Applejack chuckled. “So, ready for our date?”

Rainbow blinked. “Uh… we can’t go out. We’ve got a house full of foals.”

“And a kitchen to clean, too.” Applejack nodded. Then she stood up with a grin. “Good thing I ain’t a fancy pony.”

“You want our first date to be cleaning the kitchen?” Rainbow stared at her. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

Applejack shrugged. “I reckon a date’s more about the company than where ya go or what ya do. The kids are in bed, so me and you got a whole evenin’ together.”

Rainbow raised her eyebrows. “It doesn’t seem very awesome.”

“Maybe not, but it can still be good. Come on.” Applejack smiled and motioned to the kitchen door as she headed inside.

Rainbow followed her in. All of the mess was where they left it: puddles of honey, trails of water, sticky hoofprints. Applejack frowned at the honey pot and shook her head, then pulled a mop and bucket and a sack of rags out of the broom closet. She smiled at Rainbow.

“How ’bout you start over there, and I’ll try and get up this mess of honey?”

Rainbow nodded and grabbed the mop. “Sure.” She filled the bucket of water in the sink, and started cleaning up the sticky hoofprints by the door.

There was silence for a moment. Rainbow felt like she had to say something to AJ; this was a date after all. She looked over at where Applejack was crouched down, using rags to scoop up the honey.

“So… you look good tonight.”

Applejack gave a small laugh. “Thanks. You ain’t too shabby yourself.”

Rainbow frowned, thinking about how this was supposed to have been. “I was gonna brush my mane for you.”

“That’s okay, I like it wild.”

“You do, huh?” Rainbow smirked in Applejack’s direction.

Applejack looked over her shoulder and smirked right back. “You shoulda guessed that.”

Rainbow grinned. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

Applejack turned back to the mess and went on, sounding casual. “So, you been thinkin’ about the Wonderbolts any more?”

“Sure,” Rainbow said, leaning on her mop. “But not as much as I was. I just haven’t had time, there’s been so much with the kids and you… but…” She hesitated. “I just feel like it’s important, ya know?”

“I know. I really do, Dash,” Applejack said, glancing over at her with sympathy. “And I meant it when I said it’s up to you. I’ll be honest, I love havin’ you around all the time. But I got married to a Wonderbolt, and I had my first foal with a Wonderbolt. I knew what I was signin’ up for, and that hasn’t changed.”

“So, the dating thing isn’t off if I join the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow asked cautiously.

“Of course not.” Applejack stood up to rinse a honey-soaked rag in the sink. “You just gotta be straight with me about what you want, and we’ll see if it all works out. And promise me you’ll be safe, I worry somethin’ fierce when you’re doin’ all them death-defyin’ tricks.”

“You totally don’t need to worry about me.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, but she had to smile. It was kinda cute. “I’m the best flyer in Equestria.”

Applejack raised her eyebrows. “Not two weeks ago you crashed so hard ya broke time, Ms. Best Flyer in Equestria.”

“Hey, that was a magic storm,” Rainbow pointed out. “Weather patrol makes sure there’s perfect weather at Wonderbolts shows.”

“Anyhow, we ain’t havin’ this fight again, I know how it goes.” Applejack smiled and shook her head. “I finally got ya to admit there’s a chance it was dangerous and promise you’d be safe. You even wrote me a letter, in case something happened in a show. But I never had reason to read it.”

Rainbow flashed a grin. “I bet it’s a blank sheet of paper, ’cause there was no way I was going to get hurt.”

Applejack chuckled. “I wonder if I’ve still got that thing. I haven’t even thought of it since you left the team.”

“Is there anything you wanna do with your life?” Rainbow wondered. “Other than the kids, I mean. Like, stuff you need me to make sure you have time to do.”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, I do got this dream of runnin’ a farm one day.”

“Bor-ing.” Rainbow grinned and got back to mopping. “Nah… living here is cooler than I would’ve thought. For a place on the ground, you have a ton of airspace, and room for all the kids, and awesome food. This farming thing isn’t half bad.”

Applejack nodded, using a dry cloth to wipe down the sink and counter. “I can see why ya never got it. There’s a lot of stiff backs and early mornin’s, and not a lot of glory. But when it comes to livin’, ya know, the part of life between the big stuff, I reckon it’s the best sorta life a pony could ask for.”

Rainbow considered that as she looked for the last signs of honey on the floor. “Yeah, that’s totally what I mean. It’s not a great place to be something, but it’s a great place to be.” Satisfied that she got all of it, she rinsed out the mop and set it outside to dry in the sun tomorrow.

“Well, you fly off and be all the somethin’ you want. I’ll make sure this place is always here when you come home lookin’ fine in that flight suit.” Applejack grinned and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down. “Or that dress uniform. Mmm, you were somethin’ in that.”

“You thought I looked good in that, huh?” Rainbow tried to sound casual, but she couldn’t help thinking about the wedding album as she joined Applejack at the table.

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, it made you look darn near respectable.”

Rainbow smirked a little uncomfortably. “I thought you like it wild?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Rainbow Dash, I know you. No matter how respectable ya might look, that’s always underneath.”

Lapsing into silence, Rainbow wondered if that was true. What if it had only been the version of her in the picture? What if she put on the dress uniform and looked awesome, but not in the way Applejack was thinking?

She took a deep breath and scooted her chair closer to Applejack with an unromantic scraping sound. Then she put a hoof to Applejack’s cheek and looked into her eyes.

“Applejack, I just want you to know… I think you’re awesome.”

“Dash, sugarcube…” Applejack said softly. “You’re gettin’ honey all over my cheek.”

Rainbow blinked. Then she shook her head as she got up to wash her hooves. “This is why I didn’t want to spend our first date cleaning.”

Applejack laughed. “So you can be smoother when you’re butterin’ me up?”

“I wasn’t buttering you up!” Rainbow protested, drying her hooves on the way back to the table. “I think you’re awesome!”

“I know ya do when you say it like that.” Applejack picked up the dish towel Rainbow had used for her hooves and wiped off her cheek. “When ya come over here and get all sappy, it’s like Cider givin’ those eyes. It means you’re up to something.”

“I’m not up to anything. I was just trying to be… I dunno.” Rainbow looked around the kitchen. “What are we gonna do for dinner?”

“I can whip somethin’ up real fast,” Applejack suggested.

Rainbow frowned. She hated to make Applejack cook on their date, but unless AJ wanted eggs with black bits, that was probably best. But she had to make this special somehow. “I could, like, set the table with candles and stuff.”

Applejack shrugged and stood up, walking to the stove and turning on the heat under the skillet. “If you want to… there’s some in a box in the closet.”

“Great!” Rainbow smiled. “Tablecloth?”

Applejack looked over her shoulder and raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Upstairs in the linen closet. But you don’t gotta—”

Rainbow wasn’t paying attention. “Do we have any wine or anything?”

After thinking for a second, Applejack answered slowly, “I got a bottle of sparklin’ cider I been savin’ for a special occasion. Ya want that?”

Rainbow’s head snapped toward Applejack. Her eyes went wide and a grin flashed across her face as she nodded vigorously.

Applejack chuckled and shook her head. “Yeah, I reckon I didn’t hafta ask. I’ll pull it out for ya.”

Rainbow flew around the house, gathering the things to set the table. While she was upstairs getting the tablecloth she took a quick detour into the bedroom to look in the mirror. Instead of brushing her mane, she used a hoof to scrunch it up; if AJ liked it wild, she’d make sure it was wild.

She headed back downstairs, where she spread the tablecloth on the table and set the candles in holders. Applejack had retrieved the bottle of sparkling cider so Rainbow added two wine glasses, along with plates for them both. The smell of roasting vegetables and spices was filling the kitchen, and it wasn’t long before Applejack brought three steaming dishes to the table.

“Got some sautéed chickpeas and zucchini, caramelized brussels sprouts, and creamed spinach with garlic,” she said with a smile.

Rainbow’s eyes went wide as her mouth started to water. “That’s your idea of whipping something up real quick?”

Applejack smiled and glanced away. “Well…”

Rainbow sat down and tucked into the table. “Well?”

“I like feedin’ ponies,” Applejack said as she sat down and pulled a dish toward her. “It makes me feel good, like I’m takin’ care of ’em. And you were goin’ to all this trouble, I had to make somethin’ nice to go with it.”

“It looks great,” Rainbow said, scooping food on her plate. It smelled even better; the chickpeas and zucchini were full of spices and mingled with the garlic from the spinach.

“So does this little set-up ya got here.” Applejack smiled and took a bite.

“I just wanted something special for a special pony.” Rainbow smiled. She wanted it to look like that smile in the wedding album, but she wasn’t sure she quite had it.

“Uh… thanks,” Applejack said, looking slightly wary. “So… other than the Wonderbolts, is there anythin’ you’re sad you missed? You were talkin’ about Pinkie’s party the other day…”

Rainbow looked into Applejack’s eyes. “Just a lot of time with you.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? I thought ya also said somethin’ about the kids…”

“I’m not worried about the kids tonight. Just you.” Rainbow rested an elbow on the table, and her chin in that hoof, trying to gaze into AJ’s eyes. It would have been a lot easier if AJ wasn’t looking at her like she was nuts.

“Rainbow Dash… what the hay are you doin’?” Applejack frowned.

Rainbow blinked and sat up. She bit her lip, and tried one more time. “Appreciating a beautiful, amazing mare?”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “You’re tryin’ to get laid, ain’t ya?”

“No! I mean, yeah, but that’s not why I said that!” Rainbow said, her eyes wide.

“Well you’re doin’ it again, bein’ all sappy.” Applejack raised her eyebrows. “What am I supposed to think?”

“That we could fall in love!” Rainbow blurted out. Then she felt her face get hot, and looked down to carefully study her dinner. She took a bite to safely occupy her mouth as she barely glanced up at Applejack.

Applejack had her head tilted to the side in confusion. “That ain’t somethin’ you gotta sweet-talk me into thinkin’. If I didn’t think that we could fall in love, I wouldn’t be on a date with ya.”

“But what if I can’t?” Rainbow asked, mostly talking to her brussels sprouts.

“Well… we go back to the plan from before,” Applejack said gently.

Rainbow looked up and swallowed a lump in her throat. “I was looking at the wedding album the other day.”

Applejack nodded. “I know. Ya left it sittin’ out.”

“I could tell that what I was feeling in those pictures was amazing.” Rainbow sighed. “You deserve that, AJ. And I wanna feel that, it looked like everything I want to be.”

“You really want that, that bad?” Applejack whispered.

Rainbow nodded and frowned. “But… I’ve never felt it before. What if I can’t? What if I missed whatever made it so I could?”

A small smile crept across Applejack’s lips. “You can’t stand lookin’ at a finish line you ain’t at yet, can ya?”

“Not if I don’t know if I can get there,” Rainbow muttered.

“That ain’t how love works.” The smile grew on Applejack’s face, and she reached over and put a hoof under Rainbow’s chin. “Ya never know if you can get to that finish line. You don’t even know where the finish line is. You find a pony you think you wanna find it with, then… you start lookin’ inside. Inside you, and inside them, and it don’t come all at once. Not love like those pictures, at least. And sugarcube? Those pictures ain’t half of it. That’s three years of lookin’, I had ya for fifteen.”

Rainbow looked into Applejack’s eyes. She wasn’t sure why AJ was smiling, that just made it seem more impossible, but AJ went on. “But, with love, ya don’t do it ’cause you’re lookin’ for the finish line. You do it ’cause you love the race.”

A memory flashed through Rainbow’s mind at those words. Running as fast as she could, hoofbeats next to her, keeping pace. No finish line, not even a real start, just a glance. Finding the fastest she could go, and finding out that the other pony could keep up.

Rainbow smiled at Applejack. It wasn’t the smile from those pictures. This was a weak smile, uncertain but hopeful. But it felt true, and she knew it was somehow related. Right now it was the closest she could come.

“AJ…” Rainbow said. “If there’s a pony next to me in a race, it’s you. And that’s the best feeling in the world.”

“Then just relax and enjoy it, Rainbow Dash. We’ll see how far we can go together.” Applejack’s hoof brushed her cheek. “And if we’re lucky, we can both win.”

They sat there like that for a long moment, until a flash from outside caught Rainbow’s eye. She turned to the window and cocked her head.

“What the hay is that?”

Applejack grinned. “The fourth sign. For the zap apples. Come here.”

She led Rainbow outside into the cool night air. The stars were bright against the dark sky, but even brighter were the meteors streaking like fireworks. Standing in the farmyard, Applejack leaned against Rainbow, warm and heavy but soft and comforting at the same time. Rainbow opened a wing and laid it over Applejack’s back, squeezing her closer.

As they watched the magic work, a strange sense of déjà vu came over Rainbow. She was sure she’d never bothered to check out the weird zap apple signs before, but this seemed familiar, and she turned toward the zap apple orchard seconds before the trees lit up with blue sparks like a science experiment. She nudged Applejack, who turned to look, a huge grin on her face.

“It’s right pretty at night, ain’t it?” she whispered.

“Yeah…” Rainbow said slowly.

“I reckon I oughta send for Apple Bloom. The harvest oughta start in the next few days.” Applejack laid her head against Rainbow’s. “But I reckon that can wait ’til tomorrow.”

She started to slowly sink to a sitting position, and nudged Rainbow to do the same. They sat in the dark yard for the rest of the meteor shower, and afterward they stayed there looking at the stars. The back door was open behind them in case a foal came looking, but they were all quiet.

Applejack and Rainbow were quiet for a long time, too. Rainbow was thinking about zap apples, and about Applejack, and about first dates. Applejack had said that the fourth sign had come on their first first date, the one Rainbow had never been on.

Rainbow wondered if she’d ever go on that date, with a young Applejack who didn’t know what love was, or the pony Rainbow would turn into, but started feeling it anyway. That AJ had seen something different about her, and Rainbow wondered if it was what she learned here. She knew if she went back now, she’d treat AJ way differently—these past two weeks had been a crash course, in more ways than one—and the more time she spent with the pony she knew AJ would grow into, the more she understood how she could be there for AJ, how she could grow into the pony in those pictures.

She wondered if she should tell this Applejack about why she was here, what she’d done to the zap apple weather, and why.

Applejack’s head was resting on Rainbow’s shoulder. Rainbow looked down at her face. Her eyes were closed, and she wore a peaceful expression. Rainbow knew that wouldn’t stay there if she spoke up. There was a good chance telling her would ruin everything.

But Rainbow knew that if she did end up staying here, there was a good chance that not telling her would ruin everything. And… if she was going to ruin everything, it should probably be for a better reason than wanting to get laid for a while. A reason like trying to be the pony in that picture.

“Applejack?” she whispered, hoping that AJ would be asleep and not respond.

“Mmm?” Applejack said, her eyes opening slightly.

“AJ… I, uh, need to tell you something. Remember when Cider said I sometimes lie?” Rainbow shifted nervously, but she was careful not to disturb Applejack, who was still leaning against her.

Applejack smiled. “Foals see every darn thing, Dash. Just try to be better.”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “I will be. I am. That’s why I need to tell you… this whole thing is my fault. I was trying to speed up the zap apple harvest so we could go out sooner. I caused the storm I crashed in, and I messed up the harvest so it doesn’t come on time. Whatever happens because of this… it was because of me. And I’m sorry.”

Applejack stared at her. “You…?”

She just nodded. “I wish I hadn’t. I messed up everything. I mean… I ruined your life. AJ, if I’d known, or even thought, I never would have—”

“I know,” Applejack cut her off. Then she was silent for a long time, before she added, “Rainbow Dash, you’re a darn fool.”

“I know,” Rainbow agreed.

Applejack sighed. “Celestia help me, this is what I get.”

Rainbow wasn’t sure what to say. Or do, really; Applejack hadn’t moved. She was still nestled against Rainbow, with her eyes closed. She had to be mad at her. And AJ didn’t usually hide when she was mad.

Applejack spoke again. “One time you said if I loved ya, you’d do dumb things, but you’d come through in the end. That still true?”

“I promise,” Rainbow said firmly.

“Ya mean that?”

She didn’t even have to think; even if she wasn’t the pony who said it, that was her, it was who Rainbow Dash was. “Totally. One hundred and ten percent. I’ll always come through.”

Rainbow felt Applejack breathing, but she didn’t move or say anything. Finally she nodded.

“Good, ’cause I reckon I’m gonna fall in love with ya all over again, and the only thing keepin’ me from stranglin’ you right now is that promise.”

“That’s fair.” Actually, it was more than fair. Rainbow probably would have agreed to let AJ get a good punch in, as long as it meant they were totally even and it wasn’t going to mess anything up. But a promise she would have made to AJ any time, any place, and in exchange she got AJ lying here next to her, still wanting to try having a relationship? That was way more than fair.

“And don’t think you’re gettin’ dessert anytime soon,” Applejack added.

Rainbow considered that. “By dessert, you mean sex?”

“Yup.”

Rainbow almost snorted a laugh. She smiled down at Applejack, and AJ was smiling too, her eyes still closed. Rainbow gave her a squeeze with her wing, and laid her head against the top of AJ’s. “Totally fair.”