Chapter 1
Chapter 1
I’m not entirely sure when it was that I first realized it. I think maybe it was just something that developed over time and I hadn’t recognized yet what it was. But when I found myself thinking about her over and over again, when everything reminded me of her, I think that’s when I realized it. That I was falling for Rainbow Dash.
I’m honestly still not sure how I feel about it. My family has always been very traditional, including me, so the thought of two girls being together is shameful. I actually had a hard time admitting it to myself at first. I’d stay up late at night, furiously arguing with my mind about how I was not in love with Rainbow Dash. I ended up breaking down and crying myself to sleep. How could I have gotten so pathetic? Not only was I arguing with myself, but I was losing.
I just don’t understand why I never felt this way before. I’ve been friends with Rainbow Dash since grade school— the only one who’s been friends with her for longer is Fluttershy. All these years that we’ve been best friends, I’ve never had one single thought about liking her in that kind of way. So why now?
Frustrated with my thoughts, I flung my pillow against my wall and laid my head against the headboard, sighing angrily. I covered my face with my hands, my breath heating up my face with each exhale. I rolled over on my left side, staring out the window. It was a beautiful night. The stars shone brightly, lighting up the apple trees serenely. Rainbow Dash loved nights like these, where barely a single cloud was in sight.
Damn it! I’m thinking about her again! Why do I keep doing that? I shook my head, attempting to shake Rainbow Dash out of my thoughts. But it’s futile. She keeps coming back to me. Her strangely beautiful hair, each strand a different color of the rainbow. Those incapacitating magenta eyes… God, I could lose myself in those things.
I sighed once again and turned to my other side. I was soon overcome by my exhaustion and drifted off to sleep. Sleep was merciful to me today, and I didn’t dream about Rainbow Dash for the first time in a week.
~ ~ ~
The following morning I woke up in a surprisingly good mood and I found myself smiling as I stretched. I looked out my window. The birds chirped lively and several white, fluffy clouds dotted the perfectly blue sky. I jumped out of bed and skipped downstairs, stretching once again to rid my body of any sleepiness that still remained.
“Mornin’ sis,” my big brother Big Mac said as he cooked eggs in the kitchen.
“Mornin’,” I smiled and sat down at the table.
“You seem like you’re in a good mood this morning,” he said. He turned to look at me, a small glint in his eyes. It was the same glint I saw in his eyes every time he knew something.
The relationship between my brother and I was always a special one. He basically raised me since my parents died only shortly after Apple Bloom was born. Big Mac is the sweetest guy I’ve ever known and he always seems to know what I’m thinking or feeling. In the same way, I always knew what he was thinking as well.
“Hey, Mackie, you like that girl don’t you?” Big Mac’s eyes grew round as saucers and the slightest hint of a blush appeared on his cheeks. I was just a little girl then— maybe nine or ten; Apple Bloom was only one at the time and Big Mac was fourteen.
“Aw, shucks, what do you think I should do?” he asked, a feeble smile on his face.
“Ask her out!” Little Applejack cried out.
I’ve always thought my brother was very handsome and could get any girl he wanted in my opinion. He’s a tall and muscular guy, with blonde hair and freckles just like me. The only thing is that he’s terribly shy.
I feel kind of bad for him sometimes. Not only does he help out a ton with all the work around the farm, but he’s got a whole family to take care of. Granny Smith doesn’t require a lot of attention since she’s sleeping most of the time, but Mackie worries for her sometimes. I can see it in his eyes.
“Thanks, Mac,” I said gently as he put a plate of eggs down in front of me. He smiled back softly and then turned to his eggs again.
“Go wake up your sister, will you?” he asked. I nodded with a mouth full of eggs and energetically hopped up the stairs. I knocked on Apple Bloom’s door.
“Wake up, ‘Bloom,” I called out. I heard the sheets rustle a little inside her room and a muffled groan.
“Five more minutes…” she called out lazily.
I knocked again, a hint of a smile playing my lips. “Come on, Apple Bloom, you’ve got school today.”
Thirty seconds later, Apple Bloom opened her door and groggily walked to the bathroom, her red hair sticking up like a haystack.
I snickered. “Nice hair,” I teased playfully. Before she disappeared into the bathroom, I saw a tiny smile appear on her face.
I went back downstairs to finish my eggs and then started heading out the door.
“Alright, I’m going out to sell,” I told Big Mac. While Apple Bloom had just started her first week of school, I still had a couple precious weeks of summer left before going back to high school. Most of my summer days, however, consisted of me doing work, like days like these when I went out with my apple cart and sold apples.
I closed the door behind me and walked over to the apple cart where I promptly loaded it with various kinds of apples and even a few treats. Pushing the cart down the dirt road, I headed down towards my regular selling spot. I was not in the town for even two seconds before Rainbow Dash came up behind me, her face lit brightly with excitement.
“Hey AJ!” she called out, running towards me. My heart soared when I saw her, a smile immediately lighting up my face. Despite the confusion inside of me, I loved seeing Rainbow Dash more than anything in the world.
“Hey, sug’,” I said casually and kept walking.
“You goin’ to Twilight’s slumber party tonight?” she asked, her head turned towards me. I looked at her, and instantly regretted it. It was probably due to my exaggeration of my current feelings for Rainbow Dash but for some reason I was more nervous around her today than I had ever been before.
“Hellooo? Earth to Applejack?” she said, waving a hand in front of me.
I flinched. “U-um, sorry. Yeah, I’m going,” I said, breathing a laugh.
I glanced over at Rainbow as we walked together, my heart thumping hard against my chest. I could barely even be around her anymore without feeling like my chest was going to explode. She seemed to notice that I was staring at her and she moved her head slowly to the left to look at me, raising an eyebrow.
“Um… hi?” she smiled.
I blinked, and looked down. “Sorry,” I snickered. “Just kind of out of it I guess. Long night.”
I stopped walking once I got to my regular selling area. “Well, here’s where I’ll be for the next five hours.”
“Good luck with that— seriously,” Dash said. “I think everybody in this town should buy your apples. They’re so amazing. The only thing keeping me from buying any right now is lack of money.”
I laughed as I set up the legs of the cart to make sure it would stay in place. I grabbed a bright red apple from the bunch and nonchalantly tossed it towards Rainbow Dash.
“Here,” I said, throwing the apple at her. Her eyes widened a little bit, her hands shooting out to catch it. “On the house,” I said, tipping my Stetson to her. “And, yes, I’m sure,” I said before she could speak, knowing what she’d say next.
“Thanks AJ,” she smiled. “I guess I owe you one.”
I waved her away. “Nah, it’s nothing really. It’s only one apple anyway.”
Her eyes lit up suddenly. Oh God… that usually meant she had some crazy idea. “I know! I’ll go tell everybody in town to buy your apples!”
Before I could even protest, she already started running away, waving thanks to me as she left. I laughed and shook my head.
“You sure are crazy, Rainbow Dash.”
~ ~ ~
Later that night, I sat inside Twilight’s living room, sitting and laughing with the rest of the girls.
“…And then I said, ‘Waiiittt!! Don’t eat that cake!!’ And he was all like, ‘Huh?’, and I was like, ‘Yeah!’ So he ate the cake anyway! And guess what? He exploded! I was so super duper freaked out, I almost didn’t even know what to do! So I said, ‘Well, I guess I won’t be making that batch again.’ And I started making more cakes!”
The room erupted into a fit of giggles at Pinkie’s wacky story.
“Pinkie, you have the weirdest dreams,” I said, still chuckling.
“Wait, that was a dream?” she asked, her eyes wide with innocence.
Everybody stopped laughing and looked at her.
“Wait, you mean…? Did that guy actually explode?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Pinkie Pie looked really confused for a second. “OH, wait! Yeah, that was a dream!”
Everyone groaned and laughed once again. None of us could even keep up with this girl.
“Okay, so in my book of Slumber 101 it says it’s time to do Truth or Dare!” Twilight squealed.
“Twilight, haven’t you already had enough slumber parties to know what to do during one?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well, yes, but I just want to make sure that everything’s perfect,” she said.
I rolled my eyes. That girl. It was as if everything she did was because she read it in a book somewhere. She really needed to get out more often.
All of us were already in a circle so now it was just time to start. “Okay, I guess I’ll start first,” Twilight said. “Rarity, truth or dare?”
“Truth. I feel like some of the dares given are just a bit too, er, vulgar for me,” Rarity spoke. I smiled softly. I loved how each and every one of us had completely different personalities, yet we were the best friends anyone could ever have. Having all been friends since grade school, we were a family.
“Alright,” Twilight said and then pondered for a moment, trying to think up a question. “Okay, how old were you when you had your first kiss?”
I looked at Rarity, intrigued by the question. I actually didn’t know much about any of Rarity’s past relationships. Despite her obvious interest in boys, she had a kind of pride and refused to “kiss and tell”, so to speak.
“Ninth grade,” she answered. “Before high school, not to sound conceited but most boys were head over heels for me and they were all far too immature. It was my freshman year in high school that I got my first boyfriend.”
“Aww, I think that’s sweet Rarity,” Twilight said.
Rarity waved a hand nonchalantly. “Yes, well that lasted about a week, as you all know.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “No offense Rare, you’re amazingly gorgeous but you have pretty high standards. He couldn’t even keep up with you.”
Rarity smiled sheepishly. “I guess I did boss him around a little bit…”
A shared giggle softly spread throughout the group as we remembered the poor meek boy who, despite his muscular build, looked like a lost puppy as he followed Rarity around.
“Okay, your turn to ask someone,” Twilight said to Rarity.
Rarity looked around. “Pinkie. Truth or dare?”
“Ooh! Umm… I choose dare!” Pinkie said with excitement.
Rarity smiled a bit. “Okay, umm… I dare you to hold your breath for as long as you can.”
I stifled a giggle. That was kind of a silly dare but I guess I shouldn’t have expected much from Rarity.
Pinkie suddenly took in a deep breath and sat there with her cheeks puffed out. We all sat there in silence and stared at her for thirty seconds… a minute… two minutes…
“Jeez, how long is she gonna hold her breath?” Rainbow Dash asked in awe, leaning forward slightly in anticipation.
“I think she’s turning blue!” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Um, sugarcube? You don’t have to make yourself pass out, you know,” I said, waving my hand in front of her.
Pinkie still held her breath and the rest of us grew more worried.
“Pinkie, okay! You can hold your breath for an awful long time!” Rarity said with desperation. At this rate, Pinkie was going to pass out.
“WOOH!!” Pinkie suddenly screamed as she let out her breath. “Wowie! That was a long time!”
Several of us sighed in relief and I saw Rainbow Dash face-palm herself.
“Ugh, Pinkie, you really are somethin’ else…” Dash said.
Pinkie giggled, her face lit up with excitement. “Okie! Umm…. DASHIE! Truth or dare?”
Dash smirked. “What do you think? Dare of course.”
Without hesitation, Pinkie said, “I dare you to go outside and ask the very first guy you see out on a date.” Her eyes gleaming with anticipation, smile stretched wide.
“Pinkie, it’s like eleven ‘o’clock at night. No one’s going to be out there,” Rainbow Dash said.
Pinkie didn’t say anything but instead continued to stare at Rainbow Dash, expecting her to get up and do it.
Dash rolled her eyes and got up. The rest of us quickly followed, quietly but anxiously waiting to watch whatever was going to happen. We stopped outside of Twilight’s house and looked around. There was hardly anyone around.
“Look! There’s a guy!” Pinkie whispered. An old man was walking his dog along the sidewalk. I decided not to question why an old guy was walking his dog in the middle of the night.
“He’s like seventy-five years old!” Rainbow Dash whispered back.
Pinkie giggled. “It’s a dare! You have to do it!”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Ugh, fine.”
“Oh, wait before you go,” Pinkie said and grabbed Dash’s arm. She then lowered her voice a bit. “Make it sexual.”
Dash face-palmed herself but said nothing. We all watched eagerly as Rainbow Dash walked up to the old guy. Thankfully, we could still hear what she said despite the distance.
“Hey there,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling slightly at the old guy with her right hip dropped.
“Umm, hello,” the old guy said in a cheerful but slightly confused tone.
“You’re pretty cute. Wanna go on a date?” I could see Dash raise her eyebrows a bit.
The old guy’s eyes widened and he was speechless for a few seconds. All of us tried to hold back snickers and I could tell Dash was on the verge of laughing as well.
“U-umm… well, how much do you cost?”
The question seemed to catch everyone off guard, including Rainbow Dash who snorted and bent over in laughter. She turned away from him slightly. “Sorry to have wasted your time,” she said, barely able to say it without laughing. She ran back to the group where we all burst out into laughter— even Fluttershy was laughing.
“Wow I didn’t expect that!” Twilight said, snorting slightly from her laughter in the most adorable way.
“Such a pervert!” Rarity retorted haughtily.
Even in the darkness, I could see Dash was blushing. “Let’s just go back inside,” she smiled.
We soon returned to Twilight’s house, all still a little giggly from Rainbow’s dare.
“Alright, Rainbow Dash, your turn to ask someone,” Twilight said.
“Applejack,” she said, looking right at me. “Truth or dare?”
I thought about it for a little bit. I didn’t exactly want a dare from Rainbow Dash… it could end up badly. “Truth,” I said. “I am the Element of Honesty, after all.”
Everyone in the group chuckled a little. Back when we were all just kids, we played a game where we would all represent different elements of friendship and go on different make-believe adventures. I happened to be the Element of Honesty. I laughed when I thought about Twilight’s element. She was the Element of Magic. I thought it a bit ironic for her; she’s always reading books and such— she seems like the kind of person who would say magic is just a load of baloney.
“Alright,” Dash said. “Have you ever seen your brother naked?”
I instantly felt myself blush and I looked down. Of course she would ask something like that.
“Ooh, that’s a good one, Dashie!” Pinkie said.
I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. It wasn’t such a big deal but that was kind of an embarrassing question. I looked up but intentionally avoided anyone’s gaze. “Um, yeah, actually I have.”
“HA!” Dash burst out in laughter and I shot her a look.
“On accident!” I quickly retorted. “He had just gotten out of the shower and I didn’t think anyone was in the bathroom…”
“Oh, man, this is too good! I can totally picture that!” Dash said, making everyone else burst into laughter. Great. Now everyone was probably picturing that scene in their heads.
“Yes, ha-ha, very funny,” I said sarcastically. “Twilight, truth or dare?” I asked quickly, trying to move on from the subject.
“Hmm… I’ll go with truth. No, dare!”
“Well which one is it?” I asked with impatience.
“D… dare,” she said, speaking slowly, her eyes squinting slightly as she made the “difficult” decision.
“I dare ya to burn a book,” I deadpanned.
She gasped loudly and looked at me in horror. Drama queen. “BURN a book?! Are you crazy? Books are the jewels of knowledge!”
“Well, ya either burn it or you get the penalty.” I smiled, an evil little glint in my eye.
“Well… which book?” she asked hesitantly.
I pointed to a random book that was on the floor. “That one.”
Twilight gasped even louder and clutched the book. “This is one of my favorite books! I couldn’t possibly burn it!”
She hesitated a moment before asking, “…What’s the penalty?”
In unison, Pinkie, Dash and I loomed over her, evil smirks on our faces. From who-knows-where, Pinkie pulled out a thick black Sharpie marker and pulled off the cap, producing a satisfying clack! sound.
Twilight shrunk back in horror and laughed nervously. “Now, now… let’s not get drastic.”
From behind us, I heard Rarity’s exasperated sigh. “Oh come now, girls, isn’t that a little bit immature? We don’t need a penalty. It’s just a game after all.”
Twilight looked at Rarity like she was her knight in shining armor and dashed over to her as soon as our attention was diverted. She grabbed Rarity’s hand, quickly leading her towards her bedroom.
“Exactly! We should all go to sleep now, sleeping arrangements same as always,” she spoke quicker than Pinkie Pie, a nervous smile still on her face.
“Good night!” she sputtered rapidly, closing the door behind them as quickly as possible.
I rolled my eyes. “Jeez, it’s not like we were gonna murder her or something.”
Pinkie Pie hopped over to Fluttershy, slinging her arm around her with a happiness that was usual of Pinkie Pie.
“Alrighty, Flutters! It’s off to bed we go!” she sang, marching soldier-like towards the other bedroom.
The sleeping arrangements were usually always the same— Fluttershy with Pinkie Pie, Rarity with Twilight, and me with Rainbow Dash. Being the planner that she is, Twilight organized it all. I guess she arranged it based on who complemented each other’s personalities the most.
Rainbow Dash and I headed to the spare room— Twilight’s house was pretty big, rich parents and all— and Dash jumped on the bed, getting comfortable. I had slept in the same bed with Rainbow Dash loads of times, but not since… not since I realized how much I like her. I sat down slowly, hoping Dash couldn’t hear my thudding heart.
“Hey, you okay?” she asked. Crap. Don’t blow this Applejack.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m still thinking about that truth question earlier,” I lied. Element of Honesty my ass.
Rainbow Dash sat up and looked at me, her magenta eyes melting my heart. “About that… you’re not mad are you? It was just out of fun.” She spoke softly, her eyes full of concern.
“No, I’m not mad,” I said quickly and smiled. “Just a little embarrassin’ is all,” I chuckled.
Rainbow Dash laughed a little. “Come on, you gotta admit it was pretty funny. When I asked that question, your face got redder than the apples on your farm!”
I looked down and felt myself blush a little. “Heh, yeah, I guess it did.”
Dash suddenly stretched and lay down fully, closing her eyes. “Let’s get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.”
“What’s tomorrow?” I asked.
She opened one eye and looked at me, smiling. “Dunno.” She shrugged and then winked at me.
I felt my heart explode. God damn, I love you Rainbow Dash. Everything she said was just… perfect to me. She lived in the moment, not having a care in the world, and embraced each day like it was a new adventure.
I got up to turn off the light and got under the covers. “Night, RD,” I said, smiling at her.
She didn’t open her eyes but a small smile was playing at her lips as well. “Night, AJ.”
I turned over and closed my eyes, sighing deeply. Just having her here with me was amazing. I listened to her breathing, letting it lull me to sleep like a lullaby. When I fell asleep, I dreamt of her and of me with her. We sat in the field together, enjoying the day and watching the clouds roll by together.
We laid in the grass together, the cool breeze around us. Dash turned to me and looked into my eyes. “I love you Applejack,” she said softly.
The moment was perfect. “I love you too, Rainbow Dash.”
“Wha—?” Dash’s groggy voice suddenly woke me up and I looked around in confusion.
“Hmm?” I asked, voice muffled by sleepiness.
“You said my name,” she said. From the way her voice sounded I could tell she had almost been asleep.
“Oh, I, uh, must have been dreaming,” I said.
I felt Rainbow Dash move and I turned around to see her looking at me with an eyebrow raised.
“About what exactly?” she asked. Crap.
“Uh, nothing really, we were just with the others and having a picnic in the field,” I answered, hoping she’d buy it. I prayed that she didn’t hear the whole ‘I love you’ part.
Dash stared at me for a couple seconds and then shrugged, lying back down. “Whatever. Just keep your dreams inside your head and don’t wake me up.”
I stifled a little laugh. She was adorable when she was grumpy. “Sorry,” I smiled and lay back down as well.
I fell asleep shortly afterwards, a similar dream invading my head. Thankfully this time it decided to stay in my head.
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This doesn't deserve the dislikes it has, but humanized Appledash seems to act like a magnet for them. I honestly don't get all the hate about humanized stuff, but to each their own, I suppose. Although the plot is a little familiar (one-sided crush because AJ is "traditional") I'm still quite liking your spin on it. This is well written and I hope you continue it.
Also:
I like that line, for some reason. Its simple yet talks about a concept a lot of people probably have experience with. Like when you're trying to calm down before a big test/event yet your brain won't listen and is all, "And what if somehow you got the wrong day or place? And what if you accidentally show up naked?"
Okay, maybe not everyone has experience with that exact feeling, but I think you get my point.
2697535
Thank you for the support ^^ It's nice to see some positive feedback amongst all the dislikes.
Not bad. Give us more.
Yay! Someone used my avatar as their story art!
(Basically this means I am now obligated to read this fic.)
2700604
Hehe, I've been in love with that picture ever since I saw it. And nothing else seemed to fit this story, so yeah xD
Pretty awesome! Can't wait to read more of this.
Looking forward to Spplejack coming clean, I just know its gonna be akward! HA!
It doesn't need a accent. I can't wait for more. Great job so far it's really funny
Kinda ironic, having cover art with those eyes of that Dash gal's covered up in a story where they're mentioned in the title.
2726501
Heh, I agree but it was really hard for me to find any humanized Rainbow Dash art that I actually liked =/