The Part Where It All Begins Again
Rainbow Dash woke up and slumped out of bed with a headache and a queasy stomach. She ate a light breakfast with Tank. Neither said much to the other. All morning, Rainbow Dash strained her ears to hear if some cowpony might come knocking on her door, and she jumped at every little sound she heard. She waited and waited, but Applejack never came. That was good, she guessed. It was what she had wanted, right? She couldn’t stop the lingering disappointment that followed her to work though. Late. Again. She blamed Applejack.
At work, she was too busy wondering where Applejack was and what she was doing to care about cloud masses and precipitation stratums. She wanted to go see her. She wanted to apologize. It was ridiculous. She didn’t have anything to apologize for. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
She wanted to be angry with Applejack for making her feel this way. But what had Applejack done to deserve that? Brought her flowers? Called her beautiful? And then Rainbow Dash had thrown it all back in her face. So what if all she wanted was Rainbow Dash’s flanks? It wasn’t Applejack’s fault that Rainbow was hot.
Lost in thought, she accidentally flooded the park with rain clouds, and then had to sheepishly apologize to the class of foals whose picnic she had ruined. She claimed not to be feeling well, and took the rest of the day off. It wasn’t a lie, not really.
She flew home as quickly as she could. “Did Applejack ever show up?” she asked Tank as she rushed in through the window.
He shook his head.
“G-good,” she replied. “That’s good.”
She idled around her house for a while longer, pacing from room to room, picking things up and then immediately putting them down again, fiddling with some old magazines, and generally doing nothing at all. She decided it would be best if she got out of the house. It was too stuffy.
She flew through crisp, clear air. A typical day in Ponyville. It seemed the rest of the weather team was getting along fine without her. That annoyed her. She wished it wasn’t a typical day. She wished they would need her for something.
She realized she was flying towards Sweet Apple Acres, and stopped herself. She could already see the hills of apple trees. Her stomach ached at the sight. Or maybe it was her chest. She didn’t care to stay and find out.
She turned the other way, back towards Ponyville proper. As she flew over town, everywhere she looked she saw Hearts and Hooves Day decorations and Hearts and Hooves Day couples. She imagined every pair of ponies she saw was really Applejack and herself. She saw Applejack and herself in a dozen different places and on a dozen different dates, walking together, sitting in the park, laughing, smiling at each other, cuddling, kissing. She decided to stop looking down.
For no reason at all, maybe by accident, she beelined towards the familiar shape of Carousel Boutique, and stepped inside. Its inside was empty and dark. The dresses hung quietly on their racks, and Rainbow Dash thought they looked lonely without anyone around to admire them.
“Rarity?” she called.
“Up here,” Rarity’s voice singsonged back from somewhere upstairs.
After a moment’s indecision, Rainbow Dash trotted up and found Rarity in her workroom. Sketches lay in a wide circle around the unicorn, along with a dozen circles and squares and triangles of different colored fabrics. It looked as if she stood at the epicenter of an explosion of unfinished dress designs and scraps of color. Rarity hummed as she floated the fabrics about her, mixing and matching different colors, smiling at some and frowning at others.
“Hello, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, not looking up. “How are you?”
“Fine,” Rainbow replied, trying to feel fine. She didn’t really know what she was doing at Rarity’s. A distraction, she guessed. “What’s up?”
Rarity laid a final pair of fabrics on the floor, smiled, and trotted towards Dash. “The usual. I have at least a dozen different orders I need to fill before Hearts and Hooves Day. Can I help you with something?”
Rainbow Dash stretched her wings and frowned. “Yeah, I really need to get out and do something. You wanna go get some lunch?”
“Sorry, I’d love to, but I am really too busy at the moment,” Rarity replied, gesturing to the sketches and fabrics littering the floor. “This is always a busy time of year for me, you know. Perhaps a little later? I will be taking a break soon enough, if you don’t mind waiting.”
Rainbow sighed. “That’s fine, I guess.”
Rarity must not have noticed the sigh, as she quickly trotted back to her sketches and went back to playing with her fabrics, humming and smiling all the while.
Rainbow Dash sat down and inspected her hoof, for lack of anything better to do. It looked about the same as it always had. She looked up at Rarity, seizing on a sudden idea. Rarity knew all about mushy, kissy stuff. She was like the Rainbow Dash of sappy romance. “Hey, Rarity,” she said casually, pretending to still be inspecting her hoof. “What would you do if Applejack asked you out?”
Rarity looked up at her. “Hmm?”
“Just a hypothetical question,” Rainbow added quickly. “Not that she actually has or anything.”
Rarity slowly laid down the sketch she had been examining and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, Rainbow, but I’d really prefer if none of my friends tried to play matchmaker for me. It’s not that I don’t trust your judgement in these matters, I, uh, simply prefer to do these things myself.”
“No, I don’t mean that she’s really going to, but just if she asked you out, what would you do?”
“Why, has she said something?”
Rainbow Dash groaned. “No. She’s not actually asking you out. I’m just asking if she asked you out, and she’s not, but if she did, what would you do?”
“Well...” Rarity put a hoof to her chin. “I don’t think that’s very likely. Applejack and I get along well enough as friends, but I think we both know we wouldn’t get far in a more serious relationship. She would be much better off asking somepony more like yourself.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked hopefully. She shook her head quickly. “No wait, that’s not what I’m asking about. I mean, what if you were somepony like me, and Applejack asked you out, what would you do then?”
“Is this about what I said at Pinkie Pie’s party? I was only teasing you, Rainbow. Though I do think it would be lovely if you found somepony by this coming Hearts and Hooves Day, and you know I’ve always thought you and Applejack would make an excellent couple,” she said with a wink.
“No!” Rainbow Dash cried. “This isn’t about Pinkie Pie’s party. I’m just asking, hypothetically, if you were somepony like me, and if Applejack asked me—you, asked you out, and you kind of thought you liked her and thought she was cool, and you thought she thought you were probably pretty cool, but maybe she thought that you were too cool, and she thinks you’re a lot better than you actually are, because maybe you want somepony to rub your wings when they’re sore too much.”
She took a deep breath, but the whole problem kept spilling out of her as soon as she opened her mouth again, regardless of whether she wanted it to or not. She had started pacing at some point, she didn’t know when. She stopped and continued in a lower voice, “Or then she said she didn’t actually care about any of that stuff she said that she did care about earlier, and so maybe she doesn’t actually think you’re that nice at all, but all she really thinks is that you’re awesome and have hot flanks, and it turns out she’s just a stupid jerk like everypony else.”
She turned to Rarity. “So what would you do then?”
“Um.” Rarity blinked at her. “What?”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter. Do you wanna go eat something now?”
Rarity carefully stepped over her sketches and fabrics, towards Rainbow Dash, frowning. “What’s wrong, dear? What is this about?”
“Nothing. I was just asking.”
Rarity opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it, and frowned instead. “Well, to answer your question then,” she said after a time, “I don’t know what I would do, but I know I would be very flattered if Applejack asked me out for a date, and I’m quite certain she’s not a stupid jerk.”
“Yeah, well how flattered would you be if you knew that all she cared about was some kind of one-night stand?” Rainbow Dash asked as she kicked at the floor.
Rarity laughed. “Are we talking about the same Applejack? What an idea!” She laughed again, shaking her head. “I can assure you that Applejack would never proposition somepony for a one-night stand.”
Dash’s ears perked up. “How would you know?”
“Because Applejack never asks anypony out. All the years I’ve known her, I’ve never seen her ask a single pony out on a date, much less a one-night stand. If she’s going to ask somepony out, it’s going to be because they are somepony very special to her.”
“Yeah?” Rainbow Dash let herself smile a little.
“And since when is Rainbow Dash afraid of anything?” Rarity asked, poking her in the chest.
“Hey, I never said I was afraid,” Dash replied quickly.
Rarity smirked. “Of course you’re not. Because you kicked a dragon in the face, didn’t you?”
“Uh, yeah. Why?”
“And you’re the only pegasus in Equestria who can perform a sonic rainboom, are you not?”
Dash glanced at her wings. “Yeah...”
“And you saved my life and won the Best Young Flyers competition?”
“Yeah,” Dash answered. Not only that, but she had showed up everyone in Cloudsdale who had ever doubted her. They’d be talking about that competition for decades, she thought to herself, standing up straighter, her wings flaring slightly, feeling her confidence return.
“Well,” Rarity said with a chuckle. “You can handle one measly date with little old Applejack then, can’t you?”
“Yeah I can!” Dash declared, turning around and rushing out of the Boutique.
“Wait, do you still want to go to lunch?” Rarity called behind her, but Rainbow Dash was already gone.
__________________________________________________
Rainbow Dash flew straight to Sweet Apple Acres, high on confidence, both in herself and in her friend, the tickling feeling sparking in her chest again. She glided over and around the rows of apple trees, but didn’t catch sight of any Stetson-wearing cowponies. She tried the house, the fields, and finally the barn, where she found Big McIntosh, who told her that Applejack had finished up early and headed into town for the day.
Rainbow thanked him and headed towards town, not flying as quickly as before, her newfound confidence ebbing the longer she didn’t see Applejack. How could Rarity be entirely sure of what Applejack wanted, or if Rainbow Dash met those standards? Dash pushed the worrying thoughts aside as she soared over Ponyville. She checked the library, Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy’s cottage, the park, the town square, the library again, everywhere she thought Applejack could be. She even stopped by Carousel Boutique again, but Rarity hadn’t seen her either.
Come evening, she had to give up and return home. How predictable it was that Applejack wouldn’t leave her alone when Rainbow didn’t want to be with her, but had disappeared just when Rainbow decided she wanted to see her. Her confidence had dwindled though, and some of her earlier doubts returned. The problem still remained, she wasn’t the pony Applejack wanted her to be. She was an awesome pony, no doubt about that, more than awesome enough to handle a single date with Applejack. Or spend the night with her, if that’s all Applejack wanted. She could at least get the urge out of Applejack’s system, and then they could be cool again.
But if Applejack wanted her for more than that? If Applejack wanted her for all those things she had said at Sugarcube Corner? Well... Rainbow Dash didn’t know what would happen then. Maybe it was for the best if she never found out either way. If Applejack had moved on, then so could she.
She dove in through her living room window, and crashed straight into Applejack. They fell to the floor together, a tangle of legs and tails and wings.
“There you are,” Applejack said, standing up and dusting herself off. She had four colorful balloons tied about her waist. “I’ve been waitin’ for you almost all day.”
“What the hay are you doing here?” Dash asked as she picked herself up. She groaned. Again, how incredibly predictable...
“You were takin’ a while gettin’ back, so I just let myself in. Sorry. It was that or spend all day sittin’ out on your porch. Tank’s been keepin’ me good company though.” She pointed to the tortoise lying on the floor, hiding in his shell after the sudden crash.
“Oh...” Dash settled and resettled her wings on her back. This was who she had been looking for all day. All she had to do was say yes. She opened her mouth, but the word lodged itself halfway up her throat, like a sticky piece of hard candy she had swallowed too soon. “Um... I... are those balloons for me?” she asked instead.
“These?” Applejack chuckled. “Nah, these are for me. I do have something I need to say to you though.”
“Uh, I guess I have something to say too.” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “Applejack, I—”
Applejack held a hoof up. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to say it. I know ya still don’t wanna go anywhere with me, and, really, I can’t blame you.”
“No, that’s not—”
“Just hear me out,” Applejack interrupted, her tone of voice not leaving any room for argument. Rainbow closed her mouth and nodded, while Applejack sighed and sat down on her haunches. “I had a little sit down last night to think about all this, and I realized I’ve been unfair to you. It isn’t right to keep botherin’ you like this.”
“No, really it’s—”
“Let me say what I came here to say,” Applejack said sternly. “I should have been straight with you from the beginning. I really thought we could be together—no, I really think we can be together. It just seemed right, and I was sure you’d think so too. When you turned me down... well, I thought there must be somethin’ botherin’ you, and that’s why you said no, and I’m not a pony who can just see a problem, and get a good look at it, and then not try to fix it.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. The point is, you said no, and I’ve gotta respect that.”
“W-wait, you’re just giving up?” Rainbow Dash stammered, feeling betrayed. “You said you wouldn’t give up.”
Applejack smiled. “Of course I’m not. I won’t bug you about it, but I still like you. I think I could show ya to a good time, and I think you and me both would enjoy spendin’ some more time together. And I give ya my word that I wouldn’t expect you to be anything but yourself. Whenever you’re ready, just come down to the farm and let me know. I’ll be waitin’ for ya.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so she only nodded. She could hardly understand what Applejack was telling her. Applejack still wanted to be with her, but she wasn’t actually going to try to be with her anymore? How did that make any sense?
“Well, I’d best be off then. It’s already gettin’ dark.” Applejack pecked her on the cheek so quickly Rainbow nearly missed it. “Goodnight.” She walked to the door.
“Don’t you need help getting down?” Dash asked, trying to keep the note of hope out of her voice.
“Nope. That’s what these are for,” Applejack replied, pointing to the balloons. She walked outside.
Rainbow Dash followed her. “I don’t think that’ll work. Four balloons definitely aren’t enough to hold you up.”
Applejack chuckled. “Well, I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” She hopped right off the side of Rainbow Dash’s cloud.
Rainbow ran to the edge. For a single moment, it looked as if Applejack would slowly, safely drift to the ground. Then she dropped like a... well, like a brainless two-hundred pound farm pony that had just jumped off the side of a cloud thinking four measly little balloons would be able to hold her up.
Rainbow Dash didn’t even think. She dove off the side of the cloud and swooped beneath Applejack, catching her with plenty of room to spare.
“I told you that wouldn’t work,” she said. She realized her heart was pounding.
“Well, I can’t always be right.”
Rainbow Dash brought her to the ground. She glared at Applejack as she slid off her back. “Applejack, don’t do that ever again. Seriously, that was stupid.”
Applejack frowned. “Sorry, I thought it would work. I’m sure I’ve seen Pinkie Pie do that before. Thanks though. It’s a good thing you were there.”
“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, feeling calmer. “No problem.”
“See you later then,” Applejack said casually, untying the balloons and walking away. If she was at all bothered by the fact that she had just almost died, she did a spectacular job of hiding it.
Rainbow Dash watched her go, waiting for something, but she didn’t know what. The balloons slowly bobbed past her and up into the evening sky. Applejack really wasn’t going to ask her again, she realized. It was entirely up to her if she and Applejack ever got together, and no one else could make that decision for her. It would have been easier if Applejack simply asked her again.
She had almost lost all chance of ever being able to go on that one date with Applejack. Not really, of course, because she would never let any of her friends get hurt. But still... the idea of Applejack being gone... it made her sick.
She made up her mind and ran forward, quickly catching up. “Hey, Applejack! Wait.”
Applejack turned around. “Yeah?”
Rainbow Dash dropped in front of her. “Uh, yes,” she said quickly.
“Yes?”
“Oh, come on.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
Applejack didn’t react how she expected her too. Actually, she didn’t react at all. She simply stared numbly over at Rainbow Dash. “Really?” she said finally.
“Um, yeah.”
“But... you... what...” Applejack’s voice trailed off and her mouth opened and closed silently. Rainbow Dash thought she looked a little like one of Fluttershy’s goldfish.
“I’m saying yes. What’s wrong?”
“I just thought...” Applejack shook her head and laughed. “You’re more ornery than a rattlesnake with hives, you know that?”
“Whatever,” Dash said, pretending to be annoyed. “Is tomorrow good?”
Applejack nodded. “Tomorrow’s great. I can be finished with my chores ‘round lunchtime. I’ll come by then.”
“Cool,” Dash said, turning around. “See you then.”
“Hey,” Applejack called after her. Rainbow Dash turned back to her. “Thanks for givin’ me a chance. It really means a lot.”
“Oh, uh, no problem.”
She said goodbye, turned back around, and headed home. When she was back inside, tucked in bed beneath her covers, and certain Applejack was far out of earshot, she allowed herself one small, excited giggle. Just a little one.
__________________________________________________
Applejack trotted with a literal spring in her step. She practically bounced on her way back to Sweet Apple Acres. If anyone had seen her, they would have mistaken her for Pinkie Pie, and she knew Rainbow Dash would never let her live it down if she saw. But she couldn’t stop herself even if she wanted to, and truth be told, she didn’t want to stop. She laughed for no reason at all except that she was happy.
She knew she was acting silly, like a school filly with a crush, and not a grown, respectable, responsible, mature mare. But she didn’t really care about that either. Right now, she didn’t feel like acting like a grown, respectable, responsible, mature mare. She felt like acting like a school filly, and laughing and giggling and being silly.
She didn’t know exactly what had changed Rainbow Dash’s mind, but she was sure glad it had. Maybe it was because she had been more forthright this time? That must have been it. Honesty was always the best choice, and this was just more evidence of that.
She thought about her and Rainbow Dash, and what they would do together tomorrow. They would play horseshoes, and Rainbow Dash would get all cute and pouty the way she always did when she lost. They would stay up late together, eating sticky, sweet s’mores and looking up at the stars. They would go for a run through the orchard under the moonlight, and fall tired and exhausted to the ground together, and there, both of them panting and out of breath, Applejack would find Rainbow Dash’s lips.
She blushed, but smiled and just kept on thinking about it anyway.
Instead of walking straight home, she took the path that lead to Fluttershy’s cottage. This was news worth sharing. She skipped up to the door and pounded on the door.
“She said yes!” Applejack said as soon as the door opened. She grinned like an idiot, and she knew it, but she didn’t care.
Fluttershy hugged her. “That’s so wonderful!”
Applejack trotted inside and laughed. She turned back to Fluttershy, and realized she didn’t have anything else to say. All she really wanted to do was run back outside and tell as many ponies as she could find.
“Where are you going to take her?” Fluttershy asked, settling down on her couch.
“Oh, uh.” Applejack hesitated. “I didn’t really think about it. I guess we’ll just spend a day around the farm.”
“Oh...” Fluttershy looked down and rubbed her hooves together.
“What’s wrong with that?”
Fluttershy frowned. “I’m sure whatever you think is best, but I don’t know if that’s really a date.”
“Then what is it?”
“Um, I think spending a day at the farm is just spending a day at the farm.”
“I’m spendin’ a day at the farm with Rainbow Dash,” Applejack replied with a huff.
“Of course you’re right,” Fluttershy said quickly. She licked her lips. “I just think Rainbow Dash might appreciate it if you did something a little more, um, special for her.”
Applejack paused. That seemed like sound enough advice. Rainbow Dash would probably enjoy a night out. “Okay, like what?”
“Oh, well, I don’t really know...” Fluttershy picked at the couch fabric. “But most ponies like being taken out to eat.”
Applejack grinned. “Rainbow Dash especially, I’m sure. That girl could eat an entire field bare of grass if somepony let her. I’ll bring her to The Hay Barrel then.”
Fluttershy still frowned. “The Hay Barrel is nice, but maybe you should try somewhere, um, nicer?”
“How much nicer.”
“Um, maybe a lot nicer?”
“Sugarcube, I don’t think Rainbow Dash likes goin’ to any of those fancy places Rarity likes. And I can’t say that I do either.”
“But she will like it if you bring her somewhere really great to show her that you care about her,” Fluttershy said, looking up.
It was Applejack’s turn to frown. “I wanted to spend the day with her, just her, not at some restaurant with a bunch of other ponies.”
“Oh, you’re right,” Fluttershy said, biting her lip. “I just thought you should take her somewhere that would be special for both of you.”
Applejack blinked, her eyes going wide. “I know just the place! I gotta get ready! I’ll need to make some fritters, and turnovers, and... Thanks, Fluttershy,” she said quickly, running out the door. She would have to spend all night cooking to prepare, but if she could get it all ready in time, she knew Rainbow Dash would love it.
“You’re welcome,” Fluttershy said quietly.
Stats
Page generated in 0.043 seconds
Total duration
794 users online
635,948 hits today, 2,156,967 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
keep it up
this is getting good
Awesome Chapter, I like the transition you made for Rainbow to give AJ a chance. This is a really cute story and I am looking forward to more.
3046669
I apologize. It seems that I've mislead you as to exactly what kind of story this is. This isn't a novel about two people falling in love. If it was, then I agree, it would have needed far more set up. But this is a short story (or novella, if you want to get technical) about two friends realizing they might be right for each other, and going out on a date. It's a much simpler affair. I believe it had exactly as much set up as it needed.
I'm sorry if that isn't the sort of story you're interested in reading. Thank you for giving it a chance.
Oh, and love doesn't play by the rules. It happens just as suddenly or slowly as it feels like.
Another awesome chapter!!!!!! ^^ Can't wait for more!
The previous conflict resolved pretty swiftly here... and I couldn't be happier about it.
Right back to the fluff! 
Well, maybe? Guess that depends on the date and how perfected it goes. 
Please, keep going good sir/mam. Looking forward to the date ta come, whatever may happen.
It's nice that we get to see Tank and Rainbow Dash interaction.
We never seen interaction with AJ and Winona.
3046614 You know what... now that I think of it...
memecrunch.com/meme/4X9E/you-re-right/image.png
I have to say...
This story has one of the best portrayals of Tank I have ever read.
A picnic, what a good idea.
I have a feeling it won't go right...
~Skeeter The Lurker
So far, The mane point of the story is that:
A. Love rules all
B.Tank knows everything
3057635
WRONG!
A.Tank knows more than everything
B.Tank knows more than that
~The Random
Awesome
3059719 Tank is love. Tank is life
AJ's conversations with Fluttershy are brimming with subtext, but I haven't worked it out yet. Is Fluttershy crushing on Rainbow or AJ?
It continues to amuse me that AJ goes to Fluttershy for this kind of thing. Well, technically she didn't this time, but it still ended up that way. Then again, I suppose she is tied with Rarity as the most 'girly' of the six, albeit in entirely different ways, and there can be no doubt that there have been plenty of stallions (and mares) interested in her. From that perspective, maybe she's had a lot of dating practice?
Well that escalated quickly.
btw
if I don't find out who Fluttershy is dating I will stalk you until I find the right time and place to brutally murder you with an axe. (#sorrynotsorry)
Have a good day.
4872504
Well. That escalated quickly.