Just Friends

by lonewolf.007

Chapter 6

Life on the farm returned to normal again, after the last few days of racing through all the chores then running to the hospital to check on Dash. Now things were settling, as everypony moved on. The only difference was the rainbow-maned, cyan Pegasus that now resided in Applejack's room. When Applejack woke up in the early morning, she'd look over at the sleeping form of her friend and love, the sunlight not quite reaching her yet. The cowpony smiled. Though it wasn't exactly what she wanted, she was happy that Rainbow was actually there. As quietly as she could, she climbed out of bed and moved past her, ready for a day of work in the orchards.

"THWACK!" the Earth pony's strong back legs bucked the trunk, knocking all the apples out of the trees effortlessly, into the waiting baskets below. She then moved to the next tree, and repeated the actions, harvesting the apples easily. When she finished the latest group of trees, she moved the baskets to the cart, to place the apples in for Big Mac's inspection later. As she reached for another basket, she heard a voice, that could only belong to one pony.

"AAAAAPPLEJAAAACK!"

Turning at the sound of her name, she saw a blue blur with hints of rainbow in it. Rainbow Dash ran up to the work pony, before almost collapsing from running so hard. Applejack looked at her friend sternly, much like a mother would look at a disobedient child.

"What did Ah say ta ya' abou' not overworkin' yerself?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Awww, come on, AJ, it's been a week already. I don't need to rest anymore!"

AJ sighed. And everypony said she was the stubborn one. Rainbow certainly could have given her a run for her bits. Arguing might've been pointless, but Applejack wasn't a pony to back down. "It might've been a week, Rainbow, but yer still gettin' winded. This ain't good fer y'all, ya need to rest."

"But I'm FINE! I don't need rest, I can get around places fine! I'm just a little weak, 'cause I haven't done anything in aaaaaaaages, apart from sitting in a hospital! Come on, AJ, I want to help! I can't do nothing for much longer. I'll die of boredom! Which totally isn't cool!"

Applejack looked at the stubborn Pegasus. Rainbow had been trying to help since she first got here. Her pride would never let her mooch off another pony. She did look healthier, having lost that thin look, from eating healthily at the Apple family dinner table. She was also well-rested, and if Applejack didn't give her something to do, she was likely to go and find something to do herself, probably more dangerous and exhausting. She huffed, "Fine, but y'all do exactly what Ah tell ya, deal?"

Rainbow knew Applejack too well to argue. It was about as good as it was going to get. "Deal." Rainbow reached out a hoof. Applejack took the hoof, and looked into those deep rose-coloured eyes. Her heart melting, the orange pony stared into the eyes of her captor. The cyan Pegasus tilted her head to the side. "So what do I do?"

Suddenly jolted back to her senses, Applejack blushed a little and immediately turned her head, under the pretence of looking for something that Rainbow could do. "Well, Ah'm jus' buckin' 'em trees 'round here, but Ah need ta place the baskets under every tree ta catch the apples. How 'bout y'all help me with that, sugarcube?" She turned back to Rainbow to find them still holding each other's hoof. She cleared her throat, pullin' her own back, and afraid to meet Rainbow's eyes.

"Sounds good!" Rainbow hadn't noticed anything, and simply trotted over to the tower of empty baskets. "So I just put these around the trunk like this?"

Smiling, Applejack went over to inspect. Whenever Rainbow helped out on the farm, she'd always been careful to get it right first time round, rather than just jump in and try whatever. The brash, arrogant pony could put away her pride, and work hard if she needed to.

"That's right, sugarcube. Just put 'em 'round the base of every tree here. We'll be finished in no time."

What would have normally taken Applejack three quarters of a day was done in half, thanks to Rainbow's aid. By lunch, they were done, the cartfuls of apples sitting in the barn to be processed careful by Big Mac. The two cheerfully headed back to the house, ready for a big lunch after a morning of working on the farm. As they settled down to eat, Applejack remembered. "Hay, Rainbow, y'all need to go to the hospital today, ta check up on yer wings."

"Awww, do we have to?" she groaned.

"Yes, ya do, sugarcube. Who knows, maybe the doctors'll say yer wings are healin' really fast and ya might be able ta fly sooner."

Dash sat up at that, hope sparking in her eye. "Ya think so? Quick, I wanna go see now!" She jumped up and made to run down to town, but Applejack quickly grabbed Dash's tail in her mouth and yanked, stopping the Pegasus pony in her tracks. When she was sure Rainbow wouldn't rush off again, she dropped the tail.

"Woah there, Nellie, y'all gotta eat first! We can go down after we finish eatin'."

Huffing impatiently, Rainbow came back to the table, and began eating again.

When everything was cleared up, the now energetic and excited Pegasus practically dragged Applejack out of the house. The Stetson-clad pony laughed at her friend's energy. "Calm down, sugarcube! It's jus' a check-up! What are ya gonna be like when they take yer bandages off?"

Rainbow stopped, and looked at her friend seriously. "I'll be out that door in ten seconds flat."

Applejack chuckled. "Ah don't doubt that."

All the way to town, Rainbow spoke excitedly about what she would do when the bandages did come off, and she could fly again. Applejack listened with a smile on her face. It had been so long since the skies were graced with the rainbow trails of Dash.

"And I'll show you this new trick I made! I fly up like this," Rainbow used her hoof to show what she meant, "And then I dive down, and I do a corkscrew before I shoot out flat, like this, then I shoot up and spiral through the air with a rainbow trail behind me! I call it the Super-Speed-Rainbow-Twist!" the tomcolt said, grinning.

"Sounds mighty fine, RD. Jus' make sure ya don't hurt yerself again, or y'all end up in hospital again," Applejack replied, smiling at the rainbow wonder, with a hint of concern showing underneath.

"I'll be ok, AJ." As always, the young flier's confidence asserted itself, as she puffed out her chest.

Upon reaching the hospital, the doctor smiled at Rainbow. "Time for your weekly check-up, Rainbow Dash. Now just sit here, and let me take a look at them."

Rainbow sat on the seat, her face showing her impatience. The doctor gently unwound the bandages around the wings, and Rainbow winced slightly at the light tugging. "Sorry, Rainbow, this'll only take a moment."

"How are they, doctor?" Applejack spoke up, sitting in a chair to the side of the room.

"Do I get to use them soon?" Rainbow's excitement was palpable.

The doctor laughed. "They're doing just fine, coming along nicely. If they keep healing this quickly, you might be able to get them off early!"

"YES!"

"See? What'd Ah tell ya?" Applejack smiled at her friend, though inside, somewhere deep down, she wasn't happy. A selfish part of her wished that Rainbow's wings didn't heal so quickly. A part of her wanted Rainbow to stay with her. Shaking herself, she brought herself to the present. "Thank ya kindly, doctor."

"Yeah, thanks, doctor!"

"Not a problem, Rainbow Dash, Applejack. Just make sure you come back again next week, so we can see if those bandages can come off." The doctor chuckled and waved them off.

"YES! This is totally AWESOME! I might be able to fly again a week early!" Rainbow punched the air in joy. "Let's go tell the others!" With that, Rainbow raced off to find their friends, AJ following with joy on her face, but sadness in her heart.

That night, Applejack sat on her bed, watching the Pegasus sleep. It had become a habit, over the last week. It was the only time AJ had to just look at Rainbow, without any awkward questions, or odd looks. The only time when Applejack could show her hidden feelings for the one she loved so much.

Moonlight shone into the room, filling it with a luminous glow. The light touched the side of Rainbow's face, which was facing Applejack. The blonde-maned mare took in Rainbow's face, only the top half visible because of the blankets Rainbow had pulled over herself. Does everypony look younger in their sleep? Applejack wondered to herself. Rainbow did. In sleep, the rainbow-maned pony looked tired. And something else about it that had changed too. The liveliness in the day was replaced by a look of sadness.

Where have y'all been Rainbow? What have y'all been doin'? She looked into the face she loved so much, wondering. Rainbow hadn't been forthcoming when it came to questions about the last three years. She would avoid the question, and change the subject. But the look on Rainbow's face every night broke AJ's heart. What could have made her brave, plucky Pegasus look like that?

Applejack shook her head at herself, at the hope in her heart. Hope that it was their being apart that made Rainbow sad. That Rainbow wanted them to be together as much as Applejack did. That when Rainbow did smile in her dreams, it was because they were with each other again.

Lies. The Element of Honesty knew that they were lies, wild fancies and dreams. She had no time to cherish fancy wishes about impossible things. But she would be lying if she said she didn't want those fancy wishes about impossible things. She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to dream of a world where Rainbow Dash was hers forever.

A single tear ran down AJ's face. She wouldn't let herself cry. She was a strong pony, a hard worker. Crying wasn't something she did. And what if Rainbow suddenly woke up, and saw her crying? No, she wouldn't cry. The tears weren't there.

For now, Applejack pushed away all other thoughts, about what they could have been, about what might've happened. Pushed away the fact that they might've come true if she hadn't been so stupid. For now, AJ focused on her love's face. Allowing her emotions to show now, that she tried so hard to keep from showing in the light of day. Only Luna's moon would ever see the gentle love she felt for the cyan Pegasus.

It was like sweet torture, loving someone in secret. It was obvious Rainbow didn't feel anything in return. So cool, calm and collected, Rainbow treated her like she always did – as a great friend. But always a friend. Applejack wanted so much more. And yet, it seemed as her dreams would always be exactly that. Reality was harsh and cruel; reality told her that there was no possibility that Rainbow could love her again. So she could only reveal how much she cared for the sleeping pony when no one but the moons and the stars were watching. She loved Rainbow Dash in the shadows of the night, in the silence of the frozen world between falling asleep and waking up. A part of her longed to go over to the winged pony, to caress her cheek, kiss her on the lips. But AJ never did. She was so afraid of waking Dash, afraid that Dash would see her, and realise that she still loved Dash. It would only make everything between them more awkward. Just as they were beginning to move past that.

Applejack made a note to herself to be more careful. As they worked in the orchards, and played together, sometimes she felt herself staring at Rainbow a little too long, sometimes standing a little too close, sometimes being a little too happy. She had begun to call Rainbow "sugarcube" a lot more than their other friends. Sometimes she thought she saw Twilight looking at her a little knowingly, or Rarity smiling at her gently for no particular reason. She wondered if all her friends knew she still cherished feelings for the pony sharing her room. She thanked Celestia that Dash hadn't seen through her. Or maybe she had. Applejack didn't know. But she prayed that Rainbow had no idea.

Looking out her window, she could see the moon, making its way up through the sky. With a sigh, she climbed under her bed sheets, preparing to sleep. Before closing her eyes, she looked over at the Pegasus, fast asleep under the blankets. Sometimes Applejack wished Rainbow did see her like this. Sometimes she wished Rainbow knew, and that she would turn around and tell AJ that she loved her too.

Lies… dreams… wishful thinking… Applejack shook her head at herself. Looking over at the love of her life, she whispered, barely audible, "I love you, Dashie." Words, she thought, that would never be heard.

Note: Posted onto FiMFiction by Arby Works with permission from Lonewolf.007. All credit goes to him for his fanfic, please check it out here or on FanFiction.

Mr. Masato/Arby Works.

Comments

[Lord-Sparda]

Come on Dash...... Come on..... *flips to the next page*