I Want To Take You Flyin'

by MintyJoy

Sleepy Angel

Chapter 11

Sleepy Angel

It was Hearts and Hooves day, the sun was setting, and Rainbow Dash stood in front of the barn door with gifts tucked under her wings. Summoning all the bravery she had she knocked on the door. Applejack’s whistling stopped, and she peered around the door.

“Oh, it’s just you Rainbow.” Applejack opened the door fully. “What’s up?”

“H-how are you?” Rainbow asked shakily.

“Fahne…” AJ said slowly. “A little uneventful, but that’s how work can be sometimes.”

“That’s good,” Rainbow gave a cheesy smile. “So uh, nothing happened at all? Because it’s Hearts and Hooves day and stuff.”

She mentally kicked herself for sounding so stupid.

“Nah,” Applejack replied, “somepony needs to do the work on a holiday. Why?”

This was her chance. She took a deep breath and revealed the gifts out from under her wings.

“B-because…” Rainbow stuttered, “I was w-wondering…”

Applejack stood there, green eyes wide, surprise on her face.

Swallowing hard, Rainbow spit it out.

“Will you be my Very Special Somepony?”

A small silence followed. Slowly, Applejack found her words.

“W-why me?” she seemed to be holding something back, but Dash didn’t catch what.

“B-because…” Rainbow’s tongue tripped on itself and nearly kept her from finishing her sentence. But it had to be said.

“I love you, Applejack.”

The face of the orange mare lit up, a bright smile on her lips. She cried out with joy and tears on her cheeks:

“YES!”

She took the gifts and squeezed Rainbow in a tight hug, the kind that puts nervous hearts to ease. Her embrace was warm, and so full of love that it made Dash nearly burst.

They pulled away a bit, hooves still holding onto each other’s middles.

“Y-you mean,” Dash tried to suppress tears of joy, “you love me back?”

“Of course Ah do!” Applejack smiled wide and warmly, “Ah have fer years!”

“Oh my gosh! So have I!!”

“Ah just dreamed one day you would like me back and tell me, because Ah was too afraid you didn’t feel the same way!”

“Same here! This is the best Hearts and Hooves day ever!”

“Then there is just one way to celebrate,” Applejack batted her eyelashes.

Rainbow understood. Gently at first, then a little faster, they leaned in until there was no space between them. They their lips locked together, their breath mingling as they shared their first kiss.

Applejack’s lips were soft for such a tough farm pony. They felt like rose petals under her own.

Together they stood, the sun setting, the gifts were now on the ground as they were dropped in all the excitement. Dash closed her eyes as she let herself be carried away in those beautiful green eyes, kissing the most beautiful mare in Equestria.

She opened her eyes, expecting to see a blushing farm pony.

She was instead met with the maroon inside of her tent. She sat up, confused and feeling misplaced. Slowly, thoughts of the present began flooding her clouded brain, and her heart sank.

It had been a few months since Hearts and Hooves day. What she had experienced was just a dream. Now she was on a campout with her friends and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She turned and saw a restless Scootaloo, her foreleg twitching and her eyebrows furrowed.

Must be fighting a dragon or something. The brave kiddo.

Rainbow put a hoof on the filly’s shoulder. At first she jerked away, but soon relaxed. With that, Rainbow lifted her hoof, and exited the tent for some fresh air.

The night was cool and beautiful. The moon was almost full. Probably would be tomorrow. Dash sighed as she took in the cool air, her warm body allowed to relax and cool off. A breeze combed its fingers through her mane, causing it to flow and fly its colors. She stretched her wings, contemplating a night flight.

No, she shouldn’t go too far from camp. It was late, probably three or four in the morning.

She instead surveyed the camp ground. The fire pit was long out, her logs and rocks still laying there where they had been placed. To her right was Rarity’s blowup mansion, and to her left was AJ’s orange tent.

A thought fought its way to the front of Rainbow’s mind. She knew she shouldn’t, she could get caught. But it seemed so harmless, she decided to anyway.

Slowly, she approached the tent of the farm pony and her sister. As she carefully undid the flap, she poked her head in the opening and peered inside.

The inside was a pumpkin color, and like two little leaves sat two sleeping bags. Applebloom’s was a light lime, while Applejack’s was a forest green. A little uncomfortable with just her head inside, Dash walked all the way into the tent and sat on the end of Applebloom’s bed, since the tiny filly couldn’t possibly fill its large size all the way.

With a better view, she noticed AJ’s hat over by the pillow of the farm pony. Sitting on the pillow was the bed head, strands of blonde hair sticking out in many directions. Her eyes were shut peacefully, and soft snores came from her open and slightly drooling mouth. To anypony else, she would have looked silly, or even a little gross.

But to Dash, she was beautiful.

Without warning, tears stung her eyes as she looked upon the sleeping mare.

It wasn’t fair. She stared at the figure with a pain of longing, and wishing that the dream was real. She was angry with herself for not bucking up and telling Applejack in the first place, and for the past few months she had been tortured by it whenever she saw her and whenever she slept.

Some dreams were depressing and sad as Applejack turns her down and breaks her heart. But those were much less painful than the happy ones. The sad dreams reminded her of why she didn’t do anything that day. But the happy dreams reminded her of how things could have changed for the better. A day that could’ve changed her and Applejack into a ‘We’. Into a couple or pair. Into something beautiful.

As these yearning thoughts taunted her mind, tear began to escape her grasp and run down her cheeks. Even in the company of the two sleeping ponies, she felt so alone.

She wished she could do something. She was too afraid to share her feelings, too afraid to express them through service, too afraid to do anything. She was a useless scardypony that should be locked up in Tartarus and shunned for her cowardice. Instead she silently wept, her tears flowing freely from her eyes now like a lonely river.

Suddenly, along with her own tears, Rainbow picked up the sound of somepony else crying. It was Applejack. Hairs standing on end in fear of getting caught, Dash was about to bolt for the door when she saw Applejack turn towards her.

The mare’s eyes were still closed, but her eyes were rapidly moving underneath their lids as if trying to see. She whimpered again, this time a little louder. The filly to her left stirred at the noise, but didn’t wake up.

A little voice in the back of her head told her to leave before they woke up, but Dash thought otherwise. Her heart going out to her distressed friend, she felt she had to do something. Less than gracefully, she hopped between the two sleeping bags and very gently knelt beside Applejack. Hesitantly, she reaches her wing out and wrapped it around her shoulder.

At first Applejack struggled under the new weight, and Rainbow feared she would wake up and find her. As soothingly as she could muster, she cooed to the sleeping mare.

“Hush, it’s okay now.”

The worry and anxiety melted off of Applejack’s face as she relaxed and settled under Rainbow’s wing. A warm relief filled Dash’s chest as she saw her relax, and she gave out a sigh. She continued to coo quietly as to lull Applejack back into her deep sleep.

“Ssh, that’s it. Everything is going to be alright.”

Blush began to fill Dash’s cheeks as she watched her wing rise and fall with AJ’s breathing. She felt a little guilty, as she was holding her without permission, but she brushed the feeling aside as she enjoyed the gentle moment. Laying here, with Applejack being adorable, gently assuring the world was alright—because now it was.

In her sleep, Applejack began to stroke the wing around her, curious as to whom it belonged to.

What happened next could never had been expected or prepared for.

“Are you mah angel?” Applejack asked. Her words were slurred and mashed together, as sleep prohibited annunciation.

Rainbow whipped her head over to the sleeping pony.

“Are you mah angel?” This time the question came not only louder, but also with more earnest.

Dash observed as Applejack talked in her sleep, unsure if she should reply or retreat from the tent. But one look at the stirring Applebloom said she better reply.

Quick and without a second thought, she replied softly:

“Yes.”

This seemed to satisfy the sleeping mare for a bit, but before long she spoke up again.

“How long have Ah had an angel?”

The question caused Dash’s gears in her head to turn. What an interesting inquiry from someone still wrapped in their dreams.

“For… some time now.” She replied tentatively.

Concern began to creep on Applejack’s face.

“Will you ever leave me, angel?”

A warmth stirred inside of Dash’s chest, and though her face was stained with tears, she smiled. She knew exactly what to say this time.

“No. I will never leave you Applejack. And even though you may not see me when you wake, or feel my love throughout your day, I’m there. And I love you very, very much. And I will never leave you, or desert you when you’re lonely, or let you down. And if you try really hard, you can find me. But most importantly, remember I love you. Can you remember that?”

Slowly and sleepily, Applejack nodded. Dash wasn’t even sure if she got all of the message, but it was worth a try.

The two laid together side-by-side for a few more minutes, enjoying the small embrace between them.

Rainbow knew that if either of them were, Applejack was the angel. She looked at the messy hair, drool, and snores that made up her good friend. Yes, Applejack was the real angel.

Soon Applejack began to fall back into her deep slumber, and Dash decided it was safe enough to leave. Sleep was returning to her own eyes, and she decided she better get back to her bed before she resumed her own slumber.

As she exited the orange tent, the cool outside dried her wet cheeks. She began to sort through her thoughts and feelings while walking back to her own tent.

Laying down on her back onto her purple sleeping bag, a smile began to appear on her face.

She was Applejack’s angel. And even though she wasn’t sure how she would express the love she felt, for now she would support Applejack, even protect her, but most importantly be there as her friend to help her in times of need. She’d be there on Mother’s and Father’s day, on Applebucking Day, on good days and bad days, happy days and sad days, exciting and boring days, she’d always be there.

Because she was loyal. Because she was Rainbow Dash. Because she was in love.

With this new mission in mind, she closed her eyes with a pleasant smile, welcoming whatever dream came as she fell asleep.

“You… Ah…” Applejack blushed madly, taking in what she had just been told.

“Ah said that?”

“Yeah… apparently you can have conversations in your sleep.” Rainbow said it jokingly, but her smile faded when she saw the farm pony’s face. Applejack was really upset. She was shaking a little, and she had her hat pulled down so it covered her entire face.

“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—” she tried to apologize.

“No.” Applejack sat up, her cheeks still burning crimson, but her eyes holding new warmth. “It’s fahne. Please, continue.”

“Okay…” Dash swallowed and sat straighter. “So I continued to keep my feelings a secret, and meanwhile things got really busy. We had Twilight becoming an alicorn, her coronation, her strange trip into that one portal, and then the Summer Sun Celebration again.”

Applejack nodded. She remembered it being a stressful time.

“But even after all that excitement, you seemed really bored. You had turned to overworking yourself in the farm, and I wouldn’t have that. I needed to get you doing something else before you farmed yourself to death.”

Applejack chuckled. “And how exactly did you get me to stop working too hard?”

AJ’s laughter giving her confidence, Rainbow puffed out her chest, blew on her hoof, and rubbed it on her chest with pride.

“With irresistible dares, of course.”

Comments

[luvindaponies]

Soooooo sweet! Keep it comin'!

[FreezingFire]

Another awesome chapter.

[Spinner of Tales]

So, a few weeks ago, I said that Applejack and Rainbow should kiss. In fact, I yelled it. I wanted them to be happy. You said this chapter would be for me.

[Full-time_Introvert]

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