Appleback Mountain

by Sky McFly

Two

Applejack woke to find Rainbow Dash sleeping peacefully next to her. She watched her chest slowly rise and fall for a few seconds, and then careful not to wake her, she rose from her blankets, pushed aside the tent flap, and stepped out onto grass still wet with dew. She sat down several yards from the campsite. In the distance an early-morning mist hung over the mountains. The sun had not yet risen, and it seemed that not even the birds wanted to break the thick silence.

What had happened the previous night? Applejack had had a lot of cider, that was for sure. But she could usually trust herself not to let drinking sway her judgment. So how could she have allowed the events of last night to happen? Rainbow Dash was one of her best friends. A day ago even kissing her had been inconceivable. Now Applejack was horrified to admit that she had done things with Rainbow Dash that she had never even done with a stallion. And worst of all, a small part of her had enjoyed it.

Applejack heard hoofsteps behind her and turned to see Rainbow Dash approach and sit down next to her.

“Mornin’,” she greeted her.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash replied.

Both ponies were silent for a long while. Finally Rainbow Dash broke the silence.

“Do you want to talk about what happened last night?”

“What’s there to talk about?” Applejack dodged the question. “Whatever happened last night was a one-time thing.”

“Nopony else needs to know about it,” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s nopony’s business but ours.”

The sun peeked out over the mountains, its golden light spreading throughout the mist and illuminating it as if from within.

“I ain’t gay,” Applejack declared to the serene valley.

“Me neither,” said Rainbow Dash.

Applejack knew one thing for sure. For the sake of her and Rainbow Dash’s friendship, she could not allow anything like what happened the previous night to happen again.

But it did happen again. And again.

Though Applejack continued to have reservations about her changing relationship with Rainbow Dash, after that first early-morning conversation neither pony voiced any concerns. Their intimate evenings often passed without either of them speaking a word.

In the evenings Applejack would sit out by the fire long after Rainbow Dash retired to the tent. As the days passed she found herself hoping that Rainbow Dash would still be awake, waiting for her to join her in the tent. And more often than not, she was.

On these nights Applejack would remove her hat and let down her mane. The two would stare into each other’s eyes, Rainbow Dash’s hooves softly caressing Applejack’s freckled cheeks for a moment that would last an eternity. And then Rainbow Dash would meet Applejack’s lips with a kiss.

It wasn’t always a bursting dam of passion like the first time. More often their intimacy was like a babbling brook, gently flowing yet constantly shaping the banks between which it flowed.

Applejack didn’t understand what kind of relationship was forming between her and Rainbow Dash, nor did she want to admit that they were drawn to each other by anything more than a close friendship, but she began to look forward to the evenings they spent together. She hadn’t realized before how much her life had been missing the simple pleasure of lying next to her friend, foreleg draped across her chest, head nuzzled just above her shoulder.

Sometimes they would be overcome by exhilarating waves of passion, desperately trying to bring their bodies ever closer, to create one from two. But many nights it was nothing more than falling asleep facing each other, sharing a pillow. Two ponies under one blanket, forelegs wrapped around each other. It was as simple as watching the shadowy shape of Rainbow Dash’s face in the darkness, softly breathing inches from Applejack’s nose as she fell asleep.

And it was enough.

Applejack looked up at a cloudless sky, as bright and blue as Rainbow Dash’s fur.

“Hey Rainbow,” she said, “could you…” She shook her head, embarrassed. “Never mind.”

“What’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking up. She was sitting on a log holding a knife and a chunk of wood that vaguely resembled a potato in her front hooves. Applejack had attempted to teach her how to whittle a couple days earlier with little luck.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” Applejack said. “It’s silly.”

Rainbow Dash stood and took a couple of steps toward Applejack before nuzzling her forehead against Applejack’s neck.

“I like silly,” she said, grinning.

“Well, okay,” Applejack said, “could you… Could you maybe take me flyin’ sometime?” Her apple-green eyes shyly met Rainbow Dash’s startled gaze.

“I—I’d love to!” Rainbow Dash replied. “Though I never expected you would want to go flying.”

“I’ve spent enough time with my hooves planted in the dirt,” Applejack said. “Think it’s time I did somethin’ new.”

Applejack wrapped her legs tightly around Rainbow Dash’s torso. Rainbow Dash stood at the top of a steep slope with Applejack clinging to her back. At the bottom of the slope the ground dropped sharply downward with a sheer cliff. Far below lay the deep green canopy of treetops, stretching farther and farther down the mountain.

“Ready?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Applejack’s eyes widened at the sight of the precipice below them and shook her head.

“Good to know,” Rainbow Dash chirped and lowered her chin to the ground, extending her front legs as if she were preparing for a race.

Applejack gulped.

“Here we go!” Rainbow Dash yelled and sprang into a gallop. She sped down the slope with Applejack hanging on for dear life.

The edge of the cliff was approaching far too quickly for Applejack’s taste. Now that they were almost upon it, she could see nothing beyond but blue sky.

Wings beating, Rainbow Dash reached the edge in a matter of seconds and leaped into nothingness. Applejack wouldn’t admit it to anypony, but she let out a squeak of terror as the ground suddenly vanished from beneath her.

Slowly, Rainbow Dash rose upward and Applejack’s heart slowed from a gallop to a brisk trot. The landscape spread out beneath them like an enormous and exceedingly detailed tapestry. Applejack could see lakes that sparkled in the sunlight and seemingly endless green forests that rose and fell with the curves of the land as they passed beneath her. Rainbow Dash passed over their campsite and Applejack saw the creek that curved and slithered down the mountain like a shimmering snake.

“Earth ponies ain’t supposed to be this far from the ground,” Applejack murmured when she found her voice.

“Right?” Rainbow Dash piped up, glancing back at her terrified passenger. “Isn’t this awesome?”

Squeezing Rainbow Dash so hard that it would’ve taken a crowbar to pry her off, Applejack stared at the immense landscape below her and considered just how few earth ponies had the opportunity to behold the sights she was taking in. Hardly anypony even set foot in this mountainous region, much less soared past snowy peaks thousands of feet in the air. She and Rainbow Dash were alone in the sky, the world beneath them, vast uncharted possibilities above.

She had to admit, it was pretty awesome.

Applejack returned to the campsite after collecting firewood to find Rainbow Dash taking down her tent.

“What’re ya doin’?” she asked, dumping the firewood in a pile next to the fire pit.

“Some bird came by with a letter from Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash answered.

“Okay,” Applejack said, “what’d it say?”

“Well, you know how I’m in the Wonderbolts reserves?” Rainbow Dash replied. Applejack nodded. “Fluttershy told me that Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts came to her house looking for me. They’re expanding their ranks for an upcoming tour, and want me to come along.”

“That’s great!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Yeah, it’s awesome!” Rainbow Dash agreed, hovering a few inches off of the ground in excitement. “I’m gonna fly with the Wonderbolts!” She paused and seemed to make a great effort to sink back down to the ground. “But the tour starts next week,” she continued, “so we’re gonna have to leave for Ponyville today if we want to get back in time.”

Applejack’s struggled to hide her disappointment. “Well… okay, I’ll help you pack up the stuff. Just gimme a minute to take in the view one more time.”

Half an hour later Rainbow Dash finished packing their supplies. She picked up Applejack’s lasso and approached her friend, who was sitting facing the valley a few yards from the campsite.

“Time to go, pardner,” she said. She waved the lasso over her head and then after several failed attempts, managed to throw it over Applejack. Applejack wriggled out of the loop, rose to her feet without a word, and slowly made her way back toward the campsite. Starting to get the hang of it, Rainbow Dash threw the lasso over Applejack from behind her and pulled it tight around her ankles. Applejack stumbled and fell to the ground.

“Stop messin’ with my lasso,” she snarled. She jerked the rope, catching Rainbow Dash off guard and causing her to lose her balance and tumble down the hill toward her. Soon the two were rolling in the grass, wrestling with each other like they had done multiple times over the past few days.

Rainbow Dash giggled, trying to pin Applejack down, but realized after a moment that to Applejack this wasn’t just a friendly tussle.

“Get OFFA ME!” Applejack growled, and Rainbow Dash found herself up against the true strength of a pony who had spent her whole life plowing soil and bucking trees. Applejack soon gained the upper hoof and slammed Rainbow Dash into the dirt. It was all Rainbow Dash could do to flail her hooves in an attempt to protect herself.

Then she felt her hoof collide with something and the weight pinning her shoulders to the ground lifted. Applejack stumbled backward, holding a hoof to her nose to stem the flow of blood.

“Applejack!” Rainbow Dash gasped. “I’m sorry! You okay?” She rushed forward to put her forelegs around her friend. Applejack scowled and swung a hoof at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash felt the full force of Applejack’s strength hit her across the face. She stumbled backward and collapsed in the dirt.

Applejack picked up her bloodstained hat and lasso and walked back to the campsite without a second glance at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash remained sitting in the grass, breathing heavily and waiting for the pain to fade from her face. Then she rose and followed her.

After arriving in Ponyville, the two ponies prepared to part ways.

“Can’t believe I lost my hat up there,” Applejack grunted. “Current took it while I was washin’ the blood out in the stream.”

Rainbow Dash nodded sympathetically and then said, “So hey, you wanna do this again sometime? After the Wonderbolts tour?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Applejack answered. “I can’t take a lot o’ trips like this though. They need me on the farm. But someday, maybe. When am I gonna see you again?”

“The tour’s gonna last a few months,” Rainbow Dash said. “We’re going to Manehattan, Canterlot, Las Pegasus, Fillydelphia… pretty much everywhere.”

“Well, you have a good time now,” Applejack said.

“I will,” Rainbow Dash promised. She hesitated, like she had something else on her mind that she couldn’t bring herself to say.

“Go on now,” Applejack said. “You’ve got a tour to get to.”

“Okay,” Rainbow Dash said, reluctantly rising into the air, “goodbye, Applejack.”

“Goodbye, Rainbow Dash.”

Applejack watched Rainbow Dash shrink to a speck as she flew away, and then slowly started back for Sweet Apple Acres. Before she got more than a dozen steps her throat became uncomfortably tight. She stumbled into an alley and braced her forehead against a wall, her breaths coming in short gasps.

“So who won the bet?” a high-pitched voice piped up from behind her.

“Go away, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack exploded. Pinkie Pie bounded away, and Applejack was left in the alley, shaking with an emotion she couldn’t quite identify. After weeks of being one of only two ponies for miles in every direction she was once again in a city bustling with activity, but now, for the first time in weeks, she felt utterly and desperately alone.

Comments

[Appledash_Gurl]

Still goin' great so far, but it does still feel kind of rushed.
But I think your metaphors along with everything else is great. Keep up the good work!

[Sky McFly]

6383570 Thanks so much for the feedback!