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Sleep and the Sleepless1,153 words
Cuts and Conundrums1,109 words
Explanations and Acceptance1,251 words
Entrustment and Interrogation2,217 words
Confrontation and Confession2,392 words
A Beautiful Storm2,314 words
Amazing Tricks and Daring Moves2,365 words
A Morning Together and An Evening Apart3,539 words
A Frantic Search and A Tense Reunion3,184 words
Trials Ahead4,941 words
Where It All Began5,948 words

Where It All Began

As the brilliant mid-morning sun passed through the windows of the Apple family home, it's luminous rays came to rest upon a pair of ponies holding each other closely. Applejack nuzzled sweetly against Rainbow Dash's chest, and the pegasus smiled. Since they had gotten together nearly three months ago, the two of them had become nearly inseparable, spending nearly every day by the other's side. Despite their initial apprehension to letting word get out, the two of them had become quite comfortable with the fact that so many ponies knew of their relationship now. Their friends had embraced it, most of the ponies in Ponyville looked at them no different, and anypony who thought otherwise knew better than to give them any trouble. As it turns out, fillyfooling was not all that uncommon, especially in the cities.

Even in the quaint town of Ponyville, they had discovered a few couples that shared their interest in other mares. It came as no big surprise when Lyra and Bon Bon told them of their sexuality, as many ponies had already expected, though some of the more mysterious of mares had surprised them. A new couple from Manehattan had moved in not too long ago and seemed to be fitting in fine, despite their lack of companions in the new town. Overall, things had turned out quite well over the past few months, and neither Applejack nor Rainbow Dash would have had it any other way.

Sure, there had been small quarrels between the lovers, but they were always quickly remedied, as was the way of many relationships. Slowly, they had progressed closer and closer until the fights stopped altogether. Even now, living in the same household, they found it nearly impossible to find anything to argue about. Life was as perfect as it had ever been for the two of them. As the sun finally caught Applejack in the eye, she yawned and looked up at her marefriend.

"Ah suppose it's time to get to work, huh?" She rhetorically asked the cyan mare holding her.

"UGH. . . Do we have to? Can't we just stay here and sleep?" Dash replied as she sat up in their bed. Clearly she was not ecstatic about getting to work, but she knew there would be no arguing.

"Sugarcube, yah already know the answer to that one. If we hurry, we can catch the fillies for a bite to eat," Applejack said as she rolled out of bed and onto her hooves. Dash yawned and stretched before doing the same as Applejack grabbed her Stetson and tied up her hair. As usual, her marefriend found it more enjoyable to let the wind fix her mane, so she took flight out the window. Applejack didn't bother looking as she already knew Rainbow would meet her in the kitchen. After her wings had healed, Dash had immediately gotten to work, training herself to ensure she lost no ground. Applejack hadn't embraced the idea at first, fearing that the pegasus might injure herself, but it all went over smoothly.

Each day, Dash would fly a bit, regardless of whether or not it was helpful to her. She stuck to her idea that she was training for the Wonderbolts, and she finally had the determination to get through it this time. Applejack never protested the idea, though the opportunity never arose for Dash to go to tryouts, something that the orange mare was somewhat thankful for. Still, she did love to watch her lover soar across the sky in such magnificent and majestic forms that a few even left Applejack speechless.

Turning toward the door, Applejack threw it open and began trotting down the stairs. In the kitchen, she found Dash with her head in the pantry, shaking her flank to imaginary music. Applejack grinned at the sight and began sneaking up behind the mare. She hadn't taken but two steps before the cyan flank disappeared inside the pantry, which caused Applejack to make an extremely confused face. Jumping around the door, she peered inside the small room. Inside there was no sign of her marefriend, so she walked in to get a better look. Once inside, Applejack looked around for barely a second before a gust of air hit her and the door closed behind her. In the darkness, she couldn't find the lights, so she stumbled around until her hoof came to rest on something soft and silky.

Confused, Applejack ran her hoof along the material until it came to something a little more solid. Her hoof wasn't there for very long before she felt something soft and sweet press against her lips. It didn't take her mind very long at all the recognize Dash's lips and Applejack realized her hoof was already on the other mare's cheek. Applejack closed her eyes in the darkness just as Dash darted away from her touch again.

"Dashie, what do yah think yer doin'?" Applejack asked the darkness.

"Oh, y'know, just. . ." A jab into Applejack's flank caused her to yelp and jump slightly. "Messing around," Dash finished as she kissed the end of her marefriend's nose.

"How are yah even doin' that? Ah mean, it's pitch black in here!" Applejack said, spinning in circles in an attempt to spot the pegasus.

Dash giggled and replied, "Well, when you fly at night a lot, your eyes get used to the dark pretty quick." She sounded so entertained that Applejack couldn't even be mad at her. Suddenly, a weight pressed down on her back just as the door to the pantry opened. From the doorway, Fluttershy found Applejack standing in the pantry and Rainbow Dash lying on her back, nibbling the back of Applejack's ear, a spot that Dash knew very well was quite sensitive.

"Oh, sorry, fillies, I didn't mean to interrupt anything. But you know, the pantry probably isn't the best place for that," the yellow pegasus joked. Over the past three months, Fluttershy had become almost like a sister to the both of them, and she had definitely become much more comfortable around them. The days of her stuttering in fear were gone, and she often now poked fun at them as she was now.

"Oh, sorry, Shy. This one just decided to play a little trick on me," Applejack said, tossing Dash onto the floor. Applejack was glad it was Fluttershy who had found them and not Big Macintosh or Applebloom. Those conversations were still well beyond awkward. Big Macintosh was still not fully comfortable around two mares when they were being intimate, and Applebloom's persisting questions made both Applejack and Rainbow Dash very uncomfortable on occasion.

"Hay, Shy, you spend the night here?" Dash asked her friend from her upside-down position on the wooden floor. It had become quite the common occurrence that Fluttershy would spend the night at the Apple family residence. Occasionally, Big Macintosh would stay at Fluttershy's cottage, but they seemed to feel more alone at the barn. Dash knew the feeling of constantly being watched at Fluttershy's cottage, and it wasn't a very welcoming feeling.

"Actually, yes. I hope we didn't wake you last night," Fluttershy said, a blush coming to her cheeks.

"Heh, sure didn't. This one here slept like a log," Applejack joked, poking her head in Dash's direction. Dash called out in indignation about the reference, which caused both Applejack and Fluttershy to burst out in laughter. Rolling onto her hooves, the cyan mare pointed her nose in the air and pretended to be above the prodding of her friends. Walking stiffly out of the pantry with her eyes closed, Rainbow Dash strutted straight into the doorframe, knocking herself down. This in turn caused the other two Elements of Harmony in the small space collapse on the floor with laughter. Sitting on the floor, Dash rubbed her sore nose.

"Oww. . ." She mumbled before turning back to her companions. "Hay, shut up! It's your fault!" Much sooner than Fluttershy, Applejack reigned herself in and pulled herself over to her marefriend and stood up.

Bringing her significant other in for a hug, she said, "Ah'm sorry, sugarcube, that was mean o' me." Instead of pulling away like old Rainbow Dash would have done, Dash smiled and kissed Applejack's cheek before grabbing a big mouthful of hay from the pantry and trotting off toward the outside. Applejack just smiled sweetly as she watched her marefriend leave before turning around to see Fluttershy standing beside her.

"So what's on the agenda fer today, Shy?" Applejack asked, grabbing herself a mouthful of food before following her yellow friend out of the pantry.

"Well, actually, since Mac told me you're so far ahead of schedule, I thought we'd take a day off to spend time together. I found this beautiful pond hidden just off the edge of the Everfree Forest, and I've been just dying to show Mac! You should definitely take the day off to spend time with Rainbow Dash. You guys never just take a break from the farm, but you've certainly earned one," Fluttershy explained, which solicited an agreeing nod from Applejack.

"Yeah, Ah guess yer right. Maybe we'll go fer an adventure together; we ain't done that in a mighty long time," Applejack replied, already thinking of exciting places to explore with her lover. Fluttershy nodded lightly and started back toward Big Macintosh's room. Spinning on a back hoof, Applejack turned herself toward the front door of the barn. Looking out the window beside the door, she saw no sign on Dash outside, so she threw the door wide open and stepped outside. No sooner had her hooves touched the grass before a multicolored blur slammed full force into her, sending them both tumbling across the ground.

When her vision stopped spinning, Applejack found Rainbow Dash standing over her with a smile and her head cocked playfully to the side. "Whatchadoin', Dashie?" Applejack asked, laughing at her marefriend's adorableness.

Still smiling, Dash replied, "Just gettin' a head start on our day off! What were you thinking for today?" Stepping off of Applejack, Dash leapt into the air and began to glide around. "A snack at Sugarcube Corner? Going to visit the fillies? Some other outrageous adventure?" Dash suggested, and her tone made it pretty clear that she was most interested in the last choice. Applejack just laughed and began walking toward Ponyville. When Rainbow Dash caught up to her, she smiled.

"Well, a snack and maybe a short trip to see how the fillies are doing couldn't hurt. I'd really like to spend the day with you, though," Applejack said, her gaze meeting Dash's, and they respectively walked and flew side-by-side all the way to Ponyville. Neither of them was looking where they were going as Dash flew straight into another pony. Once she collected herself, she looked around to see that the other pony had been Twilight Sparkle, their friend and trusted doctor for all things Dash-related.

"Ha ha, sorry about that, Twi, I guess something else caught my eye," Dash joked, helping Twilight to her hooves.

As Twilight dusted herself off, she quipped, "Oh? Maybe that something was Applejack's flank?" Applejack burst out laughing, and Dash herself chuckled a bit before pushing Twilight back over. In mere moments, the three of them were lying in the middle of the road, laughing to their heart's content. Eventually, they all stopped laughing and messing around long enough for somepony to get a word in.

"Y'know, Twi, Dashie and Ah were just headed to pick y'all up fer a snack at the Corner. Sound good to you?" Applejack asked as Twilight wiped tears from her eyes.

Despite the aching in her lungs, Twilight was quick to reply with, "Sounds great, fillies! Shall we stop at Fluttershy's before Rarity's, though? It seems a bit mean to leave Shy out." Applejack silenced her with a wave of her hoof.

"Shy and Big Mac are spendin' the day together," she told her purple friend.

"And apparently every night. . ." Dash grumbled under her breath, which earned her a hoof to the back of the head.

"Hush, you. When was the last time you went home, missy? Sure seems like yer always right there," Applejack threw back. Dash stopped for a second to scratch her chin with a forehoof and then shrugged.

"I dunno. I don't keep track of those things. Besides, if I went home, you'd miss me before I even got there!" Dash joked, which earned her another hoof to the back of the head. "Oww, stop that! You know you love me!" Applejack didn't say anything, just kissed Dash lightly on the cheek and got to walking. Dash sulked at the back of the group as Twilight and Applejack talked about farms or whatever. She could care less, really, and as usual, she spent the whole time watching her marefriend's flank move side to side with each step. Something about it seemed to have a hypnotic effect because Dash didn't even notice when Applejack stopped and she walked right into the cowpony's rear end.

"Hay, watch it back there!" Applejack remarked, as Dash stood back up and blushed. When they both looked ahead they saw Twilight knocking on the door of Carousel Boutique. After a few moments of silence, a loud crashing noise, and the yelping of a cat, Rarity came to the door. Her brow was dotted with sweat and she was holding pins in her mouth, but she looked like her usual, busy self. When she saw it was them, her face visibly relaxed.

"Oh, thank heavens it's only you three. I don't think I can handle another order right now! Please, please, come in. Time is of the essence," Rarity rambled and waved them inside. She was gone before Twilight even got a word in, so they were forced to step inside. Unlike the piles upon piles of clothes like they had expected, they discovered there to be very few garments lying about. Twilight, Dash, and Applejack walked around the room for a bit before turning to Rarity, who was fast at work.

"No, no, this simply won't do. . . If only I had- I've got it!" The dressmaker mumbled to herself as she whipped around. "Rainbow Dash, come here please! I have something I need you to try on for a second." Dash gulped and took a couple of steps backward.

"Rarity, you know I hate trying on your frou-frou dresses!" Dash complained.

"Oh no, I'm sure you'll enjoy this," Rarity said, taking a step back. "Besides, haven't you always wanted to dress like a Wonderbolt?" On the table before her, a Wonderbolts uniform sat, it's stretchy fabric slightly torn on the flank. Before anypony could say another word, Dash was standing right in front of the suit, her eyes shining and her mouth agape.

In minutes, Dash had the loose-fitting suit on and was checking herself out in the mirror. "Why's it so big? Aren't they supposed to be really snug?" She asked as she looked at the rip in the fabric.

"Well, yes, but you're wearing a stallion's uniform. Somepony named Soarin, I believe, if the name means anything to you," Rarity managed to say with her mouth full of pins. She nearly lost them all as Dash whipped around.

"Soarin?! THE Soarin?!Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! I'm wearing Soarin's uniform!" Dash cried with foalish glee, prancing around on the pedestal. Applejack giggled a bit at the sight of her marefriend being so happy without her assistance.

"Yes, yes, THE Soarin, now calm down! I must stitch this properly!" Rarity snapped and Dash instantly corrected her posture.

Her eyebrow rose and she asked, "How'd it tear, anyway? Isn't this stuff supposed to be, like, indestructible?"

"Well, in the air, yes, this fabric could withstand quite the beating, but it can't take much physical abuse. This tear was caused by somepony's recklessness in removing the suit," Rarity explained.

"How do you know that?" Dash inquired from her pose on the stand.

"Well, I can tell by the way the fabric is stretched next to the tear, by the tear itself, but also because Soarin told me. He also delivered something for his friend, it's over behind you, Applejack," Rarity gestured with an ear twitch, her focus never leaving the suit. When Applejack spun around, all she found was a familiar leather vest. Without another thought, she leaned in and took a deep breath.

"Hmm. . . Apploosa apples. . . This here is Brae's vest. How the hay did Soarin the Wonderbolt get his hooves on my cousin's vest?" Applejack asked with her head cocked to the side in confusion. Twilight just shrugged and turned to look at Rarity.

Again, the unicorn replied without looking up. "Well, Miss Spitfire was quite vague, but, by the sound of it, your cousin's vest wasn't the only thing Soarin had his hooves on," she said, only half paying attention. Only when Dash whipped her head around did Rarity realize the information she had divulged.

"Soarin is a. . . A coltcuddler? You're kidding, right?" Dash seemed more surprised than her tone suggested.

"Well, from what Soarin himself and Spitfire told me, he found somepony special and was deciding to settle down soon, but he needed his suit repaired first, which happened to be the same time that he dropped off Braeburn's torn vest. Now I don't know what the two of them were getting into, but Spitfire was giving off quite the odd show of feelings," Rarity explained. Looking back to Applejack, she asked, "Is there any chance that Braeburn IS Soarin's special somepony?"

Applejack seemed to ponder the question longer than was really necessary before replying with, "Well, Ah ain't seen him with a mare since he was a little colt, but that don't mean nothin'. But why would Brae get mixed up with Soarin anyhow?" Rarity shrugged and turned back to her work.

"Fillies, we really shouldn't be trading rumors like this. Somepony could get their feelings hurt," Twilight interjected, ever the conscientious one.

"Quiet, Twilight. It's Applejack's cousin, and besides, if Soarin really is settling down with a colt, the paparazzi will be all over it in no time," Dash called, still facing the wall so Rarity could get a better view of her stitching. "Say, Rarity, what did Soarin mean by 'settling down soon' anyway?" The pegasus asked, and Rarity's head dropped.

Sighing, she answered, "Ugh, fine, but you didn't hear it from me. The reason Soarin needs his suit repaired is because he's performing in tomorrow's show at Cloudsdale, as you probably know, and then he's retiring. He's going to make the announcement after the show, and from what I've heard, they're going to be searching for somepony to take one of the junior positions." For Dash, time seemed to stand still for that moment.

Soarin's leaving the Wonderbolts? That's terrible! They can't be the Wonderbolts without Soarin! Well, maybe the replacement will be good enough to take his place. . . Wait a second! A replacement! That could be me! Yeah, I'll go to Cloudsdale tonight and try out and I'll get a place on the team! I'M GONNA BE A WONDERBOLT! By this point, time was resuming, but Dash had already jumped out of Soarin's uniform. Now, she was zipping around the room shouting, "I'M GONNA BE A WONDERBOLT, I'M GONNA BE A WONDERBOLT!" Try as she might, Rarity couldn't calm her down effectively enough to coax her back into the suit and just went back to working off of the table.

Applejack and Twilight followed as Dash bolted out of the door. In a desperate attempt to calm the pegasus, Twilight used her magic to grab Rainbow Dash by the tail and pull her back to the ground. "Rainbow Dash, calm down! What's this all about you being a Wonderbolt?"

Dash hopped up and pranced back and forth with excitement. "They need a replacement for Soarin, somepony tough, somepony good, somepony fast, and who better than the faster flier in all of Equestria? I'll beat out everypony else and I'll become an official Wonderbolt!" She had now grabbed Twilight by the hooves and was spinning through the air with her. From the ground, Applejack watched absently as her mind connected the dots.

Dash is finally gonna live her dream. Well how 'bout that? Ah sure am glad she finally got the chance. But if she becomes a Wonderbolt, where does that leave me? Applejack wondered, her brow becoming increasingly furrowed with worry. "Dashie, can you come down her for a sec?" In no time, Rainbow Dash was at her marefriend's side and Twilight Sparkle was dizzily stumbling in circles.

"What's up, AJ?" Dash asked excitedly. It was clear none of the thoughts Applejack had come up with had hit Dash yet.

"Sugarcube, we have a small problem here. Yah see, Ah'm happy yah finally got yer chance to become a Wonderbolt, Ah really am, but what about me?" Applejack asked. Still, Dash's excitement wasn't broken.

"What about you? We can travel Equestria, side-by-side, living the high life!" Dash threw a hoof around Applejack shoulder and waved her other hoof to suggest great possibilities. Applejack pulled away a bit to look Dash in the eye.

"Dashie, you know Ah can't just get up and leave the farm. Granny Smith's gettin' older, Applebloom's not old enough to buck by herself, an' Mac and Fluttershy can't handle it all by themselves. Ah need to be at Sweet Apple Acres, an' if you become a Wonderbolt, you'll never come home. . ." By the end of her words, Applejack's voice had hushed to a whisper. She felt terrible putting guilt on Dash like that, but it needed to be said for the mare to face reality. Judging from the way Dash's ears fell, reality had hit her.

"Well, I'd be home every now and again, and. . . And I'd probably never get to see you. . . But I want to be a Wonderbolt so badly! I've wanted this since I was a little filly!" Dash said, pulling away from Applejack.

"Ah know yah have, but what about me? What about the farm? Yah can't just get up and leave us for good," Applejack said, trying a little offensive tactics to persuade her marefriend.

"I CAN'T? Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do! I'll show you what I can and can't do! I'll go become the best Wonderbolt ever, and then you'll see what I can do!" Dash cried, backing away. Her eyes were brimmed with tears now, and she swatted Applejack's hoof out of the way as the cowpony made a move toward her. Dash now leapt into the air and took off into the sky, the ground below being dotted along the way with small tears.

Back outside Carousel Boutique, Twilight wrapped a hoof around Applejack and hugged her close. "It'll be okay, Applejack, she just needs time to see what she really wants," the unicorn said, trying to convince Applejack.

Applejack sniffled and whispered, "Hay, Twi?"

"Yeah, AJ?"

"Isn't that the way to Cloudsdale?"

Twilight hesitated for a moment. She decided that Applejack needed the truth now. "Yes, yes it is." With that, Applejack began to cry harder than she had in all of her months with Rainbow Dash by her side.

As mid-afternoon began to break into dusk, Rainbow Dash landed just on the edge of Cloudsdale. By instinct, she knew that the Wonderbolts would be practicing for the show tomorrow, and that meant they would be in the stadium. Dodging all other ponies, she managed to sneak her way into the stadium and all the way to the locker room. When she knocked on the door, Spitfire answered.

"How did you get in- Wait, you look familiar. . . Oh, hay, Rainbow Dash, I remember you! You saved my flank at the Young Fliers Competition! What's up, if you don't mind me asking. I figure you off all ponies know the prep work that goes into each show," Spitfire said, her eyebrow cocked up. For a minute, Dash stood there, her mouth agape.

Shaking herself, Dash responded, "Umm, yeah, sorry. I'm glad you remember me. Listen, I know nopony is supposed to know this yet, but I heard from a reliable source that you guys are going to start recruiting soon."

"Yeah, sounds about right," a deeper voice from behind the door said. The door opened wider to reveal Soarin dripping wet and drying his mane with a towel. "Y'know, Spit, I would have thought you'd at least wait until I'm gone to replace me," the blue stallion commented, which earned him a playful shove from his teammate.

Spitfire turned back to Dash, who was still amazed there was now two of the most famous living pegasi standing in front of her right now. "Well, Rainbow Dash, what about it?" Spitfire asked.

"Well, you see, I was wondering if maybe I could, you know, possibly try out sometime for a position. . ." She sounded like Fluttershy by the end; her voice had gotten so hushed. Spitfire just chuckled a bit and pulled Soarin out into the hall with her and Dash, closing the door to the locker room.

"Well, we haven't officially started recruiting yet, Dash, but for the winner of the Young Fliers Competition and the savior of my flank, as well as Soarin's, I don't see why not," the yellow mare explained. Soarin stepped forward when she finished talking.

"Wait, did you say Dash? As in Rainbow Dash?" He asked, and both the mares nodded at him in unison. "So you're the Dash I've heard so much about! Braeburn's told me all about you and his cousin and how happy you make her. But what are you doing here?" The stallion asked.

"Well, I heard from somepony that you guys were recruiting soon and I thought I'd try and get a spot sooner. I know I probably shouldn't, but I've wanted this for such a long time!" Dash rambled on, causing Spitfire to laugh again.

Soarin's brow furrowed. "What about Applejack? Did you guys not stay together?" He inquired, confused.

"No, we're still together. Before I came here, she told me I couldn't make it, so I wanted to prove her wrong," Dash grumbled. Soarin frowned a bit at that news.

Turning to Spitfire, he asked, "Spit, would you mind stepping inside for a second? I'd like to talk to my potential replacement in private." Spitfire just nodded and stepped back into the locker room, leaving Soarin and Rainbow Dash alone in the hall. "Now, you say she told you that you couldn't make it. Are you sure she wasn't saying she didn't WANT you to make it?" Soarin asked.

Thinking back, Dash supposed he was right. "Okay, so maybe she wasn't challenging me, but she still didn't want me to go. Doesn't she want me to be happy? I mean, you look plenty happy," she told him, waving a hoof in his direction.

Chuckling, he replied, "Of course I'm happy. These stallions and mares are the best friends I could ask for, and it hurts to leave them, but I want to." Dash cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"I don't get it. Why leave if you're happy here? Isn't this what you've always wanted?"

"Of course it's what I want. Or wanted. . . You see, Dash, everything seems great when you have it all, but you eventually realize you don't have anything. I have close friends, ponies I'll stay in touch with for the rest of my life, but that's all they are. Just friends. I realized I wanted something more, and I'm sure Spitfire's felt the same way. When you've been in it as long as we have, you see these things. Now for Spit, something or somepony in her past is keeping her from moving forward, so she's practically married herself to the job. But me, I've still got a chance. When I met Brae, I thought it might just be another fling, but after a while, I came to my senses. I still have time to get out and do something that makes my life worth living," Soarin explained.

"But isn't being a Wonderbolt enough? I mean, you perform for crowds of thousands all the time, isn't that enough to make your life worth living?" Dash asked.

Again Soarin laughed. "That's just it. I perform for THEM, not me. I don't do it to make myself happy; I do it because I have nothing else. Or had nothing else, I guess. Now, I've got a chance to do something to make myself happy and I'm not gonna hesitate to take it. I'll be plenty glad to help Brae work on his orchard as long as I have him. I'm sure you've helped Applejack on the farm before, and wasn't it great to be working with her? If you do this, you might lose her forever, and you'd never forgive yourself for it," he told her.

"I mean, sure, I love Applejack, I love her more than I love myself, but-"

"And isn't her dream to be with you forever? If you love her that much, why do you need to be a Wonderbolt? From what I'm hearing, you've got it all already, so why blow it on this?" Soarin asked her, leaning against the wall. All of the sudden, Spitfire stepped out of the locker room.

"Practice is about to start, Soar. Dash, if you're gonna try out, now would be the time."

On the edge of Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash sat by herself, watching Ponyville far off in the distance. "Well, that certainly took guts, kid," Spitfire's voice came. Dash turned her head to look over her shoulder at the Wonderbolt. "You gave up a lot tonight. Let's just hope you made the right decision," she said, turning back toward the stadium. "Don't you have someplace to be? You ARE going to be pretty busy tomorrow."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Dash stood up. "Yeah, you're right. . . I guess I should tell Applejack I'll be stopping by tomorrow after the performance," she mumbled. "Know where I can find a good mailmare?"

Laughing, Spitfire replied, "Good and mailmare don't go together in the same sentence. But I happen to know the best in the business. Want me to go get her?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Applejack sat watching the sky as the sun came up like she usually did when Dash had been out all night, but this time was different. Now, she watching it longingly, praying that Dash would come home. A loud crash from downstairs caught her attention and she quickly hurried down to the kitchen. There, a cloud of dust was settling around the infamous mailmare, Derpy. In her mouth was a letter, which she waved around vigorously.

Taking the letter, Applejack saw it was from Dash. She tore the letter open in the blink of an eye.

"Dear Applejack,

I have some good and some bad news for you. I hope you aren't still mad at me 'cause I need you to do me a favor. Just meet me at the cave where it all began at sunset and I'll explain it all.

Love, Rainbow Dash."

Applejack's heart dropped into her stomach when she read 'some good and some bad news'. She made it. Ah shoulda known she would. . . Well, Ah guess the least I can do is say goodbye tonight. The letter was now dotted with tears as Applejack looked up. She hadn't even noticed when Derpy left through the same window she'd entered through. Steps behind her made Applejack turn around. There, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh stood. Applejack passed them the letter, which they read together. Both their faces dropped as they read it, and Fluttershy looked as though she might cry. They both embraced Applejack to try and calm her crying.

Walking through the orchard, Applejack steeled herself to the coming onslaught of emotion. Yer happy fer her, Applejack. Her dream's finally comin' true, don't let yerself get in the way o' that. After a few more minutes, the sun was almost completely set and Applejack found a faint glowing coming from the cave. When she turned to the opening, she found an eloquently-set table with three tall candles, a clean white tablecloth, fine china, and delicious-looking food on the plates. Next to the table stood Rainbow Dash, whose smile looked a tad forced.

Applejack didn't stop to think for another second before rushing over to Dash and giving her a tight hug. "Ah missed yah, sugarcube," she whispered into Dash's ear. Letting go, she walked over to her seat. Dash pulled it out for her and they both sat down to start eating. About halfway through the very awkward meal, Dash cleared her throat.

"So I met with the Wonderbolts on Cloudsdale," she said.

With an eyebrow raised, Applejack feigned a collected attitude. "Oh? How'd that go?" She asked.

"Well, Spitfire and Soarin were plenty happy to let me try out for the team. Oh, by the way, the rumors about Soarin and Braeburn are completely true," Dash explained.

Applejack nodded and waved a hoof for her to continue.

"And I talked to Soarin about taking his place. He said he didn't really mind because he was happy to find 'the one'," Dash said, getting out of her chair and walking behind Applejack.

"Well Ah sure am glad my cousin found somepony who loves him so much. So how did the tryout go?"

Dash hugged Applejack tightly from behind and the orange mare touched Dash's hooves with her own. "It. . . Didn't," Dash whispered.

Confused, Applejack said, "Come again?"

"I couldn't do it. After listening to Soarin, I realized that I didn't need all that anymore. I don't even want it anymore," Dash explained. Applejack was left speechless.

"Ah. . . Ah don't understand. After so many years, yah got yer chance an' you turned it down? Why?" The cowpony asked.

"Because I have you. I don't need to be a Wonderbolt when I have everything I could ever want right here, at Sweet Apple Acres."

Still confused, Applejack tried to turn around and look back at her marefriend, but found she couldn't while in Dash's embrace. "If yah didn't stick around for the tryout, why were yah gone so long?" Applejack stared at Dash's hooves as she spread them apart. Applejack's heart stopped for a short moment.

"For this," her lover replied. In her hooves was a dazzling golden band, perfectly sized for Applejack's hoof. Dash released her marefriend and walked around to her side, still holding the ring. Applejack looked up and into Dash's eyes, which were sparkling with both fear and glee. "Applejack. . . Will you marry me?"

Applejack's eyes filled up with tears when she heard those magical words. It had been three short months being together, but they had both never been happier. Now, Dash had willingly given up her lifelong dream of joining the Wonderbolts for a chance to be with Applejack forever.

"Yes. Of course!" Applejack said. Dash hugged her tighter than she ever had before and they shared a moment like that. They stared into each other's eyes passionately for a moment before they looked away and blew out the candles. Walking out of the cave, Dash unfurled her wings and Applejack wordlessly hopped onto her back. Together they soared through the sky above the orchard, and Applejack loved every second of it because she knew, from that moment on, that she would be able to share times like this with Rainbow Dash for the rest of her life, and that was all she could have ever hoped for.

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