> Hey, It's Me
>  by TwilightUCrazy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Denim Heaven
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow flung her tennis shoes across the room with a flick of her legs and fell back against her big cushy armchair. Exhaling tiredly, she yanked off her windbreaker and shed it without care on the floor next to her.

The other article she’d brought into her apartment hit her sofa with a flick of her wrist.

School had been tiring. It never wasn’t. Listening to older people talk so they could feel more important never stopped being boring and boredom had a habit of calling out to her in the form of naps. She’d breezed through her Physics test, did so-so on a pop quiz in Algebra, and just barely squeaked by with a C- on last week’s History midterm.

It hadn’t been school, though, or even the track meet that had thrown her off her game. Sports had never exhausted her before. She’d tried them all and one-upped everybody without much effort.

What exhausted Rainbow Dash more than anything were thoughts. Thinking did a number on someone when they were so used to doing.

Her magenta eyes rolled into the back of her head as she leaned back and started rocking back and forth in her chair. Gradually they rolled down the edge of her eye and landed just next to her on the denim jacket draped across her couch.

She had left it in her car when she’d dropped Her off. It was almost like an angel from Heaven or somecrap had plucked it right off of Her and left it in the front passenger’s seat, as if it were a gift of the gods. She’d never been overly religious or anything, but at that point, she had to believe that someone up there was working in her favor.

Reaching out, she pulled the fabric closer. Rainbow inhaled deeply. Her scent still faintly lingered on the fibers of the cloth; the same smell every time She let her in for an embrace. The same smell that spiraled off that gorgeous mane of hair and sexy body of hers.

She smiled and nibbled on her bottom lip. Thoughts crossed her mind of keeping it. It wasn’t like She would ever know. She’d probably just figure someone had picked it up for themselves at school and kept it. And She didn’t exactly come over all that much anymore. Life had gotten far busier for them both since entering high school, and didn’t allow for social extravagances like their sleepovers of yesteryear.

It wasn’t that she didn’t miss the interaction. Sometimes Rainbow Dash lay awake at night, feeling those old desires of having Her close resurfacing, drifting asleep nearby as she listened to Her breathing. The longing only grew stronger when she gazed over from her spot in the batter’s box or from her position on the soccer field to see Her cheering wildly for her in the stands.

Rainbow hugged the jacket against her and smiled. If she kept it, she thought, she could always have a piece of Her around. It’d be like carrying an angel’s feather with her for all time. She could stash it away where no one would ever find out. And whenever she felt alone, she could retrieve it, and have a piece of that angel close to her.

But angel feathers were only precious if given as gifts. This… this felt like she’d stolen it. She knowingly had Her favorite jacket in her possession. Rainbow would know, even if She didn’t.

Knowing she would have to return it, Rainbow growled in frustration and tore her school uniform off as she headed for the bathroom. After a hot shower and a change of clothes, she sat on her chair again, and pondered.

It could have just fallen under the front seat, she thought. It’s not like she would have looked over much at the passenger’s seat anyway while she’d been driving.

The more she thought about it, the more the gift felt like a trap. No matter how much she tried to justify it, she couldn’t figure an excuse for how she’d made it all the way home without noticing Her jacket just lying there. She would have looked down at some point; at a stop sign or something. And she sure wouldn’t have much of an excuse for why it took so long for her to notice, much less why it smelled partially of her sweaty self now.

She would have questions.

“Why’d you have to go and leave your stupid jacket behind, anyway?” she pouted, huffing and crossing her arms.

Though it irritated her, feeling like she had such a dependence on the girl, Rainbow couldn’t escape the feeling of wanting to go see Her. She wanted to go return it; see her eyes deeper than the deepest oceans shimmer in delight when she plucked it up off the seat next to her, got up out of the car, and swaggered over to return it to her…

If anybody had ever called Rainbow a softie, she probably would’ve knocked their lights out. She had worked hard over many years to maintain the image of a tomboyish, no-nonsense rough-and-tumble one-of-the-guy types. And for the most part, that’s what she identified with.

But she wanted the hug of appreciation, the feeling of Her head tucking perfectly underneath her chin as she greeted her, and the feeling of those loving arms wrapping around her.

In public, she had to work hard to keep such big, stupid grins off her face. In private, however, Rainbow allowed herself a little, girlish squeal.

Looking over to the end table, Rainbow reached over and grabbed the wireless phone off the receiver, held down ‘1’, and heard the dialtone.

Booooooop…

One ring.

Booooooop…

Two rings.

Booooooop...

She hoped she wasn’t out in the-

Click.

Rainbow’s heart leapt.

"Hello?” the familiar voice on the other end of the line said.

“Hey! It’s me,” Rainbow said, her cheeks and the skin around her eyes wrinkling from the smile growing on her face. She bit her lip to try and suppress the little giggle wiggling around in her chest.

"Rainbow?" She replied. She had to face away from the phone to avoid bursting out laughing, even though that's all She ever made her want to do. 

“’Sup, babe?”

She heard the soft snort of chuckling next to the other receiver. "Heheh. What’s up, sugarcube?”

OH how she loved it when She called her that!

“Nuttin’. What’s up witchu, AJ?” Rainbow asked lamely. If they had been talking in person, she would have flicked out a pair of sunglasses to complete the effect.

Applejack chuckled again on the other end of the line. "Just rummagin’ around lookin’ for somethin’. Swear to God, Ah must be losin’ mah mind.”

“You? Lose something?” Rainbow’s grin broadened, if that were possible. “That doesn’t sound like you, Applejack.”

"Hey now, don’t you get started. Ah can’t count how many times you went ‘n forgot yer lunch money or books for classes and Ah had to share witcha.”

Rainbow couldn’t help the snerk she let escape.

All those things were true. She had forgotten her lunch money a lot. And her books. And her pencils. And her bookbag altogether. Several times, in fact.

Not once, though, was it not on purpose. Every time she did, though, Applejack was always there to bail her out. She always brought a spare rainbow-colored pencil just for her to every class, just in case, and the two always sat together in the corner of the room just so the teacher wouldn’t notice one of them was missing their textbook.

Rainbow made it up to her by being awesome to be around, so it always evened out in the end.

“Yeah, you’re right. Only time you ever forgot something was in gym class, and you forgot your shorts…”

Rainbow’s eyes glimmered mischievously.

"’Ey!” Applejack snapped on the other end of the line,  “Ah done toldja Ah didn’t forget ‘em! One of the guys musta stolen ‘em outta mah locker durin’ class!”

Okay, that one was half-true. She’d just gotten the gender wrong. That had been funny, though. Applejack had been forced to walk around school minus her denim shorts and plus the nylon gym bottoms all day, getting looks from everybody. It had been one of Rainbow Dash’s rare strokes of brilliance.

“Yeah, yeah, if you say so,” she said mockingly into the receiver, looking down at the blue jacket in her grasp.

"Aww, shaddup,” the farmgirl huffed on her end. "It ain’t like Ah’d come to school pantless or nothin’.”

“Yeah…” Rainbow sighed dreamily. "That’d be pretty hot, but…”

Applejack’s sigh was a bit more out of exasperation. "Look, Rainbow, ya called me for somethin’. What is it?”

“No, no, I wanna keep chatting. We haven’t gotten to do this in a while.”

"Well, if yer just callin’ to shoot the breeze, can ya do it later? Ah’ve been lookin’ all over fer mah favorite jacket, and Ah can’t find it nowhere.”

Rainbow smirked.

“Looking for your jacket, huh?” She looked down at her nails and inspected them, though the tactic only really proved effective for herself. “That’s bad news there, AJ. Y’know what the forecast is supposed to be like tomorrow, right?”

"Sunny and warm. What’s yer point?”

“Oh… right. Well, they changed it,” Rainbow rebounded quickly. “They said it’s supposed to be chilly and rainy tomorrow morning.”

She lied.

"Oh, well don’t that beat all…” her friend growled on the other end. "Rainbow, listen, it’s always fun talkin’ with ya, but Ah really gotta go and find it if that’s the case.”

“Don’t bother, AJ. You probably won’t find it at your house.” She paused for dramatic effect and gave a soft sniff of the denim in her arms again. “Though I might know a little something about where it might be.”

"Ya do? Where?”

Rainbow let go of her pent up laugh.

“You left it in my car when I dropped you off at home,” she said. “I was gonna wait to see if you’d call.”

"Rainbow, you seriously had it all along? Ah’ve been frettin’ fer the past hour lookin’ fer that dang ‘ol thing!”

“I know. Aren’t I a genius?” Rainbow giggled again.

"Well, if’n ya ain’t too thickheaded to remember, couldja bring it to school tomorrow and give it back?”

Rainbow migrated her way over to the sofa and buried her face in the fabric, smelling the lingering hints of farm life. It gave her enough time to seem like she was thinking about it.

“Hmm… I dunno, AJ,” she smirked, kicking her feet behind her. “Sounds like that wouldn’t be very appreciated, to me. I mean, calling someone who you wanted to do you a favor ‘thickheaded’ isn’t exactly a way to get on her good side, wouldn’t ya say?”

She could hear Applejack shaking her head through the line.

"Are ya gonna do it, or ain’t ya?”

Rainbow grinned. “Okay, how about this?” she started, rolling over onto her back, “I’ll swing by your place and drop it off in the morning while I’m on my way to school. Sound good?”

"…”

Silence on the other end.

She blinked. “Uhh, AJ?”

"Ah know what yer tryin’ to do.”

A smirk crossed Rainbow’s face again. “Oh? What am I trying to do?”

"Don’t pretend fer a second you don’t know. Ya got the worst poker face… er, voice – in the whole wide world.”

“Second only to yours, you mean?”

"Ah ain’t gonna ride with ya, y’know.”

Rainbow wasn’t discouraged. “Whoever said I was gonna invite you to?”

"You always do, Rainbow. Then ya always take us way outta the way on some crazy backroad ride of yers.”

“I don’t ever recall you complaining!”

Silence.

“I mean, the last time we went, you were having just as much fun as I was.” Rainbow’s grin widened. “Does ‘whoo-hoo!’ and ‘Go faster!’ sound familiar to you?”

"And we’re always late and gettin’ smacked with a referral by the principal.”

“So? It’s not like we do it every day! And you hate first period anyway!”

"Rainbow…

“Okay, okay, whatever. So am I bringing your jacket by tomorrow morning or not?”

A pause.

Then, a sigh. "Yer really gonna get up early, jump in yer car, and drive outta yer way just to drop off mah jacket?” she asked.

Had she really become so predictable?

She exhaled through her lips soberly. “Yeah. I mean, if you want me to.” She lowered the tone of her voice and smirked, glimpsing at her nails. “But if ya don’t wanna see me, that’s cool, I guess…” she said, trying to invoke a more pitiful inflection.

Applejack wasn’t having it. "Look, just be there at seven, okay? Mah bus stop’s a hike enough as it is. Ah don’t need to be waitin’ on you to show up whenever ya please.”

Bingo.

“Alright, whatever,” she said with an instinctive shrug. “Your call.” Her tone was indifferent, but her excitement electrified her.

"Remember. Seven o’clock sharp.”

“Come on, AJ! When have I ever been…” Rainbow stopped. “Uhh, never mind.”

She could sense Applejack smirking on the other end of the line. "Yeah. Thought so.”

Click.

Rainbow Dash smiled down to the phone in her hand and hung it back up on the charger, snuggling back against the arm of her couch. Typically, evenings couldn’t last long enough for her. Her evening jogs and Playstation time whittled away the hours relentlessly, and before she knew it, she was in bed with an empty stomach.

The magic didn’t seem to work that night, however.

Tomorrow couldn’t come quick enough.
> Call of the Road
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

BEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEP! BEEEEEEEP!

Rainbow Dash had very nearly hit the snooze button when her alarm went off at five-thirty the next morning. It was a last minute jump-start of her mind that caused her hand to miss, and dart to the back side to flip the annoying tone off completely. She raised her head from the pillow and sluggishly drug her way through her routine. After a bowl of frosted corn flakes and a quick shower, she pulled on her clothes and gawked at the clock on her nightstand.

She’d promised Applejack she’d be there by seven o’clock. From the front door of her apartment to Applejack’s front porch – depending on traffic – it took about ten minutes

Rainbow twirled her keys in her hand, grabbed Applejack’s jacket off the floor, and casually locked her door behind her at precisely 6:55.

She hurdled over the ’67 Mustang convertible’s driver side door. The handle to open it had broken a long time ago, and the entire car really longed for the scrap heap, considering it looked like one. It’s dark green paint was faded badly, and rust had started eating at the body panels. But Rainbow was loathe to let go of it until it had turned over for the very last time. 

She slid the key into the ignition and, after a few twists, the engine roared angrily to life, rocking the frame side to side. She slid the car into gear, and screeched out of the parking lot with a loud bark of throttle. 

If her neighbors weren’t awake from her raucous singing in the shower, they were by the delicate roar of her departure.

A series of traffic lights and a short stint on the highway stood between her and Applejack's house. From there, Rainbow rolled the car onto the dirt road leading out into the more rural countryside. She eased back on her lead foot and cruised casually down the boulevard, leaning comfortably back into her seat. 

She glimpsed herself in the cracked rearview mirror to make sure she hadn’t ruffled her hair too much in the wind on the ride over. Forcing herself to adopt a neutral expression didn't come easily to her, but was a necessity for her plan to work.

She then tossed her eyes to the dash-mounted clock.

7:02.

A grin crossed her face which she quickly suppressed. She was probably just late enough to make Applejack wonder where she was, but not so much that her friend would be inclined to forget their arrangement and take off on her... or blow up on her, the far more likely outcome.

Just to be safe, she rolled back the clock to 7:01. Brushing a hand to calm her wavy hair, she hung a right onto the grassy path leading into Applejack’s front yard. She circled once around the family’s gigantic, aging rusted-out pickup, and slid up in front of the porch. The car’s revs dropped below stalling speed and the engine died.

Well, no running off if things went south anymore…

The front screen door of the farmhouse was practically kicked open, and out stepped her blonde angel.

Applejack wasn’t what someone would call petite, but she barely came up to Rainbow Dash’s nose. What she lacked in height, though, she more than made up for in form. Her hips and pleasantly-bulging chest gave her an hourglass shape that drove her nuts.

She wore her navy-blue blazer awesomely (Hey, at least she bothered to wear it). The red tie accentuated her white button-up shirt well, and Rainbow was distantly grateful to have so much left to her imagination. It was never not odd to see her without her hat, not to mention her being in a skirt that wasn't denim. The tall white socks and clogs didn't do much for Rainbow other than obscure the view of a pair of tight, sexy and muscular legs. 

Oh well. At least it kept her eyes up north where they belonged.

“Yer late,” she grated irritably. Not exactly the grateful, affectionate hug Rainbow had had in mind.

It’d do though.

“What’re you talking about?” she droned, resting her arm against the back of her seat. “I’m right on time.”

“Seven o’clock sharp, remember?” she said in her adorable Southern twang. “What time’s it say?”

Rainbow glanced lazily over to her clock, yawning just to add a layer of indifference to her mannerism. “Uhhh, seven-oh-o- no, wait. Seven-oh-two, now.”

Applejack made a face. “It’s five after, Rainbow.”

“Not by my clock,” she pointed to the dial.

“Well, ya need to reset it.” Applejack looked the car up and down its length. “Where’s mah jacket?”

Rainbow shrugged with purpose and reached down under her seat, pulling it out from underneath her chair. “Here ya go.” She tossed it over to her friend leaning against the edge of the car.

She caught it easily. “Rainbow!” She brushed her hand against the fabric, shaking loose a few loose candies, hairballs and candy wrappers.

“Sorry,” she said, turning her head away to hide her wicked grin. “I guess I dropped it.”

“On what? Sugar Cube Corner’s mixin’ bowl?! This is gonna take forever to clean, now!” she snapped, beating the garment on her knee until it was cleared of all sticky detritus. She removed the blazer, pulled on her real jacket and draped it on her shoulders like a cloak, before wheeling about and locking her fiery green eyes on her.

God she was hot when she was mad.

“If Ah had any spare time, Ah’d give ya what-for!”

Rainbow adopted a hurt expression. Applejack was falling right into her trap. 

“Sheesh, where’s all this hate coming from?” she pouted. “I was trying to do you a favor. I thought you might be happy to see me…” She paused. “Guess I was wrong,” she finished shortly.

Applejack paused in her anger, her expression softening ever so slightly.

“Ah… it ain’t like Ah’m not, but…” she said, fumbling over her words adorably, her pretty little head torn between staying the course of being incensed and easing up on the gas. 

Frankly, either way would have gotten Rainbow Dash what she wanted.

She let loose a forlorn sigh. “I’d better go,” she said simply, shifting the car into neutral. A twist of the key and the engine roared back to life.

“Rainbow, wait…”

She smirked inwardly.

Aaaand it’s a high pop fly deep into right field…

She turned up to look at the farmgirl. Every moment that passed, it became more and more difficult for her to keep her straight, disinterested face.

Applejack sighed and yanked her bookbag up into her arms.

“Look,” she said, “Ah’m kinda runnin’ behind this mornin’, so could you… maybe take me to the bus stop?”

It’s headed deep! If it stays Fair, it's gone!

Rainbow shrugged.

“Sure, I guess…”

She delivered the line perfectly. What she had wanted to say was something more along the lines of, ‘Thought you’d never ask,’ or ‘Get in here and sit in my lap, gorgeous.’

She couldn’t have everything at once, though. She’d have to catch her friend in a really good mood for that.

Applejack offered a smile as she grabbed the handle and yanked the passenger side door open and slid properly into her seat.

That sucker's GONE, ladies and gentlefarts!

She allowed herself a small smirk on the far side of her face and relaxed back into her seat as her friend buckled herself in.

It wasn’t too late for her to change her mind and jump out, so Rainbow was easy on the throttle at first, and rolled about in a large, easy circle and back towards the farm gates. The engine burbled easily as the new suspension took the bumps in the ground like a champ.

She hung a left and headed up the dirt road at a slow, easy cruising speed, magenta eyes facing directly forward. One hand on the steering wheel, she rested her other elbow against the door.

From the corner of her vision, she saw Applejack clutching her bookbag in her lap, and a few flashes of green against the early sunlight gave away her friend stealing glimpses at her. Knowing the farmgirl kept glimpsing her way worked Rainbow's patience in such a way that she found it difficult to not give up her charade.

I must look so damn hot driving this thing...

As the wind whipped at her rainbow-colored hair and glimmered off her flight jacket and aviators, she couldn't help but wish that Applejack would bite the bullet and snap a picture with her cell just so she could see how awesome she was being.

She forced a yawn to not break out into the most idiotic smile she'd ever worn.

Her friend seated to her right took notice.

“Tired?” she asked.

Implicit permission granted to look her way, Rainbow quirked an eyebrow towards the blonde. “Huh?”

She didn't need the repeat. She heard everything the girl said. Always.

“How'd ya sleep?” Applejack asked. “Yer lookin' a little under-the-weather, sugar.”

“Eh...” she shrugged. “Could've been worse.”

Her friend fidgeted in the other chair.

Rainbow had to reach up from the door and pretend to scratch her cheek to hide the smile on her face. Short, curt answers always got Applejack worried over whether or not she had done something wrong... even if she hadn't really done anything in the first place.

“Got any tests today?”

“Just took my History midterm,” she replied coolly.

“How'd ya do?”

“Eh... passed it. Good enough, I guess. Not bad for my worst subject.”

From the corner of her eye, she could see Applejack's speckled cheeks dimple with her smile as she seemed to feel Rainbow warming up to her approach.

She was playing her like one of her dad's fiddles.

“Ah ain't never gonna understand how you can do so bad at history. It's fascinatin'! Doncha ever wonder how people lived and worked and played way back when?”

Rainbow snorted. “Before cars and jets and fun things even existed?” she scoffed. “Pass.”

“Ah, yer just a spoiled brat. History's supposed to teach ya to value watcha got in front of ya!”

“Yeah, well, I like what I've got in front of me just fine, thanks. I don't need a stupid book to tell me to be thankful for fast cars and... roads.”

Rainbow noticed she was cruising a little quickly. Their journey only took them a mile or two up the road. At the rate she was going, their little trip would be over in no time. She eased subtly up on the throttle and let the car coast the remaining half mile or so.

“Well, how do ya know there ain't somethin' else out there you might like just as much as cars? You ain't never ridden a horse before.”

“Yeah, I'm not huge for such a wussy death as getting trampled by a girly little horse.” She smirked faintly. “I'd rather explode into a zillion pieces when my Raptor just can't handle my awesomeness.”

Applejack rolled her eyes and ugh'd as she leaned against the door. Rainbow could still make out the hint of a smile still lingering on her lips, though, judging from the way those rosy cheeks of hers creased in that cute little way.

She watched her friend nibble on her lip, and the two continued on in silence for a moment.

“Gym midterm's today.”

Applejack turned toward her with a smirk. “You don't exactly sound worried about that.”

“What have I got to worry about?” She shot a familiar grin towards the farmgirl. “I always get perfect grades in gym.”

“Yeah, 'cept when the teacher catches ya sleepin' under the bleachers.”

“It's just so the guys don't feel bad about themselves!” she protested. “I like to think of it as giving them a handicap.”

“Coach sure don't feel that way,” her friend chuckled, leaning back in her seat.

It was a wasted gesture, though – Rainbow Dash noticed – as the car glided to a standstill next to the spot where her bus picked her up the very next instant.

“Welp,” she deadpanned, “guess this is your stop.”

Applejack blinked and looked over to the road sign standing a few feet away. Nobody else waited at this stop; she always stood alone waiting for the bus to swing by and whisk her off.

If Rainbow had been lame enough to ride the bus, she would've moved heaven and earth to arrange it so that she waited with her every morning. But that would require a serious sacrifice of her icy cool image to be seen in an oversized Twinkie.

“Yer leavin' already?” the other girl asked, her expression one of veiled disappointment. It was all in the subtle way the skin between her eyebrows creased. “You ain't even gonna wait with me?”

It was a heartrending thing for Rainbow to hear. She wanted to give up the act and just wait with her until the bus came to take her away.

She'd have to be cleverer though. She had a greater prize in mind, and it was time to seal the deal, or break it altogether.

“Well, I was gonna ask the coach if I could practice a little for the soccer game coming up.” She shrugged.

“Oh... really?”

“Yeah, team's looking kinda bad this year, and I'll need to be at my best if I'm gonna pull 'em through again.”

Come on already...

“Well, don't it get lonesome practicin' all by yourself?”

“Not if I can find one of my teammates and drag them into it too,” she shrugged. “None of 'em can play goalie for crap though, and none of 'em can hang with me on the field either.”

Come ON!

“Well, Ah just... Ah just don't want ya to be there all alone in case ya get hurt.”

“Puh-lease. Me? Get hurt? Come on,” she shrugged. “Since when do I get hurt just practic- uhh...”

“'Don't answer that?'” Applejack smirked.

“Shut up and get out,” she muttered playfully, moving her eyes towards the trees on her left – anything to keep Applejack to see that big twitching smile working its way onto her face. “I need to go.”

A sigh from her right.

“Well... it don't feel right leavin' ya to go all by yourself...”

And that was how you worked someone like a puppet!

“Wait, you're coming?” she asked, feigning surprise.

“'Long as ya don't drive like a dagblamed maniac,” she said with a quirked eyebrow.

That was good enough for a confirmation. All of Rainbow's avid cheering was internalized and kept under pressure for later and more appropriate release.

“Not really in the mood for maniac-driving anyway,” she droned as she flipped on the turn signal and turned onto the highway.

Applejack smiled and relaxed back into her seat quietly, watching the world go by. Cornfields had begun to green up and Sweet Apple Acres off back in the background had begun to ripen into a bright, fruity-smelling paradise again.

As she left them behind, though, and headed back towards town, Rainbow's vision drifted towards the right. She eyed the shoulder of the road intently, and a smile started creeping onto her lips.

Her smile evolved into an evil grin as the turn she wanted crept into view.

She put her turn signal on. Applejack blinked at the familiar noise and turned towards her with wide eyes.

“Rainbow, what're you doin'?”

Rainbow slowly turned her head towards her, her eyes swimming with mischievous intent.

“Taking a shortcut. What's it look like?”

Her friend blinked and inhaled sharply.

“But you saAAAAAAAAAAAAID-!”

Applejack's question was cut off by a sharp fling of the wheel hard to the right, whipping around the back end of the car and skipping the turning lane entirely. The traffic on the highway behind her screeched on their brakes and laid on their horns angrily, before their noise was drowned out by the furious thunder of the rampaging Mustang's mighty V8.

Rainbow shifted into a lower gear and floored the accelerator, inciting a loud shriek from Applejack as she was shoved back hard into the vinyl. She glimpsed over to her right at the farmgirl bracing herself against the center stack and floorboards, and clinging to the handle like her life depended on it.

And present on those freckled cheeks were the wrinkles of an enormous, delighted smile.

A glimpse at the speedometer. 50... 60... 70...

The narrow, curvy roadway stretched out before them, and with a sinister smirk crossing her lips, Rainbow shifted again and rocketed down the pavement as the needle continued to climb.
> Rolling Thunder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rows of corn flashed by on either side of the 'Stang as Rainbow charged at suicidal speeds towards a sharp, ten mile-per-hour curve up ahead. The backwards r-shape of the left turn loomed less than two hundred feet on the nose before she drifted into the left lane. 

Sparing a glimpse to her right, she saw Applejack, pressing her clogs tight into the floorboard and pushing tight back into the seat, she was gritting her teeth in terrorized suspense. Just over the wind, she could hear an adorable little shriek trying to make itself out of her throat. She clasped her hand over her mouth to try and mute it, but Rainbow had heard enough

Then, just as the car appeared to be on a one-way trip for the thirty-foot slope at the end, Rainbow jerked the wheel back hard to the right, and then sharply back to the left. The rear of the car swung wide, dragging through the dirt at the side of the roadway. A firm push of the accelerator into the floorboard, and the smoke of peeling rubber filled her nostrils. The car kissed the right edge of the road before finding its footing, and thundered ahead.

Applejack screamed with sheer joy through the entire turn and white-knuckled against all the grip points the car gave her. She could see her clench both eyes shut, and peer through one as the car seemed to stabilize. She shouted out in surprise once again as Rainbow pressed the car into maximum attack mode and flooded the air with carbon dioxide and noise.

"Rainbow!" Applejack half-shrieked, half-giggled, "R-Rainbow slow dowAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The car screeched wide into a corner, and the sounds of pebbles and road debris being kicked up by the tires ratta-tatta'd against the subframe and body panels. Applejack was thrown hard into the left, and Rainbow heard a faint grunt out of her friend as the sheer G-forces punched her in the gut with her lap belt.

Letting out a wicked little chuckle, Rainbow Dash tromped the throttle once again, and the farmgirl was flung backward once more, holding as tight as possible, while letting out a surprised wail.

Despite her screams, the smile never left Applejack's face.

The road straightened out for the next half mile, and with the pedal welded to the floor, the car ran away like a stabbed rat. A shallow hill snuck up on the rainbow-haired girl. The car charged the incline effortlessly, kissed the apex, and with a sudden, unsettling silence, went fully airborne for half a second.

The scrape of metal touching the stony road echoed across the fields as the vehicle bottomed out on landing.

Applejack cackled to her right as the car stopped bouncing.

"WHOO!" she shouted above the engine's growl as the tires again bit at the dirt. The car lurched and vibrated, but then it kept going, eagerly eating up the ground like a rabid beast whose hunger was for velocity.

Rainbow spied another turn up ahead, and drifted into the opposite lane, preparing to tackle it with another flick of the wheel.

"NO!" Applejack shouted.

She blinked and looked across the transmission tunnel to her friend, easing up on the gas only to avoid a crash.

"Keep takin' this road!" Applejack shouted over to her. Her eyes sparkled with a sea of excitement and wonder that she hadn't seen since they were little kids running around in the woods. Memories of poison ivy, run-ins with deer, and races on their dirt bikes flashed by in the back of Rainbow's mind, before a small grin grew on her lips.

"Chickening out, huh?" she scoffed.

"Trust me!" Applejack replied.

Rainbow chuckled inwardly and stamped on the gas once again, and the Mustang obeyed like it was all that was left for it. She didn't even bother glimpsing at the rearview mirror, as she knew their return path would be clouded by dust and flying dirt.

Sparing a glimpse at the clock, the digits shook as if in an earthquake with every bump in the road. But they still came through clearly enough.

7:21.

Nine minutes to get to school. Wouldn't take her that long at the speeds they were going.

She obediently continued forward, tracing the largely-flat and straight road. Every rise in the texture caused the car to leap as if it were truly alive, like a real live horse dying to get out and run free. Any moment Rainbow expected the engine compartment to burst open, and out would tear an enraged stallion, breathing fire and whinnying on a furious note.

Now that would be a horse she'd ride.

As the road curved easily around the town, skating past the traffic lights and stop signs, Rainbow's speed built. Houses and rows of corn blurred by as if they could take flight at any moment, and the speedometer crept back up into the high double digits.

She glimpsed over to her right, seeing Applejack perched against the passenger door and letting the wind kick back at her hair. She looked amazing, as if her hair had spontaneously ignited and turned into a glimmering lake of sunlight.

"YEEEEE-HA-" Applejack was interrupted by a sudden lurch of the car's suspension compensating for the terrain. She was knocked from her perch in the window back into her seat. "Hahahahaha!" she chortled uproariously. She threw her hands up wildly and peered over the windshield.

In Rainbow's distraction however, she missed an amber diamond-shaped sign blur past and blinked back over her shoulder. Turning her eyes forward once again, she peered into the oncoming road and grinned, licking her lips in anticipation.

A sharp curved rapidly approached, and she favored the opposite side of the lane once more, before throwing the wheel hard back into the turn. Speed shed rapidly in exchange for the feeling of gravity to the sides.

Like usual, the back end came out, letting her make the tight turn much more easily than should have been allowed.

What came next, however, caused her eyes to widen in genuine panic.

Emerging from behind the corn stalks, another immediate turn just as sharp in the opposite direction stared Rainbow in the face. All the color melted out of her cheeks and an icy sense of dread set in.

Fifty feet at fifty miles an hour...

Every fiber of her being put all its effort into reversing the corner she was in. The breaks shrieked in protest as she smashed the pedal with her foot. The back end came around to the left once again, but not in a predictable manner like she'd grown accustomed to.

"YAUGH!" she shrieked and threw the wheel hard to the right and felt the car come out from underneath her.

The Mustang surpassed its limits and went into a clouded spin at highway speeds. Blind and out of control, she could only press the brakes through the floorboards and hope they brought them to a stop. The pair screamed as the car twisted and bounced and skidded.

One wheel found a ditch. That was the worst part. The other worst part was the sound of the engine sputtering as the car at last came to a sudden halt, coughing a few times before the carburetor surrendered to defeat.

Silence.

The world seemed completely still. Not a breeze, not a bird, not even the hiss of the engine as the one wheel spun over the empty ditch.

Rainbow had stopped in a precarious position, angled diagonally towards the center of the road. The back left wheel had come out from over the road and hung in the air, turning the car into a tripod. If she had been a few milliseconds later on her correction, she and AJ could have become the next children of the corn.

More silence hung over the pair.

Then, it wasn't silent anymore.

Realizing just how much time had passed without her, Rainbow looked down to her legs. Applejack had been thrown to the left as the car jerked to a complete stop and landed head first in her lap. She was laughing; nay, she was about to wet herself, kicking and screaming great peals of delight. Her face glistened from the sweat of the stress of the moment and her freckles were drowning in a flushed sea of pink.

She only took notice when her lungs began to hurt that she had forgotten to breathe.

Applejack lay cackling loudly for several moments more before she was able to catch her breath.

"That's n-not funny," Rainbow snapped, in spite of the smile on her face. Her voice cracked from the heat of the moment and she coughed, clearing her throat. "We could've been seriously hurt, man!"

Applejack didn't answer. She just continued to laugh that great laugh of hers. It was only inevitable for Rainbow Dash to join in on it as the adrenaline faded and the absurdity settled in.

Rainbow reached for the keys to the ignition, gave them a sharp twist, and the engine came back with a disgruntled rumble.

"What happened back there?" the farmgirl asked as she sat up, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye.

"I was distracted by your adorable ass waving in my face," she said with a playful smirk – even though her sentiments rang true.

"Shut up and drive already! We're gonna be late!"


***


The next several miles passed by on a wave of V8 fury and dust. Rainbow's Mustang pealed into the parking lot still trailing the dust from its rural excursion and whipped around the lot, evading groups of students expertly and weaving around the aisles of parked cars.

Most kids at their school had been around long enough to spot her car coming and to get the hell out of the way, but she reminded herself that Granny Smith still occasionally thought she was the lunch lady there.

The old beat-up pony car bolted past uniformed students, leering eyes, up aisles of cars, and darted around slow, lazy school buses. Applejack hooted and hollered the whole way, clutching to her bookbag and door handle simultaneously.

She slung the car around the front end of the school and spun it into a wide tail-out circle before the right side wheels bumped violently against the curb leading right up to the front doors. The car rocked from side to side for a few moments before coming to a growly rest. The engine surged a few times as if encouraging its driver to keep going.

Rainbow leaned back and laced her fingers behind her head, leaving her foot on the brake. "And that's how we do that," she said, throwing a smug look to the right.

"Shut up," the farmgirl chuckled behind her hand. "Ah don't even wanna hear it right now."

"What? Hear what?"

"All the braggin'. Ah don't need it this mornin'."

"Bragging? You mean stuff like, 'I just might be the best driver in the world', 'Most epic girl to ever live', and 'Holy crap, you're all so lucky to have me as a friend'?" Rainbow grinned. "Nah, I'd never say stuff like that."

Applejack smirked, her chuckle giddy as if she had just come off of some drug. She watched her shaky hands struggle with opening the door, and her stance wobbled a bit as she stepped out of the car.

"Yer crazier than a barkin' cat, sweetheart," she chortled, falling back against the door to regain her balance.

"Eh, I've been called better things. Sexy... hot... Rainbowlicious... a piece of fine behind... but I guess crazy works too."

A pause.

"You did mean crazy in a good way, right?"

"It weren't exactly a compliment..."

"'Cause I mean, crazy could be attached to another word and mean something totally different. Like, 'crazy-awesome' for example."

"Rainbow..."

"Wicked-crazy would be okay, but that's kind of a sub-category of 'crazy'."

"Rainbow!"

"Crazy-cool, crazy-hot, crazy-awesome... Wait. Said that one already." She paused and shrugged. "Ah well. It bears repeating."

The farmgirl flicked her on the back of her multi-hued head.

"OUCH!" she yelped, reaching back into her ponytail to rub the sore spot. She cast an irritated glare Applejack's way. "What?!"

"Be quiet and go park yer car," Applejack laughed as she hobbled away, balancing her backpack on her shoulder. "Ah don't wanna have to explain to Miss Cheerilee why yer late again."

Almost as if on cue, the five minute-warning bell chimed over the speaker system.

Rainbow didn't seem overly concerned as she stared after her friend regaining her footing.

Applejack threw her another look over her shoulder. "Ah'm serious! Hurry yourself up!" she shouted back before running for the doors and disappearing inside.

Shrugging, Rainbow put the car back into gear and headed off to find herself a space. She wouldn't let an annoying little lecture from Miss Cheerilee hurt her perfect morning. A quick look around the cabin, and Rainbow realized she'd forgotten her school bag walking out the door.

A smile crossed her cheeks.
> The Weekend Cometh
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The final warning bell rang a few minutes before class was set to start, and thirty seconds later, Rainbow Dash sagged casually in through the front doors of the school and made her way in through the vestibule.

She zipped over and slipped beneath the front office’s low windows, crawling on her hands, knees and elbows.

She would have made it too, if the door hadn’t opened right in her face and knocked against her skull.

“Owie,” she grunted, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

A crazy-awesome set of legs in slacks towered over her, and her magenta eyes slowly blinked up to the woman who owned them.

Ms. Tia blinked in surprise, then smiled down at her.

“Thought you could just sneak by, hm?” came her soothing voice.

Frick.

“N-no, ma’am,” Rainbow said, grinning cheekily up to the superintendent.

She stood at a giant six feet two inches. Rainbow Dash was rather tall for her age, but even she could barely look the woman in the eye without raising her chin. And when she wore that smirk on her face, even she knew better than to go mouthing off. She was practically royalty amongst the school staff, and godly to the student body for her fair demeanor but firm enforcement… and sense of humor.

Rainbow had also been the subject of many disciplinary actions. They’d met before.

“Did you drop something then?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow beneath that hair of hers that never seemed to stop flowing, as if it were adrift in a permanent breeze.

“Uhh… would you believe me if I said yes?”

“Not even for a minute,” she said with a warm smile.

Rainbow pouted. “Darn. You know me too well.”

Ms. Tia smirked in that odd, comforting-yet-ominous way she had that could calm any student with but a glimpse. “Well, since you’re spry enough to go sneaking around the halls, I’m assuming you’ll feel well enough to make it to your detention tomorrow?”

Double-frick.

Rainbow shot her most pitiable expression in her arsenal at her and lamely clutched at her stomach. “U-umm… actually, I did feel kind of queasy a little while ago when I-”

“Don’t even bother finishing that sentence, young lady.”

Well, it hadn’t exactly been a lie. Spin-outs could make anyone dizzy!

Changing gears, Rainbow’s face brightened as she bolted upright. “Awww, c’mon Ms. Tia.” She clutched at her arm, provoking another raised eyebrow. “Can ya get me off the hook? For old-time’s sake?” She flashed her teeth with her best smile and fluttered her eyes spiritedly.

The superintendent smiled and chuckled, pressing an index finger to the girl’s forehead and pushing her away.

“A for effort, Rainbow Dash. Now if you’d apply those efforts to your studies, you could improve your punctuality.” She reached over and picked up a briefcase she’d been carrying, then turned her eyes back to her. “Remember, tomorrow. Saturday at eight. Does that ring a bell?”

Sighing, she nodded in defeat. “Yes, ma’am…” she muttered.

“Good,” Ms. Tia said brightly. “See you then!” she chirped, heading for the front doors.

“You’re a cruel mistress, y’know!” she shouted playfully after the woman, who merely waved over her shoulder in reply.

The familiar tone of the one-minute warning rang through the loudspeakers.

Ah, triple frick on a dick!

Rainbow looked up to a clock jutting out of the wall. She had fifty-seven seconds between then and the start of first period. She felt the urge to run to her locker, before she remembered she hadn’t even brought her school bag along. Sighing, she turned around and headed back the opposite direction towards her class.

A gray-haired woman with indigo eyes smirked at her as she passed.

“Hope you’ll be joining us for detention tomorrow, Miss Dash!” Principal Meyer purred with a smirk.

Go eat a fart ya old bag.

Rainbow raised her index finger and twirled it over her head with a roll of her eyes. “Yeah… it’s gonna be sooooo much fun.”

“Look on the bright side!” she heard behind her, “At least now you’ll get to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance in the evening!”

She ignored her and just kept pace towards Miss Cheerilee’s homeroom.

“Rainbow! There ya are!” came the familiar southern accent from behind her.

She barely had time to blink and turn around before she was yanked on her arm by a blurring, blonde angel. She nearly lost her footing and stumbled to try and keep up with the quick-paced Applejack.

“Whoa, whoa! Slow down, girlfriend! A little early to be rushing off to the altar, isn’t it?” Rainbow asked with a wicked smile.

“Hush yer yap and pick up yer feet! We’re gonna be late!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and chased after the farmgirl, overtaking her and pulling her along. The two jockeyed for first place, but her experience with the track team meant that she edged her friend out. Just as the tail end of the starting bell rang out, the pair rushed in the door, and blocked Applejack’s entry obnoxiously until being elbowed out of the way.

Miss Cheerilee scowled at the two as they caught their breath.

“We’re… here… Miss Cheerilee!” Applejack panted, smiling sheepishly.

“Glad you two could join us,” she frowned at them amidst the collective chuckle of their classmates and motioned to their seats in the back of the room. “Hurry up and take your seats.”

“Yes ma’am,” the pair replied simultaneously.

The two shuffled to the back of the room and walked along the wall, while Cheerilee returned to the front of the class. “Now, everybody open your books to page…”

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash collapsed into their chairs. The latter cast a smug little smile her friend’s way. She returned it with an annoyed roll of her eyes.

“What?” she whispered softly as Applejack dug through her bag in her lap. “We made it on time, didn’t we?”

“Barely. We cut it awful close,” she muttered, pulling out her Literature book and plopping it heavily onto her desk while the instructor continued at the front of the room. She flipped to the indicated page.

“Yeah, but we still made it.”

“You wouldn’t have if it weren’t for me.” Applejack paused and looked up from her book. “Hey, where’s your stuff?”

Rainbow smiled as innocently as possible and touched her index fingers together timidly.

“Seriously?” asked her bemused friend. “What number is this?”

“Hey, at least I never forgot to wear pants to school!” Rainbow hissed from behind a playful, lackadaisical smile.

Applejack made to backhand her, causing her to flinch and hide behind her arms.

“Yer lucky Ah’m such a good friend,” she sighed, sliding the book to the closer edge of her desk.

Rainbow grinned and picked up her desk, before stealthily scooting it over on the carpet. Miss Cheerilee didn’t take any notice.

“Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

Applejack frowned. “Shut up. Ah’m tryin’ to hear the lecture.”

“What good’ll it do ya? You always get C’s.”

“Shut up. Ah got a B.”

“Yeah. A B-. Once,” Rainbow countered, ribbing her friend softly with her elbow. “And that was with the extra credit question.”

“Well, maybe Ah’d get better grades in this stupid class if’n ya’d shut up and let me concentrate!” Applejack whispered angrily, trying her best to concentrate on the part of the book the teacher had moved on to.

“What are you wearing to the dance tomorrow?”

A pause.

“Dance?”

“The Sadie Hawkins Dance? Tomorrow night at seven o’clock? Any of this information fluttering around in that space between your hat?”

“Rarity’s gonna help me with a dress tonight,” she said, followed by tapping one of the students in front of her and asking for the information she’d just missed.

“Y'know what you need?”

“Ah'm sure yer gonna tell me...”

“You need to get laid.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Hell, if Ah thought it'd shut ya up fer a minute or two, Ah'd do you, ya crank.”

Rainbow knew she was just being facetious, but the way she balked at Applejack's words caused the other girl to smirk triumphantly and go back to scribbling on her notepad. She was at a loss for a reply, and frowned in her defeat.

“Yeah, well... I'd do me too,” she said lamely and flopped onto her elbow on her desk.

A pause settled over them while Miss Cheerilee continued her lecture.

“Hey,” she started.

Applejack sighed in frustration and continued scribbling. “Yeah?”

“Do you have today's math homework?”

Her friend reached down swiftly and pulled out a folder labeled “Algebra”.

“And my pencil?”

She produced a rainbow-designed pencil and rolled it across the desk into her waiting hand.

“And-”

“Ah swear to Christ, just make a list for me already,” Applejack growled and yanked a sheet of paper out of her notepad, passing it to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow grinned down to the sheet and took it for herself, hiding it behind her arm and shoulder as she scribbled on it with her barely-used pencil.

She slid the sheet of paper back to the farmgirl.

Her friend flipped it over and read the list.

One word was scribbled on it.

Spooge.

Applejack fell out of her chair and filled the classroom with her raucous, musical laughter, while Rainbow smirked victoriously.


***


“Sleepover at Dashie's place.”

Rainbow looked up from her plastic tray filled with questionably comestible items, and stared at the pink-haired girl for a long several moments. She narrowed her eyes and looked around at the rest of the group curiously.

“Did anybody else hear that?” she asked. “It sounded like I was getting drafted for something.”

The others ignored her.

“I second that,” Twilight said with a smile, before chowing down on her burger.

“Well, somebody has to clean the pig sty she calls a home, so I suppose I'm in support of it as well,” Rarity said as she powdered her nose.

“Hey!” she shouted, glaring at each of the girls in turn.

“You got mah vote,” a familiar accent said as it chewed around a mouthful of apple. Applejack smiled mischievously at her. “Just 'cause Ah wanna piss 'er off.”

“Excuse me, but I think I've got some kind of say in this!” Rainbow protested.

Fluttershy chuckled quietly and raised her hand in support of the proposal.

“Helloooo? Got detention in the morning? Remember?” she frowned. “I'm gonna have to get up early and leave.”

“How's that affect us?” asked the farmgirl.

“Come on, Dashie!” Pinkie said warmly. “We haven't had a sleepover in a really long time!”

“Since middle school, if memory serves,” the fashionista recalled.

“It would be nice to get together again... umm... that is, if that's okay with Rainbow Dash, I mean...”

“Come on Rainbow Dash! It can be your happy-party-night-before-your-execution-AKA-weekend-detention party!”

Rainbow shoved her head into her hand.

“How did we decide it had to be my place, again? Can't we just do it at Rarity's place? She's got a huge house! Or Twilight's? Heck, even Fluttershy's house is bigger than mine?”

Rarity sniffed. “The last time we all stayed at my house for an evening, I spent the better part of the next morning cleaning up the mess. And since it's not possible to make a pig sty a mess-”

“Stop calling my apartment a pig sty! It's not that messy!” she snapped.

“Sugar, the last time Ah came over, ya had a penicillin-covered pizza layin' on yer coffee table, and not a single clean dish in the whole house.”

“So? Why would you guys wanna come over anyway if you thought it was such a wreck to-”

“Toga party!” Pinkie randomly proposed as she clattered to a standing position.

The group paused, looking at her, before ignoring her and moving on.

“I wouldn't object to a sleepover. And if it helps Rainbow Dash's living conditions if we help her clean up a bit, so much the better,” Twilight said over the book she held in her hands

“And while Rainbow Dash is serving her sentence, I can put the finishing touches on everyone's ensemble for the dance tomorrow. Then once time rolls around, we could all just pile into my daddy's SUV and go to the dance together.”

Rainbow frowned. “Who said I was even going to the dance? What if I don't wanna?”

“Aww c'mon Rainbow. It wouldn't be half as much fun if ya missed out,” Applejack smiled up to her. “And it ain't like you're gonna be doin' much else.”

“...I could play video games,” she huffed.

“Besides, darling!” Rarity continued, grinning widely, “it's a Sadie Hawkins dance!”

“Yeah! You could just grab your partner and skip to my lou!”

Rainbow turned the thought over in her head. Rarity wouldn't have the time to pull together a dress for her in the short amount of time between now and tomorrow, so if she wanted to go ahead, she would have to figure something else out.

Besides, it wasn't like the thought of going with the girls the next day was a bad thought; she liked the thought of going. It was the thought of everyone seeing her laundry-covered apartment covered in moldy food and dirty dishes and trash. She may not have cared much for what other people thought, but the sleepover made her gut wrench when she thought of Rarity's and Twilight's inevitable scathing remarks.

She couldn't fight the group off forever, however, and would just have to rush around doing what she could to make it all a bit less disgusting.

“I'd still rather play Grand Theft Auto...” she muttered, leaning back and crossing her arms as she braved a bite of her cafeteria food, then choked it back with a swig of her sports drink.

“Than spend time with us?” Applejack asked, softly elbowing her in the shoulder.

Rainbow sighed. “Okay, if you guys are coming over, then you gotta promise to take it easy on to take it easy on the bashing and fun-poking.”

“That's a reasonable proposal,” Twilight said, smirking with an evil grin. She clapped her book shut after marking it. “I reject it.”

“Heeheeheehee!”

She frowned and looked over to Applejack for help, but she ignored her as she pitched her apple core in the trash.

“I thought I was already being punished,” she pouted, sliding down in her chair.

Still, a glimmer of hope danced on the periphery of the proposal. If she was hosting a sleepover, that at least meant she'd be sleeping under the same roof as Applejack... and whatever that entailed.

She tried to keep up the act of reluctance as she inhaled and released an exhausted-sounding sigh. “Alright, fine. Whatever...” she moaned.

While the others seemed to get excited outwardly over their plans for the evening, internally Rainbow Dash was already skipping happily to a tune that only she could hear.
> Twisted Sense of Humor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The idea of the dance she had warmed up to.

A sleepover at her apartment? Not so much.

Rainbow hadn’t wasted time in running straight out the front door of the school to her car. She took off at probably the fastest recorded speeds ever for that particular parking lot, squeezing between a pair of buses so she wouldn’t have to wait for the inevitable line of traffic. She may have broken a few laws in doing so, but she managed to beat every other vehicle off the premises.

Home was three minutes away out of traffic; two at the speeds she traveled. She whipped her car into her assigned space at a clumsy angle, and charged up the flight of stairs to the second floor.

She bolted indoors and locked the front door tight, bolting the deadbolt, and frantically thrashed around the apartment, piling up her dirty clothes and sniffing at individual pieces to figure out what had been worn and what hadn’t been.

“Man…” she muttered, frowning at the growing pile. “I really need to do laundry more often.”

Sighing, she shrugged and just dropped it – one armful at a time – into the hamper, followed by her school uniform. Regardless of the number of curls she did, she couldn't pick up that many clothes at once.

She barely managed to press the laundry closet shut and turned around, giving her kitchen a once-over. Seven plates, three saucers, a dozen mugs and cups, and more silverware than she could count littered every surface. None of that accounted for what she had left in the living room or bedroom.

Hastily, she scrambled around the apartment, snatching up whatever stray dishes she could get her hands on and scrubbed each in the kitchen sink with her bare hands.

“Really should have rented a place with a frickin' dishwasher!” she growled in agitation, flinging spoon after bowl after knife into the drying rack.

She was halfway finished when the first knock came at the door.

“Shit!” she spat, nearly totaling a plate against the edge of the sink in her surprise. Who the heck could that have possibly been? It hadn't even been half an hour since school let out!

She stumbled towards the door, even as the door's latch unlocked, and the door popped open a fraction.

“Hello?”

Rainbow leaned and peered out the door.

“Applejack?!” she nearly shrieked.

The green-eyed girl grinned, dressed down in jeans, a button-up flannel shirt, her boots and her hat. “Howdy, pardner!”

“Buuuuuhwh-what are you doing here?” she asked, stumbling over her words and recovering quickly.

“Ah just ran home and grabbed mah toothbrush and a quick change. Big Mac dropped me off,” she explained.

“Well, what about pajamas and clothes and stuff?” she squeaked nervously.

The other girl smiled knowingly through the opening. “Well, if'n ya reckon back, Ah left some of mah clothes behind from our last sleepover. Ah figured ya had to've washed 'em by now, right?”

Rainbow couldn't tell if the question was rhetorical or not, but she knew in her depraved little mind exactly where she had stored Applejack's clothes. And given the condition they were in, she wasn't sure she wasn't inclined to give them back...

This whole day eats... she cursed herself nervously.

“Anybody else here yet?”

“N-no!” she replied. “And you shouldn't be here either!”

“How come?” Applejack asked with a sinister little grin. Oh boy, was she out for revenge for earlier...

“'C-cause it's... uh... early. Yeah, early.” She paused. “And dangerous.”

Applejack quirked her eyebrow and set her hands on her hips. “Dangerous?”

“Uhhh...” A pause. “Y-yeah. Dangerous. The uhh... party mix caught fire.”

The two stared at each other. She had pitched, but her friend had called her bluff and didn't seem to buy into her excuse at all.

“Also, I'm naked,” Rainbow said.

Applejack crossed her arms over her chest.

“Bye.”

Quick as she could, she tried to slam the door in her friend's face. The metallic toe of a thick cowgirl boot interfered, however, blocking its closure. “Rainbow, open this dang door...” she growled threateningly.

It was the kind of growl, Rainbow knew, that meant Applejack meant business, and there would likely be consequences if she didn't obey... consequences that likely would be worse than the humiliation of her home being of sub-par standards.

Rolling her eyes in annoyance and pinching the bridge of her nose, she muttered, “Fine. But I'm gonna need my door back though.”

As her friend slipped her boot out of the doorjamb, she briefly entertained the idea of just bolting the door and locking it again. With the spare key in her possession, however, she knew it would do nothing but make the farmgirl angry with her. While fun, it wouldn't exactly be starting their slumber party on the right foot, and that would drag down the possibilities for the evening.

She unbolted the door and stepped aside, letting her friend in.

Applejack gawked at her as she passed by and flushed a soft pink.

“Ya coulda gone and pulled somethin' beside yer underwear on...” she said flatly.

“Eh, you woulda been mad either way,” she shrugged, and padded off to her room to grab something a bit less revealing to wear.

She heard the farmgirl whistle mockingly, faking how impressed she was with the condition of her home. “Boy howdy, Rainbow,” she said. She could envision her putting her hands on her hips as she got a good look around. “Did a tornado sweep through here or somethin'?”

“Shut up,” she grouched, pulling on a pair of nylon shorts. Those and her sports bra were enough as far as she was concerned. “I was in the middle of cleaning until you-” she started, emerging from her room and pausing.

“Hey!” she snapped, as she saw the blonde fling open the laundry closet. “Get out of there!” she huffed, shoving her aside and closing the closet firmly.

“Dang, sugar, that looked like about a month of dirty clothes,” she commented. “How do you live like this?”

“Oh I dunno,” she frowned, forcefully showing her friend the way out of the kitchen. “Maybe I'd do it better if I didn't have you coming in here and telling me how much of a screw-up I am.”

“Ah didn't say you were a screw-up.” Applejack grinned playfully after her as she moved towards the couch. “Those were yer words.”

“You were thinkin' it,” she replied, pulling the pillows and blankets off the sofa. She swept dried food particles off the cushions and threw everything in a heap on the floor. “There. Have a seat,” she said, returning to the kitchen to keep on with the dish-washing.

She felt a presence to her left a moment later. The farmgirl had stepped up to the sink and reached for a dish.

“Hey, quit it,” she snapped.

“What?” she asked casually, ignoring the demand.

“You're the guest. This is my house,” she huffed, snatching the dish away.

Applejack snatched it right back. “Yeah, and Ah'm also a guest who likes to visit under livable conditions,” she smiled. “So are you gonna keep fightin' me and take even longer to clean up, or are you gonna let me help and get it done in half the time?”

Rainbow glowered and flushed a faint pink.

“If I wanted a wife, I would've married you already,” she muttered grumpily.

Her friend silently smirked and continued right on helping.

Another half hour passed and a large load of wash had been finished, the couch cushions had been sprayed, the floors swept, and the dishes stowed away.

She finally walked into her bedroom to find Applejack making her bed, and she couldn't help but nibble on her lower lip.

“So, uhh... thanks.”

The farmgirl looked up at her. “Ah'm sorry,” she smirked. “Did Ah just hear Rainbow Juniper Dash thank somebody for doin' her a favor?”

Rainbow Dash covered her blushing face, shaking her head at the mention of her embarrassing middle name. “Don't do that.”

Applejack chuckled.

“Didja remember to add another load 'o colors?”

She stared at her as if she had spoken a foreign language.

The blonde shook her head and sighed with a sympathetic smile. “Sit down, honey. Ah'll do it,” she said in exasperation, moving past her and back towards the kitchen.

The second knock came around then and Rainbow slid past her friend across the kitchen counter, bouncing off one of the barstools and unlatching the door.

Rarity stood at the front carrying a small duffle bag – full of her beauty products, no doubt – and was flanked by Fluttershy and Twilight.

“Come on in,” she said smugly. “Make yourselves at home.”

Rarity entered first, casting her eyes around the room, followed by Fluttershy and Twilight. A look of mild disappointment crossed the fashionista’s face as she dropped her bag next to the couch and settled into a barstool.

“Hmm,” she said suspiciously. “I'm impressed, darling. You've certainly picked up your housecleaning skills since we stayed here last,” she said, fixing Applejack with a wicked little smile as she prepared an actual party mix in the kitchen.

Rainbow chuckled nervously. “Y-yeah. Sorry to disappoint."

The blonde quirked an eyebrow at her from the other side of the counter, but mercifully said nothing.

“EXTREME TWISTER!” Pinkie Pie shouted from the door, dragging in what looked like one of those forty-five pound military rucksacks, if far more decorated than any rucksack. Everybody looked her way as she lugged he heavy bag on her back into the living room and dropped it to the floor without a hint of sheen on her forehead. 

Twilight stared in stark amazement. “Pinkie... is that all just party supplies?”

“Yup!” she chirped cheerfully. She then blinked. “Oh shoot, I forgot to pack clothes and toiletries...” she frowned.

The rest of the group rolled their eyes collectively and took up seats on the three-wide sofa.


***


“Can somebody spin for me please?” Twilight grunted, her arms twisted in a corkscrew above her head. “My biceps are starting to cramp…”

Twilight was at the other end of the mat, struggling to remain upright with her stiff, untrained joints. Pinkie had become a human pretzel, amazingly enough, and Rainbow shifted a bit. She formed an X with Applejack, who was arched over facing skyward, while, Rainbow formed a bit of a pretzel on her own just beneath her.

“Okay, Twilight!” Pinkie chirped, reaching from her stance and giving a spin. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth!” she shouted quickly and uncomfortably.

“Okay, Truth. Umm… let me see here…” she muttered, spinning the color spinner.

“Pinkiiiie!” the other girl’s arms started to tremble.

“Okay! Right arm red. Let’s see…” She drew one of her little cards from the appropriate stack, while Twilight strained to stay upright. “Okay, here’s the question! Have you ever-”

The sound of a heavy thud resounded through the floor as the other girl collapsed with a grunt to the floor and an exasperated whimper. “Ohw, my arms…” she whined.

“Aww, this was a good one too!” Pinkie pouted, tossing the card aside.

“Don’t fret too much, darling,” Rarity said from the couch as she worked on Fluttershy’s hair. “You were never going to compete with those three anyway.”

“Hey, I’ve been working out!” Twilight objected as she marched away from the game area.

“Working what out?” Rainbow smirked from her upside down position, tossing her head to remove some of the multihued strands of hair from her vision. “Your eye muscles?”

“Fingers, probably. She’s at that dang ‘ol laptop of hers all the time,” Applejack snickered.

“Heeheeheehee!”

“Hey, I have weights at my computer desk!” She ran a hand through her purple hair and plopped with a huff down onto the sofa.

“Okay! Twilight’s out!” Pinkie smiled and spun again. “Rainbow Dash! Your turn!”

Rainbow felt a wicked smile slide over her teeth. “Dare me, Pinks.”

“Right leg blue…” The swipe of cardstock. “Rainbow Dash! You are hereby dared to remove one article of clothing without falling!”

She couldn’t help the hopeful grin she wore. “From anybody?” she asked playfully, reaching up and nudging Applejack’s side with her nose.

“Hey now…”

“No, silly! From yourself!”

“Darn. I thought the game had finally gotten interesting there for a second,” she snorted. Twisting a leg up, Rainbow maneuvered underneath the blonde, reached forward with her opposite hand, and with a precarious balance, plucked a sock off her foot. After a momentary pause, she smiled and tossed the article up onto Applejack’s arched and exposed belly.

“Yaigh!” the farmgirl squeaked, nearly losing her balance and almost taking them both out of the game. “Hey! That’s cheatin’! You can’t touch the other players!”

“I didn’t touch you!” Rainbow protested wickedly. “My sock did!”

“That’s true!” Pinkie cheered gleefully. “She didn’t! She totally didn’t!”

“Heheh. Careful, AJ. You’re lookin’ kinda wobbly there!”

Applejack turned her gaze downward and flashed her with an angry blush before rolling her eyes in aggravation.

“My turn!” Rainbow exclaimed, licking her lips and reaching skillfully back underneath Applejack over to the spinner. A quick flick. “Hmm, left hand yellow.” She aligned her hand with the correct circle. “Alright. Truth or Dare, cowgirl?”

A sigh. “Ah, what the heck? Dare me, sugarcube.”

An eager sweat glistened on Rainbow’s brow as the effort of staying upright for so long had started taking its toll on her. She was in phenomenal shape and had incredible endurance, but Applejack was no slouch either, and Pinkie Pie was made of rubber or something. These games tended to last awhile between the three of them. 

“Something tells me you’re going to regret that, Applejack,” Twilight giggled.

Rainbow ignored her and reached for the stack of cards. She swiped her brow with her forearm and felt a grin crawl across her cheeks as she read the text.

Oh, life is so sweet...

“Hey, AJ… guess what you’ve gotta do!”

Applejack fidgeted over her. “Whatever it is, it can’t be good with that tone…”

“Turn over... again, without falling.”

Rainbow loved the feeling of Applejack falling into embarrassing situations, only to go and bail her out of them. It made her look like a hero in the process and she likened herself unto one of those hunky movie action stars who rode in to save the girl and the day... but mostly the girl. But sometimes opportunity struck in just the perfect way, and instead of being the hero riding to her rescue in shining, white armor, she got to have the fun of being the cackling villainess. 

From the way Applejack was positioned, the dare would have her rolling over to face her. To keep her hands in their appropriate places on the mat, she would have to wrap her arms around her neck, and her legs around her lower torso. It would be awkward for certain – at least for one of them – but oh so hot at the same time.

“You can't be serious... that ain't one of the dares, is it, Pinkie?”

“Sure is!” she grinned widely, still pretzeling to herself effortlessly. “It's supposed to be a really, really hard one!”

“Ugh...” the farmgirl groaned hauling herself up high enough to where she could rotate.

Rainbow watched in amusement as she teetered on the brink of taking them both to the floor and handing Pinkie the win. In truth, she would have liked nothing more than to finally topple the pink-maned party animal, but if it involved collapsing to the ground entangled in the blonde's embrace, she probably wouldn't make as huge a deal out of it as usual.

“You can do it Applejack!” cheered Twilight from the sidelines. Even Rarity and Fluttershy had taken a break from their grooming session to watch.

Grunting, the farmgirl rotated her shoulders, slipping her right arm beneath her, followed by the left. Her legs were a more difficult story, and Rainbow couldn't hide the teasing smile.

“Heya, good-lookin'! Come here often... or just come often?” she chirped, waggling her eyebrows.

“Shuddup,” Applejack grunted trying to adjust her legs. The sweat that had dripped from her forehead onto the mat combined with her stockinged feet, however, betrayed her balance, and with a surprised yelp, she crumpled to the ground, taking Rainbow Dash down to the floor with her.

The pair landed in a pile together with a soft “oof”.

“Wheeeee!” Pinkie cheered, unraveling herself from her spot on the mat and standing up, throwing her arms into the air. “Winner, and still undefeated champ!”

While Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy applauded Pinkie's retention of her title, Rainbow couldn't have cared much less. She and Applejack lay crumpled on the ground together, before she broke out into a laugh and just lay back, enjoying the moment.

“Huh... I must be an AJ magnet,” she said with a wink.

“Didn't Ah just tell you to shut up?” the blonde said, stuffing her hat over her face.

“Hey, it's me!” Rainbow shrugged, pulling back the cowgirl's hat and placing it on her head with as charming a smile as she could offer. “I had to say something smart!”

Slowly, her friend's sour attitude melted away in favor of a warm series of giggles. “That's implyin' you ever said anything smart to start with.”
> Midnight Blue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow sighed exhaustedly as she fell into bed around midnight. She ran her fingers through her hair and yawned, stretching out before opening her magenta eyes to the cowgirl smirking at her in her doorway.

She smirked back. “See something you like, gorgeous?” she commented with a wink.

Applejack chuckled. “Yer full of it,” she said with a smile, walking over and dropping onto the edge of the bed.

“I can’t believe everybody else…” She yawned. “…everybody else pooped out so early.”

“Well, don’t look now, but yer eyes’re lookin’ a bit heavy to me too.”

“Are not. I’m just… resting them.”

Rainbow’s attempts to look adorable were rewarded as she peered through a thin slit of her eyelids. Her friend smiled down at her, leaning back against her arms and shaking her head. Her green eyes never stopped staring at her though

“Yer hopeless, y’know.”

She faked her sleepy moan. “Mmmnot…”

That great, smile-inducing chuckle tickled Rainbow’s belly somehow, and keeping up her tired charade was only achievable by rolling over onto her stomach and resting her head in the cradle of her arm.

In truth she didn’t feel all that tired. If Applejack was up, she could stay vertical as well. It was a matter of pride for her.

“Hey,” the blonde said, shaking her by the shoulder. Her eyes drifted open and she blinked “tiredly” up to her. “Ain’t ‘cha gonna gimme somethin’ to wear fer tonight?”

Oh shit.

Rainbow nearly lost her head in that moment. She faked a yawn to mask her panic and drug herself slowly up into a sitting position to give herself time to think.

She knew at the top of her closet lay Applejack’s clothes from the last time she had come for a sleepover. They were wrinkled and a mess in a number of ways, and she hadn’t washed them yet. They’d just sat there for months on end. Worst of all, they were in her room in her closet. One could probably infer something from that, no matter how wrong said inference was.

C’mon, think, stupid.

The floor creaked in that one spot, disrupting her conversation further as she stepped up to the shut closet doors. The two door halves were like shutters to her soul, poised to damn her.

Which side had she put ‘em on?!

Reaching for the right handle, Rainbow slowly pulled on the door. Through the space into the shadows, she could spot Applejack’s clothes sitting on the top shelf. It was too late to abort, however. She could see her friend out of the corner of her eye, standing next to her, watching, ready to find her guilty without trial.

Crud!

Reaching in through the slim opening, she yanked a t-shirt off its hanger without bothering to look at it. She pulled the orange shirt out of her closet and swiftly shut it again, tossing it across the girl’s face.

“Mmph!” she muffled, yanking the article off her face and giving her a hard stare.

Okay, so it hadn’t gone perfect but at least she had kept her head together.

Applejack looked down at the shirt, holding it out in front of her, and her expression soured further. She looked over the collar at her and slowly rotated it.

“This supposed to be funny?” she asked.

The orange shirt was mostly- plain and plenty big enough for her to serve as a nightgown. Rainbow’s height advantage worked to both their advantages in several areas. What she hadn’t thought about, however, was the decal on the front.

Emblazoned in big, thick, black letters was the word, “HARLOT.”

Rainbow bit her lower lip nearly to the bleeding point trying to suppress her laugh.

“You ain’t as funny as you think you are, sugar,” she huffed. Much as she tried to hide it, Applejack had a poor poker face. She was too honest and too unpracticed at trying to suppress her amusement to manage hiding it.

Rainbow grinned and played it off as if it had been intentional. Yeah. That worked… even if Applejack was certainly no harlot.

“Oh, I think I am, ‘harlot’!” she smirked, advancing a step on the cowgirl.

“Rainbow…” she warned, taking a couple steps back and clutching the shirt to her defensively.

Rainbow pounced, tackling her shrieking guest into her little bed. The two’s landing caused the undersized twin to creak and groan under their combined weight. Or maybe it was the floor beneath them.

They wrestled each other back and forth, fighting to keep the top position. Applejack firmly pressed Rainbow against the wall lining the far side of the bed, trying to scoot out from underneath her attacker. She let out a frustrated, quiet growl in spite of her large smile, and clutched at her wrists to try and pin her in the corner.

For her smaller size, the farmgirl was amazingly strong, something Rainbow had always admired about her. She didn’t subscribe to the common stereotype of small girls being weak and helpless. She was a country gal.

Rainbow Dash chuckled, though, and gradually began to press back and away from the wall. 

Tried her diminutive opponent did, but size, speed and lesser flexibility gave her the undeniable disadvantage. Furthermore, Rainbow was a regular weight-lifter, whereas Applejack’s strength came naturally from her tasks on the farm. She grunted and struggled, trying to roll and throw her off using the force of her whole body.

In reply, Rainbow straddled her stomach and sat firmly down on top of her, trapping her against the mattress. She quickly yanked back on her wrists and pressed Applejack’s own up above her head.

She loosed a cocky smile as her friend continued to grunt and struggle against her foe.

A moment passed, and the two began to relax. Applejack growled in frustration through her labored breathing and pouted up to her.

“You didn't used to be this strong...” she muttered.

Rainbow chortled and loosed her friend's wrists before wrapping her arms around her shoulders in a bear hug. “You didn't used to be so puny either.” She winked. “Kinda funny the way I got big and you stayed the same size, huh?”

Applejack blushed and turned her head away. She could see the embarrassment written all over her speckled cheeks.

“Heeheehee...” Rainbow chuckled and affectionately nuzzled her blonde hair. “Call it a draw?”

“Ah call it 'git offa me so Ah can go change.’”

She obliged, and rolled off the farmgirl, lying back against the wall. Applejack pulled herself up from the bed, and Rainbow's eyes followed her, though admittedly she gawked at some of her more flattering features.

She was gone for about thirty seconds before she walked back in, barely lit by the moon filtering in through the half-closed window blinds. She appeared spectral running her hand through her loose platinum hair. Her bare legs glistened  in the silver light as she looked around. Her emerald eyes, normally so bright and vivid, reflected only darkness, seeming to swallow the full moon's glow in the void of their mystery.

She scratched her stomach and cleared her throat, and Rainbow blushed when she realized she'd been staring.

“Somethin' the matter?”

She forced a chuckle. “'Harlot,'” she thought quickly.

“Ugh...” The other girl tossed her hair back behind her head and walked over to her nightstand. She sat on the bedside and picked up her clock, rolling the alarm timer to six in the morning.

“Hey!” she protested, reaching for the device.

Applejack held it out of her reach. “Uh-uh. You gotta be up early in the mornin' and so do Ah. You got detention, remember?”

Rainbow snorted and flopped back on her pillow, resting her hands behind her head. “Don't wanna...” she mumbled.

“C'mon, it can't be that bad; at least yer gettin' Ms. Tia, right?”

“A prison with a hot-looking guard is still a prison.”

“It's yer own dang fault fer being late fer class so much.”

She snorted in defeat and crossed her arms and legs childishly, staring up to the ceiling with as cute a pout as she could manage to produce.

“There, all set.” Rainbow watched her rise. “Now, if'n ya'd kindly tell me where ya keep all yer spare blankets and pillows, Ah could go get some shut-eye.”

A twinge of mischief tickled at the spot near the base of her neck, sending delighted chills through her body. She flexed her toes a few times to try and look disinterested, before looking up to Applejack with a shrug.

“Sorry, AJ. They're all in the wash.”

The farmgirl frowned and crossed her own legs and arms.

“Well, ain't that a daisy?” she huffed. “So what'm Ah supposed to do for sleep?”

“Maybe Pinkie's got something you could improvise with?” she suggested. “Though, maybe that's not a good idea... she does keep Gummy with her an awful lot.”

Sighing, Applejack stood and started towards the door.

“OR!” she interrupted just as she was about to cross the threshold.

The blonde looked back at her with a quirked eyebrow, and Rainbow responded by uncrossing one arm, raising it high into the air, and letting it collapse to the mattress with a soft “whump” and a kick of dust from the window sill.

“Sleep with you?” the other girl deadpanned. “On that tiny little thing?”

“Beats the wooden floorboards, doesn't it?” She paused. “Also, redundant statement is redundant.”

“Ah dunno... Ah reckon with how much you snore, Ah could stand to take mah chances with the cold hard floor and just risk the backache fer the weekend.”

“Hey!” Rainbow said, bolting upright, “I don't snore anymore! I stopped that when I was twelve!”

“You and me must think of snorin' real different-like, sugar.”

Rainbow Dash stared at Applejack.

Applejack stared at Rainbow Dash.

The farmgirl was the first to move. She shook her head and sat back down on the edge of the bed, scooting herself up onto the little twin. Her bedmate made room. “Alright... sure hope ya know what yer gettin' into. Rarity and me tried this once, and she kicked me outta bed when Ah kept stealin' all the blanket.”

With a shrug, Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Rarity doesn't exactly live on planet Earth. Besides, it's not like I need a blanket tonight, y'know?” She smiled. “Worse comes to worse, I can always grab your jacket...”

“And wake up with it covered in peppermints and gumdrops again?” the farmgirl asked, lying on her side. “No way.”

Both girls yawned nearly simultaneously. Something caused Applejack to shiver – likely Rainbow’s wayward foot brushing past the cowgirl's. She bit her lip in consideration, and an evil thought crossed her mind.

“What? You cold?” she asked.

“No.”

“You sure?” She scooted closer, pressing herself flush with her back. Her left hand brushed up along the length of her arm and laced with her fingers. “We could spoon if ya wanted too.”

“Shut up and get your hand offa mah thigh.”

Rainbow smirked. Her right hand snaked up beneath her right arm, up between her breasts, and gripped her left shoulder. 

“That’s not my hand…” she whispered playfully.

“Oh, git!” she snapped, reaching down and smacking her on her adventurous leg.

“Heeheeheehee!”

Judging by the corner of Applejack’s cheek, she could make a wide and amused smile. She rested her head against Rainbow’s bicep and bit her lower lip. “Swear ya still got the same mind of a five year-old.”

There was a pause, and only her smirk remained, though that too gradually faded. Something itched at her, and it wouldn't let her sleep until she settled it. 

Nuzzling down into the recess between Applejack's neck and shoulder incited a ticklish shudder.

She nuzzled gently against the farmgirl's face, feeling the kiss of warmth of her amazingly-delicate skin against her own. How it still maintained such tenderness even after years of toiling in the apple fields escaped her, but she figured she was probably blessed by the apple gods or something in that vein.

“Thanks,” she found herself saying.

“F-for what?” Applejack answered her, the tinge of confusion in her voice.

“For... y'know... caring enough to come over here and help me clean up this place.” She sighed, torn between her gratitude and annoyance. “Everybody else probably wouldn't have let it go all night.”

“Oh, that's just rot thought, sugar,” she said, turning her freckled cheeks up to smile at her. “Ah just got here a little earlier than anybody else. Ah'm sure everybody woulda pitched in.”

“Still... thanks... y'know, for being the one who did.”

“Y-... yer welcome, darlin'. Ah’m always happy to see ya.”

Time held its breath for a moment, and Rainbow's heart skipped a beat as she wrapped her arms more tightly around the smaller blonde, pulling her closer and resting her head atop hers. “Cozy?” she asked softly, stroking her thumb along her collarbone.

“A... Ah reckon so,” she admitted meekly.

Even in the dark, she could make out her friend’s thick and prominent blush. Still, it wasn't like she had pulled away…

No. You're getting too into it, she said to herself, reining in her affections once again. It's not right yet.

She felt Applejack trembling, her legs curling up towards her chest, as if in protection of herself.

She was nervous. She could make out her shuddering breath as she held her, gently caressing the back of her hand, stroking her shoulder...

She didn't want it to end. She was driven half-crazy by the fact that she simply lay there next to her and let her hold her so close... so familiarly... so intimately. In that moment, Applejack was hers. She belonged to her. Nothing could ever remove her from that comfortable grasp she had around her. She... possessed her. And she liked it.

But she knew it had to end. There was no choice.

With a self-contained sigh, she reached down and grabbed the sheet, pulling it up along both of them, and wrapping it around them both.

Her body wanted something else, but Rainbow had never made it as far as she had by listening to her impulses… all the time anyway. As she wrapped her arm around the girl again, she gave her a soft squeeze.

“G’night, Applejack.”

She could feel the faint impression of her friend’s rapid heartbeat against her chest and her nervous breathing. She didn’t know what to make of it.

“G-g’night…” she murmured.

Suppressing her disappointment, Rainbow scooted away a bit, rolled onto her back, and commenced her sheep-counting for that evening.
> Falling in Love
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A salty aroma awoke Rainbow's senses and roused her from a deep and pleasant slumber, bringing her to a stir and wrapping herself up more tightly in her cocoon of sheets.

She groped around blindly in her sleep, feeling around for the warm mass that had been her bed mate last evening. A lukewarm, rumpled spot on the top cover was all that remained of the disappeared specter of a woman.

Rainbow Dash blinked awake and sat up to examine herself in the cracked dresser mirror just across the small bedroom. One look at herself almost made her burst out laughing. Her hair was at least twenty percent more mixed up than it usually was, and that was saying something. She looked like a cross between Elvis Presley and one of the Cornheads or something.

Eh. Only Rarity would care...

She swept a few strands of orange and green back out of her face and looked down at herself.

She snared the pair of nylon shorts from last night off the floor nearby and walked out to the living room where everybody sat at the counter separating it from the kitchen.

"Morning, Rainbow Dash! Nice 'do!" chirped the pink-haired party animal nearest her door. Fluttershy waved, Twilight smirked behind her glass of orange juice, and Rarity had fallen in love with a mirror, as usual. She was already perfectly groomed.

"'Sup Pinks?" Rainbow smiled, clapping her friend a high-five. She paused. "Gum in your hair. Again."

"Ooooh! That's what I did with it!" Pinkie reached up and yanked the gum out of her mane before popping it back into her mouth.

Rarity looked up from her preening and spoke a wordless disapproval with her expression. "Really, dear, a brush would not have required much effort."

Rainbow raspberried in the fashionista's direction and made her way around the counter into the kitchen.

There, the orange shirt-wearing cowgirl stood over her stove. Frankly, she was thankful she had stuck around that morning. With how awkward the previous night had gotten, she had half-expected her big brother to have swung by and picked her up after a nervous, telling phone call. The fact that she hadn't had taken a lot of the weight she had felt on her chest since the previous evening, and banished it as a bad memory. 

Rainbow glided up behind her, snaking one arm around her belly as a momentary distraction, while the other went fishing for a piece of bacon off the partially-loaded community plate.

Applejack saw through her ruse, however, and a sharp whack from a pair of metal tongs extracted a yelp of pain from her.

"Uh-uh. You can wait 'n eat with everybody else."

That magical Southern drawl ignited a fire in Rainbow's belly, and she slithered up close behind Applejack while encircling her just beneath her chest with both arms. She sniffed the air and breathed a deep sigh of contentment with the fragrance that filled the apartment.

"Mmm... marry me."

Applejack snorted in amusement, and she could just barely make out the wrinkles of a smile around her eyes. A good start. 

"You wish," she scoffed, shaking her head.

Rainbow grinned and bounced her arms beneath her friend's sizable chest a moment to again elicit that adorable red tinge in her cheeks she so loved. She then leaned over the shorter girl's shoulder and peered at the dish.

"Lemme guess... 'Applewood' bacon?"

The farm girl looked back at her with a frown. "You got a problem with Applewood, girly?" She threateningly pinched the hot and greasy utensil in her hand together a couple times.

Rainbow flashed her winningest smile at her friend and raised her hands defensively. "Hey, I got no problems with anything apple-related. Apple-anything is bound to be awesome!"

Applejack rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the stove. Feeling bold, Rainbow tried to slip her arms around her again, this time beneath her armpits to make a grab at her chest. Applejack intercepted with another swift strike of her tongs. Again, Rainbow yipped in pain. "Milk's in the fridge if'n ya want some, ya technicolor perv."

"Awww... but I want mine straight from the source!" she whined, glomming onto the other woman's shoulders and enveloping her in a hug.

"You see this scaldin' hot burner? Sure would be a shame if something were ta happen to yer face..."

A warm and fuzzy feeling surged through Rainbow's veins. Her cheeks hurt from the size of her smile. "Wow! Somebody grew a pair last night!"

A delicate huff from behind made Rainbow's forehead crinkle and drew her ireful stare.

"Tres gauche, darling. At least have the common decency to let Applejack finish making breakfast for the rest of us first before you continue your merciless flirting."

Rainbow rolled her eyes and swaggered across the kitchen to find herself a spot.

"Rarity, you need to find a boyfriend." She pondered a moment. "And get laid." Rainbow paused intently, smiling slyly in Applejack's direction. "Like I was last night."

She could have sworn she heard Pinkie murmur something along the lines of, "So that's what that noise was."

"Not even in yer dreams, darlin'," Applejack said with a confident smile as she came over with the plate full of sizzling meat, setting it down on the middle of the counter.

"You're right. We get up to much worse there." Rainbow grinned and waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

She was rewarded with a rosy shade overtaking the cowgirl's speckled cheeks. Applejack pouted and raised her hand to her face to try and mask her blush as a facepalm, but Rainbow Dash had clearly seen the cowgirl's freckles drowning in a sea of embarrassment.

"Ah'm gonna go take a shower," she huffed, and marched towards the hall.

Rainbow's magenta eyes glinted and swiveled, admiring her friend's curvy, panty-clad backside as she stepped around the counter.

"Mmm. Loved watchin' her come..." A menacing grin crossed her face and she eyed the farmgirl's retreating backside. "Sure don't mind watching her go either."

Applejack turned back with an expression half made of anger, half of embarrassment. She forcefully pulled down her orange shirt, covering her butt the best she could with the oversized garment. "Oh, would you give it a rest already?!"

Her flustered friend scampered into the bathroom and slammed the door angrily behind her. Twilight and Fluttershy giggled politely to themselves, while Pinkie rolled right off her chair and cackled on the floor. Even Rarity found the capacity to smirk.

In fact, the only one at the counter not laughing was Rainbow Dash, far too worried over whether she had pushed the envelope too far.


***


"Ms. Tia?" Rainbow's voice cracked above the tapping of her pencil.

The superintendent looked up from her novel and across her desk and the empty classroom between the two. She marked her place with a finger and crossed her arms. "Yes, Miss Dash, what is it this time?"

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

"This would be the third time this hour. I'll tell you what I told you last: We're almost done; you can hold it."

Rainbow simpered and slouched into her desk chair. "Can I get a phone call?"

Ms. Tia opened up her book again and returned to reading. "By the time your lawyer got here to plead on your behalf, it'd be lunchtime anyway," she said with a smile.

She grumbled and moaned several times, writhing in her chair over-dramatically. Glimpsing at the clock did little but slow down time for her. The window shades were drawn, her backpack rested at her feet, but all it was allowed to contain was her untouched homework and study materials. The 3DS she had tried to sneak in had been immediately confiscated before she even walked in the door.

Her eyes darted to it on the front desk and she leaned back and howled another unpleasant whine.

Ms. Tia gave her a sharp stare over the pages of her book, and she gulped and slumped back quietly into her chair.

A glimpse to the timer sitting next to the woman. Thirty seconds had passed. Twenty-four agonizing minutes to go.

She suppressed another groan and lay her cheek on the smooth surface, looking over towards the shuttered windows. Had that really been necessary? It was starting to feel like solitary or something...

At least with those open, she could try and guess the cars driving by out on the front road. Maybe that had been the point.

She counted out many points of light she could see through the blinds. Forty-eight.

A glimpse at the timer. Twenty seconds gone.

She sighed and looked up to the ceiling, counting the tiles overhead. She got about halfway through when one particular tile caught her eye. The various dark patterns running through the material formed a shape, as so many others did, with their various dots and streaks and cracks. This one in particular grabbed her attention, for a pair of streaks flowed strangely together in such a way as to form the letters "A" and "J" in sequence.

The uncomfortable feeling from a few hours ago returned with a vengeance and her stomach turned at the memory of Applejack in her arms... so warm... so close... so hers...

...and so scared.

She had felt her trembling. That had been new to Rainbow Dash. Trembling couldn't be good. It was only representative of nervousness or excitement; one, the other, or both. It meant adrenaline. It meant fight or flight. She certainly hadn't fought, and she may not have fled, but she had closed off to her.

She certainly hadn't been excited in the good way...

Rainbow inhaled and breathed a heavy sigh, her expression and mood graying over as thoughts turned to the complexity of her situation with her friend.

Applejack was her everything, and the unknown of the situation scared her more than anything she could ever recall. It was worse than when her parents had been killed in that car wreck. It was worse than the loneliness that came afterward. Because as bad as those things had been... She had been there for her through it all.

She had no allies this time. Truly, she was alone, facing down the hurricane of emotions that threatened to leave her dashed against the rocks and swept away by the tides of despair.

She had thought about telling her friends, but which? Pinkie could keep a secret... or at least she'd never spilled any to her before. But Rarity was a gossip-monger, and her being in possession the juiciest piece of interpersonal information in school could be disastrous.

Twilight and Fluttershy could probably keep their traps shut better than her, but under pressure either would crack and spill everything.

And even telling them everything, she had no way of knowing if any of their so-called "advice" could help her.

She looked up from her desk.

"M-... Ms. Tia?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, Miss Dash. You can wait until detention is over for another bathroom trip," her supervisor said sharply

For some reason, those words struck a painful chord and left her throat thick and sore. Rainbow could just barely feel the sting of tears on her peripheral vision.

She sniffled involuntarily and turned her head to try and wipe the moisture collecting on her lids.

Ms. Tia took notice, however.

"Rainbow Dash?"

Shit-'n-shoved-in-it.

Her blurry vision filled with the superintendent as the older woman slapped down her book and stood, hastily crossing the distance between them with a few long-legged footsteps. Rainbow hastily brushed her face against the back of her arm. She couldn't be seen crying by anyone. It was a matter of pride...

"Rainbow Dash, what's the matter?" came the soft and compassionate voice.

She choked on her own throat, trying to gulp back the hurt building up from her gut.

Oh, nothing. I think I might be completely head-over-heels for my best friend in the whole wide world and I'm just having a little mental breakdown. That's not unusual, is it?

"Allergies..." she choked weakly.

A pair of warm and comforting arms wrapped around her and pulled her against the warm and comforting person they were attached to her.

Pride be damned, Rainbow let go, and cried a river of a lifetime's worth of pain, fear, and uncertainty. A hand softly brushed through her rainbow-colored hair, bringing on a pleasant, tingling sensation that distracted her from the stress of her mere existence, and slowly, her sobs turned to whimpers, and her tears turned to blinking eyes.

She wasn't sure how long it had had lasted. All she knew was that the digital timer had buzzed, marking the end of detention by the time she looked up.

Ms. Tia smiled warmly down at her, hand still softly brushing along her hair.

Rainbow reached up and wiped one last tear off her cheek and chuckled. "S-sorry," she said in a strained voice.

"Nothing to apologize for," the older woman's voice came, smooth as silk and easy on the ears.

Rainbow wiped her hand against her nose, only to be offered a handkerchief from the superintendent's breast pocket. She blotted the edges of her eyes. "Don't know what came over me..." she muttered.

"Well, I can say for certain that it wasn't the last twenty minutes of detention."

She half-chuckled, half-sobbed. "I dunno. It can be pretty bad having nothing to do for so long."

Ms. Tia giggled. "Boring as it may be, it has to be something far more than simple boredom to incite the 'invincible Rainbow Dash' to cry."

She fidgeted.

The older woman continued in just a soothing voice as before. "I don't have a degree in Psychology for nothing, Rainbow Dash," she said. "I know that boredom may be your Kryptonite, as it were, but it's obvious to me that there's something deeper that's troubling you."

Swallowing her nervousness, Rainbow averted her eyes and shrank in her seat.

"There's nothing you have to say that you don't want to say," Ms. Tia stated. "Just know, I've been around the block my fair share of times. And I would never think of judging you or sharing anything you tell me with anyone."

Her finger reached under Rainbow's chin and raised her gaze to meet hers. "You do at least trust me that far, don't you?"

Rainbow nodded and took a deep and shaky breath.

"Have you ever... umm..."

A pause.

"Ms. Tia? Have you ever been..." she gulped, "...in love before?"

The eyes staring back at her shimmered with a merciful sparkle of warmth and reassurance as the superintendent reached over for a chair and pulled it closer. "I've certainly come close a few times, so I'm familiar with the feeling," she said.

Rainbow nodded. She was hesitant with her words, choosing them carefully. She knew how shrinks could analyze stuff into everything. Hell, she's probably analyzing this, she thought to herself.

"Well... I... I mean, it's just a hunch and everything, but... there's this... this person..." she said shakily.

Ms. Tia nodded understandingly, resting her hand in her chin.

"This uhh... this 'person' is kinda someone I'm close to a few times a week... been a friend of mine since I was a little kid and... y'know, they're kind of the only one who I'm really close to right now..."

There was a pregnant pause.

"I see," Ms. Tia nodded again. "So, this person is someone you know intimately well."

"Yeah... see, this... person? We used to hang out all the time. We did everything together. I mean, I'd help them with stuff, they'd come by and help me with some stuff... we always liked hanging out a lot and... stuff..." she trailed off.

More silence. The older woman patiently kept quiet, and waited for Rainbow to continue.

"And lately, I've started having all these... urges and... feelings that I usually don't have for other people. I feel like... like wanting to kiss this person and... hug them and be close to them all the time and... just make them mine, y'know? But... I don't wanna break the good thing we've got going right now..."

Ms. Tia nodded sagely. "And this... 'person'," the superintendent said. "You would like to share these feelings with her, but you're afraid that it might be received poorly."

"Yeah, 'cause see, she-"

Rainbow froze.

Ms. Tia's smile grew playful.

"How did you-?"

"Because you just told me," she said through a bright and airy smile.

I fell for the oldest trick in the book... gravy.

Rainbow Dash sighed and sagged down into her seat, hiding her face behind her arms. "Have you... ever been in love with another woman, Ms. Tia?"

The older woman's expression mellowed noticeably. "I... cannot say that I have, Rainbow Dash," she said solemnly, softly stroking her hand along her back.

A sigh. Well, it was a long shot anyway...

"What I can say, however," she continued, "is that no matter what her answer, no matter what her background, if she truly loves you for who you are, with all of the good, the bad, and the unorthodox," she winked, "then all I can truly advise you is that you continue to be what makes you who you are."

Rainbow pondered the words for a moment. It felt like everything every self-help book ever said, but condensed into a paragraph.

"Man, that's sappy..." she muttered, wiping her nose on her arm again.

A pair of strong hands softly squeezed her shoulders. "Never change, Rainbow Dash. You may not be perfect in the eyes of the world, but in those of your friends, I can promise that you are. And I personally know for a fact that Applejack would fight lions barehanded for you."

Nearly whiplashing herself as she bolted upright, Rainbow found herself once again gobsmacked. "But... I never said..."

Ms. Tia smiled smugly at her, before rolling her eyes to the ceiling with a shrug. She stood from her chair and slid it back into place. "Detention is over, Miss Dash," she said, grabbing her book and briefcase off the table. "My next bit of advice is to go home, eat, and get ready for the dance tonight." She turned to look at her from the door. "Sadie Hawkins dances don't come around all that often."

Then she was gone, leaving a contemplative Rainbow alone with the pain of falling in love.
> Party Favor (Part I)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mustang choked to a rumbly stop as its owner twisted the key to the ‘off’ position. Rainbow Dash collapsed back into the seat and lay her head back, staring up at the stars in the school parking lot. 

It was a perfect, clear night. The forecast called for rain, but that wouldn’t be until early in the morning, well after the dance had ended. Good thing too. She’d spent hours putting herself together and looking as perfect as she could possibly make herself. She’d even ditched her usual tennis shoes for this. She would have hated for all the effort to have gone to waste because of a little weather.

The drive had even been slow and controlled for a change, mostly to keep her brushed hair in order. What hadn’t changed, however, was her being fashionably late.

By the time she had stepped out of the car and started towards the door, it was three after. She arrived amongst a hoard of students and chaperones flocking towards the gym entrance, and the masses were still coming in.

She had stuck to the plan from earlier and made for the front of the school. Twilight had predicted a crowd and how difficult it’d be to find one another in the throng of people, and proposed an alternate gathering point.

Rarity and Twilight had gotten there first. The two sat chatting up a storm beneath a light pole.

Rainbow bit her lip and flicked out a pair of sunglasses in spite of the low ambient lighting and walked smugly up to the pair, leaning against the pole and staring at the two.

The fashionista had been mentioning something about Spike when she turned to inspect her presence.

Twilight turned and looked up first.

The three shared an awkward silence for a moment.

“Umm… hello?” Twilight started nervously.

“Is there something we can help you wi-” Rarity interjected.

Rainbow flicked off her sunglasses and flashed the two with her magenta gaze. “Yo,” she said with a toothy grin.

“Holycrapit’sRainbowDash,” Twilight gaped, jaw ajar as her eyes darted over her and up and down.

“Darling, you look…” A pause. “…dashing! N-no pun intended, of course.”

She chuckled and smoothed out the black sleeves of her dad’s old tux and looked down at herself. Just the top few buttons of her untucked white dress shirt were buttoned, revealing the white tee underneath. She shuffled in the comparatively-uncomfortable dress shoes. (Hey, at least they were a lot better than the high heels her friends had tried to make her wear.)

“Not bad, huh? My dad had pretty good taste.”

“He certainly did!” Rarity complimented. “I wouldn’t normally condone such a… messy appearance, but I certainly think it reflects you on a personal level.” She paused. “I just wonder… why a tuxedo?”

She shrugged. “Pinkie said she’d wear one if I did.”

Expression souring, the fashionista blew a lock of hair out of her face. “That explains a bit…”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow looked over her shoulder. Twilight had walked around behind her, viewing her from all angles. Her sharp eyes caught the haze of a blush on the shorter girl’s cheeks as her pupils twitched back and forth over her form.

“See somethin’ ya like back there?”

Twilight jumped and fanned herself with a nervous chuckle, but said nothing as she walked around to rejoin Rarity. 

“Well, that’s three of us,” Rarity said, eying the crowd. “Now where on earth is Fluttershy? I finally got her dress finished just the way she liked it and-”

“U-umm…” came the meek noise behind the trio.

Fluttershy emerged from a shaded corner of the school building and shyly waved from her spot near the wall, stepping out into view. Her green dress shimmered in the moonlight, and her chest filled up the top end nicely, Rainbow noticed.

“‘Sup, bitch?” she asked, flashing a grin.

The pink-haired girl blushed and giggled at Rainbow’s choice of words.

“Well, looks like the gang’s all here, except for Applejack,” Twilight said with a smile.

“She must have been having problems with the bra I gave her,” Rarity shrugged. “The ones she normally wears don’t accentuate her assets nearly enough to take advantage of the dress’s shape.”

Rainbow’s brain became hungry for blood as it all rushed elsewhere.

“Umm… isn’t that her brother’s truck?”

Rainbow whipped her head around and saw Big Mac’s giant, rusted pickup come wallowing up the drive, Applejack seated in the passenger spot as usual.

The truck’s screechy brakes brought it to a lurching stop.

And out of it stepped the most sensuously beautiful creature Rainbow Dash had ever laid eyes upon…

Applejack was missing her hat, but that wasn’t so strange in itself for a formal dance. What was, however, was the noise that came out of Rainbow’s own mouth as she watched the farmgirl slide gracefully out of the car; a cross between a strange moan and squeak. Her friend was draped from armpit to toe in a bright orange silk. The shoulder straps draped seductively around her shoulders, showing off more skin than she had ever seen her show before, and – she noted – plenty of cleavage along with it.

So busy was she gawking that she completely forgot about a snappy line to compliment her friend’s state of dress. Her stunned state lasted for several moments. The feeling of drool rolling off her lip brought her back to her senses, thankfully before anyone else noticed.

“Oh, Applejack…” Rarity gushed, brushing past her. Her normally-pale skin lit up like a rose as she rushed over to greet her with a hug. “You are just the vision of beauty, darling!”

The farmgirl blushed and reached up to scratch her bare arm, glimpsing back to her brother as he drove away. “Don’t remind me…” she muttered.

“Truly! I think you might be the belle of the ball this evening!” Rarity turned to the others. “You see? A bit of work and anybody can pretty up!”

Applejack blinked and scowled, fidgeting uncomfortably under all the attention. “Uhh… thanks?”

“Eh, she looks alright, I guess.”

The cowgirl looked her way, and Rainbow winked her direction, receiving a knowing smile in return.

“Uh oh…” Twilight and Fluttershy murmured uncomfortably.

“I beg your pardon!” Rarity glared. “I’ll have you know, Rainbow Dash, that I slaved over the finishing touches on-”

A snicker passed between her and Applejack, followed by a meeting of fists in a short-lived bump.

The fashionista scowled. “You two really are trying to make my hair fall out, aren’t you?”

The two friends burst out laughing at Rarity’s expense, while the latter rolled her eyes and rejoined Twilight and Fluttershy with a soft huff.

Rainbow turned her eyes to the left and made a show of looking her friend up and down.

“So,” she said, a wicked smile wrinkling her cheeks and lowering her eyes, “the freckles are genetic.”

Applejack made a face and reached up to softly smack her on the cheek. “Eyes up north, ballsack.”

She chortled and wrapped her arms around the farmgirl for a quick snuggle. “You look great, AJ,” she said, dropping all pretense of playfulness. Green apple-scented perfume filled her nostrils and the skin of her bare shoulders and upper back was smooth as the dress she wore.

Her friend chuckled and blushed, though whether it was because she was ticklish or genuinely flattered was a bit harder to determine. Nonetheless, she returned the gesture and wrapped her arms around her.

“Th-thank ya, sugar,” she said softly. “You look… umm… m-mighty handsome.”

Heart fluttering, Rainbow squeezed a bit before releasing her.

“Rarity said ‘dashing’, but I can deal with handsome,” she replied with a shrug and a grin. “Now, if Pinkie wore hers, we can really go around and screw with some guy’s heads.”

The two shared another chuckle.

“Well, since everyone’s here,” Twilight said, arms around Rarity and Fluttershy’s shoulders, “what say we head inside?”

Rainbow paused.

“Hey, where is Pinkie, anyway?”

“Inside already,” Twilight smiled. “She knows the DJ. She’s been here for hours assisting with the prep work.”

“Then what indeed are we waiting for?” Rarity asked, stepping forward and taking Fluttershy by the hand. “Let’s go dazzle the crowd, ladies!”

Rainbow shrugged and followed along just behind Applejack and Twilight.

The gym was pandemonium, filled with crowded-together groups. Jocks to the left hit on the cheerleaders, while computer nerds on the right photographed the party and texted on their phones. Every range of person of the rainbow, so to speak, had attended the dance. The music thudded in the background, and she could vaguely make out Pinkie Pie in the distance manning a pair of turntables.

“W-wow,” Fluttershy muttered nervously. “Th-there are a lot of people in h-here…”

“It’s the biggest dance of the year, Fluttershy!” Rarity said, giving herself a quick spray from her perfume bottle. “Aside from prom, anyone who’s anyone goes to the end-of-year dance party. Now come!” she said, grabbing the shorter girl’s hand again. “We’re going to get you pulled out of your shell if it kills me.”

“W-we are?!” the timid girl squeaked.

“Wait!” Twilight shouted. “What are we going to do about meeting times?! GIRLS!”

Rarity and Fluttershy, however, melted into the crowd without so much as a backward glance. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help her evil smile as she watched the fashionista drag the more apprehensive-looking Fluttershy into the roiling crowds.

Twilight huffed and rubbed her head painfully before charging in after them.

Looking down, Applejack scratched her cheek, her emerald eyes darting around the room. Their gazes met, and a chuckle passed between them.

“So, AJ, wanna go check out the grub?”

“Read mah mind, darlin’!” the farmgirl shouted enthusiastically. 

The two linked arms and merged with the raving students, bumping into several and shoving past several more. Everybody already smelled of sweat and BO, and Rainbow wrinkled her nose. The pair forced their way to the tabled areas where a few solitary couples sat, holding hands, feeding each other, and generally doing “couple things”.

A pang of envy shot through her subconscious as she looked at them. She ignored it, and finally managed to pull herself and her friend out of the crowd.

“Hoo-ie!” Applejack sighed, waving her hand in front of her face. “Not sure Ah got much of an appetite anymore…”

“Heeheehee. C’mon, your brother’s stank is worse than all that!”

“Ah’d ask ya how the heck ya know that, but frankly, Ah think Ah’d be happier not knowin’.”

“Heeheehee! Let’s just say he doesn’t like sneaky headlocks…” Rainbow paused at an empty table near the corner of the gym, relatively private and secluded from any prying eyes… not that that’d been what she sought or anything. “So, why don’t you keep the table here, and I’ll be back with the eats?”

“Keep it here?” Applejack smirked, pulling out a chair and sliding into it. “What, you think it’ll run off with somebody else?”

Rainbow turned her head towards the crowd, and the few couples that had started drifting towards the makeshift buffet.

“Actually, you’re probably not far off…” she muttered. “Bee arr bee!”

With a quick trot, she arrived by the hors d'oeuvres and inspected the offerings.

She was slow to select, however. Her mind had wandered to other things, with a blonde farmgirl being the focus of her musings. Applejack hadn't technically been all that timid around her that evening. If experience was any indication, she didn't always show her discomfort, but typically she could see through any disguise her friend tried to throw up.

She had been giving thought to what Ms. Tia had mentioned to her earlier that day, and had been putting it into practice pretty effectively so far... or, at least it looked that way. The night had just begun, however, and there was no way to know whether the cowgirl's sometimes-fickle mood would hold throughout.

She would have to get creative without being too overt. The food suggestion had turned out to be a good start. Not bad for thinking on her feet...

“What now?” she muttered to herself, drawing a blank for ideas as she reached for one of the last three pudding-topped cupcakes.

Another couple, a boy and a girl, slipped up next to the table and were reaching for the last two.

Instinct kicked in.

Rainbow turned to the pair and pointed at the dish, mouth still full of food. 

“Phasty is'm it?”

The pair stared at her with wide eyes. The girl's face turned a faint green as she turned away and retreated, while her date followed, sparing a glance back at her.

She smiled smugly and slipped the last two cupcakes onto a paper plate, along with a couple slices of apple cobbler just to be on the safe side.

“Eh, maybe a slice of pi-”

Rainbow froze in her tracks.

Standing next to Applejack were three hairy, muscular guys, each dwarfing her by at least half her weight. She instantly recognized them from many of her elementary school days for all the hazing they pulled.

Applejack had her arms crossed up against the table in the corner. She put up a good, brave front, but beneath the combined attention of the three school bullies she could see through to her nervousness.

Rainbow didn't much care, either, for the way they were putting their hands on her...

“Frickin' Dumbbells,” she snarled, stalking through the crowd like a jaguar on the hunt.
> Party Favor (Part II)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow got caught up in the thickest part of the crowds at the edge of the sitting area. Try as she did, she couldn't shove herself through. As she pushed one person aside, another would slide in her way. She was close enough to hear the words of Applejack's tormentors, but not quite close enough to reach out and slug one of them across the jawline.

“So, seriously,” Dumb-Bell said, “which one of us do ya wanna ask?” he huffed into Applejack's ear, unsettling several strands of her blonde hair.

“Yeah! Heheh! Which one?”

“Shut up, Hoops. I just said that.”

“Oh, heheh.”

The farmgirl could hold herself against pretty much anyone in a fair fight. Even some of the bigger football players could be given a run for their money if they got locked into an arm wrestle with her. Heck, Rainbow Dash herself could barely take her strengthwise.

Three large guys against one small her, however, no matter how one sliced it, was an ugly situation to be in.

Rainbow could see the irritation written all over her expression mixed with a nervousness. Her hands were clenched, and a faint sheen of sweat lit up her brow.

She was stoically silent, staring straight ahead at a spot on the wall.

“Maybe she just can't choose which one of us she wants the most,” Score grinned, blowing his long hair out of his eyes.

“Oh, please, like she'd be interested in either one of you losers!”

“Well, she ain't asked you yet, either!”

“Shut your trap! She's just nervous.” Dumb-Bell said. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. Rainbow Dash could read his disgusting lips. “C'mon, baby. Don't be shy. You can just ask if ya want. Who knows? I might even say yes.”

“C'mon, Dumbo! Shut up and let her choose already!”

Applejack's lips at last parted, her eyes narrowed. “Ah'm... here with someone,” she muttered.

Dumb-Bell didn't seem pleased with that, his brow furrowing in agitation. “Who the heck could be good enough for that nice ass you got? 'Cept me.”

Rainbow felt like she could breathe fire. With a rude shove of the person in front of her to the floor, she stepped over them and glided across the floor as if she rode on the heat of her own bubbling fury.

Her words came without thought.

“Hey, babe,” she said, addressing the farmgirl.

Applejack looked up, her narrowed eyes widening hopefully as she approached. Her nervousness seemed to erode, until Hoops's giant hand landed on her shoulder. She flinched, at his revolting touch and Rainbow's anger nearly boiled over right then and there.

She put on a barely-convincing smile and swaggered over next to Applejack.

The kiss to her freckled cheek was sudden and deliberate, lasting for several long moments before she leaned back a ways.

“Got the grub,” she said with a wink to Applejack’s stunned expression. “What do ya say to a little dance first before we chow down?”

She then pretended to notice the Dumbbells standing over her.

A “mere” scowl crossed her face. “These fudgeheads botherin’ you?”

The three boys gaped at the spectacle and stepped back.

“U-uhh…” Applejack stammered nervously, her face aglow with a rosy shade as her brain tried to untangle itself from the knots it been twisted into.

Rainbow got right up into their leader’s face and pressed nose-to-nose with him.

Dumb-Bell regained his composure and narrowed his eyes challengingly. Hoops and Score joined in the gesture.

She didn’t flinch.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on her face as she leaned back. “You guys like apples, huh?”

The three blinked in surprise and looked between one another.

“Oh! Oh! I d-”

She didn’t give Hoops a chance to finish his response. A lightning-quick arm emerged from behind Rainbow’s back and fastballed a piece of apple cobbler right into his eyes. The plate she held made forceful contact with Dumb-Bell’s face half a second later and knocked him off-balance, sending him and the chairs he tried to grab clattering to the floor.

Score, the last of the three standing who wasn’t trying to scrape dessert out of his eyes, stared dumbfounded at Rainbow Dash as she glared his way.

“B-but, I didn’t get any apple-”

WHACK!

The kick of a soccer player straight into the ‘nads was enough to fold him like the cheap suit he wore and transform his protests into pitiful whimpering.

“Sorry. Fresh out,” she snorted and turned. Flashing a smile to Applejack, she softly grabbed her by the hand and led her out to the dance floor.

“Hey this is pretty good cobbler,” she heard behind her.

“Shut up, Hoops…” groaned Dumb-Bell.

The crowd that had seen the confrontation parted like water around the two as Rainbow stomped forward. Most people in the school knew not to be in the way of her when she was in a mood, and a hard stare was enough for the pair to work their way out across the gym in relatively short order.

Applejack said nothing as she was led along by the hand. Finding her footing, she caught up to her and matched her swift pace as they emerged in the middle of the gym.

Several couples twisted around each other to a rather energetic set of music.

Rainbow and Applejack lingered on the perimeter of the crowd, boxed in by the waving tide of people. A pink blur caught her attention over by the DJ booth as Pinkie Pie worked her magic on a pair of turntables, impressing even Vinyl Scratch from the looks of it. She caught her attention by accident simply by staring too long, and the party girl waved her arm emphatically towards the two.

Both girls nervously returned the wave, and at last, their ability to formulate cogent sentences returned. The farmgirl looked back through the crowd to where a number of people stood gathering where they had just come from. Her brow wrinkled with thought as the three bullies finally came back to their senses.

“S-sugarcube? What just happened?” she asked.

Rainbow coughed. “What do you mean? I just kicked those guys’ collective asses and saved you from their douchebaggery,” she said with a bright, wide smile, leaning back against the wall of people to try and squeeze their way out. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Uhh… but…”

Knowing exactly what her friend was trying to drive at, Rainbow became determined to divert her focus onto other things.

“Don’t worry about those guys,” she said, following Applejack’s nervous gaze back to the angry trio. “I’ve been slappin’ them around since we were kids.”

She didn’t like the way they were prying their way through the crowd towards the dance floor, however, and scowled at their persistence. They were every bit as stubborn as she was. If she didn’t think of something soon, there could be a bigger incident on her conscience... and probably on her permanent record.

Shit.

Rainbow’s eyes darted around for any other recognizable faces short of Pinkie’s that they could get to. The music continued to pound in the background as the song’s rhythm climaxed and faded into background noise, thanks to all the cheering for the many skilled rug-cutting couples.

That gave her an idea.

The cheering obscured the trio’s vision of her, but she was thankful it gave her a moment to put her plan into action. It wouldn’t be long though, and her height combined with her hair would make them painfully difficult to spot.

Pinkie switched the lighting up, turning the electric blue dance area in a soft, rosy color, and the shimmer of the disco ball slowed down.

Vinyl changed records, and a slow, soothing tune came on.

“Alright, all you buncha saps! Let’s see ya get close to that special somebody you found and take things down a bit!”

The crowd cheered in approval of Vinyl’s announcement.

People all around them began turning to their partners and murmuring to one another about the upcoming slow dance.

Rainbow bit her lip and softly squeezed Applejack’s hand. It hadn’t exactly been her plan to hogtie her friend into a romantic gesture, but even the three idiots that were after them weren’t stupid enough to try and start something with her with everyone else watching.

“Sorry about this,” she whispered to her friend, even if technically she was lying a bit.

“F-for what, sugar?” the still-blushing farmgirl asked as she was led out onto the floor. Her green eyes widened in recognition, sparkling like diamonds off the slowly-rotating disco lights.

“This,” she said, with an apologetic smile, as she turned to face her friend. Her free arm slipped around the small of the shorter girl’s back and slowly pulled her closer.

Applejack gaped as her fingers laced with hers.

“D-darlin’, wh-what are you doin’?”

Rainbow bit her lip. “Well… I kinda promised you a dance in front of those creeps,” she said, sliding her magenta stare to the right. “And… well, don’t look now, but…”

Turning her head just slightly so she could see better, the farmgirl immediately saw what she was referring to.

On the edge of the pairing off audience gawked three familiar ugly faces. All three pairs of eyes were glued on them as the music began to pick up, fading into a slow, easy-to-follow rhythm. All other pairings in the room took a hold of their partner, and waited for the song to begin in earnest.

Applejack eyes snapped wide-open and she grabbed her shoulder in panic. “Rainbow! No! Ah can’t do this! Ah’ve got two left feet!”

“Whoawhoawhoa, hey, easy,” she said, softly rubbing her hand in circles along her friend’s back. “I’m not exactly a catch when it comes to dancing either. Just… follow my lead, okay?” she said.

“Ah don’t get how you can be so calm about this…” her voice quivered as she allowed herself to be drawn into Rainbow’s close embrace.

“Easy!” she said smugly, adopting that cocky smile of hers. “’Cause whatever I do, even if it’s failing, I make it look awesome!”

Applejack stared at her flatly and let slip the slightest of smiles.

“Easy fer you to say.” She sighed and buried her face in Rainbow’s chest, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Her heart nearly stopped.

“All Ah’d ever do is look like an idiot,” she muttered into her tux.

Rainbow took a breath to steady herself and stepped to the song slowly enough so that Applejack could match her.

“You look awesome,”  she corrected her friend with a playful wink. “But mostly because I’m the one dancing with you!”

Applejack peered up to her with those ocean-deep eyes of hers just so she could roll them.

“Shoulda seen that comin’.” She snickered and smiled, staring back at her appreciatively as Rainbow’s arm encircled her waist tightly.

The two danced in silence for several long moments, before the farmgirl rested her head just beneath the sweet spot under her chin. Rainbow very well thought she could lose consciousness any moment and die of an awesomeness overdose. Whether or not that was a thing or not, she couldn’t be sure.

“Thank you,” muttered Applejack.

Rainbow blinked. “Umm… what for?”

She felt her friend chuckle and squeeze her as she pulled back. “Fer takin’ care of them creeps, of course.” She tossed her eyes to the left, pointing out the three annoyed-looking – and somewhat confused – Dumbbells standing without partners on the sidelines.

“Oh, well… yeah. You know me. It’s in the heroine’s job description and everything. Damsel-in-distress scenario and everything… umm, minus the penis of course.”

Applejack snorted back a laugh. “Ah coulda taken care of mahself y’know.”

While her smile wore confidence and a hint of self-satisfaction, Rainbow’s stomach turned. “Oh… y-yeah, I know. But… you never liked getting your hands dirty with anything like that, so…” she trailed off.

The farmgirl smiled sweetly and reclaimed her hand, before she reached up and wrapped her freckled arms around her neck.

“Thank ya just the same,” she whispered softly above the gentle, harmonious music.

“S-sure thing, babe,” she winked cockily, her hands resting in the comfortable small of Applejack’s back, even as the farmgirl giggled at being called such.

Ignoring all the pairs of eyes they had drawn wasn’t easy, but Rainbow wasn’t about to point it out to her friend when she had found her in such a good mood. Applejack rested her head against her collarbone and closed her eyes, while she brought her chin to rest against the pillow of her soft blonde hair.

She inhaled softly, and the scent of green apples once again greeted her senses. Deliriousness hit her from all of it coming at her at once.

Applejack was in her arms again. So petite… so perfectly-sized for her… Every part of her fit so wonderfully well against her taller, more athletic form. Every tuck of her head was perfectly-placed, no matter where she rested it. Her hands always found her broader shoulders, and the rhythm they were dancing to made her feel as though they were in perfect harmony with one another, down to their very heartbeats.

If this ain’t right, then God sure never invented wrong… she thought, a little chuckle tickling deep in her chest. 

She threw her eyes over to where the Dumbbells had been. Apparently, the trio had had enough and split for more oily, grease-slicked pastures, or simply got tired of waiting for the song to be over to harass her some more.

By the time it did end, Rainbow had forgotten about everyone around her, and there was only her and the farmgirl. They had danced in circles for what felt like an eternity that could never have lasted long enough. 

She was euphoric. Her heart skipped in joy around her chest, bouncing off her ribcage and tap-dancing against her sternum. Everything about her guilt in stealing a kiss from Applejack earlier had just vanished and was replaced by a sunshiny ecstasy.

It only got worse when she smiled up at her with a wide, and gracious smile. “That was fun, sugar.”

“Y-yeah,” she smiled widely, scratching the back of her head. “It wasn’t too bad, was it? Pretty fun… not too hard… totally uhh… r-radical.” Gulp. “Yeah. Radical.”

The farmgirl quirked her eyebrow up at her.

“You okay, Rainbow? Ya look a little pale. You ain’t getting’ sick, are ya?”

Not unless being nuts about you is an illness.

“It’s uhh… it’s a little toasty in here, isn’t it?” she asked, stretching her collar for emphasis. “Whaddya say we head on over and grab some punch or something?”

“Punch sounds nice.” Applejack smirked. “And maybe some of that grub ya promised me.”

“Food! Right!” she voice-broke rather loudly. “Let’s g-go do that!”

Neither noticed the other couples staring at them.
> Party Favor (Part III)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow sighed as she reached down into the fruit carousel on the hors d’ouevre table. She selected a red delicious from the options available to her. Looking it over for bruises, she breathed on it and rubbed the moisture off on her jacket as she glanced to her left.

Applejack was chatting up Pinkie Pie by the DJ stand. The two were laughing and carrying on about something.

AJ probably telling Pinkie what a loser I am, she thought as she bit into the apple. She made a face. It sure wasn’t a Sweet Apple Acres piece of fruit, that was for sure. Tasted like some half-assed attempt from a farm startup somewhere down south or something. Rolling her eyes, she pitched it into the garbage without so much as a second nibble and rummaged around on the table for something else to bite at.

The guilt had returned full-force. She had first felt the feeling after she stole a kiss from Applejack right in front of God and the world.

Okay, it hadn’t actually been a “kiss” per se; it’d been more of a smooch or a peck. If she thought hard enough about it, she could remember a time when she and her friend had exchanged little pecks on the cheek before. It was a gal pal thing. There was nothing wrong with it. That was just something chicks did towards each other.

Deep down, however, she had known what she really meant by it. She had watched herself let the smooch linger, and let it imply something to the three Dumbbells that shouldn’t have been implied. Sure, she could put it off to the farmgirl herself as innocent, but she knew better.

Then their little dance happened. Again, presumably, it had been an innocent gesture. She had just wanted to keep her friend and herself out of a fight and out of trouble.

But to her, it had meant something more…

That strange sense of half-relief half-stress swept through her. It was an unusual combination. It was the feeling of someone else being blamed for something bad you did. Sure, someone else took the fall, but the truth could come to light at any minute, and then you’d be in even hotter water. And you felt like crap the whole time too ‘cause no matter how you tried to justify it, you knew you had been the one to screw up and should have been the one taking the heat for it.

She felt it for knowing the truth, and Applejack not. And it was the worst feeling in the world, not being able to be honest with her best friend.

Pausing for a moment, she shook her head.

I gotta stop thinking about this crap…

“I saw that whole thing, you know.”

Rainbow Dash blinked and tossed her eyes over her shoulder.

A bright blue almost-white dress shimmered from the disco lights on the ceiling. Long, impeccably-styled violet hair curled like waves at the beach, and jewelry aplenty made it obvious at first glimpse who it was.

Ugh… had to be her, she thought, rolling her eyes.

“So…” Rarity said with a mischievous smile, “how long has ‘this’ been going on?”

Rainbow Dash, the hungry ache of her stomach forgotten, took a large cupcake from a tray at the end, and sampled a large, impolite bite out of it. Eyebrow quirking, she turned to face the fashionista. “‘Thith?’” she asked mid-chew. She swallowed and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Not even grimacing at the sight, the fashionista ignored her crude eating habits entirely. “I mean, admittedly, I always had suspicions about you two. Well, frankly all of us did. But I never really gave it any real credence since I figured it might come across a bit presumptuous,” she said.

Rainbow paused in the process of taking another bite. She stared.

“W-what do you mean by presumptuous?”

“Presumptuous,” Rarity said casually. “As in, making assumptions based off of outward appearances despite not having all the-”

“I know what presumptuons are!” She hesitated. “I just don’t know what you’re… presumpting.”

Rarity shook her head slightly but said nothing regarding the rainbow-haired girl’s poor grammar. “Why, regarding you and Applejack of course.”

Me and AJ?

“Uhh… right. Well… uhh…” A pause. “Uhh… huh?”

The smile returned to the fashionista’s face, a bright and pretty one if she ever saw one out of the girl. Rarity could almost pass as hot if she weren’t so… girly all the time.

“I think it’s sweet that you two are trying to keep it a secret. Really, it is. Very Romeo-and-Juliet. Very adventurous. Very exciting,” Rarity nodded in approval. “It certainly suits your personalities.”

Suddenly it dawned on her what the heck her friend was talking about.

“Whoawhoawhoawhoa!” Rainbow said loudly, nearly dropping the cupcake she was in the middle of. Her face glowed an angry red. “Where the heck is this all comin' from anyway?”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, you know you don't need to hide anything from me!” the fashionista said, happily throwing her arms around her neck. You honestly think I wouldn't support you two one hundred percent?”

“What's to support?!” she squeaked.

Rarity sighed. “Darling, I appreciate you trying to be discreet, believe me I do. But it kind of defeats itself when you go kissing Applejack in front of a crowd of people.”

She gaped. “You... you saw that, huh?”

“I don't think most of anyone else did, if you're worrying.” She glimpsed the direction of the three battered Dumbbells on the other side of the room and sneered. “And if you'd like to keep those three in order, I know a little group of boys who would be more than happy to look into convincing them to keep their mouths shut.”

Rainbow smirked at the thought of Rarity's gorilla-like “Diamondback” groupies hanging the three bullies by their jockstraps from the big tree outside. But her focus on the situation re-centered itself.

“L-look, Rarity... y-you know that that wasn't... real, right?” she asked, her voice breaking in her nervousness.

Her friend quirked her eyebrow, setting her hands on her hips. “How so? It certainly looked real from my angle.”

“Well your angle was wrong.” She sighed. “Look, it wasn't a real kiss, okay? I just wanted to get those three creeps off her back, and that’s...” She hesitated. “…That's all I was thinking, really,” she lied.

It was salt in an open wound.

“Hmm...” the fashionista pondered. “Well, perhaps you should go and make sure Applejack knows, because she seemed to think otherwise.”

Rainbow balked. “Sh-she… did?”

Rarity nodded. “You should have seen the look on her face. Though, perhaps you were a bit close for that perspective.”

Shoulders sagging, Rainbow sighed, “That bad, huh?”

Her friend put a finger to her cheek in thought. “It’s a bit hard to tell, really. There was quite a bit of surprise, certainly, but I think she was happy that you were around to come to her rescue. You know how the poor thing hates getting into fights.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

“But you should also know that leaving her alone right now perhaps isn't the best policy. With those three ruffians hounding around after her still, it might not be a bad idea to keep an eye on her. Even if it wasn't what it appeared to be, you don't want the Dumbbells trying to hurt you through her.”

Thinking about things so much was starting to hurt Rainbow’s head, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Got it,” she muttered, throwing up a fake, appreciative smile.

Rarity turned to leave, but before she did, she turned and quirked her eyebrow again at her.

“Are you positive there’s nothing between you and Applejack?” she asked.

The vein in Rainbow’s forehead twitched.

“Yes. Positive.”

“There isn’t even a chance?” she asked, putting her finger to her lips… those hot-but-annoying lips…

“Not a one,” she grumbled, a bit harsher than she had intended.

Rarity blinked. “Darling, honestly, there’s no need to be so defensive abou-”

“I’m not getting defensive!” Rainbow snapped, her blush flaring up again.

The fashionista was taken aback by the sudden outburst.

She cleared her throat, face alive with flame and heat as she turned away to grab a plate for her cupcake and a cup of punch. “Look, Applejack’s great, okay? But we’re… we’re not anything right now.”

A pause came about, probably out of consideration for the peculiar wording she chose. Rarity asked, “But you might wish there to be something in the future?”

She sighed. “I don’t know… maybe.” 

She froze when she realized she had basically just fessed up honestly to the worst person imaginable to fess up to. Rarity’s bright eyes glittered in reply, and a small, warm smile crossed her lips. “Just… just leave me alone, okay?” she grunted and stomped off, leaving the concessions behind and finding an empty table.

She glimpsed back to make sure she wasn’t followed by the curious girl, and flopped into her seat.

Steam practically poured from her ears as she messily devoured her cupcake.

“Stupid Rarity, getting all up in my business,” she snarled, spitting food particles all over the table. “Thinks she knows everything.”

And she certainly didn’t appreciate Rarity reading things into her relationship with Applejack that weren’t true… no matter how much she might have wanted them to be…

“Stupid… Rarity…” she grunted again, sighing and staring down at the orange-colored drink that matched the dress her object of affection wore.

She knew that because Applejack took a seat right next to her.

She nearly shot up through the ceiling in surprise, and coughed fiercely to try and hack up the cupcake she’d half-swallowed.

“HOO-IE!” she said loudly, plopping down into her chair. “Ah dunno how Pinkie and ‘er friend do them turntable thingamahoosits,” she chuckled and slapped Rainbow forcefully on the back, finally enabling her to breathe again. “Ah tried it fer one song and it plum tuckered me out.”

Rainbow cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with her arm again. “Yeah…” she said, coughing once or twice more. “Kinda weird how standing still and doin’ stuff can wear you out.”

“Ah’ll say!” she said in agreement, taking a sip of the punch she had in-hand and setting it down on the table. “So what’ve you been up to fer the past fifteen minutes?”

“Trying to get a cupcake,” she said, reaching into her jacket, “and getting bugged by Rares…”

Applejack snorted. “What about?”

Rainbow slipped a somewhat sizable silver flask out of her jacket pocket. “Oh, just… stuff, y’know? That’s all she ever bugs anybody about, really…”

Applejack eyed the flask in her friend’s hand. “Rainbow…” she said with a scowl, “…tell me that ain’t what Ah think it is.”

Shrugging, Rainbow untopped the little bottle and said, “Depends. What do you think it is?”

“Well, to me, it looks like yer thinkin’ about spikin’ yer drink.”

Rainbow poured a small amount of the liquid into her punch and grinned. “Ding-ding-ding! What do we have for ‘er Johnny?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Rainbow Juniper Dash, you ain’t old enough to be drinkin’.”

“Details, details,” she waved her hand and rolled her magenta eyes.

“Rainbow…”

“Oh, what? Are you gonna be a prude now or somethin’?” she asked, quirking a knowing eyebrow her friend’s way. “You get wild on this stuff every year at Pinkie’s New Year parties.”

She glimpsed at the metal container. “That’s different.”

“It’s the same damn thing,” she said with a grin. She poured a small amount into her punch, and a soft, familiar-looking amber liquid flowed out of the flask before she capped it again and slipped it away. “Dad and I used to get buzzed on you guy’s stuff all the time.”

Applejack watched as her family’s drink mingled with the punch and disappeared without evidence as she sloshed it around gently.

“How much ya got there, anyway?” she asked.

“Enough to have fun,” she replied, mischievousness glinting in her eyes. “Not enough to get in trouble.”

Suddenly, the farmgirl seemed less apprehensive as Rainbow took a sip. She sighed to emphasize the pleasing bite it added to the drink, and sloshed it around again. She took another sip and crunched a piece of ice between her teeth.

“C’mon,” she grinned, “tell me there’s not a little troublemaker in you somewhere.”

She waggled the nearly-full flask around. There was plenty more to be had.

Applejack did her best to keep her disapproving look, but gradually the right side of her face curled up into a smirk. She pinched her cup between her fingers and scooted it towards Rainbow.

“Not too much, y’hear?”

“‘Atta girl,” Rainbow said approvingly and poured a small shot into her plastic cup.

Downing it all in one big gulp, she shook her head and smiled widely. “Yer the worst influence there is.”

“I’m the gateway drug, babe!” she cracked, chuckling to herself.

A half an hour passed, and Applejack and Rainbow continued to share in the bounty of her questionable morality. She noticed, however, that the cowgirl had started going less time between fill-ups. Before long, it had gotten to the point where she couldn’t even get a drink before Applejack would slam her cup back down in front of her.

“Uhh… AJ?” she asked, blinking at the farmgirl’s eleventh demand for more. She looked worriedly over to her friend and stared at her slightly spaced-out eyes and the silly chuckles she made as she stared at her.

Was she staring at her?

“Hm?” she hmm’d, tilting her pretty blonde head to the side.

“Uhh… I think you need to slow it down a little bit.” She looked down at the large flask in her hand and shook it softly. There was barely anything left in it.

“Awww, c’mo – HIC! – ooon!” she whined cutely, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table. “You said it was just enough to have fun with!”

“For me you lightweight!” she countered with a smug smile. “You look like you’re about to fall over.”

“Ah am not!” she protested, wobbling, but only slightly. “Ah’m just a little… tipsy. A little,” she emphasized.

“You’re a lot tipsy. If you had anymore, you’d be straight-up drunk. How are you supposed to explain this to Big Mac when he picks you up?” she asked with an amused smile, barely able to stop herself from busting a gut at her friend’s expense. She could just imagine her falling down once or twice as she limped towards his truck.

That got her friend’s attention, and her green eyes widened.

“Oh mah God… Rainbow, yer right!” she said in a panic. “Ah can’t let ‘im see me like this!” she exclaimed. “He’ll kill me! Then he’ll tell Granny and she’ll kill me too!”

She grabbed Rainbow by the shoulders of her jacket. The farmgirl lost her footing and fell into her lap. Neither were particularly perturbed by the sudden development.

“You gotta do somethin’! Help me!”

She blinked at the ruckus Applejack was causing, noticing several pairs of eyes being drawn their way. A drop of sweat slid down her brow as she softly reached up and took her friend by the hands.

“Wow, you’re really freaked out about this aren’t you?”

The farmgirl bit her lip.

Sighing, Rainbow rolled her eyes and pulled her up into a standing position. “Alright, alright. I guess you can stay at my place again tonight. You got your cell phone?”

Reaching into her pocket, Applejack produced the device.

Standing, however, had side-effects, and the cowgirl’s face twisted uncomfortably.

“Ah gotta pee…” she grunted, turning on her heel and running straight as she could manage for the nearest women’s room sign.

Rainbow smirked and reached for her friend’s phone. Curiously, she checked her texting activities, and found an empty inbox. Empty Sent box too, for that matter.

“Meh.” She hadn’t expected Applejack to be much for texting. If the girl was gonna talk to someone, she’d dial their number and call them. Flipping through a few more screens out of curiosity, she was pleased to find herself still sitting comfortably on ‘1’ on her speed-dial.

The dial tone hung for a few moments, before the click of someone answering on the other end of the line came through.

“Hello?”

“Heya, squirt!” she said with a grin. “Recognize my voice?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Applebloom exclaimed happily on the other end of the line. “Are y’all still at the dance?”

“Sure are! Havin’ a blast too!” She paused. “How old are you next year, anyway? Twenty-two? Twenty-three?” she asked jokingly.

“Ah’m gonna be ten, Rainbow!” she giggled.

“Ah, so I guess getting us into one of your college parties is outta the question huh?” She smiled. “Put your big brother on the phone, wouldja?”

In the background, she heard the distant thunder of the eldest sibling of the household tromping across the floor towards the phone. There was a crackle of air against the speaker. She heard, “Bye, Rainbow!” from Applejack’s younger sibling.

“‘Ello,” came the booming voice.

“Hey, big guy!” she smiled. “How they hangin’? Big and plentiful?” she chuckled.

“Buuuh…”

Big Mac would likely have a face to match his shirt by now.

“Hey, I just wanted to call and let ya know that AJ decided to stay over at my place tonight.”

“Uhhh…”

“See, she’s kinda going through some problems – y’know, girl problems? So she kinda needs somebody who gets it. Know what I mean?”

“Ummm…”

“So, yeah. You won’t need to drop by and pick her up after all. I’ll give her kisses goodnight for you guys, though, so don’t worry!”

“What the-?”

“Give everybody hugs for us!” she chirped, an evil smile cracking her face. She blinked. “Uh oh. There’s AJ. Gottagobye.”

“W-wai-”

Bee-doop.

She quickly held down the power button and slid the little handheld subtly back onto the tabletop, before leaning against the table with an innocent expression.

Applejack approached, a relieved sigh passing from her.

“Boy howdy… that’s better,” she muttered, looking up to her friend with tired eyes. She nearly tripped on her own feet and stumbled a bit, chuckling to herself. “Hand me mah phone wouldja? Ah need to give mah folks a-”

“N-n-n-nooooo ya don’t,” Rainbow said, rapidly waving her hand. “I-I mean… I already took care of that for you while you were in the bathroom. Yeah.”

Applejack blinked. “You did?”

“Yup! Told ‘em you’d be staying with me tonight and stuff,” she said with a smile. She blinked and looked down at the floor. A grin. “Got a little toilet paper on your slipper, there…”

The farmgirl gasped and looked down, only to scowl back up at her when she saw nothing.

“You ain’t funny, y’know…”

“That little smile on your face says I am!” she said smugly.

Giggling, Applejack stumbled forward and grabbed her by the arm with one hand and her phone with the other. “Shut up and get me to bed… and drive slow if’n ya don’t wanna be cleanin’ out yer floorboards.”

Rainbow grinned, belying the nervousness she felt underneath.

A halfway-drunk Applejack in her apartment? Alone with her? Sure… what could go wrong…?

She could already feel her heart thudding in her chest as they stepped out into the night together.
> Rag Doll
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

She had driven as smoothly as possible the whole way, in spite of the Shelby’s firmer sport suspension. All in all, she thought she’d done a pretty good job. She hadn’t raced any of the lights or flipped out at anybody on the way back to her place. Not bad if she didn’t say so herself, especially if one took the tension she was feeling into account.

She unlocked and kicked her apartment door open, while Applejack hung dizzily in her arms at her side. The farmgirl was looking a bit green around the gills, and the pair lurched straight in and immediately towards the bathroom.

“No…” Applejack said lethargically.

“No?” Rainbow frowned. “AJ, you look like you’re about lose your lunch all over my floor; and trust me, you don’t want that stuff gettin’ in my carpets, ‘cause I don’t clean ‘em that much.”

“Not sick,” she muttered, tugging out of her hostess’s grip and limping over towards the sofa. She flopped down into its cushioned embrace and heaved a sigh. “Mah stars…” she continued, “everything’s spinin’.”

Rainbow took the flask out of her jacket and pitched it into the sink with a loud clatter. After shutting the door, she turned her attention back to her friend.

“That’s what you get for drinking all my happy juice,” she said with a smile, swaggering over to the couch and plopping down next to Applejack’s head. She tossed her keys onto the coffee table and smiled down at her as she lay whimpering on the couch.

She reached down and softly brushed her blonde hair back behind her ear, and scooted over to let her friend rest her head in her lap.

“You gonna make it?” she asked, continuing to brush her fingers along Applejack’s scalp.

The cowgirl cooed happily at the sensation, but otherwise said nothing.

Rainbow smirked and sat there for what felt like half-an-hour, though judging from the clock, it had been closer to five or ten minutes. A million thoughts ran through her head – how beautiful her friend looked, how content she seemed laying there, how hot that incredible cleavage was…

Yeah, it wasn’t anything helpful.

“Can I getcha anything?”

Applejack groaned, nuzzling into her lap. “Why’d you let me drink so much?” she whined.

“‘Drink so much’?” Rainbow echoed, quirking her brow. She paused in her hair-brushing, much to Applejack’s protest. “Hey, that crap in that canteen would’ve barely been enough to give me a buzz. It’s not my fault you can’t hold your liquor.”

Applejack moaned and reached up to her forehead.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and placed her hands on the side of the blonde’s head, rotating her wrists softly against the smaller girl’s forehead. Her friend sighed and a smile appeared on her face as the motion appeared to help somewhat with her headache.

“And people say I’m hopeless,” she said affectionately, gazing down upon Applejack’s adorable, freckled face.

She didn’t reply, and was content to lay there as long as she was allowed to.

A few more minutes, and Rainbow had set her mind to wanting to do other things, such as getting the farmgirl out of that uncomfortable-looking dress – errrr, and into some pajamas, of course. She cursed herself for having such thoughts as her magenta eyes drifted over those pillowy-looking boobs her friend had. Why had Rarity felt it necessary to give an already-beautiful girl such an amazing outfit? Was she seeking to give a glimpse of physical perfection to Mankind?

“Hey,” she said softly, brushing a thumb down the smooth freckles on her friend’s cheek.

Applejack looked up dazedly.

“You gonna just lay here all night in Rarity’s dress, or do you wanna get changed into something more comfortable for bed?” she smirked.

No words. Just an affirmative mumble was all she received.

Chuckling, Rainbow scooted further underneath Applejack and slipped her left arm beneath her knees, and her right under her shoulders. She lifted her friend without much effort, and started carrying her off towards her bedroom. The smaller girl reached up and wrapped her arms around her neck for stability.

Okay, so she could have technically just nudged her until she agreed to be spurred into motion. But, she figured, this way she could live a little personal dream of hers – carrying Applejack off to her bed – while at the same time keep from irritating her.

Applejack kicked her slippers off and left them behind in the living room, while Rainbow slid sideways through the narrow doorway into her room.

“Alright, Sleepy Beauty. Up and at ‘em,” she nudged her friend.

“We there already?” she muttered sleepily, her green eyes twitching beneath her eyelids.

Rainbow bit her lip in amusement. “Yup. You slept through the whole trip. Now come on. Stand and deliver.”

Lowering her left arm to the ground, she gently brought Applejack’s feet into contact with the floor. She hugged more tightly around her neck as she righted herself and pulled herself up by her shoulders.

Applejack giggled in that adorable way of hers. “Ah think Ah might be a little too tipsy,” she admitted.

“Drunk,” Rainbow corrected her with a grin, slowly stepping back.

The farmgirl wobbled and fell into her arms again. She giggled further and reached a hand up to hold the side of her head. “Oh God above, Ah can’t even stand up no more,” she snorted, clinging to her tux jacket for dear life.

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow wrapped her arms around the cowgirl to support her, a warm smile spreading across her face. Her hands rubbed soft circles in the small of her friend’s back, which were received with gratified moans. She came to realize that if she didn’t get the farmgirl into bed soon, she’d likely fall asleep standing.

“C’mon, AJ,” she said softly. “You’re not exactly being a good example for yourself right now.”

“Shaddup… Ah’m tired…” she murmured sleepily.

Biting the edge of her lip, Rainbow could barely contain her wicked delight. Here she was, alone, in her room, with a drunk Applejack clinging to her like she was a life raft. In any other context than that she was in now, she would have been beside herself. It was a virtual smorgasbord of her naughtiest fantasies brought to life, and every fiber of her being wanted to treat the situation as a gift of the gods.

I hate being a good person sometimes… she thought to herself, sighing internally.

“AJ, listen. If you don’t wake up a bit right now, I’m gonna have to put you in pajamas myself.”

One green eye peered open. “You try it and Ah’m gonna have to hog tie ya…”

“Then get your lazy butt in gear and start getting out of that thing!” she commanded, turning to head towards the door.

Sighing, Applejack turned away as Rainbow robbed her of the comfort of her arms and took a few steps. She grunted, reaching behind her head with both arms for what looked like a button at the very top of the dress.

From what she saw from her pause at the threshold, it was meant to clasp together to cover up the zipper. Rarity had probably thought ahead to a few of the more perverted guys running up behind her and unzipping the dress just to see if her boobs would pop out.

Not that Rainbow wouldn’t have minded testing that herself…

She couldn’t help herself as she giggled by the doorway.

Applejack glared over her bare shoulders at her. “Are ya ever gonna offer to help me?!” she snapped angrily.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she sputtered, biting the tip of her thumb to keep from losing it. “Did you want some help or something?”

“Ah’d sure be obliged to ya!” she shouted, probably disturbing the neighbors next door or below. Frankly, neither cared.

“Alright, alright, hold o-”

“Whoa!” the farmgirl yelped as she lost her balance again, wobbling backward.

Rainbow flashed forward with open arms to receive her tumbling friend, and clutched her close to herself.

Applejack jolted, and the world suddenly stood quite still, as if Existence itself collectively held its breath at what had just transpired.

At first she was confused. It was almost as if the temperature in the room had dropped a few degrees.

Then, she felt it.

Her hands wiggled over something firm but pliable… and warm. Squeezing once to get a feel for what she had grabbed, another shiver from Applejack made her go stark-white with unadulterated horror. Her jaw fell; she was surprised it didn’t go straight through the floor.

“Umm… Rainbow?”

She gulped, probably loud enough to be heard by the girl in front of her.

“Uhh… yeah?”

It was Applejack’s turn to swallow.

“Ah app-preciate ya catchin’ me but… umm… c-could ya let go of mah chest please?”

Rainbow immediately complied, slowly flexing her fingers away from her friend’s breasts. “S-sure…” she stammered nervously.

Well, at least I finally got my birthday wish…

“Thank ya,” she said, grasping Rainbow’s arm and straightening up. “Th-think you could-?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, reaching forward with both hands and fiddling nervously with the buttoned flap of fabric. Without thinking, she pulled down the zipper for her friend.

The way the dress “popped” open, she was thankful the other girl had been turned the other way. Applejack crossed her arms over her chest and she could make out the beginning of a blush beginning to infiltrate the girl’s ears.

A glimpse of white lace was enough for her to know that she had to leave the room. Much as her body screamed at her to stay and gawk at will, instinct told her to get scarce.

‘Be yourself,’ Ms. Tia said. ‘It’ll all work out,’ she said…

“I’ll be… uh… not here… yeah,” she said nervously, and bolted from the room. It took a minute for the kitchen sink to be filled with the icy water, but the moment it was, she thrust her head straight into it. “Y-y-y-yeowch,” she shivered, reaching for a hand towel and scrubbing the moisture out of her hair.

As soon as she’d dried again, she turned back towards the short hall leading to her room.

Two knocks.

“You okay in there?” she asked.

“Ah’m stuck,” she heard a strangled, slightly-panicked voice.

She blinked and cracked the door open, peering in, and the sight nearly floored her. As she gawked at the wide-open view of her friend’s bare midriff, half her bra, and most of her legs in one of her pairs of exercising shorts. Her arm had gotten stuck halfway into one of her stretchy workout shirts unable to get in or out, and her unstable gait meant that she was half a second from toppling.

Rainbow balked and beseeched the heavens.

Okay, God, listen… I know you’re testing me right now? But you gotta know that I’m just a C student…

She couldn't help it. She tried, but she couldn't stop it. She even put her hand to her mouth to try and suppress it, but it just came out her nose painfully.

Taking to a fit of hysterics, Rainbow collapsed against the corner of the room, clutching her aching gut and falling butt-first to the floor. "Oh my God, AJ, you look like like the little teapot from the song!" she cackled.

Applejack grunted and strained, her face fiery red as she struggled with the top. Despite her hefty strength, however, she seemed unable to pry herself out of the tight spandex.

"T'ain't funny, Rainbow!" she squeaked, a hint of desperation in her eyes. No matter how she struggled, the shirt had her bound.

Thoughts of tickling her friend's vulnerable sides quickly passed, and the hostess managed to wrestle her laughing under control.

“Hang on, hang on, hang on,” she chuckled, crossing the carpet and grabbing ahold of the material. She could feel Applejack’s panicking, heated breath. “C’mon AJ, you didn’t even get into it right. Here, pull your other arm out.”

After a bit of grunting and effort, she managed to shimmy her friend into the shirt properly, and at last return her decency to her.

Hugging her friend to herself to stabilize her, she grinned down at the farmgirl. “There.” She winked.

She could see the embarrassment in her friend’s face as she rolled her emerald eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, yuck it up, Lasermane…” she huffed, though a faint chuckle rumbled in her belly. She was pressed close enough to feel it.

A smirk crossed her lips as she looked away. "Now why would I ever do something like that?"

"Shaddup and let me go..." she muttered.

"You sure you're okay to walk?"

Applejack didn't respond directly and pretend-huffed through her nose.

The humor of the situation gone, Rainbow guided her friend over to the bedside and sat her down on the edge.

Tipsy as she might have been, the farmgirl wasn't entirely clueless. Realizing the circumstances, the shorter girl shook her head. "Rainbow, no. Ah can't just put you out of a bed like that."

"Trust me, you need it more than I do."

Applejack frowned and straightened herself. "Ah do not!"

"AJ, you lost a wrestling match to a piece of cloth!" she snickered. "I think you've earned the bed for the night." She shrugged. "It's cool. I usually sleep on the couch anyway after I stay up all night playing games and stuff."

"Rainbow..."

"Seriously, AJ. I'm fine," she smiled warmly, poking the blonde in the forehead and trying to push her over. Applejack wasn't ready the first time, but bounced right back up off the mattress, scowling to her friend.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and leaned closer, her expression becoming wicked and implicit. "Are you gonna make me handcuff you to the bed?"

“Only if you ain't gonna kiss me goodnight,” she said with a poke to her ribs and a playful giggle.

Rainbow froze for a moment, her magenta eyes widening marginally.

For all her levelheadedness under many situations, there were some things that she just couldn't prepare for. Applejack asking for a goodnight kiss was one such thing.

Her mind raced for the thousandth time that evening, examining the details of the question. Had she meant it? Was she playing? Or was the alcohol still affecting her? Or was it some weird combination of the three?

Applejack looked at her, grinning and awaiting her witty retort.

She managed the best response she was able: “Oh, what? I give you one little s-smooch at a dance, and you just suddenly think you’re entitled to 'em, huh?” She managed to regain her composure, and raised her nose towards the ceiling with a cocky grin. "I don't just give out kisses like candy y'know... no pun intended."

The two chuckled together.

"Now get in bed," she insisted.

Her friend's expression mellowed as she looked up to her with those pretty inky eyes, so dark in the thin moonlight trailing through the drapery. "Darlin'... are you sure?"

Rainbow's mind still hadn't stopped racing, but she could still spot an opportunity if one arose. Sometimes life gave her a chance to test the waters without risk of getting herself wet, and she had seen one such chance in that very moment.

She leaned back on her palms and sighed, fake-rolling her eyes before pointing them back down towards the farmgirl. "Alright, alright. Look..." she said, pretending to be hesitant. She didn't want to say it too fast and come across as eager, or too slow and come across as disgusted. She needed a pace that straddled the two. And she was good at it. "Look... if it'll make you feel better, we can share a bed I guess."

The thankful relief that came to Applejack's face was immediate, and Rainbow felt her heart soar the moment she could sense the answer, even before she heard it.

"Y'don't mind?" she asked hesitantly. "Even... after last night?" she asked.

"What was wrong with last night?" she asked.

For once, Rainbow was clueless.

"Uhh..." her friend stammered. "N-never mind," she chuckled nervously. "Ah just... thought ya didn't like it is all..."

Didn't like it? she wondered. How could she have gotten that impression? She had been the one cuddling up to her before they had slept. Applejack had acted the one to be offended by her close proximity.

Had she forgotten something of the previous evening? Was there something that her brain had omitted in the memory files?

Giving up for now, Rainbow shrugged and leaned back after kicking her shoes off. She got halfway up the bed, before Applejack grabbed her by the wrist.

"You ain't wearin' that to bed are ya?"

She looked down at her tux and bit her lip. "I'm gonna go with... no?"

Her friend smiled and nodded. "Good answer," she replied, giving her a little tug. "Now go get changed and hurry up. Ah'm beat."

Racing out of bed, Rainbow grabbed a t-shirt to switch into. Her mind went back to work as the chance provided, and as she kicked the bathroom door shut behind her, she descended back into thought, confused as she'd ever been.

Sure, she had separated from Applejack before they went to sleep, but her friend had curled up into that defensive little ball of hers. She hadn't exactly made it seem like she'd wanted it either. Scared as she may have been at the time, she hadn't really given her much room to speculate on how she'd felt.

As she shifted out of her clothes and into her tee, she wondered if she'd missed some kind of signal. One time she'd missed a signal from the coach at one of her baseball games and not rounded to home like she should have. It'd cost them the game, and she'd been obsessive about details ever since.

And yet there was something amiss. Something she'd overlooked.

What the hell am I missing? she wondered as she strode back into the bedroom in her shirt and underwear.

Optimistically, she wondered if Applejack thought she was as sexy as she thought her friend was.

The smile she gave her, though, was neutral. It didn't speak of any kind of piqued interest in anything beyond thoughts of sleep.

"Remember," she said with a smile as she rested her knee on the bed, "you asked for it."

Quicker than Applejack could react, Rainbow leaned in and pressed her lips against Applejack's freckled cheek. As she pulled back she noticed her look of surprise and fought the awkwardness with her cool-as-ice smile, and a wink just as added insurance.

The two girls chuckled together as the moment passed, and a soft breeze blew over the apartment building. The only sounds in the bedroom were of the two breathing together, and the creaking of the structure as it resettled.

Their sleepy eyes met. Unsaid words were exchanged, though neither knew what the others' said.

"Get over here," Rainbow said suddenly, commandingly, though where those words had come from she had no idea.

She played along with it, however, and reached out, seizing the farmgirl in her arms, much to the latter's surprise, and drew her closer for a hug.

What followed was the tickle fight to end all tickle fights.
> Here Comes the Sun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow awoke to the lingering smell of green apples, cinnamon, and a faint hint of morning breath. Her magenta eyes cracked open as the sun started peering in through the closed shades, speckling the far wall with morning’s light, and breaking the dark gray monotony of the room. Thin traces of color became visible as day returned again.

For Rainbow, it could have stayed night forever if it meant the cowgirl laying in her embrace, arms wrapped around her shoulders, would stay sleeping there like the princess from the stories. She felt her cheek against her neck. Her hands clutched at her t-shirt. Her bare leg brushed past her thigh and made her shiver.

She loathed that she had to watch the day unfold. Seconds turned into minutes, and Applejack was still fast asleep, or at least showed no signs of waking.

She rested her cheek against her blonde hair and softly nuzzled the soft, sweet-smelling locks with her nose.

“Why’d you have to be so pretty?” she whispered above the silence, gazing affectionately at the smaller girl. She brought up a hand and gently ran it through the blonde tresses, carving small swaths through the golden terrain and eliciting a pleasant smile.

A chuckle shook Rainbow by the belly, and she wrapped her arms protectively around her, becoming her human fortress.

It disturbed the blonde and caused her to stir. Her green eyes opened as the sun rose higher and caused a ray of light to brush past the corner of her eye. Her brow wrinkled as she tried to block out the unwelcome intruder of her dreams, and buried her head deeper into her neck, trying to return to sleep.

Knowing, however, that she couldn’t count on her friend to just happily sleep there all day, no matter how badly she wanted her to, she softly shook the farmgirl in attempt to rouse her.

“C’mon, Tig Bitties,” she whispered. “Up and at ‘em.”

Rainbow felt a bit queer having woken up before the crack-of-dawn Applejack. Not that she could rightly blame her. Alcohol could do that to a person. And given how hard she tended to work, there was no shortage of sympathy on her behalf. She knew if anyone deserved a rest, it was her AJ, but she knew she’d be mad at her if she let her sleep in too long.

A glimpse at the clock. 

7:09.

Applejack stirred again and yawned, and her eyes suddenly darted wide open. Her green gaze swiveled rapidly around the room to give her her bearings. A quick sigh escaped her lips when she remembered where she was.

“Morning, Sunshine,” she said cutely, squeezing the smaller girl in her arms.

Applejack grunted uncomfortably and wiggled for a moment. “How the blue hell didja wake up before me…?” she grumbled, nuzzling back down into the crook of her neck.

“The prize at the bottom of every bottle of liquor,” Rainbow said, grinning widely. “A sucky morning after. Trust me, I know.”

“You probably do…” Applejack muttered, closing her eyes again as if to sleep more. “God, my head is killin’ meeeee…”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash softly rubbed the back of her neck. “Want some Tylenol or something? Glass of water would probably help the most…”

“Sleep…” she said with her eyes shutting tight insistently. “Just need sleep.”

“Well, you can laze around if you want to,” she said, feeling a bit giddy to be the one to say that for a change, “I’m gonna go make some coffee.”

Her remark earned her a scowl as she rose up from the bed and crossed over to the door. 

She paused there and turned back towards the bed. “You sure you don’t want any-?”

“Coffee. Lots of it. Black. Nothing else. Just black.” She paused. “With extra blackness.”

Rainbow grinned.

“Ah, going over to the dark side on me, huh?”

Her friend said nothing and lowered her head into her arms so that only her eyes showed.

“Hey AJ,” she said, prompting the farmgirl to open an eye, “you sure you don’t want some milk with it?” she asked, groping her fingers suggestively.

Applejack raised her hand from the bed, and the middle finger from her palm.

She cackled as she ran off to the kitchen.

Yanking open the pantry door, she pulled out a light-feeling container of coffee grounds and blinked, popping open the lid. There was enough for two, maybe three cups if she made it a light brew.

Scowling at the prospect of going grocery shopping on a Sunday, Rainbow loaded up the coffeemaker and leaned back against the counter. The idea didn’t strike her for several moments as she rested her head against the hanging cupboards, softly pounding her head back against the wood.

Thoughts last night had been all about what she and Applejack could do today. This would be her one good day this weekend to do all the crap she had wanted to do, and all she wanted to do was get an afternoon in with Applejack, preferably just the two of them.

Rainbow’s mind percolated alongside the coffee. Just how was one supposed to make shopping fun, anyway? Buying a tub of coffee wasn’t exactly a thrill-a-minute endeavor.

Then it came to her.

She blinked and a small smile graced her lips, just as the aroma of Folger’s penetrated the last of vestiges of the apartment.

“Now, that’s an idea,” she said aloud, grinning.

“What’s an idea?” Applejack asked grumpily behind her, scratching her frumpy mess of hair. If there was one thing Rainbow could appreciated, it was how beautiful her friend looked in the morning.  If anything, her hair was more uncontrollable than hers was, and she certainly didn’t envy the blonde for its length. It must have been a nightmare to get it in a ponytail every morning. The farmgirl scuffed her feet against the carpet and slapped against the tile floor as she immediately grabbed a mug from the cabinet. “You don’t have ideas,” she sassed.

“I do too!” Rainbow jabbed back. She bit her lip. “They’re not always good ideas, but I do have ‘em.”

“That’s the problem right there,” she said, leaning her skimpily-clad (and adorable) butt against her countertop. “You ain’t never got any good ones. So by extension,” Applejack smirked playfully, winking at her, “you don’t have ideas.”

“A bad idea’s still an idea…” she muttered. “Besides, my idea is to go shopping and get some stuff.”

Her friend glimpsed to the empty container on the counter. “Oh, this Ah gotta see…”

Rainbow blinked and scowled her direction, heart skipping a beat. “What?”

“You… havin’ responsibilities…” Applejack grinned at her.

God, she loved it when she grinned.

“Hey! I’m responsible!” She paused. “Usually…”

“And when’s the last time you went to the store?” the farmgirl asked, taking a sip of her mug as she stepped over to the fridge and yanked it open.

“Uhh…”

The milk was spoiled and separated, there were hardly any slices of cheese or good fruit left, something rotten sat in the container near the back, and all the veggies in the crisper were starting to invade the rest of the icebox with the mold they’d cultivated.

So it wasn’t exactly a prime situation…

“Mah God, Rainbow!” her friend gaped. “A dog wouldn’t take a crap in this fridge!”

“Well, duh,” she shrugged. “Fridges are cold. They’d probably rather crap where it’s warm…”

Applejack craned her neck and frowned at her, taking a long drink of her coffee and finishing it before running some water over it and depositing it in the sink. She went off towards the bathroom.

“Hey! Where are you goin’?”

The blonde shouted, “Ah can’t rightly let you live like this, Rainbow.”


***


Applejack sat back on her haunches with a sigh and ran the back of her arm through her sweat-soaked bangs. Rainbow sat somewhere behind her off to her side. The bad contents sat in a pile all around the two, and the farmgirl reached into the back for the container containing what turned out to be old orange chicken from a Chinese place.

Her friend scowled at it and pitched it straight into the garbage.

“Hey, I coulda picked at that!”

Turning her head towards her, Applejack gave her a look. “You must have a cast-iron stomach or somethin’, sugar…” she grunted as she scraped away at the spot the container had been seated on with the bleach-soaked pad.

“Actually, that’s how I come up with some of my absences…” Rainbow grinned.

“You serious?” she asked, throwing the pad into the bucket sitting next to her, blowing her blonde bangs out of her eyes. “Yer the only person Ah know who would eat rotten food rather than go to class.”

“Eh, usually only when I really, really don’t wanna go.”

Applejack grimaced. “Yer disgustin’.”

“Ah, that’s nothin’. You wanna know what I do when I run out of toilet paper?”

Her green eyes bulged and she made an apprehensive sneer as she finished her last sweep of the crisper. “Ah think Ah’ll pass…”

“What? I use Kleenex!” she grinned evilly. “What’d you think I was gonna say?”

“Somethin’ gross and childish.” Applejack slid the crisper shut and sighed, pitching all the bad stuff and finally bringing the fridge door to a close.

Rainbow pouted and leaned up against her friend. “You know, now I owe you something.”

Her friend leaned her head back and looked up at her with a twisted smirk that spoke of equal parts annoyance and amusement. “You don’t owe me nothin’,” she said. “Just consider it payback for lettin’ me stay the night and keep from getting’ in trouble.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, frowning at her friend. “That doesn’t sound right.”

“Trust me, sugar, if’n Ah just wanted to put ya in a bind, Ah woulda done something a lot grosser than this.”

Rainbow smiled sweetly as she could and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl just beneath her chest. “So we’re even?” she asked, perking an eyebrow.

“Reckon so.”

“Then let me do something for both of us…” she said, gently bouncing her friend’s chest beneath her arms.

Applejack smirked and glanced back. “This got anything to do with yer idea?” she asked playfully, poking her in the ribs with her elbow

“Shopping,” she said suddenly.

Her friend blinked and looked over her shoulder at her. “Beg pardon?”

“Let me take us shopping. Come on. You and me. Up to the city for a few hours. I need to get groceries, anyway,” she said through her most charming smile. “We could grab some lunch together, look at things – y’know, do stuff.”

Applejack furrowed her brow. “Rainbow, Ah really should be gettin’ home and helpin’ around on the farm.

“Awww, come on, AJ,” she whined pitifully, squeezing her close. “How long’s it been since we got to hang out alone together?”

A pause.

“You mean besides the dance and last night?”

“You were drunk, so last night doesn’t count!” she huffed.

“Ah dunno, sugar,” the farmgirl smirked, reaching up and ruffling her multihued hair, “Ah’d say me bein’ drunk still counts fer somethin’, even if ya didn’t get me in bed the way ya wanted,” she teased.

Rainbow made a face to disguise the blush creeping into her cheeks. “Now you’re just being a smartass…”

“One of us has to be at all times, darlin’,” Applejack winked again. She could feel the chuckle in the farmgirl’s belly through her arms.

“AJ…” she whimpered, resting her cheek against her shoulder.

Her friend looked back at her and bit her lip.

Rainbow wore her saddest expression she could manage without going full-blown pitiful.

Don’t make me do pitiful…

“Rainbow, quit lookin’ at me like that. Ah’ve got stuff Ah need to do. Maybe next time.”

DON’T make me do pitiful…

Rainbow quivered her lip.

“Oh, c’mon, sugar. Don’t do that… you know Ah would if Ah could…” her friend begged. Applejack must have known what was coming the way she flinched away, trying not to look at her.

Oh, she made me do pitiful.

Rainbow jutted out her lower lip and narrowed her eyes to give the appearance she could break down and cry at any moment if she didn’t like the next words she heard. Her crying, while rare, was a terrible and deadly thing to behold.

Applejack sighed and leaned back in her arms, smiling sadly at her. “Alright… fine,” she muttered.

Her own smile returned the next instant and she glomped her friend to the floor. “Good choice!”

“Ah’m gonna kind of need somethin’ to wear though. It ain’t like Ah brought sleepover stuff with me,” she said, elbowing her softly in the stomach and stealing the wind from her lungs.

“No problem!” Rainbow chirped, pulling herself off the floor and walking over to the dryer.

She dug into the machine and held up an old, familiar set of clothes.

Applejack frowned. “Found ‘em, huh?”

“Yup!”

“And how long’d ya leave ‘em in there?” she asked, grabbing them from her hands and holding them up in front of her. “They’re all wrinkled.” She glared over them at her. “And Ah’m guessin’ you don’t have an iron.”

Rainbow fidgeted nervously.

“And they shrunk!”

“Eheheh… yeah, sorry about that,” she lied.
> Running Down a Dream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Applejack stepped out of her room, pulling at the shoulder of her shrunken bright orange shirt and overalls. She shimmied uncomfortably in the tight clothes, close to if not a size too small for now.

Rainbow appreciated the way the tight denim showed off her curves around her hips, the way the shirt hugged so tightly to her chest that it left so little to the imagination. She’d even had to leave the top button undone just to be able to squeeze into it.

“Looks good,” she said, smirking. She did her level best to keep her laughter contained, and was only just successful. “You… may have gained some weight, though.”

Applejack scowled gravely.

“You make one more crack about mah weight and Ah’m gonna put ya through the wood chipper back home…”

At last she could hold it no more, and Rainbow bent over her stomach and cackled uncontrollably. Applejack blushed but smirked herself, if nothing else chuckling at how silly she looked.

“You seriously look pretty good in that,” Rainbow complimented, wiping a tear out of her eye. “Really shows off your assets… emphasis on the ‘ass’.”

“Shuddup. Ah swear before this day’s over Ah’m gonna get you back fer this,” she grumbled, stuffing her hands into her pockets grumpily.

“Promises, promises,” she said. She pulled on her windbreaker, grabbed her keys off the counter and spun them around her index finger. “Ready to go?”

“After Ah find a pair of shoes.”

“Just grab one of my old pairs out of my closet.”

Applejack turned back towards her room, and said without looking back, “Is it too late fer me to ask about life insurance…?”

Rainbow laughed and grabbed the farmgirl by the wrist the moment she returned. “Come on, let’s boogie.”

“You didn’t answer mah question!”

The pair hopped in the car and Applejack peered around the interior.

“You ain’t got a blanket or somethin’ in here, do ya?” she asked, rubbing her bare arms with her hands. “It’s a mite chilly out here this mornin’.” She wiggled her butt against the vinyl. “And the wet seats ain’t exactly helpin’ none.”

The showers that swept through the area the night before had left the ground damp and the air crisp and cool. It was gonna get muggy and hot later, though. But Rainbow planned for the worst – most of the time, anyway – regardless of any outward appearance to recklessness.

Smirking, she reached under her seat, and pulled out a familiar denim jacket, shaking a few stray remaining pieces of hair and candy from the article outside the car. “All dry, too.”

Applejack scowled.

“You did that just to piss me off, didn’t ya?”

Rainbow raised her pinkie to her lip and grinned. “Mehbeh.”

Rolling her green eyes, her friend snatched the jacket, shook it off more vigorously over the door, and threw it on.

“Just drive,” she grumped, in spite of the faint-but-noticeable smile on her lips.

The pair sped out of the parking lot and onto the deserted main street. Most people were in church or still asleep. The cars that were on the highway were few in number, though the volume increased as they approached the outskirts of the city.

A twenty minute drive for most people of sane-mindedness would take twenty minutes to get to the city if they made all the lights.

Rainbow Dash made the trip in ten, and swore to herself that if the roads were ever clear, she could make it in less.

“This sure don’t look like no grocery store Ah ever saw,” Applejack said, scratching at her wet drawers. “Ah ain’t even sure they sell groceries in a mall, last time Ah was in one. ‘Course that was forever ago.”

Rainbow managed to tear her star-struck gaze from her friend’s well-defined rear end and finally let herself catch up.

“Mm? Sorry, you say somethin’?”

The farmgirl rolled her eyes.

“Ya got the attention span of a gnat, sugar.”

“Sorry, I was lookin’ at the uh… thing,” Rainbow said, darting her eyes around the mall to find something she might have been interested in. “The tennis shoes,” she quickly said as they passed by a shoe store.

“Right…” her friend sighed.

“So, what do you wanna look at first?” she asked. “We got all day and stuff. Wanna go get some breakfast?”

Applejack’s growly stomach was legendary, and could be heard by several passing people. She blushed and swept her blonde hair back behind her ear. “Uhh… actually, breakfast sounds good.”

Grinning in delight, Rainbow seized her hand without thinking. They blurred past a series of jewelry and cell phone stores, and the pair mounted an escalator to the second floor. Music stores and game shops were further down, while off to their right the food court rose into view like the sun dawning miraculously on a new day.

Applejack stared, a hungry gleam to her eyes as her gaze flitted from one service counter to the next.

“My treat,” Rainbow said, kneeing the blonde in her moist backside.

Her friend smiled and darted towards one of the fast food joints standing at the end of the counter.

The pair chose a table towards the center of the court and sat on opposite sides to each other.

“Hey, AJ?”

“Yeah?”

“Weren’t you the one calling hash browns an abominable invention of Mankind? And did you or did you not say that you would never eat one, even if it was the only food source available to y-”

“Wou vippit,” Applejack growled behind the hash brown between her teeth and scowled, making a zipping motion with her fingers. She swallowed her first bite and sipped her Diet Coke. “Ah’m hungry…” she snorted.

Rainbow leaned back in her chair and grinned across at her friend as she unwrapped the breakfast burrito she’d bought.

“I forgot how grumpy you get when you’re hungry,” Rainbow said, resting her elbows on the table. “You must need to… snkt!… eat more.”

Her grin was of purest evil, and she’d probably do a bit more time in hell for that jab, but it was too easy and too good to pass up. Applejack’s eyes reflected the coldest indifference to the remark.

“Least Ah got some meat on mah bones,” she huffed.

You sure do, AJ. You sure as hell do… she thought wickedly, eyes drifting a bit south.

“Ah mean, lookit you. All twigs. There ain’t an ounce of fat below yer neck,” she said, pointing with the bitten end of her burrito towards her chest. “What do you usually eat, anymore? Lettuce?”

Rainbow’s eyes shifted conspiratorially. “And apples.”

“You look like Ah could lift ya with just one arm.”

“The better to run from you, my dear!”

“Ah mean seriously,” Applejack said, gulping back another mouthful of sausage, cheese and egg burrito. “When’s the last time you had a decent home-cooked meal? Heck, the last time Ah clearly remember you eatin’ anything at all worth a lick was that Thanksgivin’ a few years back.”

Rainbow blinked. “You’ll have to refresh my memory, AJ. I’ve had a lot of Thanksgivings at your place.”

Her friend frowned and diverted her eyes, lowering the burrito to its packaging and leaning heavily on her elbows as she stared at the floor.

“It was the one right before yer family died in that car crash…” she said softly.

The entire atmosphere took a sudden nosedive into somber territory, and what had started off as an awesomely terrifiperfect morning quickly became a moment of reflection that she’d never asked for. The whole thought of revisiting the memories of her folks and her little sister Scootaloo twisted in her gut like a knife.

Mom had always been good at prepping Thanksgiving dinner, and dad had always been more than willing to help. She and Scoots had a history of playing video games together or kicking around a soccer ball in the backyard while they waited. The turkey and fixings were always on the table around lunch. And while the rest of the family watched football, she always had time left to jump on her dirt bike and ride over to Applejack’s place for dinnertime.

She never told her folks where she went on her bike rides.

“What can I say?” Rainbow shrugged nonchalantly, her smile vanishing, “Granny Smith cooks a damn good bird.”

“Ya only visited fer nibbles after that, though,” Applejack frowned, chin sinking to her collarbone.

“That’s not true!” she protested. “I came over to see you too…”

“It’s just… with yer apartment and everything bein’ a wreck… ya hardly ever eat anymore…” She paused, her green eyes filled with emotion. “Ah worry about you.”

Rainbow squirmed uncomfortably. She would manipulate and even cheat a bit to get what she wanted a lot of the time. Pity, though, was unholy ground, as far as she was concerned. Pity meant someone viewed you as weak or needed taken care of like a child. And Rainbow Juniper Dash, the all-star athlete of the entire student body, was anything but weak.

She felt a familiar heat bubbling up in her chest, and her ears started to burn as anger raced like molten metal through her bloodstream.

“I don’t need you looking over my shoulder, AJ,” Rainbow frowned, taking a greedy bite out of the hash brown to do something with her mouth other than talk.

Applejack immediately realized her error and raised her hands defensively. “N-no, sugar, Ah didn’t mean it like that. But… but Ah…”

Her friend’s voice wavered, and she brushed a hand past her eye.

“Ah just meant… Ah care about you, sugar. Ah mean, we all do. But…” Applejack paused to swallow. “And Ah don’t want you hurtin’ yerself. Ah want ya to be healthy and happy and…” she trailed off.

A pause.

Rainbow sighed and lowered her face into her hand, unwrapping one of her burritos. Of course she meant it that way. Why would she ever expect pity from Applejack in the first place.

“Ah just want you to take care of yourself, sugar. That’s all Ah meant…”

Reaching out softly with her leg, she gently tapped her foot against the farmgirl’s and smiled. “Yeah… I know what you meant.”

The pair settled into silence as Rainbow reached into the wrapper. She really wasn’t all that hungry, but to appease the Apple goddess of Jack, she decided it best to put something down. The food tasted fine – when it came to taste, she didn’t really eat much of anything besides the occasional cupcake or slice of birthday cake from Pinkie Pie. She preferred mineral water and the occasional slice of bacon to just about anything.

This wasn’t bad though. At least the company was nice. She opened her eyes and saw Applejack’s green eyes glittering as she smiled at her.

Rainbow smirked. “Fee anyfing you wike?” she asked, gulping the bite without finishing chewing.

The farmgirl chuckled. “Ah could probably pick a thing or two.”

“Yeah, right,” she responded, rolling her magenta eyes. She dramatically flicked her head and let flash her mane of rainbow colors. “You know I’m gorgeous. You’re just jealous.”

“Yeah, no, that ain’t it,” Applejack replied with a chuckle.

“Deny it all you want, AJ, you know I look good,” she said, testing the waters.

“Ah don’t recall that ever bein’ up fer debate.”

“Oh, then you admit it!”

“Admit what?”

Rainbow took a drink of her Coke and dropped it on the table, making some noise to add to the dramatic effect.

“That you have the hots for me.”

Applejack nearly spat out the sip she was taking, and her face could have made a cherry jealous. She spluttered helplessly, and bent over to cough up the soda she had nearly breathed, slapping her knee desperately.

Rainbow couldn’t help but chuckle. “You okay?”

After nearly losing a lung, Applejack wiped her eyes and took another drink to try and calm the burning in her chest. “Ah’m absolutely fine, thanks,” she chuckled, coughing yet again.

She sat back and crossed her legs, smiling smugly across the table as she took another bite of her hash brown.

“You promised ya wouldn’t bring that up in public…”

“Sorry. Sometimes I forget,” she said with a smile, tapping her foot against the farmgirl’s again.

Sighing, Applejack consumed the last of her meal quickly, took a long drink of her soda, and popped it all into the trash bins next to them.

“You ready?” she muttered, the blush just beginning to fade from her freckled cheeks.

Rainbow stood and rapidly consumed the burrito left to her before pitching what was left in the garbage.

“Where we goin’? Clothes shopping?”

Applejack blinked and smiled.

“Well… actually, if ya wouldn’t mind…”
> Keep it Casual
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow Dash tapped her foot impatiently against the ground and looked at her wrist.

Okay, she didn’t have a watch on, but it made her feel cool doing it. She whipped out her cell phone and looked at the stopwatch function. She had told Applejack she’d be timing her and she meant it.

Only thirty-seven seconds? It felt like it’d been longer than that. How long could it possibly take to switch clothes. The ones her friend had been wearing had been aching to just pop off of her if she so much as bent over wrong.

“Come on, AJ! Sometime before I’m ninety would be nice!” she snapped into the women’s changing room.

“Hold yer horses there, Lasermane. Ah’m havin’ trouble with the buttons on this thing.”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash turned and looked around the store. 

It was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just your standard clothing outlet. “Breeze’s Beauty” they’d called it, though the choices were a little more plain-Jane than what she expected of the name. She’d thought lavish dresses and expensive over-the-top styles coming from across the seas.

Despite herself, Rainbow Dash was a bit disappointed. She had been looking forward to seeing Applejack in a zebra-stripe polka dot short skirt or something.

“Pick your battles, girl,” she muttered to herself as she shuffled through the clothes rack. Nothing really caught her eye except for perhaps a white vest that almost had her name written all over it. It had too much space in the chest, however, and she knew it’d only call out her lack of a bust when it flopped all over the place.

“Okay, whaddya think?” she heard someone ask behind her.

Rainbow blinked and turned.

Applejack was drapped in what looked like a giant pair of jeans that had been rearranged into some kind of dress. The skirt went down to about mid-knee and was slit up the sides. Sexy as that part was, it wasn’t enough to redeem the rest of the garment. The butt pockets, instead of being lined up on the butt, where they belonged, were instead located on the sides. Worst of all, it showed off none – literally none – of Applejack’s curves.

That could have been treated as a felony as far as she was concerned.

“No.”

Applejack gaped at her, hurt written all over her face. “No?!” she squeaked.

“No,” she repeated.

“Whaddya mean, ‘no’? What’s wrong with it?” the farmgirl asked, looking down at herself. “It’s comfy, it’s roomy, it’s got pockets in it-”

“And it’s the ugliest damn thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Rainbow smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Seriously, you look like a walking advertisement for Lee’s or something…”

“Ah like Lee’s…”

“AJ, seriously. No. Trust me, I’m doing you a favor.”

She hadn’t meant to hurt her friend’s feelings so harshly, but as poor as Rainbow’s sense of fashion was, she had been around Rarity long enough to know when something would crash and burn. The dress that Applejack was wearing, if you could call it that, was a nose-diving plane filled with fuel and dynamite.

Her friend looked down at herself and adjusted the dress so that it settled a bit better, but it was like polishing a dog turd.

“Well, Ah like it…” she huffed.

Rainbow quirked her brow and crossed her arms. “Full-body denim, AJ? Really? I’m no fashion expert or anything, but even I don’t think that bird would fly. You’d wear it once and get laughed out of school.”

Applejack pouted cutely and snorted, turning back to the dressing room and stomping inside. The effect was muted with her being barefoot and all.

She couldn’t help but smile and shake her head. What could she say? Applejack was cute when she was angry.

Rainbow Dash turned back to the rack she had been browsing with a couple people on the other side of the mall caught her eye. They vanished into the crowd almost as quickly as they had appeared, but their hair and body styles looked remarkably familiar.

Despite her eagle eyes, she never regained sight of them, and the crowd dispersed, almost like they’d vanished into thin air.

Pushing it to the back of her mind, she turned back to the clothing rack and plucked a burgundy t-shirt from the clearance section. The bright yellow letters spelled “EASY” bright and bold, and it had an equally-bright arrow pointing up towards the collar.

She smirked and quickly popped into the changing room, swapping shirts.

A moment later, Applejack came out wearing a white sundress with matching sandals, and a wave of nostalgia washed over her.

Her friend apparently noticed the look on her face and took it the wrong way. She turned a deep scarlet and scowled. “Don’t you say a word.”

Rainbow kept her arms tightly crossed over her chest and shrugged. “I didn’t say nothin’.”

“You didn’t need to,” the farmgirl huffed and marched out into the store proper for a better mirror.

Rainbow slid up behind her and draped an arm around her shoulders, setting the opposite on her hip. “Looks good. Way better than a blue-jean dress…”

“Ah, who asked you for yer-”

Applejack blinked into the mirror and quirked her brow. Her eyes traced to the right just so, and she could tell she’d caught the reflection of her shirt in the mirror.

She stared at the lettering, then gave her a quizzical look.

“You’re not laughing,” Rainbow pointed out.

She could see the faintest of twitches on the curve of her lip. “‘Cause it ain’t funny.”

“It’s a little funny.”

Applejack’s smirk grew. “No it ain’t.”

“Maybe not, but you’re smiling!”

The farmgirl chuckled musically. “Don’t tell me yer gettin’ that shirt.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Why?”

“’Cause Ah don’t know if Ah could be seen in public with ya if you wear that.”

“Who says it’s for wearing around? What if I wanted it as a nightshirt?”

Applejack quirked her eyebrow.

“Think about it. I’ve got somebody in bed with me one night, they roll over, they see this shirt and they’re all, ‘Hmmm!’” Rainbow said, tapping her chin with a finger in mock contemplation. “And then they’re all, ‘Yeah, I need to get me some of that.’”

Despite her smile, her friend facepalmed and shook her head. “Where they gonna find a hole deep enough to bury that ego of yours?”

“I think I’m getting it.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just go change back so Ah don’t have to see it.” 

Applejack turned back to the mirror, and smiled, though whether it was her own reflection she admired, or Rainbow’s amusing japes. Much as she wanted to think it was the latter, she couldn’t deny the possibility of her being impressed by her own appearance; and she wouldn’t have even thought to call her out on immodesty for it if that were the case.

Applejack was gorgeous. The white dress hugged her body in all the right places, flaring out just a bit near the top to accommodate her impressive bust size. It draped over her midsection, and only flared out just above her hips, ending right above her knee.

Rainbow could feel her cheeks catching fire as she stared.

Her friend apparently noticed.

“Does it look that bad?”

Blinking, she shook her head out. “Huh? Uhh… n-no, I…”

Applejack frowned and blushed in the mirror. “It’s okay, Rainbow. Ah ain’t exactly beauty contest material.”

“No, no, it’s not that. It’s just…” She scratched her cheek. “You don’t see it, do you?”

Her friend looked up at her. “See what?”

“Well, just look at yourself for a minute,” she said, taking her by the shoulders and turning her back to the mirror. “Doesn’t it look familiar to you?”

The blonde stared at herself long and hard, face shifting slightly. “Ah ain’t sure what Ah’m lookin’ for.”

Rainbow frowned. “Yeah, I guess I’d remember it better…”

Applejack looked up at her again. “Remember what?”

Wrapping her arms around her friend, she rested her chin on the farmgirl’s shoulder and smiled at her reflection. “Don’t you remember the kind of dress you were wearing when we first met?”

Startled by the revelation, she looked at herself in the mirror again.

“See it now?”

Applejack shook her head. “No, Rainbow, Ah was wearin’ an orange dress when we met. It had the three little apples stitched into the pocket?”

“No, that was for Valentine’s Day a couple years later,” Rainbow grinned, squeezing her friend tightly. “You remember that one.”

Turning a deep scarlet, Applejack averted her green eyes. “Y-you got ‘em mixed up.”

“Do I?”

“Ah was wearing the white dress on Valentine’s Day. You saw me in mah orange dress when we first made acquaintances…”

Rainbow turned her magenta eyes to meet her gaze. “I don’t think that’s right. ‘Cause I remember seeing you the first time and thinking, ‘Holy crap. Is she an angel?’”

Applejack’s eyes widened and her freckles blended in with the blush that crept onto her face.

She grinned. “That is, until you decked me in the face.”

The farmgirl chuckled.

Rainbow squeezed. “Is it all comin’ back now?”


* * *


 “Ungh! Would you… let… me… Put me down you big gorilla!” she squeaked. 

“Eenope.”

She flailed vainly in her captor’s giant arm. It was impossible to discern any effort exercised by him in carrying her around in spite of her kicking and pounding. He had her slung over his broad shoulder like a hay bale, and didn’t even seem to take notice of her. 

“You put me down, or I’m gonna get my dad to beat you up! He’s bigger than you are and he’ll call the police!” she shrieked as loudly as she could.

“Eenope,” he said again.

Her screams only grew louder the longer he lugged her around. The trees gave way to a shallow, green vale. She ceased her protests just long enough to peer around and look over his shoulder.

A farmhouse crept into view as he carried her and the looted bushel of apples up to the porch.

Rainbow’s eyes widened in fear. She’d be taken inside and never come back out again. In defiance, she resumed her healthy amount of screaming and tantrums.

As predicted, the giant freckled man ignored her.

Then, he set her down, dropping her to her feet and grasping her by the forearm, as well as tossing down the bushel of apples she’d raided just minutes before.

Despite Rainbow Dash’s attempts to pull free, his grip was vice-like. She only succeeded in giving herself a rug burn. Even pulling with all her leg strength yielded no results. He seemed unperturbed by her kicking him in the shins too; probably on account of his thick boots.

The scuffling of feet against a wood floor inside heralded the approach of someone. A short old lady of gray hair and wrinkles appeared at the screen door and peered out with squinting amber eyes.

“Hmm…” she hmm’d and opened the door, continuing to wipe down the giant bowl she’d been cleaning out.

The old lady seemed to contemplate her for a moment, rubbing her wrinkly chin.

Rainbow gulped.

“She the one that’s been stealin’ from the orchard?” the elderly woman asked with a smile, setting her bowl aside. 

She didn’t know whether to be scared of her smirk or be reassured by it.

“Granny?” she heard a younger voice from inside. It sounded like a girl.

“In a minute, darlin’,” the woman named ‘Granny’ – wasn’t that a weird name? – hollered into the house. The lady turned her eyes back to her, looking her up and down. “What’s yer name, sugar?”

Rainbow pursed her lips and stood stiff as a board, refusing to answer.

“Granny?” came the soft voice from inside. A girl with blonde hair appeared at the door. She leaned against the screen, pressing her hands and freckled nose against the wire mesh. Rainbow looked her way but couldn’t see her all that well, except for a pair of curious green eyes.

“Whossat, Granny?” she asked in a cute southern accent.

“Well, Ah plum don’t know, Applejack!” Granny smiled over her shoulder. “She was makin’ plenty of racket earlier but she clammed right up when Ah asked ‘er name.”

‘Applejack’ ran out the front door and down the porch steps, hugging her grandmother from behind and peering around her side.

Her green eyes were pretty. They were like the jewels in her mom’s fancy necklace. She wore a Stetson atop her long and beautiful yellow hair that was far too big for her, and a white summer gown that swirled around her knees. She was barefoot, save for the anklet around her left leg, yet somehow she was still half a head taller than Rainbow Dash in tennis shoes.

“Rainbow Dash…”

Granny turned back to her. “Pardon?”

“Rainbow Dash…” she choked, trying to blink back the tears forming in her eyes. “My name’s Rainbow Dash…”

The old woman smiled and came forward to crouch in front of her, holding out her hand.

She felt the big boy let go of her arm. She thought about running, but she doubted she could get away. The big boy would just chase her down again.

She timidly took Granny’s hand.

“Well, young’un, mah name’s Granny Smith.” She pointed to her left. “You musta already met mah grandson Big Mac here.” The big boy tilted the brown Stetson he wore towards her. “And this here little lady,” she said, motioning behind her with her hand to the blonde girl shuffling her feet nervously in the grass, “is mah granddaughter Applejack.”

Applejack raised a hand and shyly waved.

Rainbow turned back to look at Granny, and sealed herself in the hearts of the Apple family forever with what she said next.

“You smell like old people.”

All three Apples blinked in surprise at her choice of words.

It was Applejack who walked forward and cold-cocked her right in the eye. 


* * *


“And you’re all like, ‘You take that back! My granny doesn’t smell!’”

Applejack smirked as she adjusted her dress slightly, then leaned back against Rainbow Dash, smiling up at her. “Good times.”

“Eeyup,” she said with a wink.

Applejack chuckled and looked back at her reflection.

She leaned forward and smiled, wrapping the farmgirl up in her arms. “You look awesome in that dress…” she whispered in her ear.

Her friend turned red and giggled. “Yeah… and Ah guess you are easy.”

Rainbow blinked. "Hm?"

"T-to forgive, Ah mean. Uhhh... nothin'." She shrugged out of the hug and cleared her throat, padding towards the changing rooms. "Ah'll be back in a minute."

As she watched Applejack retreat, a flash of white off to her left caught her attention.

She was just quick enough to catch Rarity's flying hug and avoid falling over.

"Surprise, darling!" the fashionista chirped.

"Rarity?" she blinked and looked down through the purple head of hair at the seamstress. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question!" her friend replied with a wink. "Have you finally succumbed to the allure of fashion, or were you just a closet case?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and pointed at the "easy" shirt.

Rarity scowled. "Charming..."

"This whole trip's not even for me." She shrugged. "Applejack was the one who wanted to look for something new and-" She froze. "It occurs to me that I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Applejack is here?!" the fashionista asked, her scowl one-eightying into delirious excitement.

Rainbow facepalmed. "Y-yeah... dressing room... trying stuff on... she'll be out in a bit..." She frowned. "Just don't tell her I told you."

"Mum's the word, dear!" She then smirked and edged closer with a predatory smile. "I don't know whether to be more impressed by you two being on a date together in broad daylight, or by the fact that she's actually trying to look nice... even if it does hurt a bit that she wouldn't consult me," she huffed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Rares," Rainbow interrupted quickly, poking Rarity in the shoulder. "This? This isn't a date. This is just me and Applejack—"

"Applejack and I."

"Whatever... we're just having a day together. That's it. Two best friends hanging out. Nothing else to it. End of story."

A knowing smile crossed Rarity's lips. "Are you sure that's all you want of it?" she asked, winking a sapphire eye.

Rainbow didn't dignify that with a response. She rolled her eyes, unable to help the blush creeping into her cheeks, and lowered her face into the palm of her hand. Then, through her fingers, she spotted another familiar figure entering the store a moment later.

"Ms. Tia?" she asked, jerking to attention.

Rarity turned to look at her. "She's going out of town and wanted to have something new to wear. It seems my opinion carries some weight in the fashion world." She raised her hand and waved to the superintendent. "Over here, darling!"

Ms. Tia strode up with half a dozen shopping bags hanging off her left arm, and smiled at Rainbow Dash with only the hint of a smirk playing on her lips.

"I apologize for taking so long, Rarity. I saw a crescent moon pendant made out of jade. I thought I might buy it as a gift." 

She turned fully to face Rainbow, causing the latter to squirm.

"'S-sup, teach?" she asked.

"Nothing I'd want to bother you with," the superintendent. "I'll be going out of town in the next couple weeks and wanted something new to wear when I go see my sister." She smiled at the fashionista next to her. "Rarity's always been highly-regarded for her sense of taste, and I thought I would see if she would indulge me."

Rarity grinned, all-too-pleased to have her expertise be called upon.

"Yyyyeah," Rainbow sighed. "She's pretty awesome that way, isn't she?"

Ms. Tia was about to say something, when the door to the changing room flew open.

Applejack strode out in the jean-dress and smiled at herself. "Ah still like this one the be—"

Time froze as Applejack and Rarity made eye contact. If Rarity had been holding a teacup, she would have dropped it on the suede boots she was wearing and not even had the thought to try and save them.

"Applejack... I... what on earth are you...?"

Cold sweat dotted her friend's forehead, and she was absolutely speechless. Even Ms. Tia had no words to spare.

"AHHH! Rarity!" Applejack shrieked, rushing back into the changing room to hide.

Rainbow Dash had never seen Rarity's face so angry. "Applejack! You get back here this instant with that travesty of a dress!" she demanded, charging after her into the dressing room.

Left alone, Rainbow Dash and Ms. Tia glanced at each other and, after a moment passed, chuckled at each other.

"Well, that was a thing that happened..." she muttered.

"Indeed," the superintendent replied.

A pause.

Rainbow scratched her cheek.

Ms. Tia shifted her weight to her other leg.

Silence. Then, "So you're goin' to visit your sister, huh? That's cool."

"Indeed."

Another pause.

"And what of your plans for the summer, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow looked up and blinked.

"Have you an agenda for your vacation, or are video games and sports the order of the day?" she asked.

Hesitating, she leaned against a clothing rack and picked idly through the different outfits. "Well... I, uh... I was actually kind of thinking that maybe..." She paused. "Maybe I might hang out with Applejack a lot this summer..."

Ms. Tia smiled. "Oh? And what exactly might that entail?"

Rainbow chuckled nervously. "Uhh... y'know... just... stuff."

The superintendent smirked. "Sounds fascinating. So long as it's safe..."

Sighing, she looked up to the breezy-haired woman and frowned. "I dunno, what would you do if you had a summer to burn with the most awesome person in the world?"

Ms. Tia opened her mouth to answer, when a sudden ruckus came from the dressing room.

"So HELP me, Applejack, I'm going to buy this dress and BURN it just so you can't get your hands on it!"

Further sounds of struggle continued to emanate from the fitting rooms, and Rainbow and Ms. Tia looked at one another, edging away from them to continue their conversation.

"Well, that's largely up to you to decide," she said with a smile. "In my youth, my time was spent going on road trips with my sister in tow. We would go see relatives, see sites, go to the city, just do anything to spend time together. It's something we try to make time for every year if we can."

Rainbow blinked and looked at a picture on one of the coat racks, advertising bikinis, sun, fun, and vacation. She put a hand to chin and rubbed thoughtfully.

"Road trip, huh?"

Ms. Tia blinked.

"Hey, that's not a half-bad idea!" she grinned, looking up to the superintendent. "I've got the wheels for that! And she'd totally say yes!"

"Your spontaneity never ceases to impress me, Rainbow Dash," the older woman said, shaking her head with a warm smile.

"Hey! That's one of my best qualities!" she boasted.

Chuckling, Ms. Tia landed a hand softly on her shoulder. "It certainly seems to be something that Applejack admires about you a great deal." She paused, her face becoming a bit more neutral. "If you do decide to take this course of action, however, do promise me you'll be careful. It's easy to forget the rules when one is so far from home." She took hold of her by the shoulders and gazed at her with those deep, almost-cosmic eyes of hers and squeezed gently. "Don't get too swept up in the moment, Rainbow Dash. Applejack values you for your companionship. Don't try to force whatever you have in mind for this trip to work out the way you want it."

Rainbow blinked and frowned. "B-but... I thought you said to just be myself before..."

"I did, yes." Her hands felt comfortable, almost downy. It was almost like an angel's caress. "But sometimes... sometimes the thing you wish most... it can't be forced. Sometimes, it's something you must let happen."

She stared at her with a quizzical expression. "I don't get it."

"Give it time and patience, Rainbow Dash. You will," she said with a wink. "You will."
> Waiting for Tomorrow (and Every Day After...)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The past couple weeks had come and gone slower than Rainbow Dash would ever have liked. Class period by class period, test by test, hour by snail-paced friggin’ hour the remainder of the semester slugged itself on by.

She saw Applejack less and less outside of class, and often the farmgirl would drag her lunch with her off to class. There were fewer phone calls, less shooting the breeze in-general, and even sightings became scarce.

It was a bittersweet pill to swallow. Her friend’s absence made Rainbow long for her all the more, and the more she was denied her, the worse it got. Many times, Rainbow Dash had found herself on the basketball court, driving for a dunk shot, only to misplace her footing and slip when she imagined Applejack in the stands. She would swing at a baseball and strike-out when she never would have before, or kick the soccer ball and miss the goal entirely. And exams in which she shared a class with the blonde were a living hell…

Maddened to the point of breaking, she was thankful when finals were over and done with. Another year skirted by, with disaster narrowly averted.

She took a pass on the senior graduation ceremonies, and instead used that time to help Applejack pull out all the supplies for the upcoming harvest.

A week had passed since. Big Mac had graduated with top honors in his class and the celebratory period for the Apple family was over and done with. Finally, Rainbow would get to have some quality time with her best gal.

"Y'know what we need to do?" Rainbow grunted as she gripped her gloved hands on the underside of one of the stacks of bushels and unloaded it from the back of Mac's pick-up.

Applejack looked up and dropped an equally-sized stack at the base of a tree.

"Finish this here unloadin' and have a cold one?" she asked with a smirk. "Ya only mentioned a break three times the last hour."

"I just figured – NNGH! – that you could use one!" Rainbow strained and barely deposited her stack successfully beneath another large tree. She quickly dabbed her forehead on the shoulder of her shirt to blot away the sweat.

"Y'know, sugar, if'n ya lifted with yer knees instead of yer back, ya'd probably not wear out so quick."

"What, are you kidding?" Rainbow voice-cracked, flashing a daredevil smile. Regardless, she collapsed against the side of the truck with sweat pouring down her brow and rubbed her fingers over her aching back muscles. "I could keep this crap up all day..." she whimpered.

Applejack chuckled in that lyrical manner of hers and unloaded the last stack of bushels beneath the tree at the end of the row. She crossed over to the truck and slammed the tailgate shut.

"Hurtin' a bit there?" her friend asked, pulling off her leather gloves and tossing them onto the truck bed.

"Nnngh... nah..." she grunted. "Just a twinge. That's all."

"'Twinge', huh?" Applejack grinned and walked around behind her.

Rainbow's back became alive with the sensation of the blonde's angelic fingers slid up beneath her shirt and found the small of her back. In a single instant, all the pain of the labor-intensive morning was banished in a dance of amazingly soft hands across her bare skin.

Magenta eyes rolling back into her head, Rainbow let out a nigh-erotic moan and turned to putty in the cowgirl's hands.

"Yeah, that's a twinge alright," Applejack said in a strangely sarcastic-yet-soothing tone.

The massage ended too quickly, but at least the pain had been banished and replaced by a lingering tingle.

Rainbow did her best not to pout.

She failed.

"Th-thanks..." she stammered, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks.

"You'll learn, darlin'." Applejack winked. "Especially if ya keep on comin' around like ya have been."

"Yeah, well..." she mumbled, continuing to relish in her livened back even as her friend yanked the truck door open. "Not like I've got a whole lot to do right now." She shrugged.

Applejack chuckled. "Awww, and here I thought ya were comin' over 'cause ya missed me."

“Oh… well, I… I didn’t mean it like that…” Rainbow backpedaled quickly, running her hand back through her multicolored hair. “I mean, I… I guess I kinda missed ya… a little… sorta…” she murmured.

Applejack smiled warmly at her and pulled the driver side door shut. Rainbow quickly slid around to the other side and jumped into the passenger’s seat. “I missed ya too, sugar.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but with a twist of the key, the truck’s engine roared to life and gave her a chance to second-guess herself.

Applejack skillfully maneuvered the slow pick-up in a half-circle around the row of trees and turned back towards the farmhouse with a twist of the wheel. The old truck growled and burbled across the landscape, idling across several hills and down shallow vales before Rainbow turned to her friend again with her ever-confident grin.

“So… do ya have a guess?”

Applejack looked at her a moment. “A guess about what, darlin’?” she asked, throttling up another incline.

“About what I think we should do.”

The farmgirl rolled her eyes and smiled. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll get yer cider.”

“No, I – well, yeah, but I was thinking about something else…”

“Well, I ain’t no mind-reader.” The truck crested the hill and the distant red barn hovered into view a mile or so downrange. “What’d ya have in mind?”

Rainbow scooted across the bench seat and wrapped her arm around Applejack. “Vacation. We need a vacation.”

Applejack glimpsed at her again. “Ain’t we already on summer break?”

“No, no, no. I mean, like, a real vacation. We pack up a couple bags and just take off – see where the road takes us for a couple weeks, y’know?”

The farmgirl’s brow twisted as she looked at Rainbow again, coasting easily down the hill.

“Why would we do that?”

Rainbow blinked. “Huh?”

“I mean, what’s wrong with stickin’ close to home and just enjoyin’ our time off ‘round here?” Applejack looked at her again and smirked. “You in trouble?”

Rainbow grinned again and lounged back in her part of the seat. “AJ, have you ever known me to not be in trouble?”

Her friend smirked knowingly and focused her attention back on the path through the trees ahead.

"Seriously, have you ever even left this town before?"

Applejack considered a moment. “Hmmm… well, no. I reckon not. But why would I want to?”

Rainbow looked at her friend, eyes blinking. “You can’t be serious.”

The farmgirl looked at her quizzically. “What? It’s a nice town. The city's close, there’s lots of great campin’ places ‘round here, and the rail trail's always a great place for hikin'. What more do ya want?”

“Girl… you just haven’t lived…”

Applejack pouted. “I’ve lived plenty! ‘Sides, whenever I want somethin’ to go wrong, I can just invite you over.”

“Ooooo. Catty.” Smirking, Rainbow reached over and poked the blonde in her ticklish sides, receiving a cute squirm and a playful smack to the thigh for her efforts.

The two coasted a bit further in silence.

“So you’ve seriously never seen a beach before?” she asked.

Applejack shrugged. “I’ve been to the lake plenty of times. Can't say it's really all that special to me...”

“Yeah, but that’s not, like, the beach, AJ. I’m talking like waves, surf, sand, sun, volleyball, seashells… Y’know. All that crap.”

“Well, guess I haven't then.”

Rainbow reached into her pocket and fished out her keychain, twirling it around on her index finger. One particularly small key wound to a halt in the palm of her hand, different from her apartment key.

“My folks used to have a cabin down on the coast. They used to take Scoots and me down there for a few weeks every summer so we could all have some time together as a family.”

Applejack looked at her a moment and smiled somberly.

“Sounds nice…”

Empathy. It hadn’t been what Rainbow was going for, but she could make it work towards her goal just the same…

“It was,” Rainbow said warmly, laying back against the corner where the door and seat met. “Me and Scoots used to build the best sand castles together. Every summer they had these contests about who could build the best one. Me and her won every one we entered.”

“Sounds like you two were a heckuva team…”

“Yeah…”

Thoughts of Scootaloo’s bright, happy eyes in the sunshine, that thrilled expression on her face when Rainbow passed her the trophy to hold onto flitted across the surfaces of her memory.

No. Quit it, she thought, sucking in a breath and turning her attention back to her friend.

“I still have the cabin. I mean… it’s not like I use it much – didn’t have any way to get there until I got my driver’s license last year.” She looked at the key again and ran her thumb over its silvery surface. “Dunno why I kept it. I mean, I always thought I might go back someday…”

She bit her lip. It was time for one of her deceptive killing strokes.

“But it’s not really all that fun to go by yourself, y’know?”

She turned to Applejack as the truck glided to a halt and pouted.

The farmgirl scowled at her from the corner of her eye, seeing straight through her fake, fake sympathy act. There was still the barest hint of a smile at the corner of her lip, however.

Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat.

Applejack said nothing and switched off the engine, leaning against the window of the truck and just staring at her.

Rainbow knew the precise moment when to open up her cheeky grin to garner its maximum effect.

Her friend shook her head, trying to maintain an indifferent facade.

“If ya hadn’t been such a help on the farm the last couple of weeks…” she sighed, letting the smile on her freckled face.

The truck creaked quietly as Rainbow leaned forward. “So… is that a yes, then?”

“Rainbow, harvest is in two weeks…”

“Well… how much is there left to do?”

Applejack seemed to consider that for a moment and crossed her arms. “Well… not too much, really.” She smirked. “You’ve been a mighty big help… for a change,” she said with a wink.

Rainbow’s grin returned.

The farmgirl twisted her hands back and forth on the steering wheel. “When are ya leavin’?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Applejack looked down at her boots and scuffed a piece of dried mud off the toe. At last, she smiled and reached for the door handle, pushing the driver’s side open.

“Lemme go ask Granny if it’s okay...”

Rainbow sat upright. “Sure, sure! Take your time, girl!”

Applejack rolled her eyes and charged up the porch steps into the house, leaving Rainbow alone in the cab.

Rainbow’s eyes were at last drawn to the denim jacket left behind by the farmgirl on the vinyl bench. Reaching over for Applejack’s jacket, she smiled to find her friend’s body heat still lingering on it.

She looked up, out the open driver’s side door, and at her Shelby parked not ten yards away.

Her face lit up with a mischievous smile and she looked down at the jacket in her grip, brushing her fingers over its rough, salty-smelling surface.

“Sure. Why wouldn't I?”


***


Rainbow yawned and stretched for the ceiling of her apartment as she dragged herself inside. Her limbs hurt, her back hurt, and her pride was wounded from the thorough working-over her body had received. Every step she took in the door was agony, and even kicking it shut behind her was a test of her limits.

Nonetheless, her spirits were high. She had a fresh bottle of the Apples’ cider to her name for all her troubles, and – best of all – a warm, denim jacket reacquired with the fresh, musky scent of working-Applejack lingering in the fibers. 

The sweaty smell hit her brain like a Mack truck wrapped in aphrodisiac, and the athlete shivered in her tennis shoes.

"'Hint of Musk: The Smell of Applejack,'" she said to herself with a grin, clutching the jacket close and squeezing it. Her mind was busy with thoughts of it being filled with the girl who wore it, collapsing lustfully against her and accepting her indomitable embrace.

Rainbow tore through the kitchen, grasping a bottle of Gatorade in her hand and tearing out of her shirt on the way to the bedroom.

The jacket in her hands hit the side of her pillow and she dropped onto the mattress, and had just begun pulling herself out of her jeans when she felt the vibration of her cell phone against her thigh.

Snarling in her heated frustration, she reached down into her pocket and grasped it. She sharply flipped the clamshell open and pressed the receiver against her ear.

"Talk dirty to me or I'm hangin' up," she snapped.

"What'd ya do with it?"

Rainbow blinked. "AJ?" She released her jeans and let them hit the floor, looking over to the clock on her nightstand. "It's almost 8:30. I could've been asleep."

"Quit dallyin'. What'd ya do with it? And don't ask 'do with what', 'cause ya know exactly what I'm talkin' about..."

Grinning in realization, Rainbow replied, "Why, Applejack! Whatever do you mean?"

"Don't be stupid. It ain't becomin'..."

"Whoa... deja vu. Have we done this before?"

"Yeah. Probably back when ya took my jacket the lasttime..."

Rainbow, her frustrations forgotten, lay back on her bed and put on her smoothest voice. "Damn! How'd you figure it out so quick?" she asked playfully.

"Uhhh... 'cause you're you?"

The athlete pouted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Rainbow... I want it back."

Rainbow smiled, tickled by the irritation on the other end of the line. "No problem. I mean... Granny said yes, right? I could just give it to ya then."

There was a pause.

"Oh, right. That."

A pout. "You're not changing your mind, are you?"

"All things considered, I think it'd be safer to."

"Come ooooon, AJ..." Rainbow said, adopting her verbal pout. "It'll be fun! We'll play volleyball, have beach races, swimming contests – you'll get to see me in a bikini..."

"Oh, God above. Who'd wanna see that?"

"Hey!" she snapped. In spite of the jab, Rainbow was all sunshine and smiles, because secretly, she knew that Applejack had the same playful expression on the other end of the line. And she absolutely tingled over it.

"Heheh," her friend chuckled.

"Sometimes I think you don't love me anymore..." Rainbow said with as much of a pitiful manner as she could inflect.

"You'll bring it with ya?"

Dammit. Right over her head...

"You're no fun..." She sighed. "Yeah... I'll bring it," she said, pulling on a nightshirt.

"Good." A pause. "So... seeya tomorrow?"

"What time and place?"

"Hmmm... How 'bout... seven in the mornin'? My place? Then we can take it from there."

"I'll be there with bells on, cutie!"

"I really wish ya wouldn't call me that..."

"Awww, what? The goodie-two-shoes can't handle a bit of the truth?" Rainbow snickered.

"I'm hangin' up now."

"Sure." She smiled and hesitated. Then, "G'night, AJ," she said softly.

"'Night, sugar."

Click.

Rainbow Dash closed her phone casually and dropped it on her nightstand. Reaching over to her alarm clock, she set it for six and laid back on her pillow.

"I... am going on vacation... alone... with Applejack... to the frickin' beach!" 

Hugging herself, Rainbow let out a girly squeal that nobody but her could ever be allowed to hear. 

"This is officially the greatest day in the history of the UNIVERSE!"

In her excitement, she forgot how to sleep.
> Road Trip 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The light to the cabin bathroom clicked off and out the dark of the hall into the silvery light of the master bedroom stepped Applejack.

She was draped from head to toe in nothing but a skimpy nightgown that left mercifully little to Rainbow's imagination. And the more the blond moved, the more the thin fabric highlighted every smooth and soft curve that her hands positively ached to touch, explore and become intimately familiar with.

Adrenaline surged through Rainbow as she propped her head up on the pillow, admiring her own vision of perfection as she sashayed across the room. The way the white nightie rippled over her, and the way her green eyes glinted like emeralds in the twilight... 

The hostess couldn't help licking her lips.

"Are we in Heaven?" she thought out loud, winking. "'Cause I'm pretty sure you're an angel…"

Moonlight shimmered off of the white nightgown and glinted white in Applejack's lustrous hair like stars. Applejack smiled warmly as she knelt on the edge of the mattress and crawled into bed, forcing Rainbow onto her back as she straddled over the top of her.

The athlete couldn't help her grin and ran her hands up the thin fabric. Her friend's eyes narrowed alluringly as she nestled her head into that perfect spot just beneath her chin.

"You've been keepin' some pretty big secrets from me, sugar," Applejack said softly, her breath dancing across the hostess's neck. The kiss Rainbow had always yearned for seemed so achingly close…

Brushing her thumbs across the farmgirl's negligee, she smiled and pulled her friend closer, feeling the heat building in her face.

"I'm sorry, AJ. I wanted to tell you so many times…"

Applejack's eyes softened as she snuggled herself closer. "Then why didn'tcha?"

Rainbow swallowed, and flashed a cocksure grin. "I just... I just needed it to be the right moment, y'know?" She shrugged from her prone position. "I mean, I... it had to be awesome. If I didn't do it all awesomelike, then it wouldn't be me."

Applejack put on a somber smile. "You never did figure out what the word 'humble' meant, didja?"

Another grin. "Eh, what can I say? I slept through English class a lot."

"I figured that out when ya kept askin' for answers durin' class all through Junior High," her friend said with a wink, leaning over to nuzzle noses with her. Her hot breath danced across Rainbow's hungry lips. The yearning became a need...

"Mmmm..." Rainbow purred happily. "'Sides, who needs to be humble when you're a winner?" She felt through the thin fabric, tracing Applejack's spine and down along the hem of the nightshirt.

"Most people like a humble hero, y'know," the blond replied, smirking ticklishly as the athlete's fingers traced along the edges of her lingerie. "Real heroes ain't gotta brag when they done somethin' amazin'. And it sure makes people like ya all the more."

"I'm plenty humble to you," she whispered. "You're the only person I give a crap about when it comes to what people think."

"Do ya?"

Rainbow blinked.

"What? Think?" She smiled slyly and bit her lip. "Eh, sometimes. Hurts my head, though. Usually I let the Force guide me..."

"I mean, do ya care?"

Applejack had lost her smile and traded it for a more serious expression.

Rainbow Dash stared into her void-like eyes and quietly matched her stare.

"O-of course I care, AJ..." she stammered. "You mean more to me than anything in the—"

"Then why ain'tcha tellin' me the truth?"

The hot, steamy sensation of lust froze over almost instantaneously and was replaced by a cold feeling of dread. Sweat dotted Rainbow's brow and she found trouble in meeting Applejack's gaze.

She swallowed a sore in her throat. Hot tears formed in the edges of her eyes.

“Because… I’m…”

And with that, the light and airy spell of sleep was magicked away and replaced by the unpleasant heaviness of sweat and consciousness. 

Dammit… why does it always have to stop at the good part? she thought groggily.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to a glint of sunlight nagging her peripheral vision. She rolled her eyes to the right, and yanked on the drawstring of the blinds. The yellow glare of the sun was just peering over the horizon and filling the morning sky with a soft pink glow. Birds chirped in the trees, and the morning dew glinted on the back lawn.

Waitasec...

Turning away, Rainbow blindly fumbled for the clock on her nightstand. Feeling nothing, she blinked and looked over the side of her bed.

Her clock lay on its side, its batteries three inches away.

Oh no…

Swiping her hand across it, she yanked it closer and squinted.

The unmoving hands pointed to 1:43…

Oh please, God, no…

She reached a bit further for her cell phone, pratfalling clumsily out of bed in the process.

The screen nearly blinded her as she flipped the clamshell open. As she regained her sight, she saw 6:31 click over to 6:32.

“Oh, for the love of dick, I’M LATE!!!”

***

After taking the world’s quickest shower and throwing together a haphazard travel pack, Rainbow leapt over her car, slid across the rear decklid and threw her things in the backseat.

She had just jumped into the driver’s seat when she realized she’d left Applejack’s jacket upstairs…

Her dashboard clock read 7:09 by the time she screeched off the dirt road and onto Sweet Apple Acres.

Her friend sat on the front porch next to a suitcase, tapping an index finger impatiently against the side of her freckled cheek.

She wasn’t amused.

“Boy, for a gal who drives like a bat outta hell, you sure can’t seem to do anything on time…” she droned, standing and placing her hands on her hips.

Rainbow put on the most apologetic smile she could muster. It was one thing to be fashionably late – a minute or two at most. This, however, wasn’t cool.

“Sorry, AJ,” she whined pitifully, jumping out of the car and retrieving Applejack’s luggage for her. “My clock fell on the floor… no alarm… y’know how it is, right?”

Applejack cocked her eyebrow. “Mm-hmm…”

Rainbow dropped the heavy suitcase in the back seats with a grunt and panted to catch her breath. She grinned breathlessly and produced a familiar denim article from the back.

“Here. I kept it clean this time,” she said, balling it up and throwing it at her friend.

Applejack caught it and looked it over and brushed her hand over a few dusty spots that had been there before. Overall, however, she looked pleased – or at least, no more annoyed than she already was.

“What’s all that racket?!” came an old decrepit voice from inside.

The floorboards creaked under the elder woman’s weight. Out onto the porch hobbled an aging figure she hadn’t seen for several unkind years.

Rainbow raised her hand and waved with a smile.

“Hiya, Granny!”

The white-haired woman narrowed her eyes.

“Rrrrrrainbow Splash, right?”

“Dash, Granny,” Applejack corrected with a facepalm.

“Ahhhh, why you kids always gotta change your names? It ain’t easy for me to keep up with you young’uns anymore.”

“She never—” her friend began to argue, before she sighed and thought better of it.

Rainbow couldn’t help the smirk she wore, and blinked in surprise as a younger form darted out of the house.

“Rainbow Dash!” squealed Apple Bloom happily, throwing herself at the athlete in a flying hug. She barely managed to reach up and catch the younger girl before plopping butt-first into the grass.

“Sheesh, squirt. You’re getting bigger by the day…” She paused. “Hey, what gives? What’d you do with your bow?”

“Well, somebody figured she was gettin’ too old for ‘em.”

Rainbow pouted. “Awww! I missed the bow graduation phase?!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “You didn’t miss much. Just a bunch of sass and ‘I know best’-itude…”

“I didn’t sass none!”

All other brows rose as one at the grade-schooler.

The youngster turned red in the face. “Not that much anyway.” She immediately brightened and grinned at Rainbow again. “Rainbow! Rainbow! Didja come to teach me how to play football for next year?” she asked, bouncing in her lap.

Dash blinked. “Oh, right… I did promise that.” She shrugged. “Sorry, kid. I’m here for your sister today. We’re taking a trip.”

“Oh! Can I come?”

“You…” Applejack said sternly, gripping her sister’s ear and gently pulling her up, “mouthed yourself into chores for a couple weeks, little missy. Now go find your brother and get to it.”

“Awww…” she whined, and wandered off, rubbing her ear.

Rainbow smirked as the youngster vanished behind the farmhouse. "Looks like apples don't fall too far from the tree, do they?"

Applejack glared. "What's that s'posed to mean?"

"Nothin', babe!"

Her friend rolled her eyes and tossed her jacket into the passenger’s seat. “Let’s get goin’ while the gettin’s good.”

“And just where are y’all goin’?” Granny asked, wrinkling her brow. “You got school tomorrow, doncha?”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday, Granny,” the farmgirl said, yanking the door open. “And it’s summer break. I done toldja, me and Rainbow are takin’ a hike up to her family's ol' cabin at the beach for a spell.”

“That’d explain all the swimmin’ flibbity-jibbets you packed last night…”

Applejack smiled at Rainbow exhaustedly and rolled her eyes before embracing her grandmother one last time.

Granny Smith then stepped forward and seized Rainbow in her arms without any warning. For her age, she was surprised by the Apple matriarch’s lingering strength, and felt her breath leave her as she was squeezed around the waist in a tight hug.

“Now don’t you be a stranger, none,” she said in a firm but loving tone. She reached around and produced a metal spatula, whacking her on the thigh.

Rainbow yelped, before her attention was recaptured by the utensil being pointed straight in her face.

“And for cryin’ all out, if you ain’t put some meat on your bones by the time you get back, I’m gonna tie you to the kitchen table and force-feed ya.”

Grinning nervously, Rainbow offered an awkward salute. “Y-yes ma’am.”

Applejack smirked and leaped into her seat. “Granny, quit harrassin’ her or we ain’t never gonna see ‘er again.”

“Ah, fiddlesticks!” Granny said dismissively. “Now, you two be sure to call me everyday so I know you’re both alright. Don’t make an old gal worry, none! My heart can’t take it no more.”

Rainbow jumped into the driver’s seat. “Don’t worry, Granny!” she shouted over the roar of the V8 coming to life. “Your hip’ll go way before your heart does!”

“Wassat?!”

“Smell ya later!”

Applejack barely had time to buckle in before Rainbow gunned the engine, kicking up dirt in her wake. 

She darted back onto the side road and whipped the tail end around before thundering back towards the highway.

“Sheesh. Eager much?” Applejack griped as she fished her hat from out of the back seat and placed it back on her platinum head.

“Summer isn’t forever, tits!”

Applejack shook her head and finished clipping in her safety belt.

“We need to stop by Rarity’s place 'fore we go headin' out,” she shouted over the road and wind.

Rainbow did a double-take.

“Rarity’s place? What the heck for?”

“’Cause I told ‘er we would, that’s why. And if we don’t, I’ll never hear the end of it from 'er.”

Rainbow smirked. “Sounds like a personal problem to me…”

“Sugar, please? You ain’t the one who’s gonna have to deal with her when she don’t get her way.”

“Okay okay okay, fine.” She flashed her friend a smile. “I’m really good to you, y’know.”

“Noted,” the farmgirl said dryly.

Despite her acceptance, however, Rainbow couldn’t help but be perplexed. Rarity’s house? Anyone on the outside looking in on one of her and Applejack’s arguments would think one had stomped the other's cat to death in front of her. The two often came across as the bitterest mortal enemies.

It wasn't like Rainbow was the seamstress’s biggest fan, admittedly. She bore her no ill will, but she would go out of her way to find something – anything – to keep from modeling the crap she called "fashion" for her.

Or maybe...

Rainbow’s brain processes froze in that moment, and were replaced by thoughts of Applejack in a brand-new swimsuit made by the fashionista herself. Ornate leopard skin patterns and g-strings danced through her imagination and overwrote the underwhelming notion of driving so far out of the way.

A smile crossed Rainbow’s lips.

Rares, if you’re doing what I think you’re doing, I’ll love you forever, she thought. “Yes, captain! We're goin' plaid!”

"Ah, brother..."

The Shelby whipped off the highway onto one of the better-kept country roads over smooth hills and twisty bends before pulling into a high-class subdivision. High six-figure houses rested a good distance from the road on massive properties. Mercedes, Cadillacs and Lincolns weren’t uncommon sights. All the lawns were freshly-mowed with well-kept landscaping, and the pavement was smooth as silk.

It was quite a different world from the one Rainbow and Applejack inhabited.

The old Shelby burbled through the neighborhood, catching a few wary eyes as it did so, and squeaked to a stop at the curb of one of the larger homes. The majestic white Mediterranean-style house was settled on a cul-de-sac. In the driveway was parked a large Audi sedan and a massive Escalade.

She could see the distant figure of Rarity conversing with what she assumed to be her father.

Rainbow switched off the engine and walked around to the sidewalk as Applejack hopped out. The pair strode up to their friend, who seemed to be locked in a contest of wills with her father, along with a mountain of luggage they were arguing next to.

“Pleeeeeease, daddy? I promise I’ll be very careful!”

“Careful in a ninety-thousand dollar SUV,” he replied, swishing his mustache side to side. He regarded the two familiar girls with a smile.

“But I already told my friends I could take them!” She jutted out her lip in her school-wide infamous pout. “You wouldn’t want me to disappoint them, would you?”

Rarity’s father blinked down at his daughter, over at the two girls, and let out a forlorn sigh. “It scares me how much like your mother you are,” he muttered, dangling the key fob in front of her face.

The fashionista squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around her father, showering him with kisses and 'iloveyous'.

Rainbow's face twitched in muted jealousy, not at the affections, but the monstrous vehicle standing as tall as she did right next to her.

Rarity flourished around in a brand new white sundress to meet her friends' gazes, and beamed a bright and happy smile.

“Good morning, girls!” She glanced past them and smirked pointedly at Rainbow Dash. “Ready to go, I see,” she said.

“Yyyyyeah. We'd be way outta town by now if AJ hadn't said we needed to drop by your place first," Rainbow said, glimpsing curiously at her friend next to her. Applejack squirmed nervously in response.

“Oh, of course! That reminds me – I have something for you two!” She turned to the massive pile of luggage next to her and reached into the nearest bag, producing a freshly-finished army-green one-piece swimsuit. Literally, the only other feature was the breast pocket, barely big enough to slip a house key into.

Rainbow wrinkled her nose. “A onesie? What are we? Kids at a wading pool or something?”

Rarity scowled at her for the briefest of moments and beamed just as quickly, turning to her opposite guest.

“For you, Applejack!” Rarity chirped, passing the onesie to her.

Rainbow immediately felt something inside of her die the moment Applejack's face lit up. “Uhhh… w-wow, Rares. Thank ya kindly,” she said with a smile. She gave it a look over and held it to herself. “At least ya didn't go overboard on it… y'know, like you do on everything else.”

“It's the least I could do, given it's your first real trip to the beach, darling,” Rarity replied.. “I couldn't have lived with myself without knowing you would have something nice to go swimming in.”

Applejack grimaced and held the plastic remains of a smile. “Th-that's… nice of you?”

Rainbow hissed inwardly. Just from the way the farmgirl held the swimsuit against her body, she could tell it'd reveal precious little of Applejack's toned stomach, and none of the cleavage she had looked forward to since… well, forever.

Rarity either missed her pouting, or paid it no mind, and instead reached back into the bag.

“And for you, Rainbow Dash...”

At the very least, it wasn't a onesie presented to her.

Rainbow accepted the gift and looked her new swimsuit up and down. The bottoms were at least halfway decent.

At least they show off my sexy thighs... she considered. The top, however, was a different story entirely. It looked more like a sports bra than any bikini top she'd ever seen.

It was her turn to scowl at the fashionista. 

“You just love calling out the fact I got nothin’ going on here, don’t you?” she asked, holding up the offending article in question.

She caught wind of Applejack snickering to her right, and her foul mood evaporated quickly.

“Thanks… I guess.”

If there were any consolation from all this, it would at least be that she'd be seeing more of AJ's skin than she'd ever seen at once before. That was cause enough for a smile to intrude onto her face.

Those freckled arms… those curvy legs…

“Rainbow, darling! Could you help me lift this bag, please?”

Jerking out of her fantastic reverie, Rainbow looked Rarityward and at the massive luggage pile she stood next to. She shrugged and grabbed the first bag. The massive tote looked like an ordeal to lift over the bumper of the Escalade, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary – not for the fashionista anyway. 

She grabbed the handle and hauled up on it. 

The bag didn't budge.

“What the—?” she grunted. 

She made a second, full-effort attempt, and barely managed to lug it high enough onto her back to allow it to fall into the luggage compartment.

“Sheesh, Rarity. What're you hauling? Your living room?”

Rarity looked up from powdering her nose and smiled. “Oh, only the barest essentials this time darling.”

“The bare essentials for what? This crap feels like a military rucksack on steroids! Are you climbing K2?” she hissed, dropping yet another massively-heavy container into the Cadillac.

“No, dear. We're headed to your beach house on vacation, remember?”

“Yeah, well—” Rainbow immediately froze. In that instant, ice water entered Rainbow's veins as the cold kiss of terror hit her, and the horrifying realization took hold.

She turned to look at the fashionista as she loaded a few lighter items atop the SUV. She then turned to Applejack, her green eyes wide, and lower lip white from biting.

Rainbow shed the third trunk, and slid up next to her friend.

“You… you invited her?!” she whispered harshly.

“NO!” Applejack protested with a fidget, her face turning vividly red. “I-I mean… not exactly anyway… She kinda invited herself along.”

“What the hell were you even doing talking to her about it?!”

“She wanted to drag me and Fluttershy along to some fashion watchamadoohickey, and I told 'er I couldn't 'cause… I was goin' along with you.”

“And that somehow turned into her inviting herself along?!”

Applejack glared at her. “Lookit here. I ain't exactly thrilled 'bout this arrangement either but… well, think about it,” she sighed defeatedly, looking at the fashionista. “Are you gonna be the one tellin' 'er she can't come?”

Rainbow took one look at Rarity and could already imagine the conniption fit she would throw if she canceled her plans on her. Headache-inducing thoughts of her whining about unpacking her luggage, rescheduling spa appointments, dumping Opalescence in Sweetie Belle's lap…

The thought was already giving Rainbow Dash a migraine, and she winced, rubbing her forehead.

“Any other surprises you wanna drop on me?” she sighed.

At precisely that moment, another large SUV turned onto the block, and a massive Lincoln Navigator – Rainbow recognized it as Twilight's brother's – parked itself at the curb.

Applejack gulped loudly.

Rainbow felt the color drain out of her cheeks.

Oh no...

“There they are!” she heard Rarity say over her shoulder, The fashionista stepped forward with a wave. “Hello girls!”

Oh noooooonononononono…

Rainbow looked at Applejack. Applejack looked back with a sheepish grin.

“Hi, Rarity!” Twilight said, pulling a large duffel bag out of the Lincoln with her. Fluttershy was close behind her.

“Hi, Dashie!” Pinkie chirped under her mountainous bag as she practically bounced out.

Oh HELLLLL no!

Shining Armor flashed a smile at the girls and tossed them a wave, before whipping the truck back around and thundering out of earshot.

Rainbow looked frantically from one of her friends to the other as the gathered on the lawn. Her world falling apart around her, Rainbow’s eyes widened and she turned after the retreating taillights of the Navigator.

“H-HEY! YOU LEFT YOUR HOMIES!”

She felt heat on the back of her head, and turned her sweating expression back to her friends. All five had gathered into a group behind her, staring expectingly at her. Pinkie appeared on the verge of exploding in her excitement, Twilight grinned eagerly, and even Fluttershy rocked anxiously on her heels.

Applejack bit her lip and offered an apologetic smile, while Rarity stared at her knowingly.

Rainbow sighed.

"Ah, hell..."
> Horizon Highway
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took several minutes for Rainbow Dash to extricate herself from the excitedly-chattering group. Furrowing her brow, she ducked behind the SUV and snarled to herself.

Gonnakill‘er. Gonnakill‘er. Gonnakill‘er.

She found Rarity tapping at her smartphone with a stylus. Rainbow stomped up to her from behind and cloaked her with her shadow. There she waited and seethed.

Rarity made it a point to ignore her.

Rainbow grew more frustrated by the minute and finally poked her firmly on the shoulder. The fashionista looked irritably at the affected area and poofed up the shoulder of her blouse again before turning to address her.

“Yes, darling? Do you need assistance loading your luggage?” she asked, irritably calm as she reached to adjust her collar.

Rainbow batted her hands away. “Don’t give me that crap. What the heck is this all about?” she growled.

“Why, Rainbow! Whatever do you mean?”

Rainbow gritted her teeth. “I mean— She paused and coughed, then lowered her register. “You know exactly what I mean. This whole trip was supposed to be between me and AJ. Me and her. None of you girls.” Rainbow stared at her with eyes that could cut steel. “How the heck did you force it out of her? Heck, how the heck did you even invite yourself along?!”

Rarity smiled sweetly. “But, darling! It was all your idea after all, wasn’t it?” She then proceeded to yank Rainbow down to her level, and aim an icy stare at her. “Behave yourself, dear. There’s no need to make a scene.”

“The heck there isn’t!” Rainbow snarled back. “I never made any plans to invite any of you along! Why the heck do you think I never mentioned it in the first place?!”

“Yes, an error in judgement on your part,” the fashionista droned at her.

Rainbow opened her mouth to reply.

“Rainbow Dash, this isn’t the place or time to have this discussion. Unless you intend to explain the situation to everyone now – Applejack included – I believe this is something we should save for when we have a free moment alone.”

“You don’t think that’s something we should have had before this little rectal probe of yours?”

“Rainbow, believe it or not, I’m not out to sabotage you. I’m here to save you from a big mistake.”

“Really? ‘Cause it looks like the other way around to me.”

Rarity opened her mouth and froze when approaching footsteps hissed in the grass close by.

“Hey, uhh… girls?” Twilight peeked her head around the side of the Escalade. “Everything okay?”

The fashionista turned and offered the mother of all rehearsed smiles to her. “Well of course, darling! Everything is divine!” Rarity turned to look at Rainbow. Her expression was stonelike, unwavering. “Isn’t that right, Rainbow?”

It was a conflict of emotions. Never had Rainbow so badly wanted to strap Rarity to the hood of her car and use her as a bug-catcher – and there had been many instances in which she had earned the athlete’s ire. None, however, were as glaring as this one.

Rainbow couldn’t have bit her teeth much harder without breaking them.

“Peachy,” she droned, faking a smile of her own.

Rarity grinned at Twilight, who quirked her brow at the two. “W-well, not to rush… umm… whatever this is, but uhh…” She lifted her smartphone and click the screen on. “It’s 7:44 right now, and we’re scheduled to leave at 7:45 if we want to be there by five this evening – that is if we take into account all current speed limits, road construction, meals, and bathroom breaks along the way.” She grinned awkwardly, eye twitching. “S-so we should probably start getting ready to go, r-right?”

Twilight and her schedules…

“Yeah, yeah. Cool it, egghead. We’re… goin’,” Rainbow said with a sigh.

“Darling, where are you going?” Rarity gestured to the massive SUV. “Wouldn’t you rather ride with us? It has to be more comfortable than that… uhh… thing that you drive, yes?”

Rainbow’s eyes locked on the fashionista like a missile. She turned and checked to make sure that Twilight had buckled herself inside the car and shut the passenger door first before leaning in close. “Rares, if I share a car with you for the next ten hours, I think this would turn into a snuff story.”

Rarity blinked. “Pardon?”

“Nothing… just… I’m driving separate, okay?” She sighed and sauntered off towards the Shelby. “I get sick when I’m a passenger anyway…”

“Ummm… very well then. I suppose we’ll see you at lunchtime then – and wherever else you decide to stop.”

“Don’t hold it for my sake…” she grumbled. She reached the car and leapt over the driver’s side door. She had just finished buckling in and turned the enraged engine over after a few tries when a golden voice rang in her ears.

“Rainbow!” a country-twanged voice shouted over the burble of the motor.

She looked up and saw Applejack as she trotted towards her across the lawn. Rainbow blinked and bit the far edge of her lip, then pretended to look away at something. Holditasec. Don’t tell me… no, I’d probably have a stroke. I’d literally have to kill you and hide your body, Rares…

She sucked in a breath and put on the most neutral expression she could handle. Her performance was nowhere near as admirable as Rarity’s. She braced, and prepared to be asked to be taken home – to have had her secret unpleasantly revealed like a flasher on the streets by a treacherous fashionista.

“Ain’tcha ridin’ with the rest of us?” she asked with a dejected frown.

Rainbow blinked. “Huh?”

“I just… Rarity’s Caddy has three rows. I’d bet ya money Twilight wouldn’t mind given up her seat in the front for ya.”

Rainbow’s brain scrambled. Waitasec… oh! Concern. For a friend. Riding alone. What the heck was I thinking?

She hid her grin well and shrugged. “I… dunno. Just… y’know, didn’t feel like riding in a car full of boy bands, estrogen and Rarity, I guess. Kinda gives me a rash.” Rainbow smirked inwardly and switched smoothly over to her sympathy card. “But you should totally ride with ‘em AJ. You shouldn’t need to be all down in the crapper with me.”

Applejack’s face twisted in worry. “Whaddya mean ‘down’, sugar?”

“Girls! 7:45! We need to go, or we’ll have to break the speed limit to be back on schedule!”

The farmgirl grimaced, and Rainbow mentally high-fived herself.

“Second thought… maybe I’ll tag along with you, darlin’.”

Killing-stroke time. “Are… you sure? I mean, I don’t mind driving by myself…” Applejack was as good as buckled in at this point.

The cowgirl smiled and turned to the Escalade, giving it a wave. “Go ‘head, girls! We’ll catch up with ya!”

Twilight blinked and shrugged, while Rarity gave Rainbow a scrutinizing look behind the wheel of the SUV. Then, shifting the truck into gear, she and their three friends waved, before bounding out of the driveway and onto the suburban street.

Applejack circled around, climbed in and buckled herself, then grinned sheepishly at Rainbow. “Can’t do the boy band thing either.”

Rainbow smirked and gripped the wheel.

“I can’t do speed limits,” she said, revving the engine a few times.

Applejack laughed, but was cut short by a surprised scream as Rainbow threw the car into a tire-burning donut on the narrow roadway. She one-eightied and floored the accelerator and skated, rather than drove, the car down the road.

“We’ll have to drop by my place first anyway,” Rainbow said.

“What? How come?”

“I forgot something back there. I’ll be like a minute.”

Applejack stared at her.

“Two minutes, tops!” she said with a grin.

“You didn’t forget somethin’ didja?”

“Wh- I… yah-huh! I totally did!”

“You were just rushin’ this mornin’ and just forgot to pack everything you needed, didn’tcha?”

“… Maybe?”

Applejack smiled and shook her head. A shriek escaped her throat as Rainbow welded the gas to the floor of the car and the pair bolted out onto the main road. She barely kept a hold of her hat the whole trip as Rainbow eased the old Mustang diagonally into a spot.

“Make it quick, wouldja?” Applejack asked, smoothing out her frazzled hair.

Rainbow saluted and bounded up the flight of stairs to her apartment.

“I’m serious! Don’t take half an hour like you always do!” she heard her friend call behind her. Rainbow rolled her eyes and stepped into the apartment, leaping over piles of dirty clothes and game controllers and into her room. She very nearly tore her bedroom a new pocket dimension as she ripped sheets apart, drawers open, and closets apart looking for the one missing item in her bag.

A thought crossed Rainbow’s mind in that moment and she looked over by her bedside.

She rolled her eyes at herself. Of course. Keep everything you need in an easy place to find it… she thought, grabbing the bottle of sunscreen and tanning oil off her nightstand.

Something glinted in the morning sunlight that peered through the curtains. Rainbow blinked, not commonly in her room during the daylight hours, and pulled open the blinds.

A picture frame – the familiar photo it held grinned back at her.

Rainbow’s inner joy vanished in an instant, and was replaced by a feeling of melancholy. Her eyes traced the purple hair and bright, youthful smile clutched in the safe arms of her older sister… a face she barely recognized anymore. She remembered that day. Their last vacation together before…

She picked up the picture frame. A familiar beach and sand castle lined the background with gold and light, and a bright blue ribbon shimmered in the two’s conjoined hands. Rainbow couldn’t remember the last time she’d looked at it.

A horn honked her back to the moment and she wiped a tear out of her eye.

“Right… yeah! Yeah! I’m coming!” she shouted, sliding the photo frame into her jacket pocket without so much as a thought. She was out the door and locked in seconds.

“What took ya?” the farmgirl asked with a scowl.

Rainbow flopped into her seat and flashed the bottles at her with a grin.

“You… tan?” Applejack asked, turning the bottle over in her hands. “I wondered when you’d put a little color in your cheeks.”

“My cheeks are always red from you riding my ass anyway, mom.”

Applejack snorted a laugh. “Shaddup and get us back on the road.”

Rainbow obeyed the farmgirl with a flick of the wheel and a liberal application of the throttle. A number of her neighbors glared from their mailboxes and windows as they flashed past on their way out with a ravenous bark of the engine.

The highway was largely deserted at this time in the morning at this time of year. Saturdays were always kind when it came to traffic, and it didn’t take long for Rainbow to find an open stretch of highway to put the pedal down and make up for lost time. Applejack clung on for dear life as the pair bolted around the far side of a minivan. Her screams were drowned out by the roar of the wind and mechanical monster up front.

Fifteen minutes later, a black speck appeared on the horizon, and Rainbow dug deeper into the engine’s power reserves. The familiar Cadillac flashed by on the right side and disappeared behind them with a brief honk of its horn.

Rainbow and Applejack laughed in unison and she buried the pedal further to put more distance between the Shelby and rapidly-fading Escalade.

At last – she couldn’t remember when – Rainbow reigned in the throttle, and relaxed to a more reasonable pace.

“You’re crazy.” Applejack giggled happily. “Fun, but crazy.”

“Tell me you don’t love it.”

“Well, sugar, that’d make me a liar. And Granny always told me never to tell a lie.”

Rainbow grinned smugly and reclined into her seat. She swept her hair back and loosed her ponytail to letting her multicolored strands flap in the wind. “Nice to finally hear you admit it.”

“Admit what?”

Rainbow flashed her a grin. “That you’re in love with me.”

Applejack flushed a faint pink and rolled her eyes. “Oh, Heaven help me if that were the case,” she snarked and playfully shoved Rainbow’s shoulder.

The car shuddered slightly, jerked a bit from the motion, and settled back down. Slowly, as the moments of silence between them ticked on by, an idea gradually occurred to the athlete. She blinked to herself and envisioned the thought of Applejack settled snug between her thighs, and bit her lip. She threw a curious eye to her right. Applejack’s hair flowed in the sunlit breeze like a lake of honey and she sighed happily in the warm late-spring wind.

Rainbow gripped the wheel, set the car straight, and clicked her tongue.

“Hey, AJ…”

Her friend looked over at her.

“You ever think about wanting to drive this old rustbucket?” she asked and pounded the shifter with the palm of her hand.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Rainbow, I ain’t even got my license yet.”

“And isn’t that sad?” she asked with a smirk. Applejack scowled at her. “C’mon, AJ. You telling me you’ve never once thought about what driving this thing would be like?”

“Always kinda pictured you in the driver’s seat. No real point.”

Rainbow grinned.

“C’mon. Take over for a little bit.”

Applejack’s eyes flared at her. “Are you mockin’ me?”

“Nooooooo, why would I ever do something like that?” Rainbow winked and steered with her index finger as she motioned to the wheel. “Come on, AJ! Just for an hour or two!”

“You need your bolts tightened or somethin’? I toldja, I ain’t got a license.”

“Has breaking the rules once in a while ever stopped you from having fun before?”

“Usually – unless you’re around.”

Rainbow laughed. “Come on. Do it. You know you want to.”

“I ain’t doin’ it, Rainbow.”

The athlete frowned and shrugged. “Up to you,” she said as she released the wheel. She leaned back into her seat, stretched and yawned. “Guess we’ll be swimming in a few seconds…”

“Rainbow this ain’t funny!” Applejack’s eyes widened, and the car began to yaw uncontrolled to the right towards the side of an upcoming bridge passing over a creek. The car passed over the solid white line and hit the rumble strip.

The farmgirl panicked and reached over, gripped the wheel from the passenger’s side, and yanked. The car jerked back towards the road and wobbled nervously.

Rainbow peeked an eye open and smirked. “Oh, good. Thanks for that.”

“What are you?! Loony or somethin’?! You coulda gotten us both killed!”

The athlete grinned. She playfully poked Applejack’s vulnerable side and extracted a ticklish squirm from her.

“You should know better than that…”

Applejack’s fury-reddened face gradually abated and she looked up with a flick of her green eyes. “How much longer were ya gonna wait?”

Rainbow bit her lip and blushed. “About half a second.” She giggled. “You scared me for a second, Applejack. I seriously thought you weren’t gonna take the wheel there.”

The cowgirl couldn’t help her chuckle and shook her head. “Well, your fun is over. Wouldja mind takin’ back the wheel now? This ain’t exactly comfy.”

“Mmmm… better idea!”

Rainbow reached over, unbuckled her friend and gripped Applejack beneath the arms. A ticklish jerk caused the entire car to lurch, and the athlete bit her lip when she felt something soft yet firm mold around her fingertips.

“‘E-Ey! Watch what you’re pawin’ at!”

Rainbow grinned inwardly and blushed as she deposited her friend directly into the snug space between her thighs. She leaned against Applejack from behind and rested her jaw right next to her ear. “Cozy?” she asked.

“R-Rainbow, I’m serious. This ain’t funny no more.”

The athlete could hear the tension in her friend’s voice. Her entire body trembled in her arms, and Rainbow smiled, softly stroking her hand up and down her back. “Whoa. Easy, girl. What’s the big deal? You’ve driven cars before.”

“I drove my brother’s truck! On the farm! Goin’ nowhere near this fast!” the blonde squeaked. Her knuckles were white on the wheel she gripped so tight.

“AJ, listen to me – I’m not gonna let us crash,” Rainbow said, raising her hands to gently squeeze her friend’s shoulders. “Just think of it like I’m… like I’m giving you a little preview.”

“Ah, geez…”

“What’re you afraid of, anyway?” she asked, hugging her friend tightly from behind. “You’re doing great. Just keep it in the middle of the lane.”

Rainbow could feel Applejack’s nervous breathing, her arms trembling. She slid her hands up her friend’s arms and gripped the wheel gingerly. “Not so tight. It’s not gonna get away from ya,” she assured her.

Applejack’s breathing was accompanied by a cold sweat and she swallowed. Nonetheless, she managed to soften her grip. She reclined into Rainbow and forced herself to relax at least somewhat. At least her heart rate came down slightly.

“Now, foot on the accelerator.”

“Rainbow, please…”

“AJ, it’s okay,” she said gently, whispering into her ear over the howling wind around them. “Just like your brother’s truck, okay?”

Applejack took a breath and again followed her instruction. Her heeled boot bit into the pedal a bit too far and she was quick to pull back when the engine snarled at her.

Then, slowly, stealthily, Rainbow withdrew both her feet from the pedals, and Applejack was driving on her own.

“See? Nothin’ to it,” she told her friend. From the corner of her eye, she swore she could have seen Applejack smile. Unable to resist her mirth, Rainbow squeezed her friend again about the waist. “A couple lessons in shifting and you’ll be drifting this thing like me… well, almost like me, anyway.”

“I-I think I got a ways to go on that, sugar.”

“Maybe… but everybody’s gotta start somewhere, right?” Rainbow loosed a yawn, leaned back into the seat, and reached up to rub her eyes. “Well… got a straight shot for about seventy miles on this road before our exit. May as well catch some Z’s since you look like you got everything under control.”

“Huh?!”

She chuckled. “Relax. Just poke me if something comes up. Cool?”

Applejack swallowed nervously and bit her lip before she stared at the road ahead of her.

“Applejack… you’re doing awesome,” she whispered to her. Her friend blushed and smiled at her out of the corner of her eye.

“Rainbow… will you teach me more?” she asked.

She grinned. “Totally, AJ.”

She reclined into the cushion of the seat and faked another yawn, though her eyes never once closed on the trip. It wasn’t for a lack of tiredness or an abundance of sleep. But there was something else there… something watchful… protective perhaps. Her friend’s eyes, of course, never left the pavement out in front of her so she never realized it.

Rainbow was grateful for her continued consciousness as she felt Applejack lean back into her embrace.
> Memories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a bright blue-skied ten-‘til-five when Rainbow and Applejack pulled into the driveway. The ocean-swept sandy dunes around the small two-level cabin dusted the air with the smell of the beach and salt that Rainbow hadn’t inhaled in years. A wave of nostalgia and quiet passed over her as Applejack reached back into the back seat and hauled her suitcase out and, with a groan and a stretch, melted out of the car.

“I forgot why Granny always refused to take us on road trips…” the blonde moaned, cracking her spine with a few twists and bends. She then gazed up at the cabin and looked it over a few times, before those freckled cheeks curled upward into a smile that just beamed with sunshine. “Nice place.”

Rainbow was so busy watching her friend that she’d nearly forgotten how to respond.

“Oh… thanks!” she said with a grin. The second she made to rise out of the seat, however, her right leg collapsed, and she had to use her hands to haul herself out of the car. Her other leg failed to keep her upright, however, and she fell to the earth with a graceless butt-plant.

“Yeah…” she groaned, “starting to know what you mean about the whole road trip thing.”

Why had she thought driving for nine hours with Applejack between her thighs was a good idea? Her legs were numb and cramped every time she pushed against the ground to stand. The blonde, however, was kind enough to hoist her back up off the stone driveway and dust her off with a few swats of her hand.

Dash practically fainted inside her own imagination.

“H-hey! Watch what you’re slapping at!” Oh gawd, please don’t stop ever.

“Ah, shut your yap and let us in,” Applejack said.

“No can do, babe. This is yap central. Or it will be whenever Rarity shows up.”

“Then let’s get a couple seconds of peace and quiet while we can.”

Rainbow was immediately hit in the face by the musty smell of ages gone by as she clicked the key over and flung the door open to the wood cottage. The indentation in the wall was still visible from all the times in the past that she had gone rushing in ahead of her folks…

The lights flickered on and flooded the unused home, and she dropped her suitcase to the wood floor. A warm feeling washed over her. So many years…

“What’re you grinnin’ at?”

“Huh?” Rainbow broke out of her reverie and noticed the expression she had been wearing.

Applejack was smiling at her and reached out to wrap an arm around her in a sideways hug. “That’s the happiest I’ve seen you look in a long time. And not even like the fake happy, neither. Like, real happy.”

Rainbow felt a surge a warmth in her cheeks and let out a toothy grin. “Just thinking of how awesome it is I get to spend vacation with my best—” Sexiest. “—friend in the entire universe.”

The cowgirl chuckled and pulled her into an oddly – for her – affectionate embrace, before releasing her and hoisting her bag back up onto her shoulder. “Well, if’n you don’t mind, I’m going to go snag myself a room before Rares shows up and grabs the best space.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure. Wherever you want.”

Rainbow took no small advantage in watching the blonde hurry up to the second level. Once Applejack’s butt had rounded the corner up the stairs, Dash kicked off her shoes in a random direction and turned to head right into kitchen. She clicked on the light.

The granite counters and central island were just as pristine as how her family had left it – albeit a little dusty. Everything was suspended in time, exactly how it had been since she’d last been here. Rainbow went immediately to the stainless-steel fridge and yanked it open. Empty. Just like the cabinets, save for some cutlery, dishes, and a few non-perishables. It had always been a family activity to clean up before leaving the cabin behind for the summer.

“Guess we’ll need groceries…” she muttered to no one in particular. She couldn’t help but wonder if that girl – what was her name? Carrot Top? – still worked at the market.

Heaving a sigh, Rainbow shrugged one of her backpacks off her shoulder and onto the countertop. She yanked a glass out of the cupboard and filled it at the sink. She gulped it it down and turned to take a look out the back towards the beach.

The dunes were different.

The way the waves hit the shore and lapped foamily away had changed. Nothing looked quite the same as it had. She still recognized it all, but something about the sight turned in her gut.

Rainbow Dash stood quietly in the kitchen for several long moments and turned the empty glass over in her hands. She stared at the familiar cabinetry, old appliances, and unused floors like they were friends she had lost touch with over the years.

Unsure of what to say to reintroduce herself, and tired of the awkward silence, Rainbow bit the corner of her lip and set her glass down in the sink, before walking with a hasty step out of the room.

Blankets, pillows, chairs, all had sat entirely unused. An old skateboard sat by the fireplace, one of its wheel racks still lying next to it. Her father’s unfulfilled promise that he would help fix it rang in her ears.

Dash couldn’t help a vague feeling of wrongness in her stomach as she rounded to the back patio overlooking the ocean. It needed swept off. The deck equipment was still folded up and stowed. She’d need to unfold it all and lay it out… get it ready.

It was hers, and hers alone, to tend to now.

She rounded the house back up the center hallway and carried herself up the dusty steps. Her stocking-clad feet left faint footprints on the staircase like those of a ghost. Rainbow turned and looked down them, and swore she could have seen a tuft of short, purple hair clambering up after her…

Only turned out to be that vase full of fake violets her mother kept near the front door.

Girl, you need to get it together.

Turning back to her right, Rainbow followed the hallway as it snaked over the kitchen. She could hear Applejack humming to herself in one of the bedrooms – her old one it sounded like.

Of course – you wouldn’t take the master bedroom for yourself, would you? A smile crossed the athlete’s face as she imagined the cowgirl rummaging through her old empty drawers, stuffing her clothes away in them, pulling back her old sheets and laying down on her old twin bed.

On her way over to inspect Applejack’s work in her room, however, something froze her in her tracks.

A partly-opened door to her left grabbed her attention and refused to let go. A sign was tacked to it – a piece of notebook paper with a name etched in orange crayon.

Skcootaloo.

Rainbow sucked on her lips and couldn’t help chuckle at the misplaced “k” in the spelling. She reached up hesitantly, then took the tack out of the door and reclaimed the piece of paper, slipping it away into her pocket after folding it.

“Sorry, kid. Guess you’ll have a roomie for a little while.”

The weight of a planet was on her shoulders as she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

It was broad daylight outside, but the blinds were drawn. Still, Rainbow saw enough to trigger memories. Across from her was her little sister’s old single bed, still welcomingly made and ready for the return of its owner that would never come. Boxes of Scootaloo’s old erector sets and toys of all sorts still sat in the corner, untouched and gathering dust over the years.

Rainbow hugged herself tightly.

“Hey. It’s me,” she muttered to the haunting specters.

Her baby sister’s scent had long since faded from the pillows, but Rainbow still crossed over to the bed and picked it up. She hugged it to herself and inhaled, hoping that somehow, some small piece of her still lived on.

Disappointed, Dash plopped the pillow down next to her, when a flash of white caught her eye.

Tossing the pillow back against the headboard, Rainbow very nearly choked on the pain that welled in her throat when she saw it.

Scootaloo’s old stuffed chicken was still there, hidden and buried. She thought she had thrown it out years ago. She had been going through “The Phase” at the time and had wanted to be seen as more mature than everyone really knew she was.

Rainbow had never understood Scootaloo’s adoration for chickens anyway. They were poultry to her. But she had loved the plushie like it was her kid when she was young. To realize she had kept it all those years and had never been able to part with it…

Rainbow’s eyes stung and burned, and she reached for the old doll, raising it to her face and hugging it tightly to herself.

The tears only came when she realized that she still smelled her little sister on it. There was something left of her that still clung to life…

A knock drew her out of it. Rainbow quickly blotted her eyes on the stuffed animal and looked up, sniffling as softly as she could possibly manage.

Applejack stood at the door, leaning against the threshold in a warm, orange sundress. Her hair poured loosely down her shoulders like molten gold, and freckles dotted her exposed shoulders like sunspots. Eyes of emerald lakes looked upon her with not pity, but worry. Her brow knitted.

“Hey,” she murmured softly. “You okay?”

“Y-yeah! Totally!” Rainbow replied, slapping the chicken down next to her on the bed. “Just… dusty in here.”

The blonde beauty managed a small smile. Applejack’s face was as terrible at lying as she was, so Rainbow knew immediately she didn’t buy a word she said. She was kind enough, regardless, not to say anything.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure. I guess,” Rainbow tried as nonchalantly as she could manage.

Applejack padded across the floor, her bare feet leaving small impressions in the carpet. She smoothed out her dress along her backside and plopped down next to Rainbow, and for once, the rainbow-maned athlete had not a perverted thought in her head. All she could think of was just how perfect her friend looked to her in that moment…

Applejack leaned back on her palms and beamed up at her, and Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat. The blonde then looked around and kicked her feet, scuffing the carpet with her toes.

“So… this was her room, huh?”

“Scoots’? Yeah. She always loved coming here every summer.”

“I can see why.”

“Yeah. It’s nice here. Lots to do.”

“That wasn’t what I meant…”

Rainbow blinked and looked down at her friend.

“You were a real good sister to her. You must’ve loved her somethin’ fierce.”

The weight returned to Rainbow’s chest and she heaved a sigh to try and expel the demons still tormenting her. She gazed down at the plushie sitting in her lap and brushed her fingers across its white fluff, letting her eyes drift shut and think back on her sister’s voice, her smell, her eyes, so full of life and wonder…

“Applebloom talks about her sometimes. She really misses her.”

Rainbow nodded slowly. “Yeah... Poor kid.”

“It’s harder on the young’uns… especially when they don’t understand.”

Rainbow nodded and eased onto her back on the bed. Applejack slowly followed and draped an arm over her stomach.

“You okay, hon?”

Dash shifted in her position and glimpsed to her right. In the current lighting, the lingering moisture on her cheeks wouldn’t show, nor would the redness of her eyes. Perhaps, then, it was her voice that betrayed her. Rainbow breathed in deeply and let it out as a nonchalant sigh.

“Yeah. J-just… a little tired from the trip. That’s all.”

Applejack’s eyes, even dimly lit as they were, expressed an uncertainty. In spite of Rainbow’s reassurance, her brow furrowed, concern written across her features.

“You sure? ‘Cause if there’s anything you wanna talk about…”

“Nah,” Rainbow replied a little too quickly, and she flinched internally. “Nah, I’m totally fine. Just… y’know, jet lag… or car lag.” She bit her lip and the edge of her mouth curled up. “Maybe it’s just the way you drive.”

Applejack frowned. “What’s wrong with the way I drive?”

“Nothing! Nothing… grandma.”

“Hey! Come on! It was my first time behind the wheel! Besides, if’n I recall correctly, wasn’t it your idea to stick me behind the wheel? Far as I’m concerned, you’ve only got yourself to blame.”

The two’s eyes met, but neither work a frown. Instead, both smiled that knowing smile that spoke volumes without uttering a word.

Rainbow snaked her arm beneath Applejack’s neck and pulled her closer.

“You did good, AJ.”

Applejack’s smile softened and she squeezed her arms tightly. “Wouldn’t mind if you’d keep teachin’ me. As long as I’m not gonna put you to sleep…”

“Be glad to.”

The sudden rumble and crackle of gravel on the strip of road leading up to the cottage broke the two out of their moment. The rumble of a big V8 that wasn’t her Mustang’s betrayed the arrival of Rarity in her father’s Escalade, and the muffled, excited cries of the four girls stepping out of the vehicle heralded the gang’s arrival.

Applejack sighed and stood. “Well, sounds like they’re here. Better go help ‘em unpack before Rares breaks a nail or somethin’.”

Rainbow smirked. “Yeah… go ahead. I’ll be there in a second.

With a lingering stare and a nod, Applejack turned and headed out into the hall towards the stairs.

Rainbow Dash’s smile slowly dropped off her face, and her magenta eyes wandered down to the chicken still cradled in her lap.

One last time, she ran her hand over the soft fluff, and gave the creature a gentle hug to her chest. Then the toy was discarded into the basket with Scootaloo’s other old playthings. A heavy breath left her, though it did nothing to relieve the weight on her spirit.

Rainbow got up, and took one last look behind her at the door, before shutting the room up tight, and heading for the stairs.