Rainbow Dash goes through some complicated feelings - and is unsure about who she really likes. A cute Appledash fanfiction that I could not stop writing.
Six high school friends, five days of school, four confusing crushes, three Cutie Mark Crusaders, two blushing girls, and one unspoken love. Feat. Pinkiedash, Appledash, Raritwi, and Flutterpie! Some mature content included (extreme language, sexual content, alcoholic themes)
"AAAAHHHH!" Rainbow Dash screamed and awoke with a start. Cold droplets of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she shivered under her freezing sheets. Winter was really no time to be wearing only her sky-blue underwear to bed, but Rainbow had been so tired from the earlier night that she had stripped down and flopped onto her bed, falling into a deep sleep.
Truly, Rainbow had no wish to go back to sleep. But she was exhausted, and figured that dealing with the nightmares would be better than being late for school the next morning.
Except it was the next morning. As soon as Rainbow laid her head back down on her cloud-like pillow, her alarm clock started beeping away, signaling that it was time to get up for school. Rainbow cursed under her breath and slammed the alarm clock so hard, it fell off of her nightstand and onto the floor, shattering the glass panel on the front of the clock. Rainbow cursed again, got out of bed, and swept the broken glass up, throwing the clock into a garbage can on the other side of her room with perfect aim. She chuckled. No one had better aim than her. It was no wonder Rainbow was captain of every sports team at her school.
Crossing the room, Rainbow flung her door open and slid down the railing on the stairs of her ginormous house. Since her parents' absence as of eight years ago, she could do whatever she wanted here, which was why Pinkie slept over most nights.
People always gave Rainbow their condolences to her parents, but she could care less. They had always been ordering her around ever since she was little. "Do this, Rainbow, do that, Rainbow -" really, they were such assholes. She was like a ten-year-old Cinderella. The day they were gone was one of the greatest days of Rainbow's entire life.
Rainbow yawned and poured some corn flakes into a bowl. Since they were tasteless, she poured sugar over the bowl, and added milk. Her favorite breakfast. Well, almost. She shook coffee beans into the machine and waited for it to brew as she gulped down the cereal.
After breakfast, Rainbow bounded back upstairs into her room to put on her prissy private school uniform, which was pretty damn ugly. It had a long, white button-up shirt with a collar and dark blue leggings that were too tight around her muscular legs, not to mention the matching plaid short skirt. There were so many frills and lace embedded in it, Rainbow thought she was going to vomit.
She pulled on a letterman's jacket, which she felt was a better suit for her. Her brightly-colored hair was tied up tightly in a high ponytail, the rainbow colors standing out against her outfit. The dumb bow she was supposed to wear in her hair had been tossed out a long time ago, and in its place rested a sporty headband, so Rainbow could keep her hair out of her eyes.
Rainbow slid down the railing for the second time that morning, expertly jumping off and landing on her feet at the last second. Pinkie was always impressed when she did that, when Pinkie usually just fell off and crash landed on the floor. Rainbow laughed aloud. Her girlfriend was such a weirdo sometimes. A very sexy weirdo.
Rainbow leaned against the outside of her house and waited. Carpooling wasn't exactly Rainbow's ideal travel style, but she hadn't saved up quite enough yet to afford her own car. Ever since her parents died, Rainbow had had to buy everything on her own, and that usually meant working late nights at the restaurant.
A familiar minivan finally drove up to Rainbow's house, and Rainbow hopped in. It felt like forever since she had been in this car, although the last time she actually had been was Friday morning. Maybe the weekend had gone by a little too slowly.
"Hey, Flutters," Rainbow grinned at her shy friend. Fluttershy only slightly lifted the corner of her lips in return, but said nothing. Her light pink hair covered most of her face, although her teal eyes crinkled, and Rainbow knew she was in an okay mood. She climbed in the seat next to Fluttershy, who squeaked a hello at her friend.
"That was some party last night, huh? Too bad your parents picked you up before you even got a chance to have fun," Rainbow smirked at Fluttershy.
"Um... yeah..." Fluttershy responded, whose eyes were as big as saucers. "Erm... what kind... of fun?"
Rainbow erupted into a fit of giggles. "Ha, I, haha, don't think you, ahaha, want to know," she laughed.
"I probably don't," Fluttershy agreed. She was silent the rest of the ride, while Rainbow Dash popped her earbuds in and started humming along to her favorite song. Eventually she started singing,
Oh God, the way you hold me, I've never felt like this before, 'Cause girl, you're my one and only, And when you show up at my door, I will wait, for you, to wake, me up I promise you that this is not enough, Girl, I promise you that this is not enough.
When the song ended, Rainbow finally took her earbuds out and looked to her left, only to find Fluttershy staring at her in awe.
"W...what? Why are you staring at me like that?" Rainbow blushed profusely.
"I - I just, I've never heard you sing like that before. You're amazing!" Fluttershy continued to stare at her in shock.
"Well, thanks..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. "But I don't have time for soft stuff like singing. So don't even try to convince me to join choir," Rainbow jumped out of the car, her backpack draped over her shoulder, and headed towards the school, leaving her friend in the car, who was still staring at her in shock.
* * *
Rainbow tensed as she walked into her first period classroom. She was usually afraid of walking in here, being on a tardy streak and all, but thanks to Fluttershy, she was finally on time for once. Her teacher noticed, too.
"Well well well, what have we here? Rainbow Dash, finally on time?" she snickered.
"Yeah, yeah," Rainbow said, ignoring her teacher's comments. She plunked down in her seat, grabbing her science textbook and flipping it open, pretending to be involved in it so as not to see her classmates' rude stares.
After a while, the bell rang, and everyone was in their seats. Fluttershy sat in the back of the classroom, who waved at Rainbow. That's good, she wasn't mad at Rainbow for abandoning her earlier, then.
However, in the traditionally empty seat next to Rainbow, she saw a backpack plunked next to it on the ground. It was obviously old, because of its tattered appearance, and was probably made out of something like old jeans, considering the denim fabric and silver buttons. Just as Rainbow was wondering whose it could be, the classroom door opened and someone walked in.
"Uh, sorry Ah'm late, ya'll," A girl with yellow-blonde hair and freckled arms stood toward the teacher. Her hair was down in a loose braid, tied with a red rubber band, and her uniform was all ruffled. She looked like she had been getting dressed in a giant hurry.
"That's alright, but please, seeing as this is your first day, try not to end up on a tardy streak," the teacher said. She could have sworn she shot a look at Rainbow as she said this.
Rainbow stared as the new girl turned around and looked back at the classroom. She had bright emerald eyes, a petite nose, and pale pink lips. Freckles sprinkled across her cheeks and her nose, making her look cute and small. But the girl was anything but small. She had giant muscular arms and legs, and her breasts were enlarged as well. She wasn't fat but had a muscular stomach, and she had big hips that swayed slightly from side to side when she walked. She wore her white button-up shirt all tucked up, where it was tied in between her breasts and you could see her entire stomach, as if it were the middle of summer and she was sweltering.
Her skirt was all bunched up, as if she had pulled it up in a haste, and one of her pant legs was pulled up, while the other hung at her ankles. Although hats were banned, the girl clearly had no idea of the rule, as a genuine cowboy hat sat atop her head.
The girl took a seat right next to Rainbow, who flinched and scooted away a bit. Rainbow had a weird feeling about this girl - it wasn't bad or good. It was only that there was something strange about her, something Rainbow couldn't quite put her finger on.
She must have noticed that Rainbow was staring intently at her, because the girl whispered as the teacher was giving a lecture, "Hiya, Ah'm Applejack," and stuck out her hand to shake. Rainbow kept her hand at her side and continued to stare. Applejack put her hand down in defeat, and cocked her head to the side. "What's yer name, then?"
"Uh... I'm Rainbow," Rainbow said and finally peeled her eyes away from Applejack.
"Nice to meet ya!" Applejack beamed. Or, at least, Rainbow thought she did. She wasn't really paying attention anymore. She was more focused on what was so strange about Applejack.
And then it hit her. Muscles? Cowboy hat? Duh! She was the girl who had just moved to that old farm right next to Pinkie's house that her girlfriend had been blabbing about! Of course, why didn't Rainbow think about that? She really needed to listen to Pinkie a little bit more.
"Yeah, you too..." Rainbow droned. She was still lost in her thoughts about this girl. Pinkie had called her kind of shy, maybe even introverted, but she seemed very outgoing to Rainbow.
Distracted, Rainbow didn't even notice the teacher standing before her, a red detention slip clutched feverishly in her hand, her nails digging into the paper.
* * *
"Well, Dashie?" Pinkie bounced up and down, awaiting Rainbow's answer. "Aw, come on, don't tell me you've got studying to do, that's obviously a lie."
"Oh... yeah, I can go. But are you sure you're ready to introduce me to your parents, Pinkie? None of your sisters are lesbians." Rainbow pointed out.
"Oh, they're fine! What about you? Are you okay admitting, you know, everything?" Rainbow only nodded in return.
"Ookie dokie lokie! It's settled then! Yaaaaaaaaaay!" Pinkie danced down the hallway to her locker. Rainbow chuckled and rolled her eyes. Although Pinkie seemed ready to come out of the closet, Rainbow felt more like a closet case. All her friends were lesbians, with the exception of Fluttershy, so why the hell was she struggling with it more than they were? Even Twilight confessed, and she was the last person Rainbow would have expected to be lesbian. Rainbow was so confused.
Slamming her locker shut, Rainbow walked down the hallway, her torn pride and torn thoughts spiraling after her.
Applejack snuggled comfortably in her warm bed. The sunlight from the window poured into her room, giving it a beautiful glow that bounced off walls and objects in her room. Unfortunately, as the sun turned, it bounced off Applejack's mirror and straight into her eyes.
"What in tarnation..." Applejack mumbled, and used her hand to block the sunlight streaming into her face. It was rare the sun jumped to this position yet in this time of morning.
The problem was, it wasn't the time Applejack had previously thought. As she checked the old grandfather clock sitting in the corner of her room, realization began to creep in with its best friend - but definitely uninvited guest - panic.
"Ah'm late!" Applejack yelled and jumped out of bed, tying her hair in a quick braid, only to find she had been sleeping in the night before's clothes. No wonder she had overslept, she must have been exhausted from the previous day's chores. Still, that was no excuse to be late for her first day of school, and she needed to get ready faster than a five bit snake herder in an Appleloosa ranch house.
Running to her dresser, she quickly pulled off the ranch farmer's clothes and hastily pulled on her uniform, and then checked herself in the mirror. It looked fine to her, but Applejack knew she'd probably be sweating on the way to school, so she undid the buttons on her shirt and instead tied the ends together above her stomach. Afterwards, she bunched up her pant legs so that her leggings wouldn't stick to her calves. However, one of the pant legs refused to bunch, so Applejack gave in and just let it drop. She placed her favorite brown Stetson on her head and took another look in the mirror. There, perfect. Now she wouldn't be all hot and miserable in the black pickup truck that did nothing but attract heat.
Applejack flung her door open and sprinted into the kitchen, barely saying goodbye to Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac, who were sitting around the table eating breakfast. She was about to leave when Granny spoke up.
"Applejack, breakfast?" the older lady crowed. Applejack sighed, but picked up a bagel, ran out of the kitchen like her hair was on fire, and didn't stop until she reached the old truck.
* * *
Huffing, Applejack slammed the car door shut and ran inside the school building, dropping what was left of her bagel in a nearby trash receptacle. It was bad enough that she was late, but now she was probably going to have bad breath as well.
Staring down at a yellowed schedule, Applejack sighed, seeing that she was late for her very important "welcome to your new high school" meeting with the principal. Looking at the map of the school, helpfully placed on the next page, Applejack sighed again, louder, considering that the principal's office was all the way on the other side of the school. Why was her life so complicated?
Panting, Applejack finally reached the office, where a student assistant sat at a desk, filing her nails. Probably a sophomore. They were always doing dumb stuff like that.
"Can I, like, help you, or something?" the assistant said.
"Uh, yeah, um, Ah have an appointment," Applejack stuttered.
"Not now. Can't you see I'm, like, busy?" the girl huffed impatiently, finally looking up from her nails. Then it was her turn to stutter. "Uhh... Well, like... Hi, uh... You're that student Principal Igneous wanted to, like, see. Uhmm, go right in," the assistant said, almost dropping her nail file.
Applejack thanked the girl and opened the door to the office. It was a small room, or at least smaller than she thought it would be, made entirely of... rock. That was strange. She'd never seen a room made entirely out of rocks before, but each to his own way.
"Hello. Why does thou enter thy place?" a voice spoke. Turning her head, she saw it to be a man with yellowish skin, droopy eyes, and white sideburns. He looked old, so he was probably bald, considering the black hat he wore on his head.
"Ah, um, you wanted to see me before class?" Applejack stood in the doorway, unsure whether to run away or walk in.
"Ah, yes. Thou new student, please, sit," Principal Igneous gestured to the seat in front of him. It, too, was made of rocks.
"So, why havest thou cometh to Ponyville Crest High School?" the principal said regally.
"Ah moved here a few days back, sir, and mah Granny-" Applejack started.
"This is not of interest to me." Principal Igneous crossed the room, standing behind Applejack's rock chair. "Fill outeth thy form," he said, and shoved a piece of paper in Applejack's face. "You will deliver it to my assistant by thy end of thou's day, any questions?"
"Actually, Ah-"
"Good. Now then, thy musteth be on thou's way," the principal said, eyeing Applejack's shirt suspiciously, and shoved Applejack out of the room.
What a strange man, Applejack thought. But she sprinted down the hallway anyway, as the class bell started ringing, reminding Applejack of how late she was.
* * *
Applejack did not get to class before the bell stopped ringing, but afterwards, having walked into several wrong classrooms. She finally walked into what she found was her first period science class, after about a minute. Apparently, she'd forgotten her backpack, so Granny Smith had been kind enough to drop it off before school. Applejack blew out a note of relief. What a great grandmother.
"Uh, sorry Ah'm late, ya'll," Applejack said, looking at the teacher as she spoke.
The teacher wasn't having it. "That's alright, but please, seeing as this is your first day, try not to end up on a tardy streak," she said, looking at someone else in the class as she spoke.
Applejack turned to face the class. She felt her cheeks redden as she did, embarassed to see she was the only one that was late. She looked around the classroom at her new classmates, none of which stared back at her.
Except for one girl.
She had multi-colored hair up in a high ponytail, streaks of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple littering in stripes. Her eyes were magenta, probably contacts, and she wore a sport-enthused headband instead of the school bow (which Applejack didn't wear, either). She had on the school uniform, but wore a letterman's jacket around it, which you can only receive from being on a varsity team, making her an impressively athletic girl. Instead of flats, tennis shoes peeked out from under her desk, bright rainbow ones, and Applejack couldn't help but stare for a second.
When she finally got over the shock of the girl, Applejack shook her head and slid into her seat. What made her different than the rest of the girls here? There was just something about her that had Applejack's head spinning, but she decided that that wasn't important. She was going to make a good impression on everyone here, despite her impressions at her last school.
"Hiya, Ah'm Applejack," she whispered and stuck out her hand for the girl to shake, who didn't seem to be paying much attention to the teacher's lecture. Or Applejack's words, for that matter, because she only stared back at Applejack without lifting a finger. That was a little weird. Did she say something wrong? "What's yer name, then?" Applejack asked after a while.
The girl seemed to hesitate. "Uh... I'm Rainbow," she said. That was a typical name, hence the colored hair. But it seemed that Rainbow wasn't interested in a conversation, as she turned her nose into her science textbook. Applejack raised her eyebrows and tried again.
"Nice to meet ya!" Applejack smiled awkwardly. Rainbow didn't turn back to her, however. She only said, "Yeah, you too..." in reply.
Although, Rainbow's response might have been uttered a little too loudly, as the teacher turned around, raised an eyebrow at Rainbow, and filled out a piece of red parchment, standing over Rainbow's desk angrily. Applejack would have said something about it not being her who started the conversation, but Rainbow hadn't even looked up yet, and the last thing Applejack needed on her first day was a detention. So she sat back, feeling guilty about the whole thing, and dreading the next time she would see Rainbow.
* * *
Applejack stared into the depths of her empty locker, beside the book bag resting in it. Something wasn't right about that Rainbow girl, and she knew it. But it wasn't a good wrong or a bad wrong. It was just... strange.
Applejack turned around, huffing, only to find a smiling face with curled purple hair staring back at her.
"Rarity...?" Applejack's eyes widened in realization.
"Applejack!" Rarity grinned and hugged her old friend. Applejack hesitated, but halfheartedly patted her friend's back.
"Oh, it's so good to see you! But... what are you wearing?" Rarity scrunched up her nose as if there was a terrible smell emanating from her outfit.
"Well, the uniform, a'course," Applejack shrugged indifferently. Rarity started to mess with Applejack's skirt.
"Hey!" Applejack practically jumped into her locker. "What d'you think yer doin' down there?"
"Sorry, darling, but it's all bunched up! And you can't wear your shirt like that around school, it's prohibited, just like that ugly hat of yours," Rarity complained.
"Principal Igneous and mah science teacher didn't seem to mind," Applejack crossed her arms across her chest, ignoring Rarity's hat comment.
"Well, the principal is a little... off," Rarity replied. "And the science teacher is his wife, Mrs. Pie, so she's probably no different."
"Oh," Applejack said, and fixed her clothes. "Alright then."
"So, did you meet anyone you liked?" Rarity asked, batting her eyes and giggling.
"No Ah did not!" Applejack retorted.
"You're blushing! You definitely did!" Rarity started laughing.
"Ah'm not blushing neither!" Applejack stopped blushing.
"Rarity, who's this?" an annoyed-sounding voice said.
"Oh! Hey, Twilight! This is my old friend, Applejack. We went to kindergarten together, until I moved here," Rarity waved at the annoyed girl.
"Oh! Hi, Applejack," Twilight's face seemed to relax a bit, "You must be new here. I'm Twilight Sparkle, and... oh, well, I see you've already met my girlfriend, Rarity," Twilight beamed.
"Girlfriend?" Applejack's eyes grew wide.
"Oh goodness, dear, I did tell you, didn't I? I came out a few years back," Rarity said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Uh... no, ya didn't," Applejack twisted her braid around her fingers nervously.
"Oh, my bad! Sorry, darling," Rarity said nonchalantly. "Well, anyways, you're totally free to sit with us at lunch. Table 7, you know," Rarity smiled and ran off hand in hand with Twilight.
Applejack just stood there with a dazed look on her face. She knew about homosexuals, but her old kindergarten buddy being one? That seemed strange. She had nothing against gays, but Applejack had never expected something like this. Nor had she really thought about it. She kind of just assumed Rarity was more boy-crazy than anything. She had been in kindergarten.
Applejack clicked her locker shut, and tiredly groped down the hallway, dazed, confused, and ready to get the hell out of that school.
Rainbow Dash huffed and walked over to Table 7, tray tilting in her hands. She was still confused about why Pinkie Pie, who was so excited to admit her sexuality, was her girlfriend, this person, sitting before her. Was Rainbow really lesbian? Or did she just like Pinkie? Sure, she checked girls out from time to time. Girls were always pretty. But Rainbow had never thought about boys. They were nice and all, but they didn't understand girls like other girls did. And Rainbow was not ready to admit to being a lesbian, not yet anyways.
"Dashie!" Pinkie cried and hugged her girlfriend from across the table. Rainbow laughed nervously, pulling away. The last thing she needed was any form of contact right now, especially from the person she was so confused about being with.
"Uh... Hey, Pinkie," Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. What was she going to say now? Oh, Pinkie, I'm probably not a lesbian, I've just got the hots for you? God, she sounded like an idiot. Maybe now wasn't the right time to think about it.
"Dashie, I'm so so so so so so so SO excited for tonight! Aren't you? I love love! It's just the greatest thing ever! I mean, obviously I don't love other people, I mean, you're the only one of course, but this one time I was at Rarity's house and..." Rainbow started tuning Pinkie out. Rainbow loved her, but Pinkie's rants were really annoying sometimes.
Twenty long sentences and thirty seconds later, Fluttershy appeared behind Pinkie Pie. "Um, hi, everyone," Fluttershy looked down at her food. "I'm not, um, interrupting, am I?"
Rainbow cut her girlfriend off. "Nope! Not at all! Not in the least!" she smiled awkwardly.
"Oh, good, because I have big news," Fluttershy's eyes lit up. "The people down at the animal shelter might be closing down in a few weeks, and they asked if I could help out, since I volunteer so often. But I'll need your help with the adoptions. There's a lot to get done for just one person." Fluttershy looked expectantly at her two friends, but when no reply came, she continued, "If you, you know, want to, of course. No pressure..."
"What's this about pressure? There's no pop quiz coming up that I'm not aware of, is there?" said a voice from behind them. Rainbow turned around to see none other than Twilight and Rarity coming towards them. Twilight was always worried about a test, but she was on 4.0 honor roll anyways. She was the only other person Rainbow knew that attended Ponyville Crest on a scholarship as well. Rainbow had to admit, Twilight was pretty impressive, but she was just as afraid of losing that scholarship as Rainbow was.
"No, there's no pop quiz. Don't be such a worry-wart, Twi!" Pinkie giggled. Twilight laughed it off, but Rainbow knew she was relieved.
"Oh, good. And scientifically, warts can't actually worry." Twilight pointed out and took a seat.
Rarity remained standing, waving vigorously at someone. "Who are you waving at, Rarity?" Pinkie asked before Rainbow got a chance to.
"Oh, I invited my old kindergarten pal to sit here. I hope you don't mind," Rarity continued waving.
"No problem. I can't wait to hear about what you were like in kindergarten," Rainbow smirked.
"Shut up. Oh! Here she comes now!" Rarity finally took a seat, smiling.
"...and yer sure it's okay for me to sit here?" came a familiar Southern accent. Rainbow almost choked on her mandarin oranges.
Fuck! Applejack?!
"Oh, of course, darling. Why would we exclude you from a lunch table? Don't be silly." Rarity smiled and Applejack sat down, looking unsure. Her eyes flew around the table, settling for a moment on Rainbow. Applejack looked a bit panicked, as if she was afraid something was going to happen to her.
"Hey, wait a minute..." Pinkie glared suspiciously at Applejack before brightening up again. "You're my new neighbor! Welcome to Ponyville Crest! It's great here, but the food kinda smells sometimes..." Pinkie trailed off and Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, Applejack, you know Rarity from kindergarten?" Fluttershy took an uncanny bite of mashed potatoes.
"Yeah. Actually, she was a riot back then. Goin' on 'bout guys." Rarity's cheeks started to flush, "She had pictures of her boyfriends 'round her room," Rarity turned a deep shade of maroon, "She was actually the one I learned about se-" Applejack started.
"Well, now! We should eat, then, shouldn't we?" Rarity burst out loudly, while the others snickered.
"God, Rarity, don't be so serious, it was a joke," Rainbow laughed, but then quickly stopped after looking at Applejack.
"Well, I didn't find it very funny," Rarity huffed and started scarfing her food down.
"Sorry, she's a bit-" Rainbow began.
"Sensitive. Ah know," Applejack blushed and looked away. Rainbow did the same. What was it about Applejack that made her feel so... weird?
"Hey, Dashie, can I stay over tonight? My parents are out so that means I'm in!" Pinkie beamed.
"Oh, sure. I have a volleyball meeting tonight and then work, so I'll be a little late. Make yourself at home while I'm gone," Rainbow smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. Pinkie giggled and turned back to her lunch.
"Pinkie... stays at yer house? At night?" Applejack looked panicked.
"Mm-hmm! You wanna know what happens when I do?" Pinkie snickered. Rainbow started laughing uncontrollably.
"Uh... no thanks. I'm good." Applejack's fearful expression turned to disgust.
"Well, since you begged me," Pinkie laughed alongside Rainbow. "Dashie always comes home late, so we're always really tired during it. We kinda just fall asleep on top of each other,"
"Do you have something against lesbians?" Twilight asked defensively.
"No! No, of course not. Ah just ain't one mahself." Applejack turned her head and blushed. Rainbow had to wonder what she was hiding. That was definitely a lie. What was Applejack's real problem with gay people?
"Well, okay then. So... uh, when did you move here?" Rainbow asked casually.
"A couple days ago. Granny got a new job in the city, an' so we moved here." Applejack picked at her food with her fork.
"Oh. Nice." Rainbow said, picking at an emptied tray.
There was an awkward silence for a while, until Rarity spoke up, "Girls, I just had the most fabulous idea. Why don't we all have a slumber party at my house? Scootaloo is having Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom over, so we'll have the house to ourselves. Won't that be fun?"
"That's the bestest idea ever!" Pinkie clopped - erm, clapped - her hands excitedly. "And I can bring a bunch of snacks! It'll be so much fun,"
Everyone agreed it was a great idea, and they all offered to contribute something - Rarity would make pajamas, Pinkie would bring the snacks, Rainbow had a bunch of extra sleeping bags and blankets, Fluttershy would bring some movies, Twilight would supply flashlights and books in case someone got bored, and Applejack was going to sneak a little liquor in. It was the perfect plan.
Right up until that moment.
* * *
Rainbow excitedly vented to Fluttershy about the party as they drove together to Rarity's house - she was so happy she'd be able to have fun with Pinkie again. It was already ten at night, seeing as Rainbow had just gotten off work, so Rainbow hoped they wouldn't immediately be tired. Twilight was always the first to go to bed, being a strict, no-nonsense kind of girl. But that was right up until a week ago, before Twilight admitted her sexuality. Maybe this sleepover was going to be different.
"Dash! Flutters! You made it!" Rarity beamed and let the pair in. Looking around, you could tell Rarity had cleaned the place up all nicely for their new guest. Usually she only picked up the floor and dusted, but Rarity had really gone all out. Like she always said, first impressions were everything.
"Well, no shit. Of course we made it," Rainbow smirked and hefted the sleeping bags in. Two were larger, for her and Pinkie and Rarity and Twilight, and two were smaller, one for Fluttershy and one for Applejack. She had also thrown in two extra small ones in case someone got in a fight.
"Hello, Rarity. Thank you for inviting us," Fluttershy smiled awkwardly, carrying a thick stack of movie cases as she walked in.
"Yes, darling, of course! Pinkie's already here, and Twilight and Applejack are on their way. I believe Twilight said something about lots of homework, so she might be a little late." Rarity looked genuinely disappointed.
"Aw, that's okay, Rarity. Don't you worry, she'll be here before you know it," Fluttershy comforted her friend, patting her shoulder.
"I know. I just wish she wasn't so caught up in her studies that she didn't have time to come to our events," Rarity looked resentful, but quickly brightened. "Anyways, Rainbow, Pinkie's in the living room. I'm sure you two want to... hang, for a bit."
"You know me too well. Alright, Flutters, let's set up before the other girls get here." Rainbow and Fluttershy marched their way to the living room; or in Fluttershy's case, cowered her way.
"Dashie! You're here!" A giant smile spread across Pinkie's face as she jumped up and hugged her girlfriend. Rainbow did hug her back this time. Tonight wasn't the time to worry about confessing, it was the time to have fun with her girlfriend, and her other friends, too.
Just as they were done setting up the snacks and DVDs, there were three soft knocks on the front door.
Perfect timing, cowgirl, Rainbow thought. I hope she's up for a little fun.
Applejack looked around tentatively for a "Table 7". It had to be the right one. Not Table 9, not Table 3, but Table 7. That was possibly crucial to her high school survival. She couldn't risk accidentally sitting with the wrong clique and making a fool of herself. What if she accidentally sat next to the jocks? Well, okay, so that wouldn't actually be that bad. But what about the mean popular girls? Applejack was not about to deal with that on her first day.
Even so, Rainbow was still distracting her from paying attention to any sort of number. There was something strange about her that made Applejack nervous whenever she was around.
Fear, that's fear, Applejack thought. She's so damn badass it's not even funny. And you're afraid of getting messed with.
Looping her hair around her fingers, Applejack distractedly contemplated about her new friends. Rarity and Twilight were... were... skirt lifters! What the hell was that all about? Rarity was the least gay person Applejack knew. Or, rather, had known. It felt like she hadn't seen her companion in three million years, much less since kindergarten.
Finally, Applejack noticed a certain curly purple-haired girl waving at her from a table. Applejack heaved a relieved sigh, heading in that direction. It was a good thing she had someone to sit with on her first day - that never went well when unplanned.
"Thanks, Rarity... and yer sure it's okay for me to sit here?" Applejack chewed on the inside of her cheek nervously as she took a seat next to her fashionable friend.
"Oh, of course, darling. Why would we exclude you from a lunch table? Don't be silly." Rarity smiled. Applejack scanned the table, finding some new faces... and one very familiar one.
Fuck! Rainbow?!
Applejack tried not to stare at the bright-haired girl and took a large gulp of her hamburger.
"Hey, wait a minute..." A familiar-looking girl glared suspiciously at Applejack before brightening up again. Oh, of course! It was Pinkie Pie, her weird neighbor. "You're my new neighbor! Welcome to Ponyville Crest! It's great here, but the food kinda smells sometimes..." Pinkie trailed off, while Rainbow rolled her eyes. Applejack just nodded, still stuffed with the large bite of her hamburger.
"Anyway, Applejack, you know Rarity from kindergarten?" A shy-looking girl took an uncanny bite of mashed potatoes.
"Yeah. Actually, she was a riot back then. Goin' on 'bout guys." Applejack grinned evilly, while Rarity's cheeks started to flush, "She had pictures of her boyfriends 'round her room," Rarity turned a deep shade of maroon, "She was actually the one I learned about se-" Applejack started.
"Well, now! We should eat, then, shouldn't we?" Rarity burst out loudly, while the others snickered.
"God, Rarity, don't be so serious, it was a joke," Rainbow laughed, but then quickly stopped after looking at Applejack. That was a little weird.
"Well, I didn't find it very funny," Rarity huffed and started scarfing her food down.
"Sorry, she's a bit-" Rainbow began.
"Sensitive. Ah know," Applejack blushed and looked away, not looking to see what Rainbow did in response. Why was Applejack blushing so much? She was making a fool of herself in front of her new friends.
"Hey, Dashie, can I stay over tonight? My parents are out so that means I'm in!" Pinkie beamed. Applejack jerked her head up from her food. Wait, what? Applejack mused.
"Oh, sure. I have a volleyball meeting tonight and then work, so I'll be a little late. Make yourself at home while I'm gone," Rainbow smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. Pinkie giggled and turned back to her lunch, while Applejack just stared fearfully at the whole situation.
"Pinkie... stays at yer house? At night?" Applejack barely uttered above a whisper, shocked.
"Mm-hmm! You wanna know what happens when I do?" Pinkie snickered. Rainbow started laughing uncontrollably, and Applejack felt sick.
"Uh... no thanks. I'm good." Applejack's fearful expression turned to disgust.
"Well, since you begged me," Pinkie laughed alongside Rainbow. "Dashie always comes home late, so we're always really tired during it. We kinda just fall asleep on top of each other,"
"Um, really, Pinkie, Ah don't wanna know," Applejack held her stomach to repress the sickening feeling in it.
"Do you have something against lesbians?" Twilight asked defensively.
"No! No, of course not. Ah just ain't one mahself." Applejack lied, not about being a lesbian, but about the real reason she felt sick, which Applejack didn't quite know herself.
"Well, okay then. So... uh, when did you move here?" Rainbow asked. Since when was this girl so interested in Applejack? It made no sense. In first period, she hadn't given one shit about Applejack, and now she was all open and friendly-like. That definitely added the next bullet point to the "List of Rainbow Mysteries".
"A couple days ago. Granny got a new job in the city, an' so we moved here." Applejack picked at her food with her fork.
"Oh. Nice." Rainbow said, picking at an emptied tray. There she went again, uninterested. God, why was she so complicated?
There was an awkward silence for a while, until Rarity spoke up, "Girls, I just had the most fabulous idea. Why don't we all have a slumber party at my house? Scootaloo is having Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom over, so we'll have the house to ourselves. Won't that be fun?"
"That's the bestest idea ever!" Pinkie clapped her hands excitedly. "And I can bring a bunch of snacks! It'll be so much fun,"
Everyone agreed it was a great idea, and they all offered to contribute something - Rarity would make pajamas, Pinkie would bring the snacks, Rainbow had a bunch of extra sleeping bags and blankets, the girl named Fluttershy would bring some movies, Twilight would supply flashlights and books in case someone got bored, and Applejack was going to sneak a little liquor in. It was the perfect plan.
Right up until that moment.
* * *
Applejack sat hushed in her bedroom long enough for Granny Smith to fall asleep. Big Mac was the only person she had to worry about now, but he was in the barn, so he probably wouldn't notice her anyways. Applejack quietly snuck down the stairs and into the kitchen, grabbing whatever alcohol she could find from the icebox. This wasn't something Applejack would normally do; she hated lying, but for some reason she felt compelled to grab the liquor and run.
"Where d'you think yer runnin' off to with that?" a deep voice croned from behind her.
Shit. "Uh... um, nowhere?" Sweat rolled down the back of Applejack's neck.
"Really?" Big Mac laughed, remembering his first drink had been when he was sixteen, not even eighteen, like his sister. But he was much older than Applejack, and frowned upon rule breaking - this was definitely underage drinking. However, she deserved a little fun now and then. "Okay, but iffin' you drive home drunk an' get in an accident, I'm tellin' Granny," Big Mac smiled.
Applejack smiled back, relieved. She owed Big Mac big-time.
Excitedly, Applejack hopped into the front seat of the old black Jeep, taking a few moments to start the truck. She actually couldn't wait to see Rainbow, despite her earlier outbursts. Maybe Applejack could finally settle once and for all about why Rainbow made her so nervous.
And that is exactly what she did.
Applejack finally heaved up the nerve to walk into Rarity's front gate. Her house was just like it always had been - somewhat circular with three stories, purple wall panels, and a blue roof. Two balconies hung out of windows on the top floor, surrounding fence painted a bright white. The lights were so artificial that only a seeping yellow lingered out of any of the windows, as Rarity didn't really believe in conserving the Earth. Although, that seemed understated, as the landscaping was far more intricate than that of any Applejack had ever seen. There were possibly seven thousand neatly trimmed bushes neighboring the house, followed by a complex series of flowers in every possible color. The rainbow pattern reminded Applejack of a certain someone, although she shook her head, trying not to think about it. This was a time for fun, not super-confusing feelings that no one understood.
Quickly, Applejack raced down the pavement to Rarity's girly pink door, covered in grooves and holes as it was wearing down from being used so often. Running a hand through her hair, and with her other hand holding the alcohol, Applejack contemplated whether or not she should just run back to the car and drive home, where she might be safe from a potentially horrible night. But something was urging her to stay, to go inside, and enjoy herself. Applejack was no stranger to trusting her instincts, so carefully, hesitantly, she gave three soft knocks on the big door.
Voices from inside started cheering, and Applejack had another gut feeling lurch inside of her.
"Applejack!" Rarity squealed eagerly as she opened the door to find her guest. Pinkie Pie appeared behind her.
"And you brought the booze, I see!" Pinkie laughed.
Rainbow followed closely behind, a smirk clearly drawn across her face. She was ready for this; she'd been waiting for a free night like this all summer, one to just lose herself with Pinkie and her other friends. It was time, it was definitely time.
"Uh, yeah. Ah had to sneak past Granny, though, so it better be worth it," Although Applejack's comment was filled with sarcasm, you could tell she was excited anyways.
But as soon as Applejack and Rainbow locked eyes, all of that was taken away. The fun, the anxiety, the anticipation of it all. Something clicked, something changed, and the whole mood deepened.
"Oh, hey, Rainbow," Applejack breathed, walking inside the house.
"Hey," Rainbow returned in the same breathless tone, following slowly after her. Mesmerized, Rainbow almost tripped over Pinkie's feet behind her.
"Careful, silly-willy!" Pinkie laughed, catching her girlfriend in the nick of time. "Let's save that for later."
"What? Oh, right," Rainbow said distractedly, standing up again. Something had just clicked, and although Rainbow didn't know exactly what it was, she knew it had happened.
"Well, since Twilight's going to be late, why don't you go try on the pajamas I made? They're in these bags," Rarity beamed, holding up six bags, clearly excited about the outfits.
"Um, okay," Fluttershy said cautiously, taking one of the bags from Rarity's hands. "The bathroom's over there, right?" Fluttershy inquisited and Rarity nodded.
"But there's only two bathrooms, the one in my bedroom and the one in the hallway. And I was going to get dressed in my closet, so two of you are going to have to share my bedroom," Rarity pointed out nonchalantly, while Applejack and Rainbow tensed up. Were they going to get chosen together?
"Of course, me and Dashie will get changed together, since she's my girlfriend," Pinkie piped up. 'Dashie' breathed a sigh of relief, as did Applejack. They weren't quite sure they were ready for that yet.
"And Ah'll get changed in one a' the bathrooms," Applejack offered, grabbing a bag and wandering somewhat aimlessly down the hallway into Rarity's bedroom.
"Right, of course," Rainbow replied, plastering a fake smile across her face and sticking her hands casually into her back pockets. "Let's go get changed, Pinkie," Rainbow winked.
Pinkie giggled. "Right! Changed."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "Keep in mind that me and Applejack will be in the other rooms. Those walls aren't soundproof, you know," This just made Pinkie giggle louder, and Rainbow's smile become ten times as fake. They each grabbed their bags and moved on, Rainbow strolling slowly, Pinkie skipping down the hall.
"I guess that means I'll get changed in the hall bathroom," Fluttershy said without really needing to. She grabbed a bag from a stunned Rarity's hand and walked timidly into the bathroom.
The only one not getting changed yet was Rarity. She may have been sad about Twilight not being on time, but that didn't mean she wasn't so completely wrapped up in her own thoughts she wasn't able to notice the obvious. Was it not clear to everyone else that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were acting very strangely? It was almost as if...
Rarity cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. This was gonna be good.
* * *
All five girls came out at once, almost in sync with each other, each loving their outfits. Rarity had made herself a beautiful violet, velvety nightgown edged with black lace and delicate gold jewels. Her hair had been taken out of its usual down, curly hairstyle and piled into a loose bun on top of her head. She had white silk flats on that passed for slippers, and to add a finishing touch, a gold sparkly bow clipped back her side-bangs which were falling out of her bun.
Pinkie Pie was sporting a flouncy, light pink tank top decorated with blue-and-yellow cupcakes, topped with cherries. Light pink shorty-shorts hung around her waist with hot pink drawstrings. Her curly mop of hair was down, and had managed to become somewhat less poofy by brushing it. Around her feet were cute pink strappy sandals. Fluttershy was fitted into snug yellow footie pajamas decorated with little green-and-pink butterflies. Her straight hair was tied into two high pigtails that fell against her face, with two green bands, and were decorated with mini yellow beads.
Applejack wore an oversized v-neck, orange t-shirt embossed with a white picket-fence design and the words "Applewood Derby" written in bold on the back. Her peach-colored pants stretched all the way down to her ankles, and were decorated with fuzzy red apples. Her usually knotted hair had been brushed thoroughly, and sat atop her shoulders inwardly, while her favorite Stetson still sat atop her head.
Rainbow Dash wore a tight, leathery turquoise sports bra with a rainbow hem. Her sweatpants were also turquoise, decorated with rainbows that turned into clouds, with gray drawstrings. Her multicolored hair hung down around her face in it usual style, as she had refused to let Rarity brush it.
"Darlings, you look fabulous!" Rarity squealed. The other girls looked approvingly at their own outfits, before eyeing the others. Rainbow's breath caught in her throat as she looked at Applejack's vivacious physique - as she bore no bra, her breasts filled out and its frame showed through the shirt. Her pajama pants were tight on her figure, and her muscular legs refused to hide through the fabric.
All Rainbow could think was, Holy fuck.
It took a moment for Rainbow to realize she was staring so intentively, as she glazed her eyes over Applejack's body subconsciously. Only when Dash met Applejack's eyes did she realize she might be being rude and inappropriate, and quickly turned her head away, pretending not to have been staring at Applejack. Instead she tried to glue her eyes to Pinkie's figure, which was not quite as large and muscular as - No. Rainbow would stop thinking about the dirty farm girl, and start thinking about her bubbly girlfriend. Pinkie was still sexy, and she was the only girl here who she could actually feast her eyes upon without arousing suspicion. Good. The last thing Rainbow needed was suspicion.
"It's only ten-thirty. Let's do something before tonight," Pinkie suggested with a giggle. It took every inch of Rainbow's willpower not to roll her eyes at Pinkie's giggling. What were they really going to do, anyway? Now that Applejack was here, Rainbow's attention wasn't fully on her girlfriend.
"Maybe we could watch a movie?" Fluttershy proposed.
"What about Twilight? We can't watch a movie without her, you know how she gets," Rainbow managed to snap her attention away from Applejack to comment.
"That is true... Well, why don't we play a game? Surely she can't miss that." Rarity pointed out, and the others agreed. Everyone decided upon Truth or Dare, because Twilight could join in later if she wanted to, and plus, she wasn't even that fond of the game. The others sat around the couch, chuckling at the fun to come.
"Who's going first?" Rainbow piped up immediately, ready to get the game started. Anything to get her mind off... you-know-who.
"Rarity should, since it was her idea to have the sleepover." Pinkie said, and the others nodded. Rarity looked uncomfortable.
"Okay. Rarity, pick someone to ask you truth or dare," Pinkie continued.
"How about..." Rarity looked around at the bunch, trying to decide who to choose. Rainbow Dash was definitely not an option, as she gave the hardest dares and the most embarrassing truths, and Pinkie might do so as well. Usually she'd pick Twilight, but seeing as she wasn't here, Rarity would have to choose someone else. Applejack seemed nice enough, but you can never tell what they'll do in a game, so the only option became clear. "Fluttershy?"
"Oh, me? Well, okay. Truth or dare, Rarity?" Fluttershy stared down at her feet.
"Umm..." Rarity had a couple secrets she wasn't quite ready to admit, but dares were pretty harsh. Rarity was forced to pick the lesser of two evils, then. "Dare?"
"Um, okay. Well, I dare you to... I dare... Um... Can someone help me come up with something?" Fluttershy looked around timidly, unable to think of a good dare.
"Oh, come on. How about..." Rainbow whispered something inaudible to the rest of the group into Fluttershy's ear, earning eyes as wide as saucers to appear on the shy girl.
"Oh, no, I could never say that." Fluttershy glared at Rainbow, then closed her eyes in thought, brushing her fingers through one of her pigtails. "Oh! I have a good one. Rarity, I dare you to..."
* * *
"WHAT?!" Rarity shrieked at hearing her dare.
"Rare, you have to do it! 'Those are the rules, after all,'" Pinkie said, imitating Twilight in her best mock voice.
"Ugh. Okay, fine. But I will hate you all for it." Rarity stormed out of the room, into the crisp night air, around into her backyard and pulled out a hose.
"Wait! One more thing," Rainbow smirked, and took out a camera.
Rarity looked shocked. "That was NOT part of the deal!" she screeched.
"Oh yes it was. You have to get completely drenched in water for three full minutes, while I videotape it. That's what Flutters said." Rainbow grinned evilly, as Fluttershy nodded in agreement. Rarity glared at her betraying friends, and flipped out her middle finger at the camera as she turned on the water flow to the hose, looking away and wincing as the water drenched her once gorgeous nightgown.
All the girls laughed hysterically, even Fluttershy, as the water wet her entire outfit, and her loose bun fell out. The mop of wet hair in front of her mouth stifled her rather rude remarks, as the minutes slipped by. Rainbow carefully watched her phone's timer, holding her side as she laughed, and after what seemed like hours, finally called out, "Okay, three minutes are up."
Rarity lunged for the pipe, wrenched it off, and gave an irritable sigh as she wiped the water and hair from her drenched face. "I only have one thing to say, and that is fuck you. Fuck all of you, and especially Fluttershy," Rarity muttered angrily. The others just continued to laugh.
"Oh, Rarity... haha... I really didn't mean to... ahaha... hurt your feelings," Fluttershy cried out between giggles, "I just wanted to give you a good dare."
"Well, mission accomplished," Rarity huffed as she set her dripping satin slippers by the door to dry as she walked back inside the house. Wrapping a towel around herself, Rarity plopped back down on the couch, shivering and wet. "Okay, whose turn is it now?"
"Fluttershy's, because she got to dare Rarity," Pinkie bounced up and down in anticipation.
"Um, do I have to go?" the shy girl squeaked.
"Yes!" all the girls replied at once.
"Uh, okay. Well, I choose Applejack." Fluttershy looked scared, staring up at the farm girl.
"Oh, don't worry, sugarcube. Ah'm not gonna go too hard on ya," Applejack reassured her, and smiled. "Now, truth or dare?"
"Oh, well, truth," the timid girl spoke to no one's surprise.
"Truth, huh?" Applejack grinned. Since she wasn't going to be adventurous with a dare, she could at least be somewhat adventurous with truth. "Okay, Flutters. Who do ya like?"
"What?" Fluttershy's pupils reduced and became about ten times smaller than usual.
"Ah said, who do ya like?" Applejack repeated.
"Well... um... no one..." Fluttershy lied.
"You can't lie, or we'll make you do a dare instead, silly," Pinkie reminded her.
Fluttershy shuddered at the thought. "Um, okay, I guess. Well..." Fluttershy stared at the intent faces staring back at her, and squeaked nervously. "I like... I like..." Fluttershy started sobbing. The others looked knowingly at each other, seeing that she was the most sensitive of the group.
"Sugar, you know you don't have to-" Applejack started.
"PINKIE! I like Pinkie!" Fluttershy screamed, and then ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Pinkie's eyes were wider than spaceships, and the others turned to look at her. No one said anything for a while, taking in the new information. Fluttershy liked Pinkie?
Fluttershy stared silently at the stained tiles on the bathroom floor, wet with her tears. This was her fault, wasn't it? Applejack, or any of the other girls, they didn't know about her crush. They didn't know that she was a lesbian. They had never even bothered to ask.
Maybe they just didn't want to intrude. Fluttershy hated the thought of her friends just not caring enough to ask. Maybe they were just scared to talk about it. After all, Fluttershy had made it very clear that she was extremely sensitive.
Perhaps they had been waiting for her to come out herself, like all of her friends had. Or perhaps---
Fluttershy's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Flutters? Can I come in?" said a high-pitched voice, less bubbly than usual.
"Go away," Fluttershy lowered her head before realizing her comment might have been too mean, and added, "I mean, if you want to go away, I mean, you could stay..." The shy girl blushed profusely.
"Um... Okay? Well, I'm coming in anyway." Pinkie opened the door, slightly peeked inside and then slowly, carefully approached the girl, closing the door behind her as she went.
"Are you okay? Erm, well, obviously, you aren't okay. Sorry." Pinkie and Fluttershy stared at the tiles, at their feet for a while. What had Fluttershy done? She just had to go and make things awkward. She might as well make up for it somehow.
"Pinkie, I---" Fluttershy started, but was interrupted by sobs and warm arms wrapped around her midsection. Fluttershy gasped in surprise, as she slowly put her arms around her friend.
"You're my oldest, bestest friend," Pinkie cried out between sniffles, "and I don't want things to be any different between us. I still want to be friends! Please don't say I ruined it!"
"You ruined it?" Fluttershy was starting to tear up again too, "Pinkie, it was my fault, I never should have said that in front of you, and I am very sorry about that!"
"But you know if I wasn't dating Rainbow," Pinkie didn't have to finish her sentence. Fluttershy knew she didn't want to break anyone's heart, but Pinkie was extremely noncommittal. She was starting to get tired of her relationship with Rainbow, and the only person Pinkie had confided in was Fluttershy. They were old friends, and told each other everything. But Fluttershy had started to develop a sort of weird feeling towards her bouncy friend lately, especially now that she had seen Pinkie's sensitive side. It would be harder than ever to conceal Fluttershy's feelings for her now.
"Oh, Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy pulled away from her clinging friend. "I hate seeing you like this."
"I guess I'm not like this a lot," Pinkie gave a sorrowful chuckle, trying to break off her tears. It didn't work, and she continued to muffle her sobs.
Fluttershy studied her friend, before getting an idea. "I know what always cheers you up."
"Oh yeah?" Pinkie gave Fluttershy a sad smile.
"Yes," Fluttershy nodded, and began singing,
Oh God, the way you hold me...
Pinkie laughed through her tears, rolling her eyes, but sang,
I've never felt like this before...
Fluttershy smiled at seeing her friend cheer up a bit, and the two began singing together,
'Cause girl, you're my one and only, And when you show up at my door, I will wait, for you, to wake, me up I promise you that this is not enough, Girl, I promise you that this is not enough.
"Our song." Pinkie giggled, hiding a smile.
"Our song," Fluttershy confirmed, and pulled her friend in for another hug.
Instead she felt welcoming lips clash against hers.
* * *
"What--- I don't understand," Fluttershy mumbled after Pinkie had pried her lips away from Fluttershy's.
"Silly? What's not to understand?" Pinkie giggled, having returned to her vivid self. "I wanted you to cheer up, and I figured, what's the fastest way to do that? Aha! Kiss Fluttershy, because she likes you!"
"But you don't---" Fluttershy began.
"Yes, I do. I'm just in a relationship, is all. Once I get out of that, you and I can become a thing, promise!"
Fluttershy gawked at the pink-haired girl before her. So many thoughts crossed her mind. Many of them were unfinished, or not even questions, like What? and Me? and Why?. But only one did Fluttershy utter aloud.
"Um, excuse me Pinkie, but if that's our song, why was Rainbow Dash singing it in the car this morning?"
Pinkie froze. Now she was really dead.
"Well... uh... you know our last party?" Fluttershy nodded and Pinkie bit her lip. "Well... After you left, I accidentally left the music on, while we were... uh..." Fluttershy's eyes started to get bigger, "and she was in the middle of an... um... Well, you know. So now it's her favorite song..." Pinkie grinned sheepishly. "Funny story, huh?"
* * *
Impatient knocks came pounding on the door; Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack flicked their heads towards the front of the house. Twilight, Rarity thought, finally. It was usually uncommon for Twilight to show up late to anything, but if she had homework, it always came first. She was terrified of losing her scholarship, and no party came before that.
"Rarity? Are you in there?" came Twilight's voice - but it was filled with something - what? Not fear, not annoyance, not impatience - no, it was like... guilt. Rarity got up from her couch, opening the front door as a look of suspicion etched across her face.
"Twilight? You're earlier than I expected." Twilight blinked in response, and Rarity's eyebrows furrowed a little. Nevertheless, she let her girlfriend inside, deciding to forget about Twilight's tone of voice. Rarity immediately urged Twilight to try on her pajamas, which she did. Twilight came out of Rarity's bedroom and stepped into the living room, wearing a crisscross front top, dark blue and decorated with white stars. A ruffled indigo skirt hung high up on her waist, decorated in a similar pattern, only with larger magenta stars. Wrapped around her feet were plain black flip-flops, and her sapphire hair was tied in a long braid over her shoulder.
"Wow, Rare, you really went all out with this," Twilight said breathlessly as she gaped at the outfit.
Rarity beamed, "Anything for my beautiful girlfriend!"
Twilight seemed to get antsy at the comment, and stopped eyeing the outfit. Instead she plopped down on the couch, next to Rainbow Dash, who scooted away quickly, seeing Twilight's crazy-eyes. That often meant she was not to be messed with.
"Hey, what's taking them two so long?" Applejack piped up after a moment's silence. Each guest, except Twilight of course, turned their heads toward the door in confusion. Rainbow jumped off the couch, cautiously going into the hall and knocking on the bathroom door. When no reply came, Rainbow decided to yell at them instead.
"Guys, we have a game to finish!" she screamed, and was about to knock on the door again when it unlatched and the two girls silently walked out. As strange as that was, no one seemed to care, and they jumped right back into their game. Surprisingly, Twilight agreed to play instantly, and everyone settled on the couch.
"Rarity, your hair looks... um, interesting. What happened while I was gone?" Twilight inquired, stifiling a giggle at the girl's still-wet locks.
The others quickly covered their mouths in an attempt not to burst out laughing again.
"Fluttershy dared her... to... to... ohmigod, it's too funny!" Pinkie started howling with laughter, and the others began to laugh too. Rainbow pulled out her phone, pulling up the video, and handed it to Twilight. Immediately, Twilight started laughing as well. Rarity just rolled her eyes, took the phone, and turned it off before anyone could see the rest of it.
"Yes, it's very funny," Rarity continued as she handed the phone back to Rainbow, who put it back in her pocket reluctantly. "But we have to finish our game, so I would suggest paying some attention?"
"Fine. She's right," Rainbow agreed. "Whose turn is it?"
* * *
Applejack hesitated. "Ah'll go with Twilight," she said. In the few hours that Applejack had come to know her, Twilight seemed less gossipy than the rest of her new friends. Even so, it was smart to be safe and try a dare. Applejack had seen what had happened to Fluttershy after just asking her about her crush.
"Oh, you'll regret this," Twilight grinned and rubbed her hands together. "Dare, huh?"
"Yup," Applejack smirked back and folded her arms in confidence. She was sure nothing Twilight could come up with would be anything Applejack couldn't handle.
"Okay, then," Twilight giggled a little. "I dare you to..."
* * *
Well, almost anything.
"You want me to do what?!" Applejack demanded, her eyes bursting open in shock as Rarity handed her a can.
"That's right. You and me, Applesmack," Twilight curled her fingers around the cider can dramatically.
Applejack gave a sarcastic laugh. "You know what? Fuck you, I can drink all these cans," Applejack announced, and threw her head back. She barely announced "go" before taking a large swig, setting her in the lead of the alcohol competition.
Twilight's eyes narrowed in a competitive manner, and started downing her can too. Pinkie kept score of how many cans each girl drank, Rainbow timed the competition, and Rarity and Fluttershy watched in anticipation. Whoever couldn't drink any more cider first lost, therefore making the other the winner.
Applejack had consumed her first can in an impressive twenty seconds, and was just beginning on the next one, while Twilight was still attempting to get used to the taste of her cider. The others didn't know this, but this was her first time having alcohol, and despite her competitive drive, Twilight was not having fun adjusting to the situation. It wasted a lot of time, but eventually Twilight started learning to take small sips instead of long swigs liker her competitor. This helped her adjust, and as time went on, she started copying Applejack, and downed the rest of her drink quickly. She tossed the can behind her shoulder and started on a new one, confident - until she saw that Applejack had already finished four cans and was now started on her fifth.
"God dammit, Applejack!" Twilight yelled, already feeling tipsy. The others laughed. This was going to be fun.
A long while passed. Applejack continued her streak of chugging the cans and moving on to the next, while Twilight uncertainly sipped on hers. About ten minutes went by, Applejack having finished ten cans, and Twilight having finished four, before something amazing happened.
Applejack coughed. She sputtered, her eyes going wide as she realized that she was choking on the drink. Running to the sink, she cupped water in her hands and tried to fix it, but it only made the coughing fit worse. It burned in her throat like nothing else. Eventually, Applejack calmed herself and her throat, but it was too late. Twilight had just figured out her own trick to the drinking, and had guzzled five more cans in that small amount of time. Applejack tried to bring the can back up to her lips, but it tasted awful after choking on it, and set it down, just as Twilight pushed herself into drinking two more cans.
"Ah - oh, fuck - Ah give up," Applejack said angrily, hiccupping.
"You hear that, everybody? That means that by one more can, Twilight is the winner!" Pinkie grinned and held up Twilight's arm in victory. The others laughed and cheered on Twilight, while Applejack huffed angrily in the corner. She hated losing.
"You okay?" Rainbow stifled a laugh as she placed a hand on Applejack's shoulder. Applejack turned around to yell that she wasn't, in fact, when she looked into Rainbow's eyes and her heart softened a bit.
"Not really, actually," Applejack took a seat on the arm of the couch. "Ah hate losing. Hate it."
"Wow, you didn't really strike me as the type of girl who would care so much about winning," Rainbow said geniunely.
"It actually started when Ah was a little girl," Applejack blushed. "Ah made a fool of mahself in front of a whole crowd o' people."
"You wanna tell me about it?" Rainbow asked. Applejack looked up at the girl that had made her so uncomfortable before, but now seemed so natural to talk to. Seeing her gorgeous features in a cool light, Applejack's heart fluttered a bit. She wasn't really sure why Rainbow made her feel so nervous. After all, she was just a normal girl, like all other girls, right? But Applejack could use someone to confide in.
"It's, uh, kinda personal," Applejack replied, lowering her head. "But... when Ah was five, Ah went to mah first rodeo. It was a big deal n' all. Ah got cotton candy, watched some rodeo clowns, yada yada. But the really excit'n thing was when Ah got to ride the mechanical bull. It was mah first time.
"The rodeo hosts, they decided it'd be fun for us to have a competition. They kept score o' everyone's best time. It was ahmazin'. I loved seein' the bull ride back and forth, and the other kids hangin' on for dear life." Applejack chuckled at the thought. "But finally it was mah turn. Ah was so nervous, my hands were shakin', and I guess Ah kinda lost control - Ah fell off, right on mah hip. Had to get stitched up.
"But the worst part of all was that Ah had only three measly seconds on that bull. Ah came in last in mah family, in the whole rodeo. Lost to mah cousin Braeburn. It was so embarassin', Ah can't even tell ya. Mah family shunned me for a couple o' days. Brought down the orchard name. That rodeo was a big deal." Applejack sighed and closed her eyes. She remembered that moment like it was yesterday.
"So, ya see, I can't stand losin'. It means a lot to me to win." Applejack opened her eyes and looked over at the girl next to her. To her surprise, Rainbow had been staring at her the whole time, intently hanging on to every word she said. Maybe Applejack had misjudged her. Maybe Rainbow didn't have quite the brash personality she'd expected.
"I know what you mean, actually. My parents... they died in a car crash when I was ten. That day felt like a real loss." Rainbow gave a soft chuckle, but her expression was somber.
"Rainbow, Ah'm so sorry. Ya know, Ah never even met mah parents. Apparently they got sick and died right after Ah was born. Apple Bloom was adopted by Granny Smith." Applejack could never feel the same attachment to her parents as Rainbow probably did, but it was sad nonetheless.
"It's... it's okay. No, I'm fine. Uh, why don't we just go back to our game?" Rainbow wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Funny, Applejack had never seen Rainbow Dash as the sentimental type. It's strange what family will do to you.
"Okay, sugarcube," Applejack replied, but then added softly, "but Ah'm always right here if'n ya need me."
Rainbow nodded, and the two walked back to the still-excited group, eager to finish their game.
* * *
"I believe it is Twilight's turn," Rarity smirked.
Twilight groaned. She may love giving truths or dares, but she certainly did not like receiving them. And to find out that both Fluttershy and Applejack, her first choices for askers, had already gone, it made Twilight feel even more angry than before.
Well, there was no turning back now. She had gotten herself into this mess, and now she was going to get herself out of it. Hopefully. Noting Rainbow's daredevilish personality, and the reason for being late she definitely did not want to reveal to Rarity, there was only one choice left.
"Pinkie Pie."
God, she hoped this wasn't a mistake. Pinkie Pie was not as much of a gossip as her girlfriend, but she was one nonetheless. And anything Pinkie could dare her to do would undoubtedly be embarrassing.
"Okay, Twi! Truth or dare?" the hyperactive girl squealed, obviously excited to be giving the question.
"Truth, I guess," Twilight huffed.
"Ooh! I have a really, really good one!" Pinkie started jumping up and down due to her thrill. "What is... your deepest, darkest secret? Something you've never told anyone before, not even Rarity?"
Twilight's heart dropped into her stomach. She never did anything bad. She was a virgin, she was on 4.0 honor roll, already had three scholarship offerings -
No, wait. She wasn't a virgin anymore, as of tonight.
