One on One
The Talk
Friday Afternoon...
Rainbow Dash soared high above Sweet Apple Acres in the bright blue sky. So many countless times had she used the open airspace to practice her moves for the Wonderbolts or as an unrestricted range to set personal speed records, often causing rainbooms that rattled apples right off their branches. But this was no workout, or even warmup, for the star athlete. With a determined look on her face she carefully scanned the infinite orchards, searching for any movement in the shadows of the fruit trees and listening intently for sounds of life. Finding nothing, she veered off to the east, coming across the cornfield. But the land lay fallow, with no hints of recent planting or even plowing. Shaking her head she changed course and overflew the vast open pastures to the south, finding the land dotted with cows lazily chewing on fresh grass, but nothing else in sight. Letting out a frustrated huff, Rainbow turned north. Within minutes the heart of Sweet Apple Acres came into view. The old family farm appeared rustic, occasionally rundown, but always welcoming. Rainbow Dash swooped in and landed just in front of the large, red barn. The hinges let out a desperate cry for oil as she pushed the door open. Ignoring their pleas, Rainbow Dash poked her head into the dark, musty interior and called “Mac?”
Nothing.
“Where could he be?” she thought out loud, exasperation clearly evident in her voice.
She turned around and approached the family farmhouse. Each of the front porch steps creaked beneath her, making her wonder how they ever held up under Big Mac’s massive weight. Finally she stood before the front door.
Knock! Knock!
Within moments it swung open. “Rainbow Dash!” greeted Applejack. “What brings you to Sweet Apple Acres today?”
“Hey AJ, I was looking for Big Mac. Do you know where he is?”
Applejack replied, “ ’Course I do. He’s down in Ponyville with Cheerilee.”
“With Cheerilee?”
“Yep.”
“What –”
“They’ve had the date set for weeks.”
“Date!” Rainbow Dash gasped.
“Of course. It’s Bloom’s parent-teacher conference.”
Rainbow Dash let out a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. “Oh.” She leaned forward as her eyes narrowed. “You know you could have said that from the beginning.”
Applejack returned a sly smile. “Aw. You worried that Big Mac had found himself a new fillyfriend?”
“Pfft! No,” she denied, waving a hoof nonchalantly. “He knows he’ll never find another mare as awesome as me.” Rainbow took to the air, flexing her muscles and showing off.
Rolling her eyes, Applejack replied, “You’ve got that right. Say, Ah’m surprised Big Mac didn’t mention this to you.”
Rainbow awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof, “Well, he may have. I remember him saying something about Ponyville Elementary while I was reading the latest Daring Do book.”
“Mmm-hmm,” responded Applejack. “He’ll be back in a while. He’s taking this because...” Her face became somber as she gazed away for a moment. “...well, you know.”
“Yeah.” Rainbow glanced around, not really sure what to say. “Well, I’ll just come back later. See you around.” She turned, ready to rocket off into the endless sky.
“Hold on there. How ’bout you come in and have some cider?”
Instantly spinning around, Rainbow demanded, “Cider! Did you say cider!?”
Applejack chuckled. “Eeyup.”
“Sure.”
She moved out of the way, allowing Rainbow to step inside. Applejack led her friend back to the kitchen, where a dozen fresh apple pies cooling on the counter filled the air with their intoxicating aroma. “Have a seat while Ah go get a barrel from the cellar.”
A moment later Rainbow stood alone in the kitchen. She looked about, taking it in. Of course she’d been here before. She recalled a number of times sharing dinner with the Apples or hanging out after one of her many friendly competitions with Applejack. But somehow this was... different. Ever since Saturday, when her relationship with Big Mac had been revealed to the rest of the Apple family, this was no longer the Apple family kitchen to her, this was her coltfriend’s kitchen. And this was no longer the Apple family farm or Sweet Apple Acres, this was her coltfriend’s farm. Truth be told, it had been that way for months, but now it was out in the open for everypony to know. Rainbow realized it would take some time to get used to the new normal.
The kitchen door swung open and Applejack entered with a large barrel of cider on her back. She plunked the barrel down on the counter with a Thud! and rummaged around in the cupboards to produce two sizable mugs. She held one under the tap and turned the knob. With wide eyes Rainbow Dash watched the amber liquid pour forth, the soft gurgle revealing the mug was slowly filling with the heavenly brew she yearned for all year. The perfect blend of only the best apples, with a mind-blowing first taste to an unforgettable aftertaste that left you begging for more – it truly was the stuff dreams were made of. Unconsciously she began to hover above the floor, edging ever closer to the barrel, her dry tongue lolling out on one side. Finally, Applejack raised the full mug aloft with foam dribbling down the side, showing it off in all its glory.
In a flash Rainbow swooped down and grabbed the mug, careful not to spill a single drop of the precious liquid. She raised it up high, her lips upon the rim as foam tickled her nose, when she noticed the stare from Applejack. “Uh –” she stammered.
“Nice of you to wait for me,” noted the cowpony.
Rainbow sheepishly chuckled and took her seat at the table. A moment later Applejack joined her and as soon as it was socially acceptable, Rainbow drained half the mug without stopping for a breath. “Oh, that’s the stuff,” she sighed happily, leaning back in her chair with a big, goofy grin plastered across her face.
“You like it?” asked Applejack sarcastically.
“As much as the Apple family likes... well... apples.”
Applejack laughed. “Ah have to say you didn't seem too surprised to learn we have cider. After all, it ain’t in season.”
“Oh, I’ve had it before.”
Applejack arched an eyebrow. “You have?”
“Mac’s given me some from the stash.”
“From ‘the stash’?”
“Yeah.”
“From the secret stash?”
“Yeah?”
“The secret stash that’s only for family members?”
“Yeah, he’s often – did you say only for family members?”
“Eeyup.”
“Wow,” she muttered.
“Uh-huh.”
Rainbow Dash rubbed her head. “I didn’t know our relationship was that serious.”
“You didn’t know your relationship with mah brother was serious!”
“No – I mean, I knew we were serious, just not that serious. We’ve only been going out a few months.” Rainbow stared down into her mug, lost in thought.
“Well, at least now Ah know where those two barrels of cider went. You and Big Mac must’ta had one heck of a drinkin’ competition.” She raised her mug to her lips.
“Heh-heh. Actually... I might have come by for some cider while you guys were out of town.”
“Pfft!” Applejack spit out a mouthful in shock. “You broke into our house and stole cider from us!” she snapped, banging the mug down and splashing some of her drink onto the table.
“Big Mac gave me a key –”
“He gave you a key!”
“–And said I could come by and get some anytime I wanted.”
“Uh-huh,” replied Applejack warily. “Well, there are limits....” She took a long sip from her mug and the two sat in silence for a while.
“So, Ah also wanted to ask....” Applejack hesitated, looking down at her mug.
“Go on,” urged Rainbow Dash as she paused for a breath from chugging cider.
“It ain’t easy to ask,” she said as she fidgeted with the mug in her hooves.
“Yeah?”
Applejack sighed and looked deep into the magenta eyes of her friend. “Why exactly do you like mah brother?”
Cocking her head, Rainbow Dash asked, “Is it that surprising?”
“It’s just that you two are so... different. Ah know that’s no reason not to date somepony, but you’re so different from each other.”
Smirking, Rainbow asked, “You’re saying I’m an orange and he’s an... Apple?”
Applejack could have sworn she heard a percussion sting coming from Sugarcube Corner. Chuckling, she said, “Ah guess Ah set you up fer that one.”
“Eeyup,” Rainbow Dash drawled. She took a gulp from her mug before wiping her mouth with the back of her hoof. “We get along great. We spend a lot of time talking –”
“Uh-huh,” responded Applejack sarcastically.
“Okay, I’ve done most of the talking. Although lately, he’s started to open up more.”
“Not that he could have spoken any less,” Applejack said dryly.
“No, but he’s always there to listen to me. Big Mac will stop what he’s doing to listen to my problems and help in whatever way he can. And then there’s the fact that he’s started reading Daring Do. And he shares cider with me. And compared to my previous coltfriends, he's way better in b–" She noticed the stare from Applejack. "––uuuuuuh––––king? Bucking! Yeah, bucking.”
Applejack narrowed her eyes.
“No pony bucks like him,” Rainbow Dash quickly added.
Applejack’s glare hardened.
“Uh – everyday, he bucks so hard, giving it his all...,” Rainbow trailed off, laughing uneasily under her friend’s scowl.
Applejack’s glare turned to steel, and she leaned forward over the table towards the pegasus.
Rainbow Dash leaned as far back as she could from the angry cowpony, until a sudden realization hit. Her eyes went wide and her cheeks crimson, almost as red as Big Mac’s coat. “Apples! No pony bucks apples like him! That’s totally what I meant!”
“Uh-huh.”
“No really!”
“Sure,” she said dismissively. Applejack took a long sip of cider but continued to stare at the pegasus from over her mug.
Rainbow Dash sat uneasily under Applejack’s glare until she noticed a slight smirk from her friend’s lips, whether from the cider or amusement she couldn’t tell, but decided everything was cool between them. She lifted her own mug, raising it nearly to the vertical in an attempt to get every last drop of the priceless brew, before setting it down with a forlorn sigh.
“Like another?” asked Applejack.
Rainbow Dash’s face lit up like a foal’s on Hearthswarming. “Sure!”
Applejack grabbed the mugs and topped them off. She smiled as her friend eagerly guzzled the cider like it was water, before her face became serious as she addressed Rainbow Dash. “So, why did you two keep this secret for so long?”
After a moment's pause, she explained, “Big Mac and I talked it over and decided we didn’t want the added pressure on our relationship.”
“And how would there be added pressure if y’all were honest with us?”
“You know... the Apples take the family thing pretty seriously. If everypony knew that we were dating, we’d be getting all sorts of questions like ‘Are you getting married?’, ‘Why haven’t you gotten married yet? Aren’t you in love?’ and ‘When are you two going to have a foal?’”
“Ah don’t think –”
Rainbow Dash returned a hard glare.
“Okay," chuckled Applejack, "you got me there. We are a pretty close-knit family.”
“Yeah, no kidding. You’re tighter than....”
“Than what?”
“I don’t know, I was hoping you’d fill in some sort of countryism.”
“Well shucks. We’re tighter than a calf tied up by a five-time rodeo champion on steroids.”
Rainbow laughed for a moment, before her face became serious. “And if things didn’t work out...” She took a long sip of cider. “...I didn’t want that to hurt our friendship.”
“What happens b’tween you two is y’all’s business. Ah’m just excited mah best friend is dating mah brother.”
“Really?” asked Rainbow, leaning over the table.
“ ’Course. It’s ’bout time Mac started dating and Ah’d be honored to call you an Apple.”
“Thanks. That... that means a lot, AJ.”
Taking a sip from her mug, Applejack asked, “So.... When are you two getting married?”
Rainbow Dash groaned and rolled her head.
Applejack chuckled. “Ah’m just yankin’ yer tail. It’ll happen when it happens.”
“If it happens.”
Applejack cocked her head and gave a confused look.
Rainbow Dash explained, “Look, we haven’t decided anything. We just... you know... are spending time together and seeing where it goes.”
“Ah can understand that. But....”
“Yeah?”
“Well, you’re Big Mac’s first fillyfriend... just... be gentle, okay?”
Rainbow furrowed her brow and cocked her head. “Be gentle? But he’s the one –”
“That’s not what I meant!” snapped Applejack.
“Sure,” she said dismissively.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, RD.”
Rainbow Dash smiled, “Only if you will.”
The two glared at each other before breaking out into laughter.
“What I meant was,” Applejack continued, “is ya gotta realize something about Mac. Under that silent exterior –”
“Is muscle!”
“Rainbow –”
“And lots of it!”
Shaking her head, Applejack tried again, “Under that silent exterior, is a pretty sensitive stallion.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed.”
“If....” Applejack paused and stared down at her mug. “If things don’t work out b’tween you two, go easy on him, okay? It’ll be hard enough on him as it is....”
“Applejack, I love him. I can’t imagine breaking up with him and I certainly don’t want to hurt him.”
“I know... it’s just....”
“The family thing again?”
Applejack nodded, “Yeah. They say that brothers are protective of their sisters... well, sisters can be pretty protective too.”
“Yeah, I heard what you did to Apple Bloom.”
“You did?”
“Scootaloo told me you were goin’ all nuts trying to keep her safe.”
Applejack shook her head, “Ah just didn’t want anythin’ to happen to her. Big Mac and Ah ’ave raised her... she’s... almost like a daughter to us.”
“Kid’s turned out alright. I think you’ve done a pretty good job as a parent.”
“Thanks.” Applejack took a drink of cider. “Speakin’ of parents, how’d your folks react to the news that you two were datin’?”
Rainbow laughed awkwardly.
“You haven’t told them, have you?”
“No,” confirmed Rainbow Dash.
“You’ll have to introduce Big Mac to them sometime.”
“Yeah, like at the wedding reception, when it’s too late for him to run away.”
“Ah don’t think yer givin’ him enough credit.”
“And I don’t think you’re giving my parents enough.”
“They can’t be that bad.”
Rainbow rubbed her head. “Listen. I haven’t introduced any of my coltfriends to my parents. As far as they know, I’ve never been on a date. My parents are super, mega supportive when I’m competing, just imagine how they’ll be with my coltfriend.”
“Ah’m sure they’d be a might happy.”
“A might is an understatement.”
“Well, they love you. You have a coltfriend you should be proud of.”
“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash sloshed around her mug, frowning as she saw how little remained at the bottom. “What about you?”
“Me?”
“When will you get a coltfriend?”
“Uh –”
“Waiting for Trenderhoof to come back to town?” teased Rainbow Dash.
Applejack let out a groan of disgust. “Don’t remind me.”
“You should get out there and find yourself a coltfriend,” urged Rainbow.
“Ah’m sure Ah’ll settle down with a special somepony someday.” Glancing up at the clock, she said, “It’s getting’ pretty late. Ah’ve got some things to do and Ah’m sure you do as well.”
“Yeah, I need a nap." Rainbow's eyes twinkled and a grin spread across her face. "Because tonight Big Mac and I won't be gettin' any sleep!”
“Would you get your mind out of the gutter already!” yelled Applejack as she glared at Rainbow Dash.
“Alright! Alright!” She stood up and drained the rest of her mug.
Applejack rose and followed Rainbow Dash to the front door.
Turning to her friend, Rainbow said, “Thanks for being cool with this.”
“I meant what Ah’d said. I’d be proud to have you as an Apple.”
“That’d be pretty awesome. And you’d become twenty percent cooler by being my sister-in-law.”
“Rainbow Dash!” she yelled as the pegasus took to the air.
“Tell Mac I’m looking for him.”
“Sure thin’ sugarcube.” She waved as her friend disappeared beyond the horizon.
Applejack smiled as she shut the door. She turned and headed back to the kitchen where the pies had thoroughly cooled. Gathering up ingredients from the pantry, Applejack busied herself with preparing dinner.
Knock! Knock!
Applejack trotted to the door and opened it, a big smile breaking out across her face. “Right on time.”
...