The girl on the stage took her seat quietly, barely looking up as she nervously tuned her guitar and adjusted the capo. Her eyes glinted in the dim golden light, and a small, nervous smile graced her face as set herself up. She flicked her long, multicoloured hair over her shoulder once she had finished, her eyes darting over the small crowd that had gathered at Sugarcube Corner that evening, her gaze soon landing on her flamboyant flat mate who gave her a huge, over the top wave and a grin to go with it. She’d known ever since she’d moved to Ponyville 6 months ago that the restaurant held an open mic night at least one a month, yet it had taken her all that time just to pluck up the courage to take part in it. That, and the near constant, incessant pestering her flatmate had been subjecting her to ever since she revealed her interest in singing. Four long, long months of Pinkie Pie constantly chipping away at her defences, until two weeks ago when Dash had finally caved and agreed to sing here tonight.
Dash waved back at Pinkie with a smile of her own, watching as her friend skated towards the bar to serve a woman who had just taken her seat there. She watched as Pinkie chatted away to the woman, laughing and smiling as she fixed up her drink, smirking to herself before tearing her attention back to her impending performance. Despite her outwardly portrayed confidence and blasé attitude, Dash was nervous; she’d never sung in front of an audience before. Sure, she’d practiced in front of Pinkie, and occasionally Twilight, but they were friendly faces. This, a crowd of people she barely knew, was a completely different ball game and as much as she hated to admit it, she was scared. She took a shaky breath, and looked up over the crowd, before starting.
Dash’s fingers danced delicately over the strings of her acoustic guitar, the gentle, melodic picking amplified over the speakers to reach the back of the room. She’d chosen Romeo and Juliet to play, as it was one of her Dad’s favourite songs, and she’d heard it countless times growing up, eventually learning to play the tune herself, albeit an altered version to suit her voice and guitar.
“A love struck Romeo, sings the streets a serenade Laying everybody low, with a love song that he made Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade Says something like “you and me babe? How about it?”
The chatter and buzz of the bar slowly died down as Dash began to sing, the patrons and staff alike pausing to listen as she sung. Her usual rough, scratchy voice was still prevalent, but it was now laced with a smoother, more gentle undertone. Dash smiled as she glanced up from her guitar, completely overjoyed as she noticed how the whole room seemed to have paused once she began singing.
Juliet says, "Hey, it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack" He's underneath the window, she's singing, "Hey, la, my boyfriend's back You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that Anyway, what you gonna do about it?"
A pair of green eyes watched the woman with the rainbow hair singing, focusing on her effortlessly quick, precise movements on the fretboard of her guitar, to the way she held herself on stage seeming to become more confident the further she got into the song. Applejack knew a lot of people; it was a small town after all. She’d grown up there, been to school there, and currently worked there. When she wasn’t on the Farm, she was making deliveries of cider to the various pubs and bars across town and outside Ponyville. Despite this, Applejack had no clue who the girl on the stage was.
She took another sip of her drink as she leant back in her chair, watching the way the light seemed to bounce off the girl on stage as she sung. She could tell the girl hadn’t grown up near Ponyville, as her singing had a subtle Canterlot accent to it, one which Applejack was all too familiar with thanks to her friend Rarity. Applejack smiled again, taking another small sip of her drink, the sound of the guitar creating a beautiful backdrop to the girls delicate singing.
“Damn she’s good” Applejack remarked quietly to the bartender with the messy pink hair, who simply smiled back at her.
“She sure is” She replied, before quietly continuing to clear the empty glasses from the bar top with a happy grin on her face.
"Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start And I bet, and you exploded into my heart And I forget, I forget the movie song When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?"
————————————————————
The entire room erupted in applause as Rainbow finished her song, the last note from her guitar hanging in the air delicately before fading into the thundering applause and cheering voices of the bars staff and patrons alike, including that of Applejack, who had watched Dash’s performance from the back of the crowd in awe. Rainbow’s face had on it the largest smile possible as she set her guitar to the side and bounced her way over towards Pinkie, squeaking and blushing as a wave of compliments washed over her.
Applejack found her reaction to the praise endearing; she’d clearly never sung for people before, and receiving a reception like that on your first attempt was sure to go down well with the girl.
Rainbow skidded over to Pinkie and wrapped her arms around her in a massive hug, which the bartender returned while giggling.
“I told you Dashie! I told you everyone would love it” Pinkie squeaked, releasing Dash from the hug so she could clear the small table of glasses.
“Heheh, I uh... Wow” Dash stuttered, following Pinkie as she made her way back to the bar to put the glasses in the washer. “I really didn’t expect that” she continued, her face still bright red from the applause she had been given.
Dash took a seat at the bar as Pinkie loaded the dishwasher, taking a small sip from the lemonade she’d left there while giving a small smile towards the blond woman across from her. The woman smiled back and tilted her glass towards Dash’s, her green eyes sparkling in the dim bar light. Rainbow felt her heart flutter a little as she returned the favour, the two gently clinking their glasses together before drinking. The low buzz and chatter of the bar began to build back up, as Dash had been the last performance of the night, and the pair drank in a comfortable silence as Pinkie raced across the room to take final rounds.
“That was an amazing performance” the blond women commented, causing Dash’s face to heat up once again, the women merely chuckling at the girls reaction.
“I uh... I... thank you” Dash replied quickly, taking another drink from her glass before looking back towards the woman, who was chuckling at how flustered Dash was.
“Thank you very much” Dash continued, “It was my first time performing for a crowd larger than just my friends, so I’m really happy with how it turned out”.
The woman chuckled at Dash again, before setting her drink down and turning her chair to face Rainbow.
“I could tell, you looked absolutely terrified when you first went up there” she spoke while continuing to giggle, causing Dash to join in with her.
“Aww it wasn’t that bad was it? I have a reputation to uphold” Dash replied while laughing along with her.
“Like a deer in headlights” The woman replied, causing Dash to chuckle some more as she laid her head on the bar surface, her long hair falling from her shoulders and down her body.
“Well crap” Rainbow said simply, smiling at the women as she lifted her head from the bar and flipped her hair over her head once more, the woman across from her still giggling as she emptied her glass.
“I’m Applejack” she said, looking up from her drink towards Rainbow.
Dash smiled. Applejack. She liked it.
“I’m Dash” she replied, their gazes meeting across the hazily lit bar.
“So” Applejack began, setting her now empty glass down on the bar as she turned to face Rainbow, “how long you been in Ponyville?”.
“I moved here around six months ago from Canterlot, and before that I lived in Manehatten with my family” Rainbow replied quietly, giving Applejack a small, nervous smile as she lazily swirled her remaining lemonade in the bottom of her glass in a desperate attempt to avoid eye contact with the woman across from her. The bar had long since cleared of most of its patrons as the night had wore on, the atmosphere dying down to a quiet murmuring from the half dozen or so still remaining. There was a comforting sense of familiarity in the scene before her; she’d spent many of her nights off here with Pinkie, and had often stayed until well past closing time to help Pinkie close up, the place practically becoming a second home to the pair.
“What ‘bout you” Dash piped up, pausing momentarily as Pinkie skated by with a tray of empty glasses before continuing “You don’t sound like ya grew up here either”.
“I didn’t” Applejack replied, secretly impressed at how perceptive Rainbow was. “I grew up in Germany with my parents originally, and we moved over here when I was eleven” she finished, silently gesturing the pink haired bartender for a refill, before continuing “I picked up my accent from my parents, but I’ve lived here longer than I lived over there”.
Dash perked up, smiling as she flipped her hair out from her face. “One second” she said, setting her glass aside and shuffling her chair closer to Applejacks before clearing her throat. “Ich bin Rainbow, ich spricht klein Deutsch” she stated proudly, sitting up taller on her chair smugly. “Bet ya didn’t expect that huh?”
Applejack smiled at Rainbow’s antics and laughed, leaning closer as she did. “Bisschen” she said quietly while chuckling, a smug smile of her own forming on her face as Rainbows changed from gloating to confused. “It’s bisschen, not klein” she laughed, “you just told me you speak ‘small’ German, not a little German”.
“Oh shut up you… Gemüsekopf” Rainbow retorted while laughing along with Applejack at her mistake.
Applejack smirked at Rainbow as her smug expression returned. “Vegetable head huh, that’s pretty creative” Applejack said between chuckles as she watched Rainbow trying in vain to not laugh at her own joke.
“Well I try my best” Rainbow replied laughing along with Applejack, who was about to reply before she was interrupted by Pinkie ringing the closing bell. Rainbow glanced up at the wall clock, surprised by how much time had gone by since her set.
“Well I guess that’s our cue to leave” Applejack said as she jumped off her chair and began putting her coat on.
“I think your right Apples” Dash replied, earning a smirk and a chuckle from Applejack. She quickly downed the remainder of her lemonade, not wanting to leave any behind, before removing her denim jacket from her chair and quickly throwing it around her shoulders like a cape.
“Where you walking?” Applejack asked, catching Rainbow off guard. “I’ve gotta walk right through town pretty much, so I can keep ya company, if you want”.
“Same here, it’d be nice to have some company, I just need to grab my guitar and say bye to Pinkie” Dash said, trying not to let Applejack see her blushing. “I’ll be along in a sec” she added before racing off.
“Sure, sure” Applejack replied as Dash raced off. Dash quickly made her way across the bar towards the side of the stage where she’d left her guitar, where she was met by a smirking Pinkie.
“Making friends?” She asked, giggling as Dash’s face immediately lit up as she struggled with her guitar case zipper.
“I uh.. I..” Dash stalled, trying to avoid the inevitable interrogation at the hands of her roommate. “It’s not like that” She finally retorted, managing to zip close her guitar case before slinging one strap over her shoulder. “I barely know her, we were just talking, ok?”
“Just talking eh? Sure it was” Pinkie teased, giggling as Dash’s face went brighter than before.
“I’m leaving, I’ll see you at home” Dash replied quickly as she laughed along with Pinkie, turning sharply on her heel before making her way back to where Applejack was writing on something at the bar.
“All good?” Applejack asked, looking up from her seat, to which Dash replied with a sharp nod and a grin of her own, before leading Applejack out of the bar and into the night.
———————————————————
The night air felt cold against Dash’s face as they walked along the empty street, causing her to shiver slightly as she shifted her guitar case on her shoulder. She glanced over at Applejack, who merely smiled back at her, with what Dash thought was a small blush, though she couldn’t be sure in the dim street lights.
“So” Applejack spoke up, pulling Rainbow from her musing and back into the moment. “What’s your story? I’ve never seen you around before is all” she spoke softly, her eyes flicking from Rainbow to the ground in front of them. “I think I’d of noticed you and that bright hair of yours”.
Rainbow smirked to herself at the compliment, or at least what she perceived as a compliment, before answering. “I work crazy long hours during the week, and the weekends I’m usually sleeping or practicing my music, so I don’t get a lot of time to just go out” She replied, stopping briefly to look as they crossed the street. “I work at the garage down town as a mechanic, which is more or less a full time job now we’re down one man” she continued, pulling her jacket closer around her shivering body.
“A mechanic?” Applejack questioned, surprised at her reply. “That’s not what I pictured you as” She said out loud, before quickly adding on “No offence”.
Dash laughed at Applejacks worried expression, glancing upwards at the night sky briefly and flicking her hair behind her as she replied “Don’t worry, I get that a lot, I’m not offended”. She flashed a smile and a wink towards Applejack, who smiled back while blushing lightly.
The pair settled back into a comfortable silence as they walked alone, the only sounds breaking through the night being the occasional lone car, and the distant hum of the motorway. Rainbow kept on finding herself stealing short glances at Applejack, quickly reverting her eyes whenever she noticed her looking. There was something different about her, something unique that Rainbow couldn’t quite put her finger to. Maybe Pinkie was right Dash thought to herself, her heart beating slightly faster as she did.
Much sooner than either of them had wanted, they reached Rainbows apartment complex, and were standing by the entrance doors as Rainbow dug around in her pockets for her key. Applejack leant against the door frame as Dash looked, gazing up at the stars and the waning moon. She took in a deep breath, before exhaling slowly, her foot tapping nervously on the ground. Her attention was torn back to Dash, who celebrated finding her key with a small fist pump.
She quickly unlocked the door, picking up her guitar case as she opened it fully. A wave of warm air washed over her, and she sighed happily, leaning her guitar on the wall before spinning back around to face Applejack. The pair stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say, before Rainbow spoke up.
“Thank you Applejack” she said, smiling at the taller women. “Thanks for walking me home, and for tonight, I had so much fun” she finished, blushing lightly as her eyes darted around.
“It’s no problem” Applejack spoke quietly, fidgeting nervously with her hands as she edged nearer and laced her cold hands through Rainbows own.
The pair made eye contact for a single moment, before Applejack leant down and lightly kissed Rainbow on the lips. The act lasted no more than a few seconds, but it was enough to derail whatever train of thought Rainbow had.
Applejack pulled back slightly, before opening her eyes and gently releasing her hands from Rainbows. They remained still for another few seconds, before Applejack broke the silence.
“Call me” she spoke softly, lightly pressing a piece of folded paper into Rainbows hands, before releasing them and heading off into the night.
“Y... yeah” Dash mumbled, glancing down at the paper in her hands, before looking up to see Applejack turn round the corner and fade from sight.
The sounds of cars and passerby’s on the street below drifted their way through the open window of Dash’s bedroom. Dash was sat cross legged on her bed, surrounded by a mess of books, paper and pens, all filled with various scribbles and half finished idea’s for songs. She’d spent all morning trying to perfect a new song on her guitar, going through the hand motions and memorising the chord changes and strumming patterns, but to no avail. She leant over the side of her bed, and set her guitar and pick down on her equally messy floor, before flopping on to her back with a groan, crumpling the pages of an open book as she did.
She had a pain in her lower back from sitting hunched over her guitar and books for the best part of a morning, accompanied by a dull head ache from both the reading and the sun blinding her from her window. Dash lay still for a few more moments, before eventually admitting defeat and rolling off the side of her bed opposite to the one she had set her guitar down on.
She quickly got to her feet, stretching her arms over her head in a wide arc as she made her way out of her room and down the hall to the kitchen. She briefly grinned as she passed Pinkies door, noticing her usually loud roommate sound asleep, snoring loudly. Dash quietly closed the door, not wanting to ruin her friends lie in, and continued on into the kitchen.
Once there, she made a beeline for the fridge, opening the door and grabbing a bottle of water she’d put there the previous night. She then made her way back through the hall quietly and to the bathroom, in the hopes of finding a paracetamol for her headache. She opened the cupboard and quickly located the pills, popping two into her mouth, before washing them down with water from the tap.
Feeling more awake, Dash set about finding her running clothes, wanting to make up for the Pizza she and Pinkie had eaten last night. She discarded her loose fitting shirt and blue leggings for a more sleek looking pair of black running trousers and a light blue top. She tied her colourful hair up in a simple ponytail, and quickly located her trainers, which had been discarded at the foot of her bed along with various other items of clothing.
‘I really need to clean sometime huh’ Dash thought to herself, moving to grab her house key from her desk before stopping suddenly. Her eyes caught sight of the crumpled note Applejack had given her last night. Dash felt her face heat up as she remembered what happened, and she couldn’t help but smile as she looked over Applejacks number. She had written it in green ink, with a small doodle of an apple next to it, as if to remind Rainbow of who it was written by.
She let her eyes linger on the note for a few more seconds, before shoving off her desk almost violently, placing her house key in a safe pocket before making her way back towards the kitchen area. She snatched the bottle from the counter and made her way to the door, not bothering to wake Pinkie; she’d know where Dash was anyways, and it wasn’t likely she would be waking up any time soon.
Dash stretched her arms and shoulders as she brusquely made her way down the stairs: there was an elevator but she usually preferred to take the stairs, often times racing Pinkie, who would take the elevator while she took the stairs, to their apartment floor. More often than not, Dash would lose that race, the five flights of stairs managing to defeat the rainbow haired girl.
Dash internally hissed as she stepped outside, wishing she’d brought her sunglasses with her. She surveyed the street before her as she finished stretching, her eyes gliding over the cars and pedestrians that passed her by, taking another small drink from her water once she’d finished. She jumped in the air a few times, and set off as a brusque pace down the street, her route and destination already set in her mind.
Rainbow let her mind wander as she ran, replaying the events of the previous night in her head. Performing on that stage, and getting the reaction that she did was exhilarating. She’d never expected something like that, and the thought that people liked her singing was... well it was... amazing? Glorious? She didn’t know how to describe it honestly. She was sure of one thing though: the rush of adrenalin she felt on stage, the happiness she felt being able to play music for people other than her friends, that feeling of confidence, of feeling proud of herself, was something she never wanted to let go of.
Her train of thought was briefly interrupted as she paused to cross the busy road. She jogged on the spot while she waited for the light to turn red, glancing up and down the street as she waited. The light quickly turned green, allowing her to start running again. She continued at the same pace for a while, pushing her body harder than she usually would. Eventually, she was forced to slow down to a jog to have a drink, at last nearing the edges of town. The heat of the sun warmed her back as she paused momentarily to catch her breath.
And then there was after. There was Applejack. The time they’d spent together that evening had been amazing. Dash couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much, not to mention met someone who she had so much in common with. What happened after however, confused her. She didn’t know how to feel about the kiss, the number, or any of it really. Pinkie had prodded her about it when she got home, but Dash had simply changed the subject.
She wasn’t upset: well that wasn’t true entirely. She enjoyed it, the kiss, Applejack, the banter, all of it. Something about the girl just... clicked in Rainbows head, like finding the missing piece of a puzzle. She was funny, caring, and she certainly wasn’t hard on the eyes. Dash began moving again, setting off in the direction of her home. She tried focusing on the rhythm of her feet on the asphalt pavement, but her mind wouldn’t let go of Applejack.
Rainbow wanted to call her, to hang out with her again. A small part of her had wanted to run into the night after Applejack kissed her, but at the time she’d been able to do little more than stand frozen in the doorway. The kiss was the most confusing part she surmised; she had everything in control until that point, until Applejack had taken her hands in her own and kissed her. Not that Rainbow minded, both at the time and after the fact.
As much as Rainbow was pained to admit, even to herself, she didn’t have a lot of experience romantically, with either men or women. Sure, she’d had partners before, but nothing serious, and nothing either party had invested much into before breaking it off. With Applejack however, something felt different from anything she’d experienced. Confusing emotions aside, the experience as a whole excited Dash; she wanted to see Applejack again, she wanted to get to know the apple farmer better.
As Dash reached her street, she slowed down to a jog, a large grin spreading across her face as she made her way to her apartment door. She quickly retrieved her apartment key from her pocket, finishing the last of her water as she unlocked the door and made her way inside.
——————————————————
Once inside, Dash slowly climbed the stairs to her apartments level, taking her ponytail out and letting her hair fall loose around her shoulders again. She flicked a few errant strands from her eyes as she reached her apartment, quickly unlocking the door. The apartment was devoid of life, with nothing having moved from when Dash had left earlier that morning. She tossed her water bottle in the sink as she made her way through the kitchen and towards the bathroom, noting Pinkie’s still closed door as she walked by.
Dash set the shower to run while she changed, dumping her clothes in an untidy pile on the bathroom floor. She hummed happily to the tune of a song whose name she couldn’t quite remember as the hot water crashed against her face, running down her body and splashing against the white tub. After shampooing and rinsing her hair, she stood under the water for a few moments, enjoying the warmth it gave, before shutting it off and stepping out the shower. Dash towel dried herself as best as possible, wrapping the towel around her body before making a break for her room.
She quickly crossed the hall, the wall of cold air hitting her like a brick compared to the warmth of the shower. She quickly found some clothes to wear: a black hoodie and a pair of dark blue shorts, complete with a pink and while unicorn dressing gown she’d borrowed/ stolen from Pinkie Pie. She went to the kitchen to find some food, and was met by her half awake best friend upon entering.
Pinkie Pie had a serious case of bed head, with pieces of hair sticking every which way, complimented by the way she was hunched over a cup of coffee like it was the most important thing in the world to her. She looked up from the counter as Dash came through, her expression changing from a grimace to a small smile.
“Morning...” she began, yawning loudly before continuing, “Dashie. You sleep ok?”
“Pinkie, it’s two in the afternoon” Dash laughed as she glanced up at the wall clock. She refilled the kettle for her own coffee and put the powder in her mug, setting it to boil before leaning against the counter as she turned to face her friend.
“What time did you get home anyway?” Rainbow carried on while smirking. “I didn’t hear you come in”.
“Late... too late” Pinkie mumbled, flopping her head onto the counter as she continued to mumble incoherently about regretting her life choices, much to Rainbows amusement. She carried on like this while Dash poured her coffee, before lifting her head from the counter to retaliate to her friends teasing.
“I thought you’d of gone home with Blondie anyway” she replied, a smile creeping across her face as Rainbows own immediately lit up bright red. Pinkie giggled as she watched Dash stumble and stutter in reply.
“Well, I uh... I... um..” Dash stuttered, partially choking on her coffee while Pinkie laughed.
“Shut up” she eventually managed, trying to hold back her own laughter. She blew on her coffee while Pinkie downed the remains of her own, setting her mug to the side and propping her hand against her head to face Dash.
“So...” Pinkie began, “What did happen with you and Blondie?” she asked Dash, her tone more caring and reserved than before. “If you wanna say, that is”.
Dash fidgeted with the mug in her hand, drumming her fingers along the smooth surface while she thought of how to reply.
“Well, she uh... she walked me back home from the bar” Rainbow began, quietly at first before growing more confident.
“We managed to talk the whole way, and it wasn’t awkward for anything, it was... fun? Yeah! It was fun” Her face lit up slightly as she carried on, while Pinkie merely smiled happily at her friend. “She was so nice, and she seemed genuinely interested in, well me”.
“So she walked me home and made sure I got here all safe and dandy, then she... um...” she paused briefly, momentarily embarrassed to be sharing what happened with her friend.
“She um... she kissed me and gave me her number” Dash muttered out quietly as she looked down at her feet to avoid eye contact.
Pinkie remained silent for what seemed like forever to Dash, before letting out a quiet, high pitched squeak as she ran around the counter to tackle hug Dash, who stumbled back a few paces upon impact.
“I’m so happy for you Dashie” chirped Pinkie, releasing Dash from the death grip of her hug and bouncing back a pace or two to give her breathing room.
“Yeah, it’s uh... yeah, thanks” Dash replied stammering, scratching the back of her head and blushing.
“So, you gonna call her back?” Asked Pinkie eagerly. “I mean, it sounds like you want to, and she seems really cool from the sounds of it” she continued, smiling up at Rainbow.
“Well, I uh... I think I will” Dash spoke, setting her now empty mug down in the sink to rinse. “I know I want to see her again, if only to ask her why she... did what she did”.
“It’s not that I didn’t like it, I did ” Rainbow continued, turning to hide her face from Pinkie as she rinsed and dried her mug. “I’m just... curious, I guess. I don’t really know what it meant, I’m... well I don’t have any experience with this sort of thing”. She looked back towards Pinkie, locking eyes with her for a few moments as if looking for an answer.
Pinkie met her gaze, looking thoughtful for a moment while pushing a lock of hair away from her eyes, before replying to Dash.
“Dash, it sounds...” she began, before stopping herself with a sigh.
“I can’t really tell you what to do, it’s your life. But if it were me? I’d go for it. The worst that can happen is you don’t enjoy yourself, then at least you can say you tried right?”.
“Yeah, I guess your right” Dash replied, more confidently than before. “I’ll text her some time tonight then, and I guess we’ll take things from there?”.
Pinkie smiled and nodded at Dash as she slid off her seat, making her way towards her room. She came out moments later with her purse, slamming it down on the counter in front of Dash.
“Sounds like a plan, but first we’re going out for breakfast, my treat” She chirped happily, heading back to her room to find what Dash assumed were more sensible clothes than her bright blue pyjamas.
Dash smiled and shook her head, and began making her way to her own room to change, before a thought crossed her mind.
“It’s two in the afternoon dude” Dash laughed as she poked her head around Pinkies door. Pinkie merely shrugged her shoulders, eliciting another laugh from Dash as she left to get changed again.