Chapter One
The soft, gentle feeling of a hand brushing the hair from her face and the gentle murmuring voice of one she loved deeply whispering her name awoke Rainbow Dash from her slumber, bringing her out of her gentle dreaming and into the warm summer morning. Her eyes fluttered open, slowly becoming accustomed to the warm light spilling through the open window, allowing her to make out the sparkling green eyes of her girlfriend. She smiled, freeing her arms from the warmth of her duvet to stretch, yawning loudly as she did.
“Mornin’ Applejack” she said mid-yawn, turning sideways to face her and returning the favour by taking a stray lock of her long blond hair and twirling it in her fingers. “You sleep well?”.
“Yeah, just about” Applejack whispered back, batting Rainbow’s hand away before continuing, “No thanks to your snoring” she teased, playfully tussling her partners already messy hair.
“I don’t snore!” Rainbow Dash retorted in defence, snorting in laughter as Applejack mussed her hair. “Anyway, even if I did, I’d make it look hot” She finished, sporting a smug smirk aimed at the girl lying next to her, daring her to disagree. Applejack made to reply, before she was interrupted as Rainbow placed a finger on her lips to silence her, completing the suppression of her perceived enemy with a short but sweet kiss planted on the offending girls lips. Rainbow withdrew after a few moments, gently biting down on Applejacks bottom lip as she did, leaving her partner in crime with a blissful smile. She couldn’t help but smile at the affectionate response of her girlfriend, still amazed that even after all the time they’d spent together, she could still elicit such a response from something so simple as a kiss.
“I’ll take that as you agreeing with me” Rainbow Dash spoke quietly across the narrow space that separated the pair, turning to lie on her back while nestling down further under the duvet, her free hand finding Applejack’s own and holding it tightly. She directed her eyes to the open window behind Applejack, content with watching the tall fir tree in her back garden sway gently in the breeze, the evergreen boughs firmly contrasting against the cloudless sky. She briefly wondered about the time, conscious of the fact that the rest of the girls were meeting them at her house that morning, but quickly dismissed the thought, surmising that as their alarms hadn’t gone off yet there was still time. Besides, even if her friends had been banging against her front door at that very moment, she’d still find it difficult to leave the familiar comfort of that moment to welcome them in. Happy to stay in the moment with her lover, Rainbow repositioned herself against Applejack’s toned physique, slinging one arm lazily over her girlfriend’s waist and resting her head on the other, allowing her shorter hair to fall over her head and mix with Applejack’s own in a brilliant clash of prismatic hues amongst shifting shades of golden browns.
“Rainbow, we gotta get up soon” Applejack mumbled sleepily, attempting to maneuver herself from underneath Dash’s embrace, much to the annoyance of the rainbow haired girl, who tried in vain to hold on to her girlfriends hand and keep her close as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
“They're not here for another half hour” Rainbow mumbled back, feeling a sudden chill as Applejack stood up, stretching her arms overhead as she moved to pull the blinds over the window. Rainbow sat upright, fiddling with her hands as she watched Applejack stride from the window to her desk where she’d haphazardly dumped her overnight bag, a small amount of unwanted anger rising as she realised why Applejack wanted to get ready earlier than needed. Rainbow remained silent, playing tug of war with her emotions while Applejack changed into her loose fitting CHS jumper and her denim skirt. As she started heading to the door, Rainbow Dash made to get Applejack’s attention, opening her mouth to speak, but found the words dying on her lips. Instead, she watched in silence as her girlfriend left the room, silently cursing herself as she listened to the sound of Applejack’s light footsteps as she made her way downstairs and into Rainbow’s kitchen. She stayed where she was for a moment, alone next to the already fading imprint Applejack had left beside her, before deciding on following her downstairs. Rainbow lept from her bed, skidding lightly on the floor as she came to a stop in front of her wardrobe. She threw on the first hoodie she found; a light blue one with her gym’s logo on, and completed her impromptu outfit with a pair of black running leggings.
She headed downstairs, following the bittersweet smell of brewing coffee coming from the kitchen. Rainbow Dash paused at the door, attempting to organise her thoughts before confronting Applejack, but yet again found herself stalled by the woman in her kitchen. Applejack was leant lazily against the counter, occupying herself by watching the steady dripping of coffee from the machine collecting in the pot. Rainbow Dash stood in the door, one hand on her hip and the other resting on the painted door frame, losing herself in daydreams of future mornings spent together, as a real couple. Applejack looked up from the collecting coffee upon hearing Rainbow’s footsteps, a fond smile spreading across her face at the arrival of the girl she loved. Rainbow Dash shared her smile, shaking her silly musings from her head as she moved from the door frame and towards the fridge with the intent of finding food for them both, lightly brushing by Applejack as she did.
“What’d ya want” Rainbow Dash asked as she opened the fridge, glancing up and down the shelves in the hopes of finding something she’d be able to cook, without turning it into pure carbon that is. “We can have…” she drew out the ‘a’ sound as she perused the unorganised contents of the fridge. “We have eggs” Rainbow Dash shouted in triumph, retrieving a small egg carton from the middle shelf and spinning on her heels to face Applejack, who merely chuckled at Rainbow Dash’s small display. “Aaand” She continued, sliding across the floor tiles to the other side of the kitchen and lifting the cover of the bread bin with her usual flair “We have bread! For toast!”.
“Do you even know how to cook?” Applejack asked incredulously, laughing in a light hearted tone as Rainbow Dash began fishing through the cupboards for various pots and pans Applejack was almost certain she didn’t know how to use.
“Yes” Rainbow Dash replied in a flat, drawn out tone accompanied by an attempt at keeping a straight face, which lasted for all of a few seconds before she joined Applejack’s laughter.
“Okay, maybe I don’t know how to cook per say” Dash admitted, pushing the cupboard shut with her leg once she found the pan she had wanted. “But!” She whirled around to face Applejack, pointing the pan at her like it was a sword “That’s never stopped me before!”. She did a little twirl and set the pan on the hob, reaching for the egg box to start cooking, but stopped as Applejack sidled alongside her with a wry grin. Rainbow Dash stopped mid-motion, narrowing her eyes at Applejack as she stood silently grinning.
“Yes?” Rainbow Dash questioned in a suspicious tone, slowly reaching for the egg box and sliding it along the counter towards her all while maintaining eye contact with Applejack. Applejack didn’t respond, instead taking a moment to stifle more laughter at her girlfriends expense. “What?” Dash asked, getting slightly paranoid, wondering if she’d messed something up already.
“It’s nothing really” Applejack began, moving around Rainbow Dash gracefully and positioning herself on the other side of the oven where her girlfriend had set up the pan for the eggs. “It’s just” She moved a little closer to Rainbow Dash, putting her hand on the pan handle.
“You don’t cook eggs with a wok”.
~
Applejack grimaced slightly as she picked out yet another egg shell from the scrambled eggs Rainbow Dash had made her, adding it to the small pile she’d already made at the side of her plate. She looked up from her plate of burnt toast and half cooked eggs, meeting the endearing gaze of an animated Rainbow Dash staring back at her.
“How is it?” Rainbow Dash asked excitedly, taking a tentative sip of her coffee and burning her tongue, eliciting a quiet hiss from the athlete as she set her mug back down on the table. She took a bite from her blackened toast and waited expectantly for Applejack to reply, flipping her colourful hair behind her and flashing her best smile.
“How are you not dead?” Applejack asked disbelievingly as she picked out yet another egg shell from her plate in her failing battle to find anything edible from what Rainbow Dash had made. “You burnt yourself god knows how many times, cremated the toast, and I don’t even want to think about what happened to these eggs” Applejack shuddered for extra effect, pushing her plate to one side as she opted instead for her black coffee, smirking from behind her mug as she took a small sip. Rainbow Dash made to reply, but all that came out was indignant stuttering.
“It’s not that bad!” Rainbow Dash argued, taking a huge bite out of a blackened piece of toast as if to prove her point, hiding her grimace as her senses were assaulted by charcoal and soot. “See?” She mumbled while forcing down her mouthful of toast in a last ditch attempt to prove her point and defend her honour against Applejack. “Your just jealous of my cooking skills” She added, a small laugh escaping her lips as even she realised how ridiculous that claim was.
Applejack stared at Rainbow Dash blankly, lowering her mug from in front of her face and holding it with both hands. “You put the toast in the grill” Applejack stated in a deadpan tone, motioning to the burnt toast in her girlfriends hands. “Your meant to use the toaster sweetie, clues in the name” She smirked as Rainbow Dash’s face lit up beet red, gesturing to the left of the girl where the unused toaster was located.
Applejack stood up and began clearing the table, chuckling to herself as Rainbow Dash stayed put, mumbling obscenities under her breath.
“I appreciate the effort Dash” Applejack said as she collected their plates, affectionately planting a light kiss on Rainbows forehead as she moved across the kitchen. Applejack cleared their plates and set them down in the sink to be rinsed later, turning back to grab her coffee mug from the table to bring back upstairs with her. She was about to suggest Rainbow Dash come back upstairs with her so the two could get their hiking gear ready for when their friends arrived, but was stopped short when out of the corner of her eye she spotted Pinkie Pie, standing in the kitchen doorway and smiling at them.
“Holy fuck!” Applejack yelled, jumping backwards instinctively and crashing into Rainbow Dash, who flinched at her sudden outburst. Rainbow Dash spun her head around to see what had startled Applejack, recoiling in surprise to see Pinkie Pie smiling and waving at them both.
“Morning Dashie, morning AJ” She chirped, patting the two girls on the head affectionately before helping herself to the coffee pot, unnervingly knowing exactly which cupboard the cups lived in. “Sorry for scaring you AJ, but the house was open so I thought I’d let myself in” she continued, helping herself to two huge heapings of sugar with her beverage.
“Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash began, sharing a nervous look with a red faced Applejack momentarily before renewing her focus on her house invader. “The door was closed!” She stated irritably, motioning from her seat towards the hallway and front door, where Pinkie Pie had unceremoniously abandoned her gear: a pair of hiking sticks, a small backpack undoubtedly filled filled with sugary snacks, and a dark blue rain jacket.
“It wasn’t locked” Pinkie Pie replied between mouthfuls of coffee, briefly flashing the two less than impressed girls a sickly sweet smile. She glanced around the kitchen, taking note of the burned cookware piled in the sink and the faint lingering smell of smoke, before putting two and two together with a sly smirk.
“I thought the fire department banned you from cooking”.
Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and muttered angrily under her breath as Applejack and Pinkie Pie laughed at her expense, but found a smile creeping onto her face despite her best efforts. “Yeah yeah, ok, I can’t cook” She said between giggles, moving across the kitchen to pour herself another cup of coffee. However, a sly smirk crept onto her face as an idea popped into her head. “Don’t be so happy though, it means I don’t have to cook anything on this trip”. She hopped onto the counter and sipped her coffee happily, feeling as though she’d won, though the feeling was quickly shattered by Pinkie Pie’s responding quip.
“Yeah, you’ll just be on washing duty instead Dashie” She chirped happily, washing the smirk from Rainbow Dash’s face almost immediately. Unable to formulate a response, Rainbow Dash instead opted to simply glower at Pinkie Pie from across the room, taking small sips of her coffee as the conversation continued around her.
“Do you know where we’re actually going then?” Pinkie Pie asked Applejack, who was busy with destroying the evidence of Rainbow Dash’s culinary adventure.
“It’s some campsite Rarity wanted us to go” Applejack replied, pausing briefly to take a drink of her own coffee before continuing. “It’s near a lake, apparently it’s very high class” She added, mimicking Rarities voice almost flawlessly. The impression earned a smirk from Rainbow Dash, who was about to chime in, but was instead rudely interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
“I guess that’ll be everyone else” Rainbow Dash said, sliding off the counter to go answer the door. “That’s how your supposed to do it Pinkie” She added with a smile as she left the room, to which Pinkie Pie merely giggled and shrugged.
“Eh, where’s the fun in that Dashie” She shouted from the kitchen as Rainbow Dash reached the front door. Rainbow Dash merely grinned in response to Pinkie Pie, and opened the door to find Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle.
“Mornin’ guys” Rainbow Dash said happily, greeting them both with a hug before inviting them inside. “Thanks for using the bell” She added, gaining confused looks from them both.
“Morning Rainbow” Twilight greeted her as she sat down on the bottom of the stairs to take her boots off.
“Heya Rainbow” Sunset greeted, dumping her motorbike helmet on the floor as she closed the door behind her. “Thanks again for letting me keep my bike here while we’re away.''
“That’s cool, I’ll grab the garage keys before we leave” Rainbow Dash replied, “maybe my parents will let me buy one if they see how awesome yours is?” She added sarcastically, much to the amusement of Sunset.
“I’d have thought they’d want to keep you all safe and protected, Dashie” Sunset quipped affectionately, much to Rainbow Dash’s chagrin. Twilight giggled quietly at this, but was silenced by a harsh glare from Rainbow Dash. Aside from her parents, the only person Rainbow Dash let call her Dashie was Pinkie Pie, mainly because it was too difficult to land a hit on her when she did.
“Urgh, I wish I’d never had that sleepover, then no one but Fluttershy would know” Rainbow Dash moaned, pushing her loose hair away from her face as she replied, “Your probably right though, can’t really see it happening” she finished with one of her trademark smirks. “A girl can dream though?.”
“Yeah, I guess so” Sunset replied hopefully, before adding on “speaking of your parents, they won’t mind my bike in the garage will they?”.
“Nah, they're on holiday so it’s all good” Rainbow Dash responded. “I’ve still got another week of freedom” She added on happily, before leading Sunset and Twilight towards the kitchen. Applejack looked up as they entered, relief flooding through her face at their arrival.
“Tell Pinkie to give my hat back!” Applejack directed at Twilight, who seamlessly strode over to where Pinkie Pie was standing, adorning Applejack's hat and pulling faces at her.
“How come you haven’t gone with them Rainbow?” Twilight asked as she effortlessly removed Applejack's beloved hat from Pinkie Pie’s head, and in one smooth motion threw it like a frisbee across the room to Applejack. “Oh, morning you two” She added on, giving Pinkie Pie a small, hidden smirk of approval before turning to face Rainbow Dash.
“Uh, well, lets just say it’s not the sort of holiday I’d want to be on, if you catch my drift” Rainbow Dash replied, shuddering slightly as she remembered asking them about it. She glanced up at Twilight, who seemed visibly confused. “They wanted to reconnect” She added, with a gagging motion for effect.
“Oh right, that’s, umm” Twilight stuttered, unsure of how to reply to Rainbow Dash’s answer.
“Yeah” Rainbow Dash cut her off. “I wish I didn’t ask,” she added, moving across the room to where Applejack was standing, picking up her coffee as she did.
“Oooh-“ Pinkie Pie began speaking, but was immediately cut off by Rainbow Dash.
“Pinkie, I will kill you” Rainbow Dash threatened from across the kitchen, jumping up to sit on the counter again while directing her glare at Pinkie Pie, who responded with a low whistle to feign fear. “Do not!” She directly plainly as Pinkie Pie moved from the corner and took a seat at the table.
“Fine fine, but I’ve got to take you down a peg or two every now and then” Pinkie Pie replied as she tied her hair up in a simple ponytail. “Can’t let that head of yours get too big now can we?”.
“It’s not!” Rainbow Dash replied indignantly as Pinkie Pie shrugged with a smirk.
“Well…” Applejack spoke up, grinning as she stole Rainbow Dash’s coffee. “She’s not wrong Dash” She continued, taking a sip from the stolen cup as the rest of the room nodded in agreement.
Rainbow Dash looked around the room for any support, but quickly gave up when she found none. “Not fair” She replied with a smile, playfully punching Applejack's shoulder before stealing her coffee back.
“So”, Twilight began, changing the subject from Rainbow Dash’s ego. “Does anyone know when the rest of the girls are arriving?”. She took her phone out as she spoke, checking for any messages.
“Fluttershy texted me, she said they’ll be around ten minutes or so” Sunset replied, yawning loudly as she did. “Mind if I grab some coffee Dash?” She asked, to which Rainbow Dash nodded in reply.
The room soon broke off into smaller conversations, leaving Rainbow Dash and Applejack alone for a moment, something Rainbow Dash intended to take full advantage of.
“So” Rainbow Dash began, running her fingers along the waist of Applejack's skirt as she leaned her body closer to Applejack. “Four days, away from home, no work or school to worry about…” She paused briefly, taking Applejack’s hand in her own as their faces slowly crept closer. She couldn’t help smirking at the small blush and smile creeping onto Applejack’s face. “Just think…” She continued, closing her eyes as she imagined the next four days with Applejack.
“Mmm” Applejack hummed in reply, moving her face closer to Rainbow Dash’s, but stopping short. Suddenly, almost violently, Applejack pushed away from the counter where they were sitting, moving across the room to refill her cup. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and remained deathly still, her fingers shaking slightly as she gripped the edge of the counter while her eyes remained locked on the back of Applejack’s head.
Feeling that familiar anger bubbling to the surface again, she shoved off from the counter and left the room behind her, making up an excuse of wanting to check over her packing as she left. She moved through her home quickly, feeling tears beginning to form around her eyes as she fled upstairs, making a beeline for her bedroom. Closing the door quietly behind her, Rainbow Dash sat down on the edge of her bed, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She knew she shouldn’t be angry. It was unfair to Applejack, but even so, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt when she did that. Lying back on her bed with a sigh, Rainbow Dash stared up at the ceiling light, desperately wishing to be anywhere else right now.
~
Rainbow Dash stood alone in her room trying to remember where she’d ditched her hiking boots the night before, and was failing. She’d excused herself from the kitchen after Sunset and Twilight had shown up, saying she wanted to double check her bag and make sure she had everything for the trip. Really, she just wanted some alone space, though now she was instead searching her room in vain for the boots she knew damn well were probably as good as lost now.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid” she mumbled under her breath as she began rummaging through her closet, dumping the various clothes and shoes she removed on the floor behind her. The door clicked shut behind her, Hey accompanied by the annoying creaking whine of the hinges.
“Tell the girls I’ll be down in a minute” Rainbow Dash said over her shoulder, continuing her search with a long sigh.
“Lookin’ for these?” Applejack asked softly, pushing off from the door and walking over to where Rainbow Dash was sat. Rainbow Dash spun on her heels to face Applejack, and forced a smile to her face.
“Thanks AJ” she replied in as cheerful a tone as she could muster. “Is everyone here now?”.
Applejack paused momentarily, unsure of how to act to Rainbow Dash’s sharp mood change, before replying with a simple “Yup”.
“Tell them I’ll be down in a sec” Rainbow Dash said, busying herself with fitting her new boots to avoid eye contact with Applejack. Applejack turned and headed towards the door, intending to escape the tension in the room, but found herself stopping just short with a sigh. She turned to face Rainbow Dash again, who was still sat on the floor pretending her boots were a lot more interesting than they really were. She moved across the room and sat down in front of Rainbow Dash, who briefly looked up before carrying on with the boots.
“Rainbow, can we talk a sec” Applejack said softly, kneeling down to lightly place her hand over Rainbows to get her attention.
“Well it doesn’t look like you’re giving me much of a choice so…” Rainbow Dash replied, looking up from her lap to meet Applejack's face. “Sure” She added on flatly, brushing Applejack’s hand off of her own. “Just make it quick, everyone’s waiting for us”.
Applejack stayed silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond, before settling on the simplest way possible. “I’m… I’m sorry about before, in the kitchen. I didn’t mean it to come across like that”.
Rainbow Dash froze and glanced up at Applejack, taking a deep breath and out before replying. “It’s fine AJ, I get it”. She maintained eye contact with Applejack for a few moments, before standing up to fetch her bag from the foot of her bed. “You don’t want anyone to know about us” She continued, her voice rising slightly as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “Or me” she added on at the end, albeit a lot quieter than before. Rainbow Dash stood still for a moment as she tried to organise her emotions, before making her way to the door.
“Rainbow, wait!” Applejack said, moving from her position on the floor to where Rainbow Dash was standing. “Can we talk about this, please? That’s not it, I...”. Applejack trailed off, and the two stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, before Rainbow Dash broke the silence.
“I can’t… I don’t understand why you don’t want people seeing us together, even our friends. We’ve been together for almost three months. I thought by now you’d… you’d feel different” Rainbow Dash said softly, though there was a slight edge to her voice, like she was struggling to keep it at that level.
“You know why Dash” Applejack answered softly, brushing Rainbow Dash’s hair away from her face. “I’m not ready for that yet” She continued, wrapping her arms around Rainbow Dash’s shoulders, who was averting her gaze from Applejacks. “You know I love you, and I know how hard this is for you, it’s just as hard for me, and I’m sorry.'' Rainbow Dash turned to look at Applejack with a small smile. “It won’t be forever, ok?” Applejack said quietly, resting her head on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder as she hugged her.
Rainbow Dash returned the hug, albeit a lot colder than their previous embraces, the pair remaining silent for a few moments. “Ok” Rainbow Dash replied quietly, her voice cracking slightly as she did. “I’m sorry, it’s just sometimes I feel like you don’t…” Rainbow Dash continued, but stopped herself short. “Doesn’t matter” She added on quickly, releasing from the embrace and picking up her bag.
“Like I don’t what…” Applejack said slowly, her face etched with worry. “What is it?”.
Choosing to ignore the question, Rainbow Dash opened the door and left, barely turning to face Applejack. “The girls will be waiting for us, we better head down now” Rainbow Dash said in a forced upbeat tone, an unconvincing smile accompanying her face as she quickly left. Applejack stood alone in the dimly lit room, a small frown fixed to her face as Rainbow Dash left her behind. She took a few deep, calming breaths, suddenly dreading the next four days, and followed Rainbow Dash out the room