A Hard Day
She let out a long, tired yawn. She stretched her wings, and messed up her mane a bit. The sun was setting in the horizon and she had just finished her long day of work. Winter was coming up and the weather team was on full patrol. All Pagasi were called in and of course she was in charge. Being weather chief had sounded fun and seemed to pay a lot, and that still was true, but during autumn leading up to winter, things became really busy. Not to mention all the paper work that went into assigning Pegasi their parts and duties, were piling up. It was way more than she had initially thought it'd be. Cloud Chaser and a few others had caught the Feather Flu, and couldn't make it. This only added to the amount of work they all had. Dash had taken initiative and had taken most of their duties, so more for her to work with.
On top of that, she needed to practice for the upcoming WonderBolts show.
Even after she joined them, she still continued to be the weather chief, since she didn't want to leave Ponywille hanging; that would be so un-Rainbow.
The Bolts, had prepared a relatively easy course this time. Even though it had been easier than their last show, it was harder for her to find time to practice it. Flips, loops, rolls all sounded easy for a professional flyer, and for Dash it was; normally. But since she had been flying all day, it only stacked up on her work. Why work needed to be so hard was beyond her, but it just was. Fortunately, the Bolts, had allowed her to practice alone for a week, until things with the weather team cooled down, and she had appreciated it a lot.
Time, was something that, actually, was on her side that day. But nothing else seemed to be, work on top of work on top of practice.
Groaning, she drifted herself onto a cloud placed a top of the tree she loved so very much. She watched as the sun fell onto the horizon, drifting ever so slowly away from their beautiful blue sky, leaving behind a mist, starry night. Birds from around her, flew and sung their little song, happily hovering away from her. She watched their peaceful-selves, drift in the sky, as though it was no big deal. They sung their songs and hovered away, leaving behind a tired Rainbow.
Dash sat up on her cloud, and spread her feathery, cyan wings to take flight. She leaped into the air and soured, practicing her Ariel stunts, wind her mane, light on her face, and wings stretched, curved or flapped at needed timing. Flying had become routine in her daily schedule, she rarely stuck on the ground, and that was something others hated; her lack of concentration.
Flying had also become a venting strategy, whenever she had an awful day, a bad meeting, or lost a race to Applejack, she'd wipe the thoughts from her mind by flying. But today just didn't seem right. It seemed un-enthusing. Maybe it was because her problem this time, was flying, too much of it. Flying while carrying out weather duties, flying while practicing her Ariel course, flying while her problems stacked up on her.
Her normal venting routine didn't seem to work.
She fell on the cloud, defeated.
If flight didn't make her feel better, what could?
Looking around, she spotted a farm, the farm of Ponywille; Sweet Apple Acres. Her best friend's home, Applejack's home.
Maybe if flight couldn't help, maybe a friend could?
She lifted herself off the ground and hovered to her friend's beloved farm.
Sighing, she sat down under an apple tree, with an unsatisfied smile. She gazed at the rest of her un-bucked trees. Each had plenty of the red delicious still left on their branches. No matter how hard she tried, apples were just not going to fall off. They were as stubborn as the farmer farming them.
She tilted her hat in front of her face, covering her sight of the trees.
That day defiantly wasn't her best. Considering how much she, herself, had to do on her own. Mac had broken a hind-hoof, while bucking a few days prior and she had taken initiative for the whole of bucking. She had learned her lesson the first time she tried it alone, so asked for her friends for help, and each gladly accepted, helping her for the last day or two, but that day seemed to be a busy one for all of them, so she had left them for whatever they had on their own schedules. She was sure she could manage at least a day without help, but no. It wasn't only that either, she had other chores, like the market, she had closed that early to finish the last of the bucking, or at least attempt to finish. She also had to help out Apple Bloom with her homework plus cleaning and cooking.
Since the winter was around the corner, she had to get all the apples of their branches and into the barn for cider and fritter and other foods.
Bloom had tried helping out, but Applejack's protective nature got the better of her, and Bloom was soon gone.
Now sitting under an un-bucked tree, almost half of the orchard was left in the same state, and she only had a few days left for the harvest, before winter rolled around.
She needed to finish up but she also knew, pushing herself to the brim was not going to do anypony any good. She was going to end up over-doing it, making her friends worried, and then they'll enlist themselves on her problems and stop with their own for her. She didn't want that, not in the slightest, she just wanted it to be over that's all.
Her farm had become, her home, and her vent. Bucking down apples was a way of getting herself relaxed and calm, let out any rage or sadness or anything of the sort out of her, so she could think reasonably. She would be able to think clearer and more rationally, after a good few kicks.
But today just didn't seem to be the same. She felt exhausted and angry with herself. But bucking didn't seem to cut it, in fact, it only added to her issue.
She couldn't find any way of venting that day, it was just a whole day filled with work, atop of work, atop of chores.
Sighing, she leaned back on her tree and closed her eyes, for some relaxation.
…
"Heya AJ!"
A familiar raspy voice spoke from above her. Although today it sounded more tired than anything else. She lifted her hat from her face, to lay her eyes on a tired, droopy-eyed Pegasus. She was hovering a few feet above the farmer and the ground, but soon fell to the floor in a heap of exhaustion. She was sweating buckets, and it was evident she wasn't in the best of moods either.
Even though all this was true, she still managed a proud, Rainbow-like smile.
"Heya Sugarcube"
Her voice, too had an exhausted and tiresome tone, but even though, managed her friend a smile.
"Tired?"
The Pegasus asked taking a seat next to her friend. Applejack gave a slight nod, and things became quiet, not much said.
Both watched as the sun set in the horizon, completely leaving the two in a dark, misty, yet starry night. Both had their eyes laid softly on the horizon and nowhere else. Not the sky filled with tiresome flight and overestimated power nor the orchard filled with un-bucked trees, and exhausting responsibilities.
"Yea me too"
Dash admitted. Without taking her eyes of the horizon, Applejack spoke up;
"Huh? You, tired?"
The Pegasus gave a lazy nod,
"Yea, I know, weird right? All I do is manage weather things. I do something I love for a living, flying, right?"
No hint of sarcasm or any snark, that was a sincere question, come from a sincere place. Dash was rarely like that, so, Applejack knew, that day was not only hard for her, but for Dash, too, apparently. She gave a small nod alerting the cyan mare of her answer, to the rhetorical question.
"Yea, well I guess, after doing it for so long you kinda get tired of it, I'm not saying I hate flying or anything, it’s just... no matter how much I love flying it just gets... tiresome sometimes, y'know?"
She explained. Applejack got that, better than any other pony would,
"Yea, I guess I do know, workin' on the farm has always been my favorite thin’ to do, ya could even say; its somethin' I use as a ventin' thing, but sometimes things can get too hard, even fir me"
Dash nodded at that, she herself had the same problem. Knowing Applejack felt a similar way, made her feel... comforted in some sort of manner. The two remained quiet yet again. The quiet this time was filled with thinking, something neither liked doing, both were; act now and ask later, kind of ponies.
Dash wondered if maybe Applejack was really just like her. She had met almost nopony who could relate to her. She had always found that all mares were a little too girly, and the stallions were too ragged, she had some mare-like things about her. She wondered if maybe Applejack got that in between too. Not a complete stallion nor a mare, just in the middle. Liked to be comforted and hugged, but didn't like frou-frou or poufy. She wondered if she had finally found somepony who could just got her. Sure, all her other friends accepted her for her, but they never really got her that way. It sucked, she couldn’t really do anything too Rainbow-like around them, that is, all except Applejack; It was like she could be her around the farmer. Be as coltish as she liked, be as foalish as she liked, anything, she could get angry around her, tear up, get all sappy, or just be cool.
But…
Does AJ really know me? I mean we never had an actual heart to heart chat before, right? she asked herself.
Applejack was on the similar page, wondering if Rainbow really did understand her. She had never talked to her about something like that before, has she? Dash had always seemed to agree with her, and when they didn't agree it was always fun! Their completions, races, their rivalry in general, was one of her favorite things. She felt like she could go all out on Dash without feeling like she had to hold back. She could enjoy every moment of their competitions, without ruining anything in their friendship because they always went back to things as though it never happened. Even if one of them won a race or a competition, they acted like that never happened the next day. It was a sort of unspoken oath to not speak off their rivalry outside of the competition itself. This was mainly done for both their prides, both held it high up on a pedestal, and it getting scratched or hurt was going to burn them emotionally, and both of them knew this, though it was never spoken.
She was just wondering; how much did Dash know
Does she really know all that about me? I mean we never had a heart ta heart talk before, have we?
"Ugh!"
The Pegasus exclaimed, gaining a cocked eyebrow from the Earth Pony.
"No more thinking! I don't think... we don't think we act!"
She exclaimed. She was sat up with her wings flared up, and hooves up in the air, flailing. They dropped to the floor, and her ears flattened,
"We don't think we only act"
She repeated. Applejack placed a hoof on her shoulder, and gave her a small smile,
"I know, we don't think we act, right?"
Dash gave the Earth Pony a nod, and leaned in. She placed a soft, caring... kiss, on the famer's cheek. It wasn't anything special and it wasn't anything big, but it was an act nonetheless, and that's all she wanted right then. An act that shows how she feels, be it tired, upset, love anything!
She pulled away quickly and laid her head on the farmer's chest. She let out a content sigh. Now that was all she needed.
All the while, Applejack kept her eyes wide in shock. What did that kiss even mean? Well, Dash did say they're not thinkers their actors, so she forgot the thought. She smiled at the Pegasus laid on her chest. She leaned back on the tree and let the cyan mare get comfortable. She, too, placed a soft kiss on the cyan cheek, nothing more.
Both stayed there, comfortable and content. Neither liked thinking, both preferred acting, and now that an act from both sides were done, they were happy with it.
"So, Ima assume ya want somethin' more than friends, ay?"
Applejack asked with a caring smile, neither had any energy for snarky comments, or playful insults. It was right to the point with them, and that's how both preferred it.
Dash gave her a truthful nod, not moving from her place, her head rested softly on the other mare's chest, nuzzling her slowly.
Applejack placed another soft kiss on her forehead and whispered in her flattened ear;
"Well then, would ya like ta be my marefriend?"
Dash lifted her head with a cheery smile on her face, she didn't even hesitate for a second before answering;
"If you'll be mine"
Applejack nodded with a similar smile. She brought the mare into a soft and warm hug. She wrapped her hooves around her, now, marefriend.
Dash, in her regular, unthinking, manner, brought their muzzles closer together, connecting the two from it.
They had their first kiss, under an Apple tree, filled with their red delicious, where nothing, be it responsibilities, fears, worries or even work, could hold them back on their actions, they were free. Nothing to disturb the two, nothing whatsoever.
They had a rough beginning, for that day, both finding their respective passions wearing out on them, biting off more than they can chew and still going through with it. A tiresome day it was, but it was a day nonetheless and it happened, and taught them a valuable lesson;
No matter how much you love something, they'll come a day when that will become wearing and tiring, when these days come, finding someone to fall back on is always what to do
"Well, that's a really good lesson, you two"
The Alicorn told the Pegasus and Earth Pony, sat in front of her, she was stood next to her number one assistant writing down their words,
"And it is really true, there have been days when magic never did it for me and you girls helped me out... didn't think to note about it though"
The cyan Pegasus gave a shrug,
"Eh, I guess it was just something about that day"
Applejack nodded angeringly. The purple, little dragon smirked at the two,
"So, you two together now?""
Dash gave a nod, while AJ smirked, giving the rainbow mare a side nudge. Dash smiled back at her, nothing but love in their eyes, looking into each other's eyes.
"Sure, we ain’t anythin' like Rarity's fantasies'-"
"-And I think I like it that way"
Dash cut her off. Applejack gave an agreeing nod.
Twilight eyed the two, there definitely was something more than just friendship, both seemed to get each other, the love-like looks they gave each other, the agreeing nature, it seemed they were really good together, just in their own special way.
"Well, nonetheless, I'm happy for you two, I honestly never saw it coming"
Again, she got a shrug from the two. Applejack shot her lover a smug smile,
"It was Dash who decided to admit it"
Dash scoffed at that,
"Me? You asked the question"
She retorted, her smile now in a frown,
"Oh yea? Well, ya were the one who agreed to it, weren't ya?"
Same with Applejack. Both glared at each other. Something in Twilight told her not to intervene, that something will stop them, although Spike didn't seem to get his. He bugged Twilight to try stopping them.
"Sure, I still wasn't the one who asked"
Dash shot back, both had their hooves to themselves, neither wanted to make this physical. Spike pestered on and on about how they were going to break up after this, but was soon cut off by Applejack;
"But ya were the one who kissed me..."
….
…both burst into a teary laughter.
"You got me AJ!"
Dash managed through her laughter. Twilight smiled; they knew how to work with one another too. Even their little fights only ended in laughter. That was a good sign. Spike let out a sigh. They weren't going to break up. That’s good, really good, he though.
The violet mare helped friends to their hooves when they managed to finish their laughter.
"Y’know, I did"
The farmer gave her a lover a wink. Dash nudged her back, their loving smiles returned.
"Like I was sayin', we’re nothin' like Rarity's fantasies, I like it that way too. We don't go on fancy dates or stare into each other’s eyes or whatever, but we still do love each other, even if neither will admit it"
She chuckled at the last bit. Dash nodded at the statement.
Twilight nodded in assurance. She had known her friends weren't the most romantic couple so this didn't surprise her, though their lack of dates was a bit out of the blue.
"Yea, we don't really go on dates or say the L word a lot, only once or twice, but we do go on our kinda dates, like races, or competitions-
"
"-or just a relaxin' time under a tree"
Applejack cut her off. Dash gave a nod, with her smile turned to a smug one.
"Well, that’s really good to hear, you two. Are you two planning on telling the others?"
Bothe gave a shrug,
"If it ever comes up, we'll tell them, for now, I think we can keep it between us four?"
Dash explained. Spike and Twilight shot their heads up and down. Dash and AJ gave them a smile and waved them goodbye. They, made their way out of the massive crystal castle, and to their homes.
-;-;-
"Well, that was something"
Dash admitted, earning a nod from her lover.
"Sure was, Sugarcube, sure was"
They made it back to the orchard, and Dash dropped off her lover and they said their goodbyes;
“See ya, AJ!”
“Later Dash, good night”
“Night!”
She waved her a goodbye before making her way home herself.
It had been a few days since their confession. It was pretty chill for the last few days. Both still had a lot of work, but they were there for one another to support and encourage each other. They had gone on a few dates here and there. And by dates they mean, races, competitions, and like Applejack said, little snuggle times under a tree. Both enjoyed each other's company and comfort. Nether were going to admit that to anypony apart from each other though.
Applejack had been restless about her farm and Dash had not stopped talking about the weather team and both would let their frustrations out while with their lover. The other would listen, comfort and assure, be it if Dash was ranting about how some worker didn't do something right, or Applejack was whining about how the Apple trees seemed to grow back their apples or something, they listened and assured.
That was what their relationship was built on, its firm and strong structure, on top of that were, their other features, such as being able to tell when the other's down, being able to break away from a fight with a chuckle, laugh or even out-right massive smile, or being able to let their guard down around each other.
Dash smiled at the thought, which were racing through her mind.
They really did have a good structure, didn't they?
"Yeah, yeah we do"