Chapter III: Meeting in the Mines
Rainbow Dash looked for Applejack at the entrance to the mines, but the orange-haired pony was nowhere to be found. Rainbow flew around for a while, until she noticed a dark shadow sneaking towards their rendez-vous point.
"Hey, over here!" she yelled, careful not to use Applejack's name. After all, if she'd gone through so much trouble to meet her here in secret, it probably wouldn't be wise to reveal who she was. Applejack turned around, and pointed into the mines, after which she swiftly ran in. She must really not want anypony to know about this, Rainbow thought to herself. She followed Applejack into the mines. They were empty.
"Applejack? Are you there?" she yelled.
"Ah'm over here." Came a quiet response to her left. She followed the sound until it led her to Applejack.
"Applejack, what's up with all this? Why're you sneaking around like that?"
"Ah'm not sneakin' around!" Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what she just heard.
"You're not sneaking around!? Why do you want to meet me on the other side of Ponyville, inside mines that've been abandoned since Granny Smith was just a filly when you're wearing a black full-body suit! How is that anything else than sneaking around?" Rainbow Dash said, her wings flaring up as they always did when she got mad. Applejack was quiet for a few seconds.
"Well, ah s'pose you're right, Rainbow. Ah'm sorry. Now please, could you just be quiet for a bit and listen to what ah have to say?"
"Fine, but this had better be worth it." Rainbow said. Applejack winced.
"Ah don't know what to say…"
"Why don't you start at the beginning?"
"Ah suppose you're right. Again." Applejack admitted.
"Come a lil' closer." She said. Rainbow Dash did as she was told.
"Ah've been lookin' for someone to tell this to for a long, long time, Rainbow. Ah couldn't think of anyone better than you."
"Keep talkin'."
"Ah'm in love, Rainbow." Rainbows' eyes widened.
"You're in LOVE!?" She yelled.
"THAT'S why we came all the way out here? Are you insane ? Do you have any idea how much trouble it took me to get here?"
"Rainbow, please calm down! Ah'm not finished yet!"
"Well then, go on! Tell me why you couldn't tell me this in Ponyville!"
"Because ah don't want everyone to know ah'm a filly-fooler!" Yelled Applejack. Rainbow's jaw dropped down to the bottom of the mineshaft.
"MOMMY!" two voices cried in unison. Two little foals came rushing for their mother, jumping and bumping about. Fluttershy smiled.
"Hi boys! Did you have fun at school?"
"I did!" squealed Autumn."
I didn't." muttered Winter.
"Oh, Winter, what happened, sweetie?"
"Paper Wings was being mean to me! He said I'm a useless Unicorn, and I'll never learn how to use magic!"
"Oh, sweetie, don't listen to him! He's just a big old meanie who doesn't know what he's talking about! I bet he'll never learn how to fly, anyway!" Fluttershy said, trying to cheer up her son. Winter muttered something, but she couldn't understand it.
"What'd you say, sweetie?"
"He flew through the classroom today." He said, sulking. Fluttershy didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. You'll… You'll just have to prove him wrong and try really hard!" she said.
"But what if I really can't use magic, mom?" he pouted.
"Oh, don't say that, sweetie – you'll find it someday! Every Unicorn does."
"But what if I don't?" her son continued.
"That's enough, Winter. Of course you will." Fluttershy said, resolved. Winter kept sulking. She took a deep breath, and turned to Autumn.
"And how was your day, Autumn?" she asked.
"Great! We played games all day long, it was so much fun!" he squealed.
"That's great, sweetie. I'm glad you had fun." She said.
"Let's get going boys, we should go home now. Come along!"
The twins followed their mother outside. When they got home, they looked so very tired, so Fluttershy put them to bed. She really had to talk to miss Cheerilee about Winter, there had to be a reason why he was so scared of going to school. Suddenly the front door slammed shut.
"I'm home!" yelled Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat – she was home very early today. She darted downstairs, and flew into her lovers' arms. They hugged and kissed each other until Rainbow pushed her away.
"Not now, love. We've got all weekend, remember?" Rainbow said. Fluttershy's heart skipped another beat – in two hours, Pinkie Pie and Storm Chaser would be stopping by to take care of the foals for the weekend, so she and Rainbow could have some quiet alone time. Storm Chaser was Pinkie's husband, they'd met when Pinkie went to visit some relatives in Manehattan. Three months later, they were married. They couldn't have any children, because Storm Chaser was impotent, so they spent a lot of time with the twins. Rainbow snickered.
"All weekend to do whatever we want to…" she said. While she was talking, Rainbows' thoughts trailed off, and led her back to her meeting in the mines.
"Ah'm in love, Rainbow." Rainbows' eyes widened.
"You're in LOVE!?" She yelled.
"THAT'S why we came all the way out here? Are you insane ? Do you have any idea how much trouble it took me to get here?"
"Rainbow, please calm down! Ah'm not finished yet!"
"Well then, go on! Tell me why you couldn't tell me this in Ponyville!"
"Because ah don't want everyone to know ah'm a filly-fooler!" Yelled Applejack. Rainbow's jaw dropped down to the bottom of the mineshaft.
"You're a filly-fooler? But – what about all those colts you went out with?" she asked.
"Ah never wanted to go out with them – Ah've always known, but Ah've been afraid of telling anypony. Ah feel as if somepony should know, and Ah reckon you're the safest pony to tell. You know what it's like to be in mah position." Rainbow Dash went quiet for a while.
"I do…" she whispered.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"What?" Applejack said.
"Who are you in love with?"
"Ah'm not sure you want to know, Rainbow."
"If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked you, now would I?"
"Ah suppose…" Applejack said.
"So, go on! Spill the beans!" Rainbow Dash insisted.
"Ah… Ah can't say it."
"Why not? Why ask me for help if you can't tell me who it is?"
"Because Ah don't want to ruin things between you and me, Rainbow." A short silence fell.
"Are you in love with me?" Rainbow asked hesitantly.
"Ah…" Applejack fell quiet for a moment. Then she walked towards Rainbow, and planted her mouth on hers. Her tongue found its way into Rainbows' mouth, exploring the lair of the tongue it was wrestling so vigorously. It took a while before they broke the kiss.
"Ah love you, Rainbow."
"I'm sorry, Applejack. I have Fluttershy and the twins. I can't do this." Rainbow said.
"You don't have to. Just let me be your Fluttershy for one time." Applejack replied. She moved closer, embracing Rainbow in a lovers' hug. Rainbow resisted.
"I can't… It's wrong, I couldn't do that to Fluttershy."
"It's only wrong if she finds out…" Applejack said. Rainbow sighed. Applejack was blocking her way out, and no matter how quick she was, she'd never be able to get out of the thin mineshaft.
"I will not do anything. You can do what you want with my body, but I'll not do a thing to yours. I just can't."
"Ah'll take it." Applejack said, as she moved her front hoof along Rainbow Dash's strong, muscular body.
"Ah'll definitely take it."
