Once Applejack was sure the two fillies were inside and not listening in, she allowed herself to speak her mind, "Actually, Rainbow ah've been wanting tah talk tah yah 'bout something…"

"Okay..."

"Well, that Canterlot Rodeo starts tomorrow and ah want tah go." Applejack said bracing herself.

"What? No!" Rainbow Dash protested taking a step away.

Applejack grumbled, "Ah knew yah'd react this way."

Rainbow looked as if she were on the verge of hysteria, "Of course this is how I'm going to react! You CAN'T Applejack!"

Applejack lit up with anger, "Don'tcha dare tell me what ah can and can't do." She hissed.

The sudden hostility frightened Rainbow Dash, "Th-that's not what I meant. The doctor said if you-"

"I know what the doctor said, if yah didn't notice, ah was in the room when he said it."

Rainbow Dash choked a little, "But what if-"

"Ah can't spend the rest of mah life cooped up because of something some pony said. Of all ponies, ah thought yah'd understand that."

Rainbow looked at the ground trying to hide the fear in her eyes, "But…"

Applejack trotted over and nudged Rainbow Dash's chin up, "Look, ah know yer scared and yah just want me safe, but ah have tah do this, or else ah'll spend the rest of mah days afraid of what could happen."

Rainbow's eyes swelled, "What if something does happen?"

Applejack reassured her with a small kiss on the cheek, "Ah'll be fine."

"But what if-"

"Nothing is gonna happen!" Applejack interrupted. "Ah need this. WE need this, even if ah don't place first there is still some good prize money and we're hurtin' for the money badly."

"Applejack… I'm scared."

"Ah know yah are, but it'll be fine." Applejack pulled the Pegasus in, stroking her rainbow mane comfortingly.

"We've never really been apart…" Rainbow Dash said with a quiver in her voice, a gentle stream of tears running down her cheeks.

"Ah know, but it'll give yah plenty of time tah get tah know Raven, and lord knows that filly probably needs it given where she came from."

"Do you really think leaving for a few days after she just moved in is the best idea?" Rainbow Dash asked hoping it would change her mind.

"Ah'm not just going tah leave without saying good-bye. Ah'm gonna spend some time with her before ah go." Applejack smiled, "And the two of yah so much in common, and yah've already bonded so much. Yah can relate with her in ways ah never will, so she'll be fine."

"We could always come with you…" Rainbow suggested weakly.

Applejack smiled, "Ah'd love that, but ah think Raven should stay here, moving around so much won't necessarily be good fer her, and she'll need someone tah look after her."

"I guess…" Rainbow Dash nuzzled her face against Applejack's, "So just for a few days?"

Applejack nodded, "Just fer a few days."

Rainbow Dash squeezed her tightly, "You promise you'll be okay?"

Applejack whispered in her soothing and caring voice she had used dozens of times after the incident in the forest, "Ah promise, sugar cube." She dried off the tears from Rainbow's face, "Now why don't we go inside and see what those two fillies are up to?"

"Okay."

Applejack took off running towards the farm house, "Race yah!" She called out.

"Hey! No fair!" Rainbow Dash picked herself up off the earth and zoomed past the running pony. Applejack quickly bit at the multi-colored tail and pulled the Pegasus back and tackled her to the ground. The two continued wrestling for the lead. They slowly made their way up towards the front door of the house which they finally reached after several minutes.

Rainbow Dash struggled to reach for the door knob from beneath Applejack who grabbed it just seconds before her. "Ah won!" Applejack grinned.

Rainbow Dash folded her hooves, "Only because you cheated!" she said childishly.

Applejack chuckled, "In yer dreams."

"You did to!"

"Oh stop yer fussin'" Applejack leaned down and kissed the pinned pony.

Rainbow Dash rolled over trading places with Applejack, "I like being on top." She giggled.

Applejack rolled her eyes, "Lord, ah bet yah do." She said and nudged Rainbow Dash off of her.

"Oh come on!" Rainbow Dash whined, "You'll be gone for like… three days!"

"Geez, Rainbow Dash, yah could at least try to be subtle!" Applejack paused for a second then laughed, "Ah'll think about it." She winked.

Rainbow grinned widely and the two finally went inside, spotting two fillies on the couch hugging one another tightly. "What're you two up to?" she said obnoxiously loud.

The fillies pulled apart, "We were just talking." Raven said quickly, her cheeks still bright red. Scootaloo nodded in agreement.

"'Kay." Applejack walked towards Scootaloo, "Ah know yah haven't been here long. Ah mean no disrespect or nothin' but would yah mind coming back some other time?"

"Sure." Scootaloo hopped off the couch, "I'll see you later Raven!" she shouted as she rushed out the door.

"Raven, can ah talk with yah upstairs?"

"Okay…" Raven Flame said nervously, the sudden feeling that she had done something wrong filling her mind. The two walked silently up the stairs, Applejack closing the door behind her when they reached the bedroom, "Did I do something wrong?" Raven Flame asked innocently.

Applejack chuckled, "No, not at all. Ah just wanted tah talk with yah in private."

"About?"

Applejack placed her hoof on Raven's shoulder, "Well ah wanted to tell yah that ah'm going out of town fer a few days."

"But you're coming back, right?" Raven Flame asked sounding anxious.

"Of course ah'm going tah come back sweetie." Applejack noticed the golden necklace hanging from the filly's neck, "Hey isn't that Rainbow's?"

Raven smiled, "She said it looked good on me, and that I should keep it." She explained.

"Well that was mighty nice of her. Anyway, yah have mah full attention fer the evening, is there anything yah wanted tah do?"

Raven Flame hopped onto her bed, "Can we just talk?"

"Course we can talk." Applejack joined her on the bed, "What do yah want tah talk about?"

Raven thought for a topic, finding almost everything she wanted to talk about seemed to involve Scootaloo. Eventually she thought up a question about Applejack and Rainbow Dash, "When did you first realize you liked Rainbow?"

The question surprised Applejack a little. Of everything they could have been talking about, she hadn't expected it would be about her, "Uh, well, ah reckon ah always liked her. It took me almost mah whole life tah realize it though."

"What happened?"

Applejack blushed, "Ah thought she was seeing some pony. Of course she wasn't, but that didn't stop me from makin' a whole mess of things first."

"And then?"

"Well, she saved my life. While she was recovering in the hospital, she finally fessed up her feelings fer me." Applejack smiled at the memory.

Raven Flame had dozens more questions, but one was clawing at her to be asked, "How… How do you feel around Rainbow Dash?"

Again it was another question Applejack had not expected to hear. She thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to describe it, "Well, mah heart starts to race, and there is a fluttering in mah chest. Nothin else really seems tah matter when ah'm with her." Applejack laughed feeling embarrassed with herself, "Something like that anyway. Why are yah asking all these questions about us?"

"I was just curious." Raven answered softy, turning away from the orange pony.

Applejack stared at Raven Flame suspiciously, "An' why is that?"

"Because…" Raven's voice now barely an audible whisper.

"Because why?"

Raven Flame took a deep breath, "I know it's barely even been two days but… that's how I feel whenever I'm around…"

"When yer around who?"

Raven Flame plopped her head onto Applejack's leg, "Whenever I'm around Scootaloo…" she squeaked.

Applejack ran her hoof through the smoky mane, "And ah take it yer worried she doesn't feel the same way." The filly nodded. "Well ah reckon yah could find out pretty easily."

Raven looked up at her, "How?"

Applejack reflected back on some of the signs Rainbow Dash had presented, that she had just been to blind to see, "Well, there are some obvious signs that some ponies aren't so good at hiding. Does Scootaloo get quiet around you?"

Raven thought for a moment, "Not really. I mean when we first met and the first time we talked after school, but I guess she was just shy."

Applejack let out a chuckle, "Sweetie, Scootaloo is 'bout as shy as much as a pig should be in a chicken coop. And when me n Rainbow found yah two hugging on the couch, did you hug her or was she the one who hugged yah?"

Raven Flame blushed, "Um well she was."

"Mmhmm" Applejack mused aloud, "Scootaloo doesn't hug any pony. Most of the time she is trying tah avoid getting one, let alone give one."

The filly let out a tired yawn, "So, should I tell her?"

Applejack laughed, "Well ah sure as sugar would. Me n' Rainbow didn't and it almost got us killed… literally." She scooted out from underneath the filly's head, "But not right now." She kissed Raven's forehead, "Right now ah think yah should get some sleep."

"Okay." Raven Flame wrapped herself with the bed covers, "Good night mom." She said, feeling a little more comfortable using the word then she had the previous time.

"Good night sugar cube."