I'm so happy! I got six reviews! That is AWESOME! So yeah, this chapter features the shipping Applejack x Rainbow Dash, because I got a few requests for it and it's my favorite F/F My Little Pony pairing! I hope you like it!

A BIG thank you to all of you who reviewed, followed, or favorited! You're the very best, and this chapter, and all the ones to come, are dedicated to you!

The next chapter will have three parts: ScootaBelle, Sweetiebloom, and Scootabloom. I've gotten a few requests for Cutie Mark Crusaders shippings, so yeah.


AppleDash


Applejack let out a loud breath. Today was the day she was finally going to tell her. Throwing off the quilted covers, she practically leaped from the bed. Despite the fact that she was inconceivably nervous, she couldn't help but feel enthusiastic. After all these months, she would finally get to get this weight off her chest and pour her heart out into the open.

She quickly made the bed, showered, gulped down some apple butter toast, brushed her teeth, slapped her hat on, and looked in the mirror.

She looked normal. Her hat was the same old beat up piece of leather it had been yesterday. Her mane was the same amount of messy it had been last weak. Her weather-beaten features were the same as since she was a little filly.

"There ain't nothin' special 'bout me," she thought aloud. Rainbow deserved somepony amazing, not just some plain farm filly. Then Applejack shook her head to get those degrading thoughts out of her mind. "Ah've been good 'nough tah be her friend up 'til now, and this ain't no different. Just 'cause ah wanna be more n' friends don't be I ain't good 'nough."

Even though she made sure to only think confidence-boosting things, she wanted to look nice. There was a rarely opened drawer at the base of her dresser that contained a collection of female appliances, froufrou accessories, and a few articles of make-up, most of which had been given to Applejack by her friends, specifically Rarity.

Applejack couldn't remember the last time she had done something that was deemed worthy of opening this particular drawer. Oh yeah, it was that last Gala she and the girls had attended. This was far more important than any of that high-strung nonsense.

And so, she knelt down and slowly opened the wooden drawer, surprised to find that a cloud of dust and cobwebs did not come pluming out. After searching around for a few minutes, she found the items she had sought: a never-before-opened tube of lipstick, some ancient-looking liquid mascara, and a tub of foundation the same shade of orange as her fur.

Applejack had many talents, but make-up application was not one of them. It might have actually been her greatest weakness. Yeah, probably. It took several tries to get it right, but eventually she transformed her ragged, blemished appearance into a somewhat attractive one. Her pale blonde lashes were darkened to a strong black, her lips had an enticing pink sheen sure to catch the eye of any onlooker, and the foundation had helped to rid her complexion of those pesky freckles.

Feeling light at heart and slightly light at head, she stepped out the door and began to short journey across town to Rainbow's house. On the way, she made a stop by Roseluck's flower stand to pick a bouquet of carnations, a variety of all the colors in the rainbow, of course. As she placed three bits on the counter top, Roseluck giggled and winked.

"Is there a special somepony on your mind this morning, A.J?" she inquired, grinning deviously. Applejack laughed along with her.

"You bet'cha," she confirmed, her chest swelling with pride. The sound the of the words "special somepony" made her feel warm and sunny inside. Roseluck's eyes grew wide.

"Oh, you simply must tell me who!" she demanded, grabbing Applejack by the shoulders, "Don't you dare leave me hanging!"

Applejack chuckled. "Ah'm sorry to disappoint ya'll, but ah can't tell ya!" she said, lowering her voice. Rose scowled, crossing her front legs over her chest and furrowing her eyebrows.

"Fine then. Have it your way. But don't think I won't corner you later on. You can't hide forever, Applejack!"

Applejack ignored her last comment, gently placing the bouquet into her saddle bag. She knew that eventually Rose would force her to spill the oats, but she wasn't ready quite yet.

Rainbow Dash's home was a little over a mile away from Sweet Apple Acres. It took twenty minutes for Applejack to walk through town and arrive on the outskirts of the tiny village of Ponyville, where the pony-made structures became fewer and more space was overcome with wildlife. Rainbow's house was about thirty feet in the air, built out of imported cloud fluff, the best kind, from Cloudsdale. Waterfalls of rainbows poured from an outlet on the roof and pooled in a tiny cloud garden. When it caught the light, the entire building sparkled, a breathtaking sight. It was ten times for luxurious than Applejack's humble residence at the ranch.

Because it was so high up, Earth ponies and unicorns (those who could not levitate themselves) could not reach the door to knock. So Rainbow had had a special doorbell installed on the ground so that whenever a non-flying creature needed to request entry to her house, they could simply press the button on ground-level, and an alert would go off that would let Rainbow know that someone was "at the door".

Hence, Applejack pressed this button, and sure enough, the multicolored pegasus herself zoomed down from her house in a rainbow blur, and despite the fact she was going so fast, she landed gracefully down beside Applejack.

"What's up, 'Jack?" Rainbow asked, smiling brightly. Applejack felt her stomach do a somersault at the sound of that familiar, husky voice. Her breath caught in her throat and suddenly she couldn't remember who or where she was.

"Uh... er... um... ya see... I gotta... talk ter ya..." she stammered, struggling to not get lost in the hot pink brilliance of Rainbow's eyes. Dash didn't seem to notice that she had lost the ability to speak properly.

"You gotta talk to me?" she said, blinking and smiling, "Okay, I'm right here. Fire away!"

"Well... uh.. it's somethin'... important... can we talk... in private...?"

"In private? Sure!" Rainbow agreed cheerfully. Before giving Applejack a chance to reply, Rainbow looped her front legs around Applejack's middle and lifted her up off the ground and hauled her through the front door and into her house. The floor of the home, unlike the rest of her property, were made of tile and wood, specifically so that Dash's non-pegasus friends could hang out at her place without need of additional assistance.

Their fur brushed as Rainbow set her down, and Applejack felt her face heat up. She's just so perfect, she thought, And her fur is so soft...

Stop it! Applejack's conscience shouted. Quit swooning like a schoolfilly get to the point!

Now that she had regained her stature, had gotten her overwhelming feelings sorted, she was ready to make her statement. This was it the moment of truth. She reached behind her and slowly brought out the kind of squished bouquet, and held it out to Rainbow. The cyan pegasus gingerly to it in her front hooves, and sniffed them.

"Gee, thanks, A.J! But… why did you give me flowers?" she asked, cocking her head in the cute way she always did.

"Rainbow," Applejack began, careful to stare at a specific spot on the pale blue tile, knowing well that if she looked Rainbow Dash in the eye, she would lose her boldness. "Ah have known ya fer a long time. We been friends since we was lil' fillies, and e'er since ah met ya, my life has been all that more glad!"

Applejack dared to risk a glance at Rainbow's face, meeting a confused, curious expression. She obviously didn't have any idea where Applejack was going with this. Applejack didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

Applejack sighed. "The truth is, ah can't stop thinkin' 'bout ya. Ya'll is always on mah mind. Yer the strongest, bravest, cleverest-" Applejack bit her lip, "-most beautiful mare inna world. Ah can't imagine mah life without ya. Ah like ya'll a whole lot, Rainbow. Darn it, ah reckon ah's in love with ya.

"Ah love ya, Rainbow."

Did I just say that out loud? Applejack could hardly believe her ears. Unable to help herself, she looked up, meeting two wide eyes. Rainbow's jaw young somewhere near her hooves. She looked like she just seen a ghost.

"I... you... when..." she stumbled. Color billowed onto her cheeks, and she shuffled her hooves self-consciously. "I-I had no idea... I just... don't know what to say..."

Applejack's heart sank, and then snapped in two. "Don' worry. Ah git it. I unnerstand that ya don' feel the same way." Her eyes began to still, and a lump rose in her throat. "It was stupid tah come here. Ah dunno why ah'm such a fool," she mumbled, her eyes brimming with tears.

She couldn't keep her emotions at bay.

With a loud sob, she raced out of the room into the hallway, sadness raining down on her like a relentless lightning storm. Her cheeks were quickly soaked in the few seconds it had taken to get from Rainbow to the door. She slammed it open and went screaming over the edge of the front porch, through the cloud and down... down... down... into darkness...


Applejack awoke to the sound of the irritating beeping of a heart monitor. Her whole body ached intensely, especially her side and her left back leg. Her throat was parched, and it felt as though she gone a week without food.

Nurse Redheart's pleased face stared down at her. "Good morning, miss Applejack!" she greeted, placing a tray with a bowl on it that appeared to be filled with dull gray slop. "I bet you're hungry. Go on and eat up, now!" she instructed sweetly, turning her back to her and examining a stack of paperwork.

Applejack didn't really feel like eating the indistinguishable mush, but she was starving. She spooned a tiny bite into her mouth, disappointed to find that it tasted as bad as it looked. She pushed the tray away.

"No thanks, ah'm really not hungry," she murmured, swallowing to try and get the bland flavor off her tongue. "Uh... what happened? How did ah end up here?"

Nurse Redheart giggled. "Oh, you took a pretty nasty fall. You badly bruised a few ribs, broke a leg, and got a minor concussion. You've been unconscious for a little less than twenty-four hours. But don't you worry, you're healing pretty fast!"

Nurse Redheart's rapid, melodious voice confused Applejack. But after a minute, she figured out what the young nurse was trying to communicate, and memories came flooding back.

Rainbow Dash! Applejack exclaimed inwardly. She must think I'm a complete idiot!

"Ah wanna see Rainbow," she said flatly, her face serious. Fortunately, the nurse mare caught onto her determination.

"Well, your family has been waiting anxiously ever since you got to the hospice, along with miss Rainbow Dash and the rest of your friends, and they can't all come in at once. I'll send your family members in first, okay?" Nurse Redheart explained. Applejack didn't protest, knowing that what the nurse planned was the most logical option. Though at the moment logic was about as important to Applejack as manure.

Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Applebloom rushed into the room, all wearing expressions of relief. They asked her how she was doing, told her how much they had worried, offered to get anything she needed. After the brief exchange, Applejack shooed them away, claiming she was tired, anxious to speak with Rainbow.

Then the girls filed in, Rainbow the last among them. They gushed out basically what her family had just told her. Twilight had brought her a book on apple distinction to pass the time. Rarity had brought her a coffee mix that was supposed to also include pain relief. Fluttershy had brought a little goldfish in a bowl. Pinkie Pie had brought her cupcakes, balloons, and a get-well-soon card. Rainbow had brought the bouquet of rainbow carnations, but then stood silently moping the corner, nothing to contribute.

Then Applejack requested to speak with Rainbow Dash alone. The other four mares dutifully obliged, though their eyes glinted with suspicion as they departed.

Now it was just Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow made no move to speak first, so Applejack cleared her throat. She started, "Ah'm sorry ah made a scene, Rainbow, ah just-"

"No, A.J. Don't apologize to me, you have nothing to be sorry for!" Rainbow cut her off. She began to pace back and forth in midair, flapping her wings every now and then for momentum. "It's all my fault! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be injured right now. I acted like such a moron. I was just so shocked by what you said, I couldn't speak. If I could have, what I would have said is-" Rainbow bravely met Applejack's eyes as she spoke, "I love you, too, Applejack. And I've had a crush on her ever since I met. I just I'd have had the gut to go up to you and tell you how I felt. What you said- how I was the most beautiful mare in the world- you're wrong about that. It's you. You're the most beautiful mare out of everypony I've ever met, Applejack."

Applejack felt her eyes watering. "Oh, Rainbow-"

"If I had just said something, instead of standing there like a dumbstruck bozo, your feelings wouldn't be hurt and you wouldn't have fallen! You could have died! And it would have been all my fault. I'm so sorry, Applejack, if you can ever forgive me-"

"Shut up, Rainbow!" Applejack hollered. Rainbow Dash froze and bit her lip. Applejack grinned. "Git yer flank down here n' kiss me, fer Celestia's sake!"


That was probably a bit more dramatic than it had to be, but I'm proud of how it turned out! Keep up with those requests!

-Jez D. W.