The distraction of work was coming to an end. The day's schedule had long since finished, but Applejack still went from tree to tree, cleaning and cutting the leaves. It was an important part of tending to the orchard, as crucial as planting the seeds and tending to the ground. The sun was setting over the mountains, and Applejack found herself squinting to see the branches and twigs she wanted to cut.

She bit her lip, losing herself in her thoughts. After a moment's wait, she slung the shears and loppers onto her back. As she did so, she wrapped them into thick leather containers to make sure they were secure. Then she began her walk back home.

Each step felt twice as slow as usual, and Applejack's thoughts were distant. It was like her body was miles away, like it wasn't really there. As she got closer and closer to the farm, and an evening alone with her own mind, she became increasingly desperate. Worse would be when night finally came and she'd go asleep biting her hoofnails, eyes wide until she'd wake up the next morning.

The lights dimmed as time passed. The orchard turned from greens and browns to blacks and blues, and the only light came from the windows of the farm ahead. The house interior glowed golden-white from the lamps inside. From here, Applejack could see the shapes of Granny Smith telling Applebloom to head upstairs to bed. She had an early day tomorrow. They all did.

Despite everything, Applejack didn't feel tired in the slightest. Rather, she felt uncomfortable. Her skin hugged her far too tight and her organs seemed to float around inside her, like she could feel every bone and every vein. She took the first step up the stairs to the porch.

She stopped in her tracks. Sat at the table just outside her home was a pegasus. Her face was lit up by a small firefly lantern. Applejack's eyes adjusted to the dark. Rainbow Dash gave her a little smile, but her eyes looked serious.

What was Rainbow doing here? Didn't she have work the next day?

It didn't take long for Applejack to observe what Rainbow had lain on the table. A small deck of cards, each one sporting a Princess Celestia and Luna design on the back. It looked worn and well-used. Applejack remembered it well: she had given the cards to Rainbow over a year ago. They must have played dozens upon dozens of games since.

Rainbow held the deck out.

Applejack hesitated. She needed sleep, she reasoned, and really shouldn't waste time playing. She needed to be there for Applebloom tomorrow. Rainbow continued to hold the deck, egging Applejack on. But...

It was far too early for sleep, and Applejack wasn't going to sleep like this anyway. With no small degree of reluctance, she took the deck from Rainbow with her hoof, eliciting a smile from the pegasus.

They had played this game many times. Applejack shuffled. Rainbow dealt. There was just enough light from the house and lantern for Applejack to make out the table, Rainbow, and her own cards. Night fell quickly in Equestria.

The cards rubbed against each other softly as she shuffled. When she had done enough, she cut the deck and swapped the cards around with a snap, and handed the deck back to her friend. Maybe a game, as ill-timed as it was, would take her mind off things. Applejack glanced at the pony opposite her, taking in her focussed expression and serious look. The same look she had every time she played a game.

Why had she chosen now to try playing? It screamed against every instinct Applejack had. It wasn't going to help her tomorrow.

Rainbow dealt Applejack two cards, and two for herself. The game was Blackjack. It was one of the easiest ones to learn, and they only needed a pack of cards and at least two ponies. Applejack picked her cards up, cupping them in her hoof. A ten of diamonds and a three of hearts. Thirteen points in total.

Rainbow's expression was hard to read. Applejack knew it by heart, but Rainbow knew Applejack just as well. Every time Applejack saw something she thought she could use, Rainbow would adjust for the next hand, and vice-versa. It was impossible to learn her tells, since she learned Applejack's at the exact same time.

Rainbow yawned. It wasn't a quiet yawn that could be stifled, but a long, agonizing yawn that could have been heard from inside the house. The noise distracted Applejack even more than she already was. Her thoughts kept on returning to the appointment she had to keep the next day. Rainbow smacked her lips and drew a card, oblivious to the farmpony's annoyance. Applejack followed suit.

A six of clubs. Nineteen points.

Rainbow stood. After a moment's thought, Applejack stood too. Nineteen was far too high to pick up a new card. Way too much of a gamble. Applejack had to keep herself from taking too many risks: that way was the way to losing.

Rainbow displayed her cards. Twenty.

A hiss escaped Applejack as she threw down her own cards. Rainbow cackled and brushed them aside. She wore that cocky, smug, self-confident grin the whole while. Applejack kept herself steady. She wasn't going to give anypony the satisfaction of seeing her rattled.

Rainbow dealt a new hand. Applejack picked them up.

If she just kept her cool, Applejack knew she was bound to win. They'd play three hands, like they always did. Applejack needed to win this one to take the lead. Nothing was bet. No money was at stake and materialistically, there was nothing to lose. Except that Applejack didn't like losing, and Rainbow was one of the few ponies who felt even stronger about it than she did. Neither was willing to give up.

Rainbow bit her lower lip as she played, and stole glances at Applejack when she thought the farmpony wasn't looking. Applejack always was. Was Rainbow thinking about the game too, or was she as distracted as Applejack was?

Probably the former. It struck Applejack as unlikely that Rainbow would have to take a member of her family to the hospital the next day. Or if she did, she didn't make a big fuss about it.

Applejack finally looked at her cards, and decided to plan her strategy. She had an eight of clubs and an eight of diamonds. That made sixteen.

Determined to think this through as logically as possible, Applejack counted. The number of points for each card ranged from one to thirteen. That made an average of seven and a half, right? Right. So she'd draw, on average, a seven and a half.

But if she drew more than five, she'd lose.

Applejack wasn't the most mathematically inclined pony, and wasn't sure if her logic was right or wrong. Her instincts told her that she could draw another card... but she stood instead, sealing the deal forever. Rainbow gave her a look of surprise, or at least feigned surprise, and drew a card. Then she presented her hand to Applejack.

Rainbow had eighteen points total. Applejack let out a sigh as her decision came back to bite her.

She reasoned that she hadn't made a bad decision. Just... a wrong one.

But that was it. The game was over, and she had lost. She hung her head just enough for Rainbow to notice, and then instantly breathed in, dispelling the appearance of a sore loser. After all, she had made a sound decision: she hadn't taken any risks and tried to control the cards as best she could.

Maybe she just wasn't smart enough to do it right. In any case, the game was at an end and Applejack could finally go inside and... do something. Anything. Reassure herself that Applebloom would be fine, perhaps. Talk to Granny, Big Mac, herself even.

She really wanted some kind words right about now, she thought. She got to her hooves and brushed the cards together into a pile. As she left, Rainbow gave her a stern look, her brow knotting together as Applejack tried to shuffle away. She picked up the deck and slammed it on the table with a thud.

Applejack looked back. Rainbow raised her eyebrow, and gave her a suspicious look, like she was expecting something. Applejack wondered what on earth she was playing at, until she remembered: they always played all three rounds. It was almost a sign that neither harboured any lasting animosity towards the other. It was a sign they needed after their rivalry at the Iron Pony competition. A sign that they'd always keep playing honourably.

Applejack sat down again, her lower lip sticking out in an unpleasant manner. Rainbow gave her a beaming smile, flashing her teeth as she dealt two more cards for each of them. Applejack flipped them over.

Whether she was supposed to play honourably or not, she was in no mood for games. She looked at her hand. Thirteen points. Rainbow drew a card, and Applejack was right behind her. She grit her teeth. She had drawn an ace: she was now at fourteen points. She drew another, whilst in the meantime Rainbow stood. Her friend made a big show of it. She held her hooves up and gave Applejack her best cocksure grin.

Applejack drew a two. Her frustration was simmering inside her as the cards refused to help her along. She drew another card. A four.

That was twenty. It was as good a point count as any she could have. She stood, and displayed her hand.

Rainbow did the same. To Applejack's dismay, she had managed to get twenty-one. Three games, three defeats. A complete waste of time.

But at least she was done. The entire orchard seemed to go silent when Applejack tossed her cards towards Rainbow. They clattered on the table, and Applejack stormed away. Rainbow widened her eyes and flinched, surprised at Applejack's apparent rudeness. That wasn't what the third round was for.

Thwip!

Applejack felt her mane tumble down over her withers. Each strand of her hair brushed against her coat as Rainbow's hoof snaked away with the speed of lightning. Her mane-band was gone, wrapped around Rainbow's hoof. The pegasus gave Applejack a cheeky grin.

Thief. Surely Rainbow could tell she wasn't in the mood! Not to mention, Applejack hated having her mane down. It went all over the place, it was hard to brush, it looked messy and untidy, and things got caught in it. It was an uncontrollable battlefield.

And now Rainbow had her looking like a complete idiot. If there was so much as a sudden breeze, there was no way Applejack could stop her mane from moving. Why couldn't Rainbow just let her be?

In response to Applejack's burning stare, Rainbow wrapped the band around her own mane. In a few moments, she had created a makeshift, if short, ponytail similar in shape and appearance to Applejack's own. She was still grinning like a foal the whole while.

Applejack tried snatching at it, but she didn't have the same level of speed and agility Rainbow did. Instead, her hoof flailed close to Rainbow's mane. The pegasus flinched, her wings flaring. Applejack's mane was draped over the table, trapping cards in the heavy, unwieldy mess. This was not funny at all. She felt like screaming at Rainbow. Why? Didn't she know what was going on, how worried she'd be? Didn't she know this wasn't the time?

Rainbow cackled and bounced over the table, missing Applejack's nose by a hair's breadth. With a flip and a roll, she glided behind her, still laughing. To her, this was just a game. As usual, Rainbow had completely missed the bigger picture, much to Applejack's frustration. Applebloom's operation was no secret. The young filly had talked about it as school like it was just a dentists appointment, so the teacher knew. Scootaloo knew. And Scootaloo must have told Rainbow Dash. And that wasn't even taking into account what Granny and Big Mac might have said.

So, on the eve of one of the scariest things Applejack had to do, Rainbow had come here and teased her, and made fun of her. That was unfair, and Applejack gave a low growl, her face twisting into a snarl.

She whirled around, and before she had time to regret it, her hoof made contact with Rainbow's cheek.

Rainbow Dash blinked. Twice. Three times. She was horizontal, that was for sure, and had her head propped up against a pillow. She was inside the house, and she had a large bag of ice incorrectly applied to her bruised face. Applejack was sat not far away, her head hanging low, and Rainbow guessed she must feel guilty.

Rainbow Dash decided Applejack was being far too mopey. Rainbow had come to the orchard for a reason, after all, and she hadn't succeeded yet. She sat up, letting the ice fall to the side, and adjusted her jaw with an audible snap. And then smiled. After all, it was a good punch. No sense being a wimp about it.

The smile appeared lost on Applejack. Still as downcast as ever, Rainbow noticed. Her sister's operation had really done a number on her. On a normal day she'd just have a grumpy look and say that Rainbow deserved it. Rainbow would agree, they'd shake hooves and Rainbow would get her revenge in some manner or another. None of it mattered.

Seeing Applejack, indelicate, rough, stubborn Applejack, reduced to this broke Rainbow's heart. That wasn't how she wanted to see her friend.

But the cards didn't work, and the mane-band idea was a bust, and a painful one at that... so what else was Rainbow really good at? Her and Applejack weren't the sort to talk. Was that the solution?

Well, Rainbow had never been a big talker before, and she wasn't about to start now. She rolled to her hooves, one side of her face still burning. A different pony might have held that against Applejack, and really, that'd be understandable. But Rainbow was Rainbow, and she knew that her 'methods' of cheering up a friend weren't the most delicate.

Applejack refused to make eye contact. Whether it was because she was still worried for her sister or out of guilt, Rainbow wasn't sure. It didn't matter: Rainbow was determined to take Applejack's mind off of her troubles, not replace it with another one.

Quick, Rainbow needed to show her she wasn't angry.

Slowly, gently, Rainbow tilted her head forwards, letting her nose brush against Applejack's forehead. The soft gesture of affection was enough for Applejack to relax, and her muscles de-tensed. Her eyes lifted towards her friend. Rainbow smiled, both to Applejack and to herself.

Phase one: accomplished. Now it was a matter of taking her mind off her sister. She could worry about that tomorrow. It was senseless to agonize over it tonight, and Rainbow didn't want that for Applejack. It was the whole reason she was there.

Rainbow scanned the room. With an exclamation of excitement, she leaped towards the kitchen, leaving Applejack behind. The farmpony observed the whirlwind of activity that was Rainbow Dash with wide, curious eyes.

When Rainbow returned, she held two bottles of cider. She flicked the caps and the golden, sweet drink fizzed, the head dripping down the sides of the bottles. Rainbow handed one to Applejack. Not only would that help AJ, Rainbow reasoned, but she happened to like it too. It was a wonderful win-win situation.

Rainbow brought the drink to her lips, holding it in both hooves, and sat next to Applejack. She decided there was nothing else for it, and wrapped her wing around Applejack, giving her a playful shake. That'd keep her smiling, Rainbow thought. The darn mare was far too serious, far too often. Besides, Rainbow had already set the bar for affectionate touching when she nuzzled Applejack. There was no going back now.

To Rainbow's delight, Applejack's lips curled into a faint smile. Almost there.

Rainbow knocked her bottle against Applejack's own, and gestured for her to drink up. Rainbow was so close. If anypony could get Applejack to loosen up for five minutes, it was the one pegasus who never did what she was supposed to. Rainbow decided that made her the perfect pony to deal with Applejack's need for control.

It was then that Rainbow noticed Applejack's mane-band was still tying her mane back. Applejack's own hair was draped over her shoulders like a blanket of gold. Rainbow dove her nose under the rough, coarse hair and then lifted her head up so Applejack could see.

Using the farmpony's mane, she had given herself a makeshift moustache. Applejack finally laughed, her smile splitting open and releasing her throaty, down-to-earth voice.

Success! Rainbow beamed. There was nothing, she thought, nothing, that being irresponsible and carefree couldn't solve. Yes, being irresponsible and carefree had earned her a black eye, but that had been completely beyond her control. A little trouble was just fine, as far as Rainbow was concerned.

She yawned, and Applejack's mane fell from her nose. Rainbow remembered just how tired she was. She had managed to keep it together during the card game, but even then it had been a struggle. She blinked the tears away, clearing her eyes. She figured she must look like a zombie to Applejack.

Applejack looked at her with gentle, grateful eyes. Eyes that just knew Rainbow had come to her with the distinct objective of cheering her up somehow. A realization that had been a long time coming. Rainbow managed to continue smiling, although it was far weaker due to fatigue.

A scarlet blush spread across Applejack's face, almost obscuring her freckles. Without a sound, she shot forwards to deliver a kiss to Rainbow's cheek. The blush seemed contagious, because moments later Rainbow's cheeks were red too.

A small token of thanks, and an appreciation of Rainbow's affection and concern. And it made Rainbow's heart beat like a marching band's drums.

Rainbow swallowed. It was late, she was exhausted, and half her head felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer. If she was about to fall asleep, she was going to do it in style.

Rainbow leant forwards to brush Applejack's obtrusive mane away from her eyes. After she strained to keep her eyes open for more than a minute, she stole a longer, far more passionate kiss from Applejack's lips. Applejack failed to resist, surprised by Rainbow's sudden romantic gesture.

Before she could pull away, Rainbow's eyes closed completely, and she fell fast asleep.

Applejack's evening had been quite the roller-coaster ride. Most of her day had been spent fretting over her sister whenever she stopped work long enough for her to think. The fact that the doctors had assured her it was just a routine operation did not make it any easier for the troubled farmpony. The young filly would still be out cold on a surgeons table. Then Rainbow had arrived and everything changed.

Applejack hadn't stopped feeling guilty about letting her anger get the better of her. It still ate up at her insides whenever she remembered it. They had fought many times, but each time Applejack had retained an element of control over herself. It wasn't that she had hit Rainbow that scared her, so much as the fact she hadn't been able to control herself from hurting a friend. Of course, Rainbow had probably just taken it in her stride.

During the time Rainbow was coming to, Applejack had been able to figure out her friend's motivations. Yes, she had been infuriating and insufferable, but at the same time, that was how she dealt with trouble. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that she'd help her friends in a similar manner.

So she had been grateful. Seeing Rainbow turn her mane into a moustache had, for the first time that evening, made her feel like she wasn't miserable.

The pegasus was now snoring, slumped across Applejack's hooves. Her fatigue had caught up with her at last. The pair had often slept, snoozed, or leant on each other, especially when travelling or waiting. But not quite in the same way. Rainbow's wing was still wrapped like a blanket across Applejack's withers. Instead of a brain-dead, vacant expression as she snored, Rainbow wore a silly little smile. It was a different kind of nap, one that was born of closeness rather than convenience.

Applejack wasn't sure what would come of this evening, but she was certain that things would change. And Applejack felt glad she had given Rainbow that quick peck on the cheek, given what it had led to.

She slid out of Rainbow's wing, careful not to wake her, and trotted as quiet as her heavy hooves could manage towards a nearby blanket. She then covered Rainbow, making sure she'd stay warm before she woke up the next day. Her presence would be quite a surprise for Big Macintosh, but Applejack didn't mind. Rainbow had done quite enough this evening without having to get woken up and sent home.

They'd talk tomorrow, she promised herself. She made her way up the stairs, letting out a yawn of her own. When she went to bed, her thoughts were of her sudden, sloppy, and exhausted kiss, not Applebloom's operation. And when Applejack finally did fall asleep, she had the same stupid smile Rainbow did.

Author's Notes:

It's been a while since I wrote something purely to challenge myself, but that's essentially the reason I wrote this. I wanted to see if I could write a short little story (and an AppleDash story no less) where neither pony talked. I also avoided things like:

Her eyes screamed "I'm in love with engineering! Also beer!"

And similar body-language related 'talking'. It's all in the expressions and in the thoughts of the ponies, and thankfully, I like to think Applejack and Rainbow Dash have a good enough understanding of each other for this to work.

If you want to check out a similar story where neither RD or AJ were in the same room at any given time, check out The Gift Shop, also by me. Also The Bully Is Back is the longest AppleDash I've ever written, and I think it's a pretty good one too.

Feel free to comment, and I hope you enjoyed the story. I certainly enjoyed writing it.

Have a good one!