Applejack carefully unpacked their supplies for the night and ensured the pie cart was properly hidden away in a nearby bush. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was off collecting some firewood for the campfire they'd be making shortly. She noticed the cold air was already starting to get fairly nippy as a particularly strong breeze ruffled her wings, sending a shiver down her spine. Yep, it's going to be a cold night, thought Rainbow Dash, Just the way you wanted it...

Rainbow Dash was almost certain she had heard Applejack tell her to bring just single blanket. And with all of the other seemingly random happenstances that were occurring, the idea that Applejack was attempting to play cupid with herself and Rainbow Dash seemed all the more likely. And then there was more.

"Thanks for gatherin' firewood, sugarcube," said Applejack as she was pitching up a very small, green tent.

"Sugarcube?" asked Rainbow Dash worriedly.

"Oh that's nothin'. I call everyponyy sugarcube, darlin'. Where've you been all these years?"

"Darlin'?" Dash asked again in surprise.

"That's just the way I talk, Rainbow Dash," Applejack chuckled. "A'int nothing more to it than that." She continued as she hammered a stake into the ground through the end of a rope into a small loop, thinking about their conversation. Has Rainbow Dash really not noticed I call everypony sugarcube? Applejack pondered as she pounded the stake another time. The thought occurred to her that, perhaps, Rainbow Dash did notice all of these years. Was it possible she's been interpreting it as...Applejack shook herself out of it. She called everypony by those names, so it's not like she gave anypony any special treatment. Although now, Applejack was going to remain cautiously skeptical and try not to call her those anymore. It wasn't honest to lead somepony on when the feelings weren't mutual.

"Isn't that tent kind of small?" Rainbow Dash asked Applejack as she finished pounding the stake firmly into the ground.

"Sorry 'bout that, sugar...Rainbow Dash," Applejack corrected herself, "but this was the only tent I had. Our bigger one has a big 'ol hole right in the side of it and it's pretty beat up."

"I could've brought my tent, you know."

"No offense, darl--Dash...but your tent is a bit too flashy for bein' out here in the swamps. We need a tent that blends in with the surroundings so as not t' attract any monsters."

The dominoes are all falling right into place, thought Rainbow Dash with a roll of her eyes. Come on, monsters? Really? Since when was Applejack concerned about monsters out to get her? They didn't stop her when she made deliveries in the past. Although, Dash realized, Big Macintosh also made the journeys with her. Still, it didn't seem like Applejack to be that concerned for her own safety. For the pony who was supposed to be the embodiment of honesty, Applejack sure was going on a roundabout way of expressing her apparent feelings for Rainbow Dash.

Applejack took out some supplies for starting a campfire and had it going in just a couple minutes. With the sun just now starting to creep below the horizon, the two ponies sat together awkwardly beside the fire. The ground all around it was moist and dirty, so Rainbow Dash went off and came back, pushing a rather short log into place a couple of feet from the fire. Short enough to force the two ponies to sit within a couple inches of each other.

"Is that the biggest log you could find?" asked Applejack.

"There's not a whole lot of logs around here that aren't moldy or falling apart. Trust me, this was the best one."

Sure it was, sugarcube. You only spent all of two minutes lookin' fer one. And this one is gonna be nice and cozy, just like sleepin' tonight's gonna be... Applejack winced inwardly and bit her lip. "Alright then."

Rainbow Dash sat quietly with her hooves beneath her hindquarters, and Applejack timidly sitting with her forehooves resting on her criss-crossed legs. Resting silently on the log in front of the crackling campfire as the sky began to turn dark, the two ponies stared awkwardly around desperately looking for something to talk about. A cricket chirped amidst the silence.

"Soooo..." said Rainbow Dash, shifting uncomfortably, "nice night, isn't it?"

"...eyup.." replied Applejack, absentmindedly mimicking her beloved brother's response to most things.

"It definitely is cold though," Rainbow Dash continued awkwardly.

"......eyup..."

Okay Applejack, thought Rainbow Dash. Enough with the indecisiveness. Just go out and say it. They'd been sitting there in silence for more than a few minutes, and it was obvious that Applejack was trying to contemplate how to bring up the awkward topic. Rainbow Dash was still uncomfortable with the idea that Applejack had feelings for her, but she wasn't going to let that get in the way of their friendship. And if Applejack did have feelings for her, she was going to get her to get them out.

It just wasn't healthy to keep those kinds of things bottled up, so Rainbow Dash decided in that moment to make it her mission to expedite that process. It was the loyal thing to do, and she was going to go beyond the call of duty to do it.

Shifting hesitantly closer to Applejack, Rainbow Dash let out a fake cough into her right hoof, allowing her to inconspicuously sit slightly towards the right. Applejack could feel the warmth from her body radiating onto hers, and stared directly ahead with eyes wide open. Oh no, it's happening, she thought. What do I do, what do I do? Applejack panicked. Rainbow Dash was making a move on her already? This completely sealed any doubts she had about Dash's romantic feelings towards her. It was incredibly obvious now that Rainbow Dash was going to do something, and Applejack just knew she had to stop it from happening.

"The fire's gettin' a little small," Applejack quickly blurted out as she sprung forth off the log like a jackrabbit. "I'm going to go get some more firewood!"

Applejack left in a hurry into the trees leaving Rainbow Dash sitting alone on the log.

"Pfft," Rainbow Dash audibly snorted, "this is going to be harder than I thought." She wondered why Applejack avoided her advances, but reasoned that she was probably just extremely timid and needed an extra push. She probably didn't know the first thing when it came to romance. In fact, Rainbow Dash wasn't sure Applejack had ever had any romantic experience. Rainbow Dash chuckled a bit at the thought of Fluttershy being more courageous than Applejack when it came to those kinds of feelings. Applejack was a hardened shell of a pony with a soft, inner center, and Rainbow Dash was dead set on exposing the truth within. In a few moments of thought and clarity, the entire ordeal became more than just a camping trip with her friend to Rainbow Dash.

It became a game, and she was determined to win.

Applejack came back in a couple minutes with a few pieces of firewood on her back, only to see Rainbow Dash's body sprawled out over most of the log with her hooves stretched comfortably outwards towards the cracking campfire.

"Hey," she greeted her with a soft, deep voice and a devilish grin.

Dropping the firewood and stopping in her tracks, Applejack's expression grew even more concerned.

Next Chapter: A Game of Truth or Dare Estimated time remaining: 10 Minutes