“Thanks again for that mighty swell show, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said, quietly closing the bedroom door after Rainbow Dash entered. Stepping to her bedside table, she spun the knob on the gas lamp to add a little light to the room. “Those Wonderbolts always do put on a good show, even in Ponyville. And that part where they all spelt out my name in the air?”

“More like just your initials, AJ,” Rainbow Dash told her, giving her neck and back a swift crack before settling on the edge of Applejack’s bed. “I think the show would’ve ground to a halt if they had to spell out all the letters in ‘Applejack’.”

“Still thought it was a nice touch.”

Applejack joined Rainbow Dash on the bed and unfurled the topmost cover. Carefully, she stuck her trademark hat on a bedpost. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted Rainbow Dash’s face flush a bit. “Those cinnamon muffins sure packed some heat, didn’t they?”

Rainbow Dash nodded hurriedly. “Oh, yeah, those. Those were great! Thanks for baking me some. Who ever knew jalapenos went so well on top of muffins?”

Applejack chuckled. “Well, I know how much you like spicy things.” Then she paused, waiting for Rainbow Dash to add something to the conversation. When she didn’t, she said, “Hey, don’t go worrying yourself about spending the night tonight, sugar cube. We Apples are mighty deep sleepers and I know the Wonderbolts show went on later than expected…”

“I know, it’s just… you know,” Rainbow Dash anxiously played with the tips of her mane.

“You’ve spent the night here before, Rainbow.”

“Yeah, but… it’s kinda different this time around, wouldn’t you say?”

“How so?”

Rainbow Dash stared at her blankly. “We just went on our first official date.”

Climbing underneath one side of the covers, Applejack lightly tapped on her chin. “I reckon we did do just that. And how do you think it went?”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes opened wide. “I dunno! How am I even supposed to respond to that? Good? Great? Don’t go asking me stuff like that!”

Her eyes widened even further as Applejack surprised her with the smallest of kisses atop the forehead.

“Well, I for one, think it went just fine,” Applejack told her. “So, quit stalling and hop on in before it gets cold under here.”

Rainbow Dash did as she was bid, remaining rigid and stiff until the warmth underneath the covers softened her up. Another warmth soon pulled at her; a far bigger one less than six inches away. One breathing deeply, steadily, ruffling the covers just a tad.

“Don’t be a stranger now, Rainbow,” Applejack said. “The farmhouse’s insulation ain’t as great as it used to be. Got to get what warmth you can get from wherever you can get it.”

Applejack cut the tension and pulled Rainbow Dash in close, held tight to her chest by her two soft forelegs. Rainbow Dash jolted for only a moment, before once again softening like butter on a heated skillet. She closed her eyes and sighed contently.

“See? Ain’t this nice?” Applejack asked, her words whispered directly into Rainbow Dash’s ears. A tender moment passed before Applejack asked that darn question that would change the course of their sweet evening for good. “You mind facing the other direction for me, sugar cube?”

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes again and found Applejack staring right back, with a hint of a smirk on her lips. “What for?”

Applejack raised a brow. “Never dealt with little spoons, big spoons before? It makes sleeping a whole lot easier. Trust me. As much as I sure admire your current jalapeno muffin breath.”

The cogs in Rainbow Dash’s head began to spin. “Wait. But if I turn around that makes me the little spoon in this situation, doesn’t it?”

“Uh-huh. What’s so wrong with that?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged underneath the soft covers. “I dunno. I just thought… maybe you’d be the little spoon?”

“Oh?” Applejack’s hint of a smirk remained solid. “Alright then. We can do that. Let me just…” She paused, furrowing her brows slightly. “Wait. How do you turn around again?”

“What? You serious?” Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

“An example would be great right about now.”

“You know. You just… spin a little bit and—”

Clearly, the newly spinning cogs in Rainbow Dash’s brain weren’t spinning quite fast enough to grasp what was about to happen. The moment she’d turned her back to her, Applejack wrapped both forelegs around Rainbow Dash’s chest and brought her in close. Close and tight.

Like I’ll-never-escape-again tight.

“Hey! What gives!” Rainbow Dash yelped, already thrashing about, yet getting less than an inch in any direction. She could feel Applejack’s soft breath on the back of her neck—more so as she laughed to herself.

“There’s my little spoon,” she cooed, gently swaying Rainbow Dash back and forth. “Isn’t this nice? Now you just hush up now and imagine Princess Luna jumping over hay barrels and we’ll have ourselves the best sleep ever, partner.”

“Is that really what you think about before going to bed?”

“Sometimes. Other times she’s jumping over apple carts. Puts me right to sleep, it does.”

As peaceful as Applejack’s words sounded, Rainbow Dash still couldn’t admit defeat just yet. “Almost… there!” she blurted, desperately trying to spin herself back around.

Another chuckle from Applejack. “I wouldn’t bother if I was you, Rainbow. These legs right here? Holding you so tightly and yet so lovingly? These puppies work the fields each and every day. Hard as steel, they are. Although at this particular moment, I sure hope they don’t feel like that. How often you even stand on your own four legs, Rainbow? Twice a month?”

Rainbow Dash growled deep in her throat, shutting her eyes tight. Yet something Applejack had just said struck a chord. “I might not use my legs a lot, AJ, but you know what I do use a lot?”

Fwoosh!

With a grunt, Rainbow Dash spread open her wings, breaking Applejack’s rock-hard embrace. She didn’t waste a moment afterwards, performing a short loop in the air before landing anew. This time right behind Applejack on the bed.

“Now who’s the little spoon?” Rainbow Dash smiled victoriously as she hugged Applejack to her chest and rubbed her head into the crook of her neck. “You’re right, AJ. This is nice. As if I ever doubted your masterful little spoon abilities!”

Applejack did not struggle or whine, thrash or cause a scene. Rather, she angled her head behind her shoulder and asked, “You do realize I could break outta this hold whenever I want, right?”

“That’s why there’s plan B, silly.”

Rainbow Dash’s wings began flapping in the air rhythmically, lifting the pair off the bed. Applejack did not struggle to break free at this point, choosing to instead cling even tighter to the pair of forelegs lovingly wrapped around her middle.

“Hey!” Applejack spat. “What gives, Rainbow Dash! I thought we were trying to get some sleep here!”

Their flight took a turn and began in a different direction. Towards the window.

“So did I,” Rainbow Dash said with a huff. “Say, Applejack, you still sleep with that window open a crack? I can’t really tell with your head in the way.”

“Why sure, but—” Applejack gasped. “Hey! We are not going outside!”

“Why not?” Rainbow Dash asked, smiling ear to ear. “You know how great cloud beds are?”

Applejack grumbled, “You know how terrible earth ponies like myself stand up on clouds?”

“Oh! I almost forgot that very important fact!” Rainbow Dash said, but clearly didn’t mean. “Huh. Then I guess you’ll have no problem being the little spoon tonight, right? Unless, that is, you want to fall several hundred feet back to the ground.” Then she whispered, just barely in earshot. “I’m only kidding. I’d never let that happen. So, just cling tight to me, alright?”

Over Rainbow Dash’s forelegs, Applejack crossed her own set. “Now you’re just taking things too far, Rainbow Dash.”

“You started it!” was Rainbow Dash elegant retort.

The feuding two made it all the way out of Applejack’s second floor bedroom window (Rainbow Dash using one of her back legs to nudge the window open the rest of the way), before something shot out of Applejack’s hooves and connected with the farmhouse’s metal weathervane.

They jerked to a stop at once; Rainbow Dash losing grip on the cowgirl.

Although that didn’t appear to be the most pressing matter at the time.

“Just how did you get your lasso out like that?” Rainbow Dash asked, incredulously. “A better question is even where did you get it from? I had you wrapped up the whole time!”

Applejack nodded. Once. “What can I say. Always gotta have a lasso in case of lasso emergencies.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes dramatically. “Okay, AJ. It’s clear you’re spending way too much time with Pinkie Pie.”

Applejack only snorted. “Considering the two of us are fighting over a silly sleeping arrangement, I’d reckon we’re both acting a little like Pinkie Pie right now.”

With a muffled thump, Applejack broke free of Rainbow Dash and landed beside her farmhouse’s porch. Rainbow Dash landed before her; neither budging an inch. Or even so much as blinking.

“Aw shucks, Rainbow!” Applejack eventually broke the ice with. “This ain’t no way to spend the night with my special somepony! I’m, uhh… sorry for bringing that whole little spoon, big spoon thing into play. Think we can just forget the whole thing and start this night over?”

Rainbow Dash stood her ground. But only for as long as she could stare at a smiling Applejack and continue being mad. Which wasn’t all that long to be honest.

“Hey! No sweat, AJ!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, trotting a few steps closer to wrap a wing around her. “And I think we both know I was going to win. Eventually.”

Applejack returned the embrace. And all was well.

Until she opened her mouth again.

“Say… is that Daring Doo behind you? Possibly going on a new, exciting adventure?”

Rainbow Dash just shook her head. “Don’t embarrass yourself, Applejack. Daring Doo doesn’t even exist, remember?”

“Oh. Right. What I meant to say was… could that be famed writer A. K. Yearling behind you? With a new first edition autographed Daring Doo book?”

Rainbow Dash grimaced, growling deep in her throat. “That doesn’t even make sense! Why would Yearling be in Ponyville! Or on your farm in the middle of the night!”

Applejack whistled to herself excitedly. “I haven’t even mentioned how thick that new book of hers looks.”

Visibly rumbling on the spot, Rainbow Dash just couldn’t take it anymore. “Not fair, AJ! You know how much I like thick books!”

On impulse, she whirled around and found no pony in sight; just the feeling of Applejack once again wrapping her up in a tight hug from behind.

“The little spoon has returned,” Applejack murmured happily, giving her a quick and playful squeeze.

“You realize that two can play this game, don’t you?” Rainbow Dash asked hotly, before hurriedly sniffing at the air. She added in a semi-concerned tone, “Oh, no! Is that burning apples I smell? I think it is!”

“Not funny, Rainbow. Mine was at least somewhat comical.”

Another sniff. Another mild gasp of terror. “Oh gosh, AJ! I think your entire orchard’s on fire! Better let me go and turn around to check it out before it’s too late!”

“Now look who’s not playing fair!” Applejack shouted, releasing Rainbow Dash and spinning around to check on her (perfectly fine and definitely not on fire) crops.

Rainbow Dash got ready to play big spoon again but stopped as Applejack’s shoulder’s slumped. With a sigh, she sat on the ground, Rainbow Dash joining her there a moment later.

“Can I make a confession, Rainbow Dash?” Applejack asked tiredly.

“Sure. What?”

“I’m plain beat right now. Can we settle this useless dispute in the morning?”

“I guess. But how? We can’t even turn our backs to each other anymore!”

Applejack tapped on her chin again. And following this, she finally said something helpful.

“This was a great idea, AJ,” Rainbow Dash said, eyes closed and clearly content.

“You’re telling me,” Applejack agreed in nearly the same position, forelegs out and tightly gripping her friend.

“Umm…” Fluttershy began timidly from between the pair of snuggling ponies. “As much as I don’t mind being the ‘little spoon’ in whatever’s going on here… little spoons still need to breathe sometimes and not get snapped in two!”

Atop Fluttershy’s wide bed, Applejack and Rainbow Dash softened their grips on her and settled back in. In-between the pair, Fluttershy took a deep inhale and sighed. “So… neither of you wants to be the ‘little spoon’ of the relationship?”

Both shook their heads.

“Could you… maybe switch off each night? Like take turns?”

“But how you reckon we pick who goes first?” Applejack asked, snug as an apple slice in a freshly baked pie.

“Race around Fluttershy’s place?” Rainbow Dash suggested, herself as snug as a freshly ironed Wonderbolts uniform.

“Umm…” Fluttershy began. “I was thinking something simpler, perhaps? Like pulling numbers out of a hat?”

Rainbow Dash nodded at once. “Oh! I get it. Like who can pull numbers out of a hat the fastest! Good call, Fluttershy.”

“I think she means at random, sugar cube,” Applejack said. “And I’m fine with that. As long as it’s not out of my hat or anything.”

“I still like the ‘fastest’ approach better,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “But, alright, we’ll try it.”

Fluttershy exhaled in relief. “Oh, good. I’m glad that’s settled, then. You know, I really don’t like coming between you girls.” A small innocent pause. “I mean anymore than I currently am.”

Wrapping Fluttershy in an even tighter hug, Applejack said, “See how helpful this little spoon ended up being, Rainbow?”

Rainbow Dash only added to the embrace. “You got that right, AJ!”

Fluttershy squeaked out suddenly.

“I thought you weren’t trying to snap the little spoon!”

Author's Notes:

Got this dumb idea last night while spooning my Rainbow Dash dakimakura body pillow.

Wait. Can't say that on the internet. I'll look like a weirdo.

With my "Sombra" dakimakura body pillow. Much better.