Chapter 16

Rainbow Dash huffed as she landed outside the market area of Ponyville, saddlebags around her body, ready to shop for the groceries she would stock her house with that week. She was expected at the Apple Family household for dinner, as was their established weekly routine. Rainbow Dash had become, quite frankly, a member of their family and they absolutely adored having the pegasus over for dinner once, twice or even three times a week. She got along perfectly with Big Macintosh, Granny Smith and Applebloom, able to speak jovially and freely around them. Her opinions had even become more and more valuable to them when making some decisions.

But nevertheless, as much as the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse felt like a second home to her, Rainbow Dash still had an actual place to call her home. Even though the house itself, even with Tank there with her, could get a little lonely for her. She would yearn for the presence of her love, Applejack, even though she saw her nearly every day. Half the mornings she woke up in her bed, she expected to look into a pair of beautiful green eyes. This was a result of her becoming acclimated to spending the night at Applejack's house and waking up with the farm mare. The apple family enjoyed having Rainbow Dash over for a night, but the two mares had almost been caught multiple times in their late-night exploits together.

Rainbow slowly trotted into the market and looked around for her favorite edible treat. She finally laid her eyes upon a clump of daffodils at Roseluck's flower stand. Rainbow walked up to the flowers and sniffed them, gaining a large smile on her face from the aroma. Roseluck giggled at the look on Rainbow Dash's face.

"Hi, Rainbow Dash. The usual, I take it?" The gardener asked. Rainbow Dash nodded happily.

"You bet, Roseluck!" She said with an appreciative smile. "How have things been lately?" Roseluck laid a bushel of Daffodils on the counter of the stand in front of Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, they've been pretty great. I've been getting more business as of late. Perhaps it's the approaching Autumn weather, but this happens at around this time every year." Roseluck said. "Have you heard the news?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head slowly after placing the customary seven bits on the counter for Roseluck to collect and placing the daffodils in one of her saddlebags.

"News?" Rainbow Dash said. "Uh, no. I don't think so." Roseluck leaned forward and smiled at the pegasus.

"Well, it's no secret around Ponyville anymore that you and Applejack are...together." Roseluck said with a small, cute giggle and a blush.

"Yeah, I know that. Pretty much everypony does now." Rainbow said. "What's this got to do with us?"

"Well, you know how the Cakes bad-mouthed you two and Pinkie Pie quit her job there because of it?" Roseluck said.

"I didn't know everypony knew about that." Rainbow said.

"Well, you know Pinkie Pie." Roseluck said.

"You've got a point." Rainbow Dash said, nodding and raising an eyebrow before leaning back in closer to Roseluck. "What's happening with the Cakes?"

"Since the word has spread around about how they're pretty much bigots and since they lost Pinkie Pie's awesome sweet-making talents, their business has begun to drop. A lot." Roseluck explained.

"Has it, now?" Rainbow Dash said. "Can't say I'm suprised. Pinkie is pretty awesome at making treats."

"Wait, wait. I didn't even tell you the best part!" Roseluck continued. "There's been a rumor that Sugarcube Corner is going to go out of business." Rainbow Dash's eyebrows raised in suprise.

"Really?" Rainbow Dash said with a small smile. "Wow...that's..."

"I know, isn't it great?" Roseluck said. "They're finally getting what they deserve. More and more ponies have boycotted them for how awful they were to you guys. We all know how great you two are, and many of us don't see you any differently. I'm just saying...stay strong, you know?" Roseluck smiled happily at Rainbow Dash, who smiled back and nodded at the gardener.

"Roseluck, I hope your business keeps doing so well. You deserve it." Rainbow Dash said. "See you around!" Roseluck waved at the cyan pegasus with a smile. Rainbow Dash, despite hearing the good news, couldn't supress an unsure frown on her face. Rainbow Dash had wanted Sugarcube Corner to go down in flames with every fiber of her being previously, but didn't know what to think now that it was...figuratively. She and her friends shared so many fun memories at the confectionary, and it felt slightly like a shame to see it fade away like it was.

Rainbow Dash forgot this relatively sad thought as she continued to amble around the market. She gathered some carrots from Carrot Top and some assorted vegetables from a grocery stand, run by a stallion whose name always managed to escape her. She usually labeled him "Red" because of his bright red mane. Passing through one of the aisles, she layed her eyes upon a couple that she renowned for their bravery before she and Applejack had become official. Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon. They were looking through the celery aisle and seemed to be chatting jovially about something they had experienced earlier. Rainbow Dash smiled as she walked toward them.

"Lyra! Bon Bon!" She said. When the couple looked at her and smiled, the cyan mare waved at them.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash." Lyra said with a smile. "How have things been?"

"Pretty good." Rainbow said. "Couldn't complain. It's pretty crazy that we haven't talked in so long." Bon Bon nodded.

"I know. We heard about you and Applejack, you know." Bon Bon said. "Congratulations." Rainbow smiled and nodded at her.

"Thanks!" Rainbow said. "Congratulations to you guys too. Although it is a little late. I can't believe we haven't really spoken, y'know, seeing as how we're...well..." Rainbow Dash blushed as the words struggled to leave her lips.

"The only two official fillyfooler couples in Ponyville?" Bon Bon said. Rainbow Dash laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head.

"Heh heh...yeah. Sorry, I'm just not used to talking to ponies that share my lifestyle choice." Rainbow said.

"It's okay, Rainbow." Lyra said. "I looked almost exactly like you do half a year ago. It'll pass." Rainbow Dash nodded.

"I guess so." Rainbow Dash said. "So, you guys are living together, huh?" Bon Bon nodded.

"Yep. We split the rent, so it's pretty easy living. It's great." The earth pony said. "We actually heard about the way the cakes reacted to you guys. And now they're getting shut down by the majority of Ponyville." Bon Bon smiled widely.

"Goes to show that Ponyville is a pretty accepting place, I guess." Rainbow said with a smile. "Well, I didn't mean to bug you guys. Just wanted to say hi!" Bon Bon and Lyra smiled at her as she began to walk away.

"Don't hesitate to say hi again in the future." Lyra said.

"See ya later, Rainbow!" Bon Bon said before they went back to their shopping. Rainbow went to the check out counter and placed her desired food products before Red. He looked them over and accounted for each item.

"Alright, miss Rainbow. That'll be ten bits." He said. Rainbow Dash fished out the money from her saddle and placed it on the counter before the stallion.

"Alright...uh...uhm..." Rainbow Dash blushed heavily at her failure to remember the stallion's name.

"Lucky." He said, raising an eyebrow and smiling slightly. "I get it. It's easily forgettable." Rainbow Dash nodded and smiled at him.

"Alright, Lucky. Thanks!" Rainbow made the rest of her rounds in the market before lifting off into the sky to head back to her cloud home. She dodged the clouds, taking care not to spill her aquired groceries into a money-wasting plummet to the ground. Even though she was confident that she could recover most of her groceries as they fell, undoubtedly a few items would not be recovered and would be destroyed upon inpact.

Touching down in front of her cloud home, she nudged open the front door and walked inside before yelling.

"Tank, I'm home! Come get your food!" Rainbow opened the can of reptile chow she had on her kitchen counter and poured some in the small bowl she had set aside for Tank. The tortoise flew down the staircase and touched down before his small bowl. He looked up expectantly at Rainbow Dash who looked down at him for a while in confusion before realizing what she had forgotten to do. She smiled and leaned down and kissed him on top of the head. The tortoise smiled as he started munching on his food. Rainbow giggled. There was no way she'd do anything like that in front of anypony except Applejack, but Tank always recieved some form of affection from Rainbow Dash before he ate.

Rainbow Dash put her groceries away in the kitchen at a slow and leisurely pace. When she finished, she moved into her bedroom and removed her saddlebags, haphazardly throwing them across the room, not caring where they landed at that moment. The day of work at Weather Patrol had been a long and hard one. The clouds were much more solid than usual, offering up more resistance than the pegasi were used to. This left Rainbow Dash exhaused as she shopped for her groceries. Rainbow entered her bathroom and began punching one of the small storm clouds she had magnified under the sun for hot water for a shower before moving back and noticing her bathtub. It had not been used in quite a while. Rainbow considered using the large tub for a moment.

"Maybe...nahh..." Rainbow said, moving back toward the shower. Rainbow Dash once again considered a bath over a shower. Her muscles ached and her mind was frazzled after her long day. She still had to eat dinner at the Apple Family's house, and that involved a good bit of flying back and forth.

"I guess...just this once...couldn't hurt..." Rainbow said as she moved several hot storm clouds over the tub. She punched each one hard enough to coax most of the water out of each one, allowing for a decent amount of hot bathwater to flow into the tub. As she waited for the tub to fill, she turned and looked into the mirror she had in the bathroom. She didn't mind what she saw. For such a long, difficult day, she still looked rather good, considering the circumstances. The water eventuallycleared from the clouds as they faded to invisible water vapor.

The tub steamed as Rainbow Dash turned around and looked at the tub, a small smile forming on her face. She slowly approached the tub and stuck a hoof in slowly. She gasped slightly at the hot water, but smiled as she stepped fully into the tub and began to lay back, feeling the water flow over her body as she layed back fully in the tub. The water had a near-immediate effect on her muscles, relaxing them and allowing them to loosen. The steam helped to air out her sinuses. Her body slowly devolved into a state of complete and total relaxation. She was so used to showers and their invigorating effects, she had never really considered the effects a bath could induce.

"Okay...I've got to do this more often..." Rainbow said, closing her eyes and sighing. "Maybe Rarity was right..."

Rainbow Dash remained in her bath for longer than she had originally intended, almost falling asleep in the water. She woke just as her nostrils hit the surface of the water. She cried out in suprise as she jumped up, flinging water all over the floor of her bathroom and caught herself on the sides of the tub. She breathed heavily, her eyes widened. Tank walked slowly into the bathroom to investigate the commotion. Upon looking at him, Rainbow sighed as she relaxed in the tub again.

"It's okay, Tank. I'm alright. Just freaked out a little is all. I'll be out in a second." Rainbow said before beginning to wash her body, mane and tail with care. After rinsing, Rainbow stepped out of the bath and grabbed a towel from a shelf. She dried herself off and left the bathroom. She jumped onto her bed with a large, happy sigh, appreciating the blast of cool air she got from entering her bedroom from the steamy, warm bathroom. She lifted Tank onto the bed with her before laying back and staring at the ceiling of her room. The happy tortoise snuggled into Rainbow Dash and let out a small, barely audible sigh through his tiny nostrils.

"Yeah, we have some time before I have to head to Applejack's, Tank." Rainbow said as she looked at her bedroom clock. "I guess we can take a little nap."

Rainbow Dash awoke from her deep sleep and looked at her bedroom clock. It read eight fifteen, fifteen minutes after she was supposed to be at the Apple Family household for dinner. Rainbow stood out of the bed with a small gasp, flipping Tank over onto the back of his shell. He struggled to get back to a proper position as Rainbow Dash ran into her bathroom quickly to get ready.

"Oh, no. Oh, no." Rainbow quickly spouted before she brushed her teeth. After spitting and rinsing her mouth, she cringed as she applied a spritz of perfume to her neck. Rainbow disliked wearing it, but Applejack loved the smell of the aromatic liquid. She brushed her mane back to it's natural position before she ran out of the bathroom. She layed her eyes upon the still-struggling Tank and put him back in his normal positiion on the floor.

"Sorry, buddy." Rainbow said. "I'm late! I'll walk you as soon as I get home, okay? Bye!" The pegasus placed a small kiss on top of her pet's head before she ran out the front door of her house. She sprinted to the edge of the clouds and took off into immediate flight toward Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow internally debated whether or not she would fly at full speed toward Sweet Apple Acres, get there before too long, but not without ruining her mane, or whether or not she would fly at a moderate pace, get there later, but keep her coiffure in order.

"Who am I bucking kidding?!" Rainbow said to herself, realizing with self-disgust that she was debating on whether her hair would remain in order. Who was she, Rarity?

Rainbow Dash immediately sped toward Sweet Apple Acres, picking up speed rapidly, leaving a bright rainbow streak of light behind her, as was usual when she flew at high velocities.

"Come on...come on...Almost there..."

At the Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse, Applejack sighed as she looked at the clock. It was eight fifteen P.M. and Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. The farm pony stood and looked back at Granny Smith and Applebloom, who were setting the table and having a good time. Granny Smith looked back at Applejack as her granddaughter continued to fret over Rainbow Dash's current abscence.

"Whatcha worryin' fer, Applejack?" Granny Smith said with a small smile. "Rainbow'll be here soon. Maybe she just forgot to feed her pet turtle or somethin'."

"He's a tortoise, Granny." Applejack said.

"Oh, same difference." The old mare said with a small chuckle as she placed a fork next to one of the plates on the table.

"But Dash is never late, Granny." Applejack said with a small frown. "Ah'm just a bit worried, is all. What if she hurt herself flyin' or somethin' like that?"

"She's fine, Applejack." Applebloom said, smiling and raising an eyebrow. "You're just nervous 'cause tonight's the night you're gonna make the offer."

"Well yeah, that certainly ain't helpin' none." Applejack said with a small roll of her eyes. As she stood and moved toward the front door and opened it, feeling the cool Spring night air blast her face. "Ah'll be back in a sec." Applejack closed the front door behind her. She sighed as she looked up into the dark sky, illuminated by Luna's moon, awaiting Rainbow Dash to touch down in front of her for dinner. The farm mare sat down and frowed, contemplating where the pegasus could be. She was interrupted by a cry of fear.

"Whoa, AJ! LOOK OUT!" Applejack's eyes opened as she looked up just in time to see Rainbow Dash barreling toward her at high speeds.

"What in tar-" Rainbow collided with Applejack, sending them both tumbling backwards into a large haystack, effectively cushioning their bodies.

"Applejack! Oh, Goddesses, are you okay?" Rainbow said, immediately jumping up in front of the farmer. "I'm so sorry!" Applejack looked up, frowning at the pegasus, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Yeah. Ah'm alright." Applejack said before letting her head fall back onto the hay. Rainbow sighed heavily in relief. "Where in tarnation where you?"

"I went home after work and fell asleep after my ba-shower." Rainbow said. "And I uh...overslept a bit. Sorry." Rainbow giggled nervously.

"What were you about to say?" Applejack asked Rainbow Dash.

"Come again?" Rainbow said nervously.

"What were you gonna say instead of shower. Ah noticed you correctin' yourself." Applejack said. "Ya said Ba-Shower...You were gonna say bath weren't you?" Rainbow blushed heavily.

"What? No, of course not!" Rainbow said. "I hate baths, remember?"

"Ah remember you sayin' that, that they're all girly and fru fru, but Ah'm not sure if Ah believe it anymore." Applejack said with a predatory grin. "You took a bath, didn't ya?" Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head.

"No, I didn't! Why would you-"

"Raaainbow..." Applejack said. "Ah know you're hidin' somethin'." Rainbow looked at Applejack for a moment and hung her head.

"Okay, okay. So I took a bath instead of a shower, okay? Big deal." Rainbow said. "I didn't even like it that much anyways."

"Really? Ah've always loved a good bath after a long day's work." Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, it was awesome." Rainbow said quickly. "Just don't...y'know...tell anypony, okay?" Applejack shrugged and stood up from the haystack to join Rainbow Dash.

"Alright, that's fine. Ah won't." Applejack said. "We're lucky that haystack was there." Rainbow chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just wanted to get here as soon as possible." Rainbow Dash said with a small smile. "By the way, how's my mane?" Rainbow Dash blushed at the question that came from her mouth. Applejack shrugged.

"Looks fine to me." Applejack said before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Come on in. Dinner's ready." Rainbow Dash licked her lips as she followed the farm mare inside the house.

"Well Ah'll be." Granny Smith said, laying her eyes upon Rainbow Dash. "'Bout time you showed up! You're never late, Rainbow." Rainbow Dash nervously scratched the back of her head and blushed.

"Yeah...I'm sorry, everypony. I...kinda took a nap that lasted longer than I thought it would." Rainbow began to walk into the living room. As the cyan pegasus looked away for a moment, Granny Smith shot a quick wink in Applejack's direction, making Applejack smile.

"So what's on the menu tonight, Granny Smith?" Rainbow Dash asked happily.

"Carrot and celery stew." Granny Smith responded. "Ain't quite done yet. It's gotta simmer a bit more."

"Sounds awesome." Rainbow said with a small smile. Applejack walked into the living room and sat down next to Rainbow Dash, who had taken a seat on the couch just as Applebloom bounded into the room, followed by Big Macintosh.

"Evenin', Rainbow." Big Mac said with a curt nod in the pegasus' direction. "You're late. 'Lil odd." Rainbow Dash sighed and looked away.

"I know, I know." Rainbow Dash said, blushing even harder. "I slept-"

"Slept longer'n you thought you would? Ah know. Ah heard ya." Big Macintosh said. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at the red stallion.

"Wait, then why did you..." Rainbow asked before witnessing Big Macintosh flash her a small, sly grin. Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Oh come on." Big Mac chuckled at the comment.

"Rainbow, how was weather patrol today?" Applebloom asked her. "Were there any big storm clouds that shot lightnin' or was there a tornado y'all had to stop?" Rainbow looked to the side for a moment.

"Uh...you bet! The biggest storm cloud you'd ever see showed up. Lighting was striking everywhere. It was on a path straight toward Ponyville!" Applejack looked at Rainbow incredulously, seeing through her tall tale, signifying this with a raised eyebrow. Rainbow decided to ignore this, choosing to focus on the fascinated response she was getting from the little filly before her. "So, I flew at it with top speed. Nopony thought I was going to be able to make it on my own, but they were all too scared to come help me. So, I flew at it so fast, I did a Sonic Rainboom! It broke that cloud up like it was nothing. They all wanted to give me a bunch of awards and stuff at Weather Patrol Headquarters, but I refused. It was just all in a days work." Rainbow finished her tale with a satisfied smirk, hearing Applebloom cheer. The pegasus, upon seeing Applejack's unimpressed look, chuckled nervously.

"Alright, y'all!" Granny Smith said. "It's time to eat, so park your flanks at the table so we can get to it! Ah'm an old mare and Ah need my food!" Everypony jumped up and happily moved into the dining room and sat at the table.

"This is gonna be great! I've been so hungry all day!" Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her hooves together happily. Applejack nodded with a small smile.

"Yeah, it's uh...gonna be really good." Applejack said nervously. Rainbow Dash sensed this and tilted her head slightly in concern.

"Hey...What's wrong, Applejack?" Rainbow Dash asked her marefriend. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Ah'm fine, sugar. Don't worry 'bout me. Let's dig in." Applejack said to the pegasus with a smile. "Ah'm feelin' a might hungry as well." Granny Smith brought the tray to the table and began handing out the bowls of stew.

"Applebloom, Big Mac, Applejack..." Granny said as she passed out each bowl to the pony that would eat from it. "Rainbow." Granny Smith placed the bowl before Rainbow Dash. She gasped. Inside the bowl of stew were several daffodils.

"Wha...Granny, how did you know daffodils are my favorite?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh, a little orange birdie told me." Granny Smith said. Seemingly not noticing the obvioius reference by Granny Smith to Applejack, Rainbow Dash continued to marvel at the daffodils she had just recieved.

"Whats the occasion, guys?" Rainbow Dash asked. Granny Smith shook her head slowly and looked at Rainbow Dash with a smile.

"No occasion, really. Just a nice little thing we figured we'd do for ya." Granny Smith said. "Now enough talkin' let's get to chowin' down!"

"Amen!" Applebloom said before diving into her stew. The filly cried out in suprise as she brought her muzzle back out of the stew. "Ah! Ah! It's hot!" Everypony in the room laughed, save for Applebloom, whom the laughter was at the expense of.

"Didn't ya ever learn to blow on hot stew, darlin?" Granny Smith asked. "Looks like that Cheerilee down at the schoolhouse isn't that good of a teacher, after all." Big Macintosh's eyebrows furrowed at his Grandmother after she made the comment.

"Now, Granny, Cheerilee is a great teacher." Big Mac said, as if defending the schoolteacher. Rainbow Dash elbowed Applejack's shoulder and raised her eyebrows at the farm pony. Applejack giggled quietly.

"Ah was just foolin' around, Big Mac. And you watch who you're talkin' to, young stallion." Granny Smith said.

"But Ah'm full grown." Big Mac responded, raising an eyebrow.

"Maaac..." Granny Smith said, waving her spoon at him and raising an eyebrow producing a facial expression that, even for her size and age, was intimidating.

"Yes ma'am." Big Macintosh said, looking down at his stew. Applejack and Rainbow Dash barely supressed intense fits of laughter. They soon were all enjoying their stew, letting the warm, inviting medley of flavors incite their tastebuds to impressive tastes. Rainbow Dash, who was saving her daffodils for last, looked at the flowers with a smile as an idea popped into her head. She took a small bite of daffodil, and immediately ate some stew with it. Rainbow nearly sunk out of her seat at the mesmerizing clash of conflicting flavors in her mouth. These flavors eventually intermingled, however, and provided a taste that ranked among the best Rainbow Dash had ever enjoyed before.

"Wow..." Rainbow Dash said happily. "This...is awesome..."

"Figured you'd like it." Granny Smith said, finishing her stew with a sigh. Even though Granny Smith was the oldest by a long shot, she always managed to finish her food before anybody else at the table...always. She'd always just sit, content and full, as the others finished their food. Some nights, Applebloom, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash would engage in an eating contest, which Applebloom would always lose in. It would almost always come down to Rainbow Dash and Applejack tied until one of them was brave enought to take just one more bite.

Neither mare was feeling too competitive this night, as both leisurely sipped on their stews, Rainbow taking the occasional bite of daffodil. It was not long before everypony was finished and satisfied with their meal, sitting back and smiling contentedly.

"Now, if everypony could come into the livin' room," Granny Smith said. "There's somethin' we're gonna do together." Rainbow Dash brightened up at hearing these words from the old mare. This usually meant that they were all going to do something fun together or play a game like charades. But as they all moved to the living room, the Apple family sat upon the couch, with Rainbow Dash being the only one standing before everyone else.

"So...what are we doing?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Charades? Twenty questions? I spy?" Applejack shook her head at the pegasus.

"Rainbow, we need to talk." Applejack said, standing before Rainbow Dash. "This is something we've all been discussing lately." Rainbow Dash, feeling a slight nervous twitch flow through her body, nodded and gulped silently. The family was gathering around her in the living room and saying that they needed to talk. There were definitely possibilities for heartbreak flowing through Rainbow Dash's mind at that moment.

"Rainbow, you've been comin' over for dinner quite a lot lately. Everypony here agrees, that everytime we look up, you seem to be there with somepony else." Applejack said. Rainbow nodded slowly.

"Okay..." Rainbow said.

"When you're here, you make everypony's day brighter. You're never a burden to have around and you just give this place a happier feel. Like Ah just said, you come around here a lot, and spend a lot of your time here with us, and we love it when you do. We'd all actually like you to stay...permanently." Rainbow Dash's heart skipped a beat as she struggled to process what Applejack had just told her.

"W-What?" Rainbow said quietly.

"You're here so much, and ya always try to help out around here when ya are...We all love ya so much Rainbow Dash." Granny Smith said. "You've been a blessing to this family." Big Macintosh nodded and offered a wide, genuine smile to the pegasus.

"Eeeyup." He said simply.

"Ah just love it when you tell me all about your adventures, Rainbow. It's kinda like you're another sister to me." Applebloom said. "Ah definitely want ya around." Applejack nodded and took a step toward Rainbow Dash.

"You're so special to me." Applejack said to her. "You've changed my life for the better. You're the one who inspired me to be myself. You set me free. You deserve better than to just live alone all the time. We all consider you a part of the family already, but we wanna make it official."

"I...I..." Rainbow stuttered, at a loss for words.

"Ah've...never seen Applejack as happy as she is when she is with you, Rainbow." Big Macintosh said. "You really are a great gal, and it's always nice to have ya around."

"Ah know this is a lot to consider, and if ya don't want to, we understand, but we'd like ya to move in here and live with us. We want ya here, as a true part of this family." Applejack said. "So, Dash...What do ya say? Would you want to move in?" Rainbow's eyes widened as she looked at Applejack, then at Granny Smith, Applebloom and Big Macintosh.

"W-What do I say?" Rainbow said, looking down for a moment, considering her options. This filled Applejack with worry. She desperately did not want Rainbow Dash to go home and sleep alone that night. Rainbow Dash suddenly looked up at them, a huge smile present on her face as tears ran down her cheeks. "What are you kidding? Of course! Of course I would!" Rainbow cried in joy before bounding toward Applejack and wrapping her into a massive hug. The Apple family watched in happiness as Rainbow embraced Applejack and sobbed into her shoulder. Rainbow quickly looked up at the three ponies watching them and smiled at them before gesturing to them with a hoof.

"Come on, get over here!" Rainbow Dash said, still crying. Applebloom raced over and hugged onto Rainbow Dash as Big Macintosh helped Granny Smith up out of her chair. They all hugged onto Rainbow Dash as she continued to cry and laugh at the same time. Pure joy raced through the pegasus' body as her new family separated from the hug.

"Ah gotta say, Rainbow." Granny Smith said. "Ah didn't really expect ya to react so strongly."

"Oh, no, Granny. This goes much farther than me just being happy." Rainbow said. "Since as long as I can remember, I never really knew my parents. I got to know Fluttershy from an early age, and I met everypony else as my life went on. As soon as I was able to get a job, I had created my cloud home and began living there alone. Since I got Tank, that has been helping a lot, but I can't really have a conversation with him...I always slept alone in my bed. I would never really have anypony to talk to unless I was out and about. You guys are just...the only actual family I've ever really had." Rainbow Dash said with wide smile.

The Apple family all smiled back at her warmly. Granny Smith wiped a tear from her eye and cleared her throat.

"Well, you're livin here with us now, sweetie. Now, we'll have to get the big 'ol room in the back of the hallway that we use for storage cleared out. Applejack," Applejack looked at her Grandmother. "I'm guessin' you're gonna want to room with Rainbow." Applejack smiled and looked at Rainbow Dash.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Applejack said. Rainbow returned Applejack's smile.

"Alrighty then, it's settled." Granny Smith said. "We'll clear out the room tomorrow. Rainbow, you can just bring your stuff whenever ya feel like it."

"Why don't we play a game to celebrate?" Applebloom suggested. "Seems only fittin'."

"Sounds good to me." Rainbow said. Granny Smith nodded down at the little filly.

"Applebloom, what do you wanna play?" The old mare asked her Granddaughter. The yellow filly took no time in replying with,

"Charades!" Applejack groaned.

"Applebloom, we played that last time." Applejack said.

"You got a better idea?" Applebloom said. "Come on, AJ, we all had so much fun last time." Applejack sighed.

"Well there's no arguin' that point...Alright, Ah suppose." Applejack said. Applebloom cheered as she ran up in front of everypony and stood in the living room.

"Alright, Ah'm first!"

The game went better than anypony could have anticipated. The fun of the game increased tenfold, since everyone who was playing now stayed together as a family unit. Rainbow used her wings this time to potray herself as an angry manticore, and Applejack stood stone faced and silent when her turn around. After a moment, Rainbow Dash quickly guessed correctly with Celestia's Royal Guard. The light hearted air that the game brought to the room was fun and jovial, and a perfect welcoming party for Rainbow Dash. After it was all over and done, Big Macintosh stood slowly and began walking to the hallway leading to his room.

"Ah think Ah'm gonna turn in, everypony. Applebloom, you get to bed too. Ya got school tomorrow." Big Macintosh said. "Good to have ya here, Rainbow." Applebloom jumped on Rainbow's back, suprising the pegasus, and snuggled into her Rainbow mane.

"It's gonna be so great!" Applebloom said. "Do ya think you could help me, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo out with gettin' our cutie marks?" Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"Well, I don't see why not." She said with a warm smile.

"Awesome!" The filly said, giving Rainbow Dash a hug around the neck, momentarily cutting off her air supply. Applebloom then jumped off of Rainbow and walked in the direction of her room. Granny Smith then approached the duo.

"Now Ah know you're both happy about this and everything...But if y'all decide to get goin', don't forget to close the door." Granny Smith whispered. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both turned a deep shade of red, their pupils shrinking to pinpricks. The old mare laughed sweetly. "Ah'm just foolin' with y'all. Goodnight." She said with another short cackle. Rainbow Dash gulped and looked over at Applejack.

"Did you shut the door last time?" Rainbow asked her, eyebrows raised in fear. Applejack nodded.

"And we always stay as quiet as we can in there..." Applejack said before clearin' her throat. "Just...try not to worry about it, Dash. You know Granny Smith. She's always messin' with somepony." Rainbow nodded as they moved to Applejack's bedroom for a well deserved night's sleep. Applejack hopped into the bed and patted the spot next to her for Rainbow to join her. Smiling, Rainbow hopped in as well and kissed Applejack on the cheek.

"This is so awesome." Rainbow said. "It's just so unexpected."

"Yeah, sorry for dumpin' all that on ya at once." Applejack said. "But Ah suggested it to everypony else and they loved the idea. We love you here, Rainbow." The farm mare placed a small kiss on Rainbow's head.

"Oh, have you heard the news?" The pegasus said. Applejack looked down at her for a moment.

"Ah don't think so." Applejack said. "Tell me."

"Sugarcube Corner is gonna shut down. It turns out Pinkie Pie is the one who got them all of their business." Rainbow Dash said. Applejack looked down at Rainbow Dash in suprise.

"No way." Applejack said. Rainbow nodded.

"Way." Rainbow said with a small snicker. "They're really paying for their choices now, it looks like."

"Well, the way Ah see it, they're gettin' their just desserts." Applejack said. "But let's just forget about all that, sugarcube, and go to sleep. We got a big day tomorrow." Rainbow smiled and nodded before snuggling in, laying her head on Applejack's chest. Sleep began to envelop the pegasus before her eyes shot open and she sat up quickly.

"Oh, Goddesses." She said. Applejack looked up at her in confusion, half asleep.

"Wha? What is it, hun?" Applejack asked her.

"Tank. I completely forgot about Tank." Rainbow responded. "I promised that I'd walk him when I got back." Applejack nodded.

"Go on, then." Applejack said.

"I'll be back soon. Keep the window unlocked." Rainbow said as she silently withdrew herself from the bed and gave Applejack a long, drawn out kiss on the lips. "I love you."

"Love you too, darlin'." Applejack said. "Now go get that done so you can come back here and Ah can hold ya again."

"You got it." Rainbow said before opening the window and flying out quickly. Applejack sighed and smiled before rolling over and closing her eyes slowly. Sleep overtook the farm mare, and before she knew it, she once again felt a pair of forelegs wrap around her body and a pair of lips kiss her ear lovingly.

"Miss me?" Rainbow Dash asked. Applejack turned around and smiled at her lover.

"Always."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked through Ponyville in the direction of Rainbow Dash's cloud home the next morning. It was relatively early, but neither mare was getting back to sleep since Granny Smith woke them up. Rainbow Dash had requested a week off work since she was moving, and Rolling Storm did not hesitate to give her the free days, since she did so much for the weather patrol team on a day-to-day basis. They walked to Rainbow Dash's house with a wagon to haul the few things that Rainbow owned that weren't made of clouds. Rainbow Dash had actually recently sold her cloud home to an aristocratic pegasus for a large sum of money, so the couple was feeling rather prosperous.

Before long, the pair came across Sugarcube Corner, the sweet themed building looking more destitute than ever. Mr. Carrot Cake was placing a sign on the front door that read "CLOSED" in bold, capital letters. Mrs. Cup Cake cried as he put the sign up. Rainbow Dash felt a brief twinge of sympathy shoot through her as she gestured to the two ponies, lamenting the loss of their confectionary. Applejack looked at her marefriend, raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Rainbow sighed as she approached the married couple. Carrot Cake looked upon Rainbow Dash and Applejack in contempt as they neared.

"Are you two happy?" He said to them. "Are you happy now? I suppose you've come to gloat in our faces, eh?" His raised tone of voice attracting the attention of many passing ponies.

"We have nowhere else to go." Carrot Cake said. "You both have won. You both got what you wanted. Now kindly leave us alone." He said as he continued to comfort his wife.

"No..." Mrs. Cake said. "I have something to say to them."

"Honey..." Mr. Cake murmured. "It's all over now." She pushed him off of her.

"I have something to say, and I will be heard!" Mrs. Cake cried out at him. He backed away, his eyes widening slightly.

"What we've said to you...both of you...hasn't sat right with me since it came from our mouths. We hurt Pinkie Pie so badly, and we realized this immediately, but we never took the time to realize how what we said might've hurt the both of you." The mare said. Applejack and Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what they were hearing. "You two are some of the greatest ponies Ponyville has ever seen, and what we said was stupid and insensitive." Mrs. Cake said before kneeling down in front of the two of them. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry." She said as she cried. Rainbow Dash, feeling sympathy for the mare stepped forward, closing the distance between her and Mrs. Cake. She looked up at Rainbow Dash, tears falling from her cheeks.

'Yeah, that's right, Dash. Let 'er have it.' Applejack thought.

"Now the way I see it, you could be crying and blubbering here in front of me for two reasons." Rainbow said. "It could just be because you and your charming husband here are losing your jobs and you want to save face...Or, it could be because you are truly sorry and feel bad for the things you've said." Applejack, brows furrowed, nodded.

"And while I feel guarded saying this, I think it's the latter." Rainbow said. Mrs. Cake's eyes widened. "I forgive you." Mrs. Cake burst into tears and grabbed Rainbow in a hug, which the pegasus awkwardly returned.

"I'm going to give you enough money to get Sugarcube Corner back on it's feet." Mrs. Cake, along with her husband and Applejack, gasped. They were all at a complete loss for words. "On two conditions."

"Yes, yes! Anything!" Mrs. Cake said happily.

"One, since I'm pretty much buying both of your employments back, you're going to hire Pinkie Pie again and make her co-owner of Sugarcube Corner, and she'll receive one third of all income." Rainbow Dash said. Mrs. Cake nodded. "And two, you never discriminate against anypony again." Mrs. Cake nodded happily.

"Yes, of course!" She said happily, looking back at Mr. Cake. Her husband was still completely speechless, his eyes widened and filled with tears at this incredible and unprecedented show of generosity and forgiveness.

"Thank you..." He said, just above a whisper. Rainbow Dash nodded and turned around to leave, but was surprised upon seeing how many ponies had gathered around the redeemed confectionary. Lyra and Bon Bon stood among them, smiles on their faces. They all began applauding and cheering for Rainbow Dash, a thunderous cacophony of commendations. Rainbow Dash's stomach lit alight in joy as she descended the small, short staircase to meet Applejack, who was a little too stunned to speak at that moment.

"Shall we?" Rainbow said. Applejack, slowly nodding, followed Rainbow through the crowd as they again began to walk toward Rainbow's old home.

"And Ah suppose you'll be using the money you got from sellin' your house for that?" Applejack asked the pegasus walking beside her.

"Yep." Rainbow said. "That rich Pegasus gave me so much for the house, I'm still gonna have a lot left over besides. And all of that's going to the farm." Applejack kissed Rainbow on the lips.

"But why?" Applejack said. "Why did ya do that? Not that Ah'm not happy ya did, Ah just can't figure out why. All the awful things they said about us..."

"Because, Applejack." Rainbow responded looking over at Applejack and smirking. "I wanted to show them that they were wrong about us."

"Well, Ah'm pretty sure ya showed that to the whole town." Applejack said. "Ah'm pretty sure you're some kinda hero now." Rainbow snickered.

"Well yeah," Rainbow said. "I'm awesome."

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: Well, this chapter was certainly interesting to write. WHOO HOO! Rainbow has moved in with the Apple Family! I wrote it and I'm still happy! I actually added that last part with Rainbow Dash forgiving the Cakes because I was inspired by something I actually witnessed. I have a gay friend (who I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before.) who was mercilessly ridiculed by a bully at our school since the sixth grade, for obvious reasons. When this bully finally wised up and apoligized to him a week ago, my friend forgave him. The guy actually broke down in tears, as did many others who were watching, including my girlfriend. It was actually quite touching. It just goes to show that the power of forgiveness over one's enemies is truly a force to be reckoned with. See you guys next week. Cheers!