The night before
By: Thebandbrony

"Thanks fer helpin out, Dash. We were really in a spot before you showed up."

Applejack trotted amongst her family's orchard, stopping periodically to add fallen apples to her ever-increasing payload she was towing behind her. Fluttering a few feet ahead and above her was Rainbow Dash, lazily gliding through the air on her back while munching on an apple.

"Not a problem, AJ! Didn't have much to do but nap, anyways."

"Celestia knows you take enough naps." muttered Applejack.

They arrived at the location they had been treading to. Among the rows of thick, bulky trees there stood one characteristic they all seemed to share: while the low-hanging branches appeared to be barren, the uppermost ones were still covered in ripe red apples.

"Ah tried buckin a few of the top ones down, but they was so darn high they just splattered the second they hit the ground. Could you fly up there and pick um?"

Dash discarded what was left of her apple and stretched. An apathetic "sure" was uttered as she went to work.

Applejack looks amazing. Why don't you just tell her you like her? That's the reason your doing this grunt work, after all. Just say it and be done with it! If she returns the favor, woopie! If not, at least you can get back to your nap.

"Hey... Hey Applejack?"

"What is it, sugarcube?" The two ponies stopped.

"Well... I-Uh... Nothing." she muttered, slightly crestfallen as she returned to her work.

As time progressed, the two ponies began to work out a system: Rainbow would pick the apples, fly down to a safe distance, and toss them to Applejack, who deposited them in her cart. This was how they worked for a good hour on end, periodically moving from tree to tree, methodically keeping a quick working pace. They were almost through the entire grove when they hit a snag.

"Hey AJ, I see some apples that are really far in the tree. I might not be able to reach them."

"Well, try!" huffed Applejack, annoyed that their productive pace had been interrupted by such a trivial matter.

"You got it," muttered Rainbow Dash, delving into the tree with gusto.

After a few moments of frenzied rustling, all went quiet. Applejack strained for a better view, but the myriad of branches sprouting from the tree obscured her view.

"Hey, AJ? I think I'm stuck."

"What? Whaddaya mean you got stuck?!"

"Well, um... My wing got caught in some branches... I got the apples though. Do you think you could buck the tree or something? Try to dislodge me?"

Applejack rolled her eyes. Typical Rainbow Dash; always getting herself in trouble one way or another.

“I gotcha, sugarcube. Just hang on."

"Well, I'm certainly not going anywhere." The well-work joke elicited another round of eye rolls from Applejack as she turned and prepared to buck the tree. A swift kick from the earth pony caused the tree to shudder, but not release her friend. Several more kicks yielded similar results.

"Confounded thing." she muttered.

Summoning an excessive amount of force, she bucked again. The trapped pony gave a yelp, and began to descend through the canopy of leaves and branches.

Applejack couldn't track Dash's fall, there was simply too much foliage to discern anything. By the time she saw the Pegasus, it was too late. The two collided with bone-shattering intensity, Dash collapsing on top of Applejack with a thud. The two froze in the position, eyes locked as they regained whatever breath had been knocked out of them.

This is what you wanted, right? Just tell her! You might never get this good of an opportunity again! Just do it, and don't look back!

"Um... Applejack?"

"Ow. Ya mind gettin' offa me, sugarcube?"

"Oh. Right, sorry."

The two got up, and stretched. Nothing appeared to be broken, and other than a few bruises (And a distinct loss of pride), both of them appeared to be ok.

"Well, at least nopony got hurt." applejack tossed a glare at the highest branches of the tree. "All that, and we didn't even git our apples!"

As if on cue, several shiny, bulbous apples descended from the tree, hitting Applejack square on the noggin.

Seeing that the cyan Pegasus was about to burst into laughter, Applejack stuffed a hoof in her mouth. "Not. One. Word."

------

The two mares trotted to the barn. Applejack grabbed an ice pack, and applied it to her head. Several large, red welts had appeared where the apples had struck her.

"Nuthin' too serious. Darn things gave me a mighty headache, though."

"You should have seen the look on your face, AJ! Priceless!" spouted Rainbow, wiping a tear from her eye.

This is where you want her! Tell her! You are Rainbow Dash, for Celestia's sake! Show some backbone!

"Hey, um, Applejack?"

"What is it sugarcube?"

"Well... I've been meaning to day this for a while..."

Yes! You can do it!

"I... Well- I always sorta,"

Oh my goodness! Just spit it out!

"I... I like your hat!"

Darn you.

Applejack flipped her hat off or a moment, running a hoof over it. "Thanks fer noticin'! Just got the brim re-stitched."

You like her hat? Really?! Out of all the stupid things to say, you choose that? I swear, if I had arms I would hit you.

"You okay, RD? You look like you could use a drink. Lemme get some cider. I'm workin' on a new brew that'll knock yer wings off!"

"Yeah... I could sure use a drink about now."

Applejack trotted to an old distiller haphazardly placed in the rear of the barn. At the pull of a lever, deep orange fluid seeped from a spigot fastened to the side of a barrel and into two carefully positioned cups. Dash walked over, scooped a glass up with her teeth, and drained the bitter liquid.

The effects of the brew hit her like a proverbial train. Her vision blurred slightly, her belly became warm, and she unknowingly began to sway. "Wow AJ. This is good stuff!"

Applejack was too busy downing her own glass to respond. As the orange pony finished her glass, her demeanor relaxed slightly. Her hat became crooked, and she began to sway in rhythm with her Pegasus compatriot. "That's the stuff, right there." she drawled.

Okay, new plan: tell her now, and she says no, blame it on the alcohol! This plan is foolproof!

"Hey, Rainbow? Can I tell you somethin'?"

The Pegasus tensed up slightly. "Um, what is it?"

"This may be the alcohol talkin', but ah always though y'all were kinda cute."

...Wait, what? Didn't see that coming.

"What?!" Rainbow's shocked expression told the earth pony she had crossed a line.

"Oh, horseapples. Ah'm so sorry, RD. I just... Always kinds had a soft spot fer ya. I mean, like in a romantic way. Not that I don't like y'all as a friend, but ah just- I mean," she huffed. "Ah'll shut up now."

An awkward silence passed between the two. Dash was still nearly frozen in place, her brain going haywire.

Well, are you just gonna stand there like an idiot, or are you gonna do something?!

Applejack broke the tense silence. "Ah'm sorry to put y'all in this spot. Ah understand if y'all don't feel the same way. Ah just hope we can still be friends."

"No." Rainbow's answer nearly brought Applejack to tears.

"Alright. I guess you'll want to g-"

The soft tenderness of Rainbow Dash's lips on Applejack's silenced her. They held the kiss for a long moment, before Dash pulled away. She gave Applejack a come hither stare, and whispered, "I want to be SO much more." Applejack didn't argue as the pair locked lips again, the momentum of their embrace knocking them over and into a bale of hay.

(If I may pause the story and make an observation for a moment-how cliché was that? Oh well. Back to the story!)

-----

Big Macintosh was walking by the barn with a cart of freshly picked apples belted to him when he heard the noises: Frenzied, muffled moans, coming from inside the barn.

"Hmm..." wondered Big Mac aloud. "What the hay is goin' on?" he wanted to investigate further, but the massive payload of apples prevented him from doing so.

"Must be that Rainbow Dash. Them pegasuses... Pegasuss, Pegasu... Them ponies with wings is all a bit loopy." Having dismissed the noises that now began to grow in intensity, he shrugged, dug his hooves into the earth, and took of at a dull pace for the house.

-----

The world outside the barn had grown considerably darker. The two mares lay in a heap, slightly coated in the hay they were resting on. Rainbow Dash lay firmly gripped in the constraints of sleep, whereas Applejack reclined next to her, lazily playing with Dash's colorful mane. The alcohol that had fueled her passions had dissipated, leaving her with tightness in her limbs and a headache. She hardly noticed. Spending time with her new marefriend made even a hangover better.

Marefriend

She turned the word over several times in her head, thinking about the implications and consequences this new word had. There would, of course, be the bigots. The ponies that would call her names, threaten her, Celestia forbid hurt her, over her orientation. This would take some getting used to.

It don't matter, she thought. For Dashie, it's worth it.

Speaking of Dashie, the mare began to rise from her perpetual slumber with a great flourish of grunts and stretches. She stood up and shook herself, not fully realizing where she was. She turned, and saw Applejack giving her a playful glare.

"Wait a minute... I thought," he eyes widened, "So that whole 'you and me' thing... That was real?"

"All of it."

"Woohoo!" Dash set about doing a victory dance, hips and head swaying to an imaginary beat, mane flying about in as unkept a state as it ever was. "That means, you and me-we’re like… together now?” she said after she regained her composure, panting slightly from self-exertion from her dance.

“If you really want to…”

“Heck yeah! This is awesome! I can’t wait to tell all the-“

"Now listen," said Applejack sternly, "Don't go tellin' everypony in town about what happened between us."

"Well, why not?" said Dash indignantly.

"Because that's our private business, that's why! Ah don't want every single pony knowin' what we did last night!"

"Hmph... I guess I could keep it a secret for now," she said reluctantly.

Applejack smiled. "Thanks, Dashie. Now come on, ah don't know about y'all, but ah'm starving. Let's go get some grub."

"I've never turned down free food!" said Dash enthusiastically.

As they walked out of the barn, Dash stopped her partner before she could walk out the barn. "Hey AJ... Eventually our friends are gonna find out. If it's alright with you, I'd like to break the news instead of somepony else telling them."

"Well... Ah guess that's reasonable."

"Cool! So, how are we gonna tell them?"

After a moment of thought, Applejack gave Dash a peck on the cheek. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, darlin'."

Dash shrugged. "I'm always up for procrastination."

Applejack rolled her eyes as she led her partner out of the barn and into the warm glow of daylight.

Postscript: Time for some shameless self promotion! If you liked this, my other Appledash fic is right... here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/7003/Just-another-Appledash-fic
Appledash fans, eat your hearts out. Happy Tuesday.