"Well, I came to Ponyville some time ago to see what it was like to live the quiet life. And since I've been here for some odd eight years, it's pretty easy to see how much I love it here." Caramel, Applejack's date, said quite confidently as the mare looked at him from across the table. Applejack had approached Caramel two days previously, the day after the last time she saw Rainbow Dash, and told him that she liked him, obivously not without small, scattered touches of worry, regret and shame. Caramel was all too happy to ask her on a date at that moment, which Applejack accepted.

"That's nice." Applejack said. "Las Pegasus, huh? Tell me about that place."

"It's pretty cool, actually." He said. "I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I used to be an avid gambler." Applejack's face moved into an expression of slight disapproval.

"I'm, uh... I'm not anymore...seriously. It was actually how I got my cutie mark." He said, gesturing to his flank. Three blue horseshoes stood out against his light brown coat. "I was just...I don't really know how to put it without seeming like a nutbar...luckier than anypony else there. The night I finally had my biggest score in a game of roulette, this cutie mark appeared. I was actually a blank flank until I was eighteen, can you beleive that?"

"My sister doesn't have her cutie mark yet." Applejack said with a frown. Caramel's eyes widened for a moment and he rubbed the back of his head, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm uh....sorry...I didn't know, I swear." He said. He actually did, as he had seen Applejack with her sister around town a few times. But being the forgetful stallion he was, it slipped his mind at that moment. Applejack chuckled.

"Ah'm just yankin' your chain, Caramel." She said. "Applebloom is still plenty young." Caramel sighed quietly and smiled.

"That's good. She's going to find her calling soon." He said genuinely. Applejack smiled back.

'He is a nice stallion, isn't he?' Applejack thought to herself. However...something...something was missing inside Applejack. This wasn't as fun and exciting as a coffee date with...her. Applejack preferred not to think about Rainbow Dash since their little confrontation two days before.

"Well, don't stop now." Applejack said. "Keep goin' with your story." Caramel seemed to be snapped out of a stupor.

"Oh yeah! Okay, so..." He stopped to think for a moment. "Where was I?"

"Still haven't changed since that Winter Wrap Up, huh?" Applejack said, referring to the time the stallion had forgotten his grass seeds at the Winter Wrap Up some time previously. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head again.

"Yeah...sorry..." He said. "I hope that doesn't change your opinion of me so far? First impressions have always meant a lot to me."

He was cute...Applejack had no trouble denying that.

"Nope." She said. "You were talkin' about your big score and how you first got your cutie mark." He nodded.

"Okay. Yeah. So, I had just gotten my cutie mark, horseshoes...for luck, y'know? Anyways, I had won...get ready for this...ninety thousand eleven bits!" He said.

"Wow..." Applejack said. "Strange number..." Caramel nodded.

"I know, right?" He said. "Anyways, I had been so confident that I was going to win, I had already bought my house here in Ponyville. I knew I was going to have the money to back it up."

"That's a pretty risky move." Applejack commented.

"You say risky, I say confident." He said. Applejack nodded.

'Self confidence is nice...' She thought.

"So, I'm packing all my stuff, and the stallion who I promised to split the money with shows up." He said. "And, of course, I forgot to give him his share. I actually forgot about him entirely. I had a little left over besides, so I gave that to him and tried to explain the situation, but he wasn't having it. He was actually extremely angry. So he promised that I'd be sorry and he'd be back."

"That doesn't sound good." Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, he was a rough-looking guy." Caramel explained. "But, he was so nice when he came to me with his proposition that he'd take half the winnings, invest it, and give me double what I had two months later. I decided to trust him. With the kind of hindsight a guy can get after eight years, it's pretty easy to see that I shouldn't have trusted him."

'Sweet and trusting...that's good.' The mare thought to herself.

"So, I'm hurrying to get all of my stuff packed up. I'm just about to leave for the train when he and two of his nasty-looking buds find me outside my apartment. Well, you know the whole schtick. They threatened to beat me within an inch of my life, yadda yadda yadda. What they didn't know, is I ran track in school, and I still had it." Applejack chuckled and nodded.

"So I was able to outrun them pretty easily, I had to leave my things, however, and they probably burned all of it, but hey, I got away. So I came to Ponyville and pretty much started my life here. Been here ever since." He said.

"Well, now..." Applejack said before taking a sip of her coffee. "That's quite the tale..." Caramel nodded.

"Yeah...I'm actually amazed that I got out of that alive."

"Ah can't help think that some parts of that may be a little fabricated..." She said.

"Wha...I am hurt!...Too hurt...and shocked...andoffended!" He said jovially, extravagantly slapping a hoof on his chest, similar to the way Rarity would when she found something offensive. Applejack laughed.

"That's funny, now." She said.

"Well, living next to Rarity for eight years will to that to ya." He said.

"Ah still think that story's fake." She said. Caramel looked at her.

"Well, maybe a couple parts, but the core tale is true...maybe that guy threatened my life, maybe he didn't." He said, sending the mare a small wink. Applejack couldn't help but chuckle.

'Very cute...' She thought, storing a mental list of pros and cons. Caramel exclaimed in pain. Applejack was snapped from her thoughts, looking over at Caramel.

"You alright?" She said.

"Yeah, I just spilled hot coffee on my chest..." He said. "Goddesses...now I don't look cool anymore." Applejack giggled.

"You're stilll plenty cool, dontcha worry about that." Applejack said. She looked again at his cutie mark. "Sooo..." She said. "You're lucky, huh?" He looked at his cutie mark and then at Applejack.

"I found you, right?" He said suavely, raising an eyebrow. This comment would have made Applejack blush if she had not seeked him out.

"Ah actually came to you, remember?" She said, half laughing. Caramel's eyes widened before he dropped his face into his two front hooves. Applejack laughed heartily, nearly losing her stetson. Caramel blushed heavily.

"Oh, I can't get a break..." He said to himself, genuinely sadly this time. "I bet I look like a regular fool to you, right now, huh?" Applejack barely managed to get her laughter under control before she put a hoof on his.

"Oh, no, Caramel...Ah don't, seriously. You're actually really bright." She said. "Maybe just a bit forgetful." Caramel smiled at her.

"Thanks, Applejack." He said to her. "I appreciate that."

"No problem." Applejack said. "Ah'm just gonna tell ya, though, it was Rarity who told me that ya liked me." Caramel frowned.

"Seriously?" He said. "I told her to keep that a secret!" Applejack chuckled.

"Ah didn't know ya talked to Rarity that much." She said.

"Well, I am her next door neighbor." He said. "Sometimes she begs me to model some clothes for her." Applejack struggled to supress a laugh. "Guy clothes,okay? She's not putting me in dresses or anything." Applejack stopped and nodded. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Applejack could definitely see herself with this stallion. He was nice, charming, funny and attractive. She was having fun, to be sure, but something the mare couldn't quite place...was missing. Her stomach sunk slightly every time she expected to open her eyes and see a slightly scruffy rainbow mane, or beautiful Rose irises.

I've actually liked you for a long time, Applejack..." Caramel barely managed to utter. Applejack was snapped out of her pensive thoughts. She smiled at him. The stallion was struggling to look confident, but was failing miserably. A huge blush was present on his face.

"Well, that's awful nice of ya to say, Caramel. If Ah'd have known that, Ah would've approached ya sooner." She said.

"You really mean that?" He said, a happy spark in his eyes. Applejack nodded slowly. He smiled at her. Mrs. Cake brought their check to the table, a lousy two bits for both cups of coffee. Applejack's was only halfway drank, anyway. She had never been one for coffee...neither had Rainbow.

"Don't worry!" Caramel said, acting like the check was some exorbitant amount. "It's on me." Applejack chuckled at the little gesture. They paid for their coffee.

"Hi, Applejack. Good to see you here with a nice stallion." Mrs. Cake said sweetly, putting slight emphasis on the word stallion. Applejack's smile turned into a straight face as she looked at Mrs. Cake, slightly confused. The farm mare noticed the way she looked, however, and immediately smiled again.

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Cake." She said before leaving with Caramel. They walked down the streets of Ponyville toward Sweet Apple Acres, where Caramel would most likely say his goodbye to Applejack before going home himself.

"Gah, I love this place." Caramel mused. "It's like paradise in Winter." Applejack scoffed silently to herself.

"It's actually not quite Winter yet. Still got about two weeks to go." She said.

"Oh...sorry." He said.

"Ya ain't got nothin' to apologize for." Applejack said.

"Sure is cold enough to be Winter..." He said. "I wish I'd have brought my scarf."

"Yep." Was all Applejack offered as a reply. They continued walking in silence. The silence felt slightly awkward to Applejack. She looked over at Caramel and he looked back. He blushed. She didn't. Not like she did when she looked at Rainbow. 'No.' She thought to herself. 'All that's over. You like Caramel, remember? Dash was...just a phase.' She walked and looked into the sky. 'You wouldn't doubt Granny, now would ya?' The pair eventually reached the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack turned and looked at Caramel, who smiled warmly.

"I had a lot of fun." He said. "You're a really nice girl, Applejack." He blushed as he stood before her. Applejack's heart skipped a beat. She liked Caramel...right? She knew she did. Especially over Rainbow Dash. If she were to kiss him at that moment, she would have felt the same spark in her stomach that she did with Rainbow.

Applejack shot her head forward and kissed Caramel straight on the lips. His eyes widened heavily as he stood, paralyzed. Applejack kept the kiss going, desperately looking for some kind of fire or excitement, or spark...There was no fire...excitement was completely absent and no spark was felt whatsoever in the mare. After about half a minute, she seperated from the kiss and looked at him. His face was beat red.

"Where'd..." He cleared his throat. "Where'd that come from, Applejack?" Applejack feigned shyness and lightly skidded a hoof on the ground.

"Well, Ah..." She said, innocently, looking away from him. "Ah j-just like y-ya...A lot." He smiled widely at her.

"Wow...I really like you too, Applejack. I'd sure like to see you again sometime." He said.

"How about Saturday?" Applejack said. "We can go for a walk and go to dinner or somethin'." Caramel nodded.

"O-okay...sounds great..." He said. "I guess I'll see you Saturday, then..."

"Alright...bye." Applejack said, turning around and moving toward her home. Caramel turned and walked the other way, still a little too stunned to say anything else. Applejack frowned to herself on her way back to the farmhouse. She could taste the awkwardness in the air....still, she did like Caramel. He was sweet and attractive, if a little forgettable. She sighed as she entered her home to see her family.

In a tree in the apple orchard of Sweet Apple Acres, hidden by foliage and branches, Rainbow Dash's heart was breaking.

_____

Rainbow Dash frowned as she flew in a relatively straight path toward Sweet Apple Acres. She sighed to herself as she flew straight through a cloud. The cloud provided her with much resistance, but she broke through it anyway, the frown ever present among her facial features. She followed Applejack on her date the previous day, (After several self-affirmations that she wasnot a stalker.) and was not happy with what she saw. If Applejack really had been lying to her, she was going beyond the extra mile to hide it. The pegasus sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"What to get..." Rainbow said quietly to herself, surveying the town of Ponyville below her. She had a small habit of talking to herself when she was alone. She adjusted her saddle bag to make sure that it wouldn't fall off in mid-flight.

"Flowers?...Nah, to sappy..." She said. "Applejack wouldn't really appreciate that...How about..." She eyed Sugarcube Corner's towering sweet looking frame. "Chocolate! She'll totally dig chocolate." Rainbow flew down and landed in front of Sugarcube Corner and ambled in happily.

'I wonder if Pinkie's-'

"Dashie!!!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed exorbitantly, interrupting Dash's thought process with a crushing hug. Rainbow coughed lightly.

"Urgh! Uh...Hey Pinkie..." The pegasus said. Pinkie Pie let Rainbow out of the hug and stood back, a huge smile present on her face.

"It's soooo good to see you!" Pinkie said.

"Yeah, nice to see you too, Pinkie." Rainbow said, rubbing her back slightly. "But next time...go a little easier on the hug, kay? You hug me that hard every time I see you and I'm not sure if my back can take much more..." Pinkie's ears splayed back as she frowned.

"Oh! I'm...so sorry, Rainbow Dash..." Pinkie said, beginning to tear up. Rainbow noticed this immediately and quickly gave Pinkie a light hug before stepping back.

"Don't cry, Pinkie! I appreciate the gesture, I really do, but you just squeeze so hard. Look, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I just overreacted a bit is all." Rainbow said. Pinkie immediately smiled and nodded. Rainbow was completely unsuprised at how quickly Pinkie Pie was able to stop tearing up.

"So, what do you need, Dashie?" She asked happily.

"Oh, I just came to get some chocolate." Rainbow said.

"Chocolate?...You don't usually come in here alone, much less for just some chocolate..." Pinkie said. "You've got a special somepony, don't you?" Pinkie raised an eyebrow and elbowed Rainbow in the chest a few times. Rainbow sighed.

"Yeah, I do, okay? So, can I just get some chocolate?" Rainbow asked her.

"Come to the viewing case, Dashie! I've got just the thing!" Pinkie exclaimed happily. Rainbow followed Pinkie to the viewing glass that was full of different assorted chocolates, along with many other types of sweets and generally unhealthy things. Rainbow looked to the side to see Mr. Cake behind the counter, counting up the day's earnings. He smiled and approached them. The closer the yellow stallion came, the higher the disgust level in Rainbow Dash's gut rose.

"Okay, Dashie! Here it i-"

"Hey there, Rainbow Dash." Mr. Cake interrupted Pinkie, not seeming to notice that she was in the middle of showing Rainbow some chocolate.

"Oh, uh, Mr. Cake, I was-" Pinkie began.

"Hey, Mr. Cake." Rainbow said, not quite smiling.

"Oh, okay, fine...I can wait..." Pinkie said, sulking slightly.

"I just wanted to tell you that if I seemed too crass the last time we spoke, I apologize. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I didn't quite respect yours." He said, frowning. Rainbow nodded subtly.

"Alright Mr. Cake. It's cool. I shouldn't have yelled like I did." She responded.

"Okay..." He said with another smile. Rainbow Dash still couldn't quite smile back at him. The general feeling of loathing inside her forbade her from it. She knew he didn't mean a word of what he said, and that his wife was probably making him do it. He seemed like he was whipped, anyway. "Well, I'll be seein' ya." The gangly stallion walked back to his cash register. Pinkie exhaled heavily.

"Alrighty! Here's the one I was talking about." Pinkie said. She held up a massive chocolate heart. "It's filled with strawberry filling. Delish-a-swish!" Rainbow chuckled lightly at Pinkie's eccentric expression, but she shook her head.

"I don't think so, Pinkie Pie." Rainbow said. Pinkie Pie frowned and looked down into the case.

"Oh...that's too bad..." The pink party pony stated.

"What's too bad?" Rainbow asked, looking down into the case for a moment.

"Oh, hey, Applejack!" Pinkie exclaimed, looking past Rainbow Dash and smiling. Rainbow's heart stopped as she spun around quickly, wide-eyed, ears splayed back. Applejack was nowhere to be seen. Rainbow's brow furrowed in slight frustration.

"Alright, Pinkie Pie..." She said, turning around. "What's the big ide-" She raised an eyebrow in confusion at what she saw. Pinkie Pie was draped over the case, bits of chocolate around her mouth with a sickly look on her face. The chocolate heart held in one hoof.

"It looks like..." She gagged slightly, covering her mouth with her free hoof. "This is the only chocolate we have left...for...today..." She said with a weak smile. Rainbow frowned at her.

"Pinkie, I know you just ate all of the other chocolates..." Rainbow said. Pinkie gasped before covering her mouth again, a green hue appearing on her face for a moment.

"Whaaat?...I...I uh,....don't know what you're talking..." She gagged again. "about." Rainbow sighed heavily. She placed four bits on the counter.

"Alright, alright, just gimme the heart. Geez, Pinkie..." The pegasus said. Pinkie smiled through her apparent nausea.

"Okay....it's just three bits though..." Pinkie said, putting the bits in the register. "Oooohhhh....my tummy hurts..." Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"Well, of course it does! You just ate about ten times as much chocolate as a normal pony should eat-" Dash stopped in her speech. Pinkie Pie wasn't a normal pony, to be sure, but even that amount of chocolate was apparently too much for her. Rainbow placed a small bag full of bits on the counter. "Here. Just tell the cakes that I bought it all." Rainbow turned to leave.

"No, Dash-" Pinkie barely got out before another gag.

"Take care of yourself, Pinkie Pie." Rainbow said before leaving. Right before she took off, however, she was swept up into a small, sweet, noticeably lighter hug from Pinkie.

"I hope that lets him know how you feel..." Pinkie said, smiling in spite of her sick stomach. Rainbow hugged her back.

"Thanks, Pinkie. Now, go get some rest." Rainbow said. Pinkie Pie let go of her and nodded.

"Yeah...my-" She stopped as she gagged again. This time, she covered her mouth as her eyes grew wide. Rainbow Dash knew what that meant. Pinkie began looking frantically around, her puffy mane swishing about wildly. Rainbow quickly turned Pinkie around to face Sugarcube Corner.

"Go! NOW!" Rainbow exclaimed as Pinkie ran, top speed, inside. Rainbow Dash laughed quietly to herself before storing the chocolate heart, which was now packaged inside a neat box, inside her saddle bag. She began to fly toward Sweet Apple Acres when she stopped, suddenly worried about something. Pinkie Pie had fooled her to look away by saying that Applejack had walked into Sugarcube Corner. Out of all their friends, why would she pick Applejack? Did she know about them?

"Stop being paranoid, Rainbow Dash..." She said to herself before beginning to fly again. She zipped through the skies in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, looking for the orange farm mare she had come to love. She finally saw Applejack, picking up fallen branches around the orchard, a cart full of them behind her. Rainbow smiled before flying down and hiding in one of the trees. 'Now, to break the ice with some humor.' She thought. 'She always thought I was really funny.'

Applejack picked up yet another stick from the ground, tossing it into the cart. The task had become much more frequent, due to the Winter Season approaching. She sat underneath a tree for a moment and rested, looking around at all of the trees. Apple trees didn't lose their leaves until mid-winter, so the sight was still something to behold. Her heart nearly broke from her chest when a pair of hooves grabbed her from above and a scream echoed from the branches. With a scream, Applejack dashed forward, away from the tree and looked up to see Rainbow Dash, howling with laugher. Applejack's stomach jumped at the sight of the cyan pegasus.

"R-Rainbow Dash?! What'reyou doin' here?!" Applejack exclaimed. Rainbow fell from the branch and fell to the ground. The laughing stopped immediately.

"Ow..." Rainbow mutely mumbled.

"Serves ya right for lurkin' around in my apple trees." Applejack said, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, chill, Applejack." Rainbow said, standing up from her fall from the tree. She took off her saddle bag and put it down on the ground. "I just wanted to come and say 'Hey'." Applejack looked moderately suprised at this.

"Really?" She said.

"Yep." Rainbow said, smiling. "...Hey." Applejack couldn't help but laugh. Rainbow laughed with her, not closing her eyes like Applejack did, instead looking at the other mare fondly.

"Well, that's nice." Applejack said. "It's good to see that you've let go." Rainbow felt a slight tinge of dread course throughout her body.

"Yeah..." She responded. "Let go..."

"Ah'm glad that we can still be friends after alla this." Applejack said. Rainbow nodded slowly.

"So..." She said. "You've...got a new coltfriend, huh?" Applejack's smile disappeared from her face for a moment.

"How did ya know that?" Applejack asked.

"I saw you two in town." Rainbow said. "Just because you broke up with me doesn't mean I'm not gonna come to Ponyville anymore." Applejack nodded.

"Okay..." She said. "So...Ah'm gonna get back to work...feel free to stay if ya want." Rainbow nodded.

"I think I will...for a little while. Y'know, to make sure you don't hurt yourself without me." Applejack scoffed.

"Thanks, Ah really appreciate that." She said. Rainbow's heart sank as Applejack turned away from her. The farm mare didn't even show an inkling of affection toward her beyond friendship. Rainbow inhaled sharply. It was now or never.

"You appreciate me, right?" Rainbow asked. Applejack stopped working and put the stick she had picked up down. Her brows furrowed as she turned around. .

"Now Rainbow-"

"That's what you said..." Rainbow said. "Our first nighttogether...That's what you said right before you kissed me."

"How'd Ah know you'd make some foolhardy attempt to get me back?" Applejack said. The question stung her inside as it came from her mouth.

"I'm not trying to get you back, AJ." Rainbow said. Applejack's stomach jumped lightly after she heard Rainbow's affectionate pet name for her. "I just want to know...what went wrong." Applejack turned to her.

"Alright, Rainbow. Here it is." Applejack said. "It wasn't anything you did. In fact, it really was all me. Ah just realized that you...us, was just just a phase for me. Ah realized that Ah got a little bit of excitement from being with you, but Ah didn't really want to be with you, y'know?" Rainbow sat and shook her head slightly.

"I don't really..." She said. "The way you looked at me the day before you broke it off was unmistakable. Then, the next day, you just...changed. I just see no reason for that to have happened..."

"Some things just...are. They don't have to have a reason, Dash." Applejack said, looking down to the side.

"That's not true..." The pegasus responded. "Everything happens for a reason. Just tell me what that reason is, and we can make it right..." Applejack looked up to see Rainbow Dash approaching her. She looked away from the pegasus. The urge to turn away crossed her mind.

"Together..." Rainbow Dash nearly whispered. She nuzzled Applejack's cheek tenderly. Applejack's steel resolve faltered as she looked into Rainbow's eyes. She really did miss those roses. Rainbow moved forward and lightly kissed Applejack, just barely touching her lips. Pulling away for a moment, Rainbow moved back in, completing the kiss more firmly. Applejack's eyes slowly closed as she began to kiss Rainbow back, moving her lips against the pegasus'. An immense feeling of satisfaction grew within Rainbow Dash as she pushed the kiss a little farther, brushing her tongue lightly against Applejack's bottom lip. The kiss intensified as Rainbow slid her tongue into Applejack's mouth. Applejack continued the kiss, barely suppressing a moan.

A spark ignited in Applejack. Many different feelings came rushing back to her all at once. She had definitely missed this. Rainbow pushed Applejack against a tree and put both front hooves on Applejack's shoulders. Applejack continued to kiss her back, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow Dash's waist. Rainbow's mind was buzzing with happiness and joy, barely able to contain all of her emotions and thoughts. Rainbow began to slowly slide her hooves down Applejack's chest. Applejack couldn't take it anymore and let out a small moan. The rainbow-maned pegasus began to slide her hooves under Applejack's rear. This was interrupted as Applejack pushed her off, making her stumble slightly. Rainbow blinked before looking at Applejack. The farm mare had a steel-hard look on her face.

"Wha-"

"Leave, Rainbow." Applejack said.

"Wait, Applejack, we just-"

"We just nothin'. Get outta here." Applejack reaffirmed. "And don't come back until Ah say you can. Y'hear me?" Rainbow's ears splayed back as a look of hurt crossed her face. Applejack had the look in her eyes. The look that broadcast that she was dead set on something, and wasn't going to be budged from it. Rainbow saw no other option, unless she wanted to get into another fight.

"Okay..." Rainbow said softly, reaching into her saddlebag. "I got you something..."

"Ah don't want it." Applejack quickly said, suprised by her own bluntness.

"Well, too bad, because I'm leaving it here." Rainbow said, putting the box on the ground. She began to walk away from Applejack, putting her saddlebag back on. A chilling fall wind blew on both of them, making Applejack feel suddenly cold.

"Ah'm just gonna throw it away..." Applejack said, barely keeping tears from flooding her eyes.

"Fine. Whatever." Rainbow said. "I don't even care anymore..." Applejack frowned and watched Rainbow take off into the sky. Applejack sat down, looking toward the ground wistfully. What had just happened had proved it...she really did feel something for Rainbow Dash still...

'No!' She thought to herself. 'It's just a phase, and you'll get over it eventually. You care about Dash, but as a friend. Just a friend. Nothing else.' She looked over at the box for a moment, considering opening it. She shook her head and turned for the cart, preparing to take it to a different part of the orchard.

"Ah, what the hay..." She said, moving toward the box. She opened it and her heart melted at the sight of the heart-shaped treat. Tears of regret fell from Applejack as she softly laid the small box in the cart for safe keeping.

Oh I'm sure its more than just safe keeping....