An unimaginably long amount of time passed before the afterlife appeared before Applejack’s eyes. It seemed to be an afterlife filled entirely with Pinkie’s face.
“Hey, she’s finally awake!” she exclaimed.
“Thank goodness,” Fluttershy said from somewhere.
Applejack sat up in what was probably Rarity’s bed. All of her friends were gathered around and Spike was snoring on top of a nearby dresser with lampshade over his head.
“What time is it?” Applejack asked, staring directly at a clock on the wall, but finding it completely impossible to understand.
“It’s a quarter after seven, dear.”
“Ah thought Ah died or somethin’.”
“No, you just passed out. I managed to loosen the collar so you could keep breathing,” Rainbow Dash bragged.
Applejack shook her head in disbelief. “So ya didn’t even have ta destroy that expensive lingerie.”
“No, we managed to do that too,” Twi said.
“Pinkie untangled all the knots and make it look as good as new, but the outfit was trampled upon when some angry neighbors came in to reclaim their air conditioners,” Rarity explained, holding up the lingerie for Applejack to see.
“It looks fine ta me.”
Rarity set it down on the night stand. “Yes, but a couple of the bows are slightly dirty and they can’t be cleaned. I will never be able to sell it now.”
Applejack climbed out of bed and gave Rarity a heartfelt hug. “Ah’m so sorry, Rarity. This must be a pretty hard setback for ya.”
“I’m just glad you’re alright,” Rarity said, hugging Applejack close to her.
The rest of their friends joined the hug and Applejack felt relieved to be alive.
The sun had finished setting over Sweet Apple Acres and the only light Applejack and Rarity had to work with was the blue aura around Rarity’s floating shovel.
“Ya really don’t have ta help me with this. You’ve already been through an awful lot today,” Applejack said as they dug around the tree’s roots.
“Oh, it’s really no problem at all. It’s the very least I could do after everything I put you through . . . I’m just wondering though, why do we need to transplant this tree? It seems like an awful lot of pointless work.”
“Giuliani here is the last tree of his variety since root rot killed the other two, so I’m moving him to make certain he doesn’t get infected too.”
“Well, root rot sounds a bit gross, but I suppose this work is a bit more practical than some of the work I do,” Rarity mused as she guided her glowing shovel to scrape away some dirt around the end of a particularly long and gnarly root.
“Ya know, Rarity, that silly lingerie of yours might have been a bit impractical, but somepony still wanted it, so who am Ah ta judge?”
“It’s a shame it got dirty,” Rarity sighed.
Applejack stopped digging and leaned on her shovel to watch Rarity sweating with the effort of her spell. “After we finish replantin’ Giuliani, what do ya say we go and make sure that outfit of yours gets some use after all? Ah don’t mind if it’s a little dirty.”
Rarity stopped shoveling and stared back at Applejack with delight. “You really want to wear the lingerie again? Oh, it will be so wonderful, Applejack. I didn’t say anything, since I was trying to be professional, but you looked absolutely beautiful in that outfit.”
“Uh, well, Ah was actually thinkin’ you’d be the one wearing it.”
“Oh, I suppose that could work too, but are you sure it wouldn’t be too baggy on me?”
“Ah doubt that number would look baggy on anypony . . . and, even if it was, Ah’d still like ta see ya in it. Ta be perfectly honest, Ah’ve been imagining you dressed up in all them bows and ribbons ever since ya came out here ta help me.”
A flush spread across Rarity’s cheeks, but she kept eye contact with Applejack in the soft light of her spell. “I’ve had my mind in the gutter for most of the day myself,” she admitted, “and especially when I was trying to get you untangled. I knew you were aroused then.”
Applejack felt herself blushing as well. “Honestly, Ah’ve been pretty worked up all day.”
Rarity set the shovel aside. Its light-blue aura faded, but the light around her horn remained radiant as she approached. As their faces came close, Applejack could smell Rarity’s minty breath waft over her muzzle. She closed her eyes and leaned forward. At first, it was just a sweet kiss on the lips, but Rarity pushed her upright against the tree and Applejack slid her tongue between Rarity’s lips to curl around Rarity’s. They slowly explored each other’s mouths while Rarity hugged Applejack against the tree, caressing her flank with one of her hooves.
When their lips parted and Applejack brushed away a glistening strand of saliva that hung between their muzzles, she smiled at Rarity and said, “Alright now, but we’re going back for that lingerie before we take this any farther.”
Rarity glanced back at the abandoned shovels. “Do you want to finish transplanting the tree?”
Applejack chuckled. “Sure, it’ll probably take us another hour or so, but it’s just gonna make it all the sweeter when the time comes.”
As they dug away at the roots together, occasionally sharing an excited glance with one another, Applejack reflected on everything that had happened. All and all, this is turnin’ out ta be a pretty good day.