//------------------------------// // Applejack and Rainbow Dash // Story: On Valentine's Day // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// I fidgeted as Rarity flitted about me, making minor adjustments to my clothes. “Rarity,” I said. “Ah don’t see how you figure ya need to gussy me up mor’n Ah already was.” I shifted again, the shoes on my feet a little higher than the heels I usually wore. That is the only downside to having the same size foot as the designer. “Ah already agreed t’wear this here dress tonight.” “Applejack, darling,” Rarity drawled around the pins she held in the corner of her mouth. “This is not just another simple dinner date. This is Valentine’s Day! I know the two of you missed it last year due to her plane getting grounded in Cloudsdale, so this will technically be your first Valentine’s date as a couple.” She pinned another section and waved her hand towards the changing room. “Now nip along and change so I can take it in a bit around the waist. I have to say, I do envy you and Dashie your muscle tone.” I glanced in the mirror as I undid the zip and slid out of the dress, kicking the heels off as I did. Helping Dash train in the off season and my regular work on the farm had kept me fit as a fiddle. But as I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw the faint lines of my abs peaking out and smiled slightly. Maybe a little fussing is worth it once in a while, I thought as I buttoned up my flannel shirt again, hiding what Dash liked referring to as my ‘Buff Bucking Bod’, a little heat spreading across my face and neck. I grabbed my jeans, shimmying into them before tucking my feet into the comfortable enclosure of my boots. I stepped outside the booth, tucking my shirt in and nabbing my hat off the hook I hung it on. Rarity glanced up, a slight frown ticking onto her face before she returned to the dress, her glasses sliding down her face slightly. “I must ask, Applejack,” she said. “What do you find in those pedestrian clothes?” She flicked a knot in one of her stitches. “Why not something more feminine?” “Because most of th’ stuff you wear would wear out faster’n grass through a goose,” I replied, adjusting my hat. “Ya need t’remember, Ah work a farm, and that’s rough on what y’usually work with. Denim, heavy cotton shirts, ’n boots get the job done.” She nodded. “I suppose that makes sense,” she ceded. “But you could still dress up a bit when you aren’t working the orchards, darling.” “That just ain’t mah style, Rarity,” I said. “Ah like comfort and functionality over fashion trends.” I stuck my hands in my back pockets. “How did Ah get talked into wearin’ that dress anyways? Ah just wanted to have you mend one of my shirts.” “I asked, naturally,” the fashionista said as she picked up the shirt in question. “Of course, saying that Rainbow had come by yesterday for a fitting didn’t hurt.” She smiled as she laid my shirt out and started looking over the tear along the seam. “Go ahead and enjoy the night, darling,” she said with a languid motion towards the dress. “I’ll have this done tomorrow afternoon.” “Got plans of your own, do ya?” I smiled. I had the satisfaction of seeing her smile and blush. Picking up the dress, I gave her a small hug. “Tell ‘Shy Ah said hello, would ya?” “Consarn it, Rainbow,” I said under my breath. “Tonight of all nights ya could be on time.” I glanced at the watch on my wrist, the face against the inside of my wrist. The timepiece was one of the few allowances I made towards jewelry besides the necklace that had been my ma’s. I reached up and felt the thin gold chain and felt the solid locket shift just below my collarbone. I fought the urge to pull it out and look at the pictures inside, pictures of Mom and Dad when they were just a little older than I am now. “She late again, Sis?” I turned and saw Apple Bloom pop open the fridge and pull out a bottle of water, still wearing her field hockey uniform, hair plastered to her head. “Seems t’be the usual,” I said, sitting down and crossing my legs. Thankfully, I had ‘forgotten’ to borrow the shoes Rarity had set aside for me. These may not be as fancy, but they matched the outfit and the block heel was much more reasonable. My sister drained the bottle and dumped it into the recycling bin. “Ya know she ain’t used to getting fixed up fancy. Ya only know how to do it cause ya spent a few months living in Manehattan with Aunt and Uncle Orange.” She smiled at me. “At least ya got a date for tonight. Ah’m going to spend the evening watching movies with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.” I smiled. “At least ya’ll get to dress down,” I said, adjusting the hem of my dress. “Ah’ve got to wear this ‘till Ah get home.” Apple Bloom smiled at me as she headed for the shower. “Ya look good, Sis,” she said as she nabbed a towel from the linen cupboard. “Ah promise not t’wait up for ya.” I laughed at the thought of my seventeen-year-old sister waiting up for me to get home. I heard the shower hiss to life about the same time I heard gravel crunching under tires in the driveway. I stood and grabbed the only dressy coat I had, a hip-length canvas peacoat and tucked my wallet and keys into its pockets. “Ya think Rarity would put pockets o’some sort into her dresses,” I said quietly as I stepped outside to see Rainbow’s car idling in the driveway. I walked over and slid into the passenger side, seeing the lean athlete leaning back in her seat, tugging at the hem of her dress. “How do we get roped into wearing Rarity’s stuff all the time?” she asked, sliding the gear shift into reverse and letting off the clutch, easing the sports car out of the driveway. “Ya got me, sugarcube,” I said, looking at her from out of the corner of my eye. Her hair was tamed and styled a little, and I think I caught hints of makeup. She had a pair of simple studs in her ears and the heavy strap of her watch on her right wrist. She pulled onto the highway and eased through the gears before reaching over and grabbing my hand in hers. I leaned back, and just enjoyed the ride. “So,” I drawled. “What took ya?” She colored a little. “I don’t wanna say,” she said. “Dash,” I said with a hint of warning. She had learned that if I used her last name she was toeing the line. She grinned sheepishly. “I was having trouble with my hair,” she admitted. “I really wanted tonight to be special and I had to look my most awesome for the raddest girl I’ve ever known.” I blushed a little. “Besides,” she continued. “We aren’t the type to usually dress up for anything. That’s more Rarity and Fluttershy’s thing.” I nodded in agreement. “They do seem more suited for th’ roles,” I said, rubbing my thumb against Rainbow’s. “But Ah think we can handle a few hours gussied up.” “I sure hope so,” she said, taking her hand back for a moment to downshift. “Cause I got us reservations at the new Italian place in Downtown. They’ve been booked solid for weeks.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Didn’t know ya had connections, Rainbow,” I joked. “Do we owe anyone a ‘favor’ in return?” She laughed. “No, nothing like that,” she said. “Turns out that Prism’s brother is the owner. We’ve got a special table set up just for us.” “Remind me to put him on the Christmas card list,” I said as we pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot. “Sure thing,” she said, slipping out of the car and hopping around to open the door for me. “We’re actually a little early.” “That’s a surprise,” I teased, turning up the collar of my jacket against a sudden breeze. She shivered. “Let’s just get inside, huh?” she said, hunching slightly in her windbreaker. “This isn’t exactly the warmest getup I’ve ever worn.” When we got inside and she unzipped her coat, I had to stare for a moment. The dress she had on clung to her body in a way that only enhanced her athletic frame, the hemline hitting just below the knees and it’s sleeveless style let her lean and toned arms show to the world. She caught me looking and smiled. “Like what you see?” she whispered as we were led back to a small booth near the kitchen. “Depends,” I said as I slipped my coat off, showing the dress Rarity had made for me, tugging slightly at the half-sleeves she had put on it, a small apple embroidered on each cuff. The neckline was a little lower than I would have liked, but seeing the look of amazement on Rainbow’s face made it worthwhile. “Ya like what you see?” “Always,” she said, a warm smile replacing her amazement. We sat under the stars in one of the fields on the farm, staring up as the meteor shower continued to flare. Despite being the taller of the two of us, I was cuddled into Rainbow’s side under the blanket she had stashed in the car. “So I gotta ask,” she said after a while. “Was all this worth it? The dressing up, I mean.” I looked up at her. “Well, let’s see,” I said. “Ah got an excellent dinner at a fancy restaurant with a very attractive lady, and then was shown a sky full o’shootin’ stars.” I made a show of thinking. “Ah think it was worth it.” I sat up and leaned in close to her, whispering what had become something of a catchphrase for us just before I kissed her. “Always.”