"So, my dear Princess, what tomfoolery do we have to entertain us now?" Discord asked.
He chortled grimly.
"Something as delicious as seeing Rainbow drive herself nuts over nothing, I hope?"
Sipping her tea in a refined manner, Celestia shook her head.
"No, Discord. We have something far calmer than that."
Glancing down to the vortex, the Princess grew a small smile.
"It appears as though two of the girls are having a nice hike through the local forest."
Discord folded his arms, sulking slightly.
"Hmph! I hope they're a fun pair at least!"
Celestia looked to him.
"I believe it is Applejack and Rarity."
In response, Discord slapped his forehead.
"Argh! Wonderful! A day of hearing about apples and fashion! Oh joy!"
Celestia arched an eyebrow at Discord's sarcastic words.
"Having spent as much time with them as you have, I'd have hoped you'd realise by now that there was far more to them than that."
A snort from the draconequus.
"All I can say is that if I hear one word about farming or dresses from them, I'm snapping my fingers and knocking myself out."
His white companion shook her head, glancing again to the vortex.
"Well then, let's see what they get up to."
Taking in a deep lungful of cold air, Applejack sighed heartily.
"Ah! Get a load o' that, Rarity! A girl can breathe out here!"
The forest was, in these early morning hours, as cold and as misty as one would expect, with the sun just barely starting to rise over the horizon. It was a quiet and peaceful place, with only the sounds of birds chirping in the trees to hear. In short, it was exactly the kind of place that brought a smile to the face of a girl like Applejack. Though standing proud atop a large rock, her hands upon her hips, Applejack soon found that her earlier remark had gone unanswered, and so, as her smile faded, she looked over her shoulder.
"...Rarity?"
As she'd suspected, her friend was not within sight, but this was soon to change, as Rarity herself soon emerged from behind a nearby tree, having apparently only just caught up with her more active travelling companion. Though the girl was clad in a thick and stunning-looking coat, it apparently wasn't thick enough to keep her warm, as shown by the way Rarity was holding onto herself.
"Applejack, darling? Remind me again why I agreed to come out here at this ungodly hour?"
Applejack smirked in a knowing way.
"Because this is fun, Rarity! Two friends, out in the wild, nothin' but us an' the cold!"
A swift shiver ran through Rarity, and even her teeth were chattering at this point.
"Yes...well...one can certainly agree with the cold part of that statement!"
Applejack rolled her eyes.
"Honestly, girl, ya need to come out ta places like this more often! It does ya good!"
Rarity frowned right back to her.
"I prefer the comforts and warmth of my studio, thank you very much!"
Jumping down off her rock, Applejack walked over to her friend, patting her on the shoulder.
"Tell ya what. Ah promise ya that, if we make it jus' one more mile, we can go back an' ya can take us ta that frilly café place ya like so much! Ya know, the one that always serves those really tiny cakes?"
Hearing that, Rarity's face lit up.
"Oh! You mean that?"
Raising one hand, Applejack used her other hand to make a "cross" gesture over her chest.
"Cross mah heart!"
Smiling widely now, Rarity nodded.
"In that case...let us continue!"
But as eager as she was to get this little trek though the wood over and done with, Rarity was, sadly, still not able to really keep up with her more active friend as the latter continued onwards. Let it never be said though that Rarity wasn't willing to give it a go, and as she tried her best to keep up a better pace, she was at least able to keep Applejack in view as they continued through the forest. After turning one particularly large tree, Rarity soon noticed that Applejack had actually stopped, but that sense of relief was short-lived, as it turned out that the reason for this was that they had come to the edge of a river ford. Rarity, standing next to her friend, watched the cold water flow freely by them both, before looking to Applejack.
"Well...I guess that's the end, yes?"
But Applejack, turning to her, merely smirked, and began to stomp through the ford, send splash after splash in her wake with every step. Rarity, as befitting of her, groaned, seeing Applejack stop right in the middle of the ford as she looked back to her.
"Come on now, Rarity. Just this little ole ford an' we're done!"
Rarity wasn't thrilled at the prospect of wading through ice-cold water, especially given that her high heels weren't really meant for it. Applejack had no problem of course, having come with boots for the day, and she watched as her fashion-loving colleague knelt down to unbuckle her shoes.
"I paid good money for these, and I am not getting them wet!"
Applejack rolled her eyes, then looked again to Rarity as she carefully dipped a toe in the water. Of course, it was cold, sending a shiver right through her. But Rarity, seeing the end in front of her, didn't let this stop her, and so took a full step into the ford. Her pupils, shrinking down to pinpoints, showed just how much that iciness was getting to her, and her slow steps weren't really helping. After a time, Applejack sighed, walking right over to her.
"Applejack?" Rarity began.
Without a word, Applejack knelt down, taking one arm and wrapping it around Rarity's waist. Then, to the latter's utter shock, Applejack stood up, hoisting her off the ground and starting to carry her over her shoulder.
"Applejack?!"
But Applejack was unbothered, as shown by her look of amusement.
"Quit yer hollerin' Rarity. It's either this, or goin' through the water."
Rarity's cheeks puffed up as she continued to feel undignified over this, and she even started to pout and whine in that particular pouty and whiny voice of hers.
"Unhand me you brute!"
Applejack simply chuckled, allowing her friend to just carry on talking.
"One does not treat a lady in this fashion! Release me this instant!"
Then, after a few more steps, Applejack began to notice something. A slight but clear change in the tone Rarity was speaking in.
"Oh, whatever am I to do? This crude girl is simply whisking me away!"
To that, Applejack stopped, right in the middle of the ford, her face a confused one. Then, she glanced over her shoulder.
"Um...Rarity? Are y'all...enjoyin' this?"
There was silence for a long time, and then, Rarity could be seen folding her arms, letting out a quick "hmph" sound.
"I will neither conform nor deny such an uncouth accusation!"
Slowly, Applejack's lips turned into a knowing smirk, and Rarity soon found herself surprised yet again. For with a quick flurry of action, Applejack completely changed the position she was holding her friend in, and now, it was more akin to that of a bride being carried by a groom on their wedding day.
"So...is this more comfortable?"
Rarity was clearly taken aback, and her cheeks betrayed her by showing a very clear blush. But, continuing to pout, she again folded her arms and looked away, unwilling to look her friend in the eye. She knew exactly what Applejack was doing right now, but she wouldn't give her the satisfaction of winning by admitting enjoyment.
"Well...it's a far better position than the last one."
Applejack shook her head, then continued onwards. Before long, the two made their way to the furthest edge of the ford, wherein Applejack gently set her friend down, giving her a few moments to get her high heels back on. Rarity, having finally put herself back into some sort of presentable image, brushed her skirt down a little, then looked up to see Applejack was wearing a rightfully-smug look about her. Frowning, Rarity let out another huff, then stepped forward and poked her finger into Applejacks' chest.
"I hope you know, I wouldn't let just anybody carry me like that?"
Taking hold of the rim of her hat, Applejack tipped it to her.
"Ah know, Ma'am. Still...ah hope ya liked it."
Though still indigent, Rarity soon noticed something. A small smudge on Applejack's cheek. When she got it, Rarity didn't know, but someone like her couldn't let such a blemish go without action. Raising her hand to her mouth, she licked her thumb, then reached forward and wiped the smudge off her companion's face. Applejack, upon having had this done to her, soon took on a blush of her own, much to Rarity's delight.
"I believe that makes us even, yes?"
Shaking herself out of her feeling of shock, Applejack laughed heartily.
"Eyup...ah reckon it does."
Celestia, having seen every single moment between the two during their time through the woods, clasped her hooves together, looking utterly enamoured with what had happened.
"Oh, I could watch something like that all day!"
Turning, she soon noticed that Discord, in stark contrast to how she had felt about the whole matter, was less enthused, poking a finger into his open mouth and mimicking the motions of gagging from disgust. Frowning, Celestia shook her head.
"Honestly, Discord, you need to learn to have more of a romantic soul to you."
Discord waved her off.
"If I'd have known that this was what we were going to see, I'd have chosen the Dimension of Ceaseless Explosions for us to watch."
He chortled.
"That place really knows how to do things...with a bang!"
He paused, waiting for his tea partner to laugh at his joke. When she did not, he grunted, gulping another cup of his own tea.
"Whatever. That one was funny and you know it!"
Under her breath, Celestia bore a tiny smile.
"Keep telling yourself that, my friend."