The path was steep and bumpy, but even if Applejack wasn't as spry as she had once been, she made light work of the climbs and dips, trotting sure-hoofedly over the familiar terrain as she toted her heavy saddlebags.
"You're sure you don't want me to take those?", asked Rainbow Dash, hovering alongside her. "Because I don't mind-"
"For the thousandth time, Dashie, ah'm fine. Keeps mah joints workin' like they should. Feels good, shakin' the rust off after too long in Canterlot."
"If you're so happy carrying heavy stuff, you could have carried me," said Rainbow, blowing a raspberry and earning a good-natured roll of Applejack's green eyes.
"There's heavy, and there's back-breakin'," snorted Applejack, and Rainbow cuffed her around the head, knocking her hat askance.
"Oh yeah? Don't seem to recall you complaining before," smirked Rainbow, as Applejack, unable to come up with a quick comeback, settled for shaking her head and straightening her hat.
"You got a dirty mind, Miss Rainbow Dash," said Applejack, grinning.
"Uh, yeah I do," giggled Rainbow, in her hoarse, raspy half-laugh, and Applejack felt her knees going a little wobbly.
"Y'all be sure to keep that up when we get back to the cottage," smirked Applejack, steadying herself as she shifted the weight of the bags to hide her half-stumble. "But maybe stow it awhile first, until we're done sayin' our hellos to Big Mac and Sugar Belle and the foals?"
"Yes ma'am," said Rainbow, mock-saluting her marefriend. "You can count on me."
"To be civil around mah brother and his family? Or to be crude when we get on back up to our own place?"
"Both, duh!", snorted Rainbow, and Applejack rolled her eyes again.
The two ponies fell silent for a moment, Applejack continuing to walk along at a brisk pace, Rainbow slowly flying alongside, both occasionally half-secretly checking the other out admiringly, before pretending to look away whenever their eyes met. They'd been together for so long now, there were so many times like this when words were unnecessary, when they each could practically read the other's thoughts, when talking would only have been for talking's sake, as they simply enjoyed being close in each other's company.
This is what it's all about. This is what it was all for. This is why we fought.
"Ah gotta say," said AJ, finally breaking the silence as they rounded another bend and passed another stone marker, "ah didn't realize how much ah needed this. Sure, ah got used to the idea we'll never be finished gettin' called up for savin' Equestria one way or 'nother, but it sometimes gets to feelin' like the whole dang country might up an' collapse if we ain't around to go check things out an' tell ponies what to do."
"Yeah," said Rainbow Dash, thoughtfully. "I know what you mean. I always wanted to be a Wonderbolt, but I didn't know I'd still be fighting bad guys and fixing friendship problems by the time I got to... well, now," she said, gesturing at the lines on her face, at her close-cropped, thinning mane.
She turned to Applejack, smiling as she looked right into her marefriend's eyes. "Although... I did kinda hope that whatever I was doing... I hoped we'd still be doing it together."
Another quiet moment passed, as Applejack debated whether this was a good time for a kiss.
It was always a good time for a kiss.
"Ah mean, don't get me wrong," said Applejack, fixing her mane and hefting the bags up onto her back again, as Rainbow straightened her feathers with a goofy smile. "Bein' told Equestria needs you... it ain't so bad t'hear it, an' even if we don't have to do a lot o' the actual fightin' an' fixin' so much these days, bein' sent on missions can be mighty tirin' in a lot of ways when ah just want to curl up by the fire and cuddle with mah darlin... but ah reckon you'd be like to get bored sooner or later if that was all we did. Ah, don't even deny it," she smirked, as Rainbow Dash drew herself up to retort, "it don't bother me none at all. Point of fact, it's one of the things ah like best about you. You ain't some songbird who's happy to sit in a cage and sing and preen your beautiful feathers" - this earned a blush from Rainbow, which Applejack pretended not to notice - "and ah reckon it'd be cruel to make you feel like you had to sit still. Ah don't think I could bear it. Ah know you couldn't."
"Yeah," said Rainbow, nodding. "But like I always say... it's okay for Scootaloo to put "Go Big or Go Home!" on the posters next to my face, sure, but you know I like to have my cake and eat it... And I want both! I just... sorry, you've heard this a thousand times, huh?"
"Ah surely have," grinned Applejack, "but ah never do seem to tire of it, so why don'tcha tell it to me again and we can call it number one thousand and one?"
"It's an awesome motto," said Rainbow, reciting from memory as Applejack nodded along to the familiar refrain, "but I always think, go big or go home? Why not go big, and then go home? Because I love to be awesome -"
"Really? Ah never knew that," smirked Applejack, on cue.
"- but I also love to come home," finished Rainbow, ignoring the expected interruption. "With you. To the house we built. The home we built."
"That's mah girl," said Applejack, nuzzling her face against Rainbow's mid-air shoulder.
The moment was rudely interrupted by a strange, unnatural noise, a whistling, whooshing, scraping sound that seemed to come from all directions at once, growing louder and louder, and Rainbow and Applejack shared a look; they both knew instantly what it was.
Applejack had learned from experience what that noise meant, watching her marefriend do her day job. Rainbow had known that sound all her life, ever since she was a little filly sitting too close to the edge of her parents' cloud to watch the squadron soar past, to feel the turbulence, to catch a sight of the gold flashes on those dashing blue uniforms as they swept through the Cloudsdale suburbs, to watch the wingtip flurries and the smoky contrails they left behind them as they scythed through the sky in their magic-laden aerodynamic suits with their magic-assisted low air resistance.
A Wonderbolt.
Applejack still hadn't quite perfected the knack of being able to pick out the sound and tell where it was coming from - very few non-pegasi could, although Rainbow always fluffed out her chest with pride when she boasted about how good Applejack was getting at finding her in the sky - but Rainbow instantly swiveled her head to watch the new arrival sweeping down to land, and after squinting for a moment at the apparently-empty sky, she pointed out the trajectory and landing spot to Applejack with her hoof.
"...It's Pickle," said Rainbow, and sure enough, a tiny dot appeared in the sky, getting larger and larger by the second until the silhouette of a pony was clearly visible, and Rainbow and Applejack grimaced as the air buffeted them in a wave. The sound of metal horseshoes scraping on dirt replaced the droning whistle for just a second, and then all was silent, and Pickle Barrel stood before them in a small cloud of dust, brushing the gravel from his hooves before stiffly saluting.
"Airpony First Class Pickle Barrel, ma'am," said Pickle, trying and failing to conceal that he was slightly out of breath.
"At ease, flyer," said Rainbow, automatically, returning Pickle's salute. "What's going on?"
"Urgent letter from the Captain," panted Pickle, "for you, uh, Captain. Said I had to deliver it to you personally. Said I'd find you at the station, but when I got there, they told me you and... uh..."
He paused, looking at Applejack and then back at Rainbow Dash, clearly unsure of how he should address a pony who was not only a hero of Equestria and Element of Harmony, but also the romantic partner of his Captain Emeritus, the greatest Wonderbolt of all time... And decidedly off duty right now.
"Y'all can just call me Applejack, same as always, Pickle," came the answer, helping the nervous airpony out of the tricky situation. "Captain here said 'at ease', y'all best know she meant it."
"Yes ma'am... uh... Applejack," said Pickle, his voice wavering. Despite being a full member of the Wonderbolts, and a veteran with his Las Pegasus campaign medal ribbon on his suit to prove it, he still always reminded Applejack of the clumsy colt he'd been during their first meeting in Hope Hollow all those years ago.
"What's the issue, Pickle?", said Rainbow, and Pickle snapped back to the present.
"Something about the upcoming show, ma'am. The Captain has come up with another new routine, and she's having some problems getting the squad to get one of the moves right. Chief's been trying to teach us, but eventually she said, if even Flat- I mean, Fleetfoot - can't do it, maybe it's time to call Cra - uh... you. Ma'am."
Rainbow frowned, and took the proffered letter from Pickle's wing, scanning it over.
"Well, AJ... it looks like I'm gonna have to cut our break short," said Rainbow, unhappily, and Pickle Barrel subconsciously backed away.
"No, no, ah understand. When have I ever not understood, sugarcube? It's just... we've been plannin' this here trip for weeks now..."
"I know," said Rainbow Dash, gently beating her wings, gliding slowly along in mid-air next to her marefriend.
"...And then, they wait until right now to tell you you're needed? While we're almost close enough to smell the apple blossom on the breeze! Can't somepony else take it?"
"You know it doesn't work like that. If Scootaloo could fly, they'd probably never need my help at all. She's always had the best ideas, the best eye for new talent, the best coaching... We can't do without her. But sometimes, y'know, well... they can't do without me."
"Aw, I know," said Applejack. "Sure is tough to hear 'mah marefriend is so awesome, ain't nopony can do the job half as good as her', and stay mad. You make me all warm an' fuzzy, knowin' you're mine."
"Forever," said Rainbow, nuzzling her, before pausing for a moment.
"...Penny for your thoughts?", asked Applejack, a hint of anxiety on her voice. Rainbow stared off into the distance for a moment more, and then shook her head.
"Nah, it's nothing," said Rainbow, all smiles once again. "I just... I can't believe I got called away at the very last minute like this. I'll always be loyal to the Bolts, but, y'know, it's tough when it's like this. I mean..."
She puffed out her cheeks and exhaled slowly.
"...I hate to let you down."
Rainbow took Applejack's hoof in her own, and locked eyes with her. "I was really looking forward to our vacation, AJ," she said.
"Ah know," said Applejack, smiling fondly, the hint of a blush appearing on her cheeks. "Y'all got no cause to give me them big maroon puppy dog eyes -"
"Magenta," muttered Rainbow Dash, and Applejack raised her eyebrow.
"Really? You're bailin' on our romantic getaway, an' you wanna pick now as the best time to go Rarity on me? They're pretty, is all. Does it matter what name y'all give that color, so long as I tell you it's mah very favorite?"
"No, ma'am," smirked Rainbow, and she caught the hint of a smile from Applejack, who cleared her throat before continuing.
"What ah was gonna say, was that ah understand. Ever since we got together, when have ah ever not understood? Ah get to be the very special somepony of none other than Rainbow Dash herself, 'Captain Ee-mer-i-tus of the Wonderbolts' as you insist on tellin' every creature that don't already know it, 'best Captain the Wonderbolts ever had' as ah call it, an' that means ah gotta accept there's some occasions when nopony but mah Rainbow Dash can get the job done. Even if it does mean you takin' a powder just when we're like to get down to some serious cuddlin' time. Comes with the territory, don't it? Ah'll always understand, mah darlin. Ah'll always be proud when you have to go do somethin' big, and ah'll always be here when you're ready to come home."
"Because you're the best," said Rainbow, cuddling up again as they reached the bottom of the hill, the path winding around behind a helpfully-placed grove of trees. Applejack took the opportunity to pull Rainbow over to the side of the road, beneath the boughs, away from any prying eyes ahead or above, and placed a hoof on her marefriend's shoulder as she once again looked into her eyes.
"Ya know I'll wait up for you, sugarcube. Ain't no use in tellin' me ah mustn't, now. I'll keep your spot on the couch right next to me, by the fire. Just in case you get off early or somethin'."
"Like you'd ever take my spot. It took a long time to make that groove! It fits me just right." Rainbow gave a wicked grin as she flapped her wings and lifted herself up off the ground again. "Like somepony else I could mention."
"Such sweet romantic stuff," smirked Applejack, nudging Rainbow with her hoof and causing her to wobble in mid-air. "Ah'm so lucky."
"Oh, shut up."
"Oh, yes indeed, ah'm the luckiest gal in Ponyville, to have found me such a romantic, poetic soul for mah mate! 'Oh, don't sit on mah cushions, they're shaped just right to fit mah rump.' 'Oh, shut up.' Why, ah feel like the heroine in one of them romance novels... the ones that ah keep findin' hidden behind other books? Y'know, the ones you keep insistin' ain't yours?"
"...I'll miss you too, AJ," said Rainbow, sticking her tongue out as she hovered along next to her marefriend.
"Ah know," said Applejack, and pulled Rainbow down again for a kiss. "You just... you go on up there and make me proud now, like you always do."
Rainbow visibly reddened, and pretended to look up at the clouds, rubbing the back of her head with a wing... still trying, after so many years, to hide her blushes from the one mare who never minded seeing them.
"Go on now. And ah meant it about savin' you a place, if'n you can finish up early and come back to mah side where you belong."
"Aw, c'mon. I don't like to promise things I can't deliver, AJ. You taught me that."
"Ah sure did. But it won't stop me hopin' all the same."
Applejack leaned in for one final goodbye kiss, and then whispered in Dash's ear:
"...And you know ah'm gonna make it worth your while."
Flustered, Rainbow Dash's eyes momentarily went wide, her wings suddenly springing out unfurled and erect with an audible pomf! She hammered a quick high-speed peck against Applejack's cheek, before blasting off in a dusty, multicolored blur.
"...Y'all hurry back, now," whispered Applejack to the cloud of dust, as she turned back to the path and trotted over the crest of the hill.
"Well now," she muttered to herself, proudly, "that really is mighty fine indeed."
She took in the sight below her as she surveyed Sweet Apple Acres and the surrounding countryside, laid out beneath her as if on a tablecloth. Nothing but the sky, and the earth, and the life her family had carved out between the two over the generations. She took in the lush green hills, the familiar old farmstead, the brightly-painted, newly-rebuilt barns, the densely-planted orchards... and then, far in the distance, the little hillock that hid the home she and Rainbow had built for themselves.
Sometimes, if you waited for the sun to catch it just right, you could see the straw of their cottage's thatched roof, shining in the light as if they'd spun it from pure gold. No enchantments, no special magical straw, just hard work... and sore backs, and hot baths and massages, and lots of fun afterwards... the kind of things she'd hoped to be getting up to this week, before the Wonderbolts messed up their plans.
Applejack scowled for a moment, before relaxing and reminding herself just how good their lives were now. The sun wasn't in quite the right place yet, so she couldn't see the cottage - but knowing it was there, and that she was close, made her feel warm inside all the same.
"Home sweet... wait, what in the HAY?"
There below her in the distance, behind their hill, next to her parents' special tree, right where her cottage should be, was a massive red-and-white striped tent.