Applejack flexed her muscles, partly cuz she was admiring herself in the inn room mirror and the dashing green bandana around her neck that was a very sweet present from Pinkie Pie. She flexed partly just cuz she could; Shining Armor’s healing magic was no joke, and it fixed up her stems and Pinkie’s lickety split.
But mostly she was flexing cuz Pinkie was in the room, and her cooing at Applejack’s muscles made Applejack’s heart sing.
“Gawd,” Pinkie sighed dreamily, “how did I never realize how hot you are before?”
“I’m pretty sure you did,” Applejack hopped onto the bed next to Pinkie, the weight of Applejack’s body causing Pinkie to bounce with a little giggle. “You haven’t exactly been shy about complimentin’ my physique before.”
“Is that right?” Pinkie purred and put her hand on Applejack’s arm. “Well I should be complimenting it more cuz it’s-” Pinkie bit her lip and inhaled sharply “-it’s good shit, Applejack.”
“I’m gladja think so, Pinkie,” Applejack laughed and put her arm around Pinkie, staring into the soft creampuff’s sapphire blue eyes. Were they sapphire? Rarity’d kill her for getting that kinda thing wrong, but whatever, to Applejack they were blue. “I think you’re beautiful too.”
“Well I am,” Pinkie grinned devilishly, and that just made her more attractive. “So I can’t blame you for noticing.”
Applejack laughed for a second but she couldn’t keep her hands— or her lips— off of Pinkie’s body for even one more second or else she’d go feral, so she threw Pinkie down onto the bed and pinned her, Pinkie laughing and breathing heavily before Applejack planted a rough but tender kiss onto the beautiful mare’s lips, then lifting her shirt to plant another kiss right on her soft, pudgy tummy.
Applejack didn’t know how long the two spent making out, but by the time they were forced to stop thanks to a knock at the door, their clothes were both half off, Applejack’s hair was untied, and the sheets were falling off the bed.
Honestly, Applejack kinda just wanted to ignore the knock, but after the second tap at the door, Applejack sighed and made peace with the fact that she needed to get off her favorite gal. Well one of her favorite gals. Rainbow was also still her favorite. Applejack had two hands.
So she got off of Pinkie, got off the bed, made the barest attempt to put her shirt back on and it kinda slid half on but one of her arms was still hanging out the bottom instead of through the sleeve, and she opened the door.
Big Mac was on the other side, and Applejack smiled at him.
“How’s it goin’, little bro?” Applejack said as she leaned against the doorframe.
“Am I interrupting?” Big Mac grinned and chuckled into his hand as Pinkie, also half-undressed, peeked her head out the door.
“No, we got time,” Pinkie said. “What’s up, Big Mac?”
“Came to say howdy one last time ‘fore ya leave?” Applejack asked.
It was a shame Big Mac and Shining Armor couldn’t stick around and join the party ‘til they reached the Crystal Empire, but apparently Shining wasn’t any fonder of the place than Twilight was, and him and Big Mac had just come from there.
Now the two of ‘em were on the road, just the two of ‘em, to get to know each other better. Applejack would never even dream of getting in the way of that.
“Something like that,” Big Mac hummed. “Shiny still wants to apologize for not being present for the dragon battle—”
“Aw, tell him it was nothin’,” Applejack scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. “Just like I told him already, like fifty times while he was patchin’ me and Pinkie up. He couldn’t’ve known, and it’s all water under the bridge now.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie added with a big nod. “He shouldn’t feel bad about anything! If anything, we should be thanking him for sewing us back together!”
“I know yer right,” Big Mac chuckled, taking his hat off his head and holding it in front of him, “but you gotta understand, my boy feels things deeply.”
“Yeah, I getcha,” Applejack looked down at Pinkie, who looked back at her with an innocent smile, and chuckled into her hand. “I know a pony or two just like that.”
“Oh and hey,” Big Mac snapped his fingers and smiled kindly. “I got somethin’ for you too.”
Big Mac took the hat in his hands and placed it gingerly on top of Applejack’s head. She was sure it wouldn’t fit her, yet it almost felt like she was always meant to wear it, and her eyes glistened like stars as she looked up at it and felt the brim on her fingers.
“Pa’s old hat,” Applejack said breathlessly. “But why’re you givin’ this to me? I—”
“You can give it back to me next time we meet,” Big Mac said. “But for now, hold onto it, and it’ll be like a part of me, and a part of ma and pa, are right there with you.”
“And then when I give it back,” Applejack smiled so brightly, and she could swear she must’ve got sand in her eye, “a part of me will be with you. No matter how far apart we are, we’re always together.”
“We’re a family,” Big Mac said, “that’s the way it’s s’posed to be.”
Applejack’s lip quivered for just a sec before she threw her arms around Big Mac and pulled him into a tight hug, slapping him on the back a couple times for good measure. Mac put his arms around Applejack in return and held her tight.
And of course, it wouldn’t be an Apple Family hug without everyone’s favorite honorary Apple jumping into the mix, so Pinkie nestled between them and the two crouched down to hug her too.
It had been a long couple of weeks. But for just a moment, everything felt right with the world. Everything was the way it’s s’posed to be.