//------------------------------//
// Epilogue - Just Wanna Be With You 
// Story: The Sleepover 
// by Oblivion14 
//------------------------------//

"Why we are doing this, again?" Rarity frowned slightly as she tightened the grip on the flashlight in her hand, shining it in front of her as she walked.

Sunset Shimmer laughed as she came up behind her, her own flashlight in her hand. "Twilight said this was our reward for doing well on our term tests." She smiled as she remembered the excitement the girls shared during one of their study sessions after Twilight had encouraged them with a surprise if they stayed focused and did well.

Rarity sighed as she barely missed stepping on a fallen branch. "I know, but I wish I had known the prize was a night trek through the woods in the middle of November." She looked up as she heard Twilight Sparkle giggle from the front.

Stopping, Twilight turned to face the rest of her friends as they caught up. She took note of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie who were a few steps behind her. "Sorry, Rarity. But, the good news is we are almost there, and I promise you wont regret it."

"And where is there?" Rainbow Dash asked as she came to a stop beside Sunset Shimmer. "You still haven't told us yet."

Pinkie frowned slightly. "How long have we been walking?"

Fluttershy took in a quick breath. "I'm all for a walk through the forest. But couldn't we have done it when it's not so…dark?"

Twilight rolled her eyes slightly; The thought of young children on a road trip crossed her mind for a second, and she grinned as she turned back around. "Trust me, girls. You are all going to love it." She started walking again and the rest of them followed.

Rarity sighed to herself once more but continued to walk. She didn't say it, but it wasn't just the long walk that was bothering her. It was the fact that it was only the six of them. At school that morning, she had eagerly sought out Applejack after Twilight had told them that she had something planned for them that evening. Applejack then told her that she had already promised to help out with something and would meet them there. Looking up at the clear night sky, Rarity wished the farmer was beside her. It would have, at the very least, made the walk more bearable. She focused on keeping her footing, while keeping the others in her line of sight. The climb soon became steeper and Rarity felt herself getting slightly winded. Eventually the trees began to clear, and Rarity could see they were nearing the top of the hill.

Sunset Shimmer looked up from beside Rarity as something clicked in her head. "Huh."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow as she looked at the redhead beside her. "You okay there, Sunset?"

Sunset smiled slightly as she looked at Rainbow Dash. "Oh, yeah. I'm good."

Rarity looked over to see that Sunset had a sudden renewed vigour as she walked. She watched her for a second as she put the pieces together. "Wait, did you figure out what we are doing, Sunset?"

The others ahead of them stopped, hearing Rarity's question. Twilight looked at Sunset, a small smile forming as Sunset gave her a knowing look. Twilight adjusted her glasses slightly as she laughed. "No spoilers, Sunset, we're here."

Sunset chuckled as she, Rainbow Dash and Rarity moved closer to where Twilight was standing. Before Sunset could reply, something caught Rarity's attention. It was a scent wafting through the air from the peak of the hill. Immediately she thought of the late summer afternoons she had spent with Applejack, baking fresh apple pastries after the harvest. She seemed entranced as she continued forward, walking past the others as she neared the top of the hill. She gasped audibly as she reached the top, causing the others to quickly follow after her.

At the top of the hill, there were three picnic blankets. Each one had a set of throws, a platter of snacks under saran wrap, a bottle of soda and a pair of binoculars. However, what had held Rarity's attention was the person standing in front of it all, a smirk on her face.

"Took y'all long enough."

Twilight was the first to step forward. "Sorry, Applejack. We lost our pace near the end there. The children were getting restless." She gave the others a joking look, receiving several half-hearted glares as a response.

Applejack chuckled before making eye contact with Rarity. She winked as she motioned the fashionista towards her. Rarity made her way in front of Applejack as the others began to get settled on the blankets. Rainbow Dash took the one on the left, patting the space beside her as she looked at Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle took the one in the middle, the party girl already reaching for the platter of food.

Rarity was still confused, but she couldn't help the smile forming on her face. "How-"

Applejack's emerald eyes softened as she looked into the sapphire pair that took her breath away every time. "We were in science class a few weeks ago when Twilight had the idea. I said I could bring snacks and help set it up. Sorry I couldn't walk up with you guys."

Rarity shook her head. "You don't need to apologize. This looks amazing." Applejack gave a small nod before she offered her hand, and Rarity took it, lacing their fingers together as they made their way to the last blanket.

Pinkie looked up after taking a hearty bite of an apple fritter. "Mmmm...sho gooo...Buf wha aah we dofi heee?"

Sunset blinked as she looked at Pinkie. For a second, she couldn't decide to call attention to the fact that the party girl was talking with her mouth full, or to the fact that she understood her. "If I remember correctly," She began before looking over at Twilight. "tonight is the-"

Fluttershy gasped, cutting Sunset Shimmer off. "Oh my! Look at that!" she took Rainbow's hand in one hand and squeezed it, pointing up to the sky with her other hand. The girls followed her hand, just in time to see a trail of light shoot across the sky. They all gasped in amazement as another one followed a moment later, and then more came with the beginnings of a meteor shower.





After a while, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had adjusted their positions; Rainbow Dash was on her back as Fluttershy settled into her side, her head on the athlete's chest. Fluttershy sighed happily as Rainbow rubbed lazy circles on the sweater over Fluttershy's arm.

"I love this." Fluttershy said quietly enough for only Rainbow Dash to hear.

"Hmm?" Rainbow Dash questioned, indicating the quiet girl to elaborate.

"This. Us. Here with our friends. It's times like this that make me realize how happy I am to have them." She raised herself on her elbow, making eye contact with her partner below her before she continued. "To have you."

Rainbow smiled as she reached a hand to Fluttershy's cheek. "I know, lucky doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. Especially with you."

Fluttershy gave a tender smile of her own as she looked down at Rainbow Dash. Her teal eyes were soft as she took in Rainbow's smile. "I love you." She placed her free hand over Rainbow's heart, gripping the blue jacket tightly.

Rainbow Dash gave a toothy grin. A pleasant shiver she felt every time she heard the girl above her say those words ran down her spine. "I love you too." She moved her hand from Fluttershy's cheek to her chin, guiding the smaller girls face towards her own. Their lips met in a tender kiss, enjoying their moment of bliss.





On the middle blanket, both Twilight and Sunset had their eyes glued to the sky, a similar thoughtful look on both their faces. Sitting in the middle, Pinkie looked at both of them before looking back at the sky. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked quietly.

Both girls looked at her, and they realized the question was directed at both of them. Sunset was the first to speak. "I guess, sometimes when I'm with you girls like this, I remember what I did—who I used to be. I think about how you girls forgave me and accepted me with open arms...even though I hurt you all the most."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "I was kind of thinking the same thing. I mean, the first impression you girls had was me basically draining the magic out of you without an explanation." She blushed slightly at the memory. "And then Midnight Sparkle…Yet you all became my first group of real friends."

Pinkie looked at them before once again turning her attention to the sky. "I think it was meant to be, the seven of us." Twilight and Sunset both looked at Pinkie, her tone unusually calm and thoughtful for the upbeat girl. "Magic may have sped up the process, but I think the seven of us were meant to come together. The bond we have has allowed each of us to grow. We all gain something from each other that we may have been lacking on our own. In that way, we are all the same. I can definitely say for everyone that we don't think any less of either of you. To me, our magic serves as tangible proof of our friendship."

Neither girl could help the tears forming in their eyes as they looked at Pinkie Pie. She had a serene smile on her face as she kept her eyes on the meteors. Twilight and Sunset both moved in, giving their friend in the middle a tight hug.

"Wow!" Pinkie breathed out feeling the grip of both girls. "Too strong! Okay, okay, okay!"





Applejack sat with Rarity sitting between her legs as they looked up at the sky. She looked down and smiled when she felt Rarity lean back into her, breathing out as she relaxed. After a moment, Applejack went from watching the stars to watching the lavender haired girl in her arms. She felt Rarity move as she let out a silent chuckle. Applejack's smile grew as she adjusted her head to see Rarity better. "What is it, Sugar?"

Rarity smiled. She still felt the butterflies anytime Applejack addressed her with 'Sugar', and it caused her to let out another giggle. "Just thinking. About us. About how we met."

Applejack thought back to their middle school days and let out a chuckle of her own. "Ah...those were the days."

Rarity turned slightly so she could face Applejack better. She gave a sheepish smile as a slight tint coloured her cheeks. "Can I confess something?"

Applejack gave a confused look but nodded for her to continue.

"Actually, and even now I don't know why I did what I did, but…I never hated your accent. It was…quite the opposite actually."

Applejack raised an eyebrow but couldn't help the smirk on her face. "Really? I reckon you had a funny way of showin' it." She laughed as Rarity smacked her on the arm.

"Shut it. I said I don't know why I behaved in such a manner." Rarity turned back around so that she was looking back up at the stars. "I remember…I used to always enjoy hearing you speak in class. I didn't understand why…I felt like I could've listened your voice for days. But I was too nervous to talk to you myself. Being paired up with you for English was so sudden, and I ended up acting quite silly. After we fought and stopped talking, I felt terrible. That's why I went to the farm; I was hoping to apologize. Then, when we were in your room and I looked into your eyes for the first time I…" She smiled as she came to a realization. "I guess I fell for you then and there; I felt that you were someone I could trust and open up to, and I did. I guess it just took me a couple of years before I fully understood those feelings."

Applejack was quiet as she looked up in thought. A flurry of contented emotions filled her, as she grasped that Rarity had indeed liked her for much longer than she had ever thought. She gave a slight smile as a thought crossed her mind. "Kinda makes you think of all that time we could have had together, huh?"

"True," Rarity started before turning once more so she was looking at Applejack. "but I also think that every up and down we went through allowed us get here, knowing what we have is real."

Applejack gave a small chuckle as she leaned down slightly to rub her nose against Rarity's cheek. "You sound like a musical."

Rarity scoffed as she pulled back slightly. "Hey! I'm just saying that we-"

She was cut off as Applejack kissed her. She responded almost instantly, bringing an arm around Applejack's neck as she pulled the farmer closer, deepening the kiss. After a moment, they pulled back, resting their foreheads together as they caught their breath. Opening their eyes, green met blue and they smiled at each other. Rarity turned herself back to see the last of the meteor shower. Feeling Applejack wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close, Rarity gave a happy sigh as she settled into the moment, adding it to one of many she planned to hold on to for a long time.