"That's it Rainbow, the last tree. Thanks fo' yer help today!" Applejack exclaimed with a smile. Even with dirt on her hooves, her mane a little frizzy, and sweat dripping down her face, Rainbow Dash still found her beautiful. Perhaps even more beautiful. Ew! How did she make her this soft?
"It's no problem AJ! Happy to help," Rainbow replied, wiping some of her own sweat off. A blush rose to Applejack's cheeks; she loved when she called her that.
"What?"
"What what?"
"You blushed."
"Oh it's just mighty hot out here, Ah reckon Ah could be a little red," the farmer chuckled nervously. She wasn't the best at lying.
The two ponies began to make their way back to the barn, switching off who pulled the apple cart. Although relieved, AJ couldn't help but be a bit disappointed they were done; it meant there was no reason for Rainbow to stay.
"Hey uh d-do ya wanna come in and have some apple juice? Granny said she would make a fresh batch before her nap." Even though it came out a bit rushed, Rainbow didn't seem to notice.
"Yeah sure! That sounds awesome."
They dropped the apple cart off at the barn and made their way to Applejack's house. Despite living with three other family members, the house seemed empty.
"Wow Applejack, I didn't know it ever got this quiet around here!"
"It usually ain't! But Granny's upstairs sleepin', Apple Bloom is with her crusaders, and Big Mac is still out there in the East orchard! Unlike some of us he didn't have a great partner helpin' out," she said, nudging her in the shoulder with a wink.
So they were alone, Rainbow realized. Not that it meant anything, obviously, but it was a nice feeling knowing she could talk somewhat freely with her without worrying about anypony seeing...or heaing.
"So...do you have to buck all of these apples by yourself everyday?"
"Well not everyday sugarcube; apples don't grow that fast!"
"Oh right," Rainbow replied, slightly embarrassed.
"But Ah still really do appreciate what you did, especially on a day like today." Rainbow smiled.
Even after the juice was long gone, the two girls ended up hanging out with each other for the remainder of the day. It was too hot to do anything, so they stayed inside Applejack's home.
"Ya know Rainbow, Ah had a real good time with you today."
"Yeah I did too. I didn't realize how much fun just hanging out with you would be. You know, without competing or anything."
"Haha Ah sure do." Applejack placed a hoof over Rainbow's neck, something she did quite often, and Dash wasn't sure if it was due to the fact it was late, or that they were somehow still alone in her house, but the moment it touched her she felt a jolt of electricity, moving from her neck all the way into deep in her stomach. Her muscles tensed and she froze. Applejack must've been too tired to notice because she didn't say anything, nor did she make an effort to move her arm. The pair stayed in that position for a while. The more Rainbow realized just how close they were, the greater the feeling in her stomach became. She moved her head slightly to the left; Applejack's lips were right there, inches away. If she just reached out, a tiny little bit, she could––
"I should probably get going! Don't want to be flying out there in the dark!" The pegasus quickly stood up and stretched out her wings.
"Good call Rainbow. Thanks fer comin' over. We oughta do this again soon!"
"Yeah for sure! Bye!" And just like that she was out, moving so fast she created a wind strong enough to knock over a few of AJ's cups.