//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Cider ponies nonpareil // Story: Soarin' with Apples // by Allonsbro //------------------------------// Ch 5: Cider ponies nonpareil A/N: Sorry about the long time in updating. I came down with a case of procrastination and writers block. That, and chapter six is really long. Thank you all for your patience. School for me starts Sept. 5th, so that may slow me down some, but I’ll try my best to get stuff out without sacrificing my schoolwork. *THUNK* Soarin’ turned to see apples falling by the bushel from the tree he had just kicked. He had improved a lot since his first day on the farm one week ago. Inspecting the tree, he frowned as he noticed one last stubborn apple clinging to a branch. He flew up and tried to pull it, but it wouldn’t budge. “Hey look, AJ,” he chuckled, “I found an apple that’s as stubborn as you are.” “Very funny,” the orange mare deadpanned as she finished collecting a few stray apples and placing them in her baskets. Soarin’ chuckled again and pulled a little harder on the fruit, detaching it from the branch. With a few flaps of his wings, he slowly floated down and placed the apple in one of the baskets surrounding the tree. “That should do it,” he said with a note of satisfaction as he wiped the sweat off his face. They had just finished another section of apple trees and were just finishing what Applejack called applebuck season. She had explained that cider season started this week and they needed to gather as many apples as they could to make enough for everypony. They would buck the apples for the cider when they made it, but the apples they were bucking today were for the cider they sold in bottles and for making last-minute alterations to the mix, in case it was too sweet or too sour. To increase productivity, the farmers took their jobs in shifts. Two would buck and collect the apples while the other two would follow with the carts, collecting the baskets and taking them to the barn. Applejack and Soarin’ were on bucking duty and Macintosh and Clover were collecting the baskets a few trees over. “We’re done with this section, Big Macintosh,” Applejack called over to her brother. “Where do ya want us ta go next?” “Almost dinner time,” the red stallion drawled, looking up at the sky. “We’ll move on after that.” “You two go on ahead,” said Clover, “be sure to save some grub for me.” “Fat chance of that, buddy,” said Soarin’ as he and Applejack started walking past the two stallions toward the house. “I’m hungry as a horse.” “Yer always hungry as a horse,” Applejack teased. She paused as she walked past Clover and gave him a quick little kiss. “Ah’ll see ya in a bit, partner.” “Love you, sweetheart.” “Love you too.” Applejack and Soarin’ began the short trek back to the barn. Soarin’ breathed the wonderfully fresh scent of the country air. He swore that he could live here for a thousand years and never get tired of that wonderful smell. It just made him feel so alive. Under normal circumstances, he would have flown the distance to the house, but now he just wanted to walk and enjoy the beautiful day. “Bet it was nice working with Clover today,” he commented. “Yeah, it was.” “How come you don’t work with him more often? You only seem to work by yourself, or with me or Macintosh.” She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Granny doesn’t like us workin’ together by ourselves.” “Why not? Doesn’t she like him?” “No, she likes him. Ah just don’t think she wants us ta be alone in an empty apple orchard. Ah guess she thinks that we’ll be tempted ta pay more attention to each other than our work.” “Oh,” he replied, blushing at the implication. “Uh, I see.” She shrugged. “It ain’t so bad. Makes the time we do have together even more special.” The two of them continued walking down the rows of apple trees and soon came to the clearing in front of the house. They were part of the way across it when they saw two pegasi flying towards them. As the visitors drew nearer, the two ponies on the ground smiled as they recognized them. “Hey Spits!” “Howdy Rainbow.” “There you are!” said Spitfire, her voice dripping with relief. “When you weren’t at your house, I got worried. I’ve been looking for you all morning. What happened to you?” “Sorry, Spits. I hurt my wing and I’ve been helping out around here all week.” She quirked an eyebrow at him. “You’ve been here…working on a farm…on your vacation?” She reached a hoof up and felt his forehead. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He moved her hoof away. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m just paying the Apples back for letting me stay here while I was grounded. It’s actually not that bad. I’ve been milking cows and bucking apple trees. Oh, and Granny Smith makes the best food you’ve ever tasted. I might even come back on my next vacation,” he said, smirking. She shook her head. “Soarin’, you are one weird stallion.” He was about to reply when he noticed that Applejack and the other pegasus were in a heated, but whispered, argument. Looking at the pegasus, he recognized her from the previous times they had met. “Hey, Rainbow Dash.” The rainbow-maned pegasus immediately stopped her argument with the orange cowpony and gave Soarin’ a big smile. “Oh, h-hey, Soarin’! Glad we found you. So, um…how are you?” “I’m great! Sorry I didn’t come and say hi. We’ve been pretty busy with cider season starting up. Maybe if I have time, the three of us can hang out.” “Yeah,” she sighed. “That’d be nice.” Her eyes glazed over and she seemed to not be all there for a few moments, her face bearing a slight blush. “Are you okay, Dash?” asked Spitfire. She snapped out of her reverie and shook her head. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Better than fine, I’m awesome!” Applejack rolled her eyes, ignoring Rainbow’s strange behavior. “We were just goin’ ta have dinner. Y’all are welcome ta join us if ya want.” The pegasus mares agreed and the four of them made their way to the house and into the dining room. Big Macintosh and Clover had finished collecting the apples by now and joined them a few moments later. They all gathered around the table and Spitfire was introduced to everypony while Granny brought out the food. Granny seemed to like the bright yellow mare, even when Spitfire tried to express how good the food was while her mouth was still full of it. After their meal, Macintosh got started on his paperwork, Granny went to her rocking chair, Apple Bloom went up to her room to play, and the rest of them headed outside. Applejack and Soarin’ invited them all to watch the sunset and they all took places on the hill. Applejack cuddled up next to Clover, Spitfire sat back against a tree and Rainbow, very pointedly, sat down next to Soarin’. “So, Soarin’,” asked Spitfire, “I still don’t get it. What’s so great about working on a farm?” Applejack gave the yellow mare a frown. “’Excuse me?” “No offense,” she replied, raising a hoof in defense. “I’ve known Soarin’ since we were kids and he just isn’t the farmer type.” “I’m not sure, Spits,” Soarin’ replied. “There’s just something about being out here that I really like. The work is really hard, but when the day is over and I come up here, I get this…I don’t know what to call it. It’s like when we do a show and you hear the crowd roaring at the end. You just feel like you’re soaring through the sky, like nothing can stop you. You just look back at what you did and you think, ‘wow, I did that.’ It’s a lot like that, except it’s with apples.” Spitfire chuckled. “I always called that feeling ‘soaring on the crowd.’ I guess in your case, it would be ‘soaring with apples.’” The five of them broke out laughing. “Yep,” said Rainbow. “I get that feeling all the time.” Applejack frowned. “No ya don’t. Ah practically have ta beg ya ta help around the farm when Ah need it. The only time Ah find you over here is when yer takin’ a nap in the trees.” “I meant with flying, AJ,” she replied with an irked tone, her face turning red. The rest of them laughed a little at Rainbow’s expense. Eventually, as the sun dipped lower on the horizon, Clover got up, kissed Applejack goodnight and went home. A short while later, Rainbow bid them goodbye and flew off to her house. Applejack offered Spitfire a place to stay, but she declined, saying she had family in Canterlot that she wanted to visit. They invited her back for some cider later that week and she took off for Canterlot. Applejack and Soarin’ continued to sit and watch the sunset. A few moments later, Applejack spoke up. “Soarin’, you said you’d been to the gala a few times, right?” “Yeah.” “Did ya dance?” He turned to look at her. “Sometimes. Why?” She took off her hat and fiddled with it in her hooves. “Every year at the end of cider season we have a party. This year, the party is on the night of the three-month anniversary of when Clover and Ah started datin’. Ah wanna do somethin’ special for him and Ah was wonderin’ if…if you could teach me ta dance. Clover knows how, but all Ah ever learned ta do was square dance. Ah wanna surprise him and slow dance with him at the party.” “Sure, AJ. Of course I’ll teach you.” A delighted smile crossed her face. “Thanks. Come on, there’s a record player in the barn.” They both got up and began making their way to the barn. The fireflies had come out and hundreds of little light specs floated up from the grass as they walked. One of the specs floated up right next to Soarin’ and he extended a wing out and caught it as it drifted down. The tiny insect sat on his wing, blinking its light for a few moments before it opened its wings and flew away. The orange mare opened the barn door and let him in. Once inside, she closed the door behind them. The barn was lit with a combination of the dim yellow light from the last of the setting sun and the white light of the nearly full moon coming in from the hay loft. “Just give me a minute ta set up,” she said. She went and lit a few of the lanterns hanging around the wall, making it bright enough to see well. Going over to a corner of the room, she pulled out a phonograph and set a record. As she turned it on, a slow tune on a guitar filled the barn. “Okay,” Soarin’ began, “first we have to stand against each other.” They both reared up and stood together on their hind legs. Soarin’ placed his right hoof on the small of Applejack’s back and held her right hoof in his left while she placed her left hoof on his shoulder. “Good,” he said. “We’ll start with a basic waltz. Just let me lead. First, you step forward while I step back…OW!” he exclaimed as she brought her left hind leg forward and stepped on his right one. “Oops, sorry. Are ya okay?” “Yeah, don’t worry. I should have mentioned that you step with your right hoof and I step with my left on most of the steps. Let’s try again….Good. Now we take a step to my left…Now you go back and I go forward…Good. Now we step to your left…Now we do it all again.” They went through the steps again, making a little square as they stepped. Soarin’ got his hooves stepped on a few times, but with gentle encouragement, Applejack learned quickly. Once Applejack knew the steps, they did them while slowly rotating, moving in loops across the floor. “Don’t look at your hooves, look at me,” he said when they had done a few rotations. “The dance will be a lot more romantic for Clover if he can look into those beautiful green eyes of yours.” She blushed a little bit and made eye contact with him. They continued dancing and as the song came to an end, he spun her out and then back into him and dipped her. As he held her up, their eyes met again. Time seemed to slow down for Soarin’. He felt his heart beat faster and he was soon wondering why the normally cool barn had suddenly grown warmer. As his green eyes gazed into hers, he couldn’t help but really notice how beautiful they were. As he gazed into those beautiful emerald orbs, he found himself lost in them and couldn’t look away. “Uh, Soarin’,” she said after a few moments, breaking his reverie, “you can pull me up now.” “Huh? Oh, sorry.” He lifted her back up and they got down to all four hooves. “Thanks,” said Applejack as she went to put the record player away. “That was fun. Ah think Ah can see why some mares find it romantic. Would ya mind meetin’ me here again tomorrow ta practice some more? Ah wanna make sure Ah can do it right.” “Uh, yeah…s-sure,” he replied. Applejack finished closing up the barn and the two of them went into the house. Apple Bloom was waiting at the door for them. “What took ya so long?” she complained. “Me an’ Granny were playin’ checkers and she fell asleep. Ah was just about ta beat her, too.” They looked into the living room and sure enough, Granny was asleep in her rocker. Soarin’ and Applejack tried to contain their giggling when they noticed that her chest seemed to be rising and falling a little too fast for her to be asleep. Applejack gave her sister an affectionate rub of her red hair. “Ah think Ah can stand in and finish up yer game pretty quick. You wanna challenge whoever wins, Soarin’?” Soarin’ shook his head. He would have loved to play with them, but he was still feeling awkward about what had happened a few moments ago. “No thanks, AJ. I think I’ll hit the hay. I’m kinda tired.” “Well, alright then, see ya tomorrow.” “G’night, Soarin’.” “’Night, ladies.” Soarin’ found sleep difficult to obtain that night. As he lay awake in bed, he couldn’t get his thoughts away from how he had lost himself in Applejack’s eyes. His mind dwelled on the memory of them, going over it again and again. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her beautiful green orbs staring back at him. He tossed and turned for hours into the night before finally falling into a fitful sleep. Soarin’ groggily awoke to the sound of a hoof knocking on his door. “Rise and shine, Soarin’,” said Clover through the door. Soarin’ looked around the room to see that it was quite well lit by the light coming through the window. He came to the conclusion that he must have overslept. “Soarin’?” the grey stallion called through the door again. “You awake yet? Everypony’s already out makin’ cider. AJ said you were really tired last night, so we let you sleep in a while.” “Coming,” he said as he got out of bed and shambled over to the door. “Whoa,” exclaimed Clover in surprise once the door was opened. “You look awful. Are you feelin’ okay?” “Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied, yawning and rubbing his eyes. “Just didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll be out in a little while.” “Okay. We left some breakfast on the table for you. See you out by the front gate.” His message delivered, the gray stallion turned and went down the stairs. Soarin’ walked down the hall to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. The sight that met him gave him cause to grimace. His mane and fur were an absolute mess and he had dark circles under his eyes. A tiny part of him wished that it was Nightmare Night so that he could go as a zombie without having to do anything. After splashing some water on his face and brushing himself, he began to feel more awake. He went downstairs to find some toast with apple jam and a mug of coffee, which he was extremely grateful for. He ate quickly and made his way to the front gate of the farm, deciding to fly there in an attempt to get himself fully awake. As he neared the gate, his jaw dropped at the sight that greeted him. A long line of ponies stretched down the road leading to the farm. Applejack had said that cider season was a staple of the farm’s income, and Soarin’ now saw how true that was. As he approached, he looked around at the small group of ponies and equipment that were being used to make the cider. Clover was bucking and a butter yellow pegasus was flying from tree to tree, knocking down apples by the bushel. Soarin’ recognized her as Applejack’s friend Fluttershy. She had stopped by the farm a few times over the week to give a few of the animals on the farm a checkup. Standing below the trees gathering apples in baskets on their backs stood Apple Bloom and the pink mare from the pie-eating contest, Pinkie Pie. Once their baskets were filled, they carried them over to Granny Smith and Applejack’s friend Rarity. The two mares appeared to be sorting the apples, throwing the bad ones in a pile and the good ones into the chute of a nearby machine. The machine was a long trough that had a large, round stone in it. Attached to the side was a large conveyer belt that, when run upon, spun the stone, smashing the apples. Big Macintosh and Rainbow Dash ran on the belt, keeping the machine going. Opposite the chute was a spout out of which poured the freshly made cider into a barrel. The barrel filled and was enveloped in the glow from a purple unicorn’s horn that secured the lid and placed the barrel in a stack near a stand by the gate. Applejack stood at the stand selling mugs of the Apples’ specialty drink to the masses. It looked like Soarin’ really had overslept by quite a bit, as there were already a fair amount of bits in the cash box. “Mornin’, sleepy head,” Applejack greeted him as he landed. “Glad ya could join us.” “Morning, AJ,” he replied. “Sorry I overslept. What do you want me to do?” “That’s alright, partner. If ya wouldn’t mind, could ya bring some of the baskets from the barn out here. The cider’s a might on the sour side and we could use some of those sweeter apples ta remedy that.” “On it,” he said, saluting and taking to the air to get back to the barn. He flew in through the hay loft, grabbed a basket of the Fuji apples and carried it back. He repeated the process a few times, bringing gala apples and some honeycrisp at Applejack’s suggestion. When Applejack was satisfied with the current mixture, she had Soarin’ help her at the stand. Soarin’ quickly found that he could fall back on some of his experience making public appearances as a Wonderbolt. He gave the customers a charismatic smile as he sold them their drinks. A few of the customers recognized him and started getting excited, asking for pictures and autographs. Before he knew it, much of the line near the stand was murmuring excitedly to themselves about there being a Wonderbolt at Sweet Apple Acres. Soarin’ was a little disappointed that he had been outed, but he only had five days left of his vacation, so he didn’t mind dealing with the publicity. Luckily, the crowd hadn’t heard that he was staying at the farm, so hopefully he wouldn’t be bothered too much. Besides, he rather liked interacting with his fans. As he sold cider, he noticed that by the time the ponies in line were nearing the front, they were starting to get antsy. Maybe there was something he could do to remedy their boredom. “Hey, AJ,” he said, “I’ve got an idea. Do you mind running the stand by yourself for a while?” She gave him a quizzical look, but agreed. “Sure thing.” “Thanks.” He stepped out from behind the stand, took to the air and began doing loops and rolls above the crowd. His plan soon began having the desired effect and ponies in line began taking notice. “Hey, it’s Soarin’ the Wonderbolt!” “Hey everypony look! Soarin’s at Sweet Apple Acres!” “I love you, Soarin’!” He smiled and saluted to the crowd, then continued his little show. After a few more twists, loops and dives, he flew to the front of the line and extended his hoof down. The ponies reached out for it and he flew down the line, giving high hoof bumps as he went. “Thanks for coming everypony,” he shouted as he flew back toward the front of the line. “Sweet Apple Acres really appreciates your business. I’ll be here all week helping the Apples sell their cider.” He flew back to the stand and landed next to Applejack. “What was that?” she asked, a quizzical expression directed at him. “Just keeping things entertaining,” he replied, giving her a mischievous grin. He then proceeded to take a place next to the stand. He stood there with his head held high and a dashing smile across his muzzle. As the ponies in line came to buy their cider, he shook hooves, signed autographs, and greeted the fans. At the end of the day, Applejack closed up the bit box and everypony else packed up the equipment for tomorrow. Everypony helped to make dinner and they all sat down to eat. After dinner, Big Macintosh took the money and began to count it and Fluttershy volunteered to help. Applejack, Soarin’ and the rest of her friends all helped in putting the equipment away. When this was done, Pinkie, Twilight, and Rarity went home, wishing the rest a good evening. “So…” Rainbow began, standing next to Soarin’ and pawing at the ground. “Do you wanna…I don’t know…maybe have a race around the farm?” “Actually, Dash, I, uh…” He nervously looked to Applejack, not sure if she wanted anyone knowing about their dance lessons. “Ah asked him ta teach me how ta dance,” said Applejack “Ah want ta surprise Clover at the party.” “Oh,” Dash sighed, looking dejected. “But,” Applejack added, noticing her friend’s disappointment, “we still got a few more days ta practice, so you two can go flyin’ if you want.” Rainbow immediately perked up and smiled, giving her friend a silent thank you. “Are you sure, AJ?” asked the Wonderbolt. “Yep, don’t worry. We can practice some other time.” “Okay.” “Come on, Soarin’,” said Rainbow as she got a running start and took off. “Ready, set, go!” “Hey!” he exclaimed, taking off after her. “No fair.” The two of them sped around the farm, leaving a rainbow and a blue trail in their wake. When they had reached the front gate, Rainbow swerved to the left and began following the fence. Soarin’ got a pretty good idea of where the race was going to take them. He suspected that Rainbow meant for them to follow the fence around the farm, back to the front gate. With her smaller size, she definitely had the advantage in terms of speed. He, however, had bigger and stronger wings, which might make up for that. He stayed just behind Rainbow and waited for his opportunity to pass, using her wing drafts to save energy. Soarin’ couldn’t help but think how much he had missed this. He loved the speed, the adrenaline, the sound of wind rushing in his ears and the feel of it whipping through his mane. He hadn’t done this kind of flying since the day before he left Cloudsdale and he relished it. He let Rainbow lead until they were at the final turn in the fence. As they made the turn, he took the inside and used the momentum to slingshot himself ahead. A small smirk crossed his face when he saw Rainbow’s expression as he passed her. He gave her a wink and pushed ahead. With the finish line in sight, both racers threw everything they had into their wings, pushing to finish first. Slowly, Rainbow managed to creep up next to Soarin’ and began to pass him. Soarin’s wings were beginning to ache, but as they neared the finish line, he gave one last push. It wasn't enough, however, and Rainbow crossed the finish line just before he did. “I win!” Rainbow shouted, panting once they both crossed. Soarin’ chuckled between breaths. “Ha ha. Good job, Rainbow. That was a pretty good race.” “You wanna go again?” “You bet. First one to that cloud wins.” They continued racing well into the evening and eventually came to rest on a cloud drifting above the farm to watch the sunset. They talked and laughed, swapping jokes and stories of aerial exploits until Luna brought out the moon. When they realized what time it was, they bid each other a good night and went to their respective dwellings. Cider season continued all through the week and everyday Soarin’ performed in front of the long line of ponies for a short while and stood and greeted them as they bought cider. On the third day, a group of finely dressed unicorns approached the stand. “Hey there, Fancypants,” Soarin' greeted the stallion at the head of the group. “How are you doing today?” “Hello, Soarin’. I’m doing quite well, thank you. And hello to you as well, Miss Applejack.” Applejack greeted the stallion with a large grin. “Well hey there, Mr. Fancypants. What brings you all the way down here from Canterlot?” “Your cider, actually. I had heard of it through the grapevine, but have never taken the opportunity to come down and sample it for myself. Might I purchase a glass?” The entourage that was with the stallion nodded in agreement and each purchased a mug of the cider. Fancypants gave a toast and they all sipped their mugs. “Goodness gracious!” exclaimed Fancypants as he brought up a hoofkerchief to wipe his mouth. “Miss Applejack, this is by far the best of any cider I have ever had the honor of sampling. Do you, perchance, sell it by the bottle?” Every other unicorn in the group voiced their agreement. “We sure do.” “Excellent. I would like to order a few. Non-alcoholic, of course. My wife and I are expecting our first foal.” “Really?” said Soarin’, grinning at the news. “That’s great, Fancy!” “Congratulations,” said Applejack, “you and Fleur’re gonna make great parents. Ah’ll put ya down fer a few bottles and send ‘em out to ya.” “Thank you, Miss Applejack. Well, I had best be going. I have a meeting with Miss Rarity to discuss a commission for some maternity clothing. I hope to see you again soon.” “See ya Mr. Fancypants.” The unicorn took his leave followed by his entourage, who also ordered bottles of cider. “How do you know Fancypants and his wife?” asked Soarin’. “Mah friends and Ah met them at a garden party in Canterlot…right after we, uh, wrecked it,” she replied, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “How ‘bout you?” “They’re big sponsors of the Wonderbolts and they like to hang around after some of our shows and talk with us. I’ve been invited to some of their parties, too.” The day went on and they sold lots and lots of cider. As supper time came near, they closed the stand and packed up, telling the remaining ponies in line to come back the next day. They all went inside and ate dinner together. Applejack noted that there were a lot more ponies that were turned away today than in previous days and in previous years. Her friends explained to Soarin’ that it used to just be the family that made the cider every year and a lot of ponies didn’t get any. Then a couple of salesponies had come with a fancy machine and nearly drove the farm out of business. It was only due to the help of Applejack’s friends that they managed to make enough cider to save the farm. Ever since then, her friends had helped to make the cider every year and fewer ponies had gone without at the end of the day. After dinner, Soarin’ and Applejack went out to the barn to practice dancing. They practiced until Applejack thought she was good enough to dance with Clover at the party. They still had some time to kill so Applejack offered to show Soarin’ how to square dance. Learning and remembering what all the different steps were called and what the dancer did for each was the hardest part for Soarin’, but eventually he got the hang of it. The last two days of the week went by about the same. Ponies lined up long before the day started, the stand was opened, Soarin’ flew around greeting ponies and helping sell the cider. At the end of the day, Applejack noticed that, again, there were a lot more ponies who didn’t get cider than in previous years. On the day before the party, Applejack called a meeting before they opened the stand and told everyone to really work hard to make as much cider as possible that day. At the end of the day, they had a large stack of barrels. While everyone else was inside eating dinner, Applejack stayed at the stand selling cider until the line of ponies was gone and everypony got some. She only had one barrel left, which she carried on her back after all the customers had gone. Soarin’ and Clover met her halfway between the gate and the farmhouse. They carried a tray of food, a pair of saddlebags, and a fold-up picnic table between them. Soarin’ was wearing a bowtie and had a small, fake mustache on his muzzle. “Hey, AJ,” said Clover. She regarded them with a quizzical stare. “What’s all this for?” “Well,” said Clover as he and Soarin’ began setting up the table, “since the party is tomorrow, I thought we’d celebrate our three-month anniversary tonight.” The two stallions finished setting up. When they were done, the picnic table had been decked with a red tablecloth, candles and place settings for two. “Aw, Clover,” cooed Applejack, blushing. “You didn’t have ta go ta all this trouble fer me.” “Yeah I did, ‘cause you’re worth it.” Her blush intensified and she smiled at him. Setting the barrel down, she wrapped her forelegs around his neck and kissed him. He wrapped his forelegs around her back, pulling her close as he deepened the kiss. Soarin’ was feeling increasingly awkward, and decided to fulfill the role Clover had asked him to play in his planned night of romance. Clearing his throat, he spoke using an accent. “Mademoiselle et monsieur, your table eez ready.” The couple broke apart and took their seats. “Wow,” said Applejack, playing along, “ya even got a fancy waiter all the way from Prance.” Soarin’ took a showy bow. “I am ‘appy to be of service, mademoiselle.” He turned and brought two bowls over from the tray of food and placed them at the table. “Ze first course,” he announced, “eez a cheese and apple salad wiss walnuts and a bar-de-luc dressing.” He pulled a bottle out of the saddlebags and poured each of them a glass, saying, “and to drink we ‘ave a lovely two year old cider from zee orchards of Sweet Apple Acres.” Clover and Applejack chuckled as Soarin’ left the table and they enjoyed their salads. When they were done, Soarin took two plates with coverings from the tray and set them on the table. He removed the coverings, revealing two plates of apple stir fry garnished with parsley. When they had finished this, he brought out dessert; two slices of apple pie drizzled with caramel and topped with whipped cream. “Be sure ta give mah compliments to the chef,” she told Soarin’. “I shall, mademoiselle,” he replied, still using the accent. Turning to Clover, he said, “ze lovely lady gives you ‘er compliments.” “You can cut the act now. Ah know Clover didn’t do all this by himself.” “Hey, give me some credit,” said Clover indignantly. She gave him a deadpan look. “Ya barely know how ta boil water.” The grey stallion blushed in embarrassed defeat. “Alright. Rarity made the salad dressin’, Granny and Macintosh made the food and Sweetie Belle put the garnish on the plate. But the idea was mine,” he added with a grin. She came around to his side of the table and wrapped her forelegs around his neck again. “And it was one’a the best dates we’ve had.” She leaned in and kissed him. When they broke the kiss, Clover gestured with his hoof in the direction of the orchard. “Come on, the night’s still young. Let’s go for a walk.” “What about the…” “Don’t worry,” said Soarin’, “I’ll clean up.” “Thanks buddy. I owe you one.” “No problem.” The couple began a slow walk in the direction of the orchard, leaning against each other. Soarin’ blew out the candles on the table and, over the course of a few trips, took everything back to the house, barn, or cellar and put it away. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and the Crusaders were still at the house hanging out. Macintosh, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and the Crusaders were all seated around the table playing a game of Go Fish. Rarity was at the window watching for when Applejack returned. As soon as Soarin’ stepped in the front door, she began probing him for details about Applejack’s date. He told her what happened and she became irritated at the lack of detail in his description, complaining that stallions just didn’t get it. By the time Applejack came back from her walk with Clover, Luna had raised the moon for the night. Clover dropped Applejack off and said goodbye at the front porch. After a kiss goodnight, he went home and Applejack came inside. She was smiling from ear to ear and looked like she could give a pegasus a run for their money in a floating contest. Rarity was at her side in an instant, looking like she had just spent a few days in the desert and Applejack had a bottle of water. “Well?” the white mare probed. “Well what?” said Applejack dreamily. The unicorn rolled her eyes and groaned. She grabbed Applejack’s hoof and half-lead, half-dragged her into the living room. “Come on, darling, I want details!” Applejack gave a dreamy sigh. “Ah think Ah can say it was the best date ever.” A/N: Not really sure I like the ending. It seems to just end abruptly, but I can't think of a way to clean it up.