“I don’t know why you do this to yourself,” Applejack said with a shake of her blonde head as she watched Rarity rearrange the blankets for the umpteenth time.
The sun outside had long since set below the horizon, leaving the shadows stretched and dark in Applejack’s bedroom. Outside, the wind swept through the farm and the orchard, stirring the apple grove with a simmering chorus of whispers. Applejack liked to think the trees were wishing them a good night’s sleep. When she wanted to tease her lover, she said the orchard was shushin’ all that fussin’.
“Comfort is an art, my dear,” Rarity replied with a wink as she nestled deeper into her carefully arranged blankets. She tucked her legs under her and her horn glowed blue as she pulled the blankets over her recumbent form with a gentle tug of magic. She sighed contentedly, her blue eyes turning hooded as she grinned coyly at her partner. “And fending off the cold is a tricky skill to master!” she added with a smug wink.
Applejack chuckled, setting her hat on the bedside table as she appreciated the way the moonlight lit up Rarity’s snowy hide. “Sugarcube, you manage to turn bedtime into a real complicated affair.” She hopped up onto the mattress, stepping gingerly over the blanket arrangement until she reached the spot Rarity had reserved for her in the middle of the soft nest she’d made. She hummed appreciatively as the unicorn used her magic to pull the blanket over Applejack’s body, enveloping her in warmth.
With a blush, she nuzzled Rarity, a little smile on her lips. “Though, I suppose if comfort is an art, then you’ve sure got the hang of it,” she murmured with a tiny sigh.
Rarity kissed her brow, making Applejack’s blush worsen. “How nice to know that you can slow down and appreciate the finer details!” the fashionista giggled.
Applejack rested her head on her pillow, inhaling deeply the rich scent of freshly washed sheets. Her green gaze softened as she gently touched a hoof under Rarity’s chin. She smirked. “There ain’t nothing finer than you, Rares,” she said softly.
Rarity’s brow wrinkled, her grin taking on a nervous tilt, and her cheeks reddened. Still, she flirted her luscious eyelashes and settled her head on her pillow so that she was gazing at Applejack. Their muzzles were mere inches apart. She could feel every warm exhale on her lips.
For a while they just lay there, breathing and gazing at each other. Applejack noted the radiance in Rarity’s blue gaze and the special moonlit gleam in her eyes like little stars bedded down in her lover’s sight. And how appropriate! Before their relationship, Applejack’s mind was caught up in the practical realities of running a family and all the efficient ways to go about it. Gather apples. Fix a wagon. Rustle up grub. Rarity knew how to slow down and she saw beauty and grace wherever she went. In her generosity, she had bestowed on this simple country mare a life bejeweled with wonder and love.
Gathering apples became appreciating the rich red hue of the fruit, and the way Applejack’s beaming face could be reflected on the smooth surface with just a little polish. Fixing a wagon became a chance to bring color and pride back to a tired old vehicle that had lost its luster thanks to years of hard use. Rustlin’ up grub for the family became cooking a handsome meal filled with little charming touches, like mashed potatoes carefully garnished with parsley, or trying a new rice pilaf because it looked handsome next to the sliced carrots.
“What are you thinking?” Rarity asked quietly, her free ear swiveling with interest toward Applejack.
Applejack smiled languidly at her, feeling her exhaustion from a long day’s work on the farm set in. She liked to tease Rarity that if she wanted Applejack to be alert and ready to go for, ahem, more private fun time, then she’d better darn well quit making the bed so comfy! How in tarnation was a body supposed to feel awake if her marefriend was going to keep transporting her instantly to the land of sleep?
“I’m thinking,” Applejack chuckled, “What a shame it is I ain’t got more energy for such a pretty gal like you.”
Rarity arched an eyebrow. “Darling, there’s something called ‘coffee’,” she pressed on, even as Applejack snorted out a graceless laugh that, nevertheless, earned her an affectionate eye roll. “I believe it was your ancestors who made extensive use of it when the country was still wild!” Rarity said turning her head just enough to get across that she was putting her dainty nose up in the air.
Applejack bit back a snicker as she tapped a hoof on her cheek. “Hmm… Would these ancestors be the same ones that came from the East?” Her smile turned impish as she pulled Rarity closer at the waist. “Because if I recall my family tree rightly, then my kin started off with good ol’ fashioned tea. Not coffee.” Her words became a low breathy murmur as she laid a kiss on the elegant bend of Rarity’s sleek white neck, grinning a little when this made her lover shiver.
Rarity’s eyes widened as she breathed into Applejack’s flicking ear. “What? No, surely you’re mistaken! I distinctly recall Granny Smith mentioning your great, great, great grandfather Apple Nutkin enjoyed black coffee!”
“I think I’d know my own family tree, Rares,” Applejack muttered wryly as she pulled back enough to gaze muzzle-to-muzzle at Rarity. “Nutkin was the first to drink coffee. But it wasn’t cuz he brought it with him. The southern buffalo tribe gave it as a gift when they arrived.”
Rarity pouted, her brow tensing under her polished unicorn horn. “Blast! And here I thought I’d finally got a handle on you Apple folk.” She brushed her nose with her lover’s as she raised a hoof to caress Applejack’s face. “I feel as though every day I learn something about you and your charming family.”
Applejack’s ears perked as she closed the tiny distance between them to lay a soft kiss on Rarity’s lips. She turned her head, moving gently against her partner’s soft mouth. So many little kisses she’d stolen this way, and never was it enough. When she pulled away, Rarity’s eyes were low, like she’d just closed them.
“The feeling’s mutual, Rarity,” Applejack said quietly. “You’ve made my life real special. Mixing up details of my family history don’t catch my interest near as much as the fact that you even bother to try and remember at all…” Her eyes tensed. “You ain’t just the apple of my eye. You’re the jewel of my life!”
Rarity hummed, her blush spreading through her light hide. She planted a kiss on Applejack’s snout, her lips warm and wet, before she nuzzled up closer, carefully tucking her head under the other mare’s chin. When the fashionista was settled, she rested her head against Applejack’s chest where deep inside the country pony’s heart was drumming up a calm and happy beat.
Applejack’s nose tickled with the sweet scent of roses from Rarity’s hair.
“Then I hope fervently that my love will bear fruit for you,” Rarity whispered. “For you’ve planted a seed in my heart, and every day my feelings for you grow.”
Feeling euphoria fill her, Applejack squeezed Rarity to her as she pressed her cheek against the unicorn’s cool, silky indigo mane. Her eyes burned, and they were getting harder to keep open. Something about the warmth and the clean sheets and the floral aromas and the soft everything was making keeping her eyes open a real chore. So she stopped trying.
Applejack never felt as safe or as loved as she did when nestled deep under the covers with Rarity.
“I love you, sugarcube,” she whispered. “Good night.”
She felt Rarity’s leg slide over her hip and squeeze her as well. “I love you too, darling,” Rarity said with a little yawn. “Pleasant dreams.”