“Ya’ll go have fun now, you two,” warbled Granny, waving a hoof at Applejack from the back door. Suddenly, those crinkled eyes shot wide. “But remember your sister’s bed-time, Applejack. She’s only a li’l young’un.”
AJ chuckled, checking out the corner of her eye to see the sun still high above the orchard. “I won’t, Granny.”
That smile was back quicker than varmints after Winona went to sleep, and Granny disappeared back into the house, closing the door behind her.
Not that that could stop Granny’s shout. “Macintosh! If you wanna’ spend t’night curled up around that mare o’yours, y’can help clear up these’re plates!”
“Eeyup.”
Applejack just couldn’t help herself. Tilting her head back, she let out another belt of laughs, shaking her head once it was all over.
And then all of a sudden she was squeezing her lip between her teeth. Shoot. Why hadn’t she asked to help clean up—
Nah. She shook her head, harder this time, and her hoof clattered against the pebbles. She had found something to do… whatever it was going to be. Well, she hadn’t. Smirking, she turned around. The little honour of finding something to fill the evening with went to one little filly right…
AJ stared for just a second, before flicking her eyes every which way around the courtyard, her brows inching closer and closer as the only flashes of yellow and red turned out to be hay and apples.
“Apple Bloom?”
“Comin’, Sis!”
That squeaky little voice echoed. AJ immediately looked over at the barn. Her shoulders shifted, all loose again, as she spotted her sister, beaming like the noon sun and… lolloping like a cart-pony with a bad back?
Applejack smirked, her eyes focusing on the jug peeking out over the rim of her sister’s tiny saddlebags, following it as it bounced all the way to right in front of her.
“Sorry, Applejack,” AB took a couple of deep breaths. “Was jus’ gettin’ somethin’ for when we get there. You ready?” she chirped, back to that big, cheery grin.
“Sure, Apple Bloom.” That little thing gnawed away at her belly again. “But, uh…” She tapped at jug with a hoof. “Min’ tellin’ me what you’ve got this for?”
Apple Bloom tensed up, and an even worse something pulsed through AJ’s middle. AB gave a little chuckle. “Uh…” she looked at the floor. Another pulse. “I-I wanted it to be a surprise, Applejack.” A smile struggled to hold strong on that adorable little face of hers. “If you don’t mind, that is…”
Land sakes. What was with her, today?
Applejack bent down and nuzzled her sister. Somewhere inside her, she made sure that little gnawing thing got a fate worse than Tartarus.
“’Course not, sugar-cube.” She pulled away, only letting herself smile when AB’s had grown back. “Go on, lead the way.”
With a quick flash of teeth, AB scampered off toward the trees.
AJ sighed. She was getting a long, hard look at herself when she got back.
One more shake of the head, and she followed that bouncing tail and head bobbing from side to side into the orchard.