A/N: For full effect, read this blog post first.
Sweet Apple Acres Barn #3 sat on the edge of the south field, well away from any other structure and most importantly right now, well away from anypony who might complain about the noise. It was no DJ-Pon3 affair, but Pinkie Pie still knew how to throw a pretty loud party.
It was currently a dry spell, just after Winter Wrap Up, between birthdays and other party worthy events, so the only reason publicly given for this party was that Pinkie felt a party was in order to break up the monotony. It was seemingly not a very crafty plan and would have been a bit of a non-sequitur coming from anypony else, but it was believed at once coming from the mouth of the Pink Party Pony.
If there was anypony capable of getting the Queen of Secrets herself to break the sort of promise which bore her name, they would know that Dashie had asked her to arrange the party and give everypony the flimsy, but believable excuse she had used. Thankfully, there was nopony in Equestria that could pull off such a feat, and even if they could, Dashie hadn’t even told her the real reason for the party anyway, so nyeh.
Pinkie stood by the gramophone, one eye watching Twilight spazzing out on the dance floor, and the other waiting for a signal from Dashie to enact the cunning plan. Or to put on a Llamantinan dance record Dashie had given her earlier and have a little box ready for later. It was part of the cunning plan, so Dashie had said, but that was all she knew for sure.
Dashie and Applejack had hardly been apart, and knowing Dashie, this plan had to have something to do with her marefriend, so Pinkie started to let all of her attention drift to Twilight when Applejack wandered away from Dashie over to the punch bowl. A knee-wobble, ear-twitch, tail-flick combo stopped her. A friend trying to get my attention? Dashie? Oh no, the signal! Pinkie tore her eye away from Twilight and fumbled with the record, managing to bounce the needle and plonk Dashie’s record down on top of her own dance music album before it landed.
A lively Llamantinan song flowed silkily out of the gramophone’s horn. Pinkie returned Dashie’s salute and watched as her pegasus friend clasped a rose between her teeth and reared up behind Applejack as the earth pony turned at the change of music.
“Care t’ dance, pretty filly?” Pinkie tried to keep from laughing at Dashie’s horrible Llamantinan accent and funny eyebrow wiggle, but it seemed to work pretty well on Applejack who reared up to join her with a grin.
Pinkie, Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity all watched in awe as the marefriends tangoed. Dashie led first, taking advantage of Applejack’s strong hind legs to trace rather wild patterns across the dance floor, keeping their chests pressed tightly together and eyes locked on each other.
In time with a key change in the music, Applejack snatched the rose away and took the lead which Dashie didn’t seem to mind at all. All four of them, Rarity not the least, ooh’d and aah’d as Applejack led Dashie into some amazing twirls, Dashie fanning out her wings as she spun around as gracefully as Fluttershy.
Finally, both of them took hold of the rose in their teeth, for some rough back and forth hoofwork that almost looked like a fight except for the grins on their faces. All four spectating ponies clopped their hooves together as the pair dropped back to all fours, panting and sweating a bit.
“Whoooeee!” Applejack exclaimed. “After a tango like that, a couple oughta get married.”
Pinkie very nearly missed signal number two after getting lost in all those super duper dance moves, but her knee started to wobble again and she hoofed over the box before the combo got to finish. Instead, a new combo took over, and Pinkie sensed a Doozy was incoming!
“You read my mind, pony girl.” Dashie sank to her haunches and held up the open box in her forehooves. Inside was a pair of red, yellow and blue hair ties, each with a little cloud clasp. “AJ, will you marry me?”
“Darn tootin’, sugarcube!” Applejack leaned in to kiss Dashie like nopony’s business.
Pinkie’s gasp and cheer was matched in volume and enthusiasm by Rarity, with Twilight and Fluttershy holding a close third and fourth. Once they stopped kissing, Pinkie pulled everypony into a group hug that was finally broken by a predictable shout, if somewhat redundant given the circumstances.
“This calls for a party!”