Chapter One
"Hot Tea and Sugar Cookies"
Applejack slammed the door behind her, shutting the frigid gale out, and allowing the warmth of the farmhouse to flow over her as it replaced the icy tendrils that had managed to sneak inside.
"Ah'm home, Dash!" she called out, knowing the pegasus was probably asleep upstairs. Looping her scarf over the hook against the wall next to the door, and removing her snowboots, Applejack stepped into the kitchen and began pouring water in the tea kettle. A few moments later, she placed the kettle on the stove, and switched on the burner.
"Hey, Dash, wake up! Ah got somethin' ta tell ya!" she called out again, her voice ringing throughout the quiet house. A moment later, she heard a muffled voice attempt to placate her, followed by a thump coming from overhead. She let the corners of her mouth drift up slightly as she grabbed a plate from the rack and a few sugar cookies from the jar, and set them on the table.
As she heard the unsteady thumping of a half-asleep pegasus trying to right herself continue above her, she placed a tea filter, and a small portion of tea leaves over each cup. As she heard hoof beats begin descending the stairs, the kettle began to whistle, and she quickly moved it from the stove, deftly pouring boiling water over each tea filter, filling the waiting cups with the sweet, heady aroma of apple spiced cinnamon tea.
Hurriedly, she placed the kettle back atop the cooling stove, and trotted back into the dining room, she heard her wife stumble around the corner. Applejack looked up to see the matted, pillow swept mane of a bleary eyed mare.
She chuckled as she reached over and nuzzled her, nipping Dash behind the ear. It had the desired effect of instantly bringing the mare to full wakefulness.
"Yeah, yeah, hey, glad you're home, AJ." Dash said as she leaned into the nuzzle, kissing Applejack on the cheek.
They separated a moment later, and Applejack motioned to the table where the warm cookies and hot tea were waiting for them both. As they sat, Applejack removed her hat from its perch on top of her golden maned head, and placed it on the table in front of them.
For a moment, they just sat in silence, sipping their tea, and chewing on the cookies. It was Dash that eventually broke the silence.
"So, AJ, what was so important that you had to travel out in a blizzard? I mean, we scheduled one of the biggest snow days of the year today, and it's not really safe for you to go out in this kind of weather."
Applejack smiled. "Oh, sugarcube, ya don't need ta worry about me. Ah'm a big filly, and Ah can handle mahself outside in the snow. It ain't mah first snowstorm ya know. We was havin' 'em before ya became the Chief Weather pony, champ, and speaking of," she paused for a moment to glare at the previously aforementioned weather pony, "who puts a blizzard at the beginnin' o' November? Nightmare Night was only a week ago, an' now the foals are shoutin' 'bout a snow day. Wonder what genius done cooked that one up?" she finished, still holding that same glare, but softened her words with a sly wink at her best friend.
Dash rolled her eyes and grabbed another cookie. Taking a bite, she pointed the cookie at Applejack as she responded. "Hey, Farmer Brown, if you remember, your gorgeous, awesome, daredevil of a wife has to hothoof to the drum of the Mayor's office, and you know as well as I do that Mayor Mare wanted to get the blizzard over with early this year, since we're starting winter wrap up a week early at the end of the season." She took another bite of her cookie before continuing. "And on top of that," she said, crumbs from her mouth pelting Applejack in the face, "I've got the ponies at the weather bureau in Cloudsdale riding my flank because they messed up a snow order, and now you know who has to make all that snow disappear before the end of the year? Me. That's who, and guess who made all that snow disappear? Me. That's who."
Applejack raised an eyebrow and brushed away a crumb that had landed on her muzzle. "Ya done now?" She asked the pegasus mare.
Dash huffed, crossed her forelegs and closed her eyes in defiance. "Yeah, I'm done."
"Ya mad?"
"Kinda."
"Ah didn't insult ya, ya know."
"I know."
"Then how can ya be kinda mad?"
"Cause."
"'Cause why, sugarcube?"
"Cause it might get me some makeup kisses."
Applejack smiled at the mare's shallow tactic. "So ya want some makeup kisses, do ya?"
Rainbow Dash tilted her head just a touch, and opened one eye, focusing it on her wife. "I think I deserve them after what you've said."
"Ya think so?"
"Yeah, I do. I mean, that's all kinds of emotional pain and stuff. You might have caused damage and suffering, you know." She closed her eye again, and sniffled lightly at this, as if on the verge of heartbreak.
"Ah've been a bad pony."
"I would say so."
The sound of hooves lightly touching the floor was heard. "Ah've just been the worst to mah poor, darlin' wife, haven't I?"
"I think we've reached an impasse."
"An impasse? Really, now, sugarcube?" came a voice, much closer than it was before.
"Yep. We're like two ships passing through the night, and one of them has a, uh, hole in the boat."
"Oh mah, yer a literary fountain' o' knowledge, Dashie."
Rainbow Dash's heartbeat jumped upon hearing the sound of her nickname pouring from the lips of her lover. It cascaded over her, and sent chills down her spine, raising the fine hairs along her withers. Before she could react any further, however, she felt a warm muzzle against the underside of her jawline. She kept her eyes closed as she felt those lips began to leave trails of kisses down her neck.
"Um..." she said softly, not wanting to shatter the moment, but definitely wanting to know what had got AJ into a romantic mood. She was a passionate mare, of that Rainbow could vouch most vocally, but she was more the 'wait-until-its-bedtime to fool around' kind of mare, not the 'let's-do-it-on-the-table-right-now' kind of mare. Not that this was a problem with Dash, but it drew her attention in more ways than one.
"So, uh," Dash began, but was cut off when Applejack pressed her lips to Dash's own, cutting off her next words. Dash's eyes opened wide, but it took only a moment for her to lean into the kiss, feeling Applejack's tongue against her lips, forcing entry. Rainbow Dash didn't even resist. A scant few moments later, Applejack had brought Dash from the chair to the floor.
They kissed passionately for what felt like ages, Applejack running her hooves up and down the cyan mare's body, tenderly caressing the most sensitive areas, as Rainbow Dash did the same. What felt like ages, but was in reality only a few minutes, they finally pulled away from one another, both of them panting for breath as Applejack scooted in next to her wife.
After a few moments, Applejack spoke up. "Ah," she began, trying to catch her breath before continuing, "Ah want ya to know that Ah love ya, Dashie," she said.
Rainbow Dash turned her head toward the farm mare. "I know, and you know I love you too."
Applejack smiled. "Ah know."
A few more moments passed before Rainbow Dash spoke up. "So, what brought this on? I mean, not that I don't like it, and not that I wouldn't want us to do this a lot more often, but you don't usually do that kinda thing, you know?"
Applejack's smile faded slightly. She blinked a few times, slowly, as if shoring up a thought before one would break a piece of bad news.
Dash caught this, and put her left foreleg under Applejack's head, and used her right hoof to rub the mare's belly. She watched as tears began forming in Applejack's eyes. This brought her to full alert. Something was bothering Applejack, and she had to find out what it was.
"Hey, AJ, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Applejack said nothing, but instead reached up and held Rainbow Dash's hoof against her stomach.
"Rainbow?" she asked quietly, her voice tremulous.
"Yeah, AJ?"
Applejack took a deep breath. "Remember last year, back when we had Twilight help us with that spell she done had?"
Rainbow Dash frowned. "Which spell, AJ? You know Twilight, she's always using some kind of spell for something or other."
Applejack nodded. "Yeah, but ya'll remember this one. It was the one we used ta help us... ya know... make something happen."
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she remembered. A year ago, about a month after the wedding, and shortly after Violet had moved to Canterlot to begin her apprenticeship, Applejack had talked about a quiet house, and how nopony should have to live in a completely quiet house. So they had both decided to visit Twilight to see what they could do about that issue. Seeing that they were both mares, they knew that if they wanted to grow their family, it would require some magical intervention, and of course Twilight had been more than willing to help out in that area.
Rainbow brought herself back to the present. "Yeah, I remember. We tried, and tried, but nothing ever happened. Twilight said that success was highly unlikely, and then she rattled off a bunch of numbers that I don't remember. Why? Is that what's bothering you? I mean, if you want, we can try again. I know Twilight would do it without a second thought."
"Ah don't want her ta try again, sugarcube. It wouldn't do no good."
Rainbow Dash's heart sank. Still, she tried her best to raise AJ's spirits. "Why not? You're not one for giving up. There's no reason why we can't try again. Twilight's an egghead, maybe the biggest- scratch that, she is the biggest egghead I know, that anypony knows. She's the greatest magical mind in all of Equestria outside of the Princesses. If anypony can help us, it's her, you know that."
"Ah don't want ta try anymore, sugarcube."
"That's not like you, AJ. I don't mean to sound frustrated or anything, but you're the most stubborn pony I know. You want a family, I want a family. Most of all, I want us to be happy together."
It was silent for a moment. The words sitting in the air, floating on a hundred hopes from both ponies.
"Ya mean that, sugarcube?" Applejack said at last, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Rainbow Dash smiled as she sat up. Before answering, she stood, and helped Applejack into the living room. They sat down on the large, overstuffed couch. Rainbow Dash placing her head against Applejack's, and putting her hoof back on her wife's stomach.
"I want whatever you want, AJ. You've made me the happiest mare in all of Equestria. I could never give back all the love you've given me. Whatever you want, I want. You want a family. I want us to have foals, so we can all live together as a family, so we can raise them to be hardworking, awesome, honest, and loyal."
"Mah goodness, sugarcube, ya been a deep thinker today, all o' that fancy talkin' ya been doin'."
Rainbow Dash snorted. "I know. Twilight got me a Daring Do Word-A-Day calendar for my birthday."
"Really? What was this mornin's word?"
"Impasse."
A momentary silence was broken upon by a collective chuckle. The chuckles grew into laughs, which became deep belly laughs, until tears were streaming from each pony's eyes. They held one another, and they laughed. A warm feeling had suffused each of them, and they basked in the glow of their companionship, treasuring each moment, because each moment was a treasure.
"Oh, sugarcube," Applejack said after the laughter had died down. "I never told ya why Ah had ta go out today."
Rainbow Dash smiled as she nuzzled her wife, breathing in the scent of her shampoo, and the fragrance of her natural aroma, which interestingly enough smelled like apples. "Yeah, what was that about, anyway?"
"Well, Ah had to go see the Doc. Ah had chipped a hoof yesterday when Ah was tryin' ta buck the dead branches off o' the old Elm tree behind the barn, and Ah was concerned it might have gotten infected."
"Oh, I see. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Ah didn't want ta worry you with somethin' so small."
"You know I'm always here for you, AJ."
"Ah know it, Rainbow. Ah know you're loyal forever."
"Darn right."
"Ya'd never leave me, and Ah'll never leave you, sugarcube."
"Soulmates for life, AJ."
"Yep."
"Yep."
"Dash?"
"Yeah?"
"Ah'm pregnant."
FIN