//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 
// Story: Applejoy 
// by BronyNeumo 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 14

On such a cold, windy day, most residents of Ponyville were more than content to spend their time indoors, holed up in their cozy homes against the bite of frosty wind and blowing snow. The skies had been clear of clouds for a couple days, but the arrival of the brisk wind signaled an end to the clear weather.

At the moment, however, the day was still bright and clear, and the airborne drifts of snow that blew their way down Ponyville's streets did little to dampen the mood of those who did venture outside. A few quickly shuttled themselves to and fro between heated buildings, unwilling to let the cold bother them as they went about their business. Even fewer milled about in the plowed city streets, ignoring the cold for the chance to experience the day and enjoy themselves, marveling at the pristine white beauty that had besieged their town.

With so few outside, a kind of fantastic silence had descended upon the town. The only sound that could be heard was the low, subtle whistling of the wind as it gusted its way down the streets. The beautiful quiet was broken by a pair of fillies, whooping and hollering as they chased each other, their hooves sounding off the cobblestone streets with a fast clapping noise.

"Come on, AB! Give me my scarf back!" Scootaloo laughed as she ran, watching the other filly, who barely managed to stay out of her reach, as she went.

"You'll have ta catch me first!" Applebloom looked back over her shoulder at her pursuer. She spoke around the edges of the fabric she held, clenched tight in her mouth. The striped purple and white ends of Scootaloo's borrowed scarf flapped behind her as she ran.

Scootaloo squinted as she ran, the wind whistling past her ears. Her hooves pounded against the cobblestones as she built up speed. With Applebloom in her sights, she flexed her wings, drawing them out to get the wind under them. With a few flaps, she was airborne. For a few seconds, she felt like she was going to lose her balance and tumble out of the air, before her wings finally caught and she soared upward.

Zeroing in on Applebloom from above, she leaned forward, gaining momentum in the air. Applebloom looked back just in time to catch a fleeting glimpse of her pursuer before Scootaloo collided with her, sending both of them tumbling headfirst into a snow bank. Scootaloo, victorious, had Applebloom pinned underneath her. The yellow filly lay belly-up in the snow. Scootaloo wrenched the scarf from her grasp and set it aside. "Caught you."

From underneath her friend, Applebloom smiled, and then leaned forward to lightly brush her lips against Scootaloo's. Scootaloo's eyes went wide in surprise, and she almost seemed lost in the kiss for a split second, before, reflexes kicking in, she jumped backwards. Applebloom looked up in concern. "Scoot? What's wrong?"

Frantic, Scootaloo swung her head left and right, checking for anyone who could have seen. There weren't many ponies out on the streets and she didn't see any who might have seen them. She sighed in relief. She turned back to Applebloom, who was still shooting her a questioning look. "Please, AB, not here." She breathed quietly, her eyes wide. "Not where ponies can see us."

"What's the big deal? Ah thought ya liked me?"

"I do..." Scootaloo sighed, gathering up her scarf, "I do like you, a lot, but I don't want ponies to see us like that. I'm just not ready."

Applebloom picked herself up out of the snow bank, walking over to the other filly, but refraining from touching her. "It's Ok, Scoot. Ah understand."

Side-by-side, at a much more subdued pace, they made their way towards the Carousel Boutique.


Without thinking about it, Rarity moved the pin from side-to-side in her mouth as she contemplated the dress before her. It was, to anypony else's eye, a beautiful piece. Smooth, flowing lengths of lacey fabric in several shades of maroon and light purple were layered upon one another, shimmering ever so slightly with the sparkle of tiny, hoof-selected gemstones, set in elegant, waving patterns flowing down the back of the gown. The fabric ended in several slight curls, curving up from the bottom hem to end in wispy lace. It was, by all accounts, a beautiful dress, but to Rarity's discerning eye, it just wasn't perfect.  Not yet.

It was nearly done. Of course, she had spent most of the morning and a good piece of the previous day getting it this far, but it was the final touch, something truly unique to really set the dress apart, that had Rarity stumped. So focused was she on the dress before her that she didn't notice her sister happily trotting through the door, into her workspace.

"Hiya, sis! Watcha doin'?"

Rarity jumped, very nearly hitting the dress form in front of her, but she caught herself just in time. On her hooves again, she whirled around, her gaze finally settling on Sweetie Belle. She sighed. "Sweetie Belle… please don't interrupt me when I'm working."

"Sorry, sis. I just wanted to talk to you."

Rarity smiled. "That's quite alright, Sweetie. I was having design trouble anyway. I could use a break."

Sweetie Belle stepped around her sister to view the new dress in its entirety. "Who are you making this for, anyway? It's so pretty!"

"Well, actually…" Rarity suddenly found herself blushing, though she couldn't understand why. "This one is a personal piece. I've been working since yesterday to make this dress absolutely perfect."

"Why?" Sweetie Belle admired the glimmering waves of sparkling fabric as she moved around the dress, looking at it from all angles. "What's the special occasion?"

Sweetie Belle looked up, blinking in surprise to see her usually calm and collected sister blushing even harder. "Well…" Rarity started, but couldn't seem to say any more. Instead, she looked up towards the shelf next to her and lifted a small envelope off with her magic, bringing it down to her sister. She levitated it in front of Sweetie Belle's eyes, removing a piece of paper from within and unfolding it so she could read.

They were both silent as Sweetie Belle scanned the page, her eyes flicking from line to line. Finished, she returned to the top, reading it aloud as if she couldn't believe the words on the paper. "Dearest Rarity, I've been doing a lot of thinking recently and I've come to the conclusion that there is something very important I must tell you, or, ask of you, as it were. I will be coming to Ponyville in three days' time. I do hope to meet up with you then, as I have been away so long, and I have the dearest wish to see you and speak with you, my love. I shall be eagerly awaiting my trip and the next time I may look upon your beautiful face. Canterlot does get boring from time to time, anyway…" Sweetie Belle looked up, her eyes meeting her sister's. "Rarity! 'three days' time'? That's today, isn't it? Fancy Pants is coming here? Today?"

"YES! He is!" Rarity gently set the paper down on the shelf again. Beaming, she looked about ready to jump for joy. "He's coming this evening and he has something important to ask me! Sweetie, do you know what this means?"

"Is he gonna ask you? Do you think he's really gonna do it?"

"I think so! Two years of dating ever since that bi-… uh… not-so-nice mare Fleur cheated on him and I think he might finally propose! Oh, Sweetie, everything has to be absolutely perfect!"

"Oh, Rarity, I'm so happy for you!" Sweetie Belle walked forward to give her sister a big hug, feeling Rarity's tight embrace in return. "Any stallion would be so lucky to have you as a wife."

"Oh, thank you so much Sweetie Belle. I-" Rarity was interrupted by the chime of the doorbell. Both sisters stood in place for a moment, waiting, as the ringing of the bell slowly faded to nothing. "That can't be him. He said he'd be here in the evening. I'm not even ready yet!"

"It's ok, Rarity, I'll get the door." Before her elder sister would even think to protest, Sweetie Belle had trotted across the store and reached the door. She reached for the handle and swung it open to reveal her two best friends, standing at the threshold and grinning widely. "Hey Scootaloo, hey Applebloom!"

"Oh thank Celestia," Rarity sighed as she waltzed into the storefront, grateful to see that her visitors were not, in fact, her coltfriend.

"Hey Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo stepped into the shop, shaking the snow from her pelt. Applebloom followed close behind.

"Sweetie Belle? Could I see you for a minute?" Rarity shifted nervously on her hooves as the two fillies dripped water all over her freshly-mopped floor.

"Sure, Rarity." Sweetie Belle trotted over to her sister, who kneeled down to whisper in her ear. "Sweetie, I really need this night to be perfect, and, well, I can't have…"

"Oh, I get it, sis. Don't worry. We'll be outta her way before he gets here." Sweetie Belle smiled brightly. Rarity hugged her.

"Thank you dear, now go have fun!"

"Hey, Applebloom!" Sweetie Belle trotted over to her friends, about to lead them to her room. "Can we go over to your place this afternoon?"

"Sure, Sweetie." Applebloom glanced at Scootaloo. "You can come over to our house later."

"Wait… 'Our house'? Are you two living together?"

Scootaloo looked away slightly, hiding her blush from her unicorn friend. "Well… it's a long story. We'll tell you everything soon."

Rarity smiled and shook her head as the three friends walked down the hall, their voices receding as they went. She quickly whisked a mop form her broom closet to wipe up the wet patch on the floor before returning to her study. She had a lot of work to do to prepare, after all.


Applejack watched out the window with growing concern as the tall bank of clouds approached from over the Everfree Forest. The storm was building, and it appeared to be headed straight towards Ponyville. "Dash? Hey Dashie?"

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash looked up from where she had been playing with Applejoy, by the fire. Seeing the look of concern on her wife's face, she stood up and walked over. She lay a wing across her wife's back and looked out the window as well.

"Is that storm planned?"

Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head. "No… that's coming in from the Everfree Forest. Storms happen naturally in there. That's not pegasus-made."

Applejack stared for a few more moments. "Is the weather team gonna stop it?"

Again, Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I haven't gotten any notice on it, so I can only assume Cloudsdale doesn't want to waste pegasi on it. They probably want to just let it hit town, instead of trying to intervene. Everfree storms are hard to stop, especially in winter, but they're usually short. This one shouldn't last past morning."

"Ah'm still worried. It looks strong, and Applebloom and Scootaloo are still out there."

Rainbow Dash kissed her cheek, chuckling lightly. "Oh, AJ. You worry too much about everypony. They're smart fillies. They know how to stay safe. They're probably over at Rarity's right now. They'll be fine."

Applejack leaned against her, taking comfort as Rainbow Dash held her gently. "Ah hope they don't get stuck out there."

"Tell you what: If it makes you feel any better, I'll go out and go to Rarity's to check on them."

"Ah'm comin' with you."

"No. You stay here with our daughter. She might need you, and the last thing we want is for you to be gone if she does."

Applejack opened her mouth to protest, but shut it again, opting instead to bury her face into her lover's mane, breathing in her scent as deeply as she could. "Be safe," She whispered.

"Don't worry. I'd never do anything to risk not coming home to you and Applejoy. I'll be fine. By the way, I need your scarf. I gave mine to Scoot."

"Ah know." Applejack kissed her gently. "Ah love you."

"I love you too, AJ."


"No way! Really? You two are together now? Like, as in, fillyfriends together?" Sweetie Belle blinked in incredulity at her two best friends.

"Yep." Applebloom smiled proudly, Scootaloo only looked off in a different direction, blushing slightly. "Ah guess we are fillyfriends now!"

Sweetie Belle jumped forward to draw them both into a tight hug. "That's so great! You two make such a cute couple!"

"Yeah, yeah." Scootaloo tried to wave her off. "Please don't tell anyone, Ok?"

"Ok, I won't tell. But I still think it's really, really cute!"

"See, Scoot." Applebloom embraced her fillyfriend. "Ah told ya she would be happy fer us."

"I know. I guess you were right, AB." Scootaloo smiled slightly, returning the hug. "So, you're not jealous or anything?" She turned to Sweetie Belle.

"What? Oh, no." Sweetie Belle laughed. "I like colts!" She kept laughing and soon her friends joined her. In seemingly no time at all, the three were rolling on the floor together, whooping up a storm and struggling for breath as they went, having fun with each other as if nothing had ever happened.

In time, Sweetie Belle sat up, panting and wiping a tear from her eye as she struggled to stop giggling, and looked up at the clock. "Oh, dear." She jumped to her feet, realizing the time.

"What's wrong, Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom stood up as well, Scootaloo just behind her.

"We have to go now. It's getting late."

"Why?" Scootaloo, too, glanced at the clock. It didn't seem that late to her.

"Rarity has a big date tonight. We have to be out of here so she can get ready."

Quickly, Sweetie Belle led her friends downstairs and back to the shop's front room. They met Rarity as she was tidying up the room. "Bye sis!" Sweetie Belle called. "Good luck!"

Rarity trotted over to give her sister a quick hug. "Thank you so much, Sweetie." She walked beside them to the door. When she opened it, the wind nearly thrust it open all the way, only a quick application of magic kept the interior wall safe. A small flurry of snow blew into the room as well. Rarity shut the door. "Sweeite, if you're going out, you need to bundle up!" Quickly, she whisked a coat, a scarf, a hat, and a set of boots through the air from a back closet, stuffing Sweetie Belle in, even as the filly tried to protest.

"But Rarity, we're only going to Sweet Apple Acres!"

"I won't have you catching a cold out there. Sweet Apple Acres is too far to go without protection anyway."

"Fine." Sweetie Belle groused as the last button was fastened on her jacket, sealing her in against the cold and driving snow. Rarity once again held the door open, making sure to hold it firmly in her magical grasp to keep the wind from grabbing it once more.

Sweetie Belle wished her luck one more time before they set out. As the door shut behind them, Applebloom and Scootaloo realized the wind had gotten stiffer than it had been before. They scrunched their noses, burying themselves behind their scarves, as they set out. The snow blew into them fiercely, stinging their faces as they walked, making them struggle to make headway. They looked up to see a wall of clouds advancing upon the town. Even more snow could be seen falling in its wake. The wind was blowing even harder and the sun, which had shown from a clear sky for days, was in danger of being blotted out by the advancing clouds.

If there had been few ponies outside before, there were none out in this weather. The gathering ferocity of the nearing storm made going outside for anypony miserable at best. Even the plow-pony, who normally worked diligently to keep Ponyville's streets clear during the winter months, had retired indoors when faced with the stark conditions. Drifting snow was beginning to pile up even higher. One by one, shutters were closed in the windows of the houses and shops lining the town's streets, as residents began to brace for the coming storm. The street grew darker and darker.

By the time the three fillies had reached the other side of town, the only light coming from any building emanated from Sugarcube Corner. Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, walking in a group to share body heat and keep themselves together as best they could, were just passing the colorful storefront when the door was whisked open. They looked up in surprise, shielding their eyes from the nearly blinding glow of the brightly-lit interior. Blinking, they could make out the form of a pink earth pony who seemed to be calling to them. They moved closer, struggling to hear her words over the din of the storm.

"Applebloom! Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Come inside! It's super-duper-not-nice out there!"

"Pinkie Pie?" Applebloom stepped into the colorful bakery, grateful for the reprieve granted from the blustery weather. "What's goin' on?"

"What's going on? You three silly fillies are outside in the storm, that's what's wrong! You should come inside, where it's all cozy-wozy!"

"I don't know Pinkie Pie…" Applebloom turned to look back out the door, gesturing in concern to the building mass of clouds. "I think we should try to get to the farm quickly. It looks a-might dangerous out there."

"Come on, AB," Scootaloo walked up next to her as Sweetie Belle struggled to loosen her jacket, "we could use a break. Besides, I'm getting hungry; we could use some snacks, too." Scootaloo eyed the display counter, still lined with nearly every sugary treat imaginable despite the poor weather.

"Oh, alright. But just fer a little while. We need to get home before the storm gets too bad. Ah guess a little break won't hurt nothin'." Applebloom frowned, looking out a window as Pinkie Pie closed the door. The sky boiled with thick, black clouds. The sun had disappeared, and Ponyville lay shrouded in darkness as even more snow, gray against the black backdrop, began to fall. She shivered. "Ah hope."


The storm was about to break. Rainbow Dash fought to keep herself in control in the midst of the swirling wind and snow. Above her, the dense cloud cover rumbled and rolled, seeming to be on the verge of releasing its torrent of pent-up snow at every second. Rainbow Dash pulled Applejack's scarf tighter around her face. It served as her only guard against the stinging bite of the icy wind. Below her, the trees of the orchard whipped past. She ducked and rolled, attempting to pick up speed to outrun the coming deluge, even as every erratic gust threatened to buffet her off course.

Years of serving with the weather service had, of course, given her the vital experience needed to fly through such tumultuous storms. She ignored the cold, concentrating on correcting for every single alteration of her flight path. She opened her wings to catch updrafts, swerving through the air to navigate the crosswinds that constantly seemed prime to throw her off course. On the horizon, the dark buildings of Ponyville loomed before her, a mere silhouette against the white ground. A haze of blowing snow obscured everything below her in what seemed a white fog. It was surreal.

The roaring of the wind and the crashing of the Everfree storm howled in her ears. She tried to shut the deafening noise out. Her eyes never left her target, even as she dipped and rolled through the air, always making sure to keep some semblance of control over her body. A particularly strong gust of headwind hit her. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes against the icy blast, fighting to keep from being blown backwards. Experience told her that her wings would only act like a sail. She folded them to her sides and dropped like a stone. She fell until she could no longer feel the force of the headwind. She spread her wings again and beat them like mad, clawing her way back up into the sky. Opening her eyes, she found herself in the midst of a nearly blinding swirl of kicked-up snow. An errant treetop flashed by just off to her left.

She fought her way up, finally clearing the top of the trees in front of her. Suddenly, the wind shifted and blew from behind her. Caught off guard, she tumbled head over hooves, the ground flashing through her field of vision several times as she spiraled downwards. She threw her wings out into the wind, angling her body in the opposite direction of her spiral, and began to glide, swooping down towards the ground in a wide, fast arc. Just as she dove through another patch of whirlwind flying snow, she pulled up. Her wings caught more air and she angled upwards, back towards the frothing clouds above her. Just like that, she had cleared the orchard. Before her lay a narrow, sweeping plain that bordered the stream. Just beyond the stream lay Ponyville. Dark, quiet and empty at the late, stormy hour.

Weaving through the slipstream, Rainbow Dash flew over the plain and the stream, angling her way across the darkened streets and houses of Ponyville proper. Her destination came into view. Even as a silhouette, the tall spiral of Carousel Boutique was unmistakable against the backdrop of blowing snow. Rainbow Dash angled herself downward, half falling and half gliding towards the street below. She skimmed above the surface, touching her hooves down lightly on the icy road. She skidded forward, using her wings as airbrakes as she braced herself for a crash, finally coming to a controlled, yet erratic stop in a snow bank. She stood up, shaking herself off. Her head pounded a bit from the crash landing, but a normal one would have been near impossible given the conditions.

Shaking her head to clear the ringing in her ears, she walked briskly towards the boutique, only a dim light in a window of the bottom floor guided her. She reached the front door, the tall façade affording her shelter for a moment as she attempted to compose herself. The snow whirled around her, blowing down the narrow street as if it were in a wind tunnel. She quickly knocked several times on the wooden door.

To her surprise, it opened almost instantly. "Oh, Honey! I'm so glad you could… wait… Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, yeah." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, forcing her way inside and out of the cold and driving wind. "Great to see you too, Rarity."

"I'm terribly sorry to seem rude, Rainbow Dash, but I was expecting somepony else."

"Who?" Rainbow Dash shook herself, sending a barrage of snowflakes to the freshly-mopped floor. Rarity cringed. "Oh, is it your stallionfriend from Canterlot?"

"Well, yes…" Rarity grabbed her mop again, preparing to wipe down the floor for a third time.

"He's coming here? On a night like this?" Rainbow Dash looked at her, incredulous. Rarity sighed.

"Yes, well, we didn't exactly plan on there being such a storm tonight, but his train arrived almost twenty minutes ago. I should think the weather will make him late, but I am sure he will be here shortly. So, what…"

Rainbow dash cut her off. "What's with the fancy get-up, Rare?"

Rarity blinked in surprise several times before looking down at herself. She wore the dress that she had just completed mere hours ago. She looked back up to meet Rainbow Dash's curious gaze, finding herself blushing slightly. "Oh, right… well, I do have a very big night planned for tonight, and when Fancy Pants wrote me several days ago, he said that he had something very important to tell me. I think… I think he might be ready to propose."

Rainbow Dash stood speechless for several seconds before she jumped up, dragging her friend into a crushing embrace. "Rarity! That's so awesome!"

Rarity took a few deep breaths as she was released, smiling all the same. "Thank you very much Rainbow Dash, now, if you don't mind…"

"I remember when I proposed to AJ, the look on her face and everything, it was almost perfect. In fact, we were…"

"RAINBOW DASH!" The pegasus stopped talking abruptly. Rarity cringed. "I'm terribly sorry for snapping at you, but I must say, I'm expecting him soon and I would rather like for us to be alone. So, could you please tell me the purpose of your visit?"

"Oh, right." Rainbow Dash grinned sheepishly. "AJ wanted me to come here and check on the girls, just to make sure they got here safe."

"The girls? Well, they left some time ago. I should think they would be back at the farm by now."

Rainbow Dash visibly blanched. "You mean they're out there, alone?"

"What? No! Like I said, they left a good while ago, before the storm was even too bad. They've had plenty of time by now, at least over an hour."

"Rarity, listen to me. I just flew here from the farm. I left maybe ten minutes ago. If they left when you said they did, they would have been back before I left. They weren't back yet, Rarity. I haven't seen them."

For several seconds, Rarity couldn't speak. Her mouth opened and shut itself uselessly before she gathered her composure. "You mean they're still out there? Right now?"

"Probably."

"We… we have to find them! They can't be out there… not when it's like this! They…"

"Woah, Rarity. Calm down." Rainbow Dash gripped the mare's shoulders, knowing the signs of an oncoming panic attack just as well as any of the regal unicorn's friends. "You don't have to do anything. I'll find them. You stay here and wait for your stallion. That's pretty important."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. I would never leave my friends, especially not the girls, hanging. I'll find them. You can be sure of that." Rainbow Dash hugged her friend gently. "Oh and, Rarity? Good luck." She whispered into her ear, cracking a smile.

Rarity sighed. "Thank you Rainbow Dash." Hot tears traced their way down her cheeks, though she didn't know why. She couldn't help them, really. They pulled apart. Rainbow Dash returned to the door. Cautiously, she eased it open. The wind nearly caught it, but Rainbow Dash held firm. Outside, she could see nothing but a veritable wall of blinding white, as a deluge of snowflakes poured down from the skies above, blanketing the dark town. Rainbow Dash gulped.

The storm had broken.