A Trip to Remember

by Gallifrey

Under a Summer Tree

A Trip to Remember

by Gallifrey

Chapter Twenty
Under a Summer Tree

“C’mon Rainbow Dash!” called Applejack, as she examined a tree closely.

Rainbow plodded over to her. They had been at this for about an hour now. Applejack had shown Rainbow the signs that a tree’s fruit was maturing nicely, and had asked her to help examine some with her. The pegasus would have found it extremely tedious if she didn’t have Applejack for company, talking together about everything and nothing, often at the same time.

Applejack led her to a small glade at the bottom of the farm. There was a small stream running through it, willow trees grew around the water along with much lush, tall grass. They settled down on their backs in the dappled shadow of one such tree, watching the branches sway gently in the breeze.

“It sure is nice out here,” said Rainbow lazily as she stretched.

“This is one of mah favourite spots on the farm, ah come here to think about things.”

“Think about what?”

“Oh everything! Usual things like friends and family, but ah also come down here at night when I can’t sleep and look at the stars and wonder how we all came to be.”

“Wow AJ, that’s pretty deep stuff!”

“Ya reckon?”

“Sure! I hardly ever think about that stuff.”

“Perhaps you should Rainbow, I find it makes me feel happy.”

“Hmmm…” said Rainbow thoughtfully.

Silence descended on them for a short time.

“What are you thinking Rainbow?” asked Applejack curiously, after they had lain quietly for a few moments in the grass.
“About how awesome I am,” replied Rainbow, “and how awesome you are. Why?”

“No reason firefly, jus’ wonderin’”

“What do you think ‘s’gonna happen with Twilight and Big Macintosh?” asked Rainbow.

“Ah dunno, but I guess we’re gonna find out soon enough.”

A pause, then:

“And what do you think ‘s’gonna happen with us?”

“What d’ya mean?” said Applejack apprehensively.

“Oh no no no, I don’t mean I’m unhappy or anything! I was just wondering when we might…” She cleared her throat, “Ya know… I dunno if you feel ready for that stuff yet…”

She started blushing.

“Bucking?” said Applejack bluntly.

“Um yeah… Only if you feel ready and stuff,” said Rainbow awkwardly, her usual bravado collapsing under pressure.

“Well, I dunno” said Applejack, turning to the blue mare, “gimme a lil’ time to think about it,”

She moved over on top of the pegasus, and hugged her, for no other reason than for the simple joy of hugging the pony she loved. She inhaled deeply, the smell of the grass mingling with the sweet, familiar scent of Rainbow’s mane. Applejack pulled up and looked down at Rainbow lying on the grass.

She’s so beautiful. She thought, drinking in Rainbow’s lithe, sleek and muscular form, her glossy, sky blue coat and colourful mane, falling gracefully across the ground. She looked into the magenta eyes as she traced a hoof slowly over Rainbow’s body, beginning on her tummy, moving through the soft fur up past her rapidly beating heart, along her neck to rest on her cheek.

“I love you,” Rainbow said softly as Applejack leaned closer.

“I love you too,” said Applejack, moments before she pressed her lips to Rainbow’s.

It wasn’t the most passionate embrace they’d shared, but it was by far the most tender, the most loving. Applejack raised her hoof from Rainbow’s cheek to run it through her thick mane. She knew Rainbow liked it when she did that and was rewarded with a small giggle from the pegasus and a slightly more forceful kiss.
Rainbow eventually broke the kiss and slowly pushed Applejack to the side to position herself on top. The pegasus undid the ponytail in Applejack’s mane, she preferred it when it wasn’t tied up. She leaned in for another kiss, a more passionate one. As was usual between them, Rainbow started to make a competition out of it, picking up the pace that Applejack had to match or beat.
The earth pony meanwhile didn’t intend on playing by the rules. With a sly inner grin she gently ran her hooves up Rainbow’s back, right to the base of her wings, and pressed down gently.
Rainbow broke the kiss and yelped, though not in pain. Applejack knew that a pegasus’ wings were very sensitive.

“Ya like that Rainbow?”

Rainbow could only nod, eyes closed and shuddering as Applejack ran a hoof along Rainbow’s good wing.

“AJ,” said Rainbow huskily, “have you—nngh—made a decision yet?”

Applejack bit her lower lip and looked at Rainbow through half lidded eyes. The sight drove the already excited Rainbow Dash wild.

“That’s for me to know,” she said, pulling Rainbow closer to her so she could whisper in her ear, “and for you to find out.”

Rainbow felt a thrill run though her like electricity as Applejack whispered those words. She looked hungrily at the earth pony beneath her and grinned as she leaned in for another kiss.

--------------

Applejack and Rainbow Dash returned to the house some time later, they had completely lost track of time and it turned out they had missed dinner.

“Where in Equestria did y’all go?” asked Big Macintosh, opening the door and quickly returning to the stew they had for dinner that he had been keeping hot for them, “We started to get worried about you.”

“Sorry brother, we went out for a walk,” said Applejack holding the door for Rainbow.

“A real long one,” added Rainbow, “thanks AJ.”

The stallion raised a skeptical eyebrow but didn’t question them further. He noticed that they seemed to be acting very odd.

Well, odder than usual. He thought.

He saw that Rainbow kept stealing subtle glances at Applejack when she thought he wasn’t looking and that his sister would return them with a small smile.
Big Macintosh was a lot smarter than most ponies gave him credit for; he could put two and two together and notice details that others would often miss. He saw that the way they kept glancing at each other and the way they were speaking to each other was different from when he saw them off on their trip, the niceties such as holding the door that were just a tad beyond normal politeness; all that combined with their disappearance that afternoon only led to one conclusion…

Oh my… Well, I can’t say I’m not surprised, I never thought AJ’s barn door swung that way… Miss Rainbow, well, most everypony guessed that already. Not that I mind of course, I even took a fancy to Caramel that time a while back… That didn’t exactly end well, when he got a girlfriend and all. No, my heart’s set on Miss Twilight, the most clever, the most talented, most beautiful…

“Big Mac!” shouted Applejack, waving a hoof in front of his face, he snapped back to reality.

“Sorry,” he said with an apologetic grin, turning off the stove and ladling out their dinner for them.

“Thanks Big Macintosh,” said Rainbow as she dove into it.

“T’ain’t no problem.”

He watched quietly for a few minutes, observing the chemistry between the two mares as they talked together, wondering when to voice his thoughts. He watched and waited with his elbows on the table, hooves gently tapping together, until Applejack and Rainbow took a big mouthful of stew into their mouths at the same time and then decided to ask innocently enough:

“What’s goin’ on with you two then nowadays?”

Both mares sprayed their stew and started coughing.

Gotcha!

That was all the confirmation he needed, if they weren’t together, the stallion reasoned, they would have reacted with either puzzlement or would have talked about the “walk” they had supposedly been on.

“What d’ya mean?” asked Applejack, trying to act casual.

“Ah, mean, you an’ Rainbow are together.”

“How did you—”

“Jus’ a guess,” he said modestly.

“Well, ah suppose there’s no point in denying it,” said Applejack, ears flattening, “yes we’re together.”

“Then please let me offer my congratulations to you both.”

Applejack and Rainbow let out a collective sigh.

“You have no idea how much that means to us,” said Applejack.

“No, but ah can guess, now, let’s get this cleaned up,” he said, looking at the mess that had been spewed onto the table.

----------------

Applejack opened the door to her room to find it exactly as she had left it. She sighed in contentment as she lay on her bed.

“Oh wow, ah’d forgotten how comfy my bed was,” she said as she melted into it.

“AJ, you don’t mind if I take a shower do you?”

“O’ course not firefly, knock yourself out.”

As Rainbow left, Applejack set about unpacking her bags. She shoved the tent and sleeping bags under her bed, put her other equipment in a cupboard and last of all, set her harmonica on her bedside table, next to a small picture of her parents. She smiled sadly and sat up.

“Ah should really wash too,” she muttered to herself.

She got and walked down the corridor to the bathroom, the floorboards creaking slightly. She knocked on the door, she couldn’t hear the shower running.

“AJ?” came a tentative voice.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

A pause, then the lock clicked on the door and Applejack opened it.

“I was worried it was somepony else, that would have been a little awkward.”

Rainbow was in the middle of drying her body, her coat was ruffled and her mane and tail were untidy. Applejack grabbed a brush with her mouth and straightened Rainbow’s tail for her.

“Thanks AJ,” said Rainbow once dry, “I’ll take it from here, you get in that shower.”

Applejack passed the brush to her, and in the exchange, Rainbow snuck in a quick kiss.

“Cheeky,” said Applejack grinning.

Rainbow only winked as she couldn’t exactly speak well with a brush in her mouth.

--------------

After her shower, she went back to her room to find it empty.

“Rainbow?”

She heard something move behind her but wasn’t fast enough as somepony jumped on her back and felt a pair of hooves cover her eyes.

“Guess who?” said Rainbow as they tumbled onto the bed, well, Applejack did, Rainbow overshot and fell to the floor on the other side.

“You alright Rainbow?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” replied the pegasus, rubbing her head and getting into bed.

“Good,” said the earth pony, nuzzling Rainbow gently.

“So why’s Twi coming over tomorrow? You never told me.”

“Huh? Oh yeah, she wants to see Big Macintosh tomorrow, so ah say we give ‘em some room, s’only fair.”

“Okay, where should we go?”

“Hmm, we could just go Ponyville and wander around? Do a bit of shopping, have some lunch.”

“Sounds great to me!” said Rainbow, snuggling up to the earth pony as sleep started to fall upon her.

Applejack reached a hoof around Rainbow and closed her eyes.

“Ah love you firefly."

“I love you too AJ.”

Comments

[MoonfireXD]

D'aaawwwwwwwwww! I has no other words that describe my thoughts.

[Hobbestc]

I agree. That was full of D'aaaaawwwwwwww!

[HyperMonica]

YAY!!! I LOVE BIG MAC UGGH