Out in Ponyville

by Shatterpath

3

Chapter 3
++ Applejack ++

Limp and practically hyperventilating with stress, I can only gawk at a sweetly smiling Twilight. Did she just say what I think she just said? The stress of the day catches up to me and I can’t stop collapsing like a newborn foal. A throaty chuckle makes every hair on my body feels like they're standing straight up in lusty reaction and I can’t help but peek up at my crush. Unbelievably, improbably, impossibly, Twilight Sparkle, my secret crush whom I’ve been mooning over for months now, is smiling at me like I could mean to her what she means to me.

Neatly tucking up her hooves, Twilight lies down in a delicate, catlike curl so close to me that our body heat mingles. Then she rubs her chin over my forelock and giggles sweetly. “You silly pony, getting yourself so impossibly worked up. You should know me better by now. I just need time to think things out and I can deal with anything. Now tuck your hooves up and come a little closer.”

Hardly daring to believe this is really happening, I do as I’ve been told and scoot closer to her warmth. Gingerly resting my chin on her withers, I breathe deeply, making my head swim and my whole body tingle. It feels good to be this close, even better than I’ve imagined over my years.

“So, um, Miss Sparkle,” I hedge quietly, enjoying the tickle of her mane as she coils her neck around to smile. “Might I call on you one day?” Faint puzzlement knits between her eyes and I shyly elaborate. “I mean to take ya out. Y’know, to get to know ya better than just a friend.”

“Like a date?” Twilight is completely tickled with the idea; I can see it in her expression. Seems I’m in for another of her social experiments, like the near disastrous slumber party. Oh well, I knew what I was getting into with this filly… Didn’t I?

Warm and silky, Twilight's warm body is drugging me back to sleep. Beneath my chin and throat, her regular breathing and the faint thrum of her heartbeat are soothing my recent nervous breakdown. She smells good too, which I’ve noted before and really notice now. Clean fur and herbal shampoo and the library smells that always seem to cling to her.

“Of course my answer is yes.”

And with that affirmative to cheer me further, I can sleep.

My dreams run a twisted trail of good and bad. While I’m thrilled at this new chapter in my life, I can’t help but wonder what my family is going to think. And the rest of the gang. Will all of Ponyville get all weird? Will Princess Celestia? And Twilight must have folks somewhere and who knows what they’ll think…

The racing thoughts jerk me awake to the deep dark before dawn. For a long moment I’m completely disoriented, looking around until the dim shapes of the library remind me where I am. Not to mention the presence of the pretty little unicorn who has changed my life so. Before her, I was fairly ordinary, content to carry on the traditions of my huge clan. Then came this peculiar, standoffish city pony and the saga of Nightmare Moon. Never would have seen myself getting involved in something so big, so important to all of ponykind. Who knew that she would put me and my friends in a position to become extraordinary?

Fondly, I cock my head to one side to watch Twilight sleep peacefully. She hasn’t moved much, still curled up like a cat. Dang but she’s cute.

Despite the early hour, I’m wide awake now. This isn’t a surprise as apple buckin’ season isn’t that far away and I’m pretty well permanently tuned to wake early anyway. And… I suppose I really should get home; even if a part of me is truly reluctant to.

“Twi,” I whisper and nuzzle her ear, snuffling until she stirs and giggles sleepily.

“Stop it, AJ,” she slurs and blinks those big violet eyes before yawning hugely in my face. Laughing, I rub cheeks with her and reluctantly stretch to stand.

“Ah hate to leave, Sugar, but ah should get home. Looks like the snow stopped and the moon is out.”

“Wish you didn’t have to,” she murmurs around a lazy cat stretch, showing off delicate filly muscles she didn’t have once. Small town life suits her.

“Me too. But I’ll come back tonight and we’ll tell the others, together.”

“I can’t keep you to myself for a just a little bit?”

It’s the sweetest darn sentiment and she sounds so wistful that my heart just about melts. So I nose her again and smile. “We’ll play it by ear then. Together.”

“Together.” It sounds good and makes us both happy. Briskly, I nudge my new girl towards the stairs near the front door. “Now, I gotta get home. May I come a callin’ on you tonight, Miss Twilight?”

Giggling coquettishly, Twilight actives her magic with a glowing horn and Rarity’s scarf floats out of nowhere to drape around my neck. With a brief touch of her nose to mine, a most pony of friendly kisses, she turns away and takes a few steps up the stairs. When she pauses to glance slyly over her shoulder, I know I was right in telling her the truth about my attraction. No matter what happens, I can’t regret that decision. Besides, Rarity would have rightly kicked my rump.

“I’d like that. Have a good day, Applejack.”

“You too, Twilight,” I murmur back, watching her climb the stairs to her bed before shaking my head and stepping out into the bracing cold. “Brrr! Gonna be a long walk!”

After a chill, crunchy trot home through the orchards that have always been home, I’m back at my family house and have yet to actually go inside. Truth is, I’m nervous. Right now, I’m too raw for questions. And with my folks still visiting, questions are inevitable.

Sure enough, Mama’s voice calls out the moment I open the door. “Applejack honey? Is that you?”

“Yes, Mama.”

“Thank goodness. The stallionfolk were all fired up to race off to find you in that storm last night.” She’s as beautiful as ever, my mama, as she steps around the corner to smile. “Ah told them they were bein’ silly. You’re a grown mare now and can take care of yourself.”

“Thank you, Mama. I stayed in town with a friend. Figured it was safer.”

Until I was a grown mare, I didn’t much resemble my mother, though I’ve always shared those big, pretty green eyes. As a foal it was hard to believe we were even related, much less mother and daughter! With my pale, earthy colors, I contrast with her luxurious coat of sunset pink and darker mane and tail. In fact, I have the most ordinary coloring of my whole family. Apple Bloom will look more like Mama; I can see it even at this young age. I favor Pa’s side more, even if his hide is as green as an unripe apple!

Mama steps over to me to give me a gentle kiss between my eyes, just as she has always done. This marvelous lady has always been a mellowing influence on we rougher Apple folk. And she is indeed a lady, just as much as Rarity or any of those snooty ponies that sneer at me and mine. She’s delicate and slender of conformation even after four foals, and I realize that Twilight is built just like her. Boy, I hope thinking about my new girl isn’t making me blush!

“There ya are!” Pa’s voice carries across the kitchen and the foal in me cringes at the censure in his tone. “Ah see yer mother was right, of course.”

He’s gruff, but I love him. “Good morning, Papa. Ah didn’t mean to make anyone worry. Storm caught me by surprise and Rarity persuaded me to stay put.”

He nods and gives me a small nudge as he clops past. “Smart of ya. Just worried.”

“Thank you, Pa.”

Breakfast is hearty oatmeal, liberally sprinkled with honey and dried apple chunks, a family favorite. As though drawn by the wonderful smells, Big Macintosh stumbles in, herding a drowsy Apple Bloom. My big brother glares at me, but is characteristically quiet, but my little sis bounces over for a nose rub. “Applejack! See, I knew you were too smart to have somethin’ bad happen to ya.”

“Well, thank you kindly for yer concern, little lady.”

Giggling, she stands up on her hind legs, putting her forefeet on my chest. “Where’d ya get the pretty ribbon? You never wear those.”

Oh drat! Flushing self-consciously, I resist pawing the silly thing off and smile at my sister, ignoring that Mac has stopped glowering and is smirking now. Oh, he’s gonna needle me about my girlie accessory later; I have little doubt of that. “Twilight was having some fun with me. I plumb forgot it was there.”

“Well, ah like it.”

Incident promptly forgotten, Apple Bloom goes to her chair and gets to work on her breakfast while Mama noses her ears affectionately. It was a tough call for my folks to leave her behind when they had to go to Bridleham down south after last harvest. My grandsire is mighty ill and needs Mama to care for him, 'cause the sour old cuss has driven everyone else away. There was some heated debate about Pa going with her, but Big Mac and I persuaded him not to send Mama off alone. My folks don’t do well apart. They reluctantly decided to leave Apple Bloom with us so that she could continue with school and her usual routines. We’ve been doing okay all this time, even if we kids miss them fiercely.

Heck, Jazz Apple left for that fancy music school of his when he was real young, though certainly not as young as Apple Bloom. I miss my teenage brother sometimes, the artsy airhead! It's been nearly two years since he's been around except a few visits here and there. Wonder if he'll make it home for Winter Solstice. Probably just gonna hang out with Mama and Pa down in Bridleham again. Sigh...

We aren’t the kind of family to dwell on what’s done, so we carry on with the start of our day as though I hadn’t worried them by being out all night. Luckily, Apple Bloom is in a particularly chatty mood and I can give her half an ear while I brood over Twilight.

Part of me feels disoriented that life moves on as though I haven’t had an earth shattering revelation. With little more than me asking, “Barn?” and Mac grunting, “Ah-yup”, it’s business as usual. Well, mostly business as usual. When he leans down and mouths the ribbon, I kick him in the shin. The big jerk.

We politely greet the cows and halfheartedly listen as they ramble at us while we clean and scrub and organize. The farm always gets beat up and messy during the busy, warm times of the year. Winter is for cleaning up and keeps us busy for most of the season. Lunch is status quo, but at dinner I notice Mama eyeing me as though she suspects that there’s something deeper to my quiet today. Thankfully, I slip away before she can corner me and gallop through the half-melted snow to town. It’s a nice run with my hooves in galoshes and my hide warm under a thick winter saddle with a scarf of my own as well as Rarity’s loan. Cold bites at my nose and ears, but I relish it, feeling giddy and coltish, so to speak, kicking my heels and zigzagging among my beloved apple trees. It feels like some sort of lazy summer daydream, Twilight actually taking a chance on me like this.

First stop is Rarity’s Carousel Boutique where I’m actually relieved that she has a couple customers. That should mean that I won’t get a barrage of questions. I’m a terrible liar, always have been, and I’m not quite ready to share just yet. Flashing a grin at my dressmaker pal, I uncoil the borrowed scarf and leave it on her worktable before heading back to the door.

“How did it go?”

Darnit! She caught me! My grin grows, the happiness in me like too much water behind a dam. “I’ll let you know soon, ah promise.”

And with an amused glare of outrage, Rarity lets me go. She’s smart enough to read my giddy smile and is generous enough to let me go for now, but I better ‘fess up the whole story soon or she’ll lecture me until my ears smoke!

Trotting happily across the town square, I acknowledge a few hellos but don’t deviate from my destination. I feel giddy as a foal with too many sweets in her belly, hyped up and happy. Past stores and homes, the massive tree that houses the library stands tall, windows glowing cheerfully in the falling darkness.

“Buck up, Applejack,” I murmur to myself, trying to calm my nerves. Blowing out a huge breath, I clomp my foot against the door and wait.

“Come in!”

“Here we go,” I whisper and push the door latch with my chin to enter the space.

“Hi, Applejack,” Twilight greets me cheerfully, same as she always does, from where she peers over the balcony railing of her bedroom space. “Be with you in a moment.”

“’Kay.”

The very normalcy of the quick interaction is strangely jarring. For a moment, my inner scaredy-filly freaks out that maybe yesterday never happened and I’m having some sort of weird dream… or nightmare. Then two stacks of floating books and the clatter of hooves heralds Twilight’s entrance. Even as she turns her attention and smile to me, the books separate and float off to various locations in the room. It’s easy to forget sometimes just how powerful a sorcerer this young mare really is.

“Hi,” she demurs shyly and it reassures me that my freak out is apparently unfounded.

“Hi,” I parrot back, feeling just as shy. We both stand there like idiots for a long moment until I realize that I’m starting to sweat in my winter clothes. “Can ah interest you in a walk?”

Her smile is answer enough.

Lickety-split, Twilight is bundled up and we’re out in the cold to aimlessly wander. I’m happy to let her lead me towards the river to the west, ducking behind the library and away from curious eyes. The fields are soggy from the half-melted snow, but our boots ignore the muck. Unlike Rarity, Twilight isn’t one to freak out over getting dirty; though she certainly is never thrilled with a mess. She looks beautiful tonight, even in the fading light. Her saddle and hat are dark green, contrasting nicely with her coloring of violet and midnight blue with that distinctive streak of pink in mane and tail.

“Do you miss your parents?”

The question comes out of the blue and I turn my attention to it immediately. “Sure ah do, but it’s worse for Apple Bloom. She was really upset when Mama and Pa had to head south to take care of my grandsire,” I put on my snootiest voice, complete with raised nose, “the esteemed General, Reverent Gala.” To Twilight’s giggle, I revert back to my own voice. “The fact that we share the apple name theme has always amused me. In a gallows humor sorta way.”

“Why is that?”

“Grandsire always though Mama married beneath her.” It still grates, his haughty disapproval of my hard-working pa. Not to mention how Big Macintosh and I turned out so much like him. Shrugging off that old pain, I change the subject. “Gettin’ cutie marks late runs in my family, goin’ back to my Mama. So Apple Bloom’s obsession isn’t entirely dramatics. Mama was full grown and still no cutie mark, so she went wanderin’ all over Equestria ta find her callin'. Amazin’ really, since she’s such a proper lady an all; but she’s tough too, like Rarity.”

“She sounds amazing.”

As we amble, Twilight scoots closer, our ribs and shoulders bumping as we walk, her tail brushing my fetlock like a caress. It throws the wheels off my mental wagon for a moment, before I shake my head and do my best to do justice to Mama’s favorite story.

“She wandered and made friends and did odd jobs to find a place to sleep and stayed with obscure family members n’all. She's too proper a lady to brag 'bout her beautiful voice, but it kept her in work most times. Anyway, she tells that she was on the way to Canterlot when she stumbled inta Ponyville and liked it right off. Then Pa spotted her and it was love at first sight. My Pa is a farmpony through and through, much a part of the land as any tree. But he tells she was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen and was smitten from that first moment. They was married after the harvest and Mac was born that very next winter.”

“Did you ever want to be first?” It seems to me an odd question to ask and my expression must show that because she shrugs sheepishly. “I’m an only child and I always suspected that my parents really never expected me. They always seemed a little… at a loss of what to do with me.”

“To do with you?”

“Oh, it must seem strange to you, with a brother and a sister both, not to mention close parents and your huge extended family and all of that.”

“Two brothers, actually.”

“Really? I didn't know that. Where is the other brother?”

“Jazz is off at a fancy-pants music school in Manehattan. He got Mama's special gifts with music. He ain't around much.”

“Oh,” Twilight hedges, clearly not knowing what to say, so I offer a reassuring grin.

“He loves what he's doin', even if we miss him somethin' fierce. What about your folks?

“Mom and Dad are professional ponies and left me to my books a lot. Which was fine on my part. And I went to study with Princess Celestia when I was only ten years old.”

“Made makin’ friends here a new skill, huh?” So much about her makes more sense now. An only foal? Off to live with a stranger at the tender age of ten? I can’t even imagine it. A shift of my hind feet bumps my hip against Twilight’s, making her walk miss a beat. I chuckle and nose the side of her chin. “Well, yer doin’ a fine job of it so far, Twi.”

“Thank you.” She smiles shyly and startles me with a quick kiss, ever so close to the corner of my mouth. “It means so much to me, the friendship of you and the others. Sometimes you still confound me, but I’ve enjoyed the journey so far.”

“Me too. ‘Specially this part.”

Blushing, Twilight suddenly leaps away to whirl and canter past me, breaking into a full gallop. Oh, so she wants to race, huh? I take the challenge for what it is, an invitation to play, rearing up and spinning to chase that pretty tail. It’s marvelous, uncomplicated fun, weaving through the trees and the chilly, damp grass. Oh, there’s little doubt that I could catch her if I wanted to, but what’s the fun in that?

Giggling and goading each other on, we race about the gathered darkness until Twilight trips up. She clearly doesn’t realize how close we are to the water and I put on a near-magical burst of speed to grab her tail and yank her back. Of course, this leaves me to trip over her and we go down in a tangle of legs. For a terrifying moment, I’m fearful we’re going to end up in the river despite my efforts, but a familiar pinkish-purple glow halts our momentum, gently nudging us into the cattails. There are sure some interesting benefits to this unicorn’s unique magic.

“Oh, Applejack! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

She sounds so worried that I can only laugh in relief. We’re tangled up like a cat in Granny’s knitting and soaked from the half melted snow. I wouldn't change a thing.

“Sugar, if you wanted to cuddle, there’s easier ways to ask then nearly dumpin’ me in the river!”

Expressive eyes blink in bewilderment for a moment and then we’re both laughing and laughing until we're breathless. Then, stillness settles and time seems to slow. All my life, ever since I started noticing the other fillies as more than just playmates or rivals, I’ve dreamed about this, dreamed about kissing a girl. The violet eyes are night-dark in Twilight’s serious face where she sprawls half atop my larger body, heart beating against mine, both of them so fast.

“Is this where I kiss you?”

It’s such a Twilight question that I burst out laughing once more. “Yer so funny! C’mere.” Hooking a foreleg around her neck, I pull her close until we are pressed together from nose to forelock, her horn a hard reminder against my skull. It’s certainly one of the more obvious things that make us different. “There ain’t no rush, pretty girl. And no real rules that ah know about.”

“Sure there are! I read up today,” she exclaims earnestly and I swallow more laughter. Of course she read up. “There are many unspoken dating rules, like not kissing until the second date. But there wasn’t a whole lot of information, I have to admit, for someponies in our situation...”

“I’m a not surprised. There ain’t a lot of my, well our, kind around. Otherwise I’d’ve lost you to some other mare the day you waltzed inta town.”

“Flatterer. Is tail pulling your way of flirting?”

“Wha…?” The question catches me off guard and Twilight leans up a bit to watch my expression with a smile. In this scattered moonlight, the sparkle part of her name dances in her mischievous eyes.

“You have to admit that it’s an excellent way to get a girl’s attention.”

“Twilight Sparkle, if pulling a filly’s tail was mah way of flirtin’, I’d be out here with Rainbow Dash. And, while I like Dash just fine even when she’s bein’ a brat, I think I’d have to kill her if she were any more involved in my life. That girl is a handful and needs someone way more attentive than me! Not to mention patient.”

Now she’s laughing girlishly, completely amused by my false outrage, and I can’t help but join in on the hilarity. The giddiness makes me light-headed and my ribs ache from laughing. “You make me happy,” I confess through the giggles, and Twilight quiets and eyes me seriously once more.

“Apparently, it’s mutual, though I’m certainly no expert. Now get up before you get any wetter and colder.”

Immediately, I miss the heat of her body as she stands and briskly shakes off as best she can. It messes up her neat mane and makes her even more adorable. Ya got it bad, Applejack!

Comments

[Nadake]

So cute.

Oh, and I just noticed this "a most pony of friendly kisses". Type-o, or were you intentionally making that the most adorable thing ever?

[tilkau]

You have a very picturesque way of writing, it's lovely.

"With a brief touch of her nose to mine, a most pony of friendly kisses, she turns away and takes a few steps up the stairs"

Do you mean "..the most pony of.." ? "a most pony", even by analogy to 'a most human', causes my brain to fail at parsing it.

[Vivex]

"All my life, ever since I started noticing the other fillies as more than just playmates or rivals, I’ve dreamed about this, dreamed about kissing a girl."
This line, sums up everything I want in a shipfic that doesn't revolve around the sexuality confusion.
She knows she likes fillies, she's not doing it on a whim or "I've never felt this way before."
And it's done in a very elegant way.

[Painfulldarksoul]

So much fluffy cuteness.

[Alpha123]

When you realize she has a brother ??