Go Big AND Go Home

by Omegathyst

The Makeover

After two weeks, the two marefriends were ready to give the barn a makeover. All they had to do was find a day for all their close friends to pitch in with the help, and that day was today.

Twilight, showing her long wingspan, flew towards the barn and ignited a magical spell with her horn. A line of purple magic surrounded the lining of the barn roof as it slowly broke off from the barn itself with several cracks.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood right below her, watching with wide eyes and open jaws as she carried the entire roof with her magic. Just as Twilight turned away from the barn, Rainbow Dash flew to her side, whispering something in the alicorn’s ear. Before Applejack could speak, Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew off together, with the roof slowly floating behind them.

“Where are they taking that roof?”

Applejack looked over her shoulder to see her sister-in-law. Smiling and wrapping a hoof over Sugar Belle’s shoulders, Applejack shook her head.

“Heck if I know, sugarcube.”

The two mares jolted back as a bright light flashed, revealing Discord and a familiar yellow pegasus in his arms. Slowly stroking her mane with his lion paw, Discord smirked.

“Really now?” Discord cocked an eyebrow, glancing at the barn. “You silly ponies are going to spend hours renovating an entire barn, when a certain draconequus can do it all with a simple-”

“DON’T!”

Discord froze, his talon fingers paused from moving as he stared at Applejack.

“These ‘silly’ ponies prefer the joy of a job well done,” Applejack huffed, blushing as she looked at the sky. “And I want to make this barn look better than it’s looked in years, got it?”

“Oh fine,” Discord rolled his eyes. “Can I at least replace the windows with my fingers?”

“...okay, but nothing else,” Applejack decided.

Discord nodded, snapping his fingers and replacing the occasional window on the barn with four pony-sized windows, all of them automatically open.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Discord said, eyeing the windows. “What if another pegasus flies in those windows? One you don’t know?”

“We’ll keep them closed at night or when we’re all gone,” Applejack explained. “If they still fly in there, us Apples will be ready.”

Discord glanced away.

“Noted.”

Fluttershy jumped out of Discord’s arms, hugging Applejack and Sugar Belle.

“I’m glad you and Dash are moving in together,” Fluttershy grinned at her friend.

“Thank you, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “How are you and Discord doing in the cottage?”

“Oh, it’s been going so well,” Fluttershy glanced at the draconequus. “His magic is a real help with the sanctuary, and all the animals love him.”

“I’m sure they do,” Applejack smirked, seeing her brother arrive out of the corner of her eye. Behind him, she saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Rarity, all with buckets of paint. Rarity was levitating the most stuff out of anypony, trotting towards the barn.

“Greetings, Applejack,” Rarity said, setting down all her stuff beside the barn. “Congratulations on the move-in, by the way. Where is the lovely new barn resident, darling?”

“Off with Twilight,” Applejack shrugged. “She should be back soon though.”

“Of course,” Rarity nodded, levitating two of the three buckets she brought with her. “I had some ideas for painting on the inside, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, but why a barn?” Applejack tilted her head, a laugh nearly escaping her lips. “I thought rustic areas weren’t your style, sugarcube.”

“That’s just it,” Rarity batted her eyelashes, throwing her mane back. “A lady such as myself is always eager for the challenge. By the time we’re done with painting, this stylish barn will put all the other barns to shame!”

The laugh escaped from Applejack’s mouth before she could stop it.

“What is so funny, darling?” Rarity asked.

Applejack stopped laughing, closing her mouth shut.

“Oh, you’re serious,” Applejack deadpanned.

"Why, of course I am! Do you want to win this competition against your lover, or not?" Rarity gasped.

"How did you-"

"I've known you two long enough to know what this is all about," Rarity responded, pressing a hoof against Applejack's lips. "No fret, dear Applejack. I've got you covered."

Rarity trotted past Applejack with her buckets of paint alongside her. Applejack allowed a small laugh to escape her lips after she entered the barn.

"Ah Rarity," Applejack snickered. "Still the same mare I loved, go figure."

---

"Big Mac, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Big Mac looked to his left, easing the paintbrush into the bucket of red. Following his wife up a hillside full of apple trees, Sugar Belle turned to look at him, grinning from ear to ear.

Big Mac felt his heart beating like a drum as he stared at his wife, the spring wind blowing her bushy magenta mane around her face. As he took her in, he knew that this moment would change his life forever.

“I’m expecting your foal,” Sugar Belle announced.

Big Mac froze, only for a moment, before rushing over and closing his hooves around Sugar Belle’s shoulders in an embrace.

“We must tell everypony,” Big Mac said, kissing his wife right below her ear. “This is the best day of my life, Sugar Belle!”

“Maybe not yet,” Sugar Belle turned her head to look into Big Mac’s eyes. “Truth be told, I’ve never seen them act so passionate about a project. I want to see how this plays out, let them have their fun, y’know?”

“Those mares,” Big Mac rolled his eyes. “Alright Sugar, but after a ‘winner’ is decided, we tell everypony. Is that okay?”

“It’s more than okay,” Sugar Belle kissed him on the nose. “I love you, Big Macintosh.”

---

“Oooh! I’m so excited to have my very best friends all in one place again! I can’t wait, I must take a photo now!”

Pinkie allowed her camera to fall gently onto the grass as she propped up the camera, taking pictures of the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they painted. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were chatting away about the students in their classes, glancing at Pinkie out of the corner of their eyes. Pinkie looked at the photo, where Apple Bloom’s hoof was on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder, and smiled.

“Hey cousin,” Applejack approached Pinkie and hugged her. “The others should be here soon, Rainbow went-”

Applejack felt her body knock over and tumble onto her back, staring up at Rainbow Dash.

“What were you saying about the coolest marefriend in all of Equestria?” Dash asked, winking at Applejack.

“I wasn’t saying anything about her,” Applejack smirked. “I’m not that full of myself.”

Dash rolled her eyes, climbing off Applejack and looking at the mares that joined in the barn makeover, giving each of them a subtle nod. Applejack saw Big Mac and Sugar Belle approaching, and waved.

“Apple Bloom, get your butt over here. It’s time for pictures,” Dash called the earth pony.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, before looking at Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Can Sweetie Belle be in the pictures?” Apple Bloom asked. “I know it’s only been a few weeks, but she already feels like part of the family.”

“Aww,” Scootaloo cooed.

“Of course, always an honor to have a new Apple,” Applejack felt her heart beating, tears springing out of her eyes as she looked at the growing Apple family before her. Before, they were mostly earth ponies. But now, she looked at two beautiful unicorns…

...and a bright blue pegasus that always made her heart stop when she entered the room. Applejack leaned against Rainbow Dash, kissing her cheek.

“Hey sugarcube,” Applejack whispered in Dash’s ear. “Where the hay did Twilight go anyway?”

“Oh, she's still taking care of the roof still,” Dash shrugged. “Must be hard to find a place for that junk.”

“Uh-huh,” Applejack looked away. “Ready, Pinkie?”

“Absolutely!” Pinkie held her camera, waiting for the ponies to gather together with their respective partners. “Great! Now some funny faces!”

Dash pulled off the best one, dragging her eyelid down with a hoof and sticking out her tongue. Applejack laughed, her funny face facade broken.

Each of the three pairs found themselves kissing or looking in each other’s eyes at one point during the pictures. After the last of the family pictures was done, Rainbow Dash turned around and gestured her hoof towards the others.

“What are you all doing?” Dash grinned. “Get in the last pictures, you guys!”

Discord teleported to the family’s side with Fluttershy in tow, while Scootaloo and Rarity walked over to the family.

“I hope I didn’t miss anything.”

Applejack saw Twilight and Spike flying down to the ground. Twilight stood behind the entire group of ponies and Spike, spreading her whole wingspan around them in an embrace. Using her magic, Twilight removed the camera from Pinkie’s hooves, and lifted it in the air.

Pinkie galloped over to the group, crashing into them with several giggles. Twilight beamed at the camera as she took several pictures of her dearest friends, the Apple family, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, all the while using another fraction of her magic to gently place the new and pristine rooftop onto the barn. Twilight finally dropped the camera, turning to face the rooftop as it gently landed on top of the barn.

“Woah Twilight,” Applejack gasped. “I can’t believe you were placing the new roof on during pictures.”

“Oh, this is nothing,” Twilight winked. “I made sure there was a hole in the roof for Dash to fly in, just like you asked.”
Dash jumped off the ground, and within several seconds, had placed several clouds above the white roof.

“Now, time to test it out,” Dash flew into the barn, flying out of the hole and jumping onto the clouds before taking off into the sky. Several moments later, Rainbow Dash landed onto the roof in a pose, her head held high and her wings spread out. Applejack felt her heart racing as she drank in her marefriend’s pose.

“I think Rarity did something with the walls!” Dash called out from the top of the roof.

“Ah, let’s see what she did,” Applejack turned to her friend. “Twilight, you have a spell for turning camera photos into frames, right?”

“Already done!” Twilight shot a magical spell at Pinkie’s camera, causing a pile of framed pictures to appear under it. Applejack, as well as several of the others, started picking up the framed pictures. Discord, knowing his skills weren’t welcomed with Applejack, started creating different cupcakes for Pinkie. The pink party pony gulped each and every one, commenting on the different flavors the chaos lord could concoct.

Applejack gasped, dropping the framed picture as she entered the living room. Over the newly painted layer of beige, was a pattern of white apples, clouds, and cupcakes. Applejack saw the dropped picture as well as the other framed pictures levitating in the air with Rarity’s magic, landing and sticking to different areas on the wall. Applejack approached one of the frames on the wall, and pressed against it with her hoof. Sure enough, the framed picture didn’t budge.

“Damn, has Twilight been giving you lessons?” Applejack chuckled.

“We exchange letters sometimes,” Rarity smirked. “Suppose now is the right time to put that Lord of Chaos to good use?”

“I-”

“I’m just saying, we did everything that you and Dashie wanted us to do,” Rarity explained. “And Discord could make sure everything is as it should be!”

“And not Twilight?” Applejack tilted her head.

“Hey now, arguing is our thing,” Dash stepped in between the two mares. “Thanks for the tip, Rarity, but we got this.”

“Very well,” Rarity nodded, glancing at an envelope resting on the table. “All the best to you and Applejack, but I must get go-”

“Wait!” Dash blurted out. “You should stay and see the finished barn, y’know?”

“Alright, just for a few minutes,” Rarity shrugged.

“I mean, she does know that I won,” Applejack puffed her chest out. “Don’t know what could possibly change that.”

“Okay, so you won at the best barn makeover ideas,” Dash rolled her eyes. “But I want all of you to follow me. Twilight can make sure the barn aligns with our blueprints, and she can meet up with us later. Got it?”

“Damn, okay Captain Dash,” Applejack giggled. “Lead the way.”