The Rustic and The Romantic

by TheLastBrunnenG

Lift Carefully

“Oh girls, I’m so happy you wanted another sleepover! After the first one, I was afraid it would be my last.” Twilight held Applejack and Rarity in a warm, mudmask-encrusted hug.

“Twilight, dear, don’t forget the cucumber slices,” chimed Rarity in her dulcet singsong voice. “Our little beauty treatment won’t be complete if we let our eyes get puffy.”

Applejack handed her two moist green disks and added,“Yeah, Twi, then yer sleepover checklist just wouldn’t be complete, an’ ya cain’t have that, right?”

“Completely right, AJ! Oh, can I call you AJ?” The lavender unicorn’s horn glowed as a shimmering field took hold of the slices and deposited them gently on her closed eyelids. “My book said sleepovers are the perfect time to give each other cutesy secret nicknames!”

“Ah, sure Twi. Ah’ll call ya Twi, how ‘bout that? You ready, uh… Rares?” Applejack sat back, quietly munching on her cucumber slices, giving Rarity a silent nod.

“Mm-hmm.” The white-furred unicorn slid closer to Twilight’s bed, her horn levitating a small box out from under it. The sparkling magical field opened the box gingerly and begin to rifle through the papers and thin, well-bound volumes inside it.

The orange earth pony piped up suspiciously loudly. “So, Twilight – er, Twi – what’s next on our checklist? Ghost stories? Campfire? Spin the bottle?”

“Ooooh, I feel kind of daring tonight! Maybe we’ll reverse the checklist order and complete task 47 before task 46!” She giggled a little, the dried mudmask cracking over her widening smile. “I’d feel like such a rebel! Rarity, is it time to end the beauty treatment yet?”

Rarity’s magic lifted a small, worn notebook from the box and stealthily slid it into her own diamond-marked saddlebag. She nodded to Applejack, who took a similar volume from her own bag nearby and passed it carefully to her accomplice, who quickly replaced it and scooted the box back to its underbed hideout.

The violet-maned unicorn cleared her throat. “Okay, time to wash off these masks. Ghost stories, anyone?”

~~~~~~

A single flickering lantern fought the darkness of a tightly locked and shuttered barn on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres. “Ah don’t like this one bit, Rares. I know Twi’s been hidin’ somethin’ from us, but stealin’ her journal? Don’t seem right.”

“It’s for the best, AJ. This is the only way to help poor Twilight with whatever’s been on her mind lately. The poor dear won’t open up to us about sensitive matters, as you well know. Now, let’s have a look at this journal.”

“Day 34: The Fashionista lured the Farmer and friends to her Boutique, where she convinced them to model dresses. Alabaster Fashionista spent inordinate amount of time fitting Farmer’s dress. Spent far too long admiring Farmer’s orange flank.”

“Uh, Rarity, I know sometimes Twi talks in code or somethin’ when she’s bein’ all evasive, but does this look like what Ah think it looks like?”

“Day 41: Fashionista consoles earth pony Farmer after Farmer fails to place first in local rodeo. All friends help but unicorn Fashonista’s hugs last twice as long and end with kisses too lingering to be merely friendly.”

“Applejack, you can’t seriously think Twilight meant me? I mean, you are certainly honest, hardworking, and athletic, and the best friend a mare could have, but I would never…”

"Never what, Rares? Ah know you ain't opposed to, you know... bein' with another mare. So what, then? It's me, ain't it?"

Rarity recoiled as if stung by the words, and stammered, "Applejack, dear, I... I meant everything I said! You're a kinder pony than I, by far, and - "

The earth mare fought back welling tears. “So Ah’m all those things but you’d never see me as marefriend material? So mah personality’s alright, but Ah… Ah guess Ah’m just not purty enough.”

“AJ, don’t say that! You’re gorgeous! Anypony can see that!”

Applejack lay back on a loose pile of hay, eyes closed and hat askew. “But ain’t nopony goin’ to say it to mah face. Ain’t no pony sees old Applejack Apple that way. Ah guess ah just…” Her words were cut off by the press of white lips, and her fears faded as she embraced the flawless unicorn now sharing her barn.

~~~~~~

“Fluttershy, what do you mean it isn’t the right notebook?” Twilight looked askance at the yellow Pegasus in her library foyer. “It certainly looks like the one you gave me to edit. Sorry I hadn’t had time to check it yet, though.”

“Well, um, I know for certain that the notebook I left for you to proofread was at least half full.” The canary-furred mare hid behind a wall of pink mane. “Oh, my publisher will be so unhappy! I was supposed to mail them my outline and notes for ‘White on Orange 2: The Barn and the Boutique’ tomorrow, and now I’ll have to start over. I don't even remember most of my notes! Maybe Angel will have some more good ideas like last time.”

Comments

[The Princess Rarity]

Ok, first you give me cute cancer, now you make me cry?
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[Donnys Boy]

The twist ending. Oh, Fluttershy. Using your friends to pen thinly-veiled roman a clef smut novels? For shame, yellow pony ...

[TheLastBrunnenG]

1626373

If you think that's bad, you should read Flutter's previous book, Pink Creamsicle in the Sun.

[kirbuu]

1626747 wait so Twi/Luna Rari/Jack and Pink/Lestia?

[Aroth77]

What, no build-up to the first kiss?!? HERESY!!!

[ShotgunNeko]

Lmao that the notebook was fluttershys and angel made a lot of contributions lol dirty lil bunny

[Ninja Kraken]

Oh dear...
That escalated quickly.

[Themaskedferret]

*Facepalms* cute. Very cute. I love that you to do brief synopses for each fic but honestly what i'd really like to humbly request is tags. Specifically if it's likely to be a sad I know that'd be a ton of work so maybe just something to consider for future reference?

[Madeline L-Equine]

The journal is an interesting idea, but something bugs me about the way it's written. I think it's how it gets too descriptive for any attempt at writing in code. Your audience will understand what you're talking about without throwing in extra details like "orange flank" or "earth pony Farmer." These sound like clues for the reader, which are the opposite of what anyone writing in code would do.

One question: Does Twilight's journal only talk about what AJ and Rarity are up to, or were those two passages flukes?

[Orangecraz]

4283267 I think they accidentally napped Fluttershy's notes for her novel, which she planned to have Twilight proofread.

[Angius]

“Day 34: The Fashionista lured the Farmer and friends to her Boutique, where she convinced them to model dresses. Alabaster Fashionista spent inordinate amount of time fitting Farmer’s dress. Spent far too long admiring Farmer’s orange flank.”

*flashbacks to FiW*