Applejack and Rainbow Dash were always meant to be together, they just needed to find that out themselves.
From being children into adulthood, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were always in each others lives, whether that was a good thing or not varied. This is their story. A story of love, loss and family.
Two children sat in the corner of a room, arms crossed and frowns on their faces. They took turns sneaking peeks at each other, frowning deeper whenever noticed. The door to the room opened, the sound of children playing finding its way in.
“Have you girl learned your lesson yet?” a woman with short brown hair and glasses said as she entered the room, arms crossed and eyes fixated on the two children.
“Yes ma’am.” said one of the girls as she toyed with a blonde braid hanging over her shoulder.
The woman gave a short nod and raised an eyebrow at the other girl. “Rainbow Dash? Did you learn your lesson?” she asked a bit more sternly this time.
The other girl sighed in frustration. “Yes Miss Dullswirl.” she said said in the mocking tone that every child seemed to have. She rolled her eyes and sighed again.
The womans frown deepened slightly, but she let it pass with a deep breath and a shake of the head. “Well, your parents are waiting outside to take you home. Get your things, you can go.” she said.
The smaller of the two girls wasted no time grabbing her bag, with ‘RAINBOW DASH’ stitched into it with various colors, from her cubby. Not even taking a glance at the teacher, she ran through the doors keeping her from freedom.
Miss Dullswirl shook her head again, it was something she seemed to be doing a lot lately when it came to the colorful girl. Her eyes focused on the remaining girl.
“Applejack,” she began “I know it wasn’t your fault, but I still had to tell your parents about what happened. Do you understand?”
The girl in question nodded her head in the affirmative. “Ah understand ma’am.” she said politely. “Have a nice day.” she said as she walked through the doors that separated her preschool class from the rest of the world.
The sun blinded her for a brief moment, but as her eyes adjusted, she saw a sight that she could never get tired of. A woman was leaning against the gate in the schoolyard, a stetson in her hands as her red hair flowed slightly with the light breeze.
“Hi mama!” Applejack exclaimed as she gave her mother a hug. “Ah missed you!”
The woman laughed. “Howdy sugarcube!” she replied as she returned the hug. “You say you missed lil ol’ me? Its only been a few hours!”
Applejack pulled away and grinned, showing she was missing her two lower front teeth. “Ah still missed you!” she said happily. “Are we gonna get Mac now ma?”
The woman shook her head. “Naw sweety, Mac don’t come out for a few more hours, and papa’s working. Know what that means?” she asked with a knowing smile.
Applejacks eyes brightened. “Sugarcube Corner!”
“Sugarcube Corner.” her mother affirmed with a wink.
Rainbow Dash sat quietly in the back seat of her fathers van. The man himself was driving and trying to talk some sense into his daughter.
“Why do you keep doing this?” he said, trying not to yell although his frustration could clearly be heard.
The girl sat back as far as she could into her seat. She usually didn’t do much that deserved a scolding, so she wasn’t exactly used to it. “I don’t know.” she said.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” he raised his voice a bit at that. She was his only child and she was usually such a good kid, a bit competitive, but well behaved nonetheless. “Your teacher tells me you’ve been bullying the same girl for a while now, and today she finally fought back!” he paused for a moment to survey the road.
“I don’t know.” the girl said again, her voice lower this time as if she was talking to no one in particular.
Her father took a deep breath. “Rainbow, you know today was your last day there, right? Did you really want everyone to remember you as a bully?”
“No dad.” Rainbow said with a sigh. She didn’t want to be a bully, she wasn’t even sure how it all started, it all just sorta happened.
Her father looked at her though the rear-view mirror. He hated seeing his daughter frown, no kid that age should be sad about anything outside of not being able to eat ice-cream for dinner. “Listen squirt,” he said as he paused to check for pedestrians at a stop sign “how about, after I drop off the keys to the old house, we stop by Sugarcube Corner? Just you and me.”
The effect was instantaneous. “Yes, awesome!” she yelled as she raised her hands in cheer.
As the two Apples walked into the sweets shop, a lovely smell filled their noses. The shop was relatively new to town, and was run by an older couple and their preteen son who helped out on weekends and school breaks. They served more than just cakes, although it was their namesake, they were also well known for their candy and various other baked goods.
“Howdy Mr. Cake!” Applejack said happily as she walked to the counter.
“Hey there Applejack, Caramel.” he said nodding to the older Apple. “What can I do for you today?” he playfully held up a hand, telling them to be silent. “Wait, let me guess, something with apples in it?” he said with a chuckle.
Caramel smiled. “You know it Mr. Cake.” she said happily.
“Ah want a pear snack.” Applejack suddenly said, shocking everyone. Her mother knelt down to face her.
“Applejack, honey, can you repeat what you just said?” she asked slowly.
“Ah want a pear snack.” she repeated.
Caramels eyes lost their brightness on that day. The day her daughter betrayed their family. She stood up again, but quickly had to sit down because of the shock. “Just...just give her what she wants.” she said monotonously to Mr. Cake, who stood behind the counter with his mouth hanging open.
It was then that the shop door swung open and in ran a small girl with brightly colored hair, followed shortly by a man who had a small smile upon his face.
“Applejack!” Rainbow Dash practically yelled as she ran to the counter to join the blonde girl.
“Uh, hi Rainbow Dash.” Applejack said as she shied away slightly.
“Oh is this a friend from school?” Rainbows father said to his daughter as he waved to Caramel.
The girls answered in unison.
“Yes!” from Rainbow Dash.
“No.” from Applejack.
“No?” Caramel questioned her daughter. “But she said you were.”
“No mama! She’s the one who’s always so mean to me!” Came applejacks response without hesitation.
Rainbows father, who had been placing an order for him and Rainbow, raised an eyebrow. “Dash, is this true?” he asked.
She gave a small nod and frowned at the floor.
He sighed and got down on one knee so he could be eye to eye with Applejack. “Hi Applejack, nice to meet you, my name is Light Prism.” he said as he held a hand out to the small girl.
Applejack was raised to be polite and knew nothing bad would happen with her mother there, so she shook the mans hand. “Howdy Mr. Prismum.” she said, having difficulty with his name.
Light gave a small laugh. “Hey, listen.” he said. “I’m Rainbow Dashs’ father, and I already spoke to her about how what she did was wrong. But Rainbow is moving away and she doesn’t want you to be mad at her. Do you think you could forgive her and be her friend?” he asked.
Applejack looked over to where Rainbow Dash was standing, catching her staring intently. She looked back at light and nodded. “Sure thing Mr. Prismum.” she said before walking over to the other girl. She stared at her for a moment, before giving Rainbow a big hug.
Light smiled as he stood up and faced Caramel. “Mind if me join you?” he asked.
Caramel smiled. “Go right on ahead, ah don’t mind at all.”
The two adults sat and began to chat about random happenings around the town, watching as their daughters ran around the shop looking at all the different candies and snacks. It wasn’t much longer before their orders were ready and they sat down to eat together. It all seemed simple enough, no one knew it would be an important moment in their daughters lives.
Applejack stepped out of the bathroom, having just taken her morning shower. She took a deep breath, the cool air in the Apple family house felt good in her lungs compared to the steamy air that now occupied the bathroom. She headed to her room so she could get dressed in her usual flannel shirt and jeans. Just as she finished putting her boots on, her door opened and a young girl with red hair stepped in.
“Mornin’ Applebloom, ready for the trip?” Applejack asked her younger sister.
“Are there really going to be lots of people going against you sis?” the girl asked. She was barely over five years old and this was her first time going to one of these events. She hadn’t even traveled outside of Ponyville before, she was used to the small population.
“Yessiree!” Applejack responded with a smile. “Cloudsdale is a lot bigger than Ponyville. Are you excited?”
The younger girl grinned. “I can’t wait! Do you think I’ll make any friends?” she asked, the idea of meeting new people and seeing a new environment excited her.
“That’s up to you sis.” Applejack said as she placed a hand on Appleblooms head. “You can find friends anywhere, even in the least likely of people. Heck, when ah met my friends, ah didn’t think they’d be the type of people ah’d talk to.”
“What d’ya mean sis?” Applebloom asked. She had met her sisters friends but they seemed to be pretty normal to her.
Applejack put a hand on her chin as she thought of how she could explain this to her little sister. “Think of it like this, ah’m a farm girl right?” she asked, getting a nod from Applebloom. “That means ah work hard everyday and get pretty dirty and sweaty. Sweat and dirt are the things that Rarity hates the most in the world. Just from that, do you think we’d get along?”
Applebloom took a second to think about it. “No sis, she’d probably want to stay far away from you.”
Applejack smiled. “Exactly! But she’s one of my best friends. It just goes to show that you can find a friend in anyone, anywhere.”
“I like Raritys’ sister. Sweetiebelle is nice.” Applebloom said.
Applejack laughed lightly and shook her head. “Well ah’m glad she’s your friend.” she said.
“Girls!” a voice rang from downstairs.
“Come on, ah bet we’re leaving now.” Aj said as she walked out of the room, Applebloom following her closely.
The two walked down the hall to the stairs that led to the lower level of the house. The stairs were almost directly in front of the houses front door. To their left was the kitchen entrance and to the right was the living room. It was in this living room that the rest of their family was gathered. Granny Smith sat in her rocker, gently fixing her hat, while Macintosh was checking the bags gathered at his feet.
“You called us granny?” Applejack asked, gaining the old woman's attention.
Granny Smith smiled as she saw her two granddaughters standing together. She couldn’t believe how much they looked like their mother. It almost hurt her to see it. “Yes Applejack, we’ll be leaving soon.” she said. “Do you mind helping Mac with the bags?Just put them in the jalopy.”
“Sure thing granny.” she said as she turned towards her brother and grabbed a bag. “C’mon Mac, you ready?”
“Eyup.” the man said simply as he grabbed a few of the bags himself.
The two elder Apple siblings made their way out to their old family van. It wasn’t fancy, or new, but it got the job done whenever they needed to deliver an order or get somewhere their feet couldn’t get them fast enough. They couldn’t get rid of it anyway, it held some powerful memories and was important to their family.
It only took a few short trips for them to get everything into the van. Honestly, they should have been done after the first two trips but Mac always over-packs for their trips. It’s a miracle the van doesn’t break down from all the weight. It didn’t take long for Granny Smith and Applebloom to make their way out as well.
“How long will it take to get there?” Applebloom asked, she couldn’t wait to see all the new people.
Applejack held a chuckle. “It’ll take about two hours, give or take. Depends on traffic. Then we gotta check in at the hotel and unpack our things. You and me can go out after that. Deal?”
“Now wait just a darn moment!” Granny Smith suddenly exclaimed, gaining the attention of her three grandchildren. “We don’t need you to help unpack. I have a strong grandson for that. You girls can go ahead and have fun out on the town.” she said, earning a smile from the girls and a sigh from Big Mac.
“Thanks granny!” Applebloom said excitedly, trying her best not to start bouncing in her seat after she entered the van.
After Applejack secured Applebloom into her carseat, the rest of the family took their seats. Big Mac was in charge of driving, since Applejack only had a permit and Granny Smith didn’t have the best eyes for driving. He grabbed a cd from the small pile he kept on the dashboard, and popped it into the radio. Familiar bajo playing came on as he geared the car up for the drive.
The ride wasn’t too long, Applejack having been correct in her prediction earlier. There was barely any traffic at this point of the day so the ride only took about an hour and forty minutes. They pulled up to the hotel they would be staying at for the duration of their trip. ‘The Mareiott’ it read in big bold letters. Big Macintosh pulled into the parking area and turned the music off.
Applejack looked down at her younger sister, who had fallen asleep at some point during the trip and was now resting against her arm. She nudged her slightly. “Applebloom, wake up. We’re here. Take a look would ya?” she said, waking the girl up.
Applebloom slowly rose up from her position, wiping the drool from her face. “Huh, wha?” she asked as she rubbed her eyes and looked around. Nothing outside of the windows looked even the tiniest bit familiar to her. It was then that realization hit and a smile grew upon her young face. “We’re here! We’re really here!” she exclaimed excitedly, tugging at the seat belt that was keeping her firmly rooted in place.
Her three siblings chuckled in unison at the antics of their youngest kin. Granny Smith was the one to speak up though. “We just gotta check in, and give our room the ol’ once over. Then you girls can go touring.” she said with a smile on her old lips.
The family wasted no time after that. They gathered their belongings and gave the man at the front desk their information. Another, younger man showed up with a trolley to carry their bags for them, although it looked like he would have to take multiple trips.
The room wasn’t overly amazing, but, compared to what they were used to on the farm, it was a nice step up. Three beds were placed along the walls, one for granny, one for Mac, and one for Applejack to share with Applebloom. Two bathrooms, a t.v with the local cable channels and a nice mini fridge were also included. Overall, it was nice. But there was someone who didn’t care about that stuff at all.
“Can we go now Applejack? I wanna see the town!” Applebloom begged her sister, who was busy enjoying how soft the bed was.
“It’s like laying on a cloud.” she said absent-mindedly.”
“What are you talkin’ about Applejack? C’mon let’s go!” Applebloom demanded.
Applejack let out a chuckle. “Alright alright, c’mon then.” she said as she placed her hat on her head and walked towards the door, Applebloom not far behind.
Applejack hadn’t been to Cloudsdale many times, but she knew a few of the landmarks that would help her find her way around. She needed to learn them, she and Mac would often go on delivery jobs outside of Ponyville and they couldn’t afford to take time out and ask for directions. She was able to take her sister to a few stores and other places that seemed to be bustling with people, but there didn’t seem to be many kids around.
Just as the young girl began to give up hope, a ball whizzed right past her face as they walked by a park. Applebloom almost lost her balance as her reflexes caused her to lean back to avoid the danger.
“Sorry about that!” a voice rang out.
The Apple siblings turned to where the voice came from, seeing a girl with brightly colored hair running towards them, a smaller girl with pink hair not far behind.
Applejack bent down and picked up the ball that had rolled back towards her feet. “No harm, no foul.” she said in her normal country drawl.
As the girl with the rainbow hair made it to them and received the ball, Applejack caught the curious glance she was giving her. “Do I know you?” the girl asked curiously, feeling a sense of familiarity.
Applejack had the same feeling in her gut, but couldn’t place the girls face. Meanwhile, the two younger girls had since taken the ball and made their way back to the park together, chatting about whatever came to mind.
“Ah don’t believe we’ve met, but ah’m Applejack.” A.j said as she held her hand out for a shake.
“Wait, Applejack?” the other girl said. “As in Ponyville Applejack? Did you go to Golden Oaks Preschool?” she said, completely ignoring Applejacks outdrawn hand.
“Yea ah did. How do you know that?” A.j asked, now she was getting curious. This girl looked so familiar but she couldn’t place how. It was like a far off dream or a distant memory.
“Well no shit!” the girl suddenly exclaimed. “I never thought I’d see the likes of you again! It’s me, Rainbow Dash!”
The name sounded familiar as well, but she just couldn’t remember the girl. “Sorry, ah don’t remember.” she said with a shrug.
Rainbow Dash recoiled slightly. “Well I guess I wasn’t as awesome as I am now so I don’t blame you for forgetting.” she said, a slight sadness in her voice. “But I remember you. We were friends. So what brings you out to Cloudsdale anyway?” she asked, genuinely curious as to what sparked this reunion.
“There’s a competition going on this weekend. Ah’m enrolled in it for the racing section. Ah’ve always had strong legs with all the work ah’ve gotta do on the farm.” A.j replied as she thought about the competition she might have.
“Well fuck me!” Rainbow exclaimed almost too loudly. “I’m in it too! For the race! Fastest runner in Cloudsdale!” she said with a wide smile on her face. She took a sideways glance to where the two younger girls were now playing catch. “The squirt over there is Scootaloo, my little sister.” she said, pointing a thumb in the direction of the girls.
Applejack looked over and nodded, a smile on her face when she saw her sisters happy smile. “The other one is my sister, her name’s Applebloom.” she said.
“She looks like your mom.” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “How is Caramel anyway? And your dad?” she asked, turning to face her old friend, only to be greeted with a frown. There was no mistaking the look she saw in Applejacks eyes. “Oh...oh fuck! Applejack I’m sorry, i had no idea! Fuck!” she blurted out rapidly.
Applejack shook her head. “Nah it’s fine. You couldn’t have known. It’s been two years anyway, it’s just not something ah really like talking about.” she said, not being able to get rid of the sadness in her voice.
“Let me at least make it up to you?” Rainbow asked, not even waiting for an answer as she continued. “There’s a small candy shop not too far from here. It’s no Sugarcube Corner, but it gets the job done.” she said as she began walking towards the two younger sisters, signalling for Applejack to follow.
Seeing she didn’t have much of a choice, A.j sighed and began walking as well.
The shop was much bigger than what Applejack and Applebloom were used to. But it could be as big as it wanted to be, it would never have the same feeling that Sugarcube Corner has. That didn’t necessarily mean that it was bad. Quite the opposite in fact. Applejack was enjoying the peach cobbler that she ordered, she would never be able to enjoy something like that around Granny Smith! To the left of her was a separate table where Applebloom and Scootaloo enjoyed some chit-chat while drinking delicious milkshakes. Directly in front of her was Rainbow Dash, a glass of apple cider waiting on the table for her to finish texting.
“So you really don’t remember anything about me?” she suddenly asked after she placed the phone in the pocket of her jeans.
“Ah’m sorry, you seem awfully familiar but ah just can’t place it.” Applejack said with a shrug. A vibration could be felt throughout the table, and Rainbow Dash reached for her phone once more. Applejack raised an eyebrow, curious as to what was on that phone that had the girl grinning like a maniac. She didn’t have to wait long though, as Rainbow Dash literally jumped from her seat and shoved the phone towards Applejacks face.
“See!” she said excitedly as she showed the phone off. On the screen, Applejack recognized a picture of herself when she was a little girl, standing side by side with a younger Rainbow Dash inside what looked to be Sugarcube Corner.
“Well ah’ll be!” Applejack said as she finally realized who this strange girl was. “You were that little bully who used to pick on me in class!” she said, causing the smile on Rainbow Dashs’ face to waver. “But then ah got tired of it and deck’d you good! We both got time out for that one.” she said with a chuckle. “And ya’ll were moving out of Ponyville that day too, so your dad took you to Sugarcube Corner where me and mom were.” the memory now fully flooded back into her brain. “That’s where we became friends..” she trailed off.
“Yes, you do remember!” R.D said happily as she returned her phone to her pocket.
Applejack got up from her chair and walked to the side of the table where Rainbow sat. Her face was expressionless so the other girl couldn’t make out what was about to happen. She was surprised when Applejack suddenly enveloped her in a tight hug. “Thank you.” she said softly in Rainbow Dashs’ ear. “Everyone picked on me because of the way ah talked. You were my first friend. Thank you for that Rainbow Dash.” she said as she let the smaller girl go.
Rainbow Dash stared wide eyed for a few seconds before coughing into her fist to hide the steadily forming blush on her cheeks. “It was no problem. Y-you were my first friend too.” she said in a very un-Rainbow Dash way, but it was quickly covered up when she said “I guess the kids just couldn’t handle how awesome I was.”
Applejack laughed at that. “Wouldn’t that mean ah’m awesome too then?” she asked.
Rainbow Dash looked at the girl with the most judgmental expression she could muster. “You’re getting there.” she said with a shrug as they laughed together.
When all was said and done, the two groups split up. The Apple sisters made their way to the hotel, while Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo walked home.
“So did you have fun today squirt?” she asked her younger sibling.
“Yea! Applebloom is really fun! We’re going to start a club, we don’t know about what yet, but we’re doing it!” Scootaloo said happily. Then she looked up at her sister. “Did you have fun with her sister?”
Rainbow smiled. “Yea, seeing her again made me really happy.” she said as they continued walking. The image of Applejack hugging her, their faces so close together, suddenly popped into her head and she began blushing immediately. ‘Oh fuck, she got hot!’ she thought to herself.
Rainbow Dash did her usual stretches first thing in the morning. She’d always had some sort of routine for as long as she could remember. As a kid, her dad would take her to the park everyday and just let her go crazy until she was too tired to do anything else. But she was older now, and responsible for herself. Now every morning she would wake up, and do a few stretches. After that she would run a few laps around her parents house. That was her favorite part of the workout, being that she loved running. Everything was a race to her, even simple things like brushing her teeth. She proudly holds the house record for fastest brusher.
Today she thought she should change up her routine a bit though. Well, not the routine itself, but the fact that she always did it alone. She had reunited with an old friend yesterday, and found out they would be competing against each other in todays race. Practicing together would be good. She’d get her needed exercise, along with company, plus she could gauge how fast Applejack really was.
Making her decision, she pulled out her cellphone and dialed the number that was given to her yesterday. It rang once...twice...three times. She felt this sudden sense of anxiety. ‘Come on, answer.’ she thought to herself.
“Hello?” came a voice from the other line.
She had to stop herself from sighing. “Yo, Applejack, it’s Dash, did I wake you?” she asked, not even realizing that it was still really early in the morning and most people weren’t even up yet.
“Naw, ah’ve been up about two hours now.” Applejack said.
‘Well, she would be used to waking up early I guess, being a farmer and all.’ Rainbow thought to herself. “Oh ok good. Listen I uhh...I was wondering if you’d like to get some practice runs in before the big race today. What do you think?” she asked. The question was a bit hard to ask for some reason, but she decided she must still be tired.
“Sounds good R.D, where at?” A.j asked.
A smile formed on Rainbows face and an unknown weight was lifted from her shoulders. “I’ll text you the directions to my house, I usually run around it since the size is about the same as the track.” she said, to which she received confirmation from the other line. With matching goodbyes and quick thumbs, directions were sent to Applejacks phone as Rainbow got ready.
It didn't take long for Applejack to get there, the hotel wasn't too far away after all, and Rainbow Dash waiting impatiently in front of the house was pretty much a dead giveaway. Applejack looked up at the house that her new (old?) friend lived in. It was three stories high and had plenty of total yardage surrounding it from what she could see. Of course, her home had more, but then again this wasn't a farm.
"Ah didn't expect to see a place like this out in the city." Aj said, more to herself than anyone else.
Rainbow Dash looked up at the house and then towards the tall apartment complexes not too far away. "Yea it's nice I guess." she said with a shrug. "Dad works in the city all day so this puts a bit of distance between him and it, y'know?" she said, receiving a nod in response.
"So where are we practicing?" Applejack asked as she adjusted her shorts. They were both wearing the uniforms that they were given for the race, black shorts and a shirt that had their towns color on it. Applejacks was orange and Dash had a light blue one.
Rainbow shrugged. "I always go around the house a few times. Four laps is about a mile. What are you up for?" she asked.
Applejack laughed. "What am ah up for? Ah think you should be asking yourself that, city girl."
An eyebrow was raised as Rainbow let a devious smile take hold of her face. "Is that a challenge, farm girl?" she asked.
"Well we ain't exactly supposed to be working together on this. Plus if you're really the best runner in cloudsdale, I wanna test you out." Applejack stated as she crossed her arms.
'You can test me out anytime.' Rainbow thought. "Oh it is fucking ON!" she exclaimed as she grabbed a stick from the ground and drew a long line through the dirt. "This is our start line. First to finish four laps wins. Deal?"
Applejack gave off a chuckle. "Heh, deal." she said as she took place before the line.
Rainbow Dash followed suite. "On your mark. Get set. GO!" she yelled before taking off.
The girls were pretty much neck and neck for the entire first lap, but Rainbow Dash wasn't the kind of girl that settled for a tie. This wasn't her best speed yet, so she pumped her legs even faster and began to pull ahead.
Applejack smiled as she watched the smaller girl speed up ahead of her. 'Impatient city girl' she thought as she shook her head. She wasn't even close to her limit and was happy to show the prismatic girl her place.
Rainbow looked behind, expecting to see the blonde Apple struggling a few feet behind her. Instead, she turned to see a smiling freckled face right beside her. She almost stumbled as her heart skipped, but she kept her pace.
The girls ran on, always neck and neck for first place. They even ran beyond the four laps that was agreed upon because they couldn't tell who won, not without some sort of high speed camera. They ran and ran until they couldn't run anymore, collapsing into a pile of sweaty skin and clothes.
"Ah'd say that's a tie." Applejack said between deep breaths.
Rainbow clenched her eyes shut, she wasn't used to not being first. Nonetheless, she couldn't deny the truth. "Y-yea. It's a tie." she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly with every breath.
The door to Rainbows house opened up, and out came little Scootaloo with a cute little dress and bow. She walked right up to Rainbow Dash. "Dad said to tell you the race is in an hour and you might want to wash up." she said, causing the two older girls to look at each other and see sweaty faces with dirt caked onto them.
"Yea we should probably get cleaned up." Rainbow said with a grin. She thought it was funny how, even when her face was caked with dirt, Applejacks freckles could still be seen.
Applejack herself got up from her spot on the ground. Her uniform was filthy but she was glad she had a spare. With a slight wobble, she began to walk back to the hotel. "Ah'll see y'all at the race. Good luck." she said to the two Cloudsdale girls.
"You're the one who'll need the luck Aj! See you at the finish line!" Rainbow called back before she sighed and pushed herself off of the ground to take a much needed shower.
Rainbow stood in line, her foot tapping impatiently. 'Why do I even need to wait for a number? Why didn't they just give it to me with the uniform?' she asked herself with a sigh. It was bad enough that she had to wait on line, but her legs were still sore from her impromptu race earlier.
It didn't take much longer for her to get her number though. As soon as she did, she proudly wore the number 23 on her chest and back. She looked around at all the people crowding the sidewalks of Cloudsdale. Barriers were set up along the streets to prevent people from interfering with the race, and to stop cars from getting in the way. The goal was to loop around all of the city once. She wasn't exactly sure how far that was, but she knew it was a few miles at the least.
Her eyes scanned the crowd of racers that had since gotten into their positions. It didn't take much longer for her to spot familiar blonde hair and an orange shirt labeled with the number 11.
"Yo, Aj!" she yelled out.
The girl in question raised her head and looked around for the owner of the voice, spotting her almost immediately. "Hey Rainbow." she responded.
"You ready to get your ass handed to you?" Rainbow yelled again, seeing the smile form on Applejacks face.
"If you say so Rainbow." Aj said before a voice boomed out over a microphone.
All the racers tensed up, everybody wanted to win first place. The voice counted down. 3. 2. 1. A shot sounded off and all the racers zoomed off at once.
It was the last leg of the race, sweat drenched Rainbow Dashs' face as her sweaty shirt clenched onto her wet skin. She glanced to the side, Applejack was right next to her, cheeks red and face gleaming with sweat. It was like that morning all over again. They were neck and neck, with no one else around. Their legs were numb, and they were both sure that if they stopped running, they would not be able to start again.
But they didn't have to worry, the finish line was in sight! Pushing themselves harder than they ever had before, the two girls sped up. Their hearts were beating fast and their muscles screamed, but they did it! Together, they crossed the finish line at the same time and collapsed to the ground.
The announcer spoke into the microphone once more. "And there goes numbers 11 and 23, tying for last place!"
A few cheers were heard among the crowd, most of them familiar voices to the two girls who now sat shoulder to shoulder on the ground, their eyelids feeling just as heavy as their legs.
Applejack was the first to go down, her head falling to Rainbows shoulder as her chest rose and fell with her even breaths. 'I think I'm in love.' was the last thought Rainbow Dash had before sweet sleep took over her as well.
Applejack sat in the back of her family’s van. In her hand was a small medal that she got for completing the race. Sure, she hadn’t won it, but she was sure she did her family proud. Maybe next year she’d take it easier on the practice run and then she would actually have a chance to win. Then again, she couldn’t complain about spending time with Rainbow Dash.
‘That girl is something else.’ she thought to herself as she unlocked her cell phone and looked at the background picture. It was of her and Rainbow Dash after they woke up and received their medals. She held hers up with a smile but Rainbow held hers as if it was poisonous. She shook her head and held in a laugh. ‘Eyup, she sure is something else.’
Rainbow Dash pulled her arm through the sleeve of her jacket. It wasn’t cold out or anything like that, she just thought it looked awesome on her. On the dining room table to her left were her keys, and a helmet with lightning bolt designs on either side of it.
“I’m going now, see you guys in a few days!” she called out, her voice traveling upstairs to the rest of her family. She didn’t even wait for a reply as she ran out the front door and hopped onto a waiting motorcycle. It had taken a while, but she finally got her licence and was free to go wherever she pleased. She put the key in and twisted it, placing the helmet on her head and listening with glee as the machine came to life. Checking to make sure she had everything she needed, and making sure the bag strapped to the seat of the bike was secure, she kicked the kickstand and off she went.
Rainbow loved the feeling of the wind against her, it felt like she was flying. It was a great way to clear her thoughts and she knew that nothing could ruin her good mood now. Revving the engine some more, she sped up a bit.
“Ponyville, here I come!” she yelled to no one in particular.
Applejack wiped some sweat from her forehead as she held her hat to block the sun in her eyes. It was a hot day and she had been up early, getting her chores out of the way as fast as possible so she could prepare for later. Rainbow Dash was spending a few days in Ponyville, and would be staying at the Apple family house.
Her eyes scanned the field, mentally checking off the different chores she had done. With a happy sigh, she turned and walked into her home, feeling the cool air-conditioned breeze flow as she opened the door.
“Hey Applebloom,” she said as she saw her younger sister in the living-room, studying for a math test “you mind helping me out for a sec?”
Applebloom was happy to get away from the vile subject held within her book. “Sure thing sis, what d’you need?” she said as she stood up from her seat on the couch.
“Can you run and get the sheets hanging outside? Ah gave ‘em a quick wash, but ah’m gonna set the room up now.” Aj replied, getting a nod from Applebloom who made her way outside to fetch what was asked.
Meanwhile, Applejack made her way upstairs to the, rarely used, guest room that Rainbow would be using. She pushed open the door, and was suddenly assaulted by the scent of cotton candy. Inside the room stood Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, who were pinning a banner that said “Surprise!” to the wall.
“What the hell is going on here?” Applejack asked, startling her pink haired friends.
“Oh, umm, Pinkie wanted to make Rainbow Dash feel welcome, and asked for my help.” Fluttershy answered.
“Yea!” Pinkie exclaimed. “If Dashie comes to visit, I want to throw the most awesomest awesome party ever! Then when she leaves, she’ll think ‘Wow that sure was an awesome party, I can’t wait to go back!’ and then she’ll want to keep coming back for more awesomely awesome parties!”
Applejack felt a slight tingle as her brain tried to comprehend what she was just told, but she decided against it. “Ah never said anything about letting y’all throw a party here.”
“Aww, but Aj.” Pinkie said with a pout on her lips.
“Look, how about this. If you let Rainbow use her first day back to just relax and get a feel for the town, then you can throw a party here tomorrow. Deal?” she asked, extending her hand to the pink loving sugar freak.
Pinkie seemed to mull it over for a bit, but ultimately shook the farmers hand. “Sorry about that Aj, guess I got a little excited about seeing Dashie in person and not through a webcam.” she said, giving a smile that had an almost audible squee to it.
“It’s fine Pinkie, ah promise she’ll meet everyone tomorrow. But it’s” she checked the clock hanging on the wall “4 o’clock and she shouldn’t be here until 6. Let’s let her rest and maybe take a small walk first.” Applejack said, getting nods from her two friends. She watched as they took their banner back down and exited the room. A few seconds later she heard the door shut as they exited the house.
A small pang of guilt hit her then. She wasn’t exactly opposed to throwing a party for Rainbow Dash, hell, the girl would probably love that! There was just some part of her that wanted to be alone with her friend for a bit. She wanted to catch up in person, it had been two years since they actually saw each other.
It didn’t take long before the door to the room opened again and in walked Applebloom, holding a few folded sheets in a basket.
“Here ya go sis.” she said as she placed the basket at the foot of the bed. “Anything else?”
“Yea, d’ya mind helpin’ me straighten up a little?” Applejack said.
Applebloom looked around the room. It seemed to be completely spotless, especially since nobody uses it. “Straighten up what?” she asked.
“Just dust off the nightstand please?” Applejack said with a sigh.
Applebloom went downstairs to grab a rag and some spray she saw granny using once. It made the furniture all shiny, so it had to be good. Plus it smelled like apple pie, who wouldn't like that?
"Got it sis." she said as she reentered the room. Heading to the nightstand, she gave it a generous spray down and began to wipe it all around. It wasn't long until the wood shone like new, and Applejack smiled at her.
"Thank you kindly, little sis." she said as she ushered Applebloom out the door. She looked back to give the to one last glance before she closes it off to unwelcome guests.
Rainbow Dash sat on her bike on the side of the road, a map in hand. She knew she was going the right way, but work had been done on these roads and she was no longer familiar with the path.
"Damn it, I wish I could just fly, then I wouldn't have to worry about roads. That'd be so awesome!" she said excitedly as her voice raised to a higher pitch.
She traced her finger along the map, from where she was now to Ponyville. She was close, just a few more minutes and she'd be there. With a grin, she rolled the map up and put it away, kicking off and riding her bike once again.
Applejack sat in the living-room, the T.V was on, but it was ignored for the most part. She could hear the droning of a commercial. “Gak gak gak” she heard over and over again, but her number one focus was on her cellphone.
‘Rainbow should have been here a while ago.’ she thought to herself, checking her call logs to be sure she didn’t somehow miss her call. ‘Nothing’ she thought as she placed the phone down dejectedly.
She stood up, intent on getting herself something to drink, when the phone finally rang. The farmer jumped as if her life depended on this one call. She hit the floor with an audible thud, holding the cellphone above her in triumph.
“Hello?” she spoke as calmly as she could.
“Hey A.j, I’m walking up the path to your place now. Mind opening the door?” Rainbows voice said from the speaker.
“Gotcha.” said, locking her phone and walking to the front door. As soon as she opened it, she could see the bright hair of her friend coming closer in the darkness. A.j leaned against the doorframe as she watched Dash walk closer, bag in hand.
“Sorry I’m late Applejack, were you waiting long?” Rainbow said as she finally made it up the front steps.
“Late? Ah didn’t even notice.” Applejack said.
There was a slight pause, followed by a chuckle from Rainbow Dash. “A.j, lying is not your thing. Stick to farming.” she said humorously.
The farm girl had to suppress an embarrassing blush from spreading across her cheeks. “Shut up. Come inside.” she said with a roll of her eyes as she made way for her guest.
Rainbow walked into the house and gave a whistle. “Woah, this place already looks pretty huge!” she said.
Applejack smiled. “Yea, we Apples are a pretty big family. We always make sure we have plenty of room for the reunions.”
Rainbow looked around some more, glancing into the kitchen and living-room. “Well,damn. My place is small compared to this.”
“Eh, size doesn’t matter.” A.j said nonchalantly.
As if some switch was flipped inside of her, Rainbow Dash began laughing uncontrollably. “Yea, I bet that’s what they tell you!” she managed to say, gasping for air.
Applejack stood there, confusion overtaking her mind. “What?” she said when Dash finally controlled herself.
“Nothing A.j.” Rainbow said, still chuckling slightly. “Mind showing me where I’ll be sleeping?” she asked.
“Well sure thing. Come with me.” A.j replied.
“In all my dreams.” Rainbow muttered under her breath as she followed the country girl up a set of stairs, watching how the tight jeans hug the girls body.
Applejack walked down the hall and opened a door. “You’ll be in this room. Mine is the one to your left, Mac is to the right, granny and Applebloom are another floor up.”
Dash stepped into the room. It smelled of apple pie. Dropping her bag at the foot of the bed, she stretched her arms and back. An audible crack was heard as she let out a pleased sigh. “So Applejack, do you have something planned for tonight?”
“Naw, ah thought you might be tired. There’s some movies we could watch if you want, and there’s a party tomorrow being thrown by Pinkie Pie.” A.j said.
“Aw sweet, I finally get to meet all the girls!” she said, genuinely happy to be able to meet the girls in person. They’ve already formed a bond of friendship online, why not make it official? “Will that Twilight girl that you guys talk about be there?”
“Twi? Naw, she’s way in Canterlot, studying her butt off ah suspect. Come to think of it, ah haven’t written her a letter in a while.” Applejack said, counting the days since she last sent Twilight a message.
“A letter? Doesn’t she have a phone?” Rainbow asked, legitimately confused. From what she heard, this girls mom was a writer and her dad was a doctor. Add to the fact that her brother is a football coach.
“She does but there’s no connection in that school. They built it from some fancy stuff that blocks cell signals. Landlines are only for emergency, so we just send her letters.” Applejack said with a shrug. She didn’t mind much, being raised in an old fashioned way herself.
“Alright then. That fucking sucks, but there’s nothing we can do about it anyway.” Rainbow said as she sat down on the bed, glancing at the open door. “Hey there kid.” she said with a smile.
Applejack turned and saw her sister standing there. “Applebloom?”
“Hey Rainbow Dash!” the younger Apple said happily, always glad to see a friend. “Why didn’t Scootaloo come with you?” she asked. She had really wanted to see her friend.
Rainbow laughed lightly. “The squirt had to catch up on a lot of homework that she missed because she was sick. But I’ll tell you what, I’ll let you call her tomorrow with my phone and I promise next time that I’ll bring her too. Deal?” she asked, holding her hand out.
The younger girl smiled and gave the hand a quick shake. “Deal.” she said.
“Alright Applebloom, you know it’s bedtime.” A.j said as she ushered her younger sister out of the room.
“Aww, but I wanted to stay and play.” she said with a pout.
“Maybe tomorrow, but you need your rest if you want to grow big and help me and Mac on the farm.” A.j scolded.
“Aww, fine.” the girl said as she made her way up the stairs that led to her room, her bow bouncing on her head the whole way up.
“Well that was cute as fuck.” Rainbow said with a smile.
A.j nodded. “Oh, ah wanted to tell you something too. Could you kindly hold back on the cursing? Granny Smith and Mac aren’t too keen on it.”
Rainbow gulped loudly. Cursing was like second nature to her. “I can respect that, and I’ll try my best.”
Applejack smiled softly. “That’s all ah’m askin’. Now how about them movies?”
“I’m up to watching some, but only if I can lay on your lap.” Dash said with a shit-eating grin on her face.
Applejack punched her on the arm. “Hardy har-har.” she said playfully. “Ah’ll be downstairs, change if you want. And quit playin’ around.” she said with a laugh as she exited the room.
Rainbow Dash rubbed her arm tenderly. “Yea, playing.” she said to herself as she took her boots off.
Rainbow Dash lay sleeping in the bed she had been given. She was usually a very deep sleeper, but there was something wrong. She felt a pressure between her legs. It wasn’t a bad feeling, the complete opposite in fact, but she wouldn’t let herself not know what was the cause for this, no matter how good it felt. With a jerk, she pulled the covers off of her slim body to reveal the perpetrator. Her eyes focused on a blonde clad head placed between her legs, lapping at her honey pot.
“Applejack?” she asked, almost as if she didn’t believe it herself.
The blonde girl didn’t stop what she was doing, simply opening her eyes and somehow smiling with them. Her hand reached up and grabbed lightly at Rainbows left breast, gently massaging it through her shirt while also pushing the sporty girl back into a laying position.
Rainbow wasn’t sure how this came about, but she definitely wasn’t going to complain. “Oh fuck Applejack, you’re so good at this!” she said breathily. She could feel every movement and twitch that the farm girls tongue and fingers made in her lower heaven. Applejack took a moment to reply.
“Ah’m used to plowing the fields sugarcube.” she said simply before diving back down into the prismatic girls folds.
“Oh! Fuuuuuuuuck!” Rainbow moaned as Applejack began using more fingers and focused her tongue onto the clit. “...jack. Applejack, let me taste you too.” she managed to ask.
The farmer complied, positioning herself above the smaller girl. Now only a thin pair of silky panties blocked Rainbow from the Apple-icious treasure before her. She wasted no time, she’d wanted this for a while after all! She reached forward and pulled the panties.
Wasting no time, she dove forward with her tongue at the ready. Yet, her tongue was met only by flat skin. “What?” she asked, dumbfounded. She pulled her head back and took a look at the farmers precious place. She was shocked to find nothing but a patch of blank skin.
“What’s wrong Dash? Aint’cha gonna eat?” Applejack said as she wiggled her hips.
“I...what?” Rainbow said. She had no clue what to say right now. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Her head felt like it was spinning, the area around the bed was made up of nothing but darkness. She looked back at Applejack, but the girl was gone now. Suddenly the bed jerked and began to fall into emptiness.
Rainbow Dash woke up with jolt, her heart beating and sweat beading her forehead.
“It was a dream?” she asked herself out loud, before the door opened and in walked Applejack herself.
“What was a dream?” Applejack asked.
“Er, nothing. Uh, morning Aj.” Rainbow said quickly.
That didn’t fool Aj at all, but she wasn’t going to press her friend for information, especially this early. “Ah came up to tell you breakfast is ready. Eat up, you’ll need the energy today.”
Rainbow cocked an eyebrow curiously. “Why?”
Applejack let out a soft chuckle. “You’re going to a Pinkie party, you’ll need all the energy you can get.”
Rainbow crossed her arms. “I think I have plenty of energy.” her stomach suddenly grumbled with hunger “Uhh but breakfast sounds great!”
Breakfast at the Apple family house was no joke. Meals were served in great amounts and no one left with room in their stomachs. The food was delicious, but Rainbow couldn’t help but notice the stare she was getting from Big Mac the whole time. It was pretty uncomfortable to be honest, there was something about the look he was giving her. He seemed angry. But why would he be angry with her? She hadn’t even said a word to him yet!
It didn’t take much longer for her to find out though. Before she knew it, the Apple sisters finished their meals and went upstairs to get ready for their day. Granny Smith was in the living-room, casually rocking in her chair as she watched the T.V. Mac got up and took his dish to the kitchen.
Rainbow didn’t exactly feel comfortable with her friends silent older brother around, especially after the staredown he had been giving her. She scarfed down the last bit of her food and got up from the table, walking to the kitchen so she could wash her dish.
Mac was neck deep into the refrigerator, probably looking for a drink to wash down his food. She placed her plate in the sink and began to wash it out, it would be rude to be a guest and not do at least this much. Placing the dish on the dish rack, she turned and immediately walked into the chest of Big Macintosh.
Rainbow didn’t have time to realize what happened, all she knew was now she was being held against the kitchen wall, Macs strong fist gripping her shirt tightly. She looked up at his face, it had his usual passiveness along with a slight frown and anger in his eyes.
“What are you doing Mac?” she asked, honestly beginning to fear the big guy.
“Ah heard you last night.” Mac said in a slow, angry drawl. Rainbow gulped hard. There was only one thing she could have possibly done last night while dreaming of Applejack. “Ah heard ya moanin’ mah sisters name. Ah’m warnin’ ya, cut this lil crush out, we don’ take kindly t’ yer kind in this house.” He stared intently into her eyes, bringing his face even closer to her. “Do Ah make m’self clear?”
Rainbow nodded her head as fast as she could. Mac gave a short nod himself and let her go, making his way out of the kitchen. Dash stood in the kitchen for a while, hand over her heart as she felt it slow from the speed it had reached.
She usually wasn’t one to back down from a fight, but there was just something about the way he spoke to her. She had never been approached negatively about her sexual orientation, then again, she hadn’t even known about it herself until she saw Applejack again. But to be threatened for it? It hurt her, deeply. She walked out of the kitchen, her eyes beginning to water as she walked up the stairs.
The door to the guest room was shut tightly behind her, as she fought the tears that threatened to spill. “You are strong.” she said to herself as she slid her back down the door and sat against it. “You are strong. Everyone loves you. You’re awesome. There’s nothing wrong with you.” she recited these words over and over more times than she could count ever since she figured out exactly why she felt the way she did around Applejack. “There’s nothing wro...there’s nothing w..” she couldn’t do it this time, the dam broke and her tears broke free. This was a world that taught its people that a man should love a woman and vice versa, and it bothered her to know that people might view her as different, but it was worse now that her suspicions were confirmed. She didn’t think anything could hurt so much. It was worse than any physical pain she had ever experienced. This feeling went deeper, it hurt her very soul and that wasn’t something she was ready to deal with yet. Not alone at least.
A knock rang out from the other side of the door, and Rainbow could feel the thumping on her back. “Rainbow? You in there?” came the voice of Applejack.
Dash stood up and wiped the tears from her face while she tried to control her breathing. Once she had that settled, she pulled the door open.
Applejack sat in her room, sighing pleasantly after enjoying a filling breakfast. She’s been in that position on her bed for about a solid ten minutes, just enjoying the feeling and mentally planning how her day would go. The biggest thing on that list, Pinkie Pies’ party. There was nothing else to do besides that, just make sure Rainbow had a good time.
‘Come to think of it,’ she thought to herself ‘Rainbow should be finished with breakfast by now.’ She stood up from the bed and stretched her muscles out. Something told her that today was going to be a great day, and nothing would change that.
With a smile, she opened her bedroom door and walked into the hallway, making her way towards the closed door of Rainbows room. She knocked firmly.
“Rainbow? You in there?” she asked, waiting for a response. She could hear some shuffling and sounds of movement on the other side of the door, but it didn’t open for a few more minutes.
“What’s up?” Rainbow Dash said as she finally opened the door, looking up at Applejack with red eyes.
“Hey sugarcube, you ok?” Applejack asked, worried her friend might be having an allergic reaction to something she ate.
“Yea, uhh, why?” Rainbow asked, her voice more sullen than usual.
“Yer eyes are red. You been rubbing ‘em or something?” Aj said, leaning in to get a better look.
Time seemed to pause from Rainbow Dashs’ point of view. Applejacks face was directly in front of hers, framed by her golden-blonde locks. Their eyes were on level and locked with each other. She could feel her cheeks heating up and her heart beat getting faster. Wasting no time, she pulled away.
“Yea I’m fine. I sneezed and poked my eye, so I was rubbing it and it got all red. No worries.” she said. It wasn’t the best lie, but it had some merit.
Applejack looked at her shorter friend for a few more moments, analyzing her face. “Well, alright. But you tell me if anything is wrong, alright?” she said, receiving a nod in response. “Well, ah actually came to ask you if you wanna go help Pinkie get ready for the party today.”
Rainbow didn’t even so much as hesitate. “Yea sure! Just gimme a sec to get dressed.” she said, pretty much pushing the blonde out of her room.
The door closed behind Applejack and she couldn’t help but smile. “She must be excited to see the girls.” she said as she went to her room to get dressed as well.
It didn’t take long for the girls to get dressed and make their way out of the house. Applejack thought the look Big Mac gave them as they left was a bit weird, but she figured it was because she left all the chores to him today.
It didn’t take them very long to reach Sugarcube Corner. They should have actually gotten there sooner, had they not stopped to look at their old preschool. Everything looked so small compared to how they remembered it.
Applejack pushed the doors to the store open and entered it, the air conditioning felt good against her skin. “Howdy everybody.” she said.
In the store were three girls. Blowing balloons behind the counter was Pinkie Pie, her hair as frazzled as always, adorning a pink and blue skirt. Sitting at a table organizing the party favors was Fluttershy, wearing a yellow sundress. Her hair was held in place with a butterfly pin.
Last, but not least, was Rarity. She was staring up at the streamers and ribbons hanging around the store, analyzing everything with a designers eye. One would notice that all the streamers seemed to match the colors she had on, white and purple.
“Hiya Applejack!” Pinkie said, suddenly popping out from behind the farm girl. “And a biiiiiig welcome to you Rainbow Dashie Dash!” she said, enveloping the girl in a big hug as music began to play out of nowhere.
The look on Rainbows face seemed to read “Need. Air. NOW!” but Applejack was sure she’d be fine, at least until someone else says hi and Pinkie let go of her. That didn’t take long though, as both Fluttershy and Rarity went to finally meet their friend in person.
“Hi Rainbow Dash. Um, nice to finally meet you.” Fluttershy said meekly, her hair falling down and covering her face.
“Hey Shy.” Rainbow was able to say, after she finally caught her breath of course.
“Welcome to Ponyville Darling!” Rarity enthusiastically said as she spread her arms wide, as if showing Rainbow the room they were in.
Rainbow couldn’t help but chuckle at that, she had already gotten used to the other girls mannerisms through their online chats. “Glad to be here Rares.” she said, using a nickname she knew the fashionista wasn’t exactly thrilled to have.
“So Pinkie, we were wonderin’ if ya’ll needed any help here.” Applejack said from the side, seeing that the meet and greet was now done.
The Pink enigma touched a finger to her chin as she hummed, thinking of anything else she might need help with. She smacked a fist into her hand and smiled. “Hey Applejack, can you help Mister and Misses Cake bake in the back?”
“Sure thing Pinkie.” Applejack said as she pushed her way through a set of swinging doors that led to the kitchen of the store.
Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash. “Hey Dashie, d’you mind helping me with more streamers?” she asked, getting a nod from Rainbow Dash, and a look of horror from Rarity.
“Pinkie, darling, don’t you think the streamers we have now are fine? They perfectly match my….vision for this party. Plus, you don’t want too many streamers” Rarity tried to make an excuse for not placing anymore streamers.
Pinkie Pie let out a giggle, but there was something about this specific giggle that was different from any previous giggle before. This one sent a shiver down the spine of the fashionista, she knew she had lost this battle.
“Silly billy, you can never have enough streamers!” Pinkie exclaimed before.throwing a handful of colorful ribbons into the air. They somehow all landed neat and even in various places around the room.
Rainbow let out a laugh as she watched her friends interact with each other. She grabbed a handful of streamers as well and the two of them spent the next few minutes going crazy with them.
It didn’t take long for things to liven up at Sugarcube Corner. No one missed a Pinkie Pie party after all! Music was reverberating throughout the shop as various people danced to the beat. Food was being served at the front counter and hard apple cider was on tap for all to enjoy, unless the authorities showed up of course.
Rainbow Dash was rocking out with a girl wearing shades, her electric blue hair bouncing with Dashs’ prismatic locks. The two had met earlier, before the party had actually officially begun. The girl, whose name was Vinyl, was an assistant to the DJ and came with him to help set up the speakers. The DJ himself, Neon Scratch, didn’t seem to be much older than the girl, but appeared to be well known by all the people in attendance.
“This is so awesome!” Rainbow shouted over the loud rock music.
“Just wait til I start doing parties! You won't even remember this guys name!” Vinyl shouted back, a manic grin plastered on her face.
The music sped up a bit as one song faded into the next, effortlessly becoming a rock/techno mix. The two girls kept dancing, until Rainbow felt a tap on her shoulder. It was a bit rough, but didn’t feel aggressive. She turned and was met with the sight of Applejack,her cheeks slightly red and her breath smelling of apple cider.
“Hey Aj, hitting the cider pretty hard huh?” Rainbow said jokingly to the farmer.
Applejack gave a small chuckle. “Ah...ah’ve never had hard cider be*hic*fore.” she said as she gulped down more of the sweet liquid in her cup.
Rainbow shook her head and held her laughter in. “Can’t hold your liquor Aj?” she questioned.
“Ah can hold m...my own!” Applejack said as she gulped down the rest of her cider. She grabbed two more cups that were ready at the counter and handed one to Rainbow. “Here. Drink.”
Rainbow looked at the cup that was placed in her hand. The smell of apples and vodka permeated from the frothy liquid. She gulped once, she wasn’t the strongest when it came to drinking. It was probably due to her small size. She nodded her head once, one thing Rainbow Dash never wanted to be known for was refusing a challenge.
“You’re on.” she said to Applejack, readying her drink to be gulped down.
Rainbow watched as Applejack held up three fingers and slowly put them down one by one to countdown when they should start drinking. Once the final finger was down, the two girls gulped down the entirety of their cups. The liquid burned Rainbows throat and left an uncomfortable heat in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t help but cough and sputter a bit as Applejack grabbed another pair of drinks and handed one to her. The process repeated once more, the uncomfortable heat growing a little bit more.
Applejack came back with a third set of drinks and Rainbow decided to poke some fun at her. “You might wanna go easy on the drinks Aj, don’t want you passing out on me. I can’t promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.” she said, her mind hazy. Applejack paid no heed to the girls teasing and just handed her another drink.
The two girls kept on drinking, neither wanting to give up. They were in their own little competitive world, while everyone else was dancing and enjoying the party. But, no matter who was doing what, everyone had the same thought in their heads.
The thing about Pinkie Pie parties is this, they won't end unless you end them. Of course, nobody ever really wants to end a Pinkie Pie party. Alas, the call of responsibility is too strong, and people had to leave in order to be up early enough for work or school or whatever other important occurrence they had to deal with the next day. It was no different for honest Applejack who, although loving her buzz and dance time with Rainbow, knew she had chores to do on the farm.
Rainbow Dash did not share the same sense of responsibility though. She was on vacation and she was drunk! Why would she want to end something as awesome as that? Not to wake up and do work, that’s for sure!
This brought up an ultimatum for our pure-hearted farm girl. Should she be her usual always responsible self and pull her friend away from the party, or will she let inhibitions go and have fun? It was a serious conundrum that was racking her alcohol-muddled brain
Well it was a serious conundrum, until her eyes caught onto the rhythmic movements of Rainbows hips as she danced in front of her, slightly grinding their bodies together in a way that seemed both playful and seductive. That was all it took to break honest Aj, who grabbed her oldest friend and dragged her back to the dance floor.
“Finally cutting loose, huh Aj?” Rainbow asked, arms in the air as she let her body flow with the music.
“Ah need it, don’t judge me!” Applejack responded with a smile on her face. Truth be told, she didn’t regret staying, but she knew she should lay off on the drinks a bit. Those things were starting to hit her hard! She also had to remember to ask Pinkie where she was getting her Apple Cider from, because this sure wasn’t Sweet Apple Acres brand.
It was at that precise moment that Pinkie herself popped up from seemingly nowhere. “Hey girls! Care for another drink?” she asked as she held out a tray with about a dozen apple cider cocktails on it. Applejack eyed the tray, she’d had enough for today. Rainbow, on the other hand, wasted no time in grabbing another drink, sipping at it immediately. Applejack watched as the frothy mixture covered her friends lips. She felt her face flush as her heart beat picked up speed.
“You gonna take one Applejack?” Rainbow asked as she caught her friends stare. “I’m not sharing mine.” she said with a smile before sticking her tongue out playfully.
Applejack returned the smile and turned to Pinkie, who was still standing there with a grin on her face. “Last one, ok?” Applejack said as she grabbed one of the drinks and began gulping it down.
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie responded. “These are my super-special-awesome drinks! They’re waaaaaaaaaay stronger than the other ones!” she said before bouncing to another set of party-goers.
Applejack didn’t even have time to react to what Pinkie had said. She gulped down her drink quickly and immediately began to feel the effects. The room was spinning, the music seemed to be going faster than it was before, everything was out of control! She felt a numbness in her legs, and began to stumble, when a hand rested itself against her back.
“Woah there Applejack, you ok?” Rainbow Dash asked as she held her drunk friend upright.
“Rainbow Dash? When did you get here?” Applejack asked, before exploding into a set of giggle not unlike that of Pinkie Pie.
“Yep, I think it’s time to go. You’ve definitely had too much.” Dash said as she draped the other girls arm around the back of her neck in an attempt to stabilize her walking. It wasn’t the easiest task, considering she was the shorter of the two, but one thing Rainbow Dash had was determination. She pushed past people blocking her way, the whole time singing ‘Eye of the Hydra’ in her head.
Getting out of the party was a piece of cake, it was just a few short feet to the door anyway. It was getting back to the Apple family home that was the problem. Honestly, you try dragging a drunk and rambunctious Applejack across town, see how easy it is! Nevertheless, the two party girls did eventually find their destination, there was just one more problem Rainbow had to face.
“Shit, what do I tell Mac?” Rainbow cursed out loud as she remembered the warning issued to her earlier that day. A flush of panic overtook her, and she was about ready to turn and run before she felt the arm around her shoulder tighten.
“Don’t tell Mac.” Applejack said, her words slurred. “There.” she pointed to the barn.
Relief hit Rainbow like a truck. They could sleep in the barn tonight and say that they stood over at Pinkies! “You’re a genius Aj!” Dash said low enough so only they could hear her.
The barn wasn’t the most comfortable looking place, but it was good enough for the night. It’s not like either of them were used to big cushy beds anyway. With a heave, Rainbow Dash set her friend down upon a stack of hay.
For some reason, this made Applejack laugh. “Yer funny Rainbow.” she said with a giggle and a slur.
A small smirk adorned Rainbows face. “Yea? What makes you say that?” she inquired.
“You put me on hay!” Aj proclaimed, as if what she was trying to say was the most obvious thing in the world.
“So?” Rainbow was now a bit puzzled on what the other girl was trying to get through to her.
“Rainbow, this ain’t no movie. Hay is hard and troublesome as hell to sleep on.” the farm girl said as she managed to stand up, her balance wavering by the second. It didn’t take a genius to know she needed support or else she’d get a face full of the floor soon, so Rainbow stepped in and placed a hand on her back and arm to help a bit. “Woah. Thanks Rainbow, Ah was starting to feel dizzier than a rattlesnake on the tilt-a-whirl.”
“No problem Aj.” Rainbow said as she scanned the barn for something soft they could lay on. “Uhh, Aj?” she asked, receiving only a small murmur in response. “What can I put you on if the hay won’t work?”
Rainbow watched as Applejack meekly lifted her arm and pointed to the wall ahead of them. On this wall was a set of pipes that connected to a water hose, as well as what seemed to be a storage closet. “In the closet..there are blankets.” her voice was a bit hoarse and she seemed to be straining to talk. “Could...could you pass me the hose?” she asked.
Rainbow sat Applejack on the floor and walked to the closet. Upon opening it, she found a few blankets as well as bags of seeds and small tools that must be used around the farm. She tucked three of the folded blankets under her arm and bent down to grab the watering hose.
“Here.” she said as she handed the hose to her friend. “How do I turn it on?”
The response she received was Applejack pulling a small lever on the nozzle of the hose, allowing a light stream of cold water to begin flowing. Rainbow Dash watched as her friend leaned forward, one hand pushing her hair out of the way, to drink the water. She saw the cool liquid hit Applejacks mouth, where most of it stood, but she was able to catch a few drops making their way down the girls chin, then her neck, until they eventually disappeared into the heavenly crevice that was formed by her breasts. Rainbow was starting to feel a bit thirsty too, just not for water.
“Are you just gonna gawk at me all day or are you gonna set the blankets up?” Applejack berated Rainbow. She was still drunk, that much was obvious, but her words were less slurred.
‘I guess water does sober you up.’ Rainbow thought to herself as she began unfolding the blankets. She placed the thickest one down on the wooden floor. It would act as a soft padding so they could sleep comfortably and not wake up with back pains. The other two blankets were for the traditional use, to keep warm. “Ok, all set here.” she said as she turned around to face her friend.
Rainbows jaw nearly hit the floor at what she saw. Applejack was still in the same sitting position she was in before, only now she was struggling to take her shirt off. Buttons weren’t the easiest obstacle for a drunk person to overcome. That wasn’t the worst of it though.The nice black top was completely soaked through, and Rainbow could only imagine how it would have looked if the top was white. The hose could be spotted thrown onto the floor, and Applejack had a look of annoyance on her face. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together in this situation.
“Had a little accident Aj?” Rainbow teased after regaining her composure.
Applejack looked up at Rainbow Dash with a stare so intense, she could feel a bit of her soul die. “Either help me out, or shut it.” she said as she continued her struggle with the buttons from hell.
With a sigh and a shake of her head, Rainbow knelt down and began to help her friend out. Applejack removed her own hands to give Rainbow space to work. First off was the top button. It was just above the breast that Rainbow wanted to caress so badly. Her hands shook slightly as she began to work at it. It was a bit stiff, but she was able to remove it. The shirt opened up a bit, revealing a bit more of Rainbows own personal Eden. The next button was a bit tougher to deal with. Not because it was stuck or anything, but because it was right on Applejacks bosom. Rainbows hands shook a bit more as she reached for the button. As she made contact, Applejack let out a quick gasp.
“What? What happened? What did I do?” Rainbow asked these questions in rapid succession, afraid she hurt her friend.
“Yer hands are cold.” Applejack said simply. “But it’s warm in here. You alright sugarcube?”
“Y-yea, just a bit nervous is all.” Rainbow replied as she reached forward and began working on the buttons once more.
“Nervous? Ain’t nothin’ to be nervous about. Yer just helping me out.” Applejack said, looking at Rainbow Dash who was avoiding eye contact.
Rainbow wasn’t sure why she said it. Maybe she was braver than usual for a few seconds, or maybe she could blame the slight buzz she still felt, but she finally let it slip. “It’s because you’re really fucking hot and drunk and I’m taking your clothes off. Of course I’m nervous!” she blurted out as she finally finished unbuttoning the shirt.
There was a bit of a lull in the conversation at that point. Rainbow Dash had realized what she said and was now mentally panicking. Applejack, on the other hand, finished taking off her shirt and sat in silence for a few seconds. It was like torture to Dash, who was seriously considering running out to her bike and driving away. The feel of alcohol still in her system was the only thing stopping her from driving home, she was too young to die.
Applejack finally spoke up. “So yer into girls then? What’s it called, being a lesbian? That explains a lot I guess.” she said as she placed a hand on her chin and took on a pose of contemplation.
“Applejack, listen, I know you probably think I’m super weird now and you probably want me out, but I have nowhere to go. Let me stay the night and I’ll leave first thing in the morn-” Rainbow began, but couldn’t finish as Applejack placed both her hands on either side of her face, forcing her to make eye contact.
The farmer stared into Rainbows eyes for a few moments, the prismatic girl didn’t dare move. Suddenly, without warning, Applejack leaned in and placed her lips on Rainbows in an innocent kiss. She pulled away slightly and brought her hands to her side once more. “It’s fine Rainbow.” she said simply, a smile adorning her face.
A dozen thoughts began to race through the head of Rainbow Dash. Feelings of urgency and insecurity melted away inside of her, and a warmth overtook her person. She didn’t know why, but everything about this moment felt right. She no longer cared about anything else aside from the girl..no, the woman in front of her. She leaned forward, not thinking about it as her body now ran on autopilot, and initiated another kiss. This one wasn’t as chaste as the last though. There was some sort of hunger behind it. It was a wonderful thing, but it wasn’t enough. The two girl held each other as they kissed, sounds of shuffling and moaning began to fill the air.
Rainbow wanted more. She opened her mouth a bit, enough for her tongue to maneuver it’s way around. Applejacks eyes widened a bit as she felt Rainbows tongue graze her lips, but she got the message full and clear, and was happy to oblige. She opened her mouth as well, and the two shared their first full-on kissing experience together. It wasn’t calm and cute like you see in the movies though. This kiss was messy, and full of feelings. Grinding and groping came into play as well, and by the time air was needed, both girls knew exactly where this was going.
They broke apart, chests heaving in unison as their bodies begged for air and pleasure. Eye contact never broke between the two as a bond of understanding formed between them. Words were no longer needed, they both knew what the other wanted, and wasted no time in giving it to them.
Rainbow was the first to stand up. She pulled her shirt off of her body so quickly, you would think it was hurting her. “I wasn’t kidding about you being hot Aj.” she said as she began to unstrap the sports bra she was wearing.
Applejack was up as well, working on pulling down the tight jeans she had on. Her body was hot and all these clothes felt constricting. “Yer not too bad yourself.” she said as she stepped away from the denim trap.
That was the last bit of conversation shared between the two, as they stripped themselves naked in front of one another. Aj stood at about 6 feet, her blonde hair cascading from her head down her back. She had her arms crossed due to an instinct of bodily privacy, but this only increased focus on her breasts more. They were fantastic breasts, much bigger than Rainbows of course, yet not up to Fluttershy level yet. Her arms and face were a slightly darker shade from the rest of her body, but that was to be expected from working in the sun all day. Her stomach and legs were well toned and there was a neat little triangle patch of blonde curls around her pelvic area.
Rainbow Dash had a more confident stance, with her hands on her hips as she stood up straight. She was about 5’9, with some muscle tone in her arms and stomach as well as well toned legs. Her tan was similar to Applejacks, but with more of her body actually being tanned due to her wearing shorts and shirts for running. Her hair barely reached her back and, upon inspection, one would see she was completely clean shaven.
The two of them stood there for a second, silently observing the other. Their eyes trailed over each others body, it was all so familiar yet foreign. It was exciting and scary at the same time and neither one of them knew how to initiate the next step, but both were tired of waiting as well.
Rainbow was the first to act, walking to the blanket she had placed on the floor earlier and taking a seat. She waved over to Applejack, who followed suit. Kissing was the first logical thing to do, even in this situation where logic isn’t an option. The kissing continued from before, as if it had never stopped. The groping was more intense though, as there were no clothes to hinder the feeling of a supple breast in hand or a hardening nipple.
Applejack soon found out that, although Dash had small breasts, she was very sensitive. Even a slight graze elicited a moan from the smaller girl, and this gave Applejack all the power she needed to take control. She reached out and grabbed a perky tit in her hand, slowly massaging it. She was kneading it like dough, and the reaction was exactly what she expected. But more was what she wanted. Closing her fingers together, she began to pinch the hard nipple. A moan escaped Rainbows mouth through their kiss and she could hear the pleasure in its tone. She wasn’t done yet though. She broke the kiss and winked at Rainbow Dash, who seemed disappointed for a moment before pleasure overtook the features on her face. Applejack was now sucking on her right nipple as she continued to play with the left. Rainbow was in a state of ecstasy she had never felt before, and could only respond with moans of pleasure.
But Rainbow wasn’t one to be beaten so easily. If anyone was going to take the lead, it would be her. With that idea and determination in mind, she pulled Applejack into another kiss as she guided their bodies into a laying position. She tried doing the same thing that was done to her, but it didn’t appear to work as well on Applejack, who was less sensitive. Rainbow opted for something else instead. She broke the kiss and held her tongue out so Applejack could see the string of saliva left over. She continued to hold her tongue out as she lowered herself and began to lick Applejacks right nipple, slowly circling her tongue around it and making it harden, giving it a quick and playful flick when fully erect. She did the same to the left breast as well, before trailing her tongue into the crevice of the breasts. She placed a small kiss there, and dragged her hands along the lengths of Applejacks torso, feeling muscles tighten at her very touch. Her kisses continued, trailing down Applejacks chest and onto her toned stomach. Moans rang out from the farmer as she dealt with this pleasurable torture she was being subjected to. Rainbow dipped her tongue into Applejacks belly button and, although it didn’t add much physical pleasure, the visual was suggestive enough to send shivers down her spine.
Soon enough, Rainbow found herself at the golden patch between Ajs legs. She grabbed a handful of the hair and lightly tugged out it, receiving another approving groan of satisfaction. “Looks like somebody is happy to see me.” she said as she smelled the arousal coming from her lover.
“Quit playing around and eat me!” Applejack suddenly lashed out as pleasure and need finally took over her mind.
Rainbow didn’t need to be told twice. She dived straight into action, giving the other girls slit a few long, slow licks to get an initial taste for it before she actually got down to business. Applejack tasted sweet and tangy. She was hot to the core and Rainbow could see that this was one apple pie she would never get tired of eating. She pulled back on the skin at the very top to reveal the clit, the so-called holy grail of female pleasure.Only a woman could please a woman like this, that much she was sure of. She circled her tongue around the small pearl just as she had earlier with the nipples. The moans reaching her ears now were much louder than before and coming in faster.
She could tell an orgasm was coming, and soon. Wasting no time, she brought her fingers into play as well. They were long and slender, perfect for what she had planned. As she continued to lick Applejacks clit, she inserted two fingers into the girls vagina very slowly, eliciting a slow and powerful groan of pleasure from Aj. She started off slowly, inching her fingers in and out at a snails pace. She could feel Aj tightening around them and she also felt the wetness and every drop of essence. She began to pump her fingers a bit faster now, hearing Applejacks breathing pick up as well.
“Oh..oh I’m so close! I’m almost there Rainbow. RAINBOW!” Applejack exclaimed before the dam burst and her juices began to spill. Rainbow was having the time of her life, and was more than happy to lap up all that she could.
“You taste amazing.” she said as she crawled back up and lay next to Applejack, covering them with the blankets she brought before.
“Rainbow, that was amazing. You were amazing!” Applejack said with heavy breath and heavier eyelids.
“Thanks Aj, come on let’s get some rest.” Dash said as she cuddled up next to her lover and closed her eyes.
“Ok, goodnight. I love you.” Applejack said as she finally drifted into a dream.
Rainbows eyes shot open and she looked at the sleeping girl next to her. She couldn’t fight the smile on her face. “I love you too.” she said and she too went off to dreamland.
The perfect moment is one that is incredibly difficult to obtain, yet more so easy to ruin. When you work so hard to do something, you tend to build a metaphorical tower with which you attempt to reach your goals. This tower is composed of various blocks that you collect on your journey and, much like in jenga, a single misplaced block can mean your downfall. The block, in this case, would go by the name of Big Macintosh.
Rainbow Dash was used to waking up to a harsh morning. Usually that meant her parents were upset with her or she had cramps. This was on an entirely different level though. She didn’t have time to wake up properly as she was yanked up from the barn floor by her multi-colored locks of hair. Drowsiness wasn’t even a thought that occurred to her as she felt pain shoot through the back of her head where the hair was tightening. A deep and angry voice boomed out to her.
“Didn’t ah warn ya ‘bout layin’ yer dirty lesbian hands on my sister?” Big Macintosh didn’t hold his voice back as he yelled at the small girl held firmly in his grasp. He could see his younger sister wake up from the commotion and saw her stare, wide-eyed, at the scene before her.
She could see what was going on. Her brother looked mad and he was holding her love by the hair, stark naked. She held the blanket closer to her body, not to hide anything but it just felt comforting at this moment, given what she was about to say to him.
“Macintosh.” Applejack began, speaking as calmly as she could, although the erratic beating of her heart proved otherwise. “You need to calm down. Rainbow Dash didn’t do anything wrong. Ah...ah love her Mac. Really.”
Macintosh locked eyes with his sister for a moment, a line of tension drawn between the Apples, before he set his sights on the girl in his grasp once more. Rainbow could feel the grip on her hair tighten even more in painful agony. “So you infected her, huh?” Mac said through gritted teeth.
“Mac, no I-” Rainbow began but was silent as the mans fist connected firmly with her mouth. Her head should have reeled back, but he held it in place, only making the blow that much worse. She could taste copper.
“You shut yer fuckin’ mouth! Yer not allowed to talk!” Mac yelled to Rainbow, who had a hand over her mouth where blood seemed to be flowing freely.
“Mac!” Applejack yelled as she disregarded the blanket covering her nude form and raced over to her brother. She grabbed the arm that was holding Rainbow in place. “Macintosh, you let her go right now, or I swear-”
“You swear what?!” Macintosh yelled to Applejack. “Yer infected by this thing.” he said as he looked at Rainbow Dash once more. Blood was still leaking from her mouth and tears streamed down her face, yet she looked brave. It pissed him off. He reeled his arm back again, he’d break her nose this time.
Macintosh felt his hand collide against flesh, a satisfying crunch could be heard, and his eyes widened as he watched his sister fall to the floor. Blood gushed from her face like a fountain.
The barn door could be heard opening as granny Smith walked in. “What’s all the commotion in here?” she asked as she then saw the scene before them. “Mac?”
“I’m leaving.” Big Mac said as he let go of Rainbow Dash, who wasted no time in scooping Applejack up in her arms.
Big Mac walked past his grandmother without a second glance.
Granny Smith saw the state the girls were in at this point and called out to the house. “Applebloom! Bring me the first-aid kit!” she yelled out, seeing Mac step into the house.
It wasn’t long until Applebloom came with the first-aid kit, but it felt like an eternity to the girls in the barn. “Here’s the medicine granny. Everything ok? Why’s Mac packin’ all his stuff up?” she asked.
“Everything will be fine, go inside.” Granny Smith ordered.
Applebloom was naturally curious though, so a small peak revealed her answer. She saw her big sister being held by her friend, and they were both bleeding. “Applejack, Rainbow Dash! Are ya’ll ok?” she asked as she pushed her way into the barn. “What happened?”
Granny Smith answered first. “Let’s get them fixed up first. They can talk later.” she said, gaining a nod from the small girl and proceeding with her new job as nurse.
Granny Smith sat at the kitchen table, staring silently at the two girls before her. Applebloom was sitting to the side, the silence was uncomfortable and she still didn’t understand what was going on. Rainbow had said Mac got mad because she loved Applejack, but why? That was a good thing, wasn’t it? Even if it wasn’t, would it be so bad for him to have done what he did? She cast a glance at the other end of the table.
Rainbow Dash sat silently next to Applejack. She had one hand on her lap while the other held an ice pack to her mouth. Her lips had begun to swell and granny Smith was ready for it, she couldn’t do much about the bruising though. Applejack looked the worst for wear though. Her nose was slightly slanted. It hadn’t been broken fully thankfully, but it was still pretty bad. The worst thing about nose injuries like hers, was that the eyes suffered as well. The skin was puffy and bruised, making her look like she was beaten in a bar fight. She also held an ice pack to her injuries.
Granny Smith cleared her throat, saying something for the first time since the discussion started. “First thing is first.” she began, her gaze focused on Rainbow Dash. “I apologize for the way my grandson acted. I didn’t raise him to be a bigot, and I won’t have that in my house. Feel free to stay as long as you like, you’re more welcome than him.” she said as she crossed her arms defiantly.
Applejack suddenly leaned forward in her chair, removing the ice pack from her face. “But granny, we need him on the farm!” she blurted out.
Granny Smith shook her head. “Applejack, always thinking about work. Don’t you worry about that. I still got a few years worth of harvesting in me, and Applebloom is here to help. We’ll be fine.” she said with a smile. “Now, on to the next thing.” she said as she shifted her gaze continuously between the girls. “I can’t say I’m completely comfortable with this, not that I’m against it. I was just hoping to get to see my great grandchildren soon.”
Applejacks eyes widened and Rainbow Dash almost fell out of her seat.
“K-k-k-kids?!?” Rainbow managed to sputter out. “I-I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. I’ll need a job! And a place to stay permanently here in Ponyville!” She nervously ran her hands through her hair as the Apples all stared at her. “I can try to get a job at the school teaching phys. ed. but that won’t pay enough. Why are you guys just staring at me, help me figure this out.”
Applejack let a small smile grace her lips, despite all the other occurrences of her day so far. “Rainbow Dash, sweetie, ah love you but you aren’t the brightest bulb in the house. We can’t exactly have kids, us both bein’ women and all.”
Rainbow slumped her shoulders. “Right.”
Applebloom sat forward.”Why not?” she asked simply.
“Why not what sugarcube?” Applejack asked her younger sister.
“Why can’t y’all have kids because you’re women? Is the stork sexist?” she asked.
Rainbow Dash nudged Applejack slightly and chuckled. “And you said I wasn’t a bright bulb.”
“Rainbow! She’s only six years old!” Aj exclaimed. “She doesn’t know all the rules of life yet.”
Rainbow crossed her arms. “Well she better learn fast, we saw what happened when people get ignorant.” The atmosphere of the room became very melancholic once more. “Sorry I didn’t mean t-”
“It’s fine.” Granny Smith interrupted “He left, and won’t be back anytime soon. You don’t need to worry about it anymore.” She sighed deeply and the age seemed to finally show in the old womans demeanor. “I’d rather have him gone than have someone like that living under my roof. That is not what I raised him like and I have no idea where he could have picked up those ideas.”
“Yea, but I’m sure gonna miss him.” Applebloom said simply. Funny how such a simple response from a child could cause such realization in her elders.
Applejack walked around the table and knelt before her little sister. “Listen here Applebloom, Ah want you t’know that you didn’t lose your brother. He’s still our family and always will be, he just needs some space right now. And no matter what, you’ll always have me and granny by your side.” she said wholeheartedly.
“I’ll be here too squirt!” Rainbow said from her side of the table. “Just consider yourself my honorary sister, ok?”
The youngest Apple nodded her head happily.
“And you can consider yourself an honorary Apple.” Granny Smith said with a soft smile that turned into a evil grin. “At least until you marry my granddaughter.”
“Marriage?!” both girls exclaimed.
“Well, after what you two did, I would hope so.” Granny Smith said with a shrug. “It’s the Apple way.”
The old woman let the two girls think about what she said for a bit. She didn’t actually expect them to do anything, she wasn’t that old fashioned after all but she did love to see Dash squirm nervously, it reminded her of her own girlfriend back in her experimental days. But that was a story for another day. “I think you two have had a pretty rough morning already. I think a small nap would be perfect. I’ll have something ready to eat by the time you wake up.”
The two girls looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, making their way up the stairs and into their respective rooms.
Rainbow Dash lay in her bed silently. She felt...off. It was the best way to describe what she felt at the moment. The day was rough but it was behind her already, yet something was missing. What was it?
She heard a soft knock at her door.
“Come in.” she said.
The door creaked open and in walked Applejack, who was wearing her pajamas. She closed the door behind her and walked to the bed.
“You feeling ok?” Aj asked. They hadn’t had the chance to discuss anything personal together.
“Good. A little tired. You?” Dash replied.
“Pretty much the same. Can’t sleep.” Aj said.
Rainbow scooted over a bit and made room on the bed. She tapped the space, signaling for Applejack to take it. “Lay down for a bit.” she said.
Applejack didn’t need to be told twice, and took her place next to Rainbow Dash on the bed that could barely hold both of them.
It was cramped, but it felt right. The warmth that was shared between the two of them fueled the feeling of comfort and it didn’t take long for Applejack to fall asleep at Rainbows side, who fell asleep mere moments later, that off feeling gone and replaced with this new emotion she now felt and welcomed with open arms.
Rainbow Dash tiredly rubbed her eyes as she rose from her bed. She dragged her hands down her face, coming to a gentle stop upon her lips. It had been three days since the incident with Macintosh, and the swelling had gone down immensely. A cut remained, and some slight bruising, but that could be easily passed off as the result of an accident that occurred from her trying to help on the farm. There was no way she would tell her dad what actually happened, lest he forbid her from visiting again.
He wasn’t the only one that would want some explaining done when she showed her face. Both her and Applejack had stayed secluded on the farm while they healed up, no parties or tours. The most interaction that they had were some texts here and there from both Rarity and Fluttershy, as well as the daily party invitations from Pinkie. They didn’t like hiding things from their friends for so long, but the topic of how they were beat up by Big Mac for being lesbians wasn’t one they looked forward to telling.
Rainbow took a deep breath and sighed as she looked at the clock mounted on the wall. She wouldn’t be able to avoid the conversation for much longer. She was going home and she had no doubt in her mind that all of her Ponyville friends would see her off. Sure, she could brush off the questions about her wounds if it were her alone, but they were sure to notice Applejacks dual black eyes.
Rainbow sighed again. Applejack had been the one who got it worst. While she walked away with a busted lip and some bruises, Applejack almost suffered a broken nose and facial swelling. Not only that, but her chores on the farm pretty much doubled overnight. But, worst of all, she had lost one of the most important things to her, a family member. When it came to the Apples, family was a huge thing. This went double for Applejack after she lost her parents when Applebloom was a baby. There was a knock on the door to the room.
“Come in.” Rainbow said, not bothering to see who was there, she didn’t need to.
Applejack pushed the door open and gave the look a quick glance. It was empty again, all of Rainbows stuff was packed and it felt… she wasn’t sure, sad? It just felt like something major was going to be missing now. “You all packed and ready?” she asked. It was a question that she didn’t need an answer to, she already knew.
“Yea.” Rainbow said simply as she grabbed her bag and began to make her exit. The hallway felt longer, and the stairs higher, than what she had experienced every day since she’d arrived. She was also pretty sure that her walking speed was that of a snail now. A glance to her side showed she wasn’t the only one suffering from these symptoms, as Applejack stood right by her side. There was something about that fact that comforted her and put that small murmur she felt in her heart to rest.
“Bring Scootaloo next time!” Applebloom all but yelled as she gave Rainbow a hug goodbye.
Granny Smith followed suit. “Yes, and please come again soon. You’re family now.”
Rainbow nodded her head. She wasn’t sure what to say in this situation. Would she be able to come back? She definitely wanted to, that’s for sure.
She would have followed this train of thought had it not been for the hand that clasped itself around her own. She looked to see a smiling Applejack give her a knowing smile.
“It’ll be fine.” Aj said calmly, there was a confidence in the way she said it that put Rainbow at ease.
Rainbow grabbed her bag and strapped it to the back of her bike,rolling the thing by hand as the two walked down the path that led out of the farm and into the town.
“So,any idea what you’re gonna tell the girls?”she asked, not forgetting the next obstacle she’d be facing.
Applejack shrugged her shoulders. “The truth, why lie?” she said nonchalantly.
“Well...not everyone is going to be as accepting as granny Smith. We’ve seen that already.” she said as she absentmindedly put a finger to her damaged lip.
“Yes, but these are our friends we’re talking about here.D’you think they’d do anything but want to celebrate for us?” Applejack answered with a smile.
Rainbow Dash took a second to think about that. How exactly did she expect each of her friends to respond to the news? Well, Rarity would want to make them matching dresses or some sort of couples clothing. Fluttershy? She’d probably just blush and congratulate them. Then there was Pinkie Pie. She’d probably try to hold up Dashs’ departure in order to throw a congratulatory party for them.
“Yea, you’re right. I don’t know what I was so worried about.” Dash said, a large bit of the anxiety she had been feeling this whole time now lifted itself off of her.
“Now c’mon, we can’t keep someone like Pinkie Pie waitin’, can we?” Applejack said as she quickened her pace a bit. Rainbow did the same, their friends were waiting after all.
Turns out, Rainbow wasn’t too far off with her predictions. Rarity did offer to make them some couples clothes, which they tried to refuse as best they could but in the end she got them to agree to at least let her make them a set of matching shirts.
Fluttershy did as expected, blushing a deep red and congratulating them.
The surprising thing was Pinkie, who was willing to wait for Rainbow Dash to visit again before she threw any type of party.
Then came the moment that the two young women were trying to avoid.
“Now Applejack, dear,” Rarity said “care to explain where you got those horrible bruises from?”
All eyes were now on the farm girl, yet she was focused on one set of pink eyes that were filled with guilt and sorrow.
Applejack swallowed. “It’s nothing. I’ll tell you girls later. Deal?” she said. Rarity and Pinkie gave her a look that said ‘What aren’t you telling us?’ but they seemed to drop it for the moment.
One by one the girls lined up to say their goodbyes to Rainbow Dash. Pinkie promised to throw her “the most super-de-duper party that her brain will ever be able to handle.” Rarity said to visit soon so she could give her the shirt she was planning to make for them. Fluttershy gave her a simple goodbye, and Rainbow promised to come see her animals next time.
Lastly was Applejack. “You promise to come back again soon, right?” she asked. Her eyes were more watery than usual.
Rainbow opened her arms to offer a hug. “I promise to come back as fast as I can. This...Ponyville feels like home to me again. It feels right here.” she said, arms still open.
Applejack looked down at Rainbows open gesture and shook her head. The other three girls looked on as Applejack pulled Rainbow Dash into a kiss right in front of them. It didn’t take long for Dash to accept the sudden kiss, and she relished it, noting how Applejack had a taste similar to that of cinnamon.
Aj was the one to break the kiss. “Go on then, ride home to daddy.” she said with a wink.
The girls watched as Rainbow kicked her motorcycle into gear and began blazing her way down the path that led to the nearest highway.
Applejack walked up the path that led to her families home. She smiled as she watched her little sister run to her from the front porch. She loved that little girl so much. The smile soon turned to a frown though, as she saw the look of panic on the girls face.
“Applejack, hurry!” Applebloom shouted to her sister when she finally got to her.
“Applebloom, what’s wrong?” she asked frantically.
“It’s granny! She hurt herself on the field!” Applebloom responded and that was all Applejack needed as she took off to the fields that were supposed to be her responsibility.
‘No, not again.’ was the one thought that echoed throughout her mind.
The sound of a loud rock song woke Rainbow Dash up from her peaceful slumber. She recognized the ringtone all too well, and the grogginess that she should have been experiencing in her body right now disappeared before she could even begin to feel it. She reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her cellphone, flicking the icon that allowed her to answer the call.
“Good morning, how’s everything?” Dash asked as she stretched her free arm out and cracked her back.
“Ah’m doin’ good so far. Got Applebloom out collecting the apples now. Did Ah wake you? You sure it’s ok for me to be callin’ you this early?” Came the voice of Applejack from the phone.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile. “That’s just like you, worrying about me even when I’m so far away.” she said with a chuckle. “I promise, I’m getting the right amount of sleep and eating three meals a day. Good?” she asked in mock sarcasm.
“So Ah care about my girlfriend, big whoop!” came Applejacks response. Rainbow could almost imagine the blush on the farm girls face when she said that.
Rainbow let out a sigh as she wiped the smile from her face. “So, how’s granny doing?” she asked. The sudden somber feeling the call took was enough to make her heart beat speed up a bit as if something horrible was about to happen.
Applejack let out a matching sigh. “That old woman, Ah swear. Ah warned her she was gonna hurt herself on that darn field and what does she do that very same day? She throws her back out and hurts her hip. Ah can’t believe it!” She pauses for a moment to collect her thoughts, something she seemed to be doing a lot more these last few months since granny had her little accident. “The doc said she’s just too old to push herself like that. She might have to use a cane or walker from now on too. Thing is, she’s so darn stubborn!”
Rainbow could hear the frustration in that southern twang, and couldn’t keep herself from laughing. “It’s like they say Aj, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!” she said before she broke out in full out laughter.
Applejack waited patiently for her girlfriend to stop laughing before she spoke up. “Rainbow, Ah’m gonna ask this one time, and one time only. Was that a fucking pun?”
It took Dash a moment to process what she was being asked before she answered. “Uhhh...yes?” she said, waiting for a response from the phone and never receiving one. She pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the screen to see the words ‘Call Ended’ flashing. “She hung up on me!” she said in an offended tone. “She hung up on me!” she repeated, with laughter in her voice this time.
This was definitely the best way to wake up in the morning. Who needs an alarm clock when you have a farmer girlfriend that gives you free wake-up calls every morning? She’d probably want to smash the clock, but when the first voice she hears in the morning belongs to Applejack, there’s no way she couldn’t be happy.
She stood up from her bed and gave one big stretch. Her window had raindrops on it and the sky was grey, her favorite kind of morning. She placed her phone back onto the nightstand and opened the door to her room so she could go to the bathroom and wash up for the day. The problem with that was, her father was leaning on the wall right beside her door, blocking the way.
“Uh, morning dad.” she said, a bit confused as to why her father was standing there with such a cheesy grin on his face.
“Morning Rainbow Dash.” he said simply, never removing the smile from his face which was, honestly, beginning to get creepy.
Rainbow stared at her father for a few seconds. Light Prism was known for being a loyal parent and husband, but he was also known as an avid prankster as well, which was what she was worried about.
“Can I help you with something?” she asked, his stare-smile combo was seriously creeping her out.
“Oh no, I’m just hanging out. So, who were you just talking to?”” Light asked.
“Uhh, I was just talking to Appleja-”
“Ohhhhh! You were talking to Applejack? Your giiiiiiiirlfriend?”” Light suddenly interrupted his daughter with his teasing followed by almost child like laughter.
“Dad!” Rainbow could feel her face heating up and fought the urge to yell at her father and tell him to shut up. Instead, she managed to push past him and lock herself in the bathroom where she was able to do her morning washup before she went out for a jog.
Applejack held her cellphone in her hand, looking at the blank screen. There was a small smile on her face.
“That girl, Ah swear, she drives me crazy. Gotta love her though.” she said to herself, her cheeks were the lightest shade of red that they could be. The barn door opened and in walked Applebloom. “Hey sis, I finished collecting the apples. What’s next?” the younger Apple asked.
“Well, Ah think Ah’ll let you make the decision today. We’ve gotta make apple pies, apple fritters, apple cider, apple muffin, apple crumb cake, apple…” she continued to list off various other apple related snacks and products, while Applebloom noticed the cellphone in her sisters hand.
“Did you just finish givin’ Rainbow her morning call?” the girl asked.
Applejacks cheeks managed to redden more. “Yea Ah did.Just finished actually. You have great timing.”
Applebloom took on a thoughtful expression for a moment, before she was able to formulate exactly what it was that she wanted to ask. “Hey sis, when’s Rainbow gonna visit again? She said she was gonna come back soon and bring Scootaloo! That was three months ago! She came to visit granny a few times but she hasn’t stayed over in a while” Applejack knelt down and placed a hand on her sisters shoulder. “Ah don’t know myself Applebloom. Ah’d love it if she could just come over and visit again, but we’re just too busy right now to entertain guests. It’s just you and me taking care of the farm and that’s what we need to focus on.” She said, watching as her sisters face became sadder than she would ever hope it to be. “Ah’ll tell you what.” she suddenly said as she stood back up and looked at the younger apple. “Winter is a few months away now, and business always slows down around that time. How about we invite them over then? Sound good?”
The speed at which the girl perked up was amazing, to say the least. “Can Sweetiebelle come over too? Can she? Please?” she almost begged. Applejack shook her head and laughed. “Ah’ll ask Rarity about that. But for now, let’s go make some apple juice.” she said, pushing the barn door open and walking out, she had a busy day ahead of her.
Applejack removed her trademark hat from her head and wiped a hand across her forehead. Her hair was wet with sweat and matted against her head, the only dry part was the ponytail tied with a red ribbon. People asked why she only used red ribbons for her hair, it’s not like it was her favorite color or anything. It was all based on some random trivia Fluttershy told her once, about how horses that worked on farms were marked with red ribbons so they wouldn’t be confused with breeding or racing horses. It made sense to her and, even though she knew she wouldn’t be forced to have any kids, it just felt right to wear the symbol of a worker.
A cool breeze blew by and felt amazing against her glistening skin. She was used to waking up early and doing hard work for long hours, but she still absolutely hated the heat. She looked on the bright side though, she was done with the mornings work and now she could relax in her nice air-conditioned house for a while. She plopped her hat back onto her head and grabbed the handle to the wheelbarrow full of apples that she had collected from the orchard. These were just going to be stored in the barn for now.
She pushed the barn door open and pushed the wheelbarrow inside. It was pretty much perfect for a short-term storage for the apples, since it was cool and dark. She looked around for a bit, hay was strewn all across the floor, and on the wall was a hose attached to a small faucet. She walked towards the hose and held it upwards and away from her face while slowly turning the faucet to release a steady stream of water. She ducked her head down, eyes closed, and drunk from the hose, the cool water felt amazing as it ran down her dry throat and cooled her body from the inside. She opened her eyes and the green orbs caught sight of a pair of dirty blankets that were haphazardly thrown into a corner. It looked like the animals had gotten hold of the articles, but she recognized them, and the sight made her heart drop suddenly. She shook her head and turned the faucet off. No time to feel sadness or pity, she needed to take her break and make an important phone call.
The sun beamed down on her once again as she exited the barn, and getting to the house was a challenge in itself, but she was rewarded as she pushed the door open and was greeted with the cold air that filled the place.
“Finished your morning chores?” Granny Smith said from her rocking chair as Applejack walked into the living room and plopped down onto the sofa.
“Yep, combed through the orchard and stored everything away. Applebloom fed the pigs and cows too, she back yet?” Aj asked as she removed her hat and placed it besides her. A chill ran down her spine as the cold air touched her wet, sweat-drenched head.
“For about an hour now. Takes a while to comb the orchard by yourself, maybe I should-” Granny Smith began, but she was silenced by her eldest granddaughter.
“Now you stop right there, you heard what the doctor said, no hard work for you!” applejack scolded.
“Applejack, sweetie, I’ve been working on this farm since it was created. Combing the orchard is hardly hard work for me.” the elder Apple said sarcastically. “Besides, you have no choice, we have a delivery that needs to be done and the field work needs to be finished.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “A delivery? For what? And for where?” she asked. She didn’t remember seeing anything about a delivery today.
“30 cases of cider to be delivered to Cloudsdale.” Granny Smith said simply, with a sly smile on her face.
Applejack sat up immediately. “Did you say Cloudsdale?” she asked, she needed to be sure she heard that right.
Granny Smith put a finger to her lips and took on a look of mock confusion. “Hmm, I’m not sure actually, my memory isn’t as good in this old age. Let me check my notes.” she said as she pulled out a notepad with writing on it. “Yep, Cloudsdale Town Hall, 30 cases of cider.” she repeated.
Applejack quickly stood up. “I need to make a call really quick!” she rapidly stated before making her way upstairs to her room and promptly closing the door behind her. She quickly pulled the cellphone off of it’s charger and began tapping the screen to redial the last number that she called. It rang a few times before she heard a voice respond.
“Hey babe, what’s up?” Rainbow Dash said when she answered the call.
Applejack wasted no time. “Me, you, Cloudsdale, tonight.”
Applejack didn't even wait for an answer as she ended the call and grabbed a change of clothes so she could take a shower and wash the sweat from her morning chores off. She already had it planned out. The drive to Cloudsdale would take a few hours at least, then she would drop her delivery off and head straight to Rainbows place. She'd spend some time with her and be back by early morning at the latest.
Aj nodded her head as if confirming her own plan just as a knock rang on her bedroom door. "C'mon in." She called out.
The door squeaked open and in came granny Smith, that sly smile still plastered across her old face. "Gonna wash up before leaving?" she asked her granddaughter. "Yea, Ah don't wanna sit in the truck and smell nothing but dirt and sweat for the whole ride." Applejack said quickly. She hated lying but it wasn't all false, she really didn't want to smell that.
Granny Smith nodded her head in understanding. "Fine fine. You do that and I'll pack your clothes. You'll need about three days worth I'd say."
Applejack adopted a confused look upon her face. Did she have to make more than one delivery? If so, that would seriously mess up her plans. “Why?” she asked simply, unsure of which direction this conversation would be going.
“Well it’ll take some time to get to Cloudsdale, and I’m sure you’ll have at least one pit stop after you deliver the cider.” Granny said, she’s had that sly smile on her face for so long that it seemed to have been part of her at this point.
Applejack slowly began to see where her grandmother was going with this, but she still had some questions. “Yea, but Ah can be fast and be home by mornin’.”
Granny shook her head. “You know I don’t like you driving so late. You can wait.”
Applejack nodded her head. There was still one issue though. “Wouldn’t that leave an extra set of clothes still?”
Granny Smith placed her hands on her face, gently rubbing her eyes with her fingers. ‘I must have the densest grandchildren in history.’ she thought to herself before letting out a sigh. “Applejack, sweetie, I’m only gonna say this once and I don’t wanna hear no backtalk or arguin’ from you.” she said, getting a nod in response. “Ok, you’re gonna drive to Cloudsdale,” she accentuated her words by holding a pretend steering wheel “and then drop off the delivery. From there, I’m giving you a short vacation to do what you want with your girlfriend.” she ended her statement by miming the action of someone spanking someone else.
Applejack, always ready to sacrifice her wants for the betterment of the farm and her family, was ready to speak up until she saw the look in her grandmother's eyes that reminded her not to back talk or argue. A smile slowly grew on her face as she finally realized what her grandmother was doing for her. “Thanks granny.” she said as she quickly enveloped the old woman into a hug. She truly had the best family possible.
Rainbow Dash sat down on the edge of her bed, visibly exhausted. She had gotten the call earlier about Applejack coming over, and then a text soon after saying she’d be staying a few days. Dash didn’t think she could manage to clean a room that fast, but we all know that saying about getting laid. The big problem now was privacy. Her dad was super nosey when it came to stuff like this, and her sister was in the room right next to hers.
“Some music should solve that.” she said as she got up and looked through her music collection. She skipped past artists such as Montell Jordan, Ginuwine and Kelly Rowland, finally settling on the one artist she knew would get Applejack going. She held the old CD case up in the air and stared at it. “Johnny Cash, don’t fail me now.” she said as she placed it back down. There were still things she needed to prepare.
The drive to Cloudsdale was long and and uneventful. Add onto it the feeling of anticipation that Applejack felt the whole time, and it became the recipe for the most boring trip of her life. But that was all over now, she could see the tall buildings in the distance. Well, they were tall compared to what she was used to at least. She hadn’t felt this giddy since she was a kid, opening presents on her birthday. Nothing would take this feeling from her.
Well, almost nothing.
“I only ordered 25 cases of cider!” a middle aged man exclaimed as Applejack looked over the details of the delivery on her delivery form. Sure enough, 25 cases was the order on the form, but granny had told her 30 and she stocked that much. That much didn’t bother her though, as she chalked it up to old age and confusion. It was the man, who didn’t even give her the chance to review her order details before he blew his top, that was really pissing her off.
“Yes sir, Ah understand that. Ah never said the thirty cases were for you. Ah see you ordered 25 right here on my delivery form. If you would have given me the chance to talk, Ah could have told you that. We workers down at Sweet Apple Acres always ensure the best service for our customers. To ensure you would get your order exactly as you wanted it, we packed a few more cases in the event of any unexpected accidents such as lost or broken cargo.” she said as mechanically as she could to make it seem like it was a company policy. She hated lying, but she could make an exception in this case.
The man simply narrowed his eyes at her before giving a smile that sent disgusting shivers down her back. “Well why didn’t you just say so! C’mon, unload these cases into the back, we got a wedding tomorrow and need everything stored A.S.A.P.”
Aj just rolled her eyes and held out the delivery slip. “Ah can’t do anythin’ until you sign this.” she said. This man was really wasting her time. He sucked his teeth but took the slip anyway, scribbling his name at the bottom of the page and shoving it back into her hands.
“Ok, come on!” he barked out as he held the door open for her.
Rainbow Dash paced around her room, she wasn’t sure what else to do. Every so often she would peek out of her window at the street that led to her house. Anticipation was a bitch, and she hated it with a burning passion.
Footsteps echoed in the air for a second before her door swung open and in walked her father. “Hey, do you mind lending me some of your precious time stalking the window to help cook dinner?” he said, not even waiting for a reply as he walked out of the room and walked down the stairs that led to the ground floor.
“Fine.” Rainbow huffed out, sparring one more hopeful glance out of the window, being let down once more. She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, where her father was waiting for her with a smile.
“I can’t believe you and Applejack are a thing now! I have so many memories of you two as kids.” he said giddily.
Rainbow quirked an eyebrow at her father. “You do?” she questioned.
“Yea of course!” he replied happily. “There was that time I brought you to Sugarcube Corner and met her and her mom. There was also the time we left Sugarcube Corner after I met her and her mom.” he seemed really proud about his response.
Rainbow wasn’t even sure how to respond to that one. “You...you’re such a...wow.”
Light Prism let out a playful chuckle before grabbing a pot and placing it onto the stove. “Ok enough of that. It’s a special day for you and we’re gonna step our game up!” he pumped a fist excitedly.
“Uhh...what?” was about the only response Dash could formulate at that moment.
“We’re having a member of the Apple family over and she’ll be eating food prepared by your father, we should make it amazing!” Light said excitedly.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, he’d been watching too many cooking shows lately and she should have seen this coming. “Fine, what did you have in mind?” she asked, mentally checking off the various dishes she knew they could make with the ingredients on hand.
A wide grin took its place on Lights face as he clapped his hands together excitedly. “We’re going to make a pasta with a tomato-apple sauce!”
Rainbow recoiled slightly, as the first thought she had was normal apple sauce mixed with tomato paste. “You sure that’s...good?” she asked. Cooking was not her forte but she was pretty sure you couldn’t just go around adding apples to recipes.
Light Prism winked at her. “Don’t worry, you can trust me on this!” he said, before his look became one of personal thought as he began going over a mental checklist of the ingredients he needed. “Can you do me a favor and put the spaghetti to boil while I get the stuff?” he said as he made his way over to the refrigerator and began rummaging through it, picking out a bag of apples and a few different veggies.
Rainbow did as she was told, now legitimately interested in this concoction her father planned to feed their family. A large bag of spaghetti went into a pot of boiling salt-water and was covered promptly. “Ok dad, what next?” she asked,turning to see her father already working on the apples, cutting them into slices and removing any seeds.
“Thanks sweetie, can you put those tomatoes into the food processor? Then I’ll handle everything else from there and you can go back to stalking the driveway.” Light said with a hearty chuckle.
Rainbow was pretty sure her father was the only man alive who would openly make fun of her like this, but it could get pretty annoying, especially at this age. Alas, all she could do was roll her eyes and do as she was told. She grabbed the bowl of tomatoes from him and made her way to the food processor, when a knock rang out from their front door. It was a lucky thing that the bowl was made from a sturdy plastic because it was thrown hastily onto the counter with a yell of “I’ll get it!” as she ran to the door, only to stop right in front of it in order to compose herself. She brushed her shoulders of any dust or dirt that might have collected before calmly opening the door, looking away from it as if she wasn’t all that interested in who might be there, it would make her look totally cool!
Too bad this only worked in her head.
Applejack stood on the other side of the door, and all she saw was a nervous looking Rainbow Dash who had her head turned just a little too far for comfort. “Uh, hey Dash.” she said uncertainly.
Rainbow Dash tried to coop her facade of coolness up as she slowly turned her head towards Applejack. “Oh, Aj, you made it!” she said. Her cool facade, well, it didn’t hold up very well as a wide smile broke across her face and she enveloped her girlfriend in a hug. “Come on in!” she said happily as she released her other half, moving aside to let Applejack in.
“Glad to be here, Dash.” Aj returned the smile she was receiving and walked into the house. She gave the small area she was standing in a quick once over. She’d been to Cloudsdale before, and she had that race with Rainbow in the yard, but she had never actually been inside this house. It was strange, whenever she visited a new place. She had absolutely no idea where anything was or what rules were a standard. Honestly, there was a feeling of uncomfortable anxiousness at the moment. “So, uhh, where is everybody?” she asked as she removed her hat from her head.
Rainbow began walking and Applejack followed. “Scoots is up in her room reading some book about small horses or something like that.” she said with a shrug. “And dad is in here.” she said as she made her way into the kitchen where Light Prism was seen slaving over a hot stove.
“Howdy Mr. Prism.” Aj announced upon seeing the man.
The prismatic owner of the home turned his head and flashed a smile. “Well it’s nice to finally see you again Applejack! Rainbow has told me so much!” he said gleefully.
“Dad! Hush!” Rainbow snapped at the man, cheeks beginning to match the hue of her eyes.
“Whatever she doesn’t tell me, I usually read about in her journal anyway.” he said nonchalantly.
“You do what?!” Rainbow roared at the man, who held his hands up defensively.
“Kidding! I’m just kidding!” he laughed nervously. “Scootaloo reads your journal and she tells me from there.”
“Rat!” came a voice from above. If you listened closely, you could hear the sound of a door being locked.
Rainbow squinted her eyes at her father. “We’re not done here.” she said before grabbing Applejacks arm. “C’mon, let’s go to my room.” she said as she began to stomp away.
“Err, ok Ah guess.” was Applejacks short reply as she was dragged out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
Rainbow pushed the door to her room open and walked in, waiting for her partner to get in as well before she closed the door, twisting the lock as well. It was then that it dawned on her. ‘Oh shit, she’s here! In my room, and we’re alone! How many times have I dreamed about this? What do I do now? Oh my gosh oh my gosh ohmygosh!’
It’s amazing how fast thoughts can run through your mind, as Rainbow had her mini panic attack, Applejack was simply looking around. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen the room, but she had never physically been there and everything felt so real and new to her. Honestly, the room fit Rainbow Dash perfectly. A guitar hung on the wall to the left with a desktop setup just under it, a closet and mirror to the right. Directly in front of her was a bed that, surprisingly, was well made. Hanging above the bed were various posters of sports teams, the most abundant of which were the Wonderbolt Racers.
Not seeing many alternatives, Applejack decided to take a seat on the bed. She looked up at Rainbow, who was still stuck in her thoughts. “So, nice room you got here.” she commented, breaking the trance Dash was in.
“Oh, uh, yea thanks. I picked everything myself.” Rainbow replied. ‘Idiot, of course you picked it out yourself, you’re an adult!’ What a dumb thing to say. “So, now that you’re here, mind letting me know what brought about this visit?”
Aj sighed. “Ah had a delivery. Apparently there’s gonna be a wedding at the town hall tomorrow and they ordered a buncha cider. Granny told me thirty cases so that’s what Ah took, but Ah guess she messed up. The guy who signed for the package started ranting and raving about how he only ordered twentyfive and then he made me pack ‘em all away!” she ranted.
Rainbow nodded. “Yep, that’s the city for you. At least that wedding’s gonna have some grade A stuff.” she said with a smile, trying to lift her girlfriends spirits.
“Ughh, how can ya’ll stand it out here?” Applejack groaned.
Rainbow sat besides Applejack on the bed and gave a chuckle as she wrapped her arms around her. “I know, it sucks out here. Ponyville is way better. Mainly since you’re there.”
Applejack returned the hug. Her mind, body and heart, they all felt like what she was doing at that very moment was exactly as it should be and nothing could ruin it. The thing about being so physically close to the one you love is, it doesn’t always stay at the hugging stage. The two girls pulled apart. The farm raised small town girl looked into the eyes of her big city lover, a stranger would have been able to feel the attraction and sexual energy between the two.
Applejack was the one to take the initiative, slowly leaning in until she felt her lips meet the soft touch or Rainbow Dashs’. It was a chaste kiss, which soon became something more as their lips spread open and they deepened the kiss together. A french kiss, it seemed like such a weird and disgusting thing as a child but it was now one of the best things either of them had ever experienced. One thing about pleasure though, you can always use more.
Rainbow took charge now, leaning forward so Applejack would have no choice but to get beneath her. They never broke their kiss as this went on, their hands exploring each others bodies like it was the first and last time they’d have the chance. Rainbow softly pinched at Applejacks nipple, eliciting a moan from the young woman. That was what broke her, she’d never been so wet and ready. She needed this, now.
“Rainbow, dad says to come downstairs for dinner!” came Scootaloos voice accompanied by a few bangs of the door.
“We’ll be right therWoah!” Rainbow cried out as Applejack suddenly pushed her to the side. “Hey!”
Applejacks face was bright red. “We almost got caught!” she whispered “By your little sister! What if she saw us? How would we explain?” She was beyond nervous.
Rainbow could only smirk. “That’s why I locked the door, duh.” she said as she got up and opened the door. “C’mon, let’s eat.”
The two made their way downstairs, Rainbow guiding Applejack to the dining room where her father and sister were already sitting.
“Girls! Come, sit down!” Light said as he saw the two. He stood up and gestured towards the two empty seats that had plates before them. “I made spaghetti with an apple-tomato sauce, I hope you enjoy!” he said proudly, taking his seat once more.
The two girls sat down and Rainbow joined into the conversation that her father and sister were having, including Applejack after a bit when she noticed how quiet the girl had been. It was a happy scene, a family joyfully talking and joking with each other over a nice hot meal. Applejack missed these moments, and it brought a smile to her face. She’d have to do this more, with her own family back home. It was a promise.
Applejack had enjoyed the dinner that was prepared by Light Prism. She had never thought of adding apples to spaghetti sauce, but hot damn did it work! After dinner, she helped out with cleaning up and then everyone, aside from Scootaloo who had a bedtime, spent the next few hours just chatting and generally having a good time. The girl was now relaxing on Rainbows bed, stomach full but nothing else really going on. She glanced around the room, looking over the posters and other such sports memorabilia. Now, it wasn’t that she was bored, she was actually quite happy to be where she was at that moment, but she was so used to all the chores and work she did back home that her body felt like it was being underused and she had energy pent up. She needed to get that energy out, and when Rainbow walked into the room, she knew exactly how to do it.
“Hey Dash, you think you could show me around town?” she asked,sitting up on the bed.
Rainbow sat besides her. “Sure, we can do that tomorrow.”
“Well Ah was hopin’ we could do it tonight. Y’know, have some fun.” Applejack replied, a little disheartened. She didn’t want to force Dash into taking her anywhere so late if she didn’t want to.
“Well shit Aj, am I boring you?” Dash asked teasingly, poking Applejack in the arm with her finger playfully. “Well sure we can drive around town, but nothing’s open at this time. We could go to the park too I guess.”
Applejack rolled her eyes at the teasing. “Ah know nothings open you dummy. It’s two in the mornin’!” she said sarcastically.
Rainbow Dash hopped to her feet. “Ok then, I’ll go get my bike and we can get go-”
“There is no way and no how Ah am going on that bike.” Applejack interrupted her.
“Aww come on Aj, I’m a great driver!” Rainbow protested.
Applejack crossed her arms and gave Dash an apologetic look. “Ah’m sorry sugarcube, but Ah lost my parents to a car accident, and it took me long enough to trust those again. Ah can’t bring myself to ride a motorcycle.”
Rainbow froze for an instance. That was the thing about being around someone whom you truly enjoyed spending time with, you forget all about your past and the things around you. It wasn’t a secret as to how the Apples died, but she wasn’t thinking about something so horrible when she was with someone who made her so happy.
“You’re right Aj, I’m sorry.” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “Well then, do you want to take your van? I’ll pay for gas.”
Applejack grabbed her hat and placed it neatly onto her head. “You’ve got a deal sugarcube.” she said with a smile as she began to walk out of the room.
Rainbow followed close behind, grabbing her wallet and keys from her desk on the way out. There wasn’t much they could do at this time, so she quickly made something up. Running back into the room, she grabbed a duffle bag she kept in the closet, and filled it with some blankets and two pillows. “Aw yea Dash, time to get all romantic.” she said to herself with a chuckle as she zipped the bag up and ran downstairs.
The two girls spent the next few hours driving around the city, taking in the sights that came with the peace and tranquility of night. The city was a different place at this time, changing from a crowded and noisy place into a beautiful and mysterious land of wonder. The only places that seemed to be open at the time were Government hub buildings and a few stores and restaurants.
Applejack drove slowly, she didn’t have to worry much about traffic at this time. The air was different here in the city, it wasn’t as clean as back home, but it was still relieving to take a deep breath. It cleansed her. Rainbow understood the feeling. She’d experienced it many times herself during her late-night jogs. It was always amazing to see the day and night contrast.
“Is this the place you delivered to?” Rainbow asked as they drove past City Hall. She could see inside, where a lone woman was working on some paper work.
Applejack turned to look at the building. “Yea, that’s it. They’re still open?” she asked. Town Hall in Ponyville was always closed around 10 at night.
Rainbow nodded. “Yea, they don’t close City Hall. Y’know, in case something happens at night and it needs to be reported.”
Applejack shrugged. “Makes sense t’me.” she said as she continued to drive along. “What else can we see around here?” she asked, needing some direction on where to go.
Rainbow leaned forward in her seat. “Make a left up here, I figured we’d go to the park and relax for a while. It’s pretty nice there.” she said.
Applejack followed orders, turning left at the next corner. She recognized the area almost immediately. It was the park where they first saw each other after all those years just before the marathon. She could see the area where Scootaloo and Applebloom played together. She smiled at that memory. It seemed like the members of her family just clicked with Dash and her family. ‘Well, most of them at least.’ she added as an afterthought, memories of her brother flashing through her mind. She parked the van and shut the engine off as she stepped out.
Rainbow Dash opened the back of the van where she stored the blankets and pillows from her room. She noticed the leftover cases of apple cider and knew hot they could have an even better time.
“Hey, think we could have one of these, since they were extra?” she asked Applejack, motioning to the cases of cider.
Applejack looked into the van and took a second to consider it. She shrugged. “Ah’m the one who makes it, so Ah don’t see why not. Take two.” she said.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow in question. “Uhh, babe, I don’t think we can drink two cases of cider by ourselves.”
Applejack smiled. “Yea, no duh Dash. Ah meant take one for us, and put one to th’ side for your dad, y’know, for lettin’ me stay over and all.”
Following orders, Rainbow pushed one case of cider to the side and placed the folded blankets and pillows on top of another, which she carried out of the van and began walking towards the park entrance. “You know, you don’t owe us anything for letting you stay over. We’re all really glad to be able to see you again.” she said “Especially me.”she whispered.
“Ah know, Ah know, but it’s just common courtesy and all.” Applejack replied. “People always tell me that it must be a country thing, but Ah didn’t grow up in the country, Ah grew up right in Ponyville. Ah was just tought right is all.” she said as she followed Rainbow Dash into the park.
The silence of the park at night was comforting. There were no voices of adults on their phones or the sounds of children playing. All one was able to hear was the wind ruffling the leaves and a stray squirrel here and there. To Applejack, it sounds a lot like home. There were plenty of times, before her and her father built the clubhouse her sister currently uses, that she would opt in to take a short nap right under a big apple tree. Her mother got her into that habit when she was young.
She could remember it so clearly. They would be working on gathering apples and she’d get pulled to the side. “Hows about we take a break sugarcube.” her mother would say. She never had any objections. They’d find a tree with a trunk thick enough for both of them to lay against, but have enough room for comfort. They’d stay like that for a while, sitting in comfortable silence. When she felt rested, Applejack would look up to her mother to say so, they did have work to do, but would always be met with a sleeping face shaded by the well known stetson.
She was broken out of this memory as Rainbow Dash stopped walking and placed a blanket down onto the grassy area they were now in. It seemed to be an area people would use for picnics. Rainbow set down the pillows and put the other two blankets to the side. “Come on.” she said as she patted the space next to her.
Applejack sat down as well, taking a deep breath and letting her body relax. “Wow Rainbow, Ah’m surprised, it’s beautiful out here.” she said as she surveyed the park. She could only barely see the swings and play area now, there were trees scattered around them and she could clearly see the night sky.
“Yea, I used to come here a lot a few years ago, whenever I needed to be alone.” Dash replied calmly.
Applejack chuckled. “Let me guess, you were arguin’ with yer dad, but were too scared to actually run away so you came here for a while.” she said. “Sounds just like you.”
Rainbow also gave a small laugh, but it had a melancholic tone to it. “I wish it was something that simple. No, I came here to escape it all.” she said, turning her gaze up to the starry sky. “Mom and dad were fighting a lot, and scoots was too young to know what was going on. I was dealing with stuff too, realizing I didn’t like the same things the other girls liked, y’know what I mean?”she asked.
“What, like dolls and makeup?” Applejack questioned.
Rainbow let out a real laugh this time. “No, no, like boys.” she said.
Realization hit Applejack like a bag of bricks. “Oh! Oh, wow. Ah’m sorry. Ah didn’t even think about…”
Rainbow stopped her short. “Don’t worry about it Aj, that’s all long over with. Besides, I’m sure you had to deal with that too.” she added.
Applejack shrugged, reaching for a cider and passing one to Dash as well. “Honestly, no. Ah didn’t know Ah was into girls before...before you.”
Rainbow looked at her. “Wait, seriously? Never even thought about it? Wow, I must be amazing! Well, more amazing than I already know I am at least.” she said cheekily.
“Yea yea, you’re awesome and we should take caution.” Applejack responded with a roll of her eyes. “So, when did you find out?” she asked.
Rainbow took a moment to think about that as they sipped their drinks in silence. Well, less liked sipped and more like guzzled. “I don’t know. I kinda always knew. I didn’t like dressing up or anything as a kid, I was always the toughest tomboy in class. I just didn’t think of it being anything. Hell, it wasn’t anything! I know lots of tomboys who aren’t lesbian.” she said as they simultaneously reached for new bottles of cider. “I guess I really noticed after puberty.Guys all looked the same to me, but girls suddenly had this new...I don’t know, appeal I guess.”
Applejack nodded her head in understanding. “Ah guess since Ah was always so busy with school and the farm, Ah never had time to deal with any of that stuff. Guess Ah was sorta lucky, sounds like it was hard.”
Dash smiled as she looked her girlfriend in the eyes. “Yea, but it was worth it. Look at where I ended up! I wouldn’t want it any other way.” she said happily.
Applejack adopted an inquisitive look. “Oh really? Not even if it meant being side by side with that Daring Do character you’re always going on about?” she asked innocently.
Rainbow Dash saw her chance, and she took it. She leaned in and placed a simple, chaste kiss upon the farm girls lips, both surprising her and spreading a feeling of comfort and acceptance. “It’s no fair to include fictional characters,” Rainbow began to say after she broke the kiss, leaving Applejack wanting more “but yes, even if given that chance, I’d rather be here with you.”
Applejack couldn’t fight the blush that she felt heating up her face, opting to lower her hat in an attempt to hide. Rainbow loved it when she blushed, it showed her freckles a bit more than usual. “Yer a real smooth-talker, huh?” Aj said from under her hat.
“Don’t act like you didn’t like it.” Dash replied.
Applejack took her hat off, placing it on the blanket beside her, and reached for another glass of cider that she forced into her girlfriends hands. “Shut up and drink. It’s my turn to tell a story.” she said, getting ready to recall the time her parents first brought Applebloom home.
The two continued to enjoy the night, drinking side by side and reciting stories that they had told each other tons of times before. But they never got old or boring, they were just as fun to hear no matter how many times they were told. When they got cold, they huddled together and wrapped themselves in a blanket as they continued to drink and watch the stars. Billions and billions of people were living all around them, but they cared about no single person more than the one they were next to.
“I love you.” they said together.
The thing that sucks about sleeping outside with no tent or anything to shield yourself with, was definitely the rain in the early morning. Both girls were assaulted with a light barrage of cold water upon their faces. Splitting headaches reminded them that they finished an entire case of alcoholic cider. The back pain wasn’t expected though.
Applejack looked around, head pounding and vision blurry. They weren’t in the picnic area anymore, rather, they were sleeping on a random park bench. It pained her to do so, but she got up and shook Rainbow Dash awake. “Where are we? What happened?” she asked, cotton mouth sucked.
Dash gave a quick glance around before covering her eyes with her hands. “Ughh, still in the park. Looks like we got wasted though.” she said.
Applejack looked down at her clothes, covered in dirt that was now getting wet in the light drizzle. “C’mon, let’s get to the car so we can stay dry.” she said, fighting the pain in her head while trying to be the voice of reason.
Rainbow groaned in displeasure, perfectly content with staying on the bench until her hangover went away, but followed orders anyway.
They made their way through the park, following the simple road that would lead them from one end to the other. Along the way, Applejack spotted the disheveled pile of blankets and pillows that they must have left on the ground last night. They were under a tree, so they were still relatively dry when she picked them up. A bit more of a brisk walk, and the two were coming up to the van, still parked exactly where it had been before. At least they didn’t go drunk driving.
Applejack loaded the blankets and pillows into the back and sat in the drivers seat, instantly closing her eyes and laying her head onto the steering wheel. “Do you remember anything?” she asked Rainbow, who had pushed her seat back and was now laying down with her arm covering her eyes.
“All I remember is drinking.” Rainbow managed to say.
Applejack forced herself to lift her head.. Neither of them had any recollection of the previous night, only knowing that they moved from one side of the park to the other. Turning to look over at Rainbow Dash, she noticed a rolled up piece of paper hanging from Rainbows jacket pocket. “What’s this?” she asked as she reached for the paper and unrolled it.
I, HOLY MATRIMONY, JUDGE OF THE COURT WITHIN THE CITY OF CLOUDSDALE, HAVE LICENSED AND HEREBY LICENSE AND AUTHORIZE:
Applejack sped through the city, cars blurring by even faster than her hangover would have made them seem. One thing ingrained into everyone's minds was that when there was some sort of danger or confusion, home was the place to relax and think things over. The problem here was Applejack was nowhere near home, but Rainbows place was the next best thing.
‘How was Rainbow reacting to this anyway?’ she found herself thinking. She turned to the girl in question and saw Rainbow squinting at the marriage license as she tried to read the words. It was easy to see the conflict of emotions from her body language, a smirk and nervous eyes paired with slightly shaking hands and a sweaty forehead.
“You, uhh, you ok there Dash?” Applejack asked. ‘This is the worst possible thing. Ah swear, if our relationship gets ruined because of a fucking mistake neither of us remembers making Ah will...’ her thoughts trailed off. She didn’t know what she would do if this seperated them, and that in itself made her all the more uncomfortable. Uncertainty was killer.
“Make a right here.” Rainbow calmly replied. She didn’t look at Applejack when making the order, instead she opted to look out of the passenger side window.
This was definitely not a good sign. Applejack did as she was told, she could feel her heart beat speed up as she saw that this order from Rainbow Dash brought them to an alley. Great, a place away from comfort for them to talk, this wasn’t good.
Rainbow Dash could feel the cold sweat on her forehead as she waited for Applejack to park the van. The two sat in uncomfortable silence for what felt like forever, each swearing they could hear their own heartbeat echoing in their ears.
“S-so, what are we gonna do about this?” Rainbow asked as she held the marriage license to Applejack.
The farm girl gulped hard. “Ah don’t rightly know. Ah don’t know the rules about this kinda stuff, but don’t we get a day or two to get it cancelled?”
Her response was nothing but silence for a few moments as Rainbow kept her gaze down, hands uneasily resting on her lap as she tried to contemplate and get her thoughts into a singular strange instead of the jumbled mess that they were right now. “So...you want to get it cancelled?” she asked after a while, her voice soft and scared. The way she was right now, you’d mistake her for Fluttershy.
This was unexpected. “Ah...well…” Applejack stumbled over her words. “Don’t you?” she asked after a brief moment of gathering her thoughts.
Rainbow brought her hands up and hugged her arms. “I don’t know.” she said simply. “I never thought about marriage before, it’s sort of a new concept for people like us after all. When I think of it, my first reaction is that I don’t want to be owned or tied down.” she shifted her gaze so she now looked straight into the eyes of the farmer beside her. “But then I keep thinking about how it’s you that I’d be married to, and I can’t help but smile.” she took a deep breath as her eyes began to water “I think I should run but every fiber of my being tells me to stay and...and...I just don’t know what to do!” she said as the dam finally burst, tears streamed down her face and she looked so vulnerable at that moment, nothing like usual.
Applejack watched from her seat as Rainbow used the sleeves of her sweater to wipe stray tears from her face. The words she just heard had stunned her and seeing the state that Rainbow was in brang a pain to her heart that she wouldn’t ever wish upon somebody. Ever so slowly, she released the grip she had on the steering wheel and turned her body slightly towards Rainbow, who was still preoccupied with wiping tears away to notice. Applejack leaned forward and grabbed Rainbows arms, pulling them away from her face. She leaned in closer, her eyes locked onto the pink ones before her.
“Ah love you.” were the words that flowed from her mouth. She had no idea she would say them, her body was on autopilot at this point. Ever closer she leaned in, head tilting slightly as she brought Rainbow Dash into a deep kiss. This one was different from any kiss they had shared before though. There was no animalistic passion behind it, no ulterior motive of any kind, it was just a loving kiss that spoke all the words that couldn’t be formed by the human mouth no matter how hard anybody tried. Relief seemed to fall upon the two in that moment. Their shoulders felt like an actual weight had been lifted off of them.
As relief washed over her, Rainbow took initiative and deepened the kiss. The atmosphere began to change around them. Everything felt warm and safe, like being wrapped in a blanket on a cold winter morning. Everything was perfect, or it was, until Applejack backed away from the kiss.
“Aj?” Rainbow asked as she watched the farm girl undo her seatbelt and get up from her seat.
Applejack moved past the seats into the back of the van where she sat down and began to take her boots off. Rainbow just stared at her as she placed them to the side. Then Applejack began to unbutton her shirt. “Well?” she questioned. “You coming, or do I have to make you come?” she said, smiling at the intended double entendre.
Rainbow Dash wasted no time in unbuckling her seatbelt, thinking to herself ‘No, now it can’t get anymore perfect.’ as she practically dived into the back of the van.
If there was anyone around at this time to be curious enough to check the van they saw drive into a dark alley, they’d get one hell of a show without a doubt.
The girls had resumed kissing, although in a much more heated fashion, and had also moved onto groping and feeling each others bodies. Applejack was the more endowed of the two when it came to breasts, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t complaining as she grabbed them and continued to enjoy herself. Applejack let out a moan, she was sensitive there and didn’t have too much experience yet, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to be the only one to moan.
She took initiative and went straight for Rainbows weakness, a surefire way to get the daredevil weak in the knees. Applejack leaned in and slowly traced her tongue over the edge of Rainbows ear. She lightly nibbled at her earlobe and smiled as she heard the light moans already emanating from the smaller girl. Just a little bit more and she’d be ready. Applejack went in for the kill, moving down from Rainbows ear to the small curve that connected her neck and shoulder. Applejack smiled slyly before she bit down on that spot in particular, slightly drawing blood from her partner which she promptly licked up and kissed the wound tenderly.
Rainbow wouldn’t have been able to fight off the massive moan that overtook her body even if she had wanted to. That was what she referred to as her special spot, and Applejack took clear advantage of it, almost bringing her to instant orgasm.
Rainbow pulled away from Applejack and looked at her through eyes fogged with both lust and love. “I need you. Now.” it was less of a statement and more of a demand as she pounced at the other girl and pinned her to the floor of the van, her rainbow hair cascading over them as she initiated another passionate kiss that started at the lips and made it’s way down to Applejacks chest, stomach, pelvis and then final her golden spot. Anticipation would be the death of her if this took any longer, but luckily for Applejack, she had a merciful lover.
Dash gave the smooth lower lips a small kiss to start, before using her fingers to spread them apart to reveal her true prize. She smiled as the beautiful pink meat was revealed to her, and wasted no time in diving in tongue first.
Applejack let out a moan that reverberated throughout the vans metal frame as her hands shot down and entangled themselves into the rainbow locks down below, keeping Dash firmly in place. Rainbow Dash was happy to comply, she liked it a bit rough anyway so this worked all the more for her. She continued her tongue maneuvers and reveled in every small squeak, moan and groan that she heard from her girlfriend. ‘No, from my wife.’ she thought to herself as she peeked up at the blonde girl who was writhing with pleasure. She could feel herself getting wetter by the second, and made her demand by positioning herself so she could both give and receive oral pleasure, the ever reliable 69 position.
Now they’d both be happy.
Applejack pressed a button and lowered the windows of the van as she drove down the streets of the city. It absolutely reeked of sex in the small space and they would need to get rid of that before going back to Rainbows place. Rainbow herself was leaning back in her chair, still enjoying the afterglow of her orgasm and bordering on sleep. Her hair was an absolute mess but they could just contribute that to sleeping in the park all night.
“...selves, ok?” Dash murmured silently.
“What was that sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
Rainbow turned her head to her newly-wed wife and smiled. “I said let’s keep this to ourselves, ok?”
Applejack fought the urge to laugh. “Well Ah surely ain’t goin’ around telling people Ah fucked you in my delivery van.” she joked.
Rainbow laughed at that. “No, I mean the marriage. Let’s make it a secret only for us to know, at least for now.”
Applejack took a moment to respond. The first thought to hit her was an angry one. Why would Rainbow want to hide their relationship? But then she realized that they did technically go behind everyone's backs and elope, even if they didn’t mean to. She nodded. “Sure, Ah can do that. For how long?” she asked.
Rainbow sat up and straightened her back. Her face held an expression of seriousness. “I know your family is old fashioned, so they’d probably be majorly pissed at us about this, but that’s not all. I know you Applejack, you’re a down to earth, honest and hardworking woman, and I know you probably want a big wedding where you can show off a pretty white dress and have everyone you love around. You deserve that, and I want to give it to you. I promise, one day I’ll be able to provide that wedding for you, and we’ll live happily ever after.” Rainbow said with a surprising amount of conviction.
Applejack stared at her wife, prismatic hair waving in the air as wind blew by the open window, and she could tell that she’d do whatever it took to fulfill that promise.
Delicate porcelain hands worked diligently on pure white fabric. Rarity studied every single millimeter of the fabric with trained eyes, it had to be absolutely perfect, it wasn’t everyday that one of her closest friends were to be married. ‘Actually,’ she thought to herself ‘at this rate, it’ll be years before any of us get married. I am too busy with the boutique myself, Fluttershy is too shy to get that far with a gentleman, and Pinkie Pie is, well, Pinkie Pie.’
The fair-skinned beauty smiled at this train of thought. In her younger days, she would often find herself fantasizing about finding the perfect man and falling madly in love with him. Those days seemed like they were so far off now, it had been seven years since they all finished High School, and she had grown so much in that time.
Her mind began to wander once more. It had been a measly year after graduating that Rainbow Dash had entered her circle of friends. She was brash, and rude to no end, but there was something special about her, an enigmatic aura that surrounded the girl that made you accept her with all her faults. It was almost like magic.
Rarity let herself giggle at that. “Magic is the only explanation as to how we managed to be civil with each other for so long.” she said aloud to herself. A small mewl that seemed too delicate to even be considered a legitimate yawn escaped her mouth, and she checked the clock that was hanging from the wall. It was getting late and she would need her rest for tomorrow, she did have other things to take care of after all, and only a single day left.
She gave her latest project one last look over before she stood up with a smile. “Applejack is going to absolutely love it.” were the last words she said before she pulled a hanging curtain aside, hiding the vibrant wedding gown from anyone trying to get a sneak peek, as well as protecting it from dust or any potential accidents.
She turned off the lights that lit up the lobby to the boutique, and checked to make sure the front door was locked as well. She looked out of the window and smiled softly. Out in the distance she was able to see Sweet Apple Acres, and she thought about how her friends must be feeling at that exact moment. But, with no time and even less energy, Rarity made her way upstairs to the living area of her boutique. She silently checked on a sleeping Sweetie Belle, who now took up residence with her, and, once she was sure everything was in order, she made way for her own bed. A rest was much needed and greatly appreciated. She began to undress and ready herself for the morning, when a sudden thought hit her and she grabbed her phone. She quickly tapped at the screen a few times with expert precision and then placed the phone back down. It was time for bed.
Rainbow Dash sat in the Apple family guest room, a set of random papers with various offers of sponsorship and contracts was strewn across the small desk that occupied the room. These past few years had been amazing for her. She’d taken up derby racing and, apparently, she was really good at it. People were always asking for autographs these days, but it hadn’t always been so glamorous. She could still remember climbing out of her wreck of a derby car, collecting a few hundred bucks and then being shooed away like she was just some common drivel. She never gave up though, one thing about Rainbow Dash was that she was dedicated and determined. Eventually, she had been approached by a man who offered her more money if she put a few stickers on her car. Why the hell not? That was years ago already though, and she’s gotten bigger and better offers since then. A vibration brought Rainbow back to the present. She looked over to her left and saw her cellphone, a light flashing to show she had a message.
“The hell? At this time?” she said to herself as she unlocked the phone to check the message. “Rarity?” she questioned as she saw who the text was from. She shrugged and opened it up.
Rainbow Dash, be sure you at least begin to write your vows. Time is dwindling after all.
Rainbow locked the phone again. She hated writing, she finished school anyway so why did she need to? ‘I’ll just do it tomorrow.’ she thought to herself as she moved from the desk to the bed. Sure she hated writing, but she knew the vows were important. She’d think of something. For now, sleep was all she needed.
Applejack woke with a yawn and stretch, she rubbed her eyes and smiled as she saw snow lightly drifting by her window. She got up from her warm bed and felt her feet hit the cold wooden floor as she made her way to the window. The farm was dusted in a light coating of powder, and everything seemed to glow as the morning sun reflected from the blanket of snow.
No work would be done today, crops didn’t grow during this time of year so all they needed to do was feed the animals. That was Appleblooms job now anyway. Applejack turned around and couldn’t hide the smile on her face. She wouldn’t have been working today, even if there was stuff to do.
“A’hm getting married tomorrow!” she excitedly said to herself. There was so much left to do! She mentally went through a checklist. ‘Minister hired and on schedule?’ Check. ‘Seats placed in barn?’ Check. ‘Wedding dress?’ She knew Rarity wouldn’t let her down there. Check. ‘Food?’ Double check.
They had spent the week preparing food and fixing up the barn so they would be able to comfortably fit all of their friends and family. Rainbows family was supposed to be showing up today, in order to spend the night and be there first thing in the morning. All there friends would be showing up too. ‘We let Pinkie Pie had planned the after party afterall.’ Aj thought to herself with a small chuckle.
But there was one guest she was more excited about than all the rest.She looked at the already opened letter on her dresser. She had received it almost a week ago, and she had been counting the days since. She read through it once more.
Dear Applejack,
I honestly don’t know what to say. Congratulations! My little sister is getting married to someone she loves, I never thought I’d see the day!
I don’t know how you are able to forgive me so easily, but I won’t argue. I would love to walk you down the aisle. Honestly, it would be an honor, one I don’t deserve. I won’t be the only one there though, believe me. I know mom and dad will be right there with you, standing by your side as you put that ring on Rainbows finger. I am so proud of you little sister, you deserve this. You have worked so hard all your life, and you have earned this and so much more.
You can expect me there the day before, I just have a few things to handle over here. Shining has me helping out with training new recruits. Oh boy, the stories I have for you all back home. I can’t wait to finally see everyone again. Two years is a long time to be away from family. Look out for me though, I’ll have a surprise!
Love, SCP Appl Big Mac
She placed the letter down and her smile grew even wider. She was finally going to have her whole family together again, and she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. She stretched again and let out a yawn. ‘I still gotta get my dress from Rarity.’ she thought to herself. ‘But first, a shower.’
She grabbed some fresh clothes and took off. Morning showers were the best.
Rainbow Dash woke up with a groan. She was not a morning person. Never was, never will be. She barely remembered where she was, but she knew what she needed right now. A shower and some coffee.
She grabbed a shirt and a pair of shorts from her bag and opened the door. The hall was chilly and she imagined how great the hot water would feel against her skin. Reaching the bathroom, she saw the door was closed and heard the shower running already.
‘Shit.’ she thought as she knocked on the door.
“Hello?” came a voice with a heavenly country accent.
Rainbow felt her spirits lift instantly. “Hey babe,” she said happily “mind letting me in so I can get a shower too?”
Just as fast as her spirit was lifted, it came crashing down into a fiery wreck. “Nope, Ah gotta stay pure for th’wedding.” Applejack yelled back to her colorful lover.
Rainbow groaned and let her head hang down in despair. ‘How much does a divorce cost?’ she asked herself as she began to walk back to the guest room. It was less of a guest room at this point, with all the times she slept over and stood the night there.
She threw the clothes onto her bed and decided if she couldn’t have the shower yet, she’d just go get the coffee. She began to make her way down the stairs and she could feel the cold air attack her skin. Oh how she wished she could be in that hot shower right now.
Her mind began to wander. ‘I’d be nice and warm, plus I could take all that lathery soap and turn to Applejack, oh the things I would do to her in there. Those strong legs should be wrapped behind my head right now while I li-’
Her thoughts were interrupted as a firm knock sounded from the front door just as she walked passed it. She shook her head once to remove those thoughts from her head and then reached for the lock above the door handle. She gave it a firm twist, the damned thing was always getting jammed these days, and she turned the knob to open the door.
Rainbow froze momentarily as she saw who was standing on the other side of the door. She had read the letters, and heard all the claims of how he had a change of heart, but she had no proof, no way to know for sure.
Standing there, with a half-smile on his face, was Big Macintosh.
“Howdy.” the man said after a moment of standing in silence.
Rainbow just continued to stare. She didn’t feel threatened, but she was wary. The man looked different, she noticed that immediately. His hair was a bit shorter, and better kempt than it used to be. He also looked taller somehow, like he had this great aura around him.
“D’ya mind if Ah come in?” he asked as he, once again, received no response from the small girl before him.
Rainbow looked the man in the eye for one more fleeting moment before stepping to the side. “Sure, come in. It’s your house anyway.” she said.
Mac walked in and closed the door behind himself. He paused for a moment as he looked around the small space between the front door and the stairs that he was currently standing in. It looked almost exactly the way it did when he left. He stopped his reminiscing for a moment and followed Rainbow Dash into the kitchen where she began rifling through the pantry, looking for some filters for the coffee machine.
“Want a cup?” she offered without looking at Mac. “Nobody else is up yet. Well, Aj is, but she’s in the shower.”
“Uh, yea, thanks.” Mac said with a nod as he watched the girl for a bit longer. She set the machine up, and now all she had to do was wait for the coffee to actually be made. It’d take a few minutes at the least.
She leaned against the door to the refrigerator, arms crossed over her chest. It was easy to read body language so obvious as this, she was uncomfortable.
“Hey, can Ah talk to you?” Mac asked as he began to take off his jacket, revealing a tight white shirt underneath that accentuated his muscles more than his old flannels ever did.
Rainbow narrowed her eyes slightly at the man, unsure of what to expect. “Yea, sure.” she said begrudgingly.
Mac let a small smile grace his lips. “Thank you kindly Rainbow Dash.” he said with a slight bow of his head before he made his way to the small living room area. He placed his jacket neatly onto the couch and took a seat, motioning for Rainbow to do the same.
The girl complied, albeit reluctantly. “So what’dya wanna talk about?” she asked as she took her seat, arms still crossed.
Mac leaned forward in his seat, arms placed on his knees for balance. “Dash, Ah can tell how uncomfortable you are right now, and Ah understand it. But Ah wanna put all my cards on the table now.” he said firmly.
Rainbow looked at the man before her, she stared into his eyes and she saw the sincerity in them. There was a part of her that wanted to walk away, to just ignore the man and go back up to her bed where she wouldn’t have to see him anymore. But then there was the other part of her, the much bigger part, the part that was so madly in love with Applejack that it told her to hear the man out and make Aj happy. So she did. She nodded in the affirmative and allowed the man to continue.
“Ah’m just gonna let everything out right now, please just hear me out to the end.” he said, receiving another nod in response. “Thanks Rainbow.” he said before taking a deep breath. “First of all, Ah want to apologize. Ah know that probably doesn’t mean much to you, especially after so long, but Ah am really and truly sorry for everything that happened that morning.”
Rainbow let her gaze drift slowly to the side. She wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t have time to respond though, as Mac continued.
“Ah honestly don’t know what my problem was back then. Granny never told us about sex, we kinda just learned in school, and that’s not always the best place to get your life lessons from. Ah don’t know how it was for you girls, but us guys always had to prove that we were cool. Then as we got older and learned the differences between sexes and orientations, gay became an insult instead.” he took a breath. “Basically, everyday we had to prove that we were straight. Ah know it sounds really dumb, and it’s nowhere near a good excuse, but years of doing that created this homophobic personality in me. Ah would basically do anything just to prove that Ah wasn’t gay, ruining a few good relationships along the way because Ah wanted to act like some player. Ah actually started to believe that being gay was a disease, and that people were spreading it.” he let out a sigh, followed by an awkward laugh. “Ah sure as hell got that idea beat outta me. After Ah left that day, Ah pretty much just walked around for a while. Ah wound up in Canterlot to stay with a friend. Let’s just say, he was more open to the idea of homosexuality than Ah was and, after Ah had a scuffle with his friend who was gay, he showed me a new light, by knocking my lights out.”
Mac got up and sat down next to Dash. He was surprised when she didn’t immediately move away, but it made him happy. “Ah know none of this makes up for what Ah did, but Ah want you to know that Ah’m different and Ah regret what happened back then. Can you ever forgive me? Not now, but maybe sometime in the future? We’re gonna be family afterall.”
Rainbow was silent for a few moments, seemingly mulling over her thoughts, and it was to be expected after everything she had just been told. Finally, she spoke up. “So you got clocked out?” she asked.
Mac smiled slightly. “Didn’t have a pretty face for over a month.” he replied.
Rainbow sighed. “Fine. I’m not saying that we’re best friends now or anything, but you’re my wifes brother and she needs you in her life. Apples stick together and all that.” she said as she held her hand out for a shake.
Mac looked down at her outstretched hand and smiled wide as he ignored it and enveloped her in a big hug. “C’mon, Ah know you’ve been around long enough to know this is how we do it in the Apple family.”
Rainbow grumbled something underneath her breath, but didn’t fight the man off. She hadn’t completely forgiven him, but he deserved another chance. It’d make Applejack happy at least. Time seemed to work in her favor as well because once Mac released her, the coffee machine rang out, signalling that it was done.
“That you makin’ coffee down there sugarcube?” Applejacks voice rang down from atop the stairs. “D’you mind bringing me up a cup?”
Rainbow stood up and began walking to the kitchen. “Actually,” she yelled back up to Aj “can you come down here for a second?” she turned to Mac and held a finger up to her lips, signalling for him to stay silent. He nodded and began to slowly walk towards the kitchen, hiding himself behind the wall that led into the room so Aj wouldn’t hear him.
Rainbow quickly poured two cups of coffee before she called up to Applejack once more. “Joe is ready, come and get it!” she yelled out as she carried the cups into the living room.
It didn’t take long for footsteps to be heard coming down the stairs. Rainbow watched as Applejack walked into the kitchen, looking for the cup of coffee that Rainbow was holding in her hand. “Right here babe.” Rainbow said as she held the glass out, taking a gulp from her own cup as well.
Applejack smiled as she began walking to her wife. “Thanks sugar, Ah could really go for th-”
Big Mac jumped in front of Applejack from around the corner and grabbed her in a big hug. “Howdy little sister, how’ve you been!” he happily exclaimed as he tightened the hug before releasing Applejack.
The girl herself went through a small wave of emotions, her face adopting looks of shock, confusion and finally happiness as she processed that it was her big brother standing before her after being gone for so long. “Big McIntosh, look at you! All professional and military looking!” she almost yelled happily. It was loud enough though, because not even ten seconds later more footsteps were heard racing down the stairs and down came Applebloom, big red bow bobbing all the while.
“Big Mac!” she yelled as she leapt into his arms, giving him the biggest hug she could muster. “You’re back!”
He placed her down onto the floor and measured her height with his eyes. She was almost up to his chest now. “Well look at you, getting all big while Ah was away. Who said you could grow up?”
Applebloom let out a cute little laugh. “I can’t stop growing! I gotta be big so I can help granny and sis on the farm!” she announced proudly.
Mac smiled at his little sister and got down on his knee so he could look her in the eye. He placed a hand on her head and gently ruffled her hair. “Thanks for taking care of them.” he said softly, a small smile gracing his lips as he recalled the last conversation he had with the youngest Apple before leaving.
“Did I hear that right, or are my ears going to start playing tricks on me in my old age?” came the all too familiar voice of Granny Smith, who steadily made her way to everyone else. “Well I’ll be, it’s great to see you again Mac.” the old lady said calmly. She then looked around. “You didn’t bring any of your soldier friends for the bachelorette party?” she suddenly asked.
“Granny!” Applejack exclaimed with a blush.
Applebloom adopted a confused look upon her face while Rainbow shook her head and Mac let out a hearty laugh.
“No, no Ah didn’t. Maybe next time though.” Mac said to the old lady. “Now c’mere and give your grandson a hug. Ah’ve missed you.” he said as he grabbed Granny Smith in his big arms and hugged her, not as tight as he usually hugged people, but it got the point across. “C’mon y’all, get in here, this is an Apple family reunion hug.” he said to the other occupants of the small room. Applejack and Applebloom wasted no time in getting close to the action. “Ah said everybody. You’re gonna be an Apple too, so get used to it.” Mac called out as he saw Rainbow still standing still holding her coffee.
The prismatic girl rolled her eyes and tried to hold back the smile that threatened to overtake her face. The family was back together again, and she couldn’t ask for more.
A soft knock on the door signalled a visitor. Mac was the only one down on ground level at the moment, so he opened the door. A pale skinned beauty with perfectly formed hair stood outside with a large bag and a stylish winter coat. He recognized her as one of his sisters friends. “Rarity, right? C’mon in.” he said, motioning for the girl to come in.
Rarity complied and walked into the house. The snow and wind had picked up and it was absolutely freezing out there. She removed the scarf that had been keeping her face warm and faced the man. “So good to see you again McIntosh. Applejack told me you had returned for the wedding.” she said with a smile. “I’m just here to deliver the dress and make sure everything is in order.”
Mac eyed the large bag that was in Raritys hands. “That’s her dress? Can I see it?” he asked, reaching for the bag.
Rarity took a step back and clutched the bag defensively. “I apologize, I don’t mean to be rude but nobody can see it yet. It’s bad luck to see the dress before the bride does!” she said, her fashionista side showing itself.
Mac held his hands up. “Alright, alright. Ah can wait.” he said.
Rarity cleared her throat. “Right, well, could you please be a dear and tell Applejack I have arrived? I would like to show it to her as well as go over some crucial details.”
Mac nodded. “Sure thing, Ah’ll be right back.” he said as he started to make his way upstairs.
Nothing had really changed in the house after the time he had been gone, and it was basic muscle memory that led him straight to his sisters room. He knocked firmly three times, awaiting an answer before making his entrance.
“Come in!” he heard Applejack say, and he pushed the door open, closing it again once he was inside. “Hey Mac, what’s up?” Aj asked as her brother walked closer to her.
“Your friend Rarity is downstairs, she wanted me to tell you that.” he said.
Applejack sat up on her bed. “Oh alright. Tell her to come on up.” she said.
“One sec Aj, Ah still have something Ah need to give you.” he said as he reached into his back pocket.
Applejack eyed her brother curiously. “Whaddya mean?” she asked.
Mac pulled out a blank envelope that had been folded in half and handed it to his sister. “Ah told you in my letter that Ah had a surprise for you. There it is. It’s not much, but it’ll do for a little getaway after the ceremony tomorrow.” he said.
Applejack unfolded the envelope and looked inside. There was a small sheet of paper. No. It was a cheque! “800 dollars Mac!” she practically yelled. “Ah can’t accept this! It’s way too much!” she exclaimed as she tried to hand the paper back to her brother.
Mac only smiled and pushed her hand away from him. “Believe me, it’s not. Ah wanted to give you more, but it was sorta short notice and Canterlot is an expensive place to live. It doesn’t even begin to pay back what I owe you.”
“But Mac. It-”
“Aj, keep it. It’s for you. Enjoy yourself.” Mac said, before turning around and leaving the room. He walked down the stairs and saw Rarity still standing where he left her. “She said to go right on up.” he said.
“Thank you very much darling.” Rarity replied as she began to make her way up the stairs before stopping and looking back to Mac. “Was Rainbow with her? I need to help prepare her as well.” she asked.
“Nope, probably in her room. First door on your right once you pass Ajs’ room.” he directed her, before turning around and heading back to the living room where he had been looking at old family photos. There was nothing else to do while everyone else was getting things ready.
Rarity smiled with excitement as she slid the wedding dress into Applejacks closet. It had fit like a glove and she had looked absolutely beautiful in it, that’s all that mattered.
“Ah can’t thank you enough Rarity, really.” Applejack said as she sat on the bed and watched her friend.
“It was nothing darling, I was happy to!” Rarity replied as she walked to the bed and sat down next to her long-time friend.”Now, what is left on the agenda?” she asked.
Applejack went over her mental checklist again. “Ah think we’re good. Food’s ready, friends are invited and the barn is set up for the whole shebang.”
Rarity put a perfectly manicured finger to her lip as she also mulled over what needed to be done. “Did you write your vows?” she asked after a moment.
“Yep, finished ‘em weeks ago.” Applejack said happily.
Rarity clapped her hands together in joy. “That’s wonderful darling! And how will they be exchanged?”
“What d’you mean?” Aj asked in confusion.
“Will you be reading your own vows, or will you have a third party do it?” Rarity said, simplifying her previous question.
“Oh!” Applejack stated in understanding. “We’re trading with each other. Ah’ll read hers and she’ll read mine. Simple.” she said with a slight smile as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Rarity clasped her hands together in excitement. “Oh, how romantic!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Has Rainbow Dash mentioned hers at all? As in, has she finished them?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Ah don’t rightly know, she should have. The wedding is tomorrow.” Applejack stated matter-of-factly.
Rarity hung her head in disappointment. “Give me a moment dear,” she said as she stood up from the bed and walked to the door “I have something to do with your wife to be.”
The fashionista opened the door and stepped out, making sure the door closed behind her. It was a good thing that the hall was vacant of life, because any living being would have frozen momentarily in fear after seeing the steely gaze that occupied Raritys’ eyes.
She walked the few steps to Rainbow Dashs’ door and pushed it open without warning. The girl inside the room jumped up from her position on the bed.
“Uh, hey Rarity.” Rainbow said, not really knowing what brought about this sudden visit.
Rarity was eerily quiet as she closed the door behind her and walked up to her Rainbow haired friend. Without warning, she grabbed the tomboy by the shirt and pulled her so they faced each other eye-to-eye.
“You are getting married tomorrow. You know what else is tomorrow? Christmas. That is the most wonderful thing I have ever heard and it is happening to two of my best friends. I won’t let you mess this up for me!” her words were pointed.
Rainbow quirked an eyebrow, both due to the situations and Raritys’ choice of words. “Ruin it? For you?” Rainbow asked as she released herself from the grasp of her bejewelled assailant.
Rarity leaned in closer. “I live for this.” she whispered into the woman's ear. “Now, you are going to sit at your desk and write your vows. They better be heartfelt and they better make her cry. Or else.”
Rainbow let a smile grace her lips as she released herself from the grip that had held her in place the whole conversation thus far.
“Or else what Rarity.” Rainbow sarcastically asked the dainty girl standing before her.
Rarity let her eyes come to a slight squint and spoke slowly. “I am a black belt. Do not test me.”
A shiver ran up Rainbows spine as she gulped down the sudden fear. “Uh, yea, sure. I’ll do it right now.” she spoke shakily as she stood up from the bed.
It was amazing to see the change in attitude that Rarity had. When she came into the room, she was almost like a hardened gangster looking for a lost payment, but now she was back to her old self, looking around the room and judging the choice of bed sheets and curtains.
“That’s wonderful to hear darling! Now go on and get to it, I’ll stay here to watch and keep you company.” Rarity said innocently as she took a seat upon the bed. With a roll of her eyes, she stood back up and began to fix the jumbled sheets up before taking a seat again.
Rainbow sat down in front of the small desk that was in her room. She looked around at the familiar scenery that hadn’t really changed much over the years. Her mind began to wander, recalling all the times she had been here, all the nights she spent with a lovely blonde woman by her side. A cough brought her mind back to the present though, and she turned to see Rarity staring at her with an impatient look on her face.
“Alright alright, I’m doing it!” Rainbow said with laughter in her voice. She turned once again and grabbed the pen that had been placed on the desk for her. She planned to write from the heart, it was the only way to be sure that it felt real. Putting pen to paper, she began.
Applejack, I’ve never been very good at speaking my mind. Well, I guess that’s not completely true actually. Everyone knows I’m a loudmouth. I’m hardheaded, cocky, daring and I can be pretty inconsiderate at times. But I must have done something right in order to be where I am right now, with you by my side. I can’t believe this is finally happening! We’re going to get married! Well, we’re already married but this will be the big show-offy wedding.
I’m getting off topic though, there’s a purpose to these words, they’re my vows to you after all. I have so much that I want to say, and I wish I could just sum it up as fast as possible. I don’t think it does justice, but it’ll have to do until I can find better words.
I love you.
Plain and simple as that. Ever since we were kids. You were my first friend, the first person to ever actually want anything to do with me. Moving away back then crushed my little heart. But then, when we were teenagers, we met up at that park for the race. We were friends again, like nothing! Well, we were rivals too I guess. I guess what I’m trying to say is, even though I don’t believe in fate or anything like that, we were meant to be together.
I promise that I will never stop loving you. You are everything that I have ever wanted and more.
She let a single tear roll down her face at this point. It was one of pure happiness, and she wouldn’t fight her tears for once. It slid down her cheek and, when it had nowhere else to go, it fell and found itself being soaked into the sheet of paper.
I promise to always be there, no matter what happens, I want you to know that I will always be by your side. We’re going to get all old and wrinkly together, and I honestly couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait.
With that, she placed the pen down and grabbed the paper. She didn’t need to read it over, it was perfect. She folded it and placed it into the envelope that Rarity brought, which she wrote “To Applejack” on. They would exchange these vows tomorrow morning at the wedding. She glanced at the clock, it was only 6 p.m but the winter sky was already dark as midnight.
She turned around to the girl patiently sitting on her bed. “Ok, I finished.” she said with a sigh and a genuine smile on her face. “How about we all go watch a movie downstairs? You, me and the Apples. It’ll be a nice way to spend the last night before the wedding.” she said.
Rarity smiled, but shook her head in the negative. “It sounds like a wonderful idea dear, but I do have some things I need to do before the night is over. Both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie should be making visits to the boutique tonight to get their dresses. Then, I have to keep watch over Sweetie Belle. It’s a full-time job. It’s worth it though.” she replied with a soft smile on her lips.
Rainbow gave a nod. “Alright, just make sure you get enough sleep, we start at 9 a.m.” she said. Then she adopted a sly smile, one that made Rarity feel beyond uncomfortable.
“Are you ok?” she asked as she felt her discomfort grow.
Rainbow crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “So nobody is coming by, which means we’ll be alone right?” she asked, receiving a nod in response. “Aw yea, we are so gonna-”
“Well I’ll be going now!” Rarity exclaimed quickly as she all but ran from the room.
Rainbow chuckled as she watched the door to her room close on its own. She knew nothing was going to happen tonight, especially with her family on the way. ‘Speaking of which,’ she thought to herself as she looked at the time ‘they should have been here already.’
She pulled out her cellphone and dialed her fathers number. It rang a few times before she heard an answer.
“Hello?” came the familiar voice of her father.
“Hey dad, it’s Dash. Where are you guys at?” Rainbow asked her father. “You should have been here already.”
“Oh, hey Dash. We should be there...soon-ish.” her father replied, a nervous chuckle in his voice.
Another, angrier, voice came from the phone. “Just tell her that you got lost in all this snow and rain! My god, you men! What’s so hard about asking for directions?! Honey, you made the right choice when you decided to marry a woman.”
‘Mom.’ Rainbow mentally noted. It had been a while since she had seen her mother. After her parents divorced, she just went on with her own life. “Dad, where are you now? Give me some landmarks.”
“I don’t need directions sweety, I know where I’m going.” came the kind and not-so-patient voice of her father.
Rainbow smiled and let out a sigh. “Do you really want to be stuck in the car with her for longer than you need to be.?”
There was a silence from the other side of the call for a few moments before she heard any response. “Ok, I give.” her father said before listing off a few of the things he could see.
“Ok, I know exactly where you are. Park the car and try not to kill each other. I’m on my way.” she said before she ended the call. She took a peek out of her window. The weather was pretty shitty at the moment, rain and snow had mixed into a slush and it was coming down hard.
She sighed as she began to get dressed. She loved her parents but seriously, it was too cold for this shit.
“Where you off to?” Applejack asked as she saw her lover come down the stairs fully dressed.
“My dad got lost, I’m gonna grab my bike and meet up with them.” she said. “Mind picking out a movie to watch when we get back?”
Applejack nodded. “Sure, no problem.” she said before she placed a small kiss on Rainbows lips. “Be careful, ok?” she said.
Rainbow laughed. “No problem babe, I’m a trained professional.” she said before opening the front door. She was immediately met with a violent blast of cold wind that almost prevented her from closing the door behind her. “Holy shit it’s cold.” she said as she trudged her way to her bike.
The roads were clear for the most part, just slippery. Snow had been pushed to the sides of the road when the last plow had been through. Only a thin sheet of snow and slush remained at this point, but Dash didn’t worry much about that. She sped up a bit since there was hardly anybody else on the road.
“Can’t let dad deal with mom for too much longer, I’d like him to be sane for the wedding.” she said to herself with a chuckle.
The thing that every child knows about cold weather is that you can see your breath in the air. When Rainbow spoke, her breath rose and clouded the visor to her helmet, blocking her field of view. She quickly flipped the visor up and her eyes were quickly attacked by the cold winds and painful rain Then she felt it, the bike was gliding. The tires were moving and the engine was running, but she couldn’t control the direction she was heading. Everything seemed to be moving slower, yet she had no time to react to anything. She could only watch as she began to drift into oncoming traffic. She could hear the slow groan of a horn in the distance, and a bright light filled her eyes, effectively blinding her.
Her thoughts began to race. Applejack, the wedding, their future, her career. She could remember ever smile the farm girl had ever showed her, every kiss that they had shared and every moment they had spent together. She had a this moment of enlightenment. She didn’t regret a moment of her life, besides this one. Her last thought was a somber one.
‘Sorry Applejack, I wish we had more time.’
The winter sky is a widow’s sky, dark and weeping. The clouds are churlish and cruel. They cough out great gouts of water and thunking balloons of sopping moisture. It teems down in a biblical deluge, flooding rivers and overflowing dams. Yet none of this mattered to Applejack as she stormed through the hospital doors, her clothes soaked through yet she paid no mind to them at she shakily approached the woman at the front desk.
Her words were difficult to form, but she managed to rush them out. “Where is she?!” she questioned, her mind was racing to the worst possibility.
The receptionist raised an eyebrow. “Calm down ma’am, who are you looking for?” she asked politely. There were hundreds of patients in the hospital around this time of year, she couldn’t just narrow it down without any name or description.
“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack yelled, tears adding to her already wet face. “Where is my wife?!”
The doors to the hospital opened again and in walked Big Mac, clothes also drenched but an umbrella in his hand.
The receptionist typed the name into her computer and waited a moment as it searched for a room registered to that person. The page finished loading and her eyes widened. “One floor down. Room B-101. I’m so sorry.” the lady said as Applejack ran off, her brother hot on her tail.
She wasted no time with the elevator as she thrust the door to the stairwell open, her legs rapidly moving as they carried her down the looped stairs. She reached a door with a glass window that read ‘Basement’ and she twisted the handle.
The door gave way and she looked both ways. The numbers to her left were increasing from 105 on, but to her right, they decreased. She bolted to the right, frantically looking for the room labeled B-101. Her heart froze when she did.
Applejack had her hand on the doorknob as her eyes traced the words printed upon the door.
Room B-101 Morgue
She tried to deny it, but she couldn’t hold the torrent of tears as she pushed the door open and saw a woman with rainbow hair laying on a cold steel table. Her skin was bruised and cut in various places that could be seen, but she was covered up for the most part. Applejack felt like she was going to throw up. Her vision was dampened by her watery eyes. Her knees began to buckle and her lip quivered. There was only one word that came to mind, and all she could do was scream it.
“No! No no no no no! Nooooooo!” she screamed over and over as she fell to her knees and pounded the floor. Her tears fell down her face like a mighty river.
Big Mac didn’t need to go into the room to know what was in there, but he did anyway. He had to be there for his sister in her time of need. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around the quivering form of Applejack, who promptly turned around and buried her face into his chest.
“Not again, not again.” she said as she continued to sob.
Mac felt the tears begin to form in his own eyes, and did his best to fight them off as he turned to look at the doctor who stood silently next to the steel table.
“What happened?” he asked with a ragged breath.
The doctor stepped forward slightly and his face became more visible. He looked old and tired, his eyes were red and puffy, as if he’s been crying himself.
“She was driving down the highway it seems, when she hit a patch of black ice and swerved into oncoming traffic. She suffered a few fractures and various lacerations, but it seems like her helmet fell off at some point or was removed. She died of concussive force to the head. I’m sorry there was nothing we-” he paused for a moment before lowering his head and staring at the floor. “I’m sorry, there was nothing I could do.” he said firmly before he turned and left without a word or glance back.
Mac felt the tears begin to slide down his face. This had felt all too familiar. He remembered standing in this same hospital when his parents had their accident. He had wished his sister would never have to feel a pain like this again, and he had failed.
The brother and sister duo sat on the floor, holding each other and crying. They didn’t know how long they had been there, and it didn’t really matter at this point. They needed this, more than anything.
Applejack was the first to get up, eyes red and wet as she shakily walked towards the table. She leaned down and placed a kiss upon Rainbows lips, fighting back another torrent of tears as she felt their chilling coldness. “Ah will always love you.” she said to the body before her. “Nothing will ever change that. Ah promise, Ah’ll be with you. Wait for me, y’hear?” she asked, before turning away and facing Mac. “D’you mind waiting for the doctor to come back? Ah gotta go do something.” she asked, finding it incredibly difficult to form the words.
Mac used his sleeve to wipe away the remaining tears in his eyes. “Sure, where’re you goin’?” he asked, honestly curious about what could be so important right now.
Applejack felt her lip quiver and an icy sensation grabbed hold of her heart. “Ah have to go make my wedding into a funeral.” she said as she slowly walked out of the room, her body slightly swaying as if she would collapse at any second.
Mac felt his own heart drop as he turned to look at the girl on the table. He stood up and placed a hand on her cold cheek. “Ah’ll take care of her, Ah promise.” he said, before turning and taking a seat, waiting for the doctor to return.
