Chapter 1
Rarity hated snow.
First of all, it simply did not match her coat. Ponies often referred to Rarity’s coat as snow white, but when she walked over snow it became immediately obvious that her alabaster coat was actually slightly creamier than the snow itself. This meant that she couldn't go outside in winter without being a walking crime against fashion. Why, oh why, couldn't her coat have been the perfect shade to match with the snow?
Also, white things dirtied easily, as Rarity could tell you from long years of many unfortunate and bitter experiences. She shuddered to think of the grime that lay beneath the first blinding layer of snow. It was almost enough to make her want to hide in her boutique all winter and not come out until the last wretched icicle had melted away.
Fortunately, the snow shoveler ponies had already come by today. Even though it was Hearth’s Warming Eve, Ponyville had been snowed in by a surprise blizzard a few days ago, and the snow shovelers had had to work diligently to clear the roads so that ponies could travel to their families for Hearth’s Warming tomorrow. The road out of town was a crisp, gleaming black, and the sight of it was putting Rarity in such a good mood that she was almost able to ignore the salt that crunched delicately beneath her hooves as she cantered up the path. Almost.
Despite her wariness towards winter in general (well, it warranted wariness, didn't it? Winter fashions were ever so hard to pull off), Rarity was happy today, unusually so. Why?
A fuzzy orange mare with freckled cheeks, broad shoulders and defined muscles, bright jade eyes, a full mane of flaxen curls, a big white grin that was blindingly friendly, a rump that Rarity did not want to admit she found attractive, and a low, purling country drawl. That was why.
Yes, Rarity was going to visit Applejack today. The unicorn told herself that she had nothing else to do, so she may as well go, but she knew it was more that.
Honestly, how could somepony who had been brought up on a farm be so adorable? Rarity had never thought such a thing was possible, growing up as she did with her admiration of Equestria’s wealthy aristocratic population. She had definitely never pictured herself falling for a farm mare - she and Applejack weren't even alike. Rarity was graceful. Applejack was clumsy. Rarity had a posh accent. Applejack had a… well, it was definitely also an accent, but it could certainly not be called posh. Rarity had an affinity for cleanliness. Applejack seemed to be best friends with dirt and mud. Rarity loved fashion. Applejack, horrifyingly, did not.
Most of all, Rarity loved Applejack, and Applejack did not love her back.
Now stop that. You don’t know if Applejack likes you or not, she berated herself firmly. And it was true, namely because Rarity hadn't yet worked up the courage to ask. Perhaps that was really why she was going to Sweet Apple Acres - not just to spend time with the mare that she had fallen head-over-very-fashionable-heels in love with, but to find out if Applejack had fallen head-over-very-ugly-farm-boots in love with her.
She probably hadn't. But better to be optimistic, no?
Rarity decided to stop planning ahead for the time being and focus on the now. The road up to Sweet Apple Acres was beginning to grow steeper, not to mention that it was already slick with salt. Tossing her mane out of her eyes, she proceeded uphill with graceful, delicate steps. Bare apple trees loomed silently around her, the wind whispering forlornly through their branches. The farmhouse came into view over the hilltop, its bright red walls a welcome sight amidst the brown of slumbering trees and the white of snow. Even Rarity, however, had to admit that the farm looked eerily beautiful in the winter light.
She anxiously scanned the fields that stretched into the distance, searching for a speck of orange amidst the pallid farmlands. There - at the end of the East Orchard. Rarity’s heart gave a pleasant jolt at the sight of the farm mare, and she trotted closer, delicately picking her way past the white picket fence and through the snowy fields.
Applejack was wearing a crimson scarf with white tassels over her burly shoulders, coiled around her neck so that only the slightest frosty puffs of breath from her mouth were visible. Her flaxen, ice-flecked mane tumbled in loosely tied waves over the scarf, a bright, rich gold shining like the summer sun, with all the warmth of a wheat field beneath a fine blue sky. Her tail flicked around her sturdy rump as she trotted closer to the base of one of her apple trees. Those bright jade eyes of hers were narrowed in concentration, as they often were. She was staring hard at the tree and using her powerful orange hooves to… stamp all over its roots?
Now, Rarity was no farmer, but she was quite sure that stamping on a tree’s roots would not make one’s apple trees grow in any way, shape, or form. Curious, she came even closer, clearing her throat until Applejack noticed her and glanced up from her work. “Good afternoon, darling. May I inquire as to what exactly you are doing?”
Applejack’s muzzle broke into a broad, easy grin, crinkling the hazy smattering of constellation-like freckles that dotted her furry cheeks. “Howdy, Rares! Ah’m just packin’ snow ‘round the roots o’ these trees here.” She turned back to the tree to demonstrate, using her hooves to push snow around the base of the tree trunk.
“Yes, well, I can see that, but why?” Rarity demanded.
“Why? Well, t’ keep the voles from comin’, o’ course,” Applejack chuckled, as though this were common knowledge. “Y’see, the voles start lookin’ for food in winter, and they got a habit of eatin’ the tree bark an’ the cambium layer. ‘Cept that’s real bad for the tree,’cause it stops water an’ nutrients from goin’ up the trunk. So every time we git a snowfall, we gotta push snow up ‘round the trunk so it'll harden into ice an’ the voles can't tunnel through. We’ve been lookin’ into gettin’ one o’ them plastic vole guards, but Granny prefers doin’ things the old-fashioned way, so we’ve got another winter of snow-packin’ comin’ up.”
Rarity found herself unable to prevent her jaw from falling open. First of all, AJ had just used a word that Rarity did not know: cambium (Although she suspected that she had leaned about it in biology many years ago and had since forgotten it, having no use for it. Biology in general was an icky subject, she found. Too many bugs). And secondly -
This was absurd.
Rarity possessed tact beyond measure, but even she couldn't refrain from letting slip a dainty little chuckle. “Applejack, darling, that is positively ridiculous! You're making it up.”
Arching an eyebrow in her typical expression of disbelief, Applejack raised her head, her ears twitching. “Ah am the literal Element o’ Honesty, Rares,” she reminded her in a deep, deadpan voice. “Now why in the hay would Ah be makin’ that up?”
“But… but…” Rarity floundered. She knew Applejack rarely, if ever, lied, but the farm mare wasn't above a good practical joke from time to time, and she'd assumed this was just another of her pranks. “You mean there really are voles that come to eat your trees?”
“Darn tootin’ there are, them pesky little varmints,” AJ scowled. “Er, don’t tell Fluttershy Ah said that.”
Rarity had to marvel at how Applejack always had her friends’ opinions in mind. Trying to ignore the way those eyes, green as a springtime meadow and flecked with the gold of the sun, set her heart a-flutter, Rarity trotted closer and gestured to the apple tree. “Well, then, may I assist you?”
Applejack’s eyebrow disappeared right into her ash-blonde mane. She scrutinized Rarity from her hooves to her ears, taking in the conspicuous absence of hoofwear and any type of clothing in general. “Did y’all come here just so ya could help me?” she asked suspiciously, evidently wondering why that might be the case, but unable to come to any other conclusion, because the only time Rarity went without fashion was when she was expecting to get her hooves dirty (either figuratively or literally).
Inwardly, Rarity hissed. Why must she be so clever? Then again, she wasn't the Element of Honesty, so she wasn't obligated to give a straight answer… “Why, of course not, Applejack,” she answered smoothly, affecting a scoff. “It's just that the outfit I was going to wear today had a small tear in it that shall take some time to fix, you see.”
“Huh.” Applejack did not appear to believe her. Essentially, she was a walking lie detector, not just because she was the Element of Honesty, but also because she had a little sister. She also looked as though she desperately wanted to ask why Rarity was here instead of back home fixing her outfitter enjoying Hearth’s Warming Eve. But, as always when she was in the middle of her farm chores, she was clearly itching to get back to her work, so she shrugged and motioned toward the tree. “Well, Ah’d appreciate the help, then. Thank ya kindly. Just be warned, if we see any voles ya might have to help me catch ‘em.”
The alabaster unicorn hastily took several steps backward.
AJ rolled her eyes patiently. “Jokin’. Ah was jokin’.” She stepped forwards and continued her work, her powerful hooves churning as she packed the snow around the trunk. “C’mon, the sooner we start, the sooner we finish. Just one row o’ trees left.”
Rarity sidled right up to the tree, moved her hoof forward to touch the snow, and promptly collapsed all of the pile that Applejack had already built up.
She offered Applejack a guilty smile. “Ehehehe…” Glancing down at her hoof, she quickly forgot her sheepishness and emitted a shrill shriek of horror. “Oh, bother! I chipped my hoof!”
Applejack gave a long-suffering sigh that made it clear how often she had heard those words. “Oh, say it ain't so,” she said wryly.
Forgetting her distress for an instant, Rarity glanced up, affronted. “I beg your pardon?”
AJ blinked slowly at her. “Uh, nothin’. Just wonderin’ how it's even possible to chip yore hoof on snow, that's all.” Her tone rang with quiet incredulity.
“Believe me, I wish I knew the answer,” Rarity said sourly, holding up her hoof and inspecting the chip from as many angles as possible. She would have to make an unscheduled spa trip. Or she would have had to if she didn't already go to the spa almost every day anyway.
Wait, they would be closed tomorrow for Hearth’s Warming…
Rarity grumbled with discontent low in her throat, but said nothing. Applejack would never understand.
Indeed, the farmpony seemed to be remarkably unsympathetic to Rarity’s horrifying plight. “Best stay outta the way for a tad, Rarity,” she told her firmly. “Let me finish up the ice-packin’.” Her blatant indifference was impossibly annoying.
Then Applejack trotted by her, her honeyed tail almost brushing against Rarity’s silky alabaster coat, and Rarity forgot her irritation at once. Applejack smelled like a baker’s dream: cinnamon and spices, nutmeg and cloves, the crusty warmth of an apple pie in winter, a hint of soft warm cider; all accompanied by the comforting, heady scent of earth and fresh bark and hard work that always hung about her lithe frame. With what little wit she had been able to retain after the whiff of Applejack’s scent, Rarity wondered if she always smelled like this but nopony could tell because it was masked beneath the odor of sweat. It was true that Applejack’s wintertime chores were far less strenuous than usual, possibly allowing her natural smell to triumph. The unicorn wanted to scream in frustration. She spent half an hour each day picking out one of her expensive perfumes to wear, and here was Applejack, smelling like heaven without trying or noticing. If somepony could bottle that scent, they'd make a fortune. Really, it was quite unfair.
In the short amount of time that Rarity had spent reeling, falling even more in love, and briefly being jealous, Applejack had already finished scooping snow around the base of all the remaining apple trees in the orchard, her hooves working with precise, efficient movements. Finished, she huffed with pleasure and tossed her mane out of her eyes, only for the crimson band that held her loose curls together to fall out and thump gently onto the ground. Applejack snorted in frustration. “Aw, hay.”
Rarity shook herself out of her reverie. “Darling, let me help you with that.”
“‘S’fine, Ah got it covered, thanks,” Applejack said, lowering her shaggy neck to grab the band into her teeth.
Not taking no for an answer, Rarity levitated the band away from AJ before she could pick it up, ignoring her protests. “Psssh! It's no trouble at all, Applejack. I'll have it fixed for you in no time.”
Realizing it was hopeless, Applejack planted her hooves into the earth and held her head forward, sighing glumly. Working quickly and smoothly, Rarity used her magic to expertly twist Applejack’s tumbling locks into braids and then loop them into a fashionably floppy bun, leaving some strands curling around her neck and falling over her forehead, and tied the result together with the red band. “Ta-da!” she sang out. “Finished!”
Applejack gingerly reached up to pat her mane, but Rarity smacked her hoof away. “Uh-uh-uh. Don't touch the masterpiece.”
There came the raised eyebrow that Applejack was so famous for. “Y’all styled mah mane, didn’t ya.” It wasn't a question.
The unicorn smiled charmingly. “Why waste such a beauteous mane?” That wasn't even an excuse - that was the honest truth. Applejack had a mane like nopony else Rarity had ever met: scruffy and smooth, curly and silky, all at once. And such a bright, beautiful blonde. Rarity personally knew plenty of clients who would kill for such a mane. Not her, though - she was rather attached to her purple curls. She was content merely to admire AJ’s mane from afar (and sometimes from up close, if she had the chance to do so unobtrusively).
Another long-suffering sigh. “Don’t know why ya like mah mane so much, but whatever,” she said matter-of-factly, trying to ignore the fact that she now had to arch her neck extra high to support the weight of her new manestyle. “Gotta git back t’ work.”
“Ugh, there's more?” Rarity complained, dramatically throwing a pearly white hoof to her forehead.
“Stop whinin’,” she answered amusedly. “Yore welcome t’ go home any time, ya know.”
“First of all, it’s Hearth’s Warming Eve. Why are you working anyway? And secondly, ladies do not whine.”
“Work stops for nopony. At least not here on Sweet Apple Acres. And secondly,” AJ mimicked her in a poor imitation of her posh accent, “then ya must not be a lady.”
“I beg your pardon?!” Rarity drew herself up to her full imposing height, about a head taller than Applejack, who for all her strength was adorably small.
Applejack broke into a fit of bellyaching laughter, warmer than apple pie, and trotted off through the trees without looking back. After a moment, Rarity found herself giggling as well, and followed after. “If either of us isn't a lady here, it's you,” she teased, continuing their playful banter.
“Sure about that? Y’all seemed miiiighty eager t’ get into farmin’ that one time Trenderhoof stopped by…”
Rarity flushed violently. She didn't like thinking about the Trenderhoof Incident. That had probably been her biggest lapse in judgement to date. And, if she was being honest with herself, he wasn't even the pony she'd really been trying to impress.
Seeing that she was flustered, Applejack grinned broadly, the sun glinting off the warm gold flecks in her eyes. “Gotcha,” she smirked, with a hint of the prideful streak that she and Rainbow Dash shared.
“Yes, yes, laugh if you like, but do recall that I still own the images of you modeling in my best dress.”
Silence. A slow blush crept rosily over AJ’s cheeks, coating her freckly constellations a soft red, but she said nothing, and Rarity allowed herself a gleeful and rather unladylike crow of victory.
Winter beat down on their backs as they walked, its oppressive silence far heavier than the meager sunshine that managed to claw its way through the clouds. Fortunately for Rarity, somepony had shoveled a small path through the farmland - probably Applejack, with those oh-so-fine muscles of hers - so she was saved from touching snow again, for the time being. Only the gentle, low hum of AJ’s breath, the steady trot of their hooves, and the occasional drip-drip of icicles clinging to the tree limbs punctuated the air, and after a time, Rarity began to feel slightly uneasy. She didn't like long silences, because they meant that whoever she was with was missing out on the sound of her beautiful voice. She decided to spare Applejack that tragedy. “So, where exactly are we going?”
Applejack shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably (and adorably), shifting the weight of her mane. She’d taken to doing that every few steps. “Well, we’re gonna do some plantin’, since Big Mac’s out in the barn fixin’ some equipment and ‘Bloom’s inside with Granny. Ah’m the only one left an’ Ah aim to git it done.”
“You can plant seeds in winter?” the unicorn queried, genuinely surprised.
The farmpony snorted, and her breath, a white icy mist, roiled in front of her. “Sure as sugar. Carrots, radish, chickpea, onion, an’ all sorts of others. Why, we got five varieties of radish bein’ planted this winter!”
“Five? Goodness gracious, I had no idea there were so many.” Not that she really cared - but she enjoyed making Applejack happy, and nothing made her happier than when somepony else took an interest in her craft.
Sure enough, a wide grin curled across her furry muzzle, and she immediately launched into a description of the five types of radish. Rarity listened with feigned interest, nodding and smiling politely. But, though she wasn't interested, she wasn't bored, either - AJ’s happiness was infectious, and Rarity felt cozier and warmer with her than she ever had in her life.
Finally, Applejack fell silent. Even she couldn't find anything more to say about radishes. The sky was beginning to darken now, fingers of blackness streaking across it. Hearth’s Warming Eve was nigh.
AJ’s scarf fluttered loose in the wind, and without pausing to think about it, Rarity reached over and tucked its tassels gently against her neck. Turning her head, she found that her muzzle was no more than a few inches from AJ’s, their eyes locked in each other’s, blazing emerald against soft sapphire. AJ’s mane was curling around her powerfully sloping neck, her muzzle half-buried beneath her scarf, and Rarity thought she had never been in love with her more than she was in that moment. “Applejack…” Rarity faltered, not quite sure what she was going to say.
“AJ!”
Well, that moment was ruined.
Even Applejack herself appeared slightly irritated as she turned to answer her brother’s call. “Yes, Mac?”
“Ah’m done in the barn an’ headin’ in.” His deep baritone rolled across the fields, his barrel-shaped body only an indistinguishable silhouette in the warm light pouring from the open barn door. “Don’t stay out too late, ya hear? You’ll catch a chill, an’ ‘sides, it’s Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve.”
“Uh-huh. Ah’ll be in by sundown.”
Her brother nodded, caught sight of Rarity, blushed, and trotted hastily inside the main house without saying a word. She was unfazed; Applejack’s big brother always clammed up a little whenever his sister had company. It usually took him a while to warm up to the sudden necessity of conversation.
Wind whipped eerily in the trees around them as they approached the carrot fields, but Rarity wasn't frightened, not as long as she had Applejack right next to her. The farmpony seemed to exude an air of stolid, firm warmth that could cheer your heart better than a roaring fireplace in winter. Her orange coat and tumbling, sun-bleached mane only added to the effect. Applejack caught her staring and offered her a friendly grin, which Rarity returned hastily, rather proud of herself for staying collected in the face of such beauty.
The vegetable fields stretched ahead of them, fading into the dusk. Applejack led Rarity to a series of raised planting beds that formed the right edge of the field. The unicorn cringed as AJ stepped unfalteringly into the dirt between the beds, her sturdy hooves sinking into the ground. Rarity lingered near the edge of the field. All of her love for Applejack was still not enough to make her want to step in that dirt.
She noticed that the blonde-maned mare was brushing her hooves against the dirt of the planting beds, her face tilted thoughtfully. “What are you doing, darling?”
“Checkin’ t’ make sure the soil is moist enough. Carrots grow best in moist soil. Ah watered it a day or two ago, now Ah’m just makin’ sure there's enough damp left.”
Rarity was beautiful. She knew it, the rest of Ponyville knew it, even the rest of Equestria probably knew it.
But she knew that she would never be as beautiful as Applejack was in that moment, her mane gleaming bronze with the light of the setting sun, her eyes lit up as she talked about the things she knew best and the life she loved. Even if she was walking through dirt.
Beautiful. Applejack was beautiful; bright and beautiful.
In a sudden surge of recklessness, Rarity trotted boldly into the mud, so daring that she hardly felt the icky-stickiness of the mud churning beneath her hooves. She just wanted to be where Applejack was, where all her beauty and light and warmth was. Dirt or no dirt. “I want to help,” she said breathlessly, skidding to a stop just before she could tumble into Applejack’s very shapely hindquarters, her amethyst mane dancing around her shoulders. “I want to help you plant the seeds.”
Turning, AJ stared at her in surprise, and then a wide, genuine smile slowly spread across her muzzle. “Why, Rarity, Ah never thought Ah’d see ya willingly steppin’ into mud! ‘Course y’all can help. That's real sweet o’ ya. Lemme just git the seeds.” Laughing her rich, low laugh, she reached out and tousled Rarity’s mane, something she’d normally never do - and in that moment, her smile made all the dirt, all the bitter cold, all the mess, worth the trouble Rarity had gone to to make her friend happy.
With a whoop of farewell, AJ galloped off towards the barn, her tail and hind hooves kicking up waves of dust behind her. She returned a moment later with two bags of carrot seeds clutched firmly in her teeth. She began to speak, then realized her mistake and let the bags fall to the ground, grinning sheepishly. “Heh. Uh, we’re just gonna plant the carrots tonight an’ Ah’ll leave the rest o’ the seeds for after Hearth’s Warmin’. Ah told mah family Ah’d be in soon an’ Ah don't wanna disappoint.” Thinking of her family first, as usual; how adorable.
“Fine by me. How do we do it?”
“Like this. Just take a hoof’s worth o’ seeds and spread ‘em evenly along the bed. Each carrot seed needs an inch or so o’ space t’ grow. Then use yore hoof t’ cover the seeds with soil. Easy as apple pie.” She handed Rarity a bag of seeds, under whose weight she almost collapsed. “Uhhh… y’alright?”
Celestia, this is heavy. “Yes, of course. I'm fine.” She wasn't about to admit to weakness in front of Applejack.
“Good, then let's git started.” Moving in a crisp, businesslike manner, Applejack began to stride along the planting bed, gently tossing in seeds and smoothing dirt over them in a quick and efficient process. Rarity suddenly realized just how graceful Applejack really was, and felt bad for thinking of her as clumsy earlier. Here, in her element and surrounded by the farm she loved so much, she was just as graceful as Rarity was when she was engrossed in her dressmaking. Perhaps that's what graceful truly meant - not the absence of clumsiness, but the elegance that could only come from passion and hard work and mastery, all of which Applejack surely possessed.
Realizing all at once that she hadn’t even started sowing yet, Rarity shook herself out of her reverie and trotted after Applejack, scattering seeds into the soil. The dirt didn't seem as romantic anymore, and she winced every time she had to stick her hoof in it. It took her three times as long as Applejack to progress along the length of one planting bed, and when she was finished, her normally pristine hooves were splotched with filth and her coat was rippling with sweat from bearing the weight of the seed bag. “Well, how did I do?”
Applejack opened her mouth to answer and then gaped in dismay. Her piercing emeralds roved over the planting bed, taking in the unevenness and close proximity of all the little seed mounds to each other. “Rarity! Ah told ya the seeds needed an inch o’ space or more t’ grow! That can't be more than half a centimeter!”
Rarity’s eyes widened as she realized her mistake. She had been so caught up in being disgusted by the dirt that she had completely forgotten to heed AJ’s warning. “Oh, dear. I am so sorry, it completely slipped my mind. How can I make it up to you?”
Taking a deep breath to stay calm, AJ let it out in a long, heavy sigh. “Just stay outta the way for now. Ah’ll fix it up mahself.”
She didn't appear too angry, just weary and resigned. But that didn't stop Rarity from feeling miserable as the farmpony trotted back down along the bed to fix the unicorn’s mess. How could she possibly have messed up twice in one day? Now poor Applejack would have to take extra time out of her day to rectify Rarity’s mistake.
“I really am sorry,” Rarity called out in apology, her ears dropping, her already feculent hooves growing even filthier as she used them to trace anxious patterns in the farmland. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Rares,” came Applejack’s voice, tired but steady. “‘Course Ah’ll forgive ya. It was an honest mistake.” She finished rearranging the seeds, using the ends of her scarf to swipe a stray speck of dirt from her muzzle. Rarity was far too woebegone to be appalled at the misuse of the garment. “Ah’ve decided t’ finish the rest o’ the carrot seeds after Hearth’s Warmin’. Won't kill ‘em to wait another day or two.”
“But I wasted your time and now it's already dark and your family will be disappointed,” Rarity sniffled.
Applejack rolled her eyes to the high heavens. Her apples-and-cinnamon scent was now mixed with the cloying sent of fresh soil, which somehow combined perfectly. “Heavens t’ Betsy, gal. Shut off the waterworks. It's fine. Ah ain't angry. Y’all only delayed me by ten minutes.”
Rarity used her magic to conjure a handkerchief and honked into it rather loudly, somewhat relieved. She knew that Applejack’s gruff kindness meant she'd been completely forgotten. “Still, I'm sorry all the same, I…” Her voice trailed off as a thought struck her. “Darling?”
“Uh-huh?”
“I know I'm no farmer, but… surely those carrot seeds are going to freeze unless they're covered up? You know, with one of those plastic tunnel monstrosities?” She stared around at the rest of the planting beds, all of which were draped in a light blanket of frost. “In fact, shouldn't all of these be covered?”
“Well, lots o’ farmers might resort t’ those sorts o’ newfangled techniques, but not me,” she grinned proudly. “Rares… how much do ya know about earth pony magic?”
“Well, erm… earth ponies are very… strong?” she offered uncertainly. “And, erm, hardy… I'm sorry, darling, that's all I can think of.”
The cowpony nodded, her ears flicking in mild disappointment. “Well, Ah expected that. But actually, bein’ strong ain't even part of our magic, an’ endurance ain't either. That's somethin’ we gotta develop on our own, and not all earth ponies do, mainly just the farmin’ ones.”
“Really?” Rarity’s eyes alit with interest. This was news to her. “Well, what magic do earth ponies have, then?”
She took a moment to gather her thoughts, and then launched into a rigorous explanation. “See, most pegasi an’ unicorns are like you. They got no idea that earth ponies have special magic at all. We don't bother settin’ ‘em right, ‘cause we're a humble folk and we don't really feel the need t’ tell the whole world about our magic. But in truth, all us earth ponies got a special magic of our own. Y’ see, just as soon as we know what our callin’ is, we git our own special brand of magic. Sometimes it comes at the same time as yore cutie mark, sometimes later. But no matter when, the magic always gives us some special skill that helps us with our jobs.”
Rarity was, to use her little sister Sweetie Belle’s new favorite term, ‘floored’. Pegasi all used their inherent magic to fly, and unicorn magic gave them all the same basic skills. Yet Applejack was telling her that earth ponies actually had specialized, individualized magical power! If Twilight Sparkle were here, she would already be ten pages into writing a research paper regarding earth pony magic. “Where does your magic come from?” Rarity asked softly.
AJ shrugged mysteriously, her short, stocky form no more than an inky blur in the gloaming. “Nopony knows. Earth pony magic’s been ‘round since the dawn o’ time. Can't tell y’all any more’n that.”
“Well, can you tell me more about the types of magic then?”
Her freckles seemed to glow with warmth; evidently, she was pleased that somepony was taking an interest. “‘Course! Well, Pinkie an’ all them sisters o’ hers got some kinda foretellin’ magic. Y’know, that Pinkie Sense thingie. T’ be honest, Ah ain't quite sure how that magic’s useful ‘round the rock farm, but… Ah’m kinda too scared to ask. Mrs. Cake can perfectly measure out bakin’ quantities without any tools. Must come in handy. Big Mac’s magic let's him figure out equipment an’ all that fancy engineerin’ stuff, and Granny’s lets her scout out ripe an’ unripe crops without even openin’ her eyes! ‘Bloom ain't discovered hers yet, but Ah bet she will soon an’ Ah’m dagblamed sure it's gonna be somethin’ useful on the farm, just like her big sis.”
The pride in her eyes and voice made Rarity feel horribly guilty for not having previously known anything about earth pony magic. But the most important question of all had yet to be answered. “Applejack, this is fascinating, but do tell me what your magic is; don't keep me in suspense any longer!”
Applejack’s ears twitched again, but this time it was in hesitation. Her face was hard, set in stone, but her eyes were uncertain and even a little sad as she scuffed her hooves against the dirt with her chin tipped toward the ground. “Some types o’ earth pony magic are rarer than others,” she said after a while, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “An’ sometimes earth ponies git the same power. Like the Pie sisters. It's rare, but it happens. My Ma…” She swallowed hard. “My Ma had a real special power. Only pony Ah’ve ever met who had it, too. Except for… me.” Arching her neck, she gazed up at Rarity, her eyes glinting like green fires with hints of gold in the dusk. “Ah inherited her magic after she died. ‘S’all Ah got left o’ mah Ma.”
“I'm sorry,” Rarity said hesitantly, after a moment’s pause. Poor Applejack. It must have been torture to share her mother’s magic, day after day, without ever having her mother there to guide and teach her.
The farmpony’s shoulders rippled in a shrug. “No need t’ be. Ah miss mah Ma, an’ Ah wish she were here t’ use this power herself, but… Ah’m glad Ah got it, too. It’s been a huge help ‘round the farm every winter, an’… Ah think Ma would be real happy t’ see me carryin’ on her legacy.” A genuine smile flickered across her muzzle. “Keeps me real warm, too.”
“But what is it?!” Rarity squealed. Or, rather, delicately inquired. Ladies simply did not squeal, not even when they were excited.
The smile grew and grew, until AJ’s honest face was positively glowing with excitement and affection. “Watch.”
Her eyes soft and loving, she reached out a hoof towards her newly planted carrot seeds and touched the soil above one of them, soft and tender. For an instant, nothing happened. And then, all of a sudden: a dusky orange glow in the soil, the same color as her coat, flaring bright and then sinking down into the loam. The warm glow spread from one seed to the next, the magic racing through the earth, waves of heat shimmering around it and sinking over Rarity’s coat like the warmth of a fireplace. Then, all too soon, the magic faded away and the soil was once more a long dark smudge in the darkness. But an electric tingle, resonant with a flash of warmth, still hung in the air, and when Rarity stared at Applejack in growing awe, AJ’s eyes seemed to be full of stars. “Heat. You can heat things,” she murmured, amazed. Oh, Twilight would be having a field day.
AJ dipped her head in acknowledgment, seeming adorably shy. “Yes ma’am. Now them carrots’ll stay warm all winter. Ah gave ‘em enough heat t’ last till Winter Wrap Up. Comes in handy ‘round the house, too. Insulation purposes an’ warmin’ up the occasional hot cocoa for Apple Bloom an’ all that.” Her perfectly white teeth gleamed in the darkness as she flashed a smile. “An’ in the summer, Ah can draw the heat into the air around me t’ keep the plants from gettin’ too hot.”
“Applejack Apple, I am thoroughly impressed,” Rarity said. “Goodness gracious. And you said it keeps you warm, too?”
“Uh-huh.” She patted her barrel, grinning. “Like Ah’ve got a little fireplace inside me. Ma had it too. Me an’ Mackie always fought over who got t’ snuggle with her in wintertime ‘cause she was always warmer than a bug in a rug.”
“And yet you're wearing a scarf,” Rarity pointed out.
Rosy red bloomed over Applejack’s cheeks. “That… that ain't t’ keep me warm. Ah just… Ah like tryin’ out new looks sometimes, too. Ah ain't no hoity-toity fashion pony though,” she added hastily, lest Rarity should get any ideas. “Jus’… Ah don't wanna be borin’, either.”
“Why, of course, Applejack. Why would I ever think you were a ‘hoity-toity fashion pony’, as you so delicately put it?” Rarity asked smoothly.
“Hmmph.” Seeming somewhat convinced that Rarity believed her, Applejack turned around and plodded away through the barn, the wind whipping at the thick fur on her cheeks. “C’mon,” she called gruffly over her shoulder. “Gonna check that Big Mac fixed the equipment right, then Ah’m headin’ in for dinner.”
The alabaster unicorn allowed herself a secret smile before trotting daintily after her friend. Perhaps Applejack did have a fashionable bone in her body after all.
She was still just as obtuse as ever, though. She failed to notice every single one of Rarity’s quiet glances of admiration. Rarity still couldn't quite believe her friend’s magic; even most unicorns would be incapable of performing such a feat. There was more to the farmpony than met the eye, that was for sure, and Rarity now found that she was more in love with her than ever.
Winter fog rolled over the horizon like a silent storm as the two ponies neared the barn. Employing all of her profound strength, Applejack tugged the barn door open, her muscles rippling in the light from the lantern that hung below the hayloft, casting a faint sheen of light onto the packed earth. The interior of the barn smelled sharp, like hay and rusty metal, probably due to the large plow taking up most of the floor. Eyebrows creased thoughtfully, AJ strode up to it and tapped it with a hoof. “Huh. Weldin’ job ain't bad. Guess we’re done here.”
That was good news indeed; though she never would have complained in front of Applejack, Rarity was beginning to feel frozen to the bone. She turned to follow her friend out of the barn… and promptly walked right into the large stack of empty barrels that towered halfway up the wall by the door.
Now, Rarity prided herself on her elegance and grace. She really did. So perhaps it was the cold that had caused her muscles to lose control, or perhaps it was just incredibly bad luck. But either way, her body was behaving most inelegantly and ungracefully as she crashed into the barrels and scattered them all to the ground with a series of deafening thumps. A few of them slammed against the back wall of the barn and cracked upon impact.
Hearing the commotion, AJ trotted back inside the barn and shouted with dismay. Her bright, deep eyes, filled with shock, quickly darkened with a flashing rage. Not only would it take extra time to stack the barrels back up again, but it would take hours to mend the broken ones. And time was a commodity that Applejack rarely had. “RARITY!” she yelled, her slim body seeming to tremble with ire as she crashed her front hoof against the barn’s straw-covered floor. Steam huffed from her nostrils, and her platinum mane rippled around her forehead like a halo. Even her freckles looked angry. “What in the hay’s gotten into ya today? First the snow piles, then the seeds, now the barrels? Do ya realize how much time y’all’ve cost me now? Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve only comes once a year, an’ Ah’ve t’ spend it all cleanin’ up after you! Why would ya choose to spend your evenin’ here anyway? Why are ya even here?!”
Silence. The two of them stood staring at each other for a moment, Applejack’s muscled chest heaving as she fought to regain her breath, Rarity’s eyes welling with tears. Then the unicorn collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly - and not her usual dramatic, attention-seeking, time-for-six-gallons-of-ice-cream wails; these were real sobs, pained and full of heart. Mascara and tears rolled down her cheeks, tracing silvery paths in her creamy white fur, but she was too bitter to care. “I'm here because my family is GONE, Applejack!” she cried shrilly, every word punctuated with the gentle slap of another thick tear falling to the floor. “Gone! Sweetie Belle went to stay with my parents and I couldn't go because I had dress orders to finish and it was just me! All alone! So I came to spend the evening with you, thinking you of all ponies would understand how important it is to be with ponies you love on Hearth’s Warming Eve. I just wanted to help you… and…” She swallowed, all the fight suddenly gone out of her. “And I can't even do that right,” she whispered, turning away and tucking her head against her shoulder so that Applejack couldn't see her face, and the slow teardrops that still slipped down her muzzle. “Now I've ruined the best night of the evening for both of us.”
Another yawning silence ensued, punctured only by Rarity’s soft crying, like a deep abyss where the only way across was a precariously hanging rope bridge. Applejack crossed that bridge now. Her hoofbeats pressed uncertainty against the barn floor as she sidled closer to the unicorn. A wisp of red wool fluttered past Rarity’s cheek as Applejack unwrapped her scarf and gently slung half of it around Rarity’s hunched shoulders. Rarity choked hoarsely and turned her head even further to the side, not wanting Applejack to see her so ugly and teary. But the farm mare cupped a tender, surprisingly soft hoof to the unicorn’s cheek and turned her face so that their eyes were interlocked. The scarf stretched around them, pulling them together and holding them close, a protective barrier that kept all the love and warmth and emotion inside it safe from the howling winds and fierce snows outside.
“Ah know what it's like t’ be alone on Hearth’s Warmin’,” Applejack murmured, their foreheads touching. A starry tear gleamed in her eye, matching the constellations of freckles that dusted her muzzle. Rarity was so shocked that she forgot to be angry; Applejack’s tears were not to be taken lightly. She always kept her emotions close to her heart, never sharing them, never burdening anypony else with her troubles. If she was letting them free now…
The tear rolled down AJ’s cheek, blurred and fuzzy in Rarity’s vision due to the moisture in her own ultramarine eyes. “When mah parents died…” She swiped a hoof across her muzzle, huffing out a choked sob. “They died in December. Just a few days b’fore Hearth’s Warmin’. Let's just say… there was no celebration that year. Mac an’ Granny had t’ go out an’ take care o’ the farm all on their lonesome, an’ Apple Bloom was too young t’ do much o’ anythin’. So it was just me… an’ Ah couldn't understand why everypony else got t’ go out in the snow an’ play with their parents when mine had left me alone an’ weren't comin’ back.” She hung her head, allowing herself a brief moment of emotion before she raised it again, her eyes alight with a fierce fire. Applejack, always a beacon of strength, knew that she couldn't afford to waste any time in grieving - not while she had to take care of Rarity. “Mah point bein’: why didn't ya tell me right away, honey? Why didn't ya tell me ya were alone?”
“I didn't want you to feel sorry for me,” Rarity answered in a small voice. “I didn't want you to think I was a-a baby, or - ”
Then Applejack leaned forwards and simply hugged her, and Rarity realized that she hadn't been lying about her inner warmth. Applejack’s barrel, pressing against Rarity’s, seemed to glow with a magical heat, affording Rarity the sensation of basking before a fireplace. Warmth flowed from Applejack’s hooves into Rarity’s back, spreading deliciously through her body, and the farm mare’s heady, spicy scent tingled through the air. Ratity exhaled shakily and returned the embrace, sinking her head onto Applejack’s well-defined shoulders, burying her muzzle in that silky mane of honeyed straw. “I'm so sorry, Applejack,” she blurted hastily, clinging tight to that sturdy orange body as though she would never let go, suddenly feeling incredibly selfish. She was complaining about being away from her parents for one Hearth’s Warming, whereas Applejack had been stoically bearing the same sorrow for over a decade! “I-I can't… I don't…”
“No, Rarity,” Applejack murmured in her ear, her voice like a slow, rich Southern breeze. “No. Ah'm the one who should be sorry. An’ Ah am. Ah’m so, so sorry, Rares. Ah… Ah don't know why Ah snapped atcha. Guess Ah’ve just been a little grumpy lately. Winter’s always a hard time for us farmers, what with havin’ t’ start thinkin’ ‘bout the accounts an’ keepin’ the whole farm alive through the cold… oh, we always manage t’ make ends meet, but it's stressful nonetheless. Still, that ain't no excuse for me t’ be yellin’ at ya like that. You weren't doin’ nothin’ wrong - helpin’ out a little can't ever be a mistake, like Granny used t’ say. An’ Ah ‘specially shouldn't’a yelled at ya on Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve. Worst of all…” She sighed heavily, her eyes dimming with shame. “Ah shoulda known that ya had a reason for comin’ here an’ bothered t’ find out what it was. But Ah didn't. Ah just yelled at ya an’ made ya feel like ya didn't belong.” Her ears drooped. “Rarity… can ya ever forgive me?”
Rarity’s heart overflowed with a sudden love for the mare in front of her. It took courage to apologize, she knew, especially for one so stubborn as Applejack. “Of course I forgive you, Applejack,” she replied softly, drawing back to look AJ in the eye as she echoed AJ’s words from earlier that evening. “After all… it was an honest mistake.”
Applejack’s honest eyes filled with warmth, and she brushed Rarity’s cheek in a tender nuzzle. Then she gently disentangled herself from their embrace and rose to her hooves, the scarf whispering against her powerful frame.
“What are you doing?” Rarity queried, arching her neck to stare up at her friend.
AJ’s rugged features and set jaw rang with determination. “Ah’m doin’ somethin’ Ah shoulda done the moment y’all turned up on mah farm,” she declared boldly. Her eyes crinkling at the corners, she reached down and extended a gallant hoof to Rarity. “Rares. Will ya do me an’ mah family the honor of bein’ our guest this Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve?”
Heart a-flutter, Rarity gazed up her friend, the majestic mare with the confident smile that made her want to swoon dramatically onto her favorite fainting couch. The idea was indescribably tempting. And yet… she was a lady, and ladies don't impose... even if part of her knew that she had come to Sweet Apple Acres hoping for that very question to be asked. “I'm sorry, Applejack, but - ”
“Nuh-uh. No buts. Ah know exactly what yore gonna say - that ladies don't impose.”
Well, so much for that grand notion of politeness.
“‘Cept it ain't an imposition,” AJ continued firmly. “Rarity, yore mah friend, an’ friend's are family. ‘Sides, nopony deserves t’ be alone on Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve. We'd love t’ have ya.”
And with that, the last of Rarity’s resolve and self-control bade her a cheerful adieu and flew out of the window. She just couldn't say no to those bright green eyes with the piercing gold flecks that beamed at her like rays of sunshine (Not that she’d wanted to say no in the first place. Spending an evening with Applejack was a dream almost too good to be true). “Well, if you're absolutely sure I won't be a bother, then… I'd love to stay. Thank you.” She finally reached out and slipped her hoof into Applejack’s, and they fit perfectly together, creamy white against a rich, dusky orange-gold.
Seeming barely to expend any strength, AJ tugged her up from the ground, using her free hoof to roughly brush scattered flecks of straw from Rarity’s chest fur and blushing faintly as she did so. The unicorn appreciated the kind gesture; Applejack knew how important cleanliness was to her. The memory of their argument forgotten, Rarity made as if to follow her from the barn, and then hesitated. “Wait… the barrels…”
Applejack cast her gaze around the barn, at the barrels cascading over the hay. Rarity could clearly see how much it was bothering her to leave the barrels unattended to; she was a mare of perfection and order when it came to her farm. Longing flickered in her eyes, but she turned away and took a deep breath, offering Rarity a shy smile. “Nah. Ah got somethin’ more important t’ attend to right here. Ya said ya wanted t’ help, right? Well, Ah think Ah know just how ya can. Ev’ry year on Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve, Ah bake a big ol’ apple pie for us t’ share. That's mah Hearth’s Warmin’ tradition. It were Ma an’ Pa’s fav’rite.”
Her smile curled into a mischievous grin. “See, yore a member o’ the Apple family tonight. An’ that means ya hafta learn how t’ make an apple pie.”
***
Rarity was skilled at many things. Dressmaking. Sewing. Eating Sweetie Belle’s chocolate and then pretending she hadn't. But piemaking was not one of them.
They'd come into the cheery farmhouse an hour ago, Rarity shaking out her mane to tighten her curls while Applejack stamped powdery snow onto the rug. Without any ceremony whatsoever, AJ had announced simply that Rarity would be staying for the evening, and her statement had been accepted with an unhesitant enthusiasm that had filled Rarity with warmth from top to bottom. A squeak of glee had ensued as Apple Bloom appeared out of nowhere and charged at her big sister, grabbing her in an excited embrace and squealing excitedly. AJ had returned the hug with a fond grin and a ruffle of her sister’s mane; then, in the spirit of the season, the little filly had jumped on Rarity for yet another hug. Big Mac, too, had popped his head out from the dining room to offer Rarity a shy hello, and Winona had bounded up to the pair of them to leap into AJ’s arms and give Rarity a slurping lick (with great difficulty, she managed not to shriek, and was able to discreetly wipe it off the second Applejack had her back turned).
While Applejack had trotted into the dining room to praise Big Mac’s labor over the plow and discuss her own seed-planting efforts, Rarity had taken the opportunity to peruse the farmhouse’s interior. The Apples were not a particularly rich family, but what they lacked in wealth, not to mention good taste in decor, they certainly made up for in heart. Though the Hearth’s Warming tree was a little scrawny, the ornaments that twirled their way up its sturdy green boughs gleamed cheerfully next to the twinkling lights that decorated the branches. A small pile of presents was stacked tenderly beneath the tree, surrounded by a protective ring of scattered pine needles. Four threadbare but vivid stockings swung gently over the crackling fireplace, each embroidered with the cutie mark of its respective owner, along with a crocheted doll next to each stocking. Thick green boughs hung over every doorway and window, and candles smiled from the frosted windowpanes. The scent of nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices wafted though the air, intermingling with the scent of baked bread, smoky fire, and, as always, apples.
But Rarity had been given no more than a few seconds to gape before Applejack had returned, beaming, hooked a hoof around the unicorn’s neck, and dragged her into the kitchen. Granny Smith had been bustling over a pot of bubbling sweet potato and apple stew, and breads and salads jostled for position with fruits and special Hearth’s Warming gingerbread ponies on the kitchen counter. “It's our traditional Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve dinner,” Applejack had explained. “Granny usually likes makin’ most of it herself, although Ah did help with th’ bread. But Ah’m always in charge o’ the apple pie.”
Granny had tottered out of the kitchen to take a well-deserved nap before the meal as Applejack gathered ingredients on what little counter space remained. An icy wind whistled past the windows, frost scratching at the glass, and Rarity had suddenly found herself feeling immensely grateful for having a warm place to stay on Hearth’s Warming Eve.
This feeling had been quickly replaced by annoyance as Applejack laughingly plopped a chef’s hat over Rarity’s pristine curls. “Darling, don't touch the mane!” Rarity had protested.
“Ah didn't! The hat did,” AJ had answered with a grin, settling a chef’s hat of her very own over her flowing blond waves. “C’mon, it’s yore first time piemakin’, just wear the hat. All us Apples were a chef’s hat on our first time piemakin’. It's tradition, y’know.”
“I'm not quite sure why, but I'm getting a rather unshakeable feeling that you just made that up.”
Suddenly finding the bag of flour in front of her very interesting, Applejack grabbed it by the teeth, tugged it open, and shook some of it into a mixing bowl, so practiced that she didn't even need a measuring cup. “Let’s git started.”
As it turned out, the chef’s hat had proven to be a blessing in disguise. It had born the brunt of the flour storm that had occurred when Applejack let Rarity take a turn at pouring in the flour, saving her mane from tragic doom. Pouring flour without making a mess was, surprisingly, much harder than it looked.
“Don't beat yourself up about it,” Applejack consoled her soothingly. “Ah was no better mah first time. Now how ‘bout Ah show ya how t’ cut in the butter, huh?” True to her word, AJ handed Rarity a pastry cutter and gently wrapped their hooves together, guiding her movements (Actually, this only served to fluster Rarity and make things worse, but Applejack didn't need to know that).
The pie crust mixture finished and set aside, AJ scooped six or seven apples out of a barrel and began to slice them with expert, deft knife strokes. Once again, Rarity was struck by how graceful she was as she baked here in her kitchen, surrounded by all the love of her family and friends. Her head was whirling from the excitement of the evening, so much so that she barely paid attention to Applejack’s explanation of the difference types of apples she was using; barely listened to Applejack’s instructions as they crafted a mixture of spices and drizzled it over the cut apples; barely even noticed as Apple Bloom slunk into the kitchen and dipped her hoof into said mixture for a secret taste (Not that she'd have said anything if she had noticed. She’d retained just enough presence of mind to do the very same thing herself five minutes ago).
Finally, Applejack popped the pie in the oven, dusting off her hooves, and patted Rarity on the back. “Great job for yore first time, Rares. An’, uh… ya got a lil’ somethin’ on yore face…”
Rarity prepared to panic and make a frantic getaway to the restroom, but AJ knew what was coming and held up her hoof. “Wait. Let me git it.” With an expression of lurking shyness that Rarity hadn't even known her face was capable of making, the farm mare reached out and gently brushed her hoof against Rarity’s cheek, her own starry muzzle creased in a soft smile. AJ herself had a dot of flour on her nose, making the moment all the cuter. For once in her life, Rarity had no idea what to say.
“Your breath smells like cinnamon,” she squeaked out with an unusual timidity. She regretted it instantly. Well, great. Of all the things I could have chosen to say, I chose that??
“Uh… beg pardon?” Applejack arched a wry eyebrow, withdrawing her hoof.
“I said… oh, I said that Granny’s coming back down, it must be time to start the banquet, haha…” A nervous giggle hiccuped from her throat. Inwardly, she sighed with relief. Applejack would never believe her, but she was too polite to question it. Probably.
Fortunately, Applejack did indeed prove that she had observed some of Rarity’s mannerisms by osmosis, as she merely shook her head in confusion and trotted out of the dining room. The table was already groaning with food; Big Mac and Apple Bloom had carried out the dishes while Applejack and Rarity were making the pie.
They all took their seats at the table, candlelight caressing their faces, and joined hooves. Nopony said a word, not even Rarity, although she wasn't quite sure what was happening. The air seemed to press upon them like an impatient storm, and Rarity was unable to shake the feeling that something wonderful, something she had never experienced before, was about to happen. Knowing the Apples, it was probably some kind of time-honored family tradition.
Confirming her suspicion, Applejack bowed her head and began to murmur a traditional table blessing, her low, deep voice rolling melodiously over the room. Even the thrilling sensation of AJ’s hoof curled around Rarity’s seemed to fade away beneath the rich power of her voice.
“May the blessing o’ light be upon us this Hearth’s Warmin’ - light without an’ light within.
May Celestia’s warmth shine upon us like a great fire,
so that stranger an’ friend may come and warm ‘emselves at it.
An’ may Luna’s blessing be upon us,
may it beat upon our spirits an’ wash ‘em fair and clean,
an’ leave there a shining pool where the blue o’ Heaven shines,
an’ sometimes a star.
An’ may the blessing of the earth be upon us too,
soft under our hooves as we pass along the roads,
soft under our hooves as we travel t’ our family’s firesides t’ rejoice.
May the spirits o’ those who came b’fore us
Light our paths, an’ shine for us as we honor ‘em.
We believe in livin’ deeply,
Laughin’ often and lovin’ always.
We believe we were brought together
To support an’ care for each other.
We believe in one another,
In this family,
In this house.”
And as Applejack’s great voice died away, Rarity could have sworn she felt her give her hoof a gentle squeeze. She wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not, but Rarity was a ‘seize-the-moment’ type of mare - you had to be, if you wanted to be in the fashion business - and so she squeezed back.
And the dazzling smile that suddenly lit up those freckled cheeks warmed Rarity right down to her hooves.
The rest of AJ’s family acknowledged the prayer with a murmur of agreement, and then dug in. Rarity did not join them.
“Rares? Everythin’ alright?” Applejack paused her violent devouring of a hunk of bread to glance up at her friend. A hush fell over the table as everypony else followed suit, crumbs pasted over their muzzles. Even Granny Smith’s cheeks were bulging inordinately as though she'd just eaten an entire loaf of bread.
Rarity’s eyes twitched. “Now, I don't mean to be rude, darling, but… beg pardon, but I thought you said this was supposed to be a traditional meal… surely some decorum is necessary?”
AJ broke into a hearty guffaw of merriment, accompanied by Big Mac’s baritone chuckles. “Shoot, Rares, this is traditional! Shoulda known that's what you'd be worried about. This is the one night o’ the year when everypony’s allowed t’ relax a little an’ eat whatever an’ however they want! It's an Apple Family tradition that's been carried on for centuries. Why, on Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve, we aim t’ be the loudest, biggest, funnest family in town!” She slapped her hoof on the table. “Ah even let Apple Bloom do… well… that.” She pointed at her little sister, whose face was smeared with stew.
Bloom dipped her head in a proud nod. “Uh-huh!”
“Point is, Rarity, this meal’s all about honorin’ the ponies who came b’fore us. An’ Ah dunno about the rest o’ Equestria, but in the Apple Family, we like t’ keep things warm an’ cheerful. So lighten up a little! Why don'tcha join in the fun!”
“Yeah, Miss Rarity!” As if to prove her point, Apple Bloom let out a huge belch which reverberated through the dining room with its ferocity. “Now it's your turn!” Her eyes shone as though they were full of stars.
Heavens above, I can't say no that face. Horrified but resigned, Rarity managed to squeeze out a small burp, though she couldn't refrain from delicately covering her mouth with a hoof.
Silence. Then Applejack began to roar with laughter, her giggles ringing up to the rooftop. Her laughter was infectious, and soon everypony else joined in, even Rarity. “Why, Rarity Belle! Ah never thought Ah’d see the day! Ah’m so proud.” Still grinning, she reached out to give Rarity’s mane a quick ruffle, and the touch of her hooves seemed to send sparks up the unicorn’s spine. “Now that you’ve got the hang o’ things, let me serve ya some stew. It's Granny’s specialty!”
“Applejack? Can Ah try some hard cider?” Apple Bloom begged, her bright amber eyes fixated on the jug of it that proudly served as the table’s centerpiece.
AJ didn't miss a beat. “Nope.”
“But Applejaaaaaack! What happened t’ eatin’ whatever an’ however we want?”
“No. Ah draw the line at hard cider. It ain't for young un’s.”
Sighing, the little filly slumped miserably in her seat. Rarity watched in amusement as Big Mac glanced around furtively and slipped her a sip from his own frothing mug. Unfortunately, Applejack didn't miss much. “Big Mac! Don't tell me Ah just saw ya disobeyin’ me?”
Granny cackled. “He didn't! Ya never said he couldn't give her any!”
At the dumbfounded look that stole over Applejack’s face, Big Mac couldn't resist a grin of his own. “Granny got you good, AJ.”
Laughter rippled around the table once again, and even AJ’s shamefacedness faded into a sunny smile as they tucked into their meals with renewed relish.
Later, Rarity didn't remember much about that meal, perhaps due in part to the three mugs of cider that she did, unfortunately, recall drinking. Perhaps, in hindsight, she had let herself go a little. But she did remember the sweet crunch of apples beneath her teeth, grown to perfection; the soft aroma of baking bread sealing over the table; the heavy, thick sweetness of Granny’s stew; the flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust of her and Applejack’s pie; the warm glow of conversation that interconnected them all; and, most of all, Applejack’s flashed smiles, her dancing green eyes. Those soulful, emerald eyes, with their long eyelashes and the little crinkles that appeared around the corners when she laughed…
All too soon, the food had been devoured, and Applejack cheerfully helped clear the table. Rarity attempted to offer her dishwashing services, but AJ vehemently refused to bother her guest, for which Rarity was secretly relieved. She'd already chipped a hoof that day. She didn't need to worsen the issue by bathing her hooves in leftover stew.
The Apple family gathered in the family room, where the Hearth’s Warming tree seemed to stretch its branches forward in welcome, and the fireplace crackled a blazing greeting. “Applejack? Can we do presents now? Can we? Can we?” Apple Bloom danced around her big sister’s forelegs, her hooves clasped pleadingly. Next to her, Winona hopped to her paws from where she'd been sleeping on the frayed rug, and barked in stentorian agreement.
Applejack cast her an admonishing frown. “Now, Apple Bloom! It wouldn't be right t’ do that with Rarity here, when we have no presents for her. How'd that make you feel if it were you? It'll have t’ wait till tomorrow.” As of a matter of fact, the six Elements of Harmony had already exchanged presents with each other during their annual ‘It's-Winter-Squeee!’ party (clearly hosted by Pinkie) last week. AJ had given Rarity a set of wooden bins that she'd made and painted herself to hold all of Rarity’s shoes, and Rarity had stitched Applejack some blankets for her trees. Both were very thoughtful gifts; still, it didn't feel right to open presents now when Applejack had nothing else for her friend.
“But we always open presents on Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve!” Bloom whined.
Granny cuffed her gently over the ears, intended not to hurt but to remind her of her place. “Now, now, child. Yes, we always open presents on Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve, so that Hearth’s Warmin’ Day itself is all about family. But Miss Rarity’s family, too, an’ we wouldn't want t’ hurt her feelings, now, would we?”
Apple Bloom’s ears dropped. “No,” she mumbled. “Sorry, Miss Rarity.”
The desperation in her eyes melted Rarity’s heart. “Pish posh, I'll be fine,” she scoffed, airily waving her hoof. “Come now, Applejack, you don't want to begrudge your little sister her presents, do you? It's kind of you to think of me, but please don't worry. I completely understand.”
“Really?” Apple Bloom’s eyes were shining.
The alabaster unicorn smiled back. “Really?”
“Thank you thank you thank you!” Squealing with joy, she pranced over to the evergreen tree and dived down under it to root around for presents.
Applejack took the opportunity to place her hoof on Rarity’s back, her eyes flickering with the warm reflection of the firelight. “That's real nice o’ ya, Rares. Long as yore sure ya won't be bothered none.”
Rarity nodded her head in reassurance, but her mind returned to the presents she had bought for her family, abandoned on a table in her cold, dark boutique. For a moment, her heart swelled with sadness. The only present she wanted was to be able to give her parents those gifts; to watch Sweetie Belle shriek with glee as she ripped open the wrapper of the new makeup kits Rarity had bought her.
Oh, and to have her love for Applejack be requited. That would be a nice present too.
Apple Bloom suddenly darted back, three presents stacked high on her back. “Here! Ya hafta open the stuff I bought you first!”
Big Mac helped Granny settle into her rocking chair, and Apple Bloom dropped a present onto everypony’s lap. Smiling indulgently, Applejack used her powerful teeth to tear hers open, and her eyes lit up with genuine happiness. “Awww, Bloom! It's the new guitar tuner Ah’ve been wantin’! Thank you!” Grinning, she scooped her little sister up into a tight hug. “C’mere, you!”
The young filly had gifted Big Mac a visor to keep the sun out of his eyes when he worked, and had handmade Granny Smith a decorative slip-on cover for her cane. She must have spent several months’ allowance on those gifts, and Rarity couldn't help but marvel at her generosity. Now if only Sweetie Belle would catch on.
Applejack hoofed over her presents next. She had hoof-crafted her little sister a Stetson of her very own, which was met with cries of delight on Apple Bloom’s part and an admiring smile from Big Mac. It was clumsily made, and Rarity’s discerning eye could pick out several spots where the detail was rather lacking, but she was nonetheless impressed by Applejack’s effort, and the love that had gone into it. And Apple Bloom certainly seemed to be more than pleased.
For Big Mac, Applejack had carved a wooden sculpture of Sugar Belle. Rarity had known Applejack was a skilled sculptor, but this was a figure of unparalleled beauty. Its eyes seemed to glean with life, and every whorl in the wood rippled with delicate muscle; even her mane and tail seemed to be rippling gently in an invisible breeze. Rarity could hardly believe her eyes. Applejack was a true master at her craft. And judging by the rapid blush that permeated Big Mac’s cheeks, he was just as impressed.
Applejack presented Granny with a new walking stick, presumably also hoof-carved, and then it was Big Mac’s turn. He gifted Apple Bloom a diary with a hand-drawn cover and a box of paints, Applejack a new piece of farm equipment which Rarity could identify only as a ‘thing’ but which seemed to make his sister very pleased indeed, and Granny Smith a new quilt.
At this point, only Granny’s presents were left under the tree, but the old mare was fast asleep beneath her new quilt, and nopony had the heart to disturb her. Even Apple Bloom was in agreement that the rest of the presents could wait until tomorrow.
“Well, sugarcubes,” AJ murmured softly, resting her hoof on her little sister’s mane, “Ah’ll go make us some hot chocolate, an’ then we should head up t’ bed. Big day t’morrow.”
Rarity sighed with relief; she wouldn't have to leave just yet. Perhaps she'd still have time to find a way to tell Applejack how much she meant to her… somehow.
***
An hour later, the fire roared stronger than ever in the hearth, a circle of warmth that protected the Apple family from the streams of black and midnight blue that canvased the night sky outside. Big Mac had fallen asleep on a chair next to Granny, and Apple Bloom was slumped on the floor with one hoof around Winona and another around Applejack’s legs, snoring softly. Crumpled wrapping paper littered the floor around them. Applejack lay lazily on the couch next to Rarity clutching her now-empty mug of hot cocoa, her tail flicking back and forth over Rarity’s legs. Her bun had finally come undone, and the firelight played softly over her loose golden waves.
Rarity knew she should get going, but she couldn't quite bring herself to stand up; to lose this magical moment forever.
“Ya smell nice,” Applejack offered suddenly. Was it just Rarity’s imagination, or were her cheeks awash with a rosy blush?
“Thank you,” she replied uncertainly. “It's… it's my new Prench perfume.”
AJ was silent for a moment. Then, in a moment of rare tenderness, she shifted her body until her warm orange fur was brushing Rarity’s. Coaxed by her warmth, Rarity instinctively moved closer, until their muzzles were no more than a few inches apart.
The firelight left twinkles in her eyes and her freckles gleamed like stars, and somewhere in the back of her mind Rarity had the thought that she would never have to go stargazing again. All the constellations she needed were right here front of her.
“Rarity,” Applejack said, interrupting her musings, with a tone in her voice that Rarity rarely heard: nervousness. Fidgeting with her cocoa mug, she eventually set it down and clasped her hooves around each other. “Ah - Ah think Ah might’ve lied a little. Ah do have a present for ya after all. If’n… if’n you’ll accept it, that is.”
Rarity blinked. “Oh? Darling, how kind of you. I hope you didn't go to any trouble.”
“Don't worry, Ah haven't,” she answered. “…Yet.”
And with that, she leaned up and planted a gentle kiss on Rarity’s lips, her muzzle softer than a bird’s wing and tasting faintly of cocoa and cinnamon and apples and all sorts of other things that Rarity hadn't even known she liked until now.
Fireworks seemed to explode in Rarity’s mind, and without hesitation, she deepened the kiss, sliding her hooves around Applejack’s neck and leaning closer. Their bodies fit perfectly together; slim and elegant, small and sturdy.
Finally remembering that she still had to breathe, the unicorn pulled back, gaping like a fish, her eyes riveted on Applejack’s ear-to-ear grin. “I - I thought it was just me,” she stuttered. Judging by Applejack’s grin, she had been thinking the same thing. But of course she'd been the first one to initiate anything romantic - she'd known she was being dishonest both to herself and to Rarity by ignoring her feelings. “I didn't know… i-if you'd…”
“Shhh.” Applejack placed a gentle hoof on Rarity’s lips, and another on her chest. She nestled closer, a deep hum of contentment singing low in her throat. This was a side to her that Rarity had never seen - a side that, Rarity realized with pleasure, she would be seeing a lot of from now on. “Happy Hearth’s Warmin’, Rares.”
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Applejack,” Rarity murmured back, closing her eyes and pressing their foreheads together as the fireplace crackled in front of them. Outside, the ground was already carpeted with a thick layer of snow, and more was whipping through the air. It was falling far to thickly for her to go home, so she was most certainly stranded here overnight.
With a warm fire. With a family who accepted her. With the memory of a tender kiss still tingling on her lips. With Applejack.
Perhaps snow wasn't so bad after all.