There was a dead silence as Applejack stared blatantly in front of her, out into the streets of Canterlot. She scratched her ear a little, making sure that she had heard Soarin’ right. Had he really just said what she thought he said? There was no way that that could ever happen, no, not in a thousand years. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her, right?

“Well?” Soarin’ wondered. The mare seemed strangely petrified by the question. “Is that all right with you? I understand that this is a lot to take in all at once, but still, it’s the least I could do after you saved my life. I mean, I guess it is a little sudden, and I’d understand if you’d—”

“She’d love to!” Rarity screamed, bursting from behind the tent and scaring both her friend and the Wonderbolt half to death. As it would happen, she and the rest of the girls (with the further addition of Spike) were all hiding behind the tent eavesdropping, and while they had planned on not getting involved in the matter, apparently Rarity thought it was time to intervene. “I mean, I’m sure she would be more than grateful to accept your offer.”

Soarin’ was somewhat confused by the sudden appearance of Rarity, a mare who seemed vaguely familiar and caused his lower jaw to hurt. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met… were you another one of the auctioneers? Cause I don’t seem to remember you.”

“Oh heavens no, darling,” Rarity giggled. She was a little thankful that Soarin’ had forgotten about their brief encounter at the Young Flyers competition many years ago. “I’m just one of Applejack’s dear old friends who came down for... moral support.” She spun the nearly petrified Applejack around, and wrapped her arms around the orange mare, pleasantly presenting the cowpony to Soarin’. “You see, Applejack here—”

“Was about to leave!” Applejack cut in. She shook Rarity’s arm off of her and dragged her out of the tent. “Would y’all excuse us for a second? Thank you kindly.” With that, she pulled the folds down and whispered into her friend’s ear. “What in tarnation are you doing? You’re ruining everything!”

Rarity looked unamused. In her mind, she hadn’t done anything wrong and Applejack was just being crazy. “Oh, is that so? Because what I saw was something different. Why, if I hadn’t intervened when I did, you would have blown it.”

Even Rainbow, who was leaning on a street post not too far away, nodded. “Not to agree with Rarity, but yeah, you were blowing it big time.”

“Yeah well…” The cowpony muttered, biting her lip. “I’m… hell, I’m nervous.”

“It’s okay to be a bit nervous, Applejack,” Twilight said, trying her best to reassure her friend. “Just remember that it’s all in your head. And even better, he’s already offering to come with you. That’s the hardest part already done.”

Applejack thought about it for a minute. Twilight was right about that. Soarin’ did offer this to her. Maybe she was over thinking this, she seemed to be doing that a lot as of late. The mare took a deep breath. “I can do this…” she said to herself. “I can do this… it’s all in my head. All I got to do is say yes… easy enough, right?” With a mouth full of confidence, she stormed into the tent where Soarin’ was waiting. She made sure her eyes were shut so she wouldn’t get distracted again, and at the top of her lungs, shouted, “I accept!”

Soarin’ flinched a little from her scream, but he was more or less happy that she said yes. Although a part of him wished she had declined. It did mean he would really have to wait until the end of the weekend before he could resume his search. “Well… that’s good. A little loud maybe, but good all the same.”

“Oh… sorry,” Applejack gulped. Perhaps she had come on a little strong. She already felt like she was making a terrible impression. There was a little pause where neither of them talked, but finally somepony from outside came inside.

Pinkie leap-frogged over Applejack and bounced into the arms of Soarin’ who instinctively caught her in his arms. “Awesome! You’re coming with us! You probably don’t remember me, but I’m Pinkie Pie! I was cheering on Rainbow and a few other fliers from Ponyville at Rainbow Falls! Do you remember, do ya, do ya, do ya?”

“Huh? Umm…” The Wonderbolt wondered. “Sorry… I can’t say that I do. I have a real crappy memory.”

Pinkie made a little pouty face. “Aw, that’s too bad! Cause we remember you! Mister crashes at the sight of cute cheerleaders.” She stuck her tongue out playfully at him, and she flipped out of his hands. “And speaking of remembering, do you remember—”

“Pinkie, please!” Twilight shouted, magically pulling a zipper across the pink mare’s face. “He’s a Wonderbolt, I’m sure that he has better things to think about.” The princess laughed nervously, pulling Pinkie away from everyone else. “Listen Pinkie, we can’t let him know about our plan. Do you have any idea how weird that could be? Applejack has to be the one who tells him, okay?”

“Okie dokie lokie!” She smiled, seemingly indifferent about the situation.

Soarin’ seemed really confused why a princess was here, but today seemed like it was going to be one of those days. “All right then… I guess we better get going,” he turned to Applejack and smiled. It was the first real chance he got to look at her without her trying to turn away or something. She was the most wonderful shade of orange, with the biggest green eyes he’d ever seen, and small little clusters of freckles under her eyes. However, as he took a moment to familiarize himself with his new patron, he couldn’t help but get a strange sense of déjà vu. What was weirder, his stomach started growling, and he had felt fine a few moments ago. He just shrugged it off as a weird coincidence. “So… Applejack, was it?”

“Ye-yeah…” she said, not ever looking him straight in the eye. “It’s Applejack.”

“Would you like to get going?” Soarin’ asked.

“Uh… yeah, sure…” Applejack muttered, turning away from Soarin’ and towards her friends. “Come on, y’all! Let’s get going.” She practically ran off out the door. She had no idea why she wanted to get away from Soarin’ all of a sudden, or why her feelings and emotions were acting all crazy. “Rainbow, Fluttershy, Spike… let’s go!” She began pushing them away, while the rest of them followed.

Soarin’, who was still rather confused about what the heck was happening and why there were so many mares and a dragon all of a sudden. But in the midst of all this confusion he did recognize a rainbow-haired girl/possible former stalker. “Rainbow, it’s nice to see a familiar face. It’s been a long time.”

“Too long,” Rainbow smirked. “How’s things been?”

“Well, today I’ve almost been raped… twice. So pretty normal I suppose,” he shrugged. He and Rainbow lagged behind the rest of the group so they could talk in private. “So your friend… she seems nice, but is she always this nervous?”

Rainbow didn’t know what to say. If she said that this wasn’t her normal behaviour, he would get suspicious about why she was acting this way. “Uh, sure! Yeah, Applejack’s just a nervous nelly!” She scratched the back of her mane anxiously. She really didn’t want to mess this up for AJ, and while she thought that it would be easier to just up and tell him that she liked him, apparently Twilight thought otherwise, and it would be better to just to follow her orders, unless she wanted to invoke the wrath of an OCD princess. “But she’s really great if you get to know her.”

“She does seem nice enough,” Soarin’ admitted. “Kind of cute too… So anyways, what’s new in your life Rainbow.”

“Oh you know… this and that…” Soarin’ and Rainbow continued to reminisce, about Rainbow’s time in the Wonderbolt reserves, her work with the weather ponies. She even mentioned her love life with Thunderlane to him, admittingly in all to great of detail. Eventually they got back to the train station.

Soarin’ walked over to the payphones. “Excuse me for a second; I need to make a quick call.”

“Sure thing,” Twilight said. “But don’t take too long, the train’s leaving in fifteen minutes.” She waved at him as he got out of earshot. After which, she turned to Applejack. “So, what’s your next move, Applejack? Do you have a plan?”

“Oh yes!” Rarity squealed. “You simply have to fill us in. Seriously, don’t skimp out on any details.”

“What makes you think I even have a plan?” The cowpony asked. “At what point during this entire trip have I shown any sign that I know what the hay I’m doing? So as much as I hate to say it, I’m open for suggestions.” She knew she would regret those words the second they came out of her mouth...

And when Rarity squealed happily, she knew she was right. “Darling, that’s wonderful!” The starry-eyed fashionista hugged the cowpony, practically lifting her up with delight. “And as it just so happens, I have a wonderful idea. Girls, huddle up. We need to strategize.” The girls, which also included Spike, bunched together, as they all carefully listened to Rarity’s plan.

Not that far away at the very same moment, Soarin’ was having his own conversation with Spitfire over a payphone.

“So that crazy girl from last time tried to abduct you?” Spitfire laughed, her voice was unpleasantly shrill over the static of the landline. Soarin’ tried to death stare through the phone, but alas, phones didn’t work that way. “That’s too funny! Goddess I wish I could see that…”

“I’m glad my almost abduction is humorous to you…” Soarin’ groaned. “Anyways, can you just tell tell everypony that I’m fine, and will be with some girl named Applejack for the weekend.”

“Sure thing, Soaring,” Spitfire teased, using one of her many nicknames that Soarin’ hated. “Where are you and miss Apple Bottom going to?”

“Applejack”

“I know what I said.”

He rolled his eyes before checking over his shoulder to see what gate he was leaving through. “Some place called Ponyville.”

“Ponyville…” Spitfire started to think over that name as it rang familiar memories. “I think I’ve been there once for some lake thingy. Met the Dash-Attack and some big-boobed cutie. If I recall it’s a multicultural town, lots of… variety.” Soarin’ had a feeling she had winked at him through the phone, and was glad that phones didn’t work that way. “But other than that, it’s pretty normal, so you should be safe. Though knowing your luck, you’ll probably get run over by a tractor, or abducted by Rainbow Dash!” There was more cackling from Spitfire’s side of the line. She was enjoying this far to much.

“Yeah, well it shouldn’t be too bad. Speaking of, I actually ran into Rainbow Dash. Turns out this Applejack girl is her friend or something,”

“Ooo~ I smell a threesome~!” Spitfire sang.

“Not very likely~” Soarin’ groaned in a mocking impression. “She’s got a boyfriend now, wouldn’t shut up about it.”

“Really? Huh, I always thought she was gay.”

“... Why?”

“I… I don’t know,” The lead Wonderbolt muttered causelessly. “Maybe it’s the hair... Anyways, just remember to take your vitamins, wear a condom, and stretch before you do her. I hear earth ponies like it rough.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind,” Soarin’ sighed. A whistle in the background signaled that the train was about to depart, and that he needed to wrap this up. “That’s my train. I’ll call you later.”

“Not likely,” Spitfire said. “Fancypants and his wife are taking me on their vacation to some lake. I won’t have any service for the whole damn weekend.”

“You poor thing,” He said sarcastically. “I’ll weep for you.”

“Spare me, Soarin’. Anyways, see you in three days… oh and one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Have fun, muffin!” With that, the phone clicked and Spitfire’s voice was replaced with the dial drone. Soarin’ hung up the phone, running his hands through his mane. He was sure he was in for plenty of fun this weekend.

He headed back to the girls, who were already boarding the train. Pinkie waved at him over and he got on the train as well. She was probably trying to get him to follow him.

“Hey, over here!” She pepped, hopping down the cramp hallways of the train cart. “We’re all in back of the train. Follow me and we’ll be there in a jiffy!”

Soarin’ shrugged and followed the bouncing pink mare. She seemed really excited about getting to their booth that she sped up, hopping at a faster pace until she was leaping bounds ahead of him. “Hey, wait up!” He called out, not wanting to break his comfortable walking pace. But it was too late; Pinkie had disappeared down the hall. The Wonderbolt sighed, but continued to kind of follow her.

As he went to open the door to the next cart, it suddenly shot open, and Applejack came flying out, crashing into Soarin’ and knocking them both down with her on top.

This of course was no mere coincidence. In fact, it was all part of Rarity’s ingenious plan. Pinkie had purposely gone faster than Soarin’ to signal the girls that he was coming. After that, Applejack would wait until the last moment and walk through the door and bump into Soarin’, perhaps having him catch her in his hands. However, that’s where things went slightly off book in an otherwise perfect plan. Applejack had mistook bump with tackle and well… crashed into him.

Still, it was only a minor hiccup, and Applejack was on top of him now, staring blissfully into the Wonderbolt’s eyes. She could feel the warmth coming from his chest, and the steady beat of his heart as he looked right back at her. Her fingers curled up against his shirt, and she wondered if he would mind if she ripped off his shirt and got a look underneath. It took every inch of her willpower to not buckle under the pressure and just kiss him there on the spot. But somehow, she resisted and shot back up, blushing like a mad mare.

“Sorry! Didn’t see you there, partner!” She apologized, rubbing the back of her head nervously. This was a stupid idea. Rarity was just trying to embarrass her with her soap opera tomfoolery. Although it was nice while it lasted. “I should really watch where I’m going.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Soarin’ said, brushing himself off as he got up. He didn’t know if he should be mad that he got knocked over, or impressed that this girl could do that. “You’d be surprised how much that happens to me.” He beamed, although deep in his mind he was reliving some of the most horrible moments of his life. “You’re not the first girl to accidently fall on top of me. I’ll even give you credit for not trying to grab my junk like most of them.”

I could have grabbed his little stallion while I was down there?! Applejack stressed in her mind, wallowing at a missed opportunity. “Dang it!” She covered her mouth, realizing she had said that last part out loud like a giant fool. “I mean… heh, I guess I’ll know for next time, right?” Know for next time? Are you mad, girl? He already probably thinks you’re some sort of strange country pervert now!

Yeah… already having lots of fun. Soarin’ muttered in his thoughts. Still, she had shown more restraint than most mares did around him, and she was just trying to lighten the mood up. There was a good chance that one of her friends had told her to do this, considering how uncomfortable she was right now, which meant it fell to him to trying and ease her up a bit. “I’ll hold you to it,” he said as a little flirtatiously. She was cute after all, and only kind of crazy. He could handle kind of crazy. Regardless, it did seem to calm her down a little, if not turn her a slightly lighter shade of red. “Tell you what, this booth is free. You and I can hang in here if you want.” He turned down to the empty hallway. “If that’s all right with the rest of you.” One by one, each of Applejack’s friends poked their head from several different booths, whispering to themselves before nodding in agreement and disappearing again. Soarin’ looked back at AJ. “Shall we?”

“Ah-huh…” Applejack mumbled, following the Wonderbolt into the train booth and closing the door.

The second they heard the ‘click’ of the lock, Rainbow, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight and Spike all fled their hiding places and slowly crept up on Soarin’ and Applejack’s booth. Twilight pressed her ear up against the door while Rarity and Rainbow wrestled each other to see who would peek through the key hole. Pinkie Pie just stood there smiling to herself while Fluttershy and Spike wondered if their friends understood the words ‘boundaries’ or ‘privacy’.

“I can’t hear anything,” Twilight said in a dead whisper. “Can you two see anything?”

“I would if Rainbow would let me see…” Rarity muttered.

Rainbow frowned at her friend before looking back into the hole. “I think they’re just sitting there… staring at each other.”

“That’s kind of boring,” Pinkie said. “We should go inside and intervene! That always works!”

“Pinkie, keep your voice down,” Spike shushed. “We don’t want them to hear us. I think that we should just leave them alone, right Rarity?”

“Yes, in just a second, dear,” Rarity muttered, not really hearing Spike. “C’mon, Applejack, make your move… or at least do something.”

“Maybe we should give them some space…” Fluttershy said quietly. “We should respect their privacy and leave them alone.”

“I agree with Fluttershy,” Spike said. His three peeping friends looked back at him but they collectively sighed as they nodded in agreement. It was for the best anyways. If this was going to work, they’d have to give the two some space, and let Applejack handle it.

That being said, Applejack was having enough trouble handling her words. Being alone with Soarin’ was ten times worse than she thought it would be, not that being alone with Soarin’ was bad, but she couldn’t think of anything to say.

All right, Applejack, think, she thought to herself. He’s a Wonderbolt sure, but that don’t make him different than any other guy you’ve talked to. He’s just flesh and bones. Perfectly scrumptious meat I’d like to bone… Girl, quit that! You’re going to say something stupid again. She looked up briefly, noticing that Soarin’ was staring at her, waiting for her to actually say something. Okay, so we need to say something. Ask him about being a Wonderbolt, ask him about his hobbies or something. Just don’t ask him something stupid.

“So what did you have for breakfast this morning?” She asked, immediately regretting what could have been the stupidest thing anyone could ask a pony they hardly knew.

Soarin’ was wondering the same thing, but he was just happy that she actually spoke in a full sentence. “Well, I sort of skipped out on breakfast to be honest. I just had some orange juice to be honest.”

“Ah well…” Applejack mumbled, trying to think of a way to follow up on that. She didn’t think it would be this hard to hold a conversation. “… Once we get back to the farm, we’ll get something in you.”

“You live on a farm? That’s interesting.”

“It is?” Applejack wondered. She never really thought of the farm life as all that glamorous. But even if he was just trying to keep the conversation going, he really did look like he was interested. “Huh? Well I’m sure it’s mighty stale in comparison to a Wonderbolt’s life. To always be traveling and seeing the world. I bet it’s exciting.” She gave herself a mental hi-five for speaking an entire paragraph without stuttering or saying something embarrassing. Although she had almost screamed out that she touches herself to pictures of him three times in the last three minutes.

“It’s nice sure,” Soarin’ nodded, thinking about his life. “But sometimes it’s a little much. Plus all the crazy fans that come with fame… and I think I got the worst of it. You never hear stories of Spitfire or Fleetfoot getting locked in some thirty-something unicorn’s meat locker because she’s having a mid-life crisis, or get sold on the black market for a new carriage, or buried alive because a girl thinks she can grow more of you... No, all that crap gets flipped on yours truly.” Soarin’ stopped himself. “Sorry, didn’t mean to unload all of that on you.”

“No, no, it’s fine!” Applejack said. “I don’t mind listening…” It sure beat the living daylight out of talking myself…

“Really?” Soarin’ asked. This was perplexing. In all of his years as a Wonderbolt, not once has a fan actually given a crap about his problem and actually listened. Most would just stare googly eyed at him while picturing him naked, or they just wouldn’t listen at all. But this girl… she seemed to be honest about it, and her kind smile just clarified that. That smile… why did he have the strangest feeling that he should be remembering something right now? “I have to be honest with you, Applejack. You’re a breath of fresh air from my other fans.”

“I—really?”

“Yeah, in fact, I could say that you’re probably one of the first ponies to actually listen to me outside of Spitfire, and that girl’s a sociopath so she hardly counts. Most ponies just look at me like I’m some giant piece of candy to suck on.”

He had to say that, didn’t he? Applejack groaned in her thoughts. Now all she could think about was what parts of him were the sweetest, and what parts she could wrap her mouth around. She even had to adjust herself a little, her dress wasn’t getting any cooler. “Well you know me… I’m a giver—listener! I’m a listener…”

“Hate to say, I don’t know you, Applejack,” Soarin’ sighed. “But who knows what’ll happen this weekend. I mean, what do you have planned for us anyways?”

“Planned?!” She thought, panicking as she remembered she was supposed to have one of those. “Well… I guess you and I could… umm…” She bit her lips, trying to think of a proper way to end that sentence that wasn’t ‘fuck, hump, or screw’. “You… and I… can work on the farm together!”

The pegasus raised an eyebrow. “Work on the farm? So I’d be like your farmhand for the weekend?”

“Yeah something like that I suppose…” Applejack said quietly.

Soarin’ couldn’t help but crack a smile. “I take it back, you’re out of your mind.”

“Huh?”

“You were at the auction, right?”

“Yes…?” Applejack wondered. What was he getting at?

“So you were going to spend thousands of bits for me to plow fields and tend crops for a weekend? Does that not sound a little crazy to you? Not the bad kind of crazy though, just sort of a ‘really?’ kind of crazy.”

“Yeah… I suppose I am,” She said, biting her lip a little in embarrassment. She looked out the window, and she could already see Ponyville on the golden horizon. It looked like the sun was going down, and Applejack sighed a little over a lost day of work, although the day was hardly a lost at all. She was sitting in a booth with a Wonderbolt, a Wonderbolt that was bound and willing to do anything she wanted, no matter how abstract or humiliating. And the best she could think of was getting another farmhand… she hoped she would get over these nerves eventually and tell him how she truly felt, but that could take a little while.

“So that’s Ponyville, huh?” Soarin’ asked, tilting his head slightly with curiosity. “It looks very peaceful.”

The farm pony had to hold back her laugh. Ponyville was anything but peaceful. “Yeah… it’s a real sleepy hollow.” She knocked on the wooden door frame as she walked out, and prayed that no headless horse would attack tonight. “Well, we better get a hustle on; I want to get back to the acre before dark. Timberwolves are more active this time of year.”

“Cool, cool,” Soarin’ nodded, but soon afterward shook his head. “Wait, Timberwolves?”

“Don’t worry, in the off chance we do get attacked, just kick them in the face,” she said casually. Kicking things was sort of normal behaviour for her, and she enjoyed it immensely. It never occurred to her that maybe other ponies wouldn’t see her approach to wild animal attacks so nonchalantly. “It works every time.”

“You really are out of your mind,” Soarin’ said in a tone that was between impressed and terrified. He followed Applejack out of the booth and joined back up with the rest of her friends. Fluttershy was stunned by how late it had gotten, saying that she needed to get back home for bed. Twilight also parted ways quickly, yawning as she walked back to her home. She had been up for almost two days now, and the princess needed her shut-eye. Rainbow waved goodbye to Soarin’, saying that she would come and say hi sometime tomorrow before taking off into the sky. Pinkie followed them for a while before heading off to Caramel’s house, and finally Rarity and Spike said their goodnights once they got to Rarity’s Boutique.

“Goodnight, you two!” Rarity waved as she and Spike disappeared past the door, leaving Applejack and Soarin’ alone in the street.

Applejack shifted nervously on the spot. “So ah… I suppose you’ll be wanting to check into a motel or something? We got some nice little motels here in town, I’m sure they’ll be to your liking.”

“Eager to get rid of me, eh?” Soarin’ asked playfully. “I don’t think you still understand the whole ‘Wonderbolt Weekend’ thing. I’m yours until Monday morning. Until then, I’ve got to do pretty much anything you say. Just as long as it isn’t illegal… I don’t want to be sent to the moon.”

“So… you want to come and stay at my place?” Applejack said cautiously.

“I don’t know… do I?” Soarin’ teased.

“Uh… Yes?”

“Great, then lead the way,” The Wonderbolt chuckled. This girl… she was something else, but probably his favourite winner of the auction in years, and she wasn’t even the true winner. He did wish she wouldn’t look away from him so much, it wasn’t like he was going to bite or spit acid in her face. It was this sort of anti-social behaviour that lead to a very quiet and awkward walk down a dusty old path. Thankfully, no Timberwolves or Headless Horses attacked them as they walked through the Farm’s old tin gate.

Soarin’ would be ashamed to admit that this was the first time he had actually been on a farm, and the first thing that came to mind was that it just smelt awful. His nose was adapted to the crisp breeze of clouds and air, but this was the smell of… poop, like some crazy pony had thought it’d be a great idea to just spread that (literal) shit everywhere. He thought that he was going to pass out, but he kept on his feet, as the ground was most likely covered in fecal matter.

Applejack took a whiff and thought, Huh, Macintosh must have fertilized the west field and gave it no more thought. She was used to the foul odours of manure, and it hardly even fazed her. It did however, come to her attention that not everypony in presence had her nose of steel. “Oh, don’t worry about the smell, wind‘ll blow it away from the house, always does. You won’t smell it once we get past the tomato patch.”

Sure enough, Soarin’ could breathe again, and was more than happy to leave that smell behind him. He just prayed that it would be gone before he woke up tomorrow and had to go work in the… fields. “So I guess we’ll be doing a lot of plowing together, huh?”

“Wh-wh-what?!” The orange pony shrieked. Had he really just said what she thought he said? No wait… she thought, he probably meant the fields, not each other. Pity really. “Oh, no. We’ll just be doing some bucking—damn it! Apple bucking! We’ll be knocking apples off the trees. Carrot Top takes care of the fields and vegetables.”

Soarin’ laughed. “You’re too funny, you know that?”

“Heh, yeah… freaking hilarious,” she grumbled to herself as she approached her house. A few of the lights were still on in the kitchen, and she heard Apple Bloom and Granny Smith arguing over something, and Granny was winning. “Oh this’ll be fun.” She pushed open the door, calling out, “Granny, I’m home!”

“And another thing missy—Oh come on in, sweet pea!” Granny called, temporarily taking on a sweet tone before harshly whispering, “Don’t think this gets you off the hook, youngin’. Now go wash up for dinner.” There was a groan from the pre-teen, and the sound of stomping. It was overall a great first impression for Soarin’.

The pegasus looked around the room. It had a very southern flair to it, with almost everything looking old and hand-carved from wood. Pictures of what he could only assume were past family members hung from the wall, freshly dusted. The smell of cedar and apples that seemed to scent the room was a godsend compared to the crap in the air outside. But the best thing that he noticed had to be the bubbling of pots, and the cackling of food. It had just occurred to him that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, and that was just juice. He hoped he was invited to dinner. Applejack had been fairly normal so far, but that could change in a heartbeat.

Applejack noticed Soarin’s drooling, and she started to smirk a little. “You hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Well, then we better get you fed, shouldn’t we?” She led him to the kitchen, where Granny Smith was just setting down a basket of freshly baked bread. “Hey Granny, hope we’re not too late.”

“Just in time, dearie,” The old mare said. She squinted her eyes at the stallion next to her granddaughter, and she gave him a toothy grin. “Well, well, well… hello there stranger. Applejack, aren’t you going to introduce me to your strapping young friend?”

“Soarin’, ma’am,” he said, reaching out a hand for her to shake.

But the old girl would have none of that. “Fiddlesticks, put that paw away and come here so old granny can get a feel.” Granny took Soarin’ in for a big bear hug, but to the Wonderbolt, it felt suspiciously like her hands were trying to grab his ass. But she looked like she was in her eighties, so he let it slide, although he did give a little yelp when he felt a pinch on his cheek. “Mmm, nice and firm! Just how I like ‘em! Now let’s get some food in you! I’ll get you a plate.” She left the dining room to fetch another plate, returning almost as soon she had left and set a place for Soarin’ right at the head of the table. “You can sit in Macintosh’s seat.”

“Where is Big Mac anyways?” Applejack wondered. She knew that Apple Bloom was kicking around somewhere, but she hadn’t heard a peep about her brother, although that wasn’t too unusual for him.

“Oh, him and that school teacher ran off for the weekend,” Granny mumbled. “They were going on about some house on a lake somewhere or somewhat. I tell you, that Cheerilee is a bad influence on him. Ever since they started bumping ugly he’s been down on his back rather than down on the ranch.”

Soarin’ thought about that for a second. He remembered Spitfire mentioning something about a lake, and thought it would be funny if it was the same one. However, he was having a hard time thinking of anything over the smell of what he could only imagine was creamy gravy, apples and carrots. He took a seat where his place was set, and Granny scooped up a ladle full of the soup and broke him up a stick of bread. “This. Looks. Fantastic.”

“Well dig in you two, I’m just going to check on the little hellion,” Granny cursed a few things under her breath in a growl before leaving the dining room.

Applejack helped herself to three scoops of the soup, filling her bowl to the rim. She was in her own world now. All the stress of that day, all the scares and heart ache had vanished. There was only Granny Smith’s Friday Special, with all the trimmings of love and roasted apples. She forsook her spoon, and started pounding back the bowl. Small strands of soup leaked past her cheeks and down her neck, but it wasn’t anything that a good sleeve wipe couldn’t fix. Within seconds her bowl was empty and she was going for seconds while cramming half a loaf of bread down her throat.

The Wonderbolt watched in amazement. He had heard of racial stereotypes about earth ponies and their monstrous appetites, but he had always thought they weren’t true. This mare was making him rethink that as she went for her third bowl. Maybe this was some sort of special way to eat the soup… but then why did they give them spoons? He decided to give it a try, lifting the rim of the bowl to his lips, sucking back the sweet, creamy liquid and small chunks of fried fruit and veggies. It went smoothly down his throat like a delicious waterfall, filling him up with a warm yumminess. Now he could see why Applejack was horsing it down so fast. He went for another bowl, but Applejack had a similar idea. The two touched hands briefly, before she retracted hers back.

“Beg yer pardon,” she apologized, covering her blushing face.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Soarin’ said. “You can have some more if you want, it’s not like we’re running… holy crap.” He looked down the large stew pot. It could have easily held over twenty litres of soup, and from the crusting sides of soup drying against the inner walls of the pot, it had. However, there was barely a puddle of soup left in it. “You ate all of it?”

“Sorry about that. But most of the time I’m competing against my brother for this. The big lug will practically drink it from the pot.” Applejack chuckled a little. “But you’re right, should probably try and leave a little for Granny and Apple Bloom. Speaking of which… where is my sister? Don’t think you’ve had the pleasure to meet her.” She dragged on those last words, her little sister was anything but a pleasure nowadays.

“Dag blast goo!” They heard Granny shout from the other room. “I’m going to tan that filly’s hide!”

Applejack’s ears flopped down. “Oh great… Apple Bloom probably snuck out again. Damn that girl…”

“Huh?” Soarin’ wondered. “Oh… well are we going to go looking for her?”

The cowpony shook her head. “This is something she’s made a habit of. She’s probably ran off to one of her friend’s house.” Just as she finished that sentence, the phone started to ring. “See? That’s probably one of her friends now. I’ll let Granny get it.” She gave a long yawn, and she looked at the clock, it was already teetering at ten o’ clock. “… We should probably think of hitting the hay. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.” Applejack started to head out of the room and up the stairs.

The pegasus agreed. Now that she had mentioned it, he was already fighting to keep his eyes open as he followed Applejack.

When they got to Macintosh’s room, Applejack opened the door. “Since my brother’s out of town for the time being, you can sleep in his room. I think there’s some fresh sheets in the closet… you’ll want them.” She recalled Cheerilee’s and Mac’s hat-wearing, and probably knew that it would be messy. “So… yeah, sleep tight! Wake you up later!” She started heading to her room, but Soarin’ stopped her.

“Wait… you mean we’re sleeping in different rooms?” He asked, looking really confused. “Usually me and the winner sleep in the same bed… or at least that’s what they make me do.”

Applejack stopped cold in her tracks. “Wh-what?!”

“Yeah, I mean literally every mare and stallion that has ever won me has done that. I’ve always sort of saw it as a tradition.”

This had to be a dream, or she was hearing him wrong. In all her life, she never thought Soarin’ would actually expect them to sleep together! Life was making it so easy for her, all she had to do was say yes and he’d hop into her bed, probably naked if commanded it. So it came as a shock to all when she said, “Nah, it’s okay! See you tomorrow!” And walked away.

Now, while Soarin’ stood there a little dumbfounded by what just happened, Applejack was doing her best not to explode. You pear-eating moron! YOU JUST BLEW A SURE THING! You could have had Soarin’ naked in your room. Ugh, now you’ll be stuck with this thought all night… so much for sleep.

She flopped down on her bed, screaming and banging her head into her pillow. “Stupid, stupid, stupid… Why do you keep doing this to yourself?” She rolled onto her back, staring at the door. It was unlikely, but there was a small chance that Soarin’ could walk in on her. It was… exciting. That mixed with his willingness to jump into bed with her, and peppered with his actual presence was making a sinfully delicious concoction in her mind. She tossed her hat to the side of the room, and got up for a second, slipping out of the dress she had been stuck in all day. It felt nice to finally be free of the constriction of clothing, even her panties got dropped to the ground as she leapt back onto her bed, completely naked. She undid the bands in her tail and mane, letting her blonde hair spread across her bed. She might have been nude, but she still felt so warm.

A thought came to mind. Would she risk fooling around with herself? Goddess knew she could use the release, but with Soarin’ so close by, she worried what he would think if he heard? Would he think it would be weird? Should she invite him to watch? Too many questions she had and not enough answer!

“No…” she said to herself. “Not this time. I’m not chickening out this time!” She shot up from her bed and got onto her feet. With a heavily beating heart, she tiptoed to the door. It was rather impulsive but she had a plan. She was going to check the hall if the coast was clear, sneak up to Soarin’s room, and invite him back to hers. It was perfect, and she was sure that Soarin’ would hop on board, so to speak. She went to open the door, to check if the coast was clear, but it wasn’t…

Cause Soarin’ was standing right outside her room.

The pegasus looked like he was about to knock on her door, but he was stunned, his eyes dangerously drifting downwards. It was only natural that he would look at her body. The large, natural breasts, firm with perky, dark nipples, her abs from working the fields, powerful and smooth, leading down to her quivering, if not slightly damp nether region. He felt himself getting a little stiff under the belt, and got a strange urge to swoop her up and throw her back on the bed as he took her. It never occurred to him to wonder why she was naked to begin with.

“I just wanted to let you know… there’s no clean sheets…” He mumbled, still wide eyed. “But I can see you’re everything—I mean boob—I mean you’re busty—busy!” He turned around. He couldn’t talk with Applejack distracting him.

The cowpony was also at a loss of words. Copious amounts of embarrassment were flowing through her. She even felt a tear building up in her eye. That’s when she finally popped, and slammed the door on him, letting out a high-pitch scream as she locked the deadbolt and ran to bed and wrapped herself in her blanket.

“He saw me naked! He saw me naked!” She trembled, feeling strangely violated. “He saw me naked… he saw me naked…” Her breathing got a little more rapid as several thoughts ran through her head. However, one of them stood out among the rest. “He saw me naked…” She said in a calmer voice, trying to remember what had happened. Soarin’ had been staring, which was of course any stallion worth his pride would do, but he had lost his calm demeanor. Now, he may have been just startled, but he was also nervous, and she could have sworn he saw a bit of red in his cheeks. Suddenly, she felt much less sullied, and more… proud. “He saw me naked…” She smiled, closing her eyes.

And he liked it.

Author's Note

Thanks to ACTASAP for editing this, and Pia-chan for pre-reading this! Hopefully this chapter will be better edited than the last that I did myself... I'm really bad at editing :P

Anyways, this is the end of Friday (freaking took long enough) There's a joke in there, but I don't feel like making it.

See you on Saturday (morning! (in the fic, no confirm time for the next chapter))