The Barmaid

by Ezrienel

Rating: mature
Tags: Slice of Life, Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, Main 6, Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance, Cherry Jubilee, Sex
Length: 129634

Applejack, the barmaid at Jubilee's Joint, gets her new friend Rainbow a job. However, the boss Jubilee has Applejack on a short leash, with the threat of her farm failing. This does not deter Rainbow from trying to take the barmaid for herself.

A skilful barmaid makes quick friends with one of her favourite bar flies, a rainbow-haired rascal, and gets her a job at Jubilee's Joint. However, while the once-patron incessantly pursues the Stetson-adorning barmaid, she seems oblivious to the underhanded techniques employed by their boss, Miss Jubilee, to keep said barmaid around. Notably, the threat of her family farm's impending bankruptcy.

Cover art courtesy of myself.

Published 2013-11-08 05:20:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-09-11 20:37:04 UTC

Hot Apple Cider

II. Hot Apple Cider

It hadn't taken Rainbow Dash very long to learn the days and times that the barmaid worked, as she frequented Jubilee's Joint quite often after that evening. It became clear that Applejack only worked on weekdays, as weekends were taken over by some burly man whose name was quite painfully simple as Joe. Rainbow wouldn't go up to the bar more than once, she never liked the way he made a Rum and Coke.

Tuesdays were her favourite, as they were some of the slowest nights it seemed, but she would come in several nights a week when it suited her. Applejack didn't mind the company, and she hadn't even felt nervous or awkward after what happened between them the first night. Not that they ever mentioned it again, even though Rainbow was always eager to slip in a flirtatious line here or there.

On a night like any other, except perhaps the more prominent than usual frost coating the outside of the windows, Rainbow Dash was pulled right up close to the counter and trying to remove her quite obsolete gloves. Keeping her teeth from chattering loud enough to hear, Rainbow watched her favourite barmaid come around from the back of house with a rack of dripping-clean bar glasses of all shapes and sizes. The two greeted each other casually: a tip of the hat here and a rosy-chinned nod there. Applejack noticed the familiar irritable grunt from Rainbow as she negotiated unsuccessfully with her gloves, her fingers bright red and numb. Placing the rack onto the back counter, she turned around to her now dear friend.

“Looks t'me like someone needs new gloves,” the barmaid muttered as she reached out and helped pull them off the grateful patron's hands.

“But I love these, they look badass and I've had them for like, ever,” Rainbow argued simply, clenching her hands and opening them again as they broke free from the fabric. “It's just too damn cold out tonight, you know I prefer to walk here than try and catch any lame bus.”

“Ah know that.” Applejack smiled fondly and folded the girl's gloves beside her. She took both of Rainbow's shaking hands in her own, squeezing them gently and trapping some heat between them. “Ah just hate seein' y'so chilly.”

Rainbow looked down at their hands for a moment, the feeling slowly returning—and then some. As the barmaid's warm thumb rubbed her knuckles, a smirk melted across her face, though that too was numb around the cheeks, nose and chin. Her frisky and intense pink eyes flashed up to Applejack's comforting green ones, and the two locked gazes.

“You making a move on me, Dolly?” Rainbow asked with a quirked eyebrow. Applejack didn't really know how to respond, but she didn't pull away either. “Because, you know, my lips are feeling a little cold, too.”

“Hot Apple Cider should do th' trick,” Applejack said with an innocent smile, avoiding the obvious play for another kiss.

Rainbow's puckered lips turned to pouted ones, and she let out a low hum as Applejack released her, patting her hands twice before turning back to mix the drink. Leaning her cheek onto her palm, Rainbow's tilted head watched her barmaid carefully. Her eyes dropped down to the low hem of the skirt, as often they played around down there, and a perverse smile hid itself half under her hand.

“It's better when you do that fire thing,” Rainbow whined as she watched Applejack pluck a glass from the lines of different styles and begin heating some cider.

“That was a one-time treat, honey.” Applejack chuckled as she cut an apple right in half, slicing a clean, even circle from one half and cleaning the seeds out. “B'sides, m'boss sure wouldn't be too happy if Ah burned the bar down.”

“Worth the risk.” The patron shrugged as Applejack gathered a stick of cinnamon and felt it between her fingers before slipping it into the glass.

“Y'know, Ah used t'serve cider in a hollowed out apple,” the barmaid told her as she felt the cider heating up.

“You always do the coolest shit,” Rainbow agreed, smelling the mix already.

“Yea', but it made for small portions an' a lotta time lost.” Applejack chuckled to remember it.

Rainbow Dash let out a cool breath and took in the faint scent of apples and cinnamon, loving the distant flavour as it blushed her tongue rosy and wet. If Applejack was not enough to keep her coming around, the warm atmosphere certainly was. The building had an old, rustic charm to it, the brick and stained-dark wood shielding them selflessly from the weather. The tall chairs that scattered the lounge were all of similar make, though the tables varied in shape from small and round to square. Rainbow Dash always liked to sit in that particular stool, as one leg was shorter than the others so it rocked back and forth as she tipped her rear from side to side.

“Say...” Rainbow cleared her throat a bit as Applejack glanced back and she had to avert her incriminating gaze. “What do you do when you're not working, anyway?”

“Me?” The barmaid tilted her head and thought about the question carefully. “Well, Ah s'pose Ah work some place else.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow scrunched up her face in confusion as Applejack bashfully blushed and forced a nervous smile.

“Ma brother owns a farm jus' a ways outside'a town,” Applejack modestly said as she turned back around, the cider just about warm enough now. “It's a family thing, he's th' older one, so he takes care of it most'a th' time.”

“That's weird,” the patron stated bluntly, and Applejack laughed some more at the sentiment.

“Ah spend m' weekends out there, helpin' out 's much as Ah can,” Applejack's voice sounded solemn as she spoke of it, and she stared at the steaming cider while she poured it into the glass. She sliced a corner of the round apple piece and slipped it over the rim, extending it to her friend.

“You really are something else, Dolly,” Rainbow said reverently as the drink was placed in front of her on the counter, and she eagerly groped it.

“You're one t' talk.” Applejack laughed, and Rainbow could only dispute it with a passive shrug and a sip of the warm apple cider.

Suddenly the whole pub seemed to grow warmer around her, stuffing it up to the wide, low-hanging wooden rafters with what seemed like gentle waves of heat rolling off a fireplace in some desolate cabin. Rainbow tipped her head back and glanced at the hanging orange lights, which seemed oddly modern in contrast to, say, the ancient casks that had been cut in half and affixed to the wall behind the bar. With a casual and comfortable lean of her folded arm over the counter, Applejack placed the tip of her finger on the opposite rim of the hot cider, returning Rainbow's attention to it.

“That cider you're drinkin'? Tha's made right outside th' city, at m' farm,” Applejack explained in a simple tone.

“Wait, wait, wait,” the patron spoke as she pulled herself back into conversation almost too quickly to give her a head-rush. “You actually make this stuff?”

“From scratch,” the barmaid tipped her hat as the words came out of her mouth.

“Damn, you are awesome.” Rainbow huffed an amazed laugh and shook her head. Her eyes dropped to the sweet liquid between her hands and her expression fell with it. “And here I am, lazy as all hell.”

“Y'ain't nearly that bad, sugarcube,” Applejack debated as she leaned further against the counter, peeking up at Rainbow and lowering herself to catch her sunken gaze.

“I haven't had a real job in years,” she admitted with a frown, feeling suddenly not worthy of drinking the cider in her hands. “My dad paid for my place, he's one of those businessman types who thinks buying his daughter's affection will make up for lost time. Works for me, I guess.”

“Y'lookin' for one? A job, Ah mean.” Applejack tilted her head curiously.

“Yeah actually, but with no experience it's not exactly easy.” Rainbow rubbed her neck nervously, chewing on her cheek a bit. “I'm training to join the Wonderbolts eventually, but they don't have any open spots right now. So I train in the mornings, and, well, you know what I do at night.”

“Wonderbolts, the national track team?” Applejack was surprised to hear such a big dream from the girl, but she loved to hear it. “Well, if you're serious 'bout a job, Ah'm sure Ah could pull a few strings 'round the Joint, if you're interested.”

“Wait, you'd do that? For me?” Rainbow's head raised and her pleading and admiring eyes hit Applejack's.

“O'course Ah would!” The barmaid broke into a grin and flashed the girl a thumbs-up. “Now drink up, 'fore it gets cold.”

“Yes ma'am!” Rainbow nodded certainly and brought the flavourful liquid back to her lips, taking in big, amorous gulps.

Needless to say, it took her a visit or two more before she actually remembered to bring her resume along with her. At least, she had told Applejack that she forgot. For the most part, she was nervous about it. She really did want to spend more time with the barmaid, but she didn't know anything about having a job, and it would have been awkward to hand the girl her resume in person and have her scrutinize it. Not that Applejack would have done that, but Rainbow was still nervous.

In the end, Rainbow came around on a busy night—Friday—and sort of slipped it behind the bar while Applejack was pouring a highball. She was back out the door without even saying hello.

Seconds later, Applejack noticed the odd piece of paper left crooked on her back counter, and immediately looked around for the girl who left it. Finding no familiar face besides the rowdy few patrons who seemed particularly interested in the cocktail waitresses, Applejack shrugged and looked it over alone. She smiled as she did, running her thumb over the typed letters and reading along.

Applejack blinked and grunted as the piece of paper was plucked from her hands, giving her a nasty paper cut along her thumb. She narrowed her eyes at the girl who stood before her, who held the paper at a short distance and knocked her reading glasses off her head and onto her nose. While the woman before her hummed, who Applejack now recognized as her shift supervisor, Applejack opened her mouth and placed her wounded thumb between her lips, sucking on it carefully.

“What's this?” Her supervisor skimmed it over.

“A res'me, wha's i' look like?” Applejack spoke over the thumb in her mouth, her words somewhat muffled. She removed the obstruction as she spoke again. “Remember that girl Ah said was lookin' for a job? That's her.”

“She has no experience at all.” Her supervisor's eyebrows dropped lower as she read more thoroughly. “I know I said I could try and figure something out, but I'm not sure.”

“C'mon Twi, Ah ain't never steered y'wrong b'fore, y'trust ma judge'a character, don't ya?” Applejack argued, stepping closer and meeting the girl's eyes with a look of honesty and certainty.

“I do, Applejack.” Twilight nodded slowly. She pursed her lips in pause, but let out a slow passive sigh. “If you're sure about this, I guess we can give her a chance.”

“Thank ya, tha's all Ah ask.” The barmaid snatched her supervisor's hand with both of hers and vigorously shook it.

“All right, I'll give her a call.” Twilight laughed lightly and pulled her hand away, nodding as she went out from behind the bar towards the stairs.

“Thanks again,” Applejack said with a smile, taking a moment to pleasantly sigh before getting back to her work.

Twilight was indeed a woman of her word, and Rainbow Dash got the call before she even arrived home. She was told to come in the next day for a brief orientation and to collect her uniform, her training shifts would be decided shortly thereafter. Since she didn't have any experience, they would start her off as the host, and if she liked it enough she'd be able to advance higher.

At first, Rainbow Dash hadn't known what to wear. Not only had she never had a real job before, but she didn't have that many nice clothes and had no idea what to expect. She had finally settled on a pair of nice-ish slacks in a charcoal grey, a collared casual blouse which she left mostly undone, and a beat-up old blue blazer-style jacket, which she was tugging on by the sleeves anxiously.

Waiting to talk to the shift supervisor, Twilight Sparkle, proved to be quite unnerving. Rainbow Dash shifted her weight from foot to foot, glaring down at her old black sneakers. Once she was certain her sleeves would come no further down no matter how often she tugged at the wrists, she proceeded to fiddle with the folded-flat-down, angular collar. She felt overdressed in the goofy garment, but it was one of the nicer articles of clothing that she owned and even so, it was worn and torn and screamed casual.

Plumping her lips outward and letting a long breath blow through them, she tried to dry her sweaty palms along the parts of her jacket that ran over her sides and stomach. The buttons on her cuffs clicked against those that held the jacket together, so she stopped bringing them so near. The blue of her jacket seemed to dull under the orange overhead lights, which made it seem like dusk no matter the time of day outside.

“Talk about a Blue Blazer,” a voice mused from behind her, and she froze still at the familiar accent.

Before thinking, Rainbow spun right around and nearly ran into— “Dolly!”

“Well howdy.” Applejack had to lean back due to how close Rainbow's turn had brought them. “You sure clean up nice.” She chuckled as Rainbow's face neared her own, but occupied herself with trailing the girl's body with her eyes.

Applejack had been standing right up close behind Rainbow Dash, leaning one outstretched arm against the overhang wall that separated the rest of the pub from the lounge. Rainbow seemed genuinely surprised to see her, especially since she wasn't wearing the usual gussy get-up. Her nervousness forgotten, Rainbow slicked some of her hair behind her ear and set to checking Applejack out, no matter how uncomfortable it seemed to make her.

“Look who's talking, I actually can't even see your cleavage,” Rainbow stepped somehow nearer and took hold of Applejack's collar, undoing a button or two as if to peer inside.

“Quit that, y'vermin.” The barmaid laughed and pried her wandering hands off.

“What are you doing here? It's Saturday.” Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow suspiciously, tilting her head as the question came out.

“Yea', Ah'm workin' for th' farm right now, Ah'm deliverin' some cider; th' Joint's a mighty fine customer o' mine,” Applejack explained with a tossed glance back up by the lounge, which carried Rainbow's attention to an ginger-blonde-haired man with several boxes of cider in his arms. “Y'here for orientation?”

“You bet,” Rainbow concurred as she flashed her a thumbs-up. “Just waiting on, uh, Twilight Sparkle. She's on the phone or something.”

“As usual.” Applejack huffed a laugh as the sentiment rang true, the phone did seem to be attached to Twilight's hip. As the supervisor, she had to deal with all kinds of employee troubles or customer relations. “Well, why don't ya let me show y'round? Ah'm sure Twi wouldn't mind.”

“You think so?” the new girl asked cautiously, not wanting to screw up already.

“Oh yea', she'll be glad for th' help.” Applejack swung around Rainbow, up a few stairs and hung out into the lounge by the handrail, waving the cider-slinging man over. “Tha's ma brother, Mac. Hey, Mac?”

“Eeyup?” The man tipped his tweed flat cap, which by no means matched the seemingly hand-made wool scarf that was knotted around his neck something like a loose tie.

The man was much larger than Applejack in size, and Rainbow had to admit she was a little intimidated. Applejack herself was quite toned, anyone could tell that much, but her brother was built. It must have been because he still lived on the farm, and muscle mass did stack better on men than women. Another similarity between the siblings was their abundance of freckles, which speckled their cheeks, and from what Rainbow had seen of Applejack, their chests. Big Mac had darker hair than Applejack, which was more vibrant than pale and seemed bright orange under the looming lights. From the bits of his wrists and knuckles that peeked out from the sleeves of his large plaid jacket, Rainbow could see a good amount of hair there to boot. Definitely a man's man.

“Could ya finish th' delivery for me? Ah got a lil' somethin' to do quick-like,” she asked her brother politely, making a pleading face.

“Eeyup, can do,” he agreed firmly, his low voice buzzing off the wood trim and tables.

“Thanks a barrel, Mac, Ah won't b' long,” Applejack offered her appreciation with a warm smile. She swung back down the stairs and took Rainbow Dash by the arm, leading her further into the pub. “C'mon, sugarcube.”

“I'd follow you anywhere, Dolly,” Rainbow chimed as she kept up eagerly.

“Al'right, I done heard you're gonna be a host, that right?” Applejack asked curiously as she peered back at the girl.

“Yeah, a glorified doorbell.” Rainbow snickered and snorted.

“Not at all, you're mighty important.” Applejack waved to a server as the two passed each other, though the other girl merely gave her a smile and ducked her head. “You're th' first face th' guest sees, an' the last one too. You're responsible for gettin' our servers sat right, s' no one gets too many 'r too little tables.”

“Am I supposed to be following what you're saying?” Rainbow raised her eyebrow as they went through the pub, and Applejack even grabbed a few dirty dishes from bus stations on her way.

“You'll come around.” The barmaid chuckled lightly and swerved easily around Rainbow Dash, who hadn't gotten used to the fluent pacing of the place quite yet. “Hostin' is kinda like bein' everywhere at once: y'gotta sit people down, sometimes bus some tables, help servers out if they need it, be the eyes for the kitchen as t' how many guests 're comin' in, shoot, you'll be answerin' phones too, an' sometimes Ah'll even get your help up at the bar.”

“That sounds hard.” Rainbow scrunched up her face as they came around the back end of the service aisle towards the dish pit.

“Well, you'll never be bored.” Applejack glanced back at her. “B'sides, Ah get the feelin' you'll like it here.”

“As long as you're around.” The girl grinned suggestively, but Applejack just smiled and brushed it off.

“This here's the back o' house,” the barmaid introduced as they came into the dish pit, where she dropped off the dirty plates and tossed a few glasses into glass racks that sat above the rest. “This is th' part o' th' pub th' guests ain't gotta see. Kitchen's 'round that corner there, but y'can talk to 'em through th' window in th' service aisle.”

“Wow, there are a lot of people that work here,” Rainbow murmured as she peered into the kitchen.

“It's Saturday, busy night for us.” Applejack breezed over it as she tugged Rainbow further back. “We got freezers an' coolers back there, some staff bathrooms an' break space. Dry storage is back there, where we keep condiments, breads, garbage bags, that kinda thing.”

“I'm going to forget all of this,” Rainbow said in a low voice, hoping no one overheard them.

“If y'do, Ah'll be around t'remind you.” The barmaid flashed her another enchanting smile. “Through there is where shipments come in, Mac's truck is there right now. But, Ah think that's about all you'll need t' know for now.”

“Do I have to wear the same goofy looking outfit that you do?” Rainbow Dash asked blankly, frowned and crossing her arms.

“Naw, hosts ain't gotta dress quite so skimpy, unfortunately.” Applejack winked and started back to the front of house, a curiously intrigued Rainbow Dash on her tail.

“One way or another, it'll end up on my bedroom floor.” Rainbow folded her arms behind her head instead, flashing a lascivious smirk to Applejack, whose smile faded uncertainly at the mention of something like that.

“Uh, Ah s'pose Ah should get you back t' Twi,” Applejack shifted the conversation, though her step was shallow and leisurely. “Y'probably have some borin' paper work or somethin' to go over.”

“Aww, man! Don't tell me that!” Rainbow groaned irritably and dragged her feet against the carpet, until it turned to wood as they neared the front.

“You'll live.” Applejack chuckled as they got to the front again, Twilight not even having finished on the phone yet. She placed her hand against the wood siding that ran along the wall and stepped one foot onto the first stair towards the lounge. “Ah guess Ah can leave y'here then.”

“Wait,” Rainbow Dash stalled her before reaching out and snatching her hand off the wall, yanking it nearer so roughly the barmaid almost tumbled back down the stairs. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“Huh?” Applejack glanced down at her thumb, which Rainbow Dash was unceremoniously fondling, giving her tickles across her palm and deep inside her stomach.

“You're wearing a lame bandage,” the garish young girl commented, picking at the fabric band-aid that wrapped around the barmaid's thumb tightly.

Applejack hesitated to respond, too interested in the sensations the girl at her fingertips provided her with. The band aid was dirtied from the small amount of farm work she had done before starting the deliveries, and it was stretched a bit and peeling back to reveal moist and paler skin. As the girl prodded at it, she realized that it didn't really hurt or bother her any more.

“Oh, yea', Ah gotta wear a band-aid if Ah get a cut, policy an' all when workin' with food and drink,” Applejack told her easily, though she had hardly so much as taken a breath since Rainbow had taken her hand. “It's just a measly little paper cut really—actually, Ah got it from your resume.”

“Hah, I knew I got under your skin sometimes.” Rainbow Dash snickered as her fingers caressed Applejack all the more sensually, bouncing her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight's voice broke the two apart violently, separating them in abrupt movements meant to save their dignity, though it seemed to incriminate more than anything. Twilight hadn't been watching though, and her head just then raised from the training manual in her hands.

“H-Howdy Twi,” Applejack greeted her friend as nonchalantly as she could muster, squeezing her still tingling hand in her other one.

“Oh, hello. You're early.” Twilight touched her bangs and knocked them out of her eyes.

“Ah always am, y'should expect it by now,” Applejack reminded her, glancing back to see her brother finishing up with the delivery up in the bar. “Ah took the liberty o' showin' Rainbow around a bit.”

“That should save us some time, then.” Twilight clutched the book up against her chest as she smiled brightly. “All the more time to go over policy.”

Rainbow Dash politely forced a laugh, but as Twilight put her head back down, she mimed putting a gun to the side of her head and pulling the trigger. Going along with the mime, Applejack gestured something like wiping the blood off her face and clothes. By then, Twilight was looking again, and Applejack turned her mimed blood-drying to a courteous wave before heading back up to the lounge.

“Good luck,” Applejack mouthed back to Rainbow, who smirked and rolled her eyes in boredom as Twilight began to speak.

Applejack tipped her hat down and chuckled as she swayed back over to the bar, noticing Mac making up a receipt for the Joint. He knew well by now to stack the rest of the boxes in the storage, but two or three came up behind the bar for Applejack to put in the mini-fridge with the rest of the bottled drinks. It was a popular sell at Jubilee's Joint, mostly because Applejack was keen on giving free samples, knowing most could not resist coming back for more. She pulled open the swinging wooden door behind the bar and came behind it, unpacking some of the bottles and placing them in lines.

“She seems nice,” her brother said in his low voice, though his eyes did not stray from the clipboard with delivery numbers scrawled across it.

“Ah dunno if nice is how I'd describe her.” Applejack laughed lightly to herself as she turned the labels on the already chilly bottles to face out. “But Ah like her, one way 'r another.”

“Ah bet.” Big Mac raised his eyebrows knowingly, and Applejack frowned over at him, though he didn't even turn to see it. “You doin' al'right, workin' here?”

“Yea', the money's still goin' through, right?” Applejack asked worriedly, wondering why he would ask.

“Eeyup.” Her brother nodded as he did some math in his head to come up with the surprisingly accurate total. “Jus' wondrin' how it's goin', seems we only talk 'bout money an' th' farm when y'come home.”

“That's th' only reason Ah'm workin' here at all, Mac,” the barmaid reminded him gently, her face falling sullen and focused, selfless and stoic. “Ah'd do anythin' for y'all, anythin'.”

“Somethin' tells me y'already do,” Big Mac almost whispered, his own expression darkening sadly as his signature went sloppy. “So, how's Miss Jubilee?”

“Same old, Ah guess.” Applejack coughed and looked away, brushing off the subject of the woman as she always did. That's exactly what had Mac worried. “She's sellin' our cider at 'er other Joint in Dodge Junction now, gettin' our name out there. Thanks t' her, we should be able t' keep the farm goin' a while longer, right?”

“Numbers say that,” Mac mumbled as he doubled checked the inventory. “AJ, y'know, y'ain't gotta do all this. Workin' so hard an' so long like this. Th' farm ain't worth your livelihood.”

“Th' farm is ma livelihood,” Applejack debated, and forced a smile onto her uneasy lips. “Let's not get into it, 'kay Mac? S'long as we got the farm an' you, Granny and Apple Bloom 're in good shape out there, tha's all that matters.”

“That ain't all that should.” Big Mac stood up straight and ripped the first sheet off, leaving a carbon copy for the pub's records.

“C'mon, we can't be late for our next delivery,” Applejack said as she snatched the receipt from her brother's hand and stuffed it into a binder that she had behind the till, where they put most of the invoices. She could have given it to Cherry Jubilee herself, but she didn't want to. It was safer this way.

Author's Note

Well, there we have it. A little more on cider, and some background stuff. Rainbow Dash, holding a service job? I suppose this should be interesting.

Mojito

III. Mojito

It only ever took three or four shifts to train a new host, considering the majority of their job included collecting and distributing menus and seating guests in appropriate sections. It was not exactly rocket science, and Rainbow Dash picked it up rather quickly. She didn't need much supervision, not that the pub had the manpower to do that anyway, and had been left alone to deal with the door as her position required.

Rainbow skimmed the reservations book absently for that particular date, making sure there would be no surprises that evening. Who made reservations for a Thursday, anyway? Her eyes flickered up to the lounge as they always did, and through the decals and glass, between the old wooden pillars, she saw the barmaid. She was always keeping busy, always had something in her hands, teasingly passed between them and balanced on strong fingers. Licking her lips and adjusting the way her tongue fit in her mouth, the wetness of which bothered her for once to feel, Rainbow leaned against the host stand to get a better view and squeezed at the book in her grip.

“Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie!” a loud and chipper voice rattled her to the core and almost knocked her right off her feet with the scare.

“Holyfuckin'—!” Rainbow Dash cursed in a gasp, grabbing the host stand to keep her steady. She glared over at the source of the shock, only to see this beaming expression of a girl with great big, frizzy pink hair. “Uh, s'up?”

Rainbow winced as she got a good look at the girl, her jubilant aura almost intoxicating in the worst kind of way. Her grossly pink hair was tied back in a poofy ponytail, as the dress code required, but still bounced around and expanded at all ends. Her apron was folded up at the top to make it shorter, and was tied around her slightly bulging stomach. The girl was clearly a waitress, if the two pens sticking out of her hair and the notepad in her apron didn't give it away. Frowning and scrunching up her nose, Rainbow waited on a response.

“You're Applejack's friend, right?” Pinkie inquired curiously, tilting her head to the right with big, wondering eyes.

Rainbow blinked in confusion, trying to place the name somewhere in her head, but realized she had never actually heard it. When all else failed, she asked, “Who's Applejack?”

Pinkie Pie mirrored Rainbow's expression, though it contorted further into incredulous disbelief, seeing as how she had just watched Rainbow gawk at the girl in question. She stuck her lower lip out and chewed on the words until they came out simply, “Um, the bartender?”

“Oh! You mean Dolly!” Rainbow Dash was excited to hear who they were talking about, and her expression lit up. Her eyes trailed back to the barmaid as a smile spread over her. “Yeah, she's awesome.”

“Dolly?” Pinkie repeated the unfamiliar nickname and glanced over her shoulder at Applejack, who could not hear them talking. “I don't think she'd like being called that.”

“Only by me,” Rainbow corrected with a firm nod, her smirk hanging confidently crooked. “I've been calling her that since we met.”

“Really?” The pink-haired waitress found that hard to believe, but had no reason to doubt the stranger. Noticing Applejack placing the drinks she had rung in on the bar counter for her to serve, Pinkie started up the stairs. “Well, nice meeting you, what was your name again?”

“Dash,” Rainbow Dash told her, preferring to be called by her last name as it sounded more respectable and less girly.

“I'm Pinkie Pie!” the server repeated loudly again, and Rainbow Dash cringed once more and tried to avoid seeming too obvious as she took a step farther away.

“You mentioned that,” Rainbow muttered cautiously, not dragging the conversation out.

“Okie dokie lokie! See you later, Dashie!” Pinkie squealed as she leapt up two stairs at once to the lounge. Rainbow frowned at the horrid nickname, but said nothing. Adding the feminine 'ie' suffix sure defeated the purpose of using a surname.

“Mhmm,” Rainbow Dash hummed flatly as the girl skipped away.

Her eyes landed on the barmaid again, who greeted the big-haired server with a welcoming smile and a friendly word or two that she was too far away from to make out. Applejack finished placing the odd lime slice here or there to complete the drinks, Mojitos as they were, while Pinkie walked up.

The server glanced back over her shoulder once more to see the new host still looking up at the bar, and grinned to notice the look in her eyes.

“You have an admirer!” Pinkie Pie chimed along in a sing-song manner, and Applejack made a funny face to hear it.

“Who, Rainbow? Naw, she just comes on kinda strong.” Applejack waved her hand passively and got back to filling the bucket under the drinks with ice. “Ah think it's endearin', but Ah don't think she makes many friends like that.”

“You're her friend, aren't you?” Pinkie leaned over the counter a bit, her stomach and cleavage popping out at every angle.

“Yea', somethin' like that.” Applejack smiled to herself as she remembered the kiss they had shared already, though they never spoke of it again.

“Oh my gosh, you so totally have a crush on her!” Pinkie slammed her hands on the counter, causing her freshly made Mojitos to swish and ripple with the force.

“What?! Ah do not!” Applejack denied, though the blush in her cheeks betrayed her. “What is this, junior high?”

“You do, you do, you so do!” Pinkie jumped up and down and pointed at Applejack, though the barmaid hurriedly tried to calm her down before the whole pub was looking at them.

“Pinkie, please,” Applejack begged in a whisper, grabbing the server's hands and making a face to reveal her embarrassment. “Even if Ah did, Ah wouldn't want you screamin' about it.”

“But you are gay, right?” The frizzy-headed server blinked her big round eyes, and Applejack shrunk under the stare nervously. “I'm sure of it. After all, though you still won't tell me who she is, you told us about that mysterious Blue Blazer Girl a few months ago, remember? You said she kissed you, and you liked it, right?”

“Ah never said one way 'r th' other,” Applejack murmured in a hushed tone, pouting her lips at the suggestion. “But Ah thought Ah done told you not to go 'round blabbin' 'bout that? An' besides, even if Ah was gay, that don't mean Ah have a crush on every girl Ah see.”

“Whatever you say...” Pinkie finished placing the drinks on her tray with ease and lifted it up on one hand, smirking knowingly as she looked back and teased the barmaid with newly acquired ammunition, “Dolly.”

Applejack swallowed hard and tensed up to hear the name cross someone else's lips. It didn't sound nearly as compelling, but did the trick of catching her off guard. Her eyes went wider and her cheeks flushed, not that it was particularly noticeable under the dim lighting and with her back mostly turned. Pinkie Pie giggled at the reaction and took off back down to the lower level of the pub, leaving Applejack in dumbfounded silence.

Though her expression told no tales, Applejack's gaze followed Pinkie back down the steps until she passed Rainbow Dash, who magnetically yanked the barmaid's attention to her. She was leaning over the host stand with a couple of menus held together in one hand, talking to some guests with that same old confident smirk of hers. A similar smile graced Applejack's expression, and she watched as the outgoing young girl gestured with a nod for the guests to follow her to their seat. Applejack bit at her lips as she watched Rainbow Dash speak, her focus right on the girl's curved, red lips. They still haunted her, and tempted her, seeming so strange yet familiar.

“Trust me, you'll never have a cocktail anywhere else again,” Rainbow Dash told them surely, dancing between tables as she knew their positions well by now. Being inherently agile, it was no trouble for her to sidestep any obstacle. “Tonight we've got Mojitos on special. And trust me, my girl up at the bar makes a mean one. If I wasn't working, I'd be sipping on one right now.”

“Thank you,” one of the gentlemen took his seat and gave her a smile.

“Any time, my man.” She nodded casually and placed their menus down before them. “Enjoy.”

Rainbow Dash left the table at once, heading back to her post. She would hardly make it five steps, though, until she almost had to wear a bucket full of dirtied dishes. Shocked by the sudden impact against her stomach, she hardly had time to fumble her hands under the almost falling bucket and stop it mid-air. She and her clumsy co-worker both sighed with relief as they held either end of the bucket, and Rainbow looked up to meet the anxious and unsettled gaze of a young boy.

His green hair fell over his eyes in strands, which had been knocked loose from the rest of his spikey faux-hawk with the collision. His terrified expression amused her, and she snickered out loud as the weight of the bucket was shifted back into the boy's arms. She took particular notice of the way his eyes kept shifting over her shoulder, landing on the back of a waitress who was otherwise occupied taking an order or two.

“You okay, kid?” Rainbow said with a grin across her face, raising her eyebrow.

“S-sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to—,” he silenced himself with a hard swallow, looking back over her shoulder at the object of his attention, who had not seen the blunder. His another exhale to calm him down, he spoke again and more coherently, “Um, sorry. I was distracted.”

“I bet you were.” Rainbow's smirk spread as she glanced back to where his attention lied, which was with a particularly curvaceous waitress with wavy, purple hair and pale skin. She dressed to impress, surely, and her uniform was crisp and perfectly sized. “Skirts are pretty short in here, aren't they?”

“That's not—!” the boy hurriedly tried to argue, but his bright red face did little for his case.

Rainbow raised her hand between them, pausing him in his futile explanation. Puffing out her lips distantly and shifting her eyes elsewhere, she waited as the waitress under the boy's attention strode past, her heeled shoes clacking even over carpeted ground. As she passed, the boy's gaze followed her over his shoulder until she disappeared beyond a corner. With another stifled snicker, Rainbow reached out and took the boy by his tie, using her other hand to tighten it around his neck until his face burned darker.

“Don't worry. I know exactly how you feel, buddy,” Rainbow told him simply, straightening the knot and flattening the tie back down over his chest, patting it and flicking his silver name-tag, which read a fitting name: Spike. She stepped back and gave him a knowing wink, turning around and getting back towards her post. “I almost trip on the stairs every time I go up to the bar!”

“The... bar?” Spike repeated in a dull murmur, his eyes narrowing as the words sounded odd to him.

He watched curiously as the girl strode off, her step light and carefree. He shuffled the bucket in his arms, the glasses and plates shifting around in the empty space. Taking her words as a reminder, he headed up to the lounge to gather any stray dishes up there. He went around the back entrance from the service aisle, avoiding the odd girl by the front door. Pausing on the top step, his eyebrows dropped over his intent eyes, recognizing Applejack as the bartender that evening. Had the new host been talking about her?

“Oh, Spike,” the barmaid addressed him, and he went still under the attention, wondering if she could read his thoughts. “Y'mind emptyin' ma bus tub when y'get a minute? Ah'd 'preciate it.”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Spike nodded several times before his feet started to move again, carrying him through the lounge to collect the scattered glasses.

“Thanks.” She tipped her hat to him, but didn't try to drag the conversation out. She had too much work to do anyway.

The owner and operator of the Joint, Miss Jubilee, always came by every second Thursday. Though she spent most of her time in Dodge Junction, she made time to drop by. She would sometimes hang around for upwards of a week, or leave that very day. Whatever the case, she was always there on every second Thursday, mostly to deal with pay-cheques and invoices. And Applejack was always ready for her, making certain everything was cleaned and organized.

As she finished moving some odds and ends out of the way, Applejack lifted one knee onto the counter, careful with her short shirt to avoid showing too much. Not that there was really anyone around to see, but she was always careful like that. Testing putting some weight onto it once or twice, Applejack hoisted herself up onto the counter and steadied herself, reaching up with the damp rag to reach the barely distant, horizontal bars that ran above her. There were usually glasses hung up there by their bases, but she had taken them down to clean the bars off.

She felt the weight of her own breasts as a hindrance as she reached up, as they were squeezed so tightly by the outfit. This so-called uniform really wasn't suitable for work, Applejack found herself thinking for perhaps the thousandth time since she had first put it on and started working there. Shuffling her shoulders to rearrange what little comfort she found, she reached up once more and ran the cloth along the bars, holding it with the very tips of her fingers. The night crew was supposed to do this every now and then, but Applejack never trusted anyone to do something she could do herself, and it had become clear they neglected it.

Taking her focused and intense gaze off her task, Applejack's eyes wandered down the stairs to the host, as usual. She was stopped still as she noticed the girl was just standing there, leaning on the stand, staring at her. Her infuriatingly perverse eyes were groping her even from afar, and the lascivious grin across her face was unmistakable. The barmaid swallowed hard, feeling herself teeter a bit nervously in her stance. The worst part was that she couldn't break the connection, she actually liked being looked at by that girl.

“Y'better not fall an' break your pretty little neck, darlin',” a familiar voice woke Applejack up, and simultaneously almost knocked her right off the counter.

Blushing with embarrassment, Applejack felt a hand touch her high under her thigh, keeping her steady. She wouldn't look over to acknowledge who had startled her, not until she was certain Rainbow Dash wasn't snickering at her or noticing anything. As she hoped, the girl merely smiled a bit wider and went back to her own menial duties. Applejack pushed off the counter and landed behind the bar on the tips of her toes, placing the slightly heeled back of her boots against the ground only after safely landing. Moving away from the invasive touching, Applejack cleared her throat.

“You're, uh, early.” Applejack brushed herself off and cautiously met the gaze of the older woman behind her, who had gotten uncomfortably close as usual. “Miss Jubilee.”

The lady was always well dressed, her hair all done up on her head in complex styles that seemed flirtatious and wavy. Even though she was not required to wear any uniform, she often walked around in just as skimpy of an outfit as she pleased, the western-saloon style one of her favourites. Though she was a good deal older than Applejack, she never looked it, her face smooth and pale and her body curved in the right spots. One of the most striking things about her was her bust size, which seemed to grow every few years. Applejack chewed at the inside of her cheek anxiously as the woman's bare, toned thighs brushed past her own, uninvited.

“Cherry, darlin',” the owner corrected and winked her heavily darkened eyelashes, blowing a gentle kiss from her crimson lips, which always seemed moist with gloss and pouted round. “An' how're you doin'? My, y'get more gorgeous every time Ah see you.”

Cherry Jubilee reached up and brushed some few strands of hair behind Applejack's ear and up under her Stetson. With a nervous frown, Applejack pulled away as usual and avoided the woman's gaze. Her boss only smiled though, finding her responses charming.

“Ah'm fine, same old,” the barmaid murmured automatically at her boots, which she noticed were pointed in towards each other like some shy little girl's. She rectified the situation with a shuffle of her foot.

“So, tha's our new hostess, is it?” Cherry leaned against the counter, her shoulder rising and offsetting the usual evenness of her breasts.

Applejack worriedly looked over at the girl in question, her heart racing as she wished Cherry would set her attention elsewhere. Feeling the tightness in her chest resolved her to merely shrug, feigning indifference, as she knew anything more might have caught Cherry's intrigue. Rainbow Dash merely went on obliviously at first, jotting down some numbers or scribbled on the floor-plan as several guests left. Once she finished that though, she looked back over at Applejack, extending a friendly wave and another smile that caught her breath in her throat.

“Looks t'me like she's got her eye on you,” Cherry Jubilee spoke with a smirk, raising an eyebrow at Applejack.

“Y'think so?” Applejack passively muttered, acting less than interested. Cherry just laughed though, easily seeing through her façade.

“Don't y'forget, sug',” Cherry playfully reminded the girl, before she reached out again and took Applejack by the chin, leaning in so close Applejack could see the tinting particles on her heavily lip-stuck mouth. “You're ma barmaid.”

“Yes ma'am, Ah know.” Applejack swallowed hard, feeling herself sweat under the attention.

Applejack was still in the woman's vicious grip, her face contorting into anxiety and mild distress. She knew better than to deny anything the woman said, it could cost her a customer and a job. Still, Cherry Jubilee made her feel more than simply uncomfortable, perhaps a bit disgusted and objectified. Her eyes were glued to the devilish stare of her boss, whose intense expression softened to hear her understanding.

“Good, Ah'd hate t'see that farm'a yours go under if y'can't keep focused on y'chores here.” Miss Jubilee released her at once, and she nearly fell forward with the relief. Still, the threat hung heavy above her and tangled up in her throat.

“R-right.” The barmaid nodded obediently, choking her fears back as they were a sign of weakness that Jubilee fed off of.

“Any who,” the older woman sighed merrily and waved her hand as she turned around, making to walk out from behind the bar. “Ah got some work t'do m'self, try t'have fun, y'do tend t'work yourself too hard.”

“Ain't workin' if y'ain't workin' hard,” Applejack dully replied, a smile cracking onto one side of her face as she knew the sentiment to be true.

“That's ma girl.” Cherry winked at her again as she passed in front of the bar, heading down the stairs by the front before continuing down the second set that led to the office, lavatories, custodial closet, and supply and laundry room.

With a serious and bothered expression, Applejack shook her rag out and readjusted it over her fingers, scrubbing hard over the already clean counter. Miss Jubilee never ceased to make her uncomfortable, and always managed to irritate or infuriate her with her lack of concern for boundaries. Eyes settling on the rainbow-haired host, Applejack's expression softened with some profound sadness, acknowledging the distance between them that was so intangible and unspoken.

Working at Jubilee's Joint had become something of a mundane chore for the barmaid, just another place to act her best and sell her goods. Just another place to work. Only once in a blue moon could she be creative, like that evening when she made Rainbow Dash the Blue Blazer, and only on such evenings was she glad and did she feel fortunate to have become a barmaid at all. Her sighs came out through her dull and monotonous tones and fingertips, which played along with boring tasks she seemed to repeat constantly throughout the day so often it seemed like they were hardly her choice at all.

Author's Note

So, we got a few more characters in here introduced. And a little more about our lady Jubilee in this chapter, and hey, if she's a favourite of yours, worry not: she returns next chapter, with a larger role.

Dirty Blonde

IV. Dirty Blonde

As usual, Applejack pushed on through the shift, trying to ignore the nagging twist in her gut that reminded her that her boss was just downstairs. She was a professional of course, and could drive on with business no matter what seemed to distract her. As the night dragged on, the patrons thinned out like always, and Applejack was well into her closing duties before the pub had actually closed down.

“Applejack, you have a minute or two?” Twilight's voice called out, and Applejack closed her eyes and scrunched up her face, already knowing what was coming, before she responded.

“Yea', what is it, Twi?” Applejack forced a smile as she turned to face the girl.

“Miss Jubilee wants to see you downstairs, when you get the time. I'll watch the bar.” Twilight had confirmed it, and Applejack's face fell a few degrees, though she fought to seem easygoing. The barmaid nodded a few times silently as she washed her hands. “It's probably just about inventory or something, as usual.”

“Yea', inventory,” Applejack repeated the familiar cover, and chose not to deny or debate it.

“Try not to take too long though,” Twilight asked as the barmaid shook her hands out, drying them on a paper towel before passing her superior. “I'm probably going to let Rainbow Dash clock out soon, it's slow enough we don't need a host.”

“Right, Ah'll keep that in mind,” Applejack muttered dully, walking out from behind the bar and starting down the two sets of stairs towards the basement.

Keeping up appearances, Applejack turned around and flashed Twilight a smile, seeming grateful that she would watch the bar for her. The expression was returned by her supervisor, who had no qualms about holding down the fort. Applejack grimaced, however, and she looked back down the dark stairwell that led to her meeting place. Each step felt farther than the last, leading her deep into a pit from which she could not escape. Finally though, her heel touched on the basement floor, and peering down the hall, she caught sight of the office door.

The simple doorway seemed ominous, an old, wooden plank held up by simple hinges, and kept shut by a lock used too often. Applejack's steps echoed even over the distant lulling jazz music of the pub, and she had to watch her feet to make sure they were moving the way she needed to go. She paused in front of her destination though, nervous about knocking on that familiar door. As she did, she suddenly wished she hadn't. The noise of the knocks bothered her to hear, and she cringed and darted her eyes into corners as the few seconds between knock and answer seemed far too short.

“Enter, Ah'm decent,” a voice called from what sounded like across the room, and Applejack's hand wrapped around the knob. “For now.”

Pressing her key into the crook and pushing the door open with her shoulder, as the age of it had made it somewhat heavy and difficult, Applejack leaned into the office inch by inch. There, sitting in her usual, tall and plush rolling chair, was her boss. One of the most commanding and impressive women she'd ever met. And yet, those very things are what she hated about her, what scared her. Applejack's eyes crept across the floor shyly, before her nervous gaze made its way to the confident expression of the woman who had summoned her.

“You... y'asked t' see me, Miss Jubilee?” Applejack stepped inside and closed the door behind her as her boss liked her to do, though it would fall into place and lock automatically as it was set to do.

“Come closer, darlin',” the owner extended a finger and curled it back, gesturing for the barmaid to clear the distance.

“Um, ma'am?” Applejack chewed on the inside of her cheek, blush appearing in them as she played with her fingers on the wood of the door at her back. “Do Ah have to?”

“Ah said, come over here,” Miss Jubilee's voice dropped in tone, which always meant that she was serious about something.

“Y-Yes.” Applejack pushed off the door obediently and stepped across the distance, her knees weakening with anxiety.

“Now...” Cherry Jubilee stood up from her luxurious chair in front of Applejack, and stepped herself so close the two were a mere tense few inches apart. “Y'know that ain't th' kinda lip Ah called you down here for, darlin'.”

“Ah ain't mean no offence, Miss Jubilee.” Applejack looked at the ground again, hoping she didn't hold the insolence against her.

“Please, how many times do Ah gotta tell you t' call me Cherry?” The older woman flashed her a charming smile, her hands running along the young barmaid's body whether she liked it or not.

Applejack pursed her lips again, grunting as she noticed the familiar unease that came with the inappropriate touching. The woman's hands were on her hips, which felt particularly exposed due to the tight outfit that same boss had forced her to wear. Cherry Jubilee was always a very touchy kind of woman, she didn't have many issues with invading personal space as it seemed. But with Applejack, it always went too far, no matter how firm the protests. The barmaid ignored her attempt to make their conversation more friendly and familiar, shaking her head a bit before getting back to the subject.

“... Miss Jubilee,” Applejack denied the suggestion, clearing her throat before continuing. “Ah'm mighty thankful an' all for everything you done for ma farm, what with carryin' ma cider an' givin' me a job, but again, Ah just ain't comfortable with this.”

“You've told me all this b'fore, sug'.” Miss Jubilee didn't seem to care at all what the farm girl might have wanted, and proceeded to run her finger over the top hem of Applejack's outfit, the part that laced just over her breasts, much to the girl's discomfort. “But y'know that Cherry gets what Cherry wants.”

“Look, Ah can't just keep lettin' this—!” Applejack's voice raised sternly as she made to tell her boss off at last, but knocking at the door stopped them both still.

“Miss Jubilee? There's a call on line two for you,” it was Twilight's voice that breached the door, and her carefree tone felt so very distant to Applejack. “From the, uh, Flim Flam brothers?”

“Oh right, silly me, Ah did say I'd hear out their business proposal. Thank y'kindly, Twilight!” Miss Jubilee called back to the woman outside the door nonchalantly. Her daring and mischievous gaze settled back on Applejack, who she stepped away from to take the call. “They're cider salesmen too, y'see, an Ah thought Ah'd just weight ma options.”

“R-right.” Applejack tried to play it cool, but she felt indeed very threatened by the prospect. She could not afford to lose Jubilee's Joint as a customer, no matter what troubles she had to deal with regarding the boss.

“Hello?” Miss Jubilee picked up the phone easily and set it between her ear and shoulder, her voice swinging in a pleasant tune. “Oh, Flim, how are ya? Well tha's good t'hear. Ah ain't forgot, go right ahead, tell me why Ah should switch from ma current provider.”

Closing her eyes, Applejack tried to calm her nerves and focus on the end, not the means. It was her job to protect and provide for her family, no matter what she had to go through to do it. She had resolved herself of that already, even if it pained her. So then why was she fighting back more strongly suddenly, and jeopardizing her future? Applejack furrowed her brow pleadingly as her boss came back over to her, grabbing the corded phone off of the desk and dragging it seductively across the wooden surface with her. Applejack's rough hands pressed against the desk behind her, which was the same height as her rear, and she leaned right up against it as Miss Jubilee stood in front of her, holding her there with a dangerous gaze.

“Well, Ah suppose th' service Ah'm gettin' now could be a little better.” Miss Jubilee twirled the phone cord around her finger, her eyes falling onto the somewhat revealed chest of her barmaid. Applejack resisted the urge to cover herself, squeezing at the desk in her hands mercilessly.

“Miss—” Applejack began in a begging whisper, but her boss raised an eyebrow and cracked a smile, which changed her tune. “Ch-Cherry.”

“Mhmm?” Miss Jubilee hummed, though it was unclear if it was directed to the girl in front of her or the businessman on the phone.

“Please,” was Applejack's simple response, quiet and repressed. It could be taken as a plead to stop, an asking to stop the teasing, or permission to go further, and her boss made her choice.

Pouting her lips, Applejack stayed still patiently as Miss Jubilee began to peruse her body again, tracing the freckles of her chest with a finger or two. Her biceps flexed against the restraints of her frilled sleeves as she gripped harder at the desk behind her, leaning against the thing as if it could support or comfort her in this time of need. Cherry's smile grew ever larger, spreading and thinning her deviously crimson lips, so lustful and sinful it made the most monogamous of men sweat.

“Y'got any special offers? Premium benefits, perhaps?” Miss Jubilee's fingers found their way to the laces around Applejack's midsection, and she began tugging at them heedlessly. “How neatly, may Ah ask, is it packaged?”

With a long exhale, the barmaid dropped her eyebrows and stared stoically at the actions of her employer. Her fingers jived and tangoed with her curves and twisted the lines and laces around her. Cherry's eyes dropped to Applejack's blouse as it was pulled down, exposing more and more of her youthful skin. The barmaid rubbed her lips together to bite her words back, and she squeezed her mouth shut so tightly it actually hurt.

“Beauty,” Cherry murmured in a whisper, taking in Applejack's form with her hands and her eyes, though it was not the first time.

Applejack cast her eyes to the roof, fighting back her tears tooth and nail. Her heart was caught up in her throat like she was about to puke it up, but she held it all in even if it gave her an ulcer. Quick breaths had her chest rising between the two of them, and it made her feel even worse about the interchange. As hands caressed the bareness of her chest, Applejack stared at the roof, begging silently for some salvation.

“My, that is a good deal,” her boss went on with her conversation over the phone, and Applejack wished she could overhear it to know something about her rival cider makers. “Ah'm not sure if my provider can compete with that.”

Miss Jubilee's fingers slipped down between the frills of her skirt at last, and Applejack knew well to dread such a move. Hissing a gasp, Applejack instinctively tensed up and pinned her legs together, but that never stopped the woman whose goal was clear. Miss Jubilee violently shoved her knee between Applejack's, spreading her legs effectively enough to give her access to the area. The barmaid slammed her eyes shut and bit her lip, turning her head to keep herself from witnessing the perversion that invaded her.

She could faintly hear some murmurs over the phone, but she could not hope to comprehend what they were saying. The desk rattled beneath her as she grasped at it for aid, though her body was wilfully held still in favour of things more important than physical degrading. Feeling Miss Jubilee lean down between her breasts and begin kissing made her twitch, a frown pulling at her jaw all the while.

The woman's lips were too plump for her liking, and the kissing did not feel right across her skin. Applejack silently wished it was someone else who was wrapped around her, but she did not have the luxury of choosing that sort of thing. No, she was not permitted to have desires of her own, it seemed, not with so many responsibilities on her shoulders. Miss Jubilee's fingers moved between Applejack's legs with profound accuracy and experience, but the barmaid could not enjoy an instant of it.

“Oh, tha's your speech, then?” Cherry replied to the phone as her luscious lips pressed against freckled flesh once more, leaving less defined prints of crimson in their wake. At last, Applejack heaved a relieved sigh as the pressure between her thighs was removed. “D'your competitors have a rebuttal, y'ask?”

Applejack's eyes nervously met her employer's, and she could tell she was waiting for something. Swallowing and trying to appear less desperate for a customer of Cherry Jubilee's status, Applejack attempted to force the worry from her eyes. She could feel the woman's hands playing with the now loose lacing of her outfit, tugging her closer. Applejack knew exactly what her employer wanted, and if she wanted to keep her family and their future safe, she had to comply.

Disconnecting herself from her body, Applejack lifted herself on the desk and lowered her lips over those of Miss Jubilee, meeting their ruby hue with her own, much less striking or made-up colour. Feeling the wrinkles forming on the bridge of her nose as she scrunched up her face a bit, Applejack could only hope that Cherry's eyes were closed too. Not that she had much to worry about, Miss Jubilee loved the protest just as much as the act.

A rough hand reached up and locked around behind her neck, holding Applejack in place. The kiss was forced and somewhat painful, as Miss Jubilee crushed her mouth back against Applejack's. It was nothing like the one she had shared with Rainbow Dash, and that realization made her feel horrible guilt. Miss Jubilee hummed during the kiss, possibly to remind whoever was on the phone that she was still there, and it made Applejack feel all the more objectified. She felt Cherry's leg slide deeper between her own, her fishnet stockings grinding between Applejack's thighs in a very uncomfortable way.

Jubilee pulled back of her own volition, always making herself the dominant party, leaving her lips slightly agape with a pleased smile playing along them. Her lipstick was smudged a bit, but for the moment she didn't seem to care. Once again, her lips trailed down, and Applejack's concerned expression was cast to the wall. Cherry's lips moved against Applejack's chest once more, and she could feel the phone against one of her breasts as her employer held it near her mouth.

“Sorry boys, but Ah think Ah'll take a pass on that offer. This cider Ah got here is sweet as sugar, sugar.” Miss Jubilee slowly licked along Applejack's chest, and the saliva residue made Applejack shudder to feel. “Thanks anyway.”

The phone was pulled from her ear, and she placed it back down on the receiver without even looking over at it. Applejack heaved a sigh of relief, her business safe for now. She leaned back against the counter, and looked gratefully at her employer. It was a complicated relationship indeed, Applejack never knew if she hated the woman or was indebted to her. Miss Jubilee smiled at this blurring of resolve and relation, brushing Applejack's hair over her shoulder.

“Ah'm off men anyway.” Miss Jubilee passively shrugged as she pulled a handkerchief from some pocket or something, running it below her lip to remove the smudge. “After ma third divorce left me dissatisfied, an' a certain young farmer girl showed up lookin' for work, Ah finally knew what Ah wanted.”

“Ah guess so,” Applejack didn't really know how to respond, but kept it brief. She flinched as the handkerchief dropped onto her chest and rubbed roughly over her soft skin, cleaning some lipstick off of her.

“As much as Ah'd like to, Ah s'pose Ah can't keep y'around too much longer, Ah need you t'keep bar upstairs, don't Ah?” Miss Jubilee's eyes darted up to Applejack's, and her expression was just as sharp and commanding as ever.

“Tha's my job, yea',” the barmaid agreed with a nod, wincing as the cloth abraded her tender flesh.

“Well, tha's how th' tax-man sees it,” Miss Jubilee remarked with another vicious smirk, which pointed up her cheek in a sharp arrow.

Miss Jubilee leaned back and looked Applejack up and down, her flirtatious eyes raping and squeezing at her body. The handkerchief landed like a fluttering feather onto her desk, smeared with some deep red spots here and there. Her antagonistic hands reached up under Applejack's breasts once more, lifting the top of her blouse back up her shoulders. An amused smile crept out though, and her fingers pinched a mark on the frills around the hem.

“Oops.” Miss Jubilee puffed out her lips as she noticed the red mark, lipstick which had stained the outfit on just a small corner.

Applejack grunted irritably as she saw it, and somehow she knew that it did not get there by accident. Grabbing the laces, Applejack began to tie the outfit back up under her breasts, since leaving it to Jubilee would not only take longer, but would permit the woman to wander over her body more. While trying to focus on doing up the laces right, she caught sight of Miss Jubilee bringing her thumb to her lips. She watched carefully as the woman opened her lips and pressed her tongue against the finger, applying saliva to it. As the woman's thumb reached out and pressed right under Applejack's lip, she flinched nervously. She could feel her lip being pushed to one side as the thumb ran underneath it, the moisture cleaning the skin.

“Y'had a bit o' lipstick, sugar.” The older woman smiled, showing her barmaid the red smudge on her thumb.

“Uh, thanks,” Applejack murmured less than gratefully, finishing doing her outfit back up and adjusting her breasts in it.

“Oh, any time.” Miss Jubilee winked before cleaning her thumb off with the handkerchief on the desk. “Now get along, darlin', y'don't want someone t'get suspicious, do ya?”

“No ma'am,” Applejack agreed as she sidestepped away from the interaction, her hands still trembling and cold.

She almost had trouble finding the doorknob, she was so anxious to get out. There was this terribly rueful twist in her chest, some humiliated weight sitting on her shoulders and a sickness in her stomach. Finally, she slipped out the door, only to stop on the other side and catch her breath. She closed her usually gorgeous green eyes, which now seemed dull with horror and compromised integrity, and pressed her shaking hand against her face as if concealing it from the world.

But the door was not enough distance or obstacle between them, and she violently shoved off of it and stormed down the hall. Making a quick stop in the public bathroom to check her neck and chest for any more evidence. She tugged on the bottom hem of her skimpy little dress, which she desperately wanted to just rip off if that wouldn't have made her look even more foolish, and nodded at her reflection. No, she was not doing these things for herself, there was something greater to think of.

The bathroom door was ripped open as Applejack left, abandoning it to fall back into place with a gentle slam. There was light shining down from up the set of stairs that rounded from under the overhang of the lounge, and it seemed golden to her. Piano strikes seemed too pleasant to her ears, and the sultry voice of some blues singer called her back to the bar. Starting up those same shameful steps, Applejack stared down at her boots, wishing that honest work permitted her to keep them on to save her farm and her family.

“Hey!” Applejack nearly tripped up the stairs as she heard that loud, raspy voice shout from above her. She looked up incredulously to see a girl leaning over the railing of the lounge, her hair falling down around her great big grin. “Who do I have to screw to get a drink around here?!”

“R-Rainbow?” Applejack stuttered through the girl's name, but her knees weakened to see her.

“Duh! Who the hell else?” Her grin spread as she folded her arms over the railing and casually shifted her shoulders. “Get up here, Dolly.”

“Oh, hold yer horses, Ah'm comin', Ah'm comin'.” The barmaid chuckled as the nickname gave her a warming feeling in her tight chest.

Applejack pulled herself up the rest of the stairs with lighter steps, the tenseness of her body lifting the nearer she got to the bar. Upon stepping up into the lounge, she was nearly tacked by the newest hostess, who grabbed her around the waist and by the arm and dragged her behind the bar. Twilight was still back there, though she was busy on the phone and hardly paying attention. As Applejack passed the shift supervisor, she placed a hand on her shoulder to remind her that she had returned, and the bar no longer needed to be watched. Twilight peered at her from over the phone at her cheek, acknowledging her with her eyes.

“Al'right,” the barmaid said in a breath as she got back to her post, and her supervisor took the cordless phone elsewhere. “What can Ah do for you?”

“I'm off shift now, I can get a drink, right?” The hostess tilted her head and made puppy-dog eyes.

“O' course, what'll it be?” the barmaid inquired politely, leaning against the counter.

“Well, I think it should be obvious by now, babe,” Rainbow Dash's husky voice was accompanied by a quick and daring wink, before her eyes traced Applejack's body against the wall. “I want me a Dirty Blonde.”

“Oh keep dreamin'.” Applejack laughed lightly, but noticing Rainbow ordering nothing else, she began to mix her the drink.

“Every single night,” Rainbow murmured through her smirk. She tilted her head on her hand and eased into her casual conversation, “Tell me Dolly, just how dirty are you?”

“Wouldn't you like to know,” came the response, though it was quieter.

Applejack looked down at the vodka and vermouth in her hands as she placed them next to the other ingredients, and between them she could see the frills of her blouse sticking out. On one edge, she could clearly still see the spot of red lipstick, which seemed as incriminating as blood. Her eyelids dropped the same as her expression, and she glared at the mark like it was some burn of a cigarette eating into her skin. Her hands needed no instruction to measure and mix though, and they played on without pause.

“Okay, what's bothering you?” Rainbow Dash asked suddenly, and Applejack peered over her shoulder with a surprised expression. “I know you're the bartender and all, but you're not the only one who can tell when something is wrong with someone. Spill it.”

“Nothin', honey, don't you worry 'bout me.” Applejack forced a smile to the surface, adding in the pineapple juice and liqueur to the cocktail shaker.

“Don't give me that,” Rainbow retorted with a more serious expression. “I'm not the kind of girl you can brush off so easily.”

“Yea', Ah know,” Applejack replied gently, her smile becoming somewhat sad. Rainbow waited patiently for her to go on, her own eyes soft and comforting. “It ain't no big deal, I'm just tired, Ah guess. Workin' all the time, y'know. An' sometimes, Ah just wish there was a better way t' support ma family. Ah don't much like myself for what Ah hafta do, sometimes.”

“Well...” Rainbow cleared her throat, the heavy subject feeling odd hanging over her head. “Some people only wish they had someone in their family who would do so much to take care of them. I think it's pretty admirable, what you're doing, having two jobs and all.”

“Right,” Applejack whispered to herself with a frown, not able to think of anything she was doing as admirable. She shook the cocktail shaker near herself so the noise would block out her awfully true thoughts. No, there was no honour in selling one's soul and body.

“And if it's any consolation,” Rainbow Dash continued as she leaned back a bit in her seat and puckered her lips, drawing circles with her index finger on the counter. “I like you just fine.”

“You're jus' sayin' that 'cause Ah make you your drinks.” Applejack glanced back with a cheeky smirk.

“You may be the best bartender in town, but baby you're so much more.” Rainbow shifted back over the counter eagerly as Applejack poured the shaken mix into the cocktail glass. “I feel fortunate to know you at all.”

“Quit kissin' ass, here's your drink already,” Applejack's voice was wrought with cheer by then, as there always seemed to be something about the crazy girl that got her in higher spirits. She placed the glass down in front of Rainbow Dash, the pale, blonde liquid shifting ever so slightly.

Rainbow Dash's fingers came around the thinnest run of the glass, and she picked it up. She raised it to the barmaid with a reverent nod before it touched her lips. The sweet, fruity taste slid down her throat and warmed her stomach, though she was more fond of harder drinks. She hummed pleasantly with the drifting blues bumping from the speakers, which lulled and playfully flirted through her ears.

Her half-lidded eyes looked right at the barmaid, and even with such a lack of expression, Applejack could almost feel the lust in the air. Applejack gripped hard at the counter again, a now inherent response to such heavy sexuality. But this did not make her feel uneasy or afraid, in fact, it excited her. And in that excitement, there was greater terror. The girl before her sipped at the Dirty Blonde, and her expression turned to something of questioning.

“So, since when was your name Applejack?” Rainbow Dash asked bluntly, and Applejack nearly choked on her guffaw.

“Ah reckon since ever,” Applejack replied certainly, shaking her head a bit and looking down at her uniform, which sported her identity. “Been wearing the name-tag since we met, honey.”

“You'd think I would have noticed,” a grin crept between Rainbow's words. “What with staring at your chest all the time.”

“Oh, an' Ah'm the dirty one?” The barmaid raised her eyebrow and smirked.

“So you admit it?” Rainbow reflected the expression, and the two of them broke out laughing at once. As they wound back down, the girls found each other's eyes once more. “Man, I love talking to you, Dolly.”

“Yea', Ah hear ya.” Applejack nodded slowly, leaning onto the counter with both arms folded, intentionally positioning her breasts on the appendages so they pressed up and revealed more of their plump rounds.

“Maybe sometime, we could do more?” Rainbow Dash noticed this at once, and licked her lips, tasting the Dirty Blonde once more the way she seemed to want to taste the blonde before her.

Applejack let out a slow breath, pressing hard against the counter. She actually wished that the girl across from her would sit up, crawl over the distance, and kiss her once again. In fact, she left herself entirely open for just such a move. However, Rainbow Dash did nothing but watch, swirling the drink around in her fingers like she could ever pretend to be dainty or feminine. Somehow, the rainbow-haired girl could sense something was not right with her barmaid, so she held her ground in favour of a sweeter moment.

“Maybe,” Applejack murmured through puffed out lips, and her eyes dropped to Rainbow's drink, which slowly disappeared from her hand like magic.

“For now,” Rainbow groaned lightly as she moved in her seat to a more comfortable position, and raised her glass up between them. “Cheers, babe. To dirty blondes.”

“Shut it, you.” Applejack chuckled again, shaking her head as the girl across from her brought the drink to her lips and swallowed half of it at once.

Letting out a calm and peaceful sigh, for once, Applejack merely relaxed against the counter and shot the breeze with the girl across from her. That is, until she remembered all her closing duties.

Author's Note

Somehow, I always saw Jubilee kind of like Mad Moxxi from Borderlands. Is that bad? Except, clearly I made her a little more... something...

Grenadine

V. Grenadine

“I'm on,” the server said in her high pitched voice, running a hand through her violet, waving hair. The hostess raised an eyebrow at her—knowing what she meant by it, that her shift was starting and she could start seating in her section—but doing absolutely nothing.

“And you are?” Rainbow Dash asked in a low voice, glancing down at the floor-plan to see the servers assigned to each section of the pub.

The server before her stood in perfect uniform and posture, a stark contrast to Rainbow Dash, leaning on the host stand with her collar unbuttoned. She did know who the waitress was, in fact, she had remembered the woman from when she had bumped into the bus boy. She was who he had been staring at. The thing was, that she hadn't introduced herself yet, nor made much of an effort to talk to her. Sure, Rainbow Dash was still new, but as the host, she should know her servers as to tell the guests who was taking care of them that evening. The waitress clicked her tongue with an annoyed sigh, but pointed at the name inscribed in wax pencil on the floor-plan beneath the pane of plastic Rainbow Dash could write on.

“Rarity,” she introduced at last, and even if she was irritated, she spoke her name with a haughty reverence.

“I should have guessed.” Rainbow cracked a smile, scrawling the server's name into her rotation list at the top, where she wrote or erased the servers who were on or who had been cut. Cut being the word they used to mean let go from work for the evening, not sliced open as Rainbow Dash had initially thought.

“Pardon me?” Rarity tilted her head questioningly.

“I just mean it's a very lovely name,” Rainbow Dash replied in a somewhat girlish tone, mocking the fancy tune her name seemed to ring in.

“Well, thank you.” Rarity smiled pleasantly, not catching the slight sarcasm in the hostess' voice but noticing some strangeness in her behaviour. “Spike did say that you had an odd sense of humour.”

“Spike... the bus boy?” Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow and made a questioning face.

“Yes, that's him. Darling young man, he's Twilight's younger brother, actually.” Rarity looked over at the shift supervisor, who was visiting with Applejack up at the bar.

“They look nothing alike,” Rainbow Dash commented in a low murmur.

“No, I suppose not. But he's still a teenager, he's got time to grow into his looks,” Rarity said in a wistful voice, absently looking over the floor-plan.

“And into his trousers, working in a Joint like this,” Rainbow whispered under her breath as she glanced at the server's short skirt, and Rarity didn't quite catch it.

“What did you say?” she asked with a furrowed brow.

“Oh, nothing.” The host whistled innocently, bouncing her foot crossed over the other one. “I'll seat your section right away, don't worry.”

“Well, thank you. Pleasure to meet you.” Rarity gave a curt nod before spinning around and taking off with some floating glide that made her look like a débutante.

“Ditto.” Rainbow cracked another smirk, raising her eyebrow incredulously at the girl. Having always been into sports and never holding much of a job, Rainbow Dash never got much of a chance to meet women like that, except maybe her father's business associates or floozy girlfriends.

As the server left, Rainbow Dash heard the bell signalling guests had arrived. It was almost second nature now to greet them with the same few words, and as she did, her fingers counted menus from the stack on the stand. It was no trouble to judge where to seat, even if Rarity hadn't just clocked in and made it simple. She was pretty good at judging how many guests per section was best and balancing seating.

A few guests were sat without issue, except perhaps one or two asking for more favourable seats. After all, the customer was always right, and whatever they wanted, as best as could be managed, happened. Anyway, Rainbow had just seated a set of guests in another section and given them the speech which came out of her mouth like vomit, when she heard some commotion over her shoulder.

Peering back at the table, she saw a young server shrinking under the gaze of her guests. The girl was around Rainbow's age, perhaps a spell older, but had absolutely no social skills as it seemed. Her customers were barking some orders at her, and Rainbow Dash could feel her skin crawling at their tones. As she glanced up near the bar, where her shift supervisor was on the phone and completely oblivious to the confrontation, she decided to intervene herself.

Striding the distance in a matter of seconds, Rainbow Dash measured up her co-worker. The girl was tall and skinny, her skin pale and her hair no darker. She hid behind the flow of bangs, which were almost as long as her nose, and chewed nervously at her lip. The girl clearly was not adept at handling this sort of situation, but Rainbow Dash did not have such reservation. Slamming her hand onto the table to get their attention, her eyes shifted between the two curiously.

“There a problem here?” Rainbow Dash asked, puffing out her lips with a raised brow and a dull expression.

“Um, it's okay.” The server poked her fingers together and ducked her head further, embarrassed that someone had to intervene.

“No, it's not okay,” the customer spoke up, and Rainbow Dash glared right at him, though he didn't seem to take her seriously. “This waitress here is getting right on my nerves with her goddamn whispering, I'm trying to tell her that I didn't order this crap and she's just standing there stuttering!”

“You're mad because she's quiet?” Rainbow murmured in an irritable tone, her face twitching with resentment. No one should be angry because of someone's personality, that just didn't sit right with her. Glancing over at the girl's name-tag, it became quite apparent to her why she might have trouble being heard. After all, the girl's name read: Fluttershy.

“No—well, yes kind of, but I just want my damn meal and I am not going to sit here waiting all night while she gets her fucking words out!” The guest seemed livid, though it was not apparent why. After all, it was just a meal and a few drinks.

“Listen.” Rainbow's eyebrows dropped even lower over her serious gaze, and she took a deep breath. “We can do a lot of things here to make your visit awesome, I mean look around, we have some badasss blues playing, ladies all dressed up like some shmuck's fantasy, and a drink selection that could rival a government liquor store. The only thing we can't give you is someone to take the business end of whatever outburst this is. I don't know if you've had a crap day or are just naturally confrontational, but I won't stand for you dishing it to my servers.” The hostess made a face as she shifted her weight in her lean against the table. “You got something to say? Say it to me.”

Fluttershy watched on, completely aghast, as this random new host butted in to help her. Really, the girl had no idea about customer service, but she did seem to know a thing or two about standing up for what she thought was right. Fluttershy looked away shyly as the girl took care of whatever she could, knowing enough about policy to do a fair job of it.

At last, for better or worse, the damage was done and the trouble had been dealt with. They ended up tossing a discount the customer's way, but that was of little concern to the Joint when a customer's loyalty was at stake. Rainbow Dash breathed a long sigh of relief as it had been taken care of, and leaned against the counter at a server station as she caught her temper. She reached over her shoulder and plucked some menus from a bucket beside the computer at that station, where servers could punch in orders and such and send them to the kitchen.

After finishing apologizing, Fluttershy followed her to that point, and nervously stared at her feet rather than strike up a conversation. Rainbow Dash knew she had something to say though, so though she glanced back at the door to look for new guests and over at the bar to see if she had attracted a certain someone's attention, she waited patiently. Fluttershy cleared her throat well more than enough times before forcing words.

“Thanks, for that... but, um... w-we're not supposed t-to... uh, talk to our guests like that,” Fluttershy's voice fell into shy murmurs as the sentence ran on, and her eyebrows curved up at the nose.

“They're not supposed to talk to you like that, either,” Rainbow Dash replied simply as she scratched at her ear absently. “Sorry if I was overstepping some boundary, but I really hate jack-offs like that.”

“N-no, it, it's all right, I just...” Fluttershy played with her apron. “I don't want you to get in trouble.”

“Whatever, it's cool,” Rainbow spoke, waving her hand passively and shrugging it off. “Dolly's got my back, I know she wouldn't stand for that shit either.”

“D-Dolly?” Fluttershy repeated the name just as confusedly as Pinkie had.

“... Right, uh, I meant Applejack. Your bartender.” Rainbow nodded up to the bar before swinging around the corner of the server station. “Anyway, if that dick gives you trouble, you call for one of us, cool?”

“Yeah,” Fluttershy nearly whispered her response as the bright-headed girl turned and cast but another wave over her shoulder.

Rainbow Dash went back to her post without complaint, and had no trouble continuing on with her duty even if it did get busier through the night. But no matter how busy it seemed to get just after dinner time or around happy hour, inevitably it would drop back down to the steady silence that seemed to suit Rainbow just fine. After all, the Joint was no night club. This gave her plenty more time to go around and help bus, collect menus, and get a good start on her own closing duties.

She glared at the clock for what seemed like hours, as not a movement outside drifted her glance from it though minutes went on. The host stand was clean enough she could eat off of it, and most of the servers had already been sent home or were no longer on the floor plan, though they may have puttered around to roll cutlery or help run food to tables if need be. Rainbow yawned for what seemed like the hundredth time, and checked the clock again once her eyes focused again, as if much had changed.

No matter the time or consistency of guest, some people in Jubilee's Joint seemed to be busy. One of those such people was Applejack, up at the bar. Rainbow Dash watched on with boredom in her stance and admiration in her eyes as the barmaid carried several racks of bar glasses and placed them on the counter. She sure was strong, that barmaid. Before she could think much about it, Rainbow Dash found her way half up to the bar and already well into the lounge, tilting her head as she watched Applejack lift the top rack off the others.

Rainbow Dash swung around the empty, slightly aloof bar stools and placed her hand on the swinging door behind the counter, easily pushing it open before stepping inside. Applejack noticed her then, and her gorgeous green eyes flashed out from under her Stetson, which she tapped back on her head to get a better view. The rainbow-haired girl whistled loudly and placed her hands on her hips, turning around fully as she got a view from the other side of her usual perch.

“Wow, so this is what it looks like back here.” Rainbow Dash nodded as her eyes bounced around from bottle to bottle behind the bar.

It was stocked up really well, just as she had anticipated. Beverages of all kinds lined the walls and below the counter, mixes and juices and fruits in the fridges to boot. Glasses hung up above the counter in the stemware racks, which had never been noticeable to her until then, and she saw all the different kinds lined up right below the counter as well. There seemed to be dozens of them, all stacked on a ledge below the counter or hung up. Lights from all around the lounge refracted and shattered off each surface, each gleaming surface, and enchanted her.

“Ain't nothin' special,” Applejack's smooth voice rung off all those spectacular rounds of glass-work, and a smile strung across her face as the two met gazes. “Can Ah help y'with somethin'?”

“Nah, I'm just bored down there.” Rainbow shrugged her way around past Applejack, commanding her to shift in her stance to follow her with her eyes. “Got nothing else to do right now, so I thought I'd come bother you.”

“Bother away, Ah s'pose.” Applejack chuckled as she checked her printer, which was just by the computer and printed some receipt whenever a new order was rung in for some beverage throughout the bar. It was dormant.

“There's so many things back here,” Rainbow's voice hissed with surprise as she read labels and poked at anything nearby. “How do you remember where or what it all is?”

“Practice. Been doin' this for a couple years now, an' Ah did it unprofessionally back home,” Applejack explained with no issue, getting back to the racks of freshly washed glasses and pulling a few from the holes, balancing several on each hand before finding their place.

“Wow, cool.” That came as something of a surprise, as Rainbow had known about taking care of the farm, but nothing about any bar-tending before Applejack arrived at the Joint.

Rainbow Dash stopped suddenly in front of an unlabelled bottle, which called to her with its mystery and deep colour. Plucking the thing from it's place, she examined it. It was a dark crimson, and as she swirled it around, she noticed just how thick it was. This odd substance didn't seem store-bought, and she could even smell a faint scent of fruit emanating from the long spout through which it was probably poured.

“Hey, what's this syrupy stuff?” Rainbow Dash shook it from side to side, and Applejack hurriedly reached out and grabbed it, stopping it mid-shake. It was usually left with the nozzle wide open, since it was used so often and all, and Applejack didn't want it spilling everywhere.

“Grenadine, honey,” Applejack told her with a sigh, and the two lowered it together before Applejack released it. “Careful, it stains real easy. Ah once saw Pinkie Pie drink it straight—which Ah don't recommend—she dribbled it all down 'er shirt an' never could get it out.”

“What's it for?” Rainbow quirked one eyebrow and looked it over once more, shifting it to notice the thickness again.

“Makin' drinks; it goes in all kinds'o recipes.” Applejack went back to the bar glasses, trusting Rainbow not to swing it around again.

“Like what?” the new host asked curiously, her eyes lifting from the bottle up to Applejack.

“Common stuff, both alcoholic an' virgin. Oh, an' lots o' th' ones with dirty names.” Applejack smirked to discuss it, and easily twisted glasses around her fingers as she put them in place. “Y'know, Kiss on the Lips, Hot Sex, Throw Me Down an' Fu—”

“Seriously?!” Rainbow whined loudly, surprising her barmaid. She nearly slammed the Grenadine down before striding over to Applejack and getting right into her personal space, pouting her expression nice and close to the blonde's. “Why don't you ever make me those?”

“'Cause you'd prob'ly rather do that stuff than drink to it,” Applejack muttered with another fond expression, though this ignited more curiosity from the girl.

“Are you offering?” Rainbow smiled playfully and favourably, her fingers tugging at Applejack's outfit in places she was not sure were all right to toy with.

“If you're gonna stand back here, y'wanna gimme a hand?” Applejack shook the girl's hands off of her and gestured towards the several glass racks awaiting sorting.

“I'll give you two.” Rainbow Dash winked suggestively as she wiggled her fingers, but Applejack let that one slide.

“Al'right, these racks here 're filled with freshly washed glasses for th' bar. All y'gotta do is help me put 'em back in the right places.” Applejack grabbed a couple examples from the rack and held them up between the two of them. “Any pint glasses go in the frostin' box, t'keep 'em nice an' cold. Those with bases that expand out from th' stem like this can b' hung above th' bar.”

“Okay, easy peasy.” Rainbow Dash got a determined look on her face and eagerly grasped at two glasses of her own.

At first, she would search around quickly to find where each glass belonged, and when she had been standing there still for a good ten or twenty seconds, Applejack would give her the direction she needed. But the more glasses she put away, the better she became at remembering where they went. She did find it hard to hang the few above the bar that she needed to, so she left that to the slightly taller barmaid.

As she grew more accustomed to it and they moved onto the next rack or two, Rainbow Dash found herself able to wander rather than focus. Her eyes strayed to the barmaid once, twice, three times, and lingered on that third. Applejack's freckles were one thing that Rainbow loved about her, she rarely got to see them so close. She followed those little dotted trails down her neck and onto her chest, where Rainbow found herself content to gaze at all evening. Applejack's breasts grew with each breath and were moved by her arms as she reached out time and again. No matter how long she stared, Rainbow could not seem to look away.

“They like you, y'know,” Applejack said suddenly, and Rainbow Dash's face lit right up, wondering if the barmaid was actually talking about her breasts. It sounded ridiculous.

“W-what?!” Rainbow swallowed anxiously, more eager than ever to reach out and grab them.

“The servers,” Applejack continued, her eyes lifting towards the rest of the pub which could be seen over the balcony of the lounge. “Ah know y'ain't great with social things, but y'seem t' make a good impression on 'em.”

“Oh,” Rainbow murmured as she followed Applejack's gaze. “You think so? I told you, I'm no good with making friends and stuff, I can hardly tell if someone is laughing at me or my jokes.”

“That's cause y'ain't had much experience with it, what with goin' t' them private schools, movin' out here from Cloudsdale, an' never havin' a job or nothin'.” Applejack grabbed the empty rack off the counter and placed it just outside the swinging door, to take back down to the dish pit when she could.

“Guess I'm kind of a wreck, aren't I?” Rainbow snickered a bit, lining up several glasses along the ledge beneath the counter as she was told.

“Not at all,” Applejack denied as she smiled softly. “Ah heard what y'did for Fluttershy, that sure was good o' you. Not exactly policy 'r nothin', but Ah sure was proud o' you.”

“Oh, that.” Rainbow frowned a bit, helping Applejack move the next rank onto the counter in front of them and starting on it. “It was nothing, I have a bad temper is all.”

“Is that modesty? An' here Ah thought y'were all confidence.” Applejack smirked and nudged the girl beside her.

“What? I am!” Rainbow perked back up, snatching another glass from the rack and spinning it around before placing it in the correct spot. “Baby, you should see me in bed. Nothing but confidence.”

“Ah don't doubt that.” Applejack chuckled out, though for some reason she actually was uncertain about that. Rainbow Dash sure talked a big talk and she was quite the looker, but there was some odd anxiety in her as well that Applejack could not define.

Jubilee's Joint played music that was much older than most pubs in town, and styles that had lessened in popularity. However, that was one of the things that gave it such charm, filling it up with the aroma of authenticity. At that moment, Applejack could almost feel it in her skin, the seductive sway of soft blues, swing and jazz. They were hypnotic and arousing, and the glasses in the barmaid's hands felt hard and still in contrast to the constantly moving body of the girl beside her.

Applejack carefully watched her new co-worker as she helped her, and noticed just how close the two of them were standing. Not that it was odd by any means, there was little room behind the bar and since the two not only needed to manoeuvre around each other but needed to reach the glasses rack as well, it only made sense they would need to stand so near. She reached her arm around the thin girl, taking one of the glasses from the rack on the other side, and did it without even attracting her attention.

However, as she tried it another time, Applejack's arm brushed against Rainbow's shoulder and startled her, causing her to turn around abruptly. Applejack was surprised by the sudden movement, but responded promptly by placing her other hand beside Rainbow on the counter, boxing the girl in between her arms and keeping herself steady there. Completely turned around, Rainbow Dash pressed her rear up against the ledge lined with glasses as a means to make distance between their now almost connected faces.

Feeling Applejack's smooth leg pressing between her own, Rainbow gulped and shifted further back along the ledge. The glasses behind her shifted as her ass made itself at home in their place, and light dinging sounds could be heard as thin glass clacked against others. Their eyes clashed violently between them, but for once Rainbow Dash was not smirking or arrogantly commanding with her gaze, no, for once she was nervous. It seemed the barmaid was right to notice some anxiety in the girl, as suddenly it became more apparent than ever she was not accustomed to interactions like that.

Applejack would never admit her temptation, but the longer they were in such vicinity, the warmer the air between them seemed to grow. The barmaid could numbly feel the rim of some glass in her hand, and her fingers ran over it absently, searching for her senses. Rainbow Dash could hardly breathe, much less move, and waited impatiently for Applejack to release her or take it further. Rainbow would not even blink, though her body flinched as Applejack's arm raised beside her. She could feel the strength in her bicep as it raised past her shoulder. Reaching up as she stood on the toes of those sexy boots, Applejack's lips came menacingly and dangerously near to Rainbow's, and the host could almost swear she felt moisture on her own.

Responding instinctively, Rainbow tipped her head back and let Applejack's body come against her own. As she was leaned up on the counter, however, she was more clearly able to see Applejack's hand above her. Poised quite delicately, an odd contrast to her rough and strong body, was a thin, sparkling wine glass, held upside-down in her fingers. The base slid into the stemware rack above her and aligned with the rest of the similar shapes.

And just as suddenly and surprisingly, Applejack pulled away. Rainbow Dash could feel her chest inflate as the pressure of Applejack's moved from on top of her own, though she had hardly noticed the inappropriate touching. Relaxing against the ledge more comfortably, Rainbow Dash's taunted eyes made foes of Applejack's amused ones.

“Somethin' wrong?” Applejack questioned as she grabbed another glass from the rack and slid it onto the ledge right next to Rainbow's rear.

“Yeah, actually,” Rainbow said the words slowly and with great care, over-pronouncing the harsh sound in the second word. Her eyes followed Applejack's fingers as she positioned the glass close by her thigh, and trailed up her arm until the pair met gazes once more. “Why is it that we don't hang out more, Dolly?”

“What d'you mean?” Applejack asked, placing another few glasses around the stationary girl. “We see each other almost every day.”

“At work,” Rainbow Dash corrected, stressing the words obnoxiously. Applejack chuckled a bit at her attitude, noticing the clear pout on the girl's face as she did. After grazing Rainbow's thigh with a careless hand, Applejack pressed her palm against the counter and leaned in.

“Well, Ah wouldn't be opposed t' it.” Applejack shrugged as she kept up a jesting smirk. “Course, Ah dunno if you'll like me s' much when Ah ain't puttin' drinks t' y'mouth.”

“I'm sure you can find other things to put to my mouth.” Rainbow Dash mimicked the smile, and again their eyes were locked in piercing stares.

“Watch it, honey,” Applejack murmured as she leaned away from her and put on a stern expression, though her eyes flashed just as enticingly as before.

Snickering mischievously, Rainbow Dash pushed off the counter, her body brushing up against Applejack's as she passed her. She paused in the middle of the thin space behind the bar though, and tilted her head to notice the bottle of Grenadine once again. Her eyes shifted back to Applejack, who hoisted the now empty glass rack with ease and probably could have javelin-chucked it beyond the swinging half-door of the bar if she wanted to.

Creeping nearer to the bottle as Applejack had her back turned, Rainbow Dash snatched it up and peered at the thin spout which made it particularly easy to portion. She poured a dot-like spot on the tip of her finger and played with it between her thumb and that finger, interested in the very thick consistency. It was definitely some home-made syrup, and it smelled awesome. Rainbow Dash spiked the end of her eyebrow up as her sharp stare pricked the barmaid, and a more maleficent smile slipped out.

“Rainbow, is that m' Grenadine?” Applejack asked with a frown, noticing the familiar bottle in her friend's hands. With a dull groan, Applejack rolled her eyes and extended her hand. “Give that back.”

“Come and get it, Dolly.” Rainbow Dash held the bottle out and shook it back and forth, the deep red legs of the liquid clinging to the insides of the glass as she did.

“Don't think Ah won't,” Applejack said as she did just that, stepping forward and grasping out towards the bottle. At the last second though, Rainbow moved the bottle away and snatched the barmaids wrist in her other hand. Applejack's eyes widened at the touch, and she pulled against it once or twice. “What're you—?!”

“Relax,” Rainbow murmured as she twisted the barmaid's arm, turning the top of her forearm upwards.

Applejack pouted her lips grouchily as she let the girl have her way, though she watched her actions carefully. She tried to instinctively resist as she noticed the motive, which was Rainbow tipping the bottle sideways and pressing the tip near her skin, but feeling the firm grip, she gave in. Her eyes watched curiously as the thick liquid poured out, stickily lining something across her skin. Applejack glanced up once or twice into the face of the focused girl, but said nothing about it. Finally, she began to understand what she was writing in the syrup.

“Tell you what, if you're ever not at work, heavens forbid,” Rainbow Dash began, stressing her voice sarcastically as the barmaid grunted. She released her arm at last, and Applejack was free to look at the marking for herself: ten mostly legible numbers in a sequence of three, three, and four. It was a phone number. “You give me a call. Kay?”

Looking up at the girl who had used her as a scrap piece of paper, Applejack blushed profusely. Not only did her arm still tingle from the touch and attention, but Rainbow Dash had winked at her, displaying an adorably persuasive smirk. Applejack's mouth began to water as the girl before her looked at the Grenadine on her fingertip and thumb, taking the finger into her lips and licking it off. Heaving a slow and hot breath, the barmaid hesitated responding until the last syrupy drop had been licked and sucked off Rainbow's thumb and index finger.

Applejack watched as the host moved past her, their bodies grazing each other magnetically. As Rainbow Dash pushed out from behind the bar and left the half door swinging in her wake, Applejack pried her eyes off the girl's attractive body in favour of some more specific information about her. The number scrawled across her arm was shining in the looming lights, but dark against her already tanned skin, and slid down her skin transiently in some places. Applejack broke into a smile as she turned her arm further, protecting the liquid from slipping off.

“Ah just might take y'up on that,” the barmaid murmured through her pleased expression.

She glanced back up to see the girl gave a lazy and lax wave over her shoulder, returning to her post. Applejack breathed in and could smell the rich scent of the Grenadine, in her own particular make. As if she didn't trust herself to memorize the whole lot of numbers, she plucked a pen from somewhere behind the bar and peered back down at her arm, scrawling her numbers onto a the back of some receipt that had been lying around.

“Crazy little thing.” Applejack shook her head as she made out some of the numbers.

“Hey-hey,” Pinkie Pie's voice chimed in while the barmaid was distracted. The server came up to the bar counter and leaned over it, peering at whatever it was Applejack was looking at and writing down. The frizzy-haired girl grabbed Applejack's arm and stared at it. “What's that on your arm? O~ooh, it looks tasty! Is that your grenny-syrup stuff?! Can I have some, can I, can I?!”

“P-Pinkie!” Applejack had to jump away from the counter and yank her hand away, as the girl was trying to lick it off her. “Get away from me, y'lunatic!”

“There's numbers on your arm.” Pinkie pointed to the evidence, bouncing on her heels and toes. “What do they mean? What do they mean?!”

“None'a your business,” Applejack growled with an irritable frown, turning her arm and looking at it again. “It's just a phone number.”

“A gi~irl's?” Pinkie sang the word out with a grin across her face, causing Applejack to blush more furiously.

“Maybe,” Applejack muttered in a hush, continuing to write it out while her head was down and her embarrassment hidden.

Another smile emerged as she finished writing it down and folded it up, shoving it deep into her pocket as to not lose it. She poked at the thick syrup around the numbers and got some on her finger, bringing it to her mouth. As she slowly licked the tasty syrup off her finger, she remembered the way Rainbow Dash had done it, and shivered to imagine the girl's tongue on her own finger; or anywhere else on her body for that matter.

“You going to finish that, or daydream all night?” Pinkie asked teasingly, snapping Applejack back to reality.

Author's Note

A little more of that sweet, sweet AppleDash for ya. And yeah, a few more characters better introduced. We should be seeing more of them in the next few chapters, don't worry.

Kiss on the Lips

VI. Kiss on the Lips

She leaned back and opened her palms over the counter, the cool granite calming her. The orange hanging lights above seemed like swinging wind-chimes, though they made no noise but to ring the music around the glass shades. Whisking her multi-coloured hair behind her ear with a sharp turn of her head, she sighed aloud. The barmaid smirked a bit as she watched the girl finishing up another Rum and Coke, her fall-back drink of choice.

“I love Tuesdays,” Rainbow Dash mused pleasantly, tipping back and forth on her usual uneven chair.

“Y'only say that 'cause it's so slow y'get off early,” Applejack murmured, her eyes jumping up to the hostess across from her knowingly.

“Well yeah, then I get to spend the night up here in the bar with you.” Rainbow Dash smiled as she ran her thumb along the condensation of the glass, causing it to drip onto the counter.

“You do that anyway,” the barmaid reminded her with a huffed laugh, adjusting the stand-up drink menus along the bar.

“Yeah, but now I don't get in shit for it, and I can drink when I do it,” Rainbow Dash added, tipping the glass to Applejack.

“Ah reckon so,” Applejack couldn't help but agree, nodding slowly as she did.

“Hey, you want to make me one of those naughty drinks now?” Rainbow Dash asked excitedly, leaning forward on the chair and tipping the uneven leg forward.

“Ah knew it was only a matter o' time b'fore that came up again,” Applejack said in a chuckle.

“Okay, so what were they called again?” Rainbow Dash pursed her lips as she went through a couple in her head and tried to fit them in the right order. “How about we start with something simple. What was that... oh right, a Kiss on the Lips, maybe?”

“Y'already got one'a those.” Applejack smirked teasingly, and Rainbow's expression fell into an irritable frown.

“You're a funny girl, Dolly,” Rainbow Dash said in a sarcastically high voice as she shook her finger in an amused manner. “So how's about that drink?”

“What're we, on a cruise 'r somethin'?” Applejack made a face, but began to make the drink anyway. Noticing Rainbow's uncertain expression, the barmaid went on, “Kiss on th' Lips is a drink often served on cruise lines, it's served with crushed ice, so it ain't much of a winter drink.”

“Well, considering I have no where else to be tonight, I'm sure you can warm me back up before I have to walk home.” Rainbow Dash just shrugged nonchalantly.

“You're walkin' again?” the barmaid asked gently, peering back at the girl while her hands grabbed some peach schnapps and mango mix.

“Yeah, what's wrong with walking?” Rainbow frowned stubbornly, crossing her arms over the counter.

“It's negative-who-knows-what out there, an' still snowin',” Applejack reminded her, gesturing to the window with a nod.

She was right to be concerned, the snow had begun to fall more heavy and was sticking to the ground by now. It hit the window silently, but the wind howled about out there without reservation. There appeared to be an inch or so on the ground already, though the wind kicked it up in waves and lines and scattered it. Applejack frowned at the frost on the window, imagining that cold bite along Rainbow's cheeks.

“I like the snow,” Rainbow Dash told the barmaid simply, her eyes settling on the glass with a softer gaze.

“Yea', but,” Applejack grumbled then sighed, stopping herself before arguing with the girl. She had a much better and safer idea. “Al'right, listen here. We close in less than an hour, an' since it's s' darn slow, Ah shouldn't take too long closin' up. What say y'hang 'round a bit longer, an' Ah give you a ride home after work, that sound good?”

Rainbow Dash blinked with surprise, her shining eyes set on the barmaid as she replied, “You'd do that?”

“O'course Ah would,” Applejack grinned and pointed a thumb to herself before she began blending some crushed ice with the schnapps and mango mix.

“Far be it from me to turn that offer down.” Rainbow Dash bowed her head gratefully in a nod.

Applejack smiled in relief as she continued to blend the drink, checking the consistency. It was a rich, golden orange colour, and the sweet fruity smell was toxic in the stale air of an old-style bar. Nabbing a hurricane glass, the kind she rarely had to use, Applejack flipped it around in her fingers and placed it on the counter. Rainbow smirked as the barmaid turned around and hesitated in grabbing the Grenadine, probably remembering what happened last time it was left near Rainbow Dash. Regardless, she brought it over to the drink and swirled it into the glass before and alongside the bright orange slush.

The liquid poured in perfectly, an accurate amount for the glass down to the last speck of crushed ice. Applejack topped it off with an orange slice on the side and pulled a little cocktail umbrella out of seemingly nowhere. She pierced the umbrella through a maraschino cherry and stuck that into the glass, making it drinkable by adding a translucent straw to it.

The drink was placed in front of Rainbow Dash, who turned it around and around to get a look at the swirling of colours before giving it a taste. She was pleasantly surprised by how tropical it tasted, though she was partial to some of the harder drinks. Still, the sweet, sweet taste was somewhat reminiscent of a pleasant kiss, though she preferred the real thing.

As Rainbow Dash was silenced by the straw in her mouth and the taste that reminded her of smoothies or slushies in the summer, she noticed a cocktail waitress come around the bar. Her grey dress was longer than some of the other servers, and still Rainbow subtly watched her like she was a threat. Usually the cocktail waitress was there until closing, on busy nights anyway, and was responsible for serving the lounge area while Applejack made the drinks for the whole pub. But this evening, she did not need to stay so late.

The cocktail waitress was just about finished her own shift, and she had just sorted through her receipts and money and balanced it all out. Her straight black hair seemed something like a curtain, and between the runs of drapes fell her somewhat expressionless face. Her bangs traced her brow perfectly, and she was dressed right up with a bow tie and white collar buttoned to her neck. Rainbow drank more and more as she suspiciously watched the girl approach the barmaid, though she winced when she got a brain-freeze.

“Applejack,” the cocktail waitress addressed the barmaid, who glanced over at her from her closing duties. “Do you need me to watch the bar before I go, perhaps so you can take a break?”

“Naw, y'know Ah ain't much for breaks, Octavia. B'sides, we're almost closed up any who.” Applejack pleasantly responded, though Rainbow Dash watched through only one eye, as she closed the other from the pain of her brain-freeze.

“I just thought I'd offer.” Octavia shrugged somehow delicately.

“Mighty kind o' you,” Applejack thanked and tipped her Stetson appreciatively. “But go on ahead, Ah can take it from here.”

“Well, I hope you can take a break long enough to stop by on Saturday,” Octavia added as she began to put on her coat, which she had brought up by the bar a few moments before.

“What's on Saturday?” Applejack asked curiously, pausing in her duties.

“Didn't Pinkie tell you? My, I told her to text invitations instead of writing those silly songs she does.” Octavia sighed irritably but went on, “She's holding a staff Hearth's Warming party at her house, I'll pin the details up on the bulletin board.”

“Ah'm sure Ah could make th' time t' stop by,” the barmaid replied simply.

“Oh, and she said you could bring your girlfriend, if you wanted,” Octavia added as she wrapped her scarf around her neck, and both Applejack and Rainbow Dash went rigid and tense.

Applejack gulped nervously, remembering that she had told some of her co-workers about a certain night a few months prior, though she had never said anything about dating at all, especially dating women. And even if she hadn't told them all, it did spread around and break into something of a rumour. Rainbow forced the stinging in her head away and carefully watched Applejack's reaction, hoping it wasn't true.

“Wha—Ah ain't got no girlfriend!” Applejack loudly denied, her face flushing at the accusation.

“What about that mysterious Blue Bla—?” Octavia pondered as she pressed her finger to her chin, but Applejack frantically stopped her before the words came out of her mouth. After all, that mysterious Blue Blazer Girl of which she spoke was right in front of them, though the server had no idea.

“This is why Ah don't tell y'all nothin',” Applejack growled, her face reddening further.

“You have a gi~irlfriend, Dolly?” Rainbow Dash purred, dragging out the word playfully and teasingly. Hearing Rainbow Dash say that made Applejack feel weak, though she fought it off.

“Shuddup Rainbow, Ah do not,” Applejack snapped at her, a deep frown contrasting her embarrassed and shy eyes.

“Is she pre~etty?” Rainbow went on, leaning closer over the counter and grinning.

“She ain't, 'cause Ah don't have one.” Applejack crossed her arms stubbornly. However, the host at her bar kept prying with her great, big puppy-dog eyes and pouting lips. “Rainbow Dash, if y'don't cut that out, I'munna—”

“Wait, you're Rainbow Dash?” Octavia cut back in, glancing at the bright-headed girl.

“In the flesh and garb.” Rainbow popped her collar and smirked.

“Well I hope you can make it on Saturday too, then,” the cocktail waitress invited her in a polite voice, pulling her gloves on by the wrists and tugging them tightly.

“If Dolly's making the drinks,” Rainbow Dash responding, winking over at her barmaid and causing her to flinch and blush again.

“Dolly, as in Applejack?” Octavia smiled amusedly at the cute nickname, meeting Applejack's serious gaze. “My my, that is adorable, isn't it?”

“Zip it, Octavia.” Applejack pointed at her and frowned again, though the cocktail waitress was not intimidated by this at all.

“Have a good night, you two,” Octavia mused as she waved at them before starting down the stairs for the front door, taking her leave.

Rainbow Dash went back to leisurely sipping at her drink, and though Applejack's expression was still nervous, she let the subject slide. Getting back to her cleaning, the barmaid finished wiping down some bottles and placing them into the correct spots. She bent down a bit to tuck something under the sink, and Rainbow tilted her head to get a better look. With the Kiss on the Lips on her lips, Rainbow Dash went to keep up conversation.

“So, Pinkie Pie invited me, too?” Rainbow Dash asked carefully, treading unknown waters.

“Yea', Ah reckon so.” Applejack chuckled a bit and nodded.

“Hard as it may be to believe, I don't get asked to parties all that often.” Rainbow Dash pushed her straw around in the glass, mixing the crushed ice and liquids about so it would be easier to take up the straw.

“Even if she didn't, Ah would'a snuck you in any who,” the barmaid told her with a sly look.

“Oh, I bet you would,” Rainbow replied eagerly in a suggestive voice. “Well, my father, the perverted womaniser he was, always did prove that you can't have a Hearth's Warming Eve without a quickie behind the tree.”

“That ain't what Ah meant!” Applejack denied firmly, though such a story of the girl's family made her sad to hear. “Jus'.... jus' drink up already.”

“You don't have to tell me,” Rainbow tipped the glass to her barmaid before looping her tongue around the straw and sucking it into her mouth.

Applejack just huffed a small laugh, letting the girl drink enough to give herself another brain-freeze. Since the pub was mostly empty by then, the amount of drinks she made for the rest of the Joint was about equivalent to how many she made for Rainbow Dash alone. But sure enough, last call was issued and the pub closed up for the evening, leaving the two alone up at the bar. Granted, there were still a few workers cleaning and closing up the kitchen.

Finishing cleaning down all the instruments and putting the rest of the glasses away, Applejack went over the check-list in her head. It was something that Twilight had gotten her into the habit of doing, even though she rarely forgot a thing anyway. However, it was rather difficult to concentrate while Rainbow Dash rambled on about whatever was on her mind. The more she drank, it seemed, the less she filtered the words from her mouth. And Applejack came to find, the more she drank, the more flirtatious she became; something the girl had possibly warned her about on their first encounter.

“You think that counter is high enough for me to crouch under and give you a good time without anyone seeing?” Rainbow Dash asked simply, leaning over the counter and sipping at the usual Rum and Coke she had fallen back on.

“Ah dunno, maybe.” Applejack shrugged passively as she tucked away the float for tomorrow's shift. “Ah ain't about t' let you try.”

“Well not right now, anyway, I mean there's no one around to see,” Rainbow's words came out aggressive and over-pronounced.

“Yea', tha's th' only problem with that scenario.” Applejack chuckled sarcastically, hiding her pleasant smile with her back turned. “Al'right, Ah'm jus' 'bout done back here.”

“Fi~inally,” Rainbow groaned the word loudly, though she hardly noticed the time pass. “Wait, does this mean that this is my last drink?”

“If y'wanna get home conscious, prob'ly.” The barmaid tidied up the rest of the area behind the bar before turning off the computer screen used for ordering.

“Baby, you, you don't have to get me drunk to get in my conscious pants,” the drunken hostess stuttered a bit while tipping her glass around, barely catching it from spilling.

“Ah'll keep that in mind.” Applejack undid the apron she had tied around her waist, while Rainbow Dash watched curiously, hoping more clothing would fall off. “Finish that up 'r pass it over so I can toss it, an' let's get outta here.”

“Awesome,” Rainbow Dash responded over the liquid slurping into her mouth as she finished up the drink.

Sliding the empty glass over the counter at the barmaid, who caught it easily and chucked the ice into the nearby sink before tipping it upside down and leaving it there, Rainbow hopped off the barstool. As Applejack went around and made sure the other doors were locked up tight and the lights were off, the hostess shrugged her coat over her shoulders. The scarf was next, though she squeezed it around her neck a little too tight at first. She looked around nervously, wondering if the barmaid had abandoned her, considering she had been gone so long, but it became quite clear what had stalled her.

When Applejack returned, she had a jacket of her own hugging her body. As Rainbow's eyes trailed down her form, she noticed that she had slipped a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt on instead of her usual get-up, which she had folded up over her arm. Of course, she opted to keep her Stetson over her blonde hair, which had been done up in a new ponytail. With a cute, crooked smile, Applejack gestured for Rainbow to follow her, and started for the door.

“You couldn't wait to get out of that outfit, could you?” Rainbow smirked and hurried after the girl, nudging her playfully.

“It's winter, Ah ain't wearing that impractical, frilly napkin anywhere Ah don't have to,” the barmaid iterated her dislike for the uniform with a frown, glaring at the thing in her arms as she went through her jacket pocket for the keys.

Glancing over at the host while fingering the key-chain for the correct jagged piece of metal, Applejack noticed her friend's lack of appropriate attire. She didn't seem concerned with the weather at all, leaving her jacket undone and her scarf loose. And again, there were those scraggly half-gloves being pulled on over her fingers. Applejack opened the door and held it that way, letting Rainbow Dash exit before she followed.

“Holy balls, it's cold as tits out here!” Rainbow called loudly, the steamy breath rolling out of her mouth in thick white puffs.

“Really? Ah dunno about your tits, but mine ain't often that cold,” Applejack responded bluntly, shoving the door shut behind her before locking it up tight, pressing her hand against the rigid old wood to keep it in place while she did.

“It's an expression, Dolly,” Rainbow murmured into her scarf, which she was nestling her chin behind to keep warm.

“C'mere, truck's just over yonder.” The barmaid chuckled and wrapped her arm around the shivering girl, guiding her out from under the overhang of the roof.

The snow crunched beneath their feet, though it was only a few inches deep at most and the wind carried it around lightly. It still fell from the sky in gentle flakes, but with the truck in sight, that hardly bothered them. The parking lot had been covered in ice earlier that day, but the fresh snowfall provided better grip to prevent slipping, which Rainbow Dash might have done due to her slightly intoxicated state.

As the two arrived at the truck, Applejack clasped the cold handle of the passenger's side and tried it once, noticing the freezing in the door. Placing her foot against the truck this time, she heaved and managed to crack it open. Snow fell around her feet from the force of the door opening, as it had gathered on the ledges and roof. After tossing her uniform into the back seat, the barmaid reached into the truck and revealed a wind-shield scraper for just such instances of winter weather. Rainbow Dash stood by patiently, shaking and shivering as Applejack cleared the snow from the wind shield and hood, knocking it off the headlights and windows to boot.

“Al'right, let's get y'all warmed up,” Applejack gestured for Rainbow to hop in, and she did as she was commanded.

Applejack climbed into the driver's side and kicked the snow off her boots against the lip under her door. Even after the truck had been resealed, their breaths were translucent and pale in the cold air. Rubbing her hands together to return the feeling, Applejack drew her keys back out and looked over them, finding the correct one.

“So how far aways d'ya live, any who?” the barmaid asked casually, adjusting in her seat.

“Like ten blocks, tops,” Rainbow Dash replied with a shrug, and Applejack tried to gauge the distance in her head. “City blocks, not your half-kilometer country blocks.”

“Yea', Ah thought so,” Applejack agreed as she pressed the key into the hole behind the steering wheel, turning it forward.

The truck huffed and heaved, groaning at the effort, but did not start. Applejack frowned knowingly, as the vehicle had given her trouble before. Trying it once more, the barmaid listened to the whines and whimpers of the vehicle before letting it rest cold once more. With a long and disappointed breath, Applejack yanked the keys from the ignition and sat back in her seat.

“That can't be good,” Rainbow Dash muttered, peering over at her chauffeur.

“Nnope,” Applejack held the word for a few seconds, her breath rolling out visibly, contrasting her otherwise lack of action. “Al'right, Ah'munna hafta take a peek.”

Applejack reached down and plucked at the little lever beneath the dashboard by her foot, and the pair heard some release noise. Knocking her door open once again, Applejack jumped back out of the truck, the wind whistling gently against the metal and humming around them. At first, Rainbow Dash just watched the barmaid go around the truck and pop open the hood, but after a few seconds, she felt left out and kicked her own door open. Besides, it wasn't any warmer inside the truck.

Rainbow Dash pressed her feet into the snow once again, swinging around the door before closing it after her. She went around in front of the vehicle, curiously peering at what she could see of the barmaid as she did. There she was, Applejack, leaning under the hood and squinting to see any possibility. Her hands squeezed at the lip of the truck as she kicked one foot off to get deeper into the darkness, and Rainbow debated disturbing her at all. From where she was standing, even with the cold nipping of winter at her ears and nose, Applejack sure looked hot.

“Ah can't see much,” Applejack murmured with a grunt, reaching out to brush some fallen snow off the engine. “Ah dunno how long it'll take for me t' repair, if Ah even can.”

“Great,” Rainbow muttered with a pouted lip, looking under the hood herself as if she knew a thing at all about it. The wind and snow blew into her face, causing her to cringe and look away.

“Ah'm sure Ah could fix it up no hitch, in a better light with a little time t' spare,” Applejack told the girl confidently, but looking over at her, she didn't seem so certain she wanted to have her wait around. “But it's mighty late an' cold out, you're prob'ly freezin' out here.”

“Yeah, a bit.” Rainbow shrugged her hands deeper into her pockets, sighing a white breath that carried with the wind a foot or so from her mouth. “So much for a ride home.”

“Well.” The hood slammed shut, causing some loose snow to fall and break off to the ground. Applejack tightened up her jacket and went over to Rainbow Dash. “Ah ain't the kinda girl who goes about takin' back her word.”

“What do you mean by that?” Rainbow Dash asked, tilting her head questioningly.

Gesturing with her hands twice by curling her fingers then turning around and leaning over, Applejack replied, “Hop on, honey.”

“Wait-wait-wait, you are not serious. You can't be serious.” Rainbow Dash blinked with shock, noticing what the girl wanted her to do. Bending over that way, it was obvious that the barmaid was actually offering her a piggy-back ride. “You're serious.” Gawking at the ridiculous idea, Rainbow found herself compelled to comply. “No fucking way I'm turning down the chance to ride you, baby.”

Applejack grunted as Rainbow jumped on top of her, swinging her legs around her hips. Easily wrapping her arms under the appendages, Applejack shuffled the girl's weight until she was comfortable. This was not the first time Applejack had carried someone around, she used to do it all the time with her little sister, no matter how big she got. The barmaid stood up straight and tested her step, finding it rather easy due to the girl's slim size.

“Y'ready?” Applejack shrugged and let Rainbow Dash lock her arms around her neck and rest her chin on her shoulder.

“Mmm, your hair smells good,” Rainbow mused an irrelevant response into the girl's ear, sighing pleasantly in the odd embrace.

“Your breath smells like Rum,” Applejack retorted with a frown, heading down the parking lot step by step.

“Would you prefer a taste?” The girl on her back grinned against her ear slyly, causing Applejack to blush even in the crisp cold. Neither would admit it aloud, but the heat between their bodies was tantalizing.

“Just hold on,” the barmaid grumbled passively, trying to avoid remembering she had Rainbow Dash's thighs in her hands.

“Oh, I'm never letting you go, Dolly.” Rainbow Dash squeezed tighter, letting her hot breath sneak into Applejack's jacket.

Once she was certain she was going the right way, as Rainbow Dash had been less than directly responsive due to her tipsy state and attention on their position, Applejack found the walk somewhat short. City blocks sure weren't much to talk about, and she was certain by then she had made it half the way. Her back was aching a bit though, but she was accustomed to carrying much heavier loads around the farm, and the warmth from Rainbow's body provided a nice soothing sensation.

The snowfall was gentle and quiet now, though there was a good amount of it. Applejack could see the white specks clinging and gathering across the folds of her jacket, but didn't mind it all that much. What she did mind was the constant teasing and taunting of the girl she carried, who didn't seem to consider leaving her alone. It was true, she did get more talkative and flirtatious after a few drinks. And besides that, she finally began to notice how poorly she had dressed for the weather.

“Man! My hands are going numb!” Rainbow Dash groaned loudly, trying to curl her cold fingers against her gloves, which were wrapped around Applejack's neck and crossed over her chest.

“Ah ain't tellin' you again t' get new gloves,” Applejack reminded the girl with a nudge, looking down at her pinkish fingers.

“I have a better idea,” Rainbow Dash's voice fell into a hush as her hands moved.

Squeezing Applejack tighter with her legs to keep balance, which in itself made the barmaid uncomfortable and apprehensive, Rainbow broke her hands apart. Applejack grunted in nervous question, but said nothing as the girl shook some gathered snow off the gloves and her hands. Rainbow fed them clumsily and playfully into Applejack's collar, despite the barmaid trying to shake her off.

“What—?!” Applejack yelped and tensed up as cold hands went into her jacket and right down her shirt without reservation. She moaned in either distress or excitement, neither of them could be sure, as Rainbow Dash dropped them much deeper and fingered under all the fabric she could find. “Heavens t' Betsy, 're those icicles in my bra?!”

“Kinky, huh? ” Rainbow Dash snickered deviously, rubbing her chest over and over until some sensations returned. “Your skin is really smooth, you know.”

“Ah thought your fingers were numb?” Applejack huffed with a glare tossed over her shoulder.

“You're so hot they thawed back out.” Rainbow winked at the girl, who rolled her eyes in response. That wasn't the best course of action though, as Rainbow Dash did not like to be brushed off or ignored.

“Right,” the barmaid grumbled evenly, though she twitched and flinched as Rainbow's fingers felt around for their next target. Due to the chill in her shirt, it was easy to tell where the girl was touching, and became more inappropriate the further she wrestled under her bra. “Hey! Th-those're my—!”

“I know what they are; they perk up when you get cold so they're easy to find.” Rainbow Dash continued with her fondling, hearing the barmaids stifled groans.

“For Pete's sake, do y'want me t' drop you on th' ground right here?” Applejack asked in a pleading tone, leaning her head back against Rainbow Dash exhaustedly.

“If you're going to find a better way to keep me warm,” Rainbow coyly responded, murmuring into Applejack's cold ear with a pleasing breath.

“You're killin' me,” Applejack breathlessly stated, finding no better words than those to express how utterly at a loss she was.

“Hey, wait,” Rainbow Dash told her ride as she sat up strighter on her back, her hands retreating from Applejack's bra. Applejack paused in her step and followed the girl's attention to a tall apartment building just beside them. “I live there, don't I?”

“Don't ask me!” Applejack snapped back, breathing a sigh of relief as Rainbow entirely pulled her hands back out of her shirt.

“Sorry, yeah, that's my place,” Rainbow giggled nervously, rubbing the back of her head until Applejack began walking again, causing her to hurriedly get her hold back.

Applejack carried Rainbow over to the building, taking her up the stairs and right to the front door. Through the glass, she could see the well-maintained lobby, and signs that said something about condominiums for sale in the building. The barmaid was glad the lobby area was unattended, or it might have seemed somewhat odd to have been piggy-backing one of their residents. Applejack crouched down a bit to let Rainbow climb down off her back, and exhaled comfortably as the weight on her feet was relieved. The rainbow-haired girl plugged in some combination of numbers and swiped a smartcard, something the simple farm girl was not accustomed to. Finally, she took hold of the handle and pulled it open, pausing to look back at the barmaid.

“You want to come in and warm up?” Rainbow Dash asked politely, gesturing with a nod into the building.

“Naw, that's fine, Ah don't wanna inconvenience y'all 'r nothin'.” Applejack shrugged her sore shoulder and looked away, excusing herself.

“Oh shut up.” Rainbow reached out and snatched up Applejack's arm before yanking her into the building despite her protests.

Rainbow dragged her through the lobby in a near sprint, taking her right over to the elevator and holding her in place by the hand. Glancing down curiously at their hands, Applejack watched her friend fondle her palm and fingers with both of her still chilly hands. She gulped nervously, noticing the stirring in her chest that was pulling and entrancing and the tensing in her stomach that was guilty and uneasy. They got into the elevator without waiting long at all, since it often rested on the main floor and was rarely used at that time of night.

The ride, however, was somewhat longer than Applejack expected, as Rainbow Dash must have lived on the top floor. Even the elevator was perfectly shined and brand new, and it make Applejack feel like a bumpkin standing in it all stiff. As the destination dinged and the elevator opened, Rainbow Dash pulled her out and led her down the hall to the door at the very end.

Applejack knew that she should not have been there, her whole body cried out with anxiety. It was not that she didn't want to be, but rather that she couldn't. She knew her place, she knew her responsibilities, and this had the potential to screw all of that up. If Miss Jubilee had found out she had gone home with a co-worker like this, she would surely be punished, or possibly even fired. And if her family knew any of it at all, she sure would have some explaining to do. Still, the only direction in which her boots moved was towards Rainbow's door.

“Home sweet home,” Rainbow Dash hummed as she unlocked the door and nearly kicked it right open, swinging and stumbling in while hanging onto the doorknob.

Applejack hurriedly reached out and helped catch the girl, who giggled profusely at her own clumsiness. Noticing the darkness of the room, Applejack blinked a few times to try and get her eyes adjusted. Rainbow Dash pried herself off the door and shoved it shut behind her, dousing the pair in mostly darkness, besides the slivers of light coming in from the draped windows. Fumbling around the wall, Rainbow Dash found the light switch, but chose to leave it untouched while she fingered for another button.

With a surprised flinch, Applejack glanced over to the source of the odd electronic noise. It became very clear that this condominium was brand new and state-of-the-art, as the drapes across the windows moved of their own accord and presented enormous, nearly floor-to-roof windows. Applejack's eyes widened more and more as the drapes pulled apart and the entire cityscape of Ponyville came into view. Mouthing a “wow” and dazedly stepping forward, Applejack was drawn across the room in awe.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Rainbow beamed, following her in lazy strides.

“Y-Yea',” Applejack muttered, her eyes sparkling and reflecting the city lights in her lively green orbs.

“My dad bought this place for me right when it went on the market, it's a little more his style than mine, but the view can't be beat.” Rainbow stood beside Applejack as they reached the window, and the farmer pressed her hand against it enviously. “Then again, I guess I am a bit like my father, bringing a woman home at all hours of the night like this.”

“Uh-huh,” Applejack absently responded, still staring at the city.

It sure was beautiful, what with the snow falling and obscuring distance, coating the buildings and twinkling the lights with the purest of shades. Of course, Applejack was always partial to the countryside, but this wasn't half bad either. She was so intent on gawking, in fact, she had almost forgotten her manners to take off her hat when entering the house. Her inattentive hand reached up and took it from her head, holding it instead over her heart as if her breath was caught in it. Rainbow Dash laughed a bit at the girl's lack of focus, before reaching out and taking her by the arm again.

“Come on, I think we've seen enough snow for one night,” Rainbow pulled the girl away from the window and over to the couch.

Sitting the barmaid down on her couch, which was dirtied with a blanket and throw cushions, Rainbow went over to the far wall made of slabs of stone and a pane of dark glass. Placing her hat on the far armrest, Applejack squeezed at the fabric fondly, feeling both support and softness in it. Suddenly, her face was illuminated in a great orange glow, and she noticed the black square of glass had turned into a roaring fireplace. The false fire may not have been as warming or comforting as those Applejack knew from home, but she could already feel the heat of it spreading through the room.

“Wow,” Applejack repeated, watching her friend as she came around the cluttered coffee table and plopped down beside her. Noticing the nearness of their positions, something occurred to Applejack, “Wait, 're you tryn'a seduce me?”

Rainbow Dash snickered and moved closer, raising one eyebrow and tracing the girl's body with her gaze. “Is it working?”

“You wish.” Applejack nudged her and echoed the laughter.

“You know, usually the first thing I do when I get home is just take off all my clothes.” Rainbow leaned back into the couch, and Applejack waited for more to that story. “And maybe put on my pyjamas.”

“Well, Ah mean,” she paused to clear her throat and hide her intrigue from the light of the fire. “Don't stop on account'a my behalf,” Applejack murmured and looked away coquettishly, leaning against the couch.

“If you insist.” Rainbow Dash stood up, removing her scarf and tossing it onto the coffee table haphazardly.

Applejack gulped apprehensively as she returned to watching the girl; she couldn't hope to keep her gaze away. As Rainbow pulled the jacket off her arms, Applejack shifted in her seat, her leisurely position juxtaposed by the focused expression adorning her face. Undoing her belt and a few buttons of her shirt, Rainbow glanced back at the barmaid on her couch, whose eyes were glued to her with restrained desire. She couldn't hold back the pleased smirk, and continued to remove her outer layer of clothing. Though the beginnings of some strip tease were tempting, Applejack found her good sense.

“It's,” Applejack started, sighing in a bothered way and turning to look at the windows again. “It's gettin' late.”

“I know,” Rainbow shrugged her shirt off, leaving just her under-shirt and bra to cover her top half. Her pants still hung open temptingly, and Applejack could have made out a style or colour of underwear if she had been looking. “Take off your jacket already.”

Applejack's eyes met Rainbow's once again, the only light to provide vision being the distant lights of the city and the flickering of the fire. “Ah should get goin'.”

“You said you'll need more light and time to fix up your truck, right?” Rainbow tilted her head curiously, and Applejack couldn't deny it. “It's pretty dark, and like you said, getting late. Just... stay over, at my place.”

“Ah shouldn't,” the barmaid denied, her face flushing to imagine what could happen if she let herself hang around too long with the drunken girl.

“Come on, I have more than enough room,” Rainbow went on convincing her. “It'll be for just one night. And you should probably make sure I get to bed safe, I'm feeling pretty light-headed and dizzy after all those drinks.”

Noticing the way Rainbow kept her distance and made no further move to take off clothing, Applejack agreed, “Al'right.”

Applejack did as she was told and removed her jacket, handing it to Rainbow to hang on the coat rack by the door, which was otherwise rather empty. Her boots were also discarded and placed past the far side of the couch. By then, Rainbow Dash was sitting on the arm rest of the couch, yawning and rubbing her eyes. It was pretty clear that the haze of alcohol was beginning to have a soporific effect on the girl.

“It's okay if Ah take th' couch for the night?” Applejack asked as she looked over the thing, which was already equipped with that blanket and a few pillows.

“Yeh,” Rainbow replied mid-yawn, stretching her arms out all the while. “Whatever you want, babe.”

“C'mon, you,” Applejack chuckled lightly and went over to Rainbow, putting her arm around the girl and guiding her down the hallway where she assumed her bedroom was. “Let's get you t' bed.”

“I like where this is going,” Rainbow purred as she tip-toed alongside her friend, hurrying her along.

Applejack shook her head with a smile as Rainbow leaned further against her, nuzzling into her shoulder. Rainbow's bedroom was just down the hall, easily spotted since the door was left open. Upon entering the room, Applejack was once again astounded by the size. She had drapes covering her windows again, but more than enough room to walk around comfortably, and what looked like two closets and an en suite bathroom. She whistled out loud as she looked around, noticing a dull blue glow from a terrarium in the corner with what looked like a tortoise inside.

Applejack released the girl as she bent down and began removing her pants, and looked away with flushed cheeks, “Um, Rainbow.”

“I can't sleep in pants,” Rainbow whined as she kicked them off her heels, leaving her under-shirt barely long enough to cover her underwear. “Unless I'm in yours, maybe.”

Saying nothing but chewing on her lip, Applejack rolled her neck and kept her eyes averted. That is, until she felt herself get led over towards the bed. Rainbow Dash clumsily fondled around for the hem of her covers, as they were wrinkled and tossed about randomly. Applejack easily helped her and began tucking her under the covers and adjusting her pillow. It reminded her of how she often took care of her younger sister, or her grandmother when she was sick. Except she wanted to climb into the bed with this woman, not just wish her well and leave.

“Thanks again, Dolly.” Rainbow sat up on her elbow and leaned closer to the barmaid, a smile slowly crawling across her face the longer the two remained silent. “You know, my bed is probably a lot more comfortable than that couch, you're more than welcome to share.”

“That's mighty kind'a you, but thanks anyway, Ah'll be just fine,” Applejack brushed the suggestion off and sat down on the corner of the bed herself, making sure Rainbow was all covered up and comfortable.

Rainbow Dash didn't say anything right away, she just propped her head up on her palm, digging her elbow into her pillow and staring at the girl on her bedside. Her eyes softened and her smile became warm and fond, her body relaxing into the mattress and enjoying the likely high thread-count of her wrinkled sheets. Not that Applejack could see any of it too well, due to the darkness. She cleared her throat to break the silence, and shifted in her seat nervously.

“Well, uh, g'night, Rainbow,” Applejack almost whispered, her finger drawing circles in the sheets.

“Mhmm,” Rainbow Dash hummed affectionately, shifting just an inch or two closer.

“Yea', Ah should—” Applejack started to speak and get up, but Rainbow's free hand landed on her own and stalled her.

As she turned to curiously inspect what expression the drunken girl might present her with, she felt Rainbow Dash shift again on the bed. Stopping in her pivot suddenly, Applejack could feel the heat from Rainbow's breath better than she could see the girl. She could feel just how near their faces were, but for the life of her, she could not pull away.

Applejack allowed her eyelids to fall gently, and adored the way Rainbow's hand found its way to her neck, her fingers just barely touching her hair. They connected at last, a union of body and soul in the darkness and crisp winter air. It was sweet and passionate, this particular kiss on the lips. Pressing back into the act, Applejack gingerly slipped her hand under Rainbow's waist and lowered her onto the bed. Rainbow's hair fell gracefully around her as Applejack leaned over her, kissing her into the comfort of the pillow.

It did not last, though, and shortly after Rainbow had begun to relax, Applejack pulled away. She still hesitated moving fully away, supporting herself barely above the other girl with a firm hand on the bed while she reached up and tucked her fallen hair behind her ear. Without another move, the two huffed light, monosyllabic laughs and left it unaddressed. Applejack shoved off the bed and sat upright, awkwardly smiling and playing with her hair.

She should have felt guilty, she should have felt afraid or regretful, but she did not. She should have been uneasy thinking what could come of this, especially if Rainbow Dash would tell anyone, but again, she wasn't. Instead, she was quite giddy and content, wishing it could have gone farther. But what she lacked in correct emotional response, she made up for in reasonable will. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was entirely captivated and pleased, though she casually went about snuggling in deeper beneath the covers.

Her eyes softly closed up again, and through the amorous and confident smirk playing on her face, Rainbow Dash spoke, “Night, Dolly.”

“Yea', see ya t'morrow,” Applejack replied, trying to keep her smile from altering the sound of her voice.

She got up off the bed and left at once, only pausing in the doorway to cast a glance back over her shoulder into the darkness. Not that Rainbow Dash was looking back, she was too busy revelling in the moment and sighing contently to notice. Applejack returned to the couch and walked around it, at first sitting directly in the middle and clasping her hands in her lap. Her heart was racing, and she found that she still could not stop that smile from cracking her lips.

Relaxing with a slow exhale of her own, she kicked her feet up to one end of the couch and sprawled out on the rest. Crossing her arms behind her head and staring up at the ceiling, Applejack could feel her cheeks cramping up from the constant grin. She hadn't felt so fantastic in a long time, especially not since she had moved to Ponyville and begun working at Jubilee's Joint.

But there was still something plaguing her mind. She wondered if normal friends just went around kissing each other on the lips like that and not discussing it. But more, she wondered how long she could keep it at simple occasional kissing, or what Rainbow Dash might have thought about it all. Surely there was a huge part of her that wanted to march back into that room and entwine their bodies together, to throw herself into a relationship with the crazy girl. But those things could very well ruin her necessary business connection to her boss and client, and she could not screw that up on a whim. Applejack knew very well just how wrong it all was, how troublesome it would all become, and yet, she just kept smiling.

Author's Note

So this one is a bit longer than usual for this story, but as anyone who reads my other works would know, it's not too surprising coming from me. Not sure if I particularly like this chapter compared to some others, but... meh.

Irish Coffee

VII. Irish Coffee

The roof was dim, but she had to squint even to look at it. The dull blue light from the terrarium scattered over the pricks and dots of the ceiling, forcing shadows to crawl between the cracks. There was a pale light from beyond the drapes that reminded her of overcast skies, which often accompanied these snowy winter days. She groggily pulled her covers up over her nose and shuddered from shoulder to shin, though it wasn't particularly cold at all.

She turned her head and stared at the clock, trying to decipher the numbers and green lines of lights as anything more than gibberish. She blinked at it as if that would help or reset the damn thing, but nothing happened. Any movement caused a stinging in her skull, but she did it anyway and defied her body's protests. However, as she did move, she noticed the odd way her torso felt, like she was actually wearing a shirt.

Now, one thing about Rainbow Dash was that she often had the habit of sleeping in the nude, especially when she got home drunk and alone. She would sometimes find her clothes in odd places the next morning, but this morning she was surprised to find them still on her. As she propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at herself, she remembered something of a similar position she had sat in when the room was darker. And some odd silence in the house, strangely enough, reminded her that she did not go home alone.

Her eyes widened and her lips tingled at the memory, and on those now very hot and jealous lips came a familiar name, “Dolly!”

Tearing the covers off her body and ignoring the sharp shock of open air, Rainbow Dash nearly fell right out of her bed. Her feet slipped on the carpet at first, it being so fine and soft as it was, but she caught herself and hurried out her bedroom door. Excited by the prospect of her friend actually being in her house, Rainbow called out with a grin before she even rounded the corner into the living room.

“Heya, Doll—?!” Rainbow stopped as she came into the room, finding it utterly vacant. She glanced around again, looking at the couch where Applejack had said she would sleep. The covers were folded up nicely, and there was no trademark Stetson on the cushions. With a disappointed sigh, Rainbow Dash murmured to herself, “Oh. She's... she's gone.”

“Th' only thing tha's gone here are your britches,” a voice said from behind her, causing her to freeze up like a window had been opened and a draft had frozen her bare legs.

Whirling around and beaming at the blonde barmaid, who stood leaning against the door-frame that led to the kitchen, Rainbow called to her again, “Dolly! You're still here?!”

“Why, should I leave?” Applejack furrowed her brow curiously and pushed off her stance. She knocked her Stetson back, as it was sitting atop her head, and frowned uneasily.

“No, no! I'm,” Rainbow paused for a light laugh, looking down at how ridiculous she looked standing there half-naked. A more pleasant and genuine smile appeared, and she went on honestly, “I'm kind of... glad. Well, I mean, I was embarrassed about last night and all, so I just wanted to, like, apologize or something.”

“No worries, y'were good company, Ah swear.” Applejack courteously nodded, avoiding letting her eyes drop below Rainbow's shirt.

“Well, I should probably put on pants, shouldn't I?” Rainbow sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck, the motion causing her shirt to lift a bit and reveal more of her undergarments.

“Ah s'pose tha's up t' you, it bein' your house an' all.” Applejack brushed it off, though the blush in her features betrayed her casual attitude. “But Ah prob'ly shouldn't be stayin' f' too long.”

“You don't have to rush out!... I mean, I'm not busy or anything.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, though her voice seemed more eager than her body let on.

“In that case,” Applejack hummed a bit as words came to her, and Rainbow was very aware of the wide, revealing windows of her condominium at that moment. “How's about Ah treat y'for a nice breakfast out, for havin' me over an' all.”

“No way.” Rainbow shook her head firmly, and Applejack was surprised at such an immediate protest, and a little hurt to hear it too. But the rainbow-haired hostess cracked a jesting grin and went on to correct her, “I'll be the one treating you. After all, you freaking carried me home.”

“Ah guess Ah can't argue with that.” Applejack bowed her head and hid her eyes under her hat shyly. “If it'll make y'put your pants on.”

“Oh, right.” Rainbow grinned a wide, unsettled grin and hurried back to her bedroom.

Applejack just chuckled as the thin girl sprinted back down the hall, and resisted the urge to lean around the corner for a better look. As she was alone again in the condominium, she found herself once again gazing out the window. She was too nervous to go up close to it, but she could not keep herself from looking. The gracefully falling snow twinkled at the window, catching the light from the sun which broke through parts of the mostly clear sky.

Though they were good friends now, Applejack hadn't really considered ever ending up in the girl's apartment. And if she did, it was usually a dream of less than respectable purpose.

“Okay! I'm good,” Rainbow's voice drifted down the hall as she emerged from the bedroom, her fingers still struggling to do up the button and fly of her jeans. Tripping and stumbling over the legs as they caught on her toes, she returned to the living room and finished pulling on the sweater she had only around her neck. “Let's go.”

“Ah'm comin',” Applejack hurried after her towards the door and began slipping on her boots from their place beside the couch. Looking at the way Rainbow stepped casually into her sneakers and zipped up her sweater, Applejack frowned. “Don't forget a jacket.”

“Who are you, my mom?” Rainbow pouted her lips, but went to the coat rack anyway.

Looking down at her feet, Applejack finished putting on her boots and stomped her feet until they fit right. She pushed her hat back, as it had slid forward a bit, and stood up straight. Due to Rainbow Dash's predictably ridiculous antics, Applejack cracked a laugh and rolled her eyes. The bright-headed girl had adorned Applejack's jacket, and was currently striking poses in it. Storming up to the girl with an amused yet serious expression, Applejack grabbed Rainbow Dash by the rear collar of the jacket and yanked her backwards until she was within inches of the barmaid.

“Give that back, y'crazy-headed loon,” Applejack demanded in an even tone. She did notice, however, the way that Rainbow Dash could not quite fill it out, in the chest area especially, but also how cute she looked all tucked into it.

Rainbow looked up at the slightly taller girl from over her shoulder before whirling around and opening the jacket widely around her, “Get in here, we can share,”

“Rainbow,” Applejack whined her name, though she smiled at the act and enjoyed it even more when the girl wrapped her jacket-holding arms around her.

Applejack could feel the warmth of Rainbow's body as she was embraced into the jacket and hugged by the girl at the same time. With a stifled delighted hum, Applejack opted to remain in her arms for a few seconds longer. Until, that is, she reached her own arms up and slid them into the sleeve holes, pushing them off of Rainbow's shoulders with ease. Rainbow took this as an invitation to move closer and press her chest against Applejack's, adding an daring gaze to the mix.

“What, first you wanted me to put more clothes on, and now you're stripping me?” Rainbow Dash toyed with her words in a seductive way, swaying between Applejack's directing arms.

“Are you complaining?” Applejack asked pleasantly, removing the jacket from her friend and swinging it around her back, slipping her own arms fully into the holes in a slick movement.

“Only that you're stopping with the jacket,” Rainbow Dash murmured with puffed lips, admiring the way Applejack pulled the buttons tight over her chest.

Still amused by most anything the girl said, Applejack just huffed a laugh and finished putting on her jacket. Reaching into the pocket an fumbling around with the gloves she had stored in the pouch, she debated actually putting them on. It seemed warm enough with the sunlight and all, and she could always settle for just sticking her hands into the pockets if they bothered her. Leaving it to decide later, she turned the handle of the front door and stepped right out, holding it open for another few seconds with her boot.

“You're still comin', ain't cha?” the barmaid asked casually, leaning back to catch the flustered expression on Rainbow's face as she scrambled for a coat.

“Of course I am! Just a sec,” Rainbow called back as she tossed on her nearest jacket, the same one Applejack had seen her in the first night they met.

Rushing out the door while twisting a scarf around her neck, Rainbow Dash came sprinting into the hallway before her front door fell back into place, as she slammed it after her and jiggled her key in the lock until it stuck. Applejack just moseyed over to the elevator and let her catch up, raising an eyebrow at the hanging side of Rainbow's coat as she left only one arm in the thing while she put her keys away. She sure wasn't particularly composed or graceful, but there was something about the lack of those things that made Applejack smile.

“What are you grinning at?” Rainbow Dash asked, blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes.

“Nothin',” Applejack passively cooed, waiting by as Rainbow Dash leaned forward and pressed the button to call the elevator.

For a few seconds, there was silence. But Rainbow Dash, she was no good at silence; so before the elevator even arrived, she exhaled some annoyed sigh. Applejack raised her eyebrow in question, and Rainbow Dash spoke, “I just remembered we actually have to go in to work today. That sucks.”

“If th' Joint opened s'early, I'd be there right now,” Applejack responded casually, shrugging her shoulder as Rainbow gave her an incredulous look. “Ah need th' money, is all. We can't all be daughters of businessmen.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” Rainbow murmured lowly. Trying to avoid discussing it directly, she went on, “You're just a workaholic, I bet.”

“Maybe a lil' o' both.” Applejack chuckled lightly as the elevator arrived, and the two stepped inside simultaneously, Rainbow clicking the button for the lobby floor. “S'pose Ah can't say Ah hate workin': been on th' farm m'whole life, an' the pub's where Ah get t'see y'all.”

“No doubt you've lived out there your whole life Dolly, you've got the dialect to prove it,” Rainbow Dash snidely remarked with a rough nudge. But she went on, “What made you want to be a bartender, anyway?”

“Lots'a things, Ah guess,” Applejack reminisced as she looked up at the numbers above the doors counting down as they descended. “Out in th' country, everybody drinks y'see, an' m'family has a reputation for makin' some mean cider. Ah dunno, guess Ah just knew best what would make me some cash, an' Ah was always mighty good at it.”

“I can vouch for that,” Rainbow added with a smirk, but let her go on.

“Yea' you're slowly drinking your way through m'whole repertoire. Boy, listen t' me, talkin' in fancy,” Applejack paused to laugh before going on. “Twi once told me somethin' 'bout th' workin' class bein' partial t' pub culture, since we ain't really as reliant on mass media an' all. Course, then she started goin' off about how farmers weren't really distinctly workin' class or middle class, since they own their means of production but do all the manual labour themselves an' all, Ah couldn't keep up.”

“So, you started doing it because it was good for making money?” Rainbow Dash gathered as the elevator neared the lowest floor, passing all the others without hesitation.

“That, an' Ah really liked it,” Applejack admitted with a fond smile. “For a while, actually, Ah moved to Manehattan, tryn'a figure out what Ah was best suited for an' all.”

“You, in Manehattan? That'd be the day.” Rainbow Dash grinned brightly, reminding the farmer that she was just pressing her buttons about it.

“Oh, it was a hoot,” Applejack agreed firmly just remembering the way she had tried to hide her accent and background. “Ah stayed with m'aunt an' uncle, got a taste o' high society. Ah even really freaked 'em out one night when they had a dinner party, Ah started showin' off to th' caterer: makin' drinks, stirin' up cocktails, Ah was a regular mixologist.”

“Why'd you come back? Not that I'm complaining, by any means,” Rainbow Dash asked as the elevator doors opened once more and the pair exited, avoiding another group as they went to get inside.

“Manehattan jus' wasn't for me, Ah guess. Ah didn't fit there very well, b'sides, Ah couldn't be that far from th' farm. It was torture.” Applejack knew that the farm was an innate part of her now, no matter how far into debt it might have fallen in her absence and with the appearance of competitors.

“Fair enough.” Rainbow Dash let it slide, shrugging her hands into her pockets before shoving her shoulder against the entrance doors and forcing them open. “I know I sure didn't fit into my family's pretentious, high-society myself.”

“Ah can only imagine,” Applejack mused as the image came to mind, and Rainbow pouted her lips and arched her eyebrows.

“Oh shut up,” Rainbow growled and rolled her eyes, tucking her chin into her scarf as the crisp nip of the day bit her.

The morning sure was beautiful: bright and vibrant, yet cool and comfortable. Some stray few snowflakes fluttered around even in the sunlight, twinkling around them like a labyrinth of stars. However, a cloud passed over the sun, and the snowflakes began to fall just a little bit harder as Rainbow Dash thought on the subject.

“To afford a crib like this, I had to have come from money. You should have seen my dad's place in Cloudsdale, it's a mansion and a half. But you know, those chrome faucets, stainless-steel appliances and granite counter-tops come at a price.” She chewed on her cheek and kicked her steps through the fluffy white that hindered her path.

“Yea', try an arm an' a leg,” Applejack concurred with a hopeless sigh.

“And everything in between,” the rainbow-headed girl muttered in addition, but cleared her throat and went on. “Anyway, the guy's a suit if I ever called it, a stone-stiff statue with nothing on his mind but money and sex. And hey, he's the kind of guy who makes it his business to get what he wants.”

“You two don't get along too well, do ya?” Applejack inferred, forcing an understanding smile and trying to meet the girl's eyes.

“You can say that again,” Rainbow groaned, tipping her head back. She let her eyes close a bit as snow lined her eyelashes and bangs. “Like I said before, having him buy my affection seems like the most logical thing to do. Can't stand the guy otherwise, but until I met you I didn't have anything else in the way of friendship or kinship or whatever.”

“Sounds mighty lonely,” the barmaid dropped her gaze and tone, reading the mood as it darkened.

“It is what it is.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, but nodded towards a direction. “There's a little brunch shack right around the corner there. But yeah, the guy stops in from time to time to check up, as if birthdays and holiday's aren't awful enough.”

“We don't hafta talk 'bout this,” Applejack made to shift the conversation, glancing around for this so-called shack.

“It's cool, I mean I'm an adult now, he can't totally run my life or anything any more,” Rainbow Dash hurriedly corrected her habit of speaking too much. “Man, I'm so in the mood for some hash-browns and pancakes, what about you?”

“Ah dunno, grits 'r eggs 'r somethin',” Applejack absently responded.

“Eww, you seriously eat grits? I thought only weird old men ate that stuff.” Rainbow scrunched up her face in a disgusted way.

“Oh hush! Ah ought'a smack you!” Applejack seemed offended by the remark, but noticed the restaurant just ahead.

“As long as you don't make me eat that gunk.” Rainbow stuck her tongue out, and Applejack just laughed at the way the girl reminded her of some little kid.

They sat by the window in the restaurant, across from each other in a booth. Applejack sipped on her apple juice as she looked through the nearby glass, noticing the slowly gathering snow. Unlike Rainbow Dash, the barmaid was not really interested in coffee in any way. However, the girl across from her was not the conventional coffee drinker either, Applejack noticed. The small, shapely glass and abundance of whipped topping did attract her, but the scent of coffee was not particularly pleasing.

Lifting the glass to her lips and tasting the dark, bitter flavour, Rainbow Dash let some of the topping stick to her lip. It was sweet in contrast to the kick of caffeine and the faint flavour of whiskey. Applejack watched the glass settle back to the wooden table between them, the click of the base against it so quiet yet noticeable amidst the otherwise dull chatter of the restaurant.

“Irish coffee, huh?” Applejack piped up simply, looking between the object and her conversation partner.

“It's all my dad ever drank with breakfast,” Rainbow Dash admitted with a warm exhale, looking at the familiar brownish hue. “It smells like morning to me.”

“For a guy y'claim not t' be too fond of, y'sure mention him a lot,” Applejack noticed in an even tone, hoping not to get on the girl's nerves.

“Either that or talk about work, and come on, you know all about that,” Rainbow debated, her voice raising defensively.

“Maybe,” Applejack spoke in a hush over the brim of her apple juice. “You likin' it? Th' job, Ah mean. Ah know y'ain't really used to it 'r nothin'.”

“I'm coming around,” Rainbow Dash passively agreed, following Applejack's gaze out the window and watching the frost and condensation gather in the corners. “I'm not too keen on the whole customer service thing, but the job's easy enough, and I like the place.”

“That's good.” Applejack nodded, adjusting her position in the booth. She paused when she felt something touch her boot, but made no mention of it.

“It's nice having someone like you around, someone I can stand.” Rainbow smirked teasingly and slid her foot against Applejack's ankle again slowly.

The farmer didn't move away, enticed by the unspoken physical contact that remained unseen as well as unaddressed. Allowing the girl across from her to continue, Applejack found herself drawn to make eye contact. Rainbow Dash took another slow sip from the Irish Coffee, licking the creamy topping off her upper lip habitually. Applejack swallowed hard, wishing she liked the taste of the stuff enough to try it off her.

“So, you've been working at the Joint for a few years now, right?” Rainbow Dash asked innocently, a contrast to the deviant slide of her foot.

“Darn near two, Ah'd reckon,” Applejack revealed with a casual few nods.

“Seems you're friendly with the servers, too,” the hostess went on, looking down at the table as if she could see through it to the now more aggressive rubbing. Applejack frowned, noticing something like jealousy or resentment in her voice and actions.

“Some'a them are m' good friends, yea'. Pinkie an' Rare have been there longer than me, Fluttershy was a friend o' Pinkie's, an' Twi only started maybe a year ago,” the barmaid explained, moving her foot with her friend's. “Still, the five of us are pretty close.”

“I see,” Rainbow revealed a saddened smile, which accompanied some forlorn expression. “That sounds nice, friends.”

“Oh, don't be s' gloomy, it don't work with that bright hair o' yours.” Applejack tipped her head back and spoke up, commanding the attention of the girl across from her. “Ah bet you'll be a hit at th' party, t' boot.”

“You think so?” the girl asked in a wondering tone, her foot playing coy just the same.

“Know so,” Applejack confirmed as she smiled and winked at her. “An' if not, we can cut outta there lickety-split an' Ah'll piggy-back y'all th' way home!”

“You totally would, too,” Rainbow Dash laughed whole-heartedly as the server came around with their breakfasts in hand.

“Thank ya,” Applejack thanked the girl as she placed the plates in front of them, while Rainbow was still settling down. “Eat up.”

Though Applejack constantly had to put up with the remarks Rainbow Dash had regarding her choice of meal, the two got through it with minimal arguing. Once she began eating, Rainbow also forgot about the little game she had been playing under the table, and let Applejack alone.

As promised, the bill was picked up by Rainbow Dash, though Applejack predictably had some issues coming to terms with that. After a few scrambles to rip the bill out of each other's hands, Applejack gave up and let her friend cover it. After all, Applejack didn't really have the kind of disposable income to spend on eating out, and with her truck in disrepair, she had bigger worries than that.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked together until their path's diverged, which was only perhaps a block or two. It was quieter than they often were when they were together, perhaps because they knew how little time they had left to spend, or perhaps because they were too busy thinking about the evening before. Either way, it was quiet, the only sound being the slow fall of downy flake. Their steps were shallow and short, delayed to keep their time together extended.

With a small gust of wind accompanying it, a distant cloud cleared the sun, allowing rays and runs of light to make their way unhindered to the pair below. Applejack winced at first, but forced her eyes open again to take in the marvellous scene around her. What few glistening flakes still twirled around them sparkled in the sunlight like flecks of tinsel. All around her feet, twinkling mounds of glitter that reflected each colour of the spectrum back at her in nearly unnoticeable intervals.

But truly there was no reason it would look so glorious to her now, when she had been trudging through the stuff for years on and off; that is, except for the company trudging right along beside her. Casting a quick glance to Rainbow Dash, Applejack wondered if this crazy girl was the cause of the fluttering in her gut and the mushy sentimentality. The sun sure did look good on her, too, Applejack noted. At that moment, Rainbow turned and looked at her, causing her to avoid her gaze innocently and clear her throat.

“Well,” Applejack said, though it came out raspy at first until she got control of herself. “Ah s'pose this is where we split, ain't it?”

“Yep.” Rainbow stopped on the corner beside the barmaid and stalled with a hum, teetering from her toes to her heels and looking like she was going to say something.

Applejack waited for her to speak patiently, letting out the same awkward smile she had grown accustomed to putting on to hide whatever plagued her mind, though it must have looked forced. Suddenly, without permission or warning, Rainbow Dash threw her arms around Applejack, yanking her in and squeezing her in an embrace. Though initially shocked, Applejack found her own hands touching the slimmer girl's back acceptingly, and even allowed the embrace to linger until Rainbow Dash chose to end it. Unfortunately, Rainbow had opted to give the unspoken decision to Applejack as well, so the two remained locked together for a comfortable yet uncertain few seconds.

“So, uh,” Rainbow Dash murmured as she pulled away, trying to get her thoughts straight again. “Good luck with the truck and all. And, um, I'll see you at... work, right?”

“An' on Saturday, Ah hope,” Applejack easily added, brushing off the distracting contact by contributing a nudge to what remained of it.

“Yeah, maybe I'll make an appearance.” Rainbow casually flipped her hair and acted distant.

“Ah hope so,” the barmaid's response pleased Rainbow, and she allowed the girl to start along her way before swinging her legs back herself.

Turning right around to face the girl while placing herself a few backwards steps further away, Rainbow Dash opened her mouth and nearly shouted back, “Later, Dolly!”

Applejack looked back over her shoulder and stopped in her stroll. Her body instinctively faced the girl, and she numbly raised a hand in the sunlight between the waltzing snowflakes. She had to swallow the dryness in her mouth to summon words, and it was just one, “Bye.”

Applejack stared at Rainbow as she tossed her a great big grin, before she waved back and started off again in a characteristic stride. Her chest ached to watch Rainbow leave, she realized, and perhaps it was not just the dull chill that had tinted her cheeks and lips a childish rosy hue. Well enough in-tuned with her desires, she found herself almost compelled to race back over there and kiss her goodbye instead, though her mouth might still taste of Irish Coffee.

It hit her, surprisingly late in the stages. Applejack should have noticed it much sooner, but it was right then that she understood, as the object of her affection was taking off around the corner and towing her bright head of hair and her charming smirk along with her. But the realization actually terrified her, though it enthralled her at the same time. Even if it delighted her to label it, she knew well that the feelings were taboo for her. She was not allowed to feel this way, this wonderful way, about anyone. Applejack had to take care of her family and her job first of all, but still, she couldn't help indulging herself long enough to repeat the sentiment to herself aloud.

“Ah think Ah'm fallin' in love.” Applejack sighed pleasantly, and the words were warm to her tingling ears.

Author's Note

So, here's a background chapter. And as always, a little flirting.
You know, I came up with the idea of Applejack being a bartender a long time ago, when I first heard her name. It seemed odd that most of the girls had names similar to their cutie marks and talents, but Applejack's name was a hard beverage, while she was a fruit farmer. So, I fixed that up a bit, to try it out. Hope you like it, anyway. Until next chapter! (Which may be a while as I'm getting back to Hail Mary...)

Tinsel Bellini

VIII. Tinsel Bellini

Staring blankly down at the enormous bowl, Applejack drew circles in the thick liquid over and over. The small bottle in her hand emptied bit by bit into it until the consistency seemed right, and she tested it with a small sip. Perfectly mixed, of course. She went back to stirring, casually watching the parted substance fall back into place faster now that the thickness was diluted.

“More, more!” a deafening tone blared next to her ear and Applejack winced.

Accompanying the shout was a rough shove that pushed her forward and took hold of the hand that grasped the bottle. Applejack watched irritably as the girl knocked a few more swigs into the mix, giggling all the while. It splashed about here and there, and Applejack moved a few inches back to avoid getting any on her red and green turtle-neck sweater, one that her grandmother had knitted her years before. Finally, the barmaid would let Pinkie do no more damage, and fought the bubbly girl further away. As she did, her foe put her lips right over the mouth of the bottle and picked it up in her jaw, tilting her head back to get a few good gulps herself.

“Pinkie, that's Rum. You're gonna get y'self sick again,” Applejack grumbled as she snatched the bottle from the pink-haired server, who was licking her lips all the while and humming her delight. “Y'asked me t'handle th' drinks, Ah know what Ah'm doin'.”

“Sorry Applejack,” Pinkie apologized, though it didn't even sound like one with her light squeaking. “I'm just so super excited!”

“Uh-huh.” Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed, replacing the lid on the bottle and holding it out of the girl's reach.

“Oh, you're just grumpy because Dashie didn't come, aren't you?” Pinkie asked teasingly, stepping into the barmaid's personal space.

“She said she's comin', she's comin',” the barmaid responded in a grumble.

“Applejack, Applejack, Appleja~ack,” Pinkie sung her name, and Applejack began stirring the liquid again with a slightly more concerned expression, noticing the change in proof as Pinkie had dumped a good lot more Rum into the mix. “You should come out and enjoy the party! Vinyl's remixing old holiday jingles, it's a blast!”

“This was home-made eggnog,” Applejack murmured under Pinkie's ramblings, pouting her lips at how she had overly-spiked it.

“Applejack!” Pinkie squealed again to get the barmaid's attention.

“Quit yellin' m'name, Ah know who Ah am,” Applejack replied in a louder voice, frowning at the party host.

“Applejack,” Pinkie defied her in a firm tone, and again the barmaid rolled her eyes. “I'm going to save you from this depressing rut!”

“Depressin' rut? This is your kitchen,” Applejack corrected, looking around at the seemingly unused room.

“Come on!” the frizzy-headed girl grabbed Applejack's arm and yanked her away from her post towards the swinging door, despite adamant protesting.

“What about th' sugar cookies? An' th' cider still needs t' be—!” Applejack pulled back, but ultimately allowed herself to be dragged to the living room, where the party ensued.

“Phooey!” Pinkie darn near screamed, looping and latching her arms around Applejack's captive one and stomping towards the rest of the group.

The music boomed much louder from the living room, where it originated, and Applejack had realized that the swinging door to the kitchen had protected her well from such festive tunes. She squirmed uncomfortably as Pinkie gripped her arm, which was being pressed between the girl's abundant breasts. At last, Pinkie Pie released her and shoved her next to Twilight, who was sipping on some champagne next to the beverage and snack table.

“Here, talk to Twi!” Pinkie shouted, though such volume was not necessary as the music could still be spoken above rather easily.

“Uh...” Applejack looked at the familiar face of her friend and supervisor, but didn't get a chance to say anything more.

“And have something to drink, silly! It's a party!” The frizzy-haired, bouncing girl shoved three glasses of champagne into the barmaid's hands, and luckily she was good at holding so many things due to her job requirements.

“What do y'think Ah was doin' in the kitchen?” Applejack mumbled as she placed two of the glasses of champagne down next to Twilight on the table and stood next to the girl.

Not wanting to be pulled around or scolded by the party host any more, Applejack remained by Twilight's side and brought the one glass to her lips. She had been sipping some of the Rum herself as she made the bowl of eggnog, so she wasn't adverse to having a few drinks. However, she was quite adverse to champagne, as the drink was not one of her favourites by any stretch. Twilight seemed to enjoy it though, and pleasantly sipped at it before taking the barmaid's attention.

“There you are, I knew you'd be hiding somewhere in the back, making these drinks and treats, no doubt.” Twilight giggled as she gestured to the line of drinks along the table, and Applejack could tell by her elevated mood that she had been drinking a good few glasses of champagne.

The snack table was mostly covered in scattered bowls of candy: be it brittle of some kind, candy canes, toffee, fudge or nougat chunks, or cookies similar to the kind Applejack had been making. Other than that, there was a good spread of beverages: a bowl of punch, a cooler of breezers, spritzers and beer, two open bottles of champagne, wine from some foreign land, and soon, the freshly made bowl of spiked eggnog. It sure was quite the spread, Pinkie always made sure to overstock on such things.

“Yea', y'know me,” Applejack said into the glass with a shrug.

“I'm surprised you could come at all,” Twilight went on in a chipper voice. “Miss Jubilee sure works you hard.”

“Yea',” the barmaid huffed the word in resentment. Applejack's expression sank to think of the woman, and just what work she demanded. On that note, Applejack brought the champagne flute right to her lips and tipped it at Twilight. “Even th' barmaid has t' drink sometimes.” And she downed the entire glass.

Watching the usually responsible barmaid swallow her whole drink, Twilight cautiously responded, “If you say so.”

“Excuse me, darling,” a much more proper and refined voice cut between the two, and they parted for the woman.

“Howdy Rare,” Applejack went to tip her hat, but remembered that she had left it on the coat rack as per proper manners. “Enjoyin' th' party?”

“Oh yes, and these sweets are divine, dear,” Rarity mused as she placed a few on a paper plate, filling up her glass with more of the bubbly liquid. Looking around, Rarity pursed her lips wonderingly. “Where is Rainbow Dash? Have you given her the—”

“She ain't here yet, no,” Applejack interrupted her shyly, looking away as if trying to act dismissive about it. “You're keepin' Spike company?”

“... Yes.” Rarity noticed her evasive change of subject, turning the focus onto her spending time with a much younger boy. “He's not quite old enough to drink yet, the poor dear must be quite bored just talking to me.”

“Ah dunno about that,” Applejack murmured to herself with a subtle smirking, knowing well the way the young boy deified Rarity.

“Only a few more months to go,” Twilight added with a proud smile.

As the three glanced over to the boy in question, who awkwardly sipped his sparkling apple juice by himself, they caught sight of a set of headlights squeezing through the drapes. Headlights only ever did that when someone pulled into the driveway, so they knew someone had arrived. Applejack placed her empty glass on the table and went towards the door to open it up for whoever it was. As she did, Twilight spoke up.

“That must be Fluttershy, she said she was getting a ride,” Twilight spoke as she followed Applejack.

“From who?” Applejack asked over her shoulder, knowing Fluttershy wasn't much for keeping close company, she was usually too shy for that as her name implied.

“Her bo~oyfriend!” Pinkie Pie chimed in while she danced past them in spinning circles.

“She's got another one? Since when?” the barmaid questioned with an odd expression. For someone so socially inept, she sure did happen to be popular with the boys. She was usually too nice to turn them down when they asked her out too, which is how she always turned up with some guy.

“She's had this one for a while now, few months I think,” Pinkie thought aloud as she twirled.

At that moment, they noticed the new guest step up to the door and knock twice, very quietly. There were a few mumbles from the other side, which went unheard due to the volume of the music which drowned it out. Then, right before Applejack could turn the knob, several more firm knocks were heard. Shrugging at the noise, Applejack pulled the front door open and revealed the aforementioned girl.

“Um, hello,” Fluttershy stammered out with her head bowed.

“Hey Fluttershy! Come in already! Come in, come in!” Pinkie squealed as she nearly pushed Applejack over to grab the timid girl's hand, tugging her into the party.

“Watch it,” Applejack scoffed as she tugged her collar back into place, as it had been offset by Pinkie's antics. Raising her narrowed eyes, Applejack noticed the man who accompanied Fluttershy at once.

He was a very large fellow indeed, at least a head taller than Applejack and shoulders almost as broad as Big Mac's. His short, groomed back hair was brilliantly blonde, nearly white in fact, and caused his blue eyes to jump out like sapphires. He was dressed rather well for someone in a leather jacket, and clean shaven to boot. Not that Applejack was much for men at all, but she did see some appeal in him, that is, until he spoke.

“How long do we have to stay here, anyway?” the man's voice was a growl, and his expression contorted into a deep frown.

“Oh, um, a little while I hope, I mean, if that's okay,” Fluttershy's voice got so quiet it dipped below the sound of the music.

“Whatever,” he grumbled lowly and crossed his arms, looking around for the beverage table.

“Um, everyone,” Fluttershy spoke up a bit, calling the attention of the girls near her. “This is my boyfriend, Angel.”

“What kind of a name is Angel?” Pinkie Pie asked bluntly, her bright, big eyes blinking in curiosity.

“From the Greek, ángelos, it's the word for a supernatural, mythological being found in various religions and—” Twilight had begun to explain, until she was silenced.

“Oh fuck off, my parents were just assholes,” the man cut in with a scowl, bearing his teeth as he spoke.

“Now now, Angel, be nice,” Fluttershy placed her hand on his arm, and he sort of just glared at it. “How about we go and get something to drink, okay?”

“Fine,” he spat, grabbing Fluttershy by the shoulder and dragging her after him aggressively.

Twilight, Pinkie and Applejack just stood there silently as the two walked off, until the barmaid finally spoke, “What was that about?”

“Somebody's a mister grumpy pants,” Pinkie Pie murmured into her lips, parting them barely to speak. “Maybe I'll go give him a hug and throw some confetti and—!”

“Ah dunno if tha's such a good idea.” Applejack grabbed her by the shoulder as she went to take off after the couple. “Here, Ah'll go talk t' them.”

Applejack followed the pair to the drink table and feigned interest in having a look at the snacks. She could see Twilight and Pinkie out of the corner of her eye, ushering her to go on, but she kept to her own schedule. Glancing once or twice over to the pair, she cleared her throat and made to start conversation.

“Uh,” Applejack started, getting Fluttershy's attention right away. “So, how long've y'all been together?”

“I don't know, a while.” Angel just shrugged the topic away, cluttering his paper plate with many treats and sweets.

“Um, it'll be six months, next week,” Fluttershy corrected with a serene smile, taking but two little pastries for herself.

“Oh, congratulations, then,” the barmaid said politely.

“For what? Not being able to find anything better to do than settle for sleeping with the same person for half a year of my life?” Angel retorted through a cookie in his mouth, and Applejack wasn't sure if she heard that right.

“He's teasing,” Fluttershy explained, nervously giggling.

“What the fuck is this,” Angel scowled, looking at the drink selection with a disgusted frown. “What the hell kind of party doesn't have Rum and Eggnog? Do you people just not know how to do throw a Hearth's Warming party or some shit?”

“It's still bein' chilled, in the kitchen,” Applejack told him and nervously chuckled. “Ah should check on it, an' the cookies, too. Fluttershy, you wanna give me a hand?”

“Well, sure, I mean, if that's all right,” her voice got softer, and her eyes drifted to Angel for permission, but he did not seem to care.

“Don't be long,” he ordered simply, grabbing a beer and cracking it open.

“Yes, okay,” Fluttershy agreed promptly, but followed Applejack into the kitchen nonetheless.

Upon pushing through the swinging door into the kitchen and letting the much quieter air settle in around them, Applejack heaved a loud sigh. Fluttershy said nothing for or against it, but shyly tailed her friend over to the over to check the cookies, first. As they were done, Applejack scooped Pinkie's oven mitt off the knob of the cupboard above and slipped her hand into it, retrieving the sweets with ease. As they made a gentle noise upon settling onto the cool stove, Applejack nearly threw off the oven mitt to speak.

“Is y'boyfriend always so...” She swallowed to try and keep the comment polite, as much as she wanted to just yell about it. “Aggressive?”

“Oh, well, um, I suppose he can be a bit...” Borrowing Pinkie's familiar word, she went on, “Grumpy. He's just, he's not used to being around so many strangers, surely.”

“He doesn't seem all that nice t' you.” The barmaid tilted her head, trying to pry at the truth from the often too kind lips of her most quiet of friends.

“He tries, s-sometimes harder than other times,” she responded passively, glancing down at the cookies as they were easier to look at that Applejack's serious expression. “He's had a bit of a difficult time getting close to people, and, um, he's still learning. I just have to be patient, that's all.”

“Learnin' what, how t' treat you like a human bein'?” Applejack asked with a judgemental tone, though she quickly realized her mistake. “Sorry, Fluttershy. Ah didn't mean t' be rude, but, well, he seems nothin' but mean t' you an' your friends, Ah don't think tha's right.”

“He's possessive, yes,” Fluttershy had to agree, though it still seemed like she was protecting him. “But he is very patient with me, too. He puts up with all of my, my troublesome habits. Most of the time.”

“Puts up with?” Applejack repeated and blinked, surprised to hear anything like that. “What does that mean?”

“Sure, he, um, gets angry with me,” Fluttershy shrunk as her voice fell quieter, and the barmaid had to lean in to hear it at all. “B-but I provoke him, too.”

Applejack went very quiet, tracing the worrisome lines across Fluttershy's face. It was very clear at that moment that Fluttershy was hiding something from her. And from the way the girl was sweating and hid under her long-sleeve sweater, Applejack took a guess.

“Has he ever,” Applejack spoke slowly, making sure each word was clear but not invasive or judgemental. “Hurt you?”

“That's a silly thing to ask, Applejack.” Fluttershy forced a small giggle, her eyes dropping to her feet and her hands hiding in her sleeves.

“That ain't an answer.” The barmaid continued to stare at her friend, waiting for a more suitable response. Her lack of willingness to discuss it was proof enough, though.

“Listen, he has flaws, sure, but we all do,” the timid girl spoke again, her serene yet contorted face meeting Applejack's gaze. A smile wormed onto her lips as she continued, “Everyone needs love, Applejack,”

“Yea', includin' you,” Applejack reminded her firmly. As Fluttershy let out a slow breath and shrugged about it, avoiding confrontation and direct discussion, Applejack continued to speak over the dull throbbing of the distant music, “It jus' don't seem like tha's a good relationship, is all. Ah don't want cha t' get mixed up in somethin' you'll regret. W'all still remember that fella Iron Will, y'know. This don't seem much better.”

“T-thanks for the advice, but, um,” Fluttershy cleared her throat awkwardly, dropping the subject and stepping back toward the door almost defensively. She flashed another sad smile and ducked out at once, leaving a few words in her wake, “I think I'm okay.”

“Ah hope so.” Applejack watched the door fall back into place, standing alone in the kitchen at last with her back against the counter.

Her eyes fell a bit, struggling to accept the fact that Fluttershy didn't want her to know any of what was going on with her. Squeezing her fingers against her palm, Applejack let out a low groan in the form of a hum. She could understand the sentiment herself, as evident in the fact that she herself had never uttered a word against Miss Jubilee, no matter how abusive their interactions felt. She could not blame Fluttershy for doing the same.

By the time Applejack came out of the kitchen, after checking the chilling eggnog and moving the sugar cookies onto a cooling rack, Fluttershy and Angel were already on their way out the door. Apparently Angel had it in his mind to let Fluttershy make him dinner that evening instead, and having to stop at several stores on the way to get the best ingredients to make it perfect seemed necessary to him. It was for the best, Angel's attitude was not the best addition to one of Pinkie's parties.

With a heavy heart, Applejack placed the Rum and Eggnog mixture onto the snack table at last, her mood dropping to her feet with each passing moment. Most everyone at the party was well past intoxicated, and having little else to do but bake and take care of beverages, for herself and for others, Applejack was not far behind. She had just about given up hope that Rainbow Dash was coming that evening, after all, she never was good with making friends or being in crowds.

Applejack shuttered as she placed the ladle into the bowl once more, turning it in place and feeling the cool air coming off of the liquid. As the drifting chill of the winter's evening wind passed over her, coming in from perhaps an open window or another attempt from Pinkie to go out and gather enough snow for a snow-cone before she squealed about her frozen toes and ran back in, she placed a stack of plastic cups beside the bowl. Applejack was about to step back and perhaps go find someone sober enough to talk to, but was stalled. Flinching as arms came around her stomach, she went stiff and glanced down, recognizing the slender, pinkish fingers contained in their usual fingerless gloves.

“Hey,” Rainbow murmured into the back of her shoulder, nuzzling against it.

“Well you sure hummed and hawed b'fore choosin' t' show,” Applejack pleasantly chuckled, allowing the girl to embrace her before turning around to greet her.

“Y-yeah, took me a w-while to find the place,” Rainbow Dash stuttered through her chattering teeth and numbing lips, which as Applejack turned around, she realized were bright red and chapped.

“Heavens, y'must be freezin'!” Applejack gasped, turning to face the slim girl and placing her warm hands over Rainbow's now crimson exposed ears. “Look at cha, all rosy-faced an' cute as a button.”

“I can't hear what you're saying,” Rainbow responded in a louder voice, as Applejack had been covering her ears.

“C'mon an' warm up.” The barmaid draped an arm around her and pulled her over to one of the couches, which was vacant as of that moment. “What'd y'do, walk here?”

“Maybe,” Rainbow said into her hands while she blew warm air between them, plopping down on the couch as Applejack sat beside her. “I caught the bus most of the way, but had to walk for like a half hour, lost. Pinkie's directions are ridiculous.”

Rainbow Dash pulled off one of her gloves and fingered around in her pocket, managing to find the piece of paper she required even with her numb hands. Unfurling it, she showed it to Applejack exactly as Pinkie had drawn it: like a treasure map, complete with hand-drawn landmarks and few street names. Applejack rolled her eyes and let Rainbow crumple it back up and shove it into her pocket.

“Sheesh,” the barmaid sighed as she covered her eyes with her hand in an embarrassed motion.

“Oh well, I got here, didn't I?” Rainbow grinned as she unzipped her jacket, letting it fall apart and expose her sweater. As she tugged off her scarf, Applejack was able to see the baby-blue colour of it, and the snowflake pattern that danced across it. “Hey, eyes are up here, Dolly.”

“Stuff it.” Applejack roughly shoved the girl, causing them both to laugh.

“Ooh, look!” Pinkie's voice called out shrilly and sliced the pleasant tune of the music in half all across the room. “Applejack's not the only one with an ugly holiday sweater!”

“Hey!” both Applejack and Rainbow Dash defensively sounded.

“You two are adorable!” She bounced over to them, swinging an Ottoman out from by a recliner and pulling it over to the couch, plopping down right onto it in front of them. “Wow, I never thought you'd show up! Applejack kept saying 'she said she's comin', s' she's comin'' and she was totally right!” Pinkie's voice deepened and acquired an accent as she meant to mock Applejack.

“I almost didn't make it, thanks to those trash directions you gave me.” Rainbow glared at her with a firm frown. Her eyes flashed over to the barmaid though, and softened as she looped her arm around the back of the couch behind the girl. “Course, I'd hate to make a liar of Dolly.”

“Oh my gosh! I'm so~o sorry, Dashie!” the frizzy haired girl cried obnoxiously, making Rainbow Dash cringe. “How can I ever make it up to you?”

“Stop calling me that,” Rainbow Dash muttered blankly, but got a better idea. “And maybe get me a drink.”

“How 'bout Ah make somethin' special, hmm?” Applejack spoke up, tilting her head in Rainbow's direction as she caught the girl's attention. “Ah'm sure you'll love it.”

“Do it, do it!” Pinkie bounced up and down on her seat, the short piece of furniture scraping across the ground over and over.

“Pinkie's got quite th' collection in 'er liquor cabinet,” the barmaid praised, already thinking of what interesting and little known drink she could mix for the rainbow-haired girl.

“Of course I do! What's a party without it?!” Pinkie chimed, her voice cracking behind her beaming smile halfway through the sentence.

“Here, Ah'll be right back,” Applejack said as she pushed off the couch, getting to her feet before turning and going around the seat towards the kitchen.

“Don't keep me waiting,” Rainbow Dash called after her, pinning her eyes on the barmaid. “Make it good, and I'll give you a nice tip, 'kay?”

Applejack paused to carefully glance back, her expression interested and apprehensive. She still had not forgotten the first tip that Rainbow Dash had left her with. Cracking a smile, she replied, “Y'better.”

Rainbow Dash fondly watched her walk away, leaning back against the couch and peering over her outstretched arm to get a better look as Applejack went through the swinging door into the kitchen. Letting out a content sigh as the girl's body disappeared, she relaxed back into place on the couch. Pinkie Pie was staring at her with a great big smile though, and she flinched to notice it.

“She's so cute when you're around, don't you think?” Pinkie Pie asked, clasping her hands together between her knees.

“She's always cute,” Rainbow Dash answered easily, though she felt jealous to hear Pinkie call the barmaid something like that, even if it didn't mean anything.

“The Applejack I know is always so well-adjusted, like, Mrs. Cool, Calm, and Collected. But it's funny, when you're around...” The frizzy-headed waitress sighed loudly, phrasing it right, “She's always smiling and doing weird things.”

Rainbow Dash contorted her expression, not really getting it. “Like what?”

“Like getting syrup all over her arm, or being flustered by a silly nickname, or getting up to go and make a cool drink!” Pinkie rambled, shifting back and forth in the seat and counting inaccurately on her fingers the oddities she noticed.

“Oh, she's made a lot cooler of a drink than this one probably is, let me tell you.” The rainbow-haired girl tipped her head and smirked, remembering the most exciting of drinks she had ever seen.

“She's pretty talented with that stuff, yeah,” Pinkie agreed readily.

“I don't know if you've ever seen her do this one thing, but it was amazing. The first time we met, it was months ago, right, I came into the Joint on this really, really slow night, so it was just me and her,” Rainbow began to tell, and Pinkie's expression settled narrower with each word, finding the tale familiar. “Now, the drink tasted fine, but it was the way she made it that was so damn awesome.”

“The way she made it, huh?” the girl repeated, a wondering suspicion creeping up.

“Yeah, she gets these two tankards, right, fills them with Scotch and water, and she turns off the lights,” Rainbow said as she demonstrated with her hands miming in the air, and Pinkie focused on the movements. “And she lights it on fire!”

“Wait, that was...?” Pinkie gasped lightly as she realized it. That was the very same story, the very same drink that Applejack had claimed to make a certain mysterious girl, who until this point had remained nameless.

“And she starts pouring it back and forth between the tankards—the fire! It, like, pours between her hands like a great blue stream, it was, it was...” she kept going, only pausing to sigh in awe as she remembered it. “Phenomenal.”

“And, um...” Pinkie coughed to hold in her laughter, finding out a very interesting secret that Applejack had been keeping from everyone. “What did you say this drink was called?”

“A Blue Blazer.” Rainbow Dash revealed at last.

Pinkie bit her lip and widened her great sparkling eyes, knowing now who this girl was: the mysterious Blue Blazer Girl who had kissed and captivated Applejack. The barmaid had told a few of her friends about that evening when she had a few drinks herself and let it slip, though it was kept mostly a secret and Applejack had begged them to keep it quiet. Not only had she not wanted them to figure out who it was, as her friends had a habit of wanting to interfere with just about anything, but she didn't want Miss Jubilee to find out, either. Rainbow gave Pinkie a weird look as she noticed the frizzy-haired girl nearly splitting her skull apart with the force of that terrifyingly knowing and excited smile.

“What?” Rainbow asked, but stopped the conversation to turn around as she heard the kitchen door swing open again. She looked back and smiled once she caught sight of Applejack. “Heya, Dolly.”

“Al'right, Ah know y'ain't much for sparkly kinda stuff, but give this a shot, okay?” Applejack came around the couch and sat right close to Rainbow, holding the thin glass out to her.

“What is it?” she asked as she took it.

Rainbow blinked in wonder, the drink a bright blue colour. It was contained in a champagne flute, and rimmed with sugar so carefully that there almost appeared to be lines of icicles coating it. Taking it by the stem, Rainbow glanced into the glass at the beautiful care that had gone into it. It was almost a shame to drink, actually.

“A Tinsel Bellini,” Applejack told her simply. “Includin' some Hpnotiq, limoncello, an' champagne.”

“I don't know what any of that is, but it looks awesome,” Rainbow praised, smelling it before deciding whether or not to ruin the sugary rim with her lips.

“Teehee!” Pinkie Pie released a quick giggle before she could adequately cover her mouth. Applejack glanced over at her, noticing her enormous grin and blushing cheeks at last.

“What's s' funny?” the barmaid asked innocently, tilting her head to the side.

“Nothing, nothing.” Pinkie waved her hands out in front of her. “Just, Dashie here was telling me about the first time you two met.”

“I told you to stop calling me that,” Rainbow growled with a frown.

“The first time we...” Applejack swallowed, knowing where this was going. “Met?”

“Oh, yes, it sounds like quite the charming story!” Pinkie giggled again, teetering in her seat from side to side. “An evening at the Joint, just the two of you,” she went on, holding her tongue until she could not hold it any more, “A Blue Blazer.”

“Pinkie can Ah talk t'you for a quick second?” Applejack hurriedly asked, not waiting for a response until she stood up and grabbed the girl by the wrist, tugging her back into the kitchen.

“Huh? Where are you—?” Rainbow tried to ask, but they had already disappeared behind the swinging door. She settled back into the couch slowly and frowned, deciding to take a sip or two. Her eyes widened as she noticed how delicious it actually was, the sugar a sweet compliment to the citrus after-taste. “Shit, that's good.”

Applejack yanked Pinkie into the kitchen, making sure the door was firmly set closed and the room was vacant. She sighed and groaned in one breath, pushing the still guffawing girl against the pantry door before standing in front of her with a firm expression. Though her heart was pounding and her face was red, she knew that she should have anticipated someone finding out, considering they all worked together and were drinking together. Still, her anxiety and embarrassment were quite apparent.

“Okay, how much d'you know?” Applejack asked in a disappointed tone.

“I can't believe you didn't tell me!” Pinkie screamed back, making Applejack wince. “She's the Blue Blazer Girl?! That's so—so perfect! You two are adorable together! It's like a fairy tale!”

“What? Quit sayin' weird stuff.” Applejack crossed her arms and looked away. “Fairy tale 'bout a screwed up bartender and an aggressive drunk, yea', tha's adorable.”

“It is, it is! Have you told her how you feel? Are you dating? Have you slept with her?” Pinkie startled prattling on until Applejack stopped her.

“Wha—no, none'a that!” the barmaid almost shouted, blush fringing her features. She grabbed the still overly eager and enthralled Pinkie to calm her down. “Look, we met a long few months ago, okay?! We ain't anythin' more, get it?”

“Have you two done anything since then?” the frizzy-headed girl asked seriously, and Applejack went silent. She was no good at lying, so she remained quiet, which was answer enough. “Applejack!”

“Okay, okay! We... we kissed once since then, an', an' there's been some flirtin', an touchin',” Applejack revealed slowly, chewing at her cheek and filtering between tones and volumes. “But it might not mean anythin', Ah mean, we never talked 'bout it 'r nothin'.”

“Details! How did you kiss?! Here, show it on me!” Pinkie leaned forward and puckered her lips, horrifying Applejack into scampering backwards frantically.

“Eww, Ah ain't about t' kiss you!” Applejack shouted incredulously, her face contorting into disgust and uncertainty.

“Well you don't have to say eww.” Pinkie rolled her eyes and frowned. “I should be the one to say that, considering you're a girl and I'm straight.”

“Sorry, Ah didn't mean it like that.” Applejack nervously forced a chuckle. “It's just, Ah don't have any answers f' you, an' things 're complicated.”

“Love's never complicated,” Pinkie mused, sighing amorously and clasping her hands together.

“Ah never said nothin' 'bout love,” the barmaid murmured, her expression turning to a pout. “Look, can we jus' drop this? Y'all should be out enjoyin' th' party, not hidin' in the kitchen with me, talkin' 'bout fantasy.”

“It doesn't have to be a fantasy! Let yourself be happy, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie grabbed the girl's hands and squeezed them, embarrassing her further. “It's almost Hearth's Warming, miracles do happen, you know.”

“It ain't that easy,” Applejack struggled to hold her tongue well enough, the liquor loosening her lips. She couldn't tell the girl about the real reason she couldn't let herself be happy, about how she was under Miss Jubilee's thumb and had the weight of her family's future on her shoulders. She settled for playing casual to avoid the topic, “An' Hearth Warmin's still a while away, y'always have parties too soon.”

“You're so stingy!” the pink-haired girl tugged at Applejack's hands up and down, causing her to sigh irritably. Noticing the way Applejack's eyes drifted back again to that same spot away from her, she followed her gaze. She was looking right at this thin little box, which was tied together with a simple bow and tucked away on the corner of the counter. “What's that?”

“N-nothin'! None'a your business!” Applejack hurried over to it and scooped it up, hiding it behind her back.

“Is it chocolate?” Pinkie Pie gasped loudly and Applejack flinched, stepping back. “Secret chocolate?! Is it nutty, or creamy, or melty or bitter? Yuck, I hate bitter!”

“It ain't edible at all,” the barmaid grumbled, glaring at her to try and shut her up. Bringing it back in front of her and holding it gently with both hands, she went on, “It's a gift, for... Rainbow Dash.”

“Is it a dildo?” Pinkie blinked questioningly, and Applejack choked on her bluntness.

“N-no! Why would I—?!” She shook her head, not even going to finish that sentence. “It's just a little gift, nothin' like that.”

“A little vibrator?” Pinkie whispered suspiciously.

“Oh, for Pete's—!” Applejack groaned loudly in frustration. “No! Just a friendly gift, nothin' edible, nothin' sexual, nothin' edible and sexual!”

“Lame.” Pinkie shrugged simply, but let it go. “Well, are you going to give it to her?” the pink-haired server asked, another smile crossing her face.

“Tha's usually what gifts 're for, yea',” Applejack sarcastically responded.

“That's so sweet! You totally lo~ove her!” Pinkie sung loudly, and Applejack had to slam a hand on her mouth to silence her.

“Shut up! You're awful, y'know that?” the barmaid told her with a frown. “Ah'm goin' back out, Rainbow's probably wonderin' where Ah got off to.”

As Applejack pushed the kitchen door out and stepped into the living room, she found the couch they had been sitting on entirely empty. With a greatly disappointed expression, she glanced around the room searching for the girl she had wanted to see. All that was left of her was the empty glass that once held the Tinsel Bellini, which sat on the end table beside where she had sat. Applejack's expression fell as she stepped out into the still thriving party, though she felt the mood had died right then.

“Hey, where's Dashie?” Pinkie inquired as she came out of the kitchen behind Applejack.

“Don't call her that,” Applejack grumbled, though her eyes continued to trace the guests. “Ah dunno, Ah don't see her.”

Applejack noticed the gentle breeze gliding across the floor, and looked around for the source. All the windows were kept closed tight, and the front door was in place too. The only other way that a breeze could have got in was the sliding glass door to the balcony, which Applejack looked over at. It was left but a crack open, and the drapes were gently falling into and out of place, drawing Applejack towards it. Leaving Pinkie to rejoin the party, the barmaid found her way to the balcony door, nudging it open with an elbow.

The stinging bite of winter forced her to wince and shield her eyes, which watered slightly with the cold. Still, beyond her sleeve, she was able to see clearly the back of a familiar friend leaning over the railing. Sliding the door back into place behind her, Applejack stepped onto the wooden planks, which were dusted with snow from that very evening. As she heard the soft crunching of snow, Rainbow Dash looked back and met the gaze of the girl behind her. Immediately, her face lit up warmly.

“There you are, Dolly,” Rainbow Dash's voice was like a soothing cup of hot chocolate, and heated Applejack to her core.

“Y'all were th' one who took off,” Applejack responded, finding room to lean over the railing right close to the girl.

“Yeah, sorry about that. You know me and crowds.” Rainbow sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, hiding her eyes under her bangs.

“How're you gonna be a Wonderbolt like that?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don't know, really. I love the idea of praise and admiration and stuff, but I'm not much for groups of people. Kinda funny, isn't it?” She snickered a bit, shaking her head. “I used to be the most outgoing and dynamic kid, really I was. My dad used to take me around to all his fancy parties and shit, I thought it was all really cool, for a while. I can't tell you what happened.”

Applejack watched the girl carefully, wondering if she really couldn't tell her, or if she just chose not to. With a calm hum, Applejack looked out over the scenery before them. It was a wonderful sight indeed, Pinkie's balcony overlooked a cute little suburban neighbourhood, and as expected, many of those festive families had set out all kinds of decorations. Lights strung across rooftops and around archways, lighting up the whole street like fireflies or stars scattering across the white banks and lawns. Trees were rounded in lines of ornaments and and flickering bulbs, topped with fallen stars or angels.

“This is nice, though. Being here with you,” Rainbow Dash's voice carried on the soft wind as her eyes shifted back to Applejack.

“Yea', Ah'm sure glad y'came,” the barmaid responded with a smile, feeling the slender box in her fingers and she toyed with it out of sight. “Ah, um, Ah gotcha somethin'. Well, made it, Ah guess.”

“You what?” Rainbow asked incredulously. She wouldn't say it, but she was not used to receiving gifts from anyone. “You didn't have to—”

“Ah know. Ah just, Ah wanted to, al'right?” Applejack bashfully pushed the box into Rainbow's hands, hiding her fluster and flushing cheeks by facing the scenery instead.

“Oh, well...” Rainbow swallowed nervously as her fingers plucked at the thin ribbon, not wanting to appear too eager. “Thanks.”

Rainbow Dash slowly pulled the ribbon off, letting it fall onto the railing gently and catch on the disturbed snow. Though she wanted to appear unconcerned, Applejack continuously cast little glances back at the girl as she opened it, anxious for her response. Peeling the slightly wider lid off the lower half of the box, Rainbow Dash peered inside. There, sitting in a bed of tissue paper, were two beautifully crafted winter gloves. They were similar to the ones she always wore, except where her own cut off about halfway up the finger, these merely changed colour. It looked just about as cool, but were surely a good deal warmer.

Delicately retrieving the articles as she placed the lid of the box under the bottom, she felt them between her fingers. The wrists were folded back, but obviously unfurled if her sleeves were not long or warm enough for her. Unable to stop it, a great big smile melted over Rainbow's face as she held the handmade objects dearly.

“Rarity helped me with th' designs an' all,” Applejack humbly told her, unable to meet her gaze at first, instead turning to fidgeting with her own hands. “Ah'm usually no good at stuff like that.”

“I can't believe you made these, that's amazing! I think they're beautiful.” Rainbow adored them greatly, placing them both in her more distant hand and reaching out to take Applejack's hands in her other. “Thank you, Applejack.”

“Whoa.” Applejack blinded in surprise, standing up straighter and looking right into Rainbow's eyes. “Ah don't think Ah've ever heard you call me by m'name.”

“Shut up! I'm trying to be mushy!” Rainbow shoved her roughly, blushing madly. Still though, she rested against Applejack and admired the gloves again and again. “I love them.”

“Aww, shucks.” The barmaid shifted against her, leaning closer though she hoped it went unnoticed.

“Really.” The rainbow-haired girl tugged at Applejack, pulling her from the railing and holding onto her hands for a second longer. “I do.”

And with that, her arms flew around Applejack's neck. The embrace was warm, though the outside of their respective jackets seemed cool to the touch. The blonde returned the hug without hesitation, her arms closing easily around her slender body. Again, they lingered too long for it to seem merely friendly, but when they pulled apart, they could not so simply stay apart. It was a silent interchange at first, their hands remaining on each other and their expressions casually ushering more.

Rainbow Dash stretched onto her toes and leaned up, placing one sweet, tender kiss on Applejack's lips. It was easy and tasteful, and despite whatever was floating around in their heads, entirely innocent. The two parted slowly and held their positions, gauging the rising desire in their bodies and assessing the other's body language. Again, Rainbow pressed her lips against the barmaid's, a pleased hum accompanying it this time.

She hardly had time then to pull away before they both moved back in, continuing the act more wistfully. Hands squeezed harder into fabric, pulling bodies so near that the clothing keeping them apart seemed torturous. From simple lips to lips came a more fervent exchange of mouth on mouth, kisses opening and allowing exchanges of taste and tell. Huffs of steamy breath floated around and rolled into their hair and scarves, pulling them together and burning the cold hands of winter to dust.

Rainbow's leg picked up off the ground backwards as she rose against Applejack, like some fairy tale kiss. However, it did not remain up, and immediately slammed down forward, right between the barmaid's legs, giving her the advantage. Sliding her hands back over her shoulders and roughly gripping her sweater by the collar, Rainbow Dash twirled Applejack around her and shoved her against the closest firm object; a support beam with a light on it, as it was. It did the job of holding her in place long enough for the two to grind against each other in more intimate of ways.

The force of their bodies against the beam, however, rattled the still fresh snow atop the hanging light, shaking it right off. They were parted by a dump of freezing cold dust, which landed on their heads and splashed over their shoulders in a feathery white clump. Rainbow Dash yelped and coughed a bit, having got a good few flakes in her mouth. As she shook it out of her hair, Applejack closed her eyes and shielded herself from the projectile snow. Pausing, the two looked at each other, still holding the comfortable embrace against the cursed beam.

“Figures,” Rainbow murmured with a pout, and the two started laughing at once, still close in the embrace and enthralled by the vicinity.

“Well, what do we have here?” a voice interrupted their laughter, along with the sound of a sliding door opening. A girl stepped out onto the balcony, one that Rainbow did not recognize, though her bright blue neon hair should have been a dead give-away. “And here I thought you were straight as a board, AJ.”

“A-Ah, um...” Applejack swallowed nervously, taking her hands off of Rainbow Dash at once and leaning back against the beam. Rainbow, too, realized they had been caught and took a step away from the barmaid, turning around with a sheepish grin.

“Don't worry, your secret's safe here.” The girl tipped her bottle at them, which seemed to be a breezer or spritzer of some kind. Even though it was quite dark outside, she was still donning sunglasses, which she slid down her nose a fraction to get a better look at the unfamiliar rainbow-haired girl. “Who's this chick, anyway?”

“Oh, beg pardon. Vinyl, this is Rainbow Dash, she's,” Applejack introduced and gestured to the girl but paused to take a guilty, slow breath. “Our new hostess, at work.”

“No shit! Man, you're full of surprises tonight.” Vinyl laughed out loud, shaking her head as Applejack blushed and chewed at the inside of her cheek. “A hard-ass like you screwing with a co-worker, it's glorious!”

“W-well, we ain't, uh...” Applejack forced a nervous chuckle, not able to finish the sentence as Rainbow Dash's snickering interrupted her.

They all fell silent as the sliding door screeched back open, Applejack and Rainbow Dash both stepping a bit farther away and keeping their hands to themselves. Vinyl just sort of looked over her shoulder, recognizing the intruder before she even stepped outside. With a crooked smirk, she nodded at the company and began to reach around in her jacket for something.

“Vinyl! What are you doing out here?” it was Octavia's voice, and she stormed right over to the girl without even looking around on the balcony for others. Placing her hands on her hips in accusation, she glared at Vinyl and spoke, “You'd better not be smoking.”

“What's it to you?” Vinyl found the box of cigarettes and tapped it, knocking one loose enough to grab and slip between her lips. With a suave tone, she replied, “You know it makes me look sexy.”

Octavia was silent for a moment, a slow exhale churning her steamy breath in front of her. With her eyes glued to the girl in front of her, she stepped closer. Vinyl noticed her forwardness and turned completely around, leaning her elbows behind her on the railing. Her piercing eyes peeked out from over her sunglasses, daring Octavia nearer. Complying, the more civil of the two reached out and plucked the cigarette from Vinyl's mouth, holding it between them and keeping eye contact.

“You don't need cigarettes for that,” she told her in a suggestive hush. Vinyl, however, grinned and snorted a laugh, gesturing with her head towards the pair down the balcony from them. Octavia immediately straightened herself, clearing her throat and addressing the issue passively, “Oh, um, hello Applejack, I didn't see you there.”

“Clearly.” Vinyl guffawed, noticing Octavia begin to sweat and do this nervous habit she had of playing with her hair. “Oh relax, AJ's cool, she's not gonna nark.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Octavia flipped her hair nonchalantly.

“Yeah, whatever you say.” Vinyl shook her head and hissed laughter through her teeth, taking the cigarette back from Octavia.

“Well...” Applejack cleared her throat awkwardly as she spoke up, and it was to Rainbow Dash that she spoke. “It is gettin' a mite chilly out here. What d'you say t' poppin' back inside for a spell?”

“Leaving these two alone, you mean?” Rainbow added with a nudge to her friend and a subtle wink.

“Somethin' like that,” Applejack murmured in a hush as they passed Vinyl and Octavia on their way back inside.

“I'll pretend I didn't hear that,” Octavia said as she tipped her nose back.

Applejack chuckled lightly as she slid open the glass door and let Rainbow Dash slip inside first, following her closely. Once breaching the threshold of the doorway, the two realized just how loud it had grown inside. The party still raged on, music absently pounding out of the machine that Vinyl once occupied. And yet, though everyone looked to be having a fabulous time, neither Applejack nor Rainbow Dash felt any inclination to join in.

“Well, um...” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and shuffled side to side a bit. “It is getting kind of late, I mean, I have to catch the last bus home, after all.”

“Right, yea', me too. M'brother dropped me off, since Ah ain't fit t'drive after drinkin'.” Applejack nodded in agreement, but there was another pause.

“So,” Rainbow hummed, her eyes shifting to the girl beside her. “You want to take off?”

“Ah'll grab m'jacket,” the barmaid said as she started towards the closet, where Pinkie had tossed it when she arrived.

Glancing over her shoulder back to the party to perhaps wave a goodbye or two, Applejack found not a single person even taking notice of them. The lights had been dimmed, after all, as was normal as time went on during one of Pinkie's parties. With a passive shrug, Applejack threw her coat on over her shoulders and started towards the door.

Knowing the way much better than Rainbow Dash, Applejack directed them to the bus stop, which surprisingly wasn't very far from Pinkie's house despite Rainbow's trouble finding the place originally. Living in a popular suburban area, the buses ran quite often, so the wait was not totally unbearable. However, since it was just after midnight, the bus was almost empty, and the few passengers seemed like questionable company. Rainbow Dash walked almost right to the back of the bus before plopping down next to the window in a two-seater, leaving room for Applejack. Taking off towards downtown, the bus heaved and huffed against the trials of the snow.

“Is there even a bus that'll take you all the way home, Dolly?” Rainbow asked, relaxing back comfortably in spite of the uncomfortable seats.

“Naw, m'brother said he'll pick me back up once Ah give him a ring, he don't feel good about makin' me take a cab 'r nothin',” Applejack explained simply, taking out her old model cell phone and waiting for the screen to light up.

“Shit dude, does that brick even send a signal?” Rainbow teased as she leaned close over Applejack, getting a look at the thing. She plucked her new gloves off her hands without even looking, shoving them into her coat pocket carefully.

“Shut up, you.” Applejack laughed and nudged her away, though she didn't mind the closeness. “Ah'll get him t' pick me up from your place, that way Ah can make sure y'get home safe.”

“You could always stay the night,” Rainbow Dash suggested in a yawn, rubbing the back of her neck casually.

Applejack stopped to think about the proposal, her finger hovering over the call button. Sure, she could stay over, but her brother had said he would be waiting up for her call, and she did have to leave early in the morning anyway to get back to the farm. She swallowed nervously, watching Rainbow Dash adjust the way her breasts fell in her sweater.

“Ah shouldn't,” Applejack found herself saying once more, trying to keep her wits about her.

“It's cool, I'll probably head right to bed anyway,” the rainbow-haired girl shrugged, her eyes closing up slowly. Applejack had to contain herself from jumping on board with the idea, once she got the image in her mind of laying in bed with Rainbow. “I'm pretty damn tired.”

Getting right to business as usual, Applejack pressed the call button on her phone and held it up to her ear. It hardly took a few rings for her brother to pick up, and she easily recited Rainbow's address to him. Not much for words himself, he merely agreed with a firm 'eeyup' and hung up quite promptly. As the barmaid went to pocket her phone back up, she noticed Rainbow Dash leaning gently forward and snapping back up once or twice. She was clearly nodding off already, but Applejack didn't mind at all.

With a gentle exhale, Rainbow Dash fell right asleep, tipping to the side. Applejack flinched suddenly as she felt the girl's head land on her shoulder, and carefully glanced down at her. It was true, she was surely asleep. Applejack couldn't help it, a smile crept across her face as her eyes softened on Rainbow's sharp but delicate features.

Gently and slowly, Applejack raised her arm and looped it around Rainbow's small frame, tugging her close and letting the girl rest her head on her shoulder. Applejack breathed slowly and shakily, feeling her heartbeat quicken substantially. Nibbling at her lip, the barmaid tore her eyes from the girl on her arm and glanced around, remembering that it was a rather public venue. However, all it did was invigorate her more.

There was something enthralling about the possessiveness of the position, the way it simply explained her feelings about Rainbow Dash so completely. It seemed selfish, she knew that, but there was something about having the girl all to herself that the barmaid adored. In the back of her mind, though, she still felt worse, for not being able to provide that same selfless devotion to Rainbow Dash. No matter how much she wanted to.

Author's Note

Yes, I know it was a long pause between updates, sorry! Working on a lot right now, and this was a long chapter so... yeah, whatever.
I hoped you Fluttershy and Pinkie fans liked seeing more of them this chapter! Hahhh, and that whole thing with Angel?? Man, my boyfriend dared me to do that once, so I thought "hey, why the hell not".
I think you'll like the next chapter, but a heads up, for some of the later stuff I have planned, I might have to change this to an "M" fic, since stuff gets kinda heavy. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it so far.

Cherry Bomb

*Trigger Warning: this chapter contains very mature scenes and themes*

X. Cherry Bomb

Rainbow flipped the page leisurely, shifting her rear from side to side as the edge of the counter felt uncomfortable under her. She skimmed the names across the pages with a bored expression, but nothing jumped out at her right away. Lifting her eyes up, she subtly watched the barmaid pass by her again and again, moving things and cleaning around them just as she always did every two weeks. The hostess licked her finger once more and got back to turning pages.

“I can't find anything I want to try,” she said in an exhale, her eyes dully tracing letters on the old pages.

“Y'aint s'posed t' be back here,” Applejack muttered in passing as she manoeuvred around the girl gracefully. “Not if y'aint wearin' y'uniform.”

“I'm not supposed to be picturing you wearing nothing at all, but I'm doing that too,” Rainbow Dash retorted with a smirk, though it seemed the thought did not bother the blonde. “Seriously dude, chill out, what are you doing running around cleaning like the damn Queen is coming, anyway?”

“Every second Thursday Miss Cherry Jubilee, th' owner of this here Joint as 'er name might reveal, comes by t' check up, y'know that,” Applejack reminded her as she moved something a fraction of an inch. “She'll be here t'morrow.”

“I get it, I get it,” the rainbow-haired girl agreed with a slow few nods. “Cherry Jubilee, huh? Is she that stacked broad I saw here chatting you up behind the bar a few weeks ago? Dark hair, big lips?”

“That'd be her,” the barmaid confirm with a frown, running the cloth under the edge of the counter to be thorough. Changing the subject, she asked, “Y'all thought up a drink yet?”

“Hmm? Oh, right.” Rainbow looked back down at Applejack's copy of The Bon Vivant's Companion, which she was holding and reading to try and find another new drink to try. “Let me see.”

Humming, she contorted her face into indecision as the barmaid bent down in front of her. She tilted her head to one side as she ogled the blonde, and found herself growing warmer as the sight stimulated a physical response. If she leaned just a little bit more to one side, she could outline some particularly interesting parts of the barmaid's anatomy, and she did just that. Meanwhile, Applejack organized the little metal boxes that contained slices of lemons and limes for drinks and other perishables. Taking hold of a particularly large jug and a nearly empty box, Applejack went to stand up again.

“Ughh, yeah, that looks good,” Rainbow Dash mumbled, feeling her mouth salivate. She never regretted anything more than not returning the favour right away when the two of them had been alone in the storage room, the wonder of what she might have tasted like was taunting.

“Found somethin' y'like?” Applejack asked obliviously, turning to look back just in time to see Rainbow Dash snap back to attention.

“I'll say.” the girl grinned slyly, though she had no answer to the beverage question.

“What can Ah get'cha?” the barmaid offered, twisting the cap off the large, wide-mouthed jug and lifting it up. Rainbow Dash watched as she tipped it and poured out some of the maraschino cherries into the container, their bright red colour seeming exciting enough to stare at.

“Speaking of cherries,” the hostess grumbled as she thought it was something of a coincidence, the name of their boss being something so simple and yet ostentatious. “How about...” Rainbow thought up the only drink she knew to have cherries in it, and even knew a clever way to sing the name, “A Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Cherry Bomb?”

Applejack blinked in surprise, pursing her lips as she tried to understand, wondering, “Why'd y'say it like that?”

“What? Do you only know Dolly Parton songs or something?” Rainbow clicked her tongue with a pretend scoff, finding Applejack's response amusing. She waved her hand and let it go though. “Nevermind.”

“Well, Ah reckon Ah can whip that up for ya,” Applejack agreed, finishing pouring the cherries and screwing the wide cap back on before starting the drink.

“Sweet, I guess I'll take my usual post then,” Rainbow hopped down off the counter and closed the book up in one hand, turning around to put it back where she found it.

As she went to replace it, she caught sight of some thin corner of paper sticking out of the book. She poked at it with her finger before opening the book back up, to that page specifically. The page was remarkably familiar, reminding her of just the wild performance that Applejack had done for her on the first night that they met. The little rectangle of paper seemed far less interesting, at first. Making a face at the dullness of a simple, somewhat wrinkled receipt, Rainbow Dash merely looked it over for a few seconds before she realized what it was.

A pleasant and toothy smile crept up one side of her face, her eyes growing wide and gleaming as they recognized the date and order on the receipt. She could feel her heart swelling and her breath growing heavy, understanding some unspoken and unmentioned affection. Hurriedly closing it back up and scampering over to her usual crooked seat, she could not keep her bright eyes off the girl making her another interesting drink.

By the time she nestled into her seat, Applejack had most of the drink prepared, splashing in a hit of grenadine over the hard alcohol and several cherries. While one of her hands squeezed a lime slice into the mix, her other one grabbed the mobile nozzle and squirted just a little bit of lime soda into the glass. Ice floated to the top and shifted about as the drink settled into a deliciously red hue. Finally, Applejack pierced three little cherries with a pick and balanced it on top of the glass before she placed the whole thing in front of Rainbow Dash.

“Sweet,” Rainbow Dash squeaked in a high voice, taking it with both her hands and bringing it over to her, smelling it first. Plucking the cherries off the glass by the pick, she bit one into her mouth before taking a big sip. “Mmm, very sweet.”

“Y'all should drink up an' head on home,” Applejack told her calmly, leaning over the counter as she fixed something else that seemed a fraction out of place. “Ah'll still be here for a while, an' it ain't gonna be too much fun hangin' 'round.”

“Aww, seriously?” Rainbow pouted immediately, dunking the cherries into the drink and stirring them around in it.

“Well Ah gotta clean up th' liquor room an' detail th' stools an' mouldings 'round the cabinets,” the barmaid dutifully explained.

“I really doubt that Miss Jubilee is going to look that carefully,” the hostess replied blankly.

“It's a matter o' pride, honey,” Applejack admitted as she placed her hands on the counter, finding herself staring at the girl across from her.

“Yeah well, your loss. You'll be missing an awesome night with me, just so you know.” Rainbow tilted her head and suggestively winked, to which Applejack smiled. “At least be good and keep your energy up, 'kay? Here, have a cherry, Dolly.”

Rainbow Dash held the pick up, displaying the still dripping cherries between them. With a chuckle, Applejack replied, “Naw thanks sugarcube, Ah'll pass.”

“Come on, be a good girl,” Rainbow whined cutely, puckering her lips as she brought the cherries closer to her own lips. She tactfully opened her mouth and let her tongue run along them, tasting the sweet flavour in a more than teasing way. The barmaid could not say no to that.

“Well, since y'asked so nicely,” Applejack nearly whispered, leaning further over the counter and bending down, allowing Rainbow Dash to hold the pick out to her as she took a cherry between her teeth and slid it off. As she tasted the beverage as well as something else, she agreed, “That is good.”

“Oh, baby you have no idea.” Rainbow's eyebrows bounced up and down, and Applejack really wished she did have an idea.

“Shit, you two are hilarious!” a voice barked before she burst into cackles, coming around the counter and slamming her hand on it as Applejack tried not to choke on her shock and the cherry. “It's like watching the first few minutes of a porno!”

“V-Vin-nyl,” Applejack coughed out, managing to swallow the cherry and breathe again. “A-Ah thought y'left already?”

“Forgot my phone, had to come back,” Vinyl told them as she passed by, holding up the device as to prove her point. “Glad I did, that was priceless! I had no idea it got so steamy in here at night.”

“Goodbye, Vinyl,” Applejack said evenly, hoping the cocktail server would take the hint. The girl had got her job there because she had been a good friend of Octavia's, and needed a part-time job to support her actual passion: mixing and playing music.

“Oh, don't let me interrupt.” The girl lifted up her tinted shades to show a wink before starting towards the exit. “I have a DJ gig to get to anyway. Later, peeps.”

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash waited until they actually saw the girl leave before sighing in relief. They were both glad, however, that it was just her, and not somebody else. They looked over at each other once more, with somewhat embarrassed and also amused expressions. Rainbow Dash took another large drink before conversation started back up again.

“So, see you more tomorrow, I hope?” Rainbow suggested, tilting her head in question.

“T'morrow.” Applejack nodded in agreement before getting back to her duties.

And without another mention of the topic, the night came to an end. Rainbow Dash went on her way after she finished up the drink, and Applejack was still hard at work well past closing time. At last, though, she let herself relax for the evening, and closed up the bar herself.

Just like every visit before, the barmaid had the whole place in perfect running order by the time Jubilee's Joint opened that Thursday afternoon. However, Applejack really should have listened to Rainbow Dash, because as always, Miss Jubilee was rather unconcerned about menial cleaning duties. No, she was usually more interested in human resources.

From the moment Cherry Jubilee stepped into the Joint, which was from the rear door since she parked in the private section behind the pub, all eyes were on her. She had an unmistakable and unquestionable presence; that, plus the way she always dolled herself up, it was a wonder men and women alike didn't fawn at her feet. One set of eyes, however, was very careful and serious as they set on her, and as she finished making a few drinks, Applejack watched the woman cross the pub like she owned the place. Which, of course, she did.

The barmaid's eyes widened as she noticed Miss Jubilee catch sight of the hostess, who was busy looking like she was doing something up at the stand by the front door. From afar, it looked entirely innocent and friendly, but Applejack knew better than to trust the woman or her looks. Gulping in anticipation and uneasiness, Applejack hurriedly finished up the drinks she was working on, her hands shaking a bit as she noticed the two of them start talking.

“Well,” Miss Jubilee's deep and seductive tone swept around the hostess, causing her to turn and look at the woman. “Ah'm pleased t' see y'all becomin' a familiar face 'round here.”

“Who, me?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing a thumb at herself and blinking.

“Who else?” Miss Jubilee laughed lightly before extending her hand to the girl, daintily leaving it in the air between them with her palm facing the floor. “Charmed t' meet ya, Ah'm Cherry Jubilee: entrepreneur, celebutante, bombshell, an' owner o' this here Joint. But y'all can just call me Cherry, sugar.”

“Cherry, huh.” Rainbow reached out and accepted the handshake, though it seemed more like the older woman was requesting a kiss on the hand or something. “I'm Rainbow, Rainbow Dash. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Oh, darlin', th' pleasure's all mine,” the boss murmured with a wink, feeling the smoothness of Rainbow's slender fingers before sliding her hand out of the exchange. “My, don't ya look cute all done up in that outfit?”

“Yeah, I heard you have a sick sense of humour, dressing us up like this.” Rainbow clicked her tongue and smirked, looking down at her vest and blouse ensemble with disdain.

“Mmm, but somethin' might be missin' here.” Miss Jubilee tilted her head and crossed one arm under the other, propping the top one up to let her cheek rest on her palm.

Her dazzling, maroon-shadowed emerald eyes trailed over the small girl's body, checking her out and objectifying her. Rainbow Dash felt more than awkward as the woman looked at her that way, and felt herself growing cold under the gaze. As if coming to some decision, Miss Jubilee raised one finger and shaped her mouth into an 'O', before gesturing to the girl's chest.

“Yea', there seems t' be a lil' somethin' lackin' here,” Cherry told her simply, and Rainbow looked down at herself.

“Like what?” Rainbow growled irritably as she understood the woman to be implying something about her small bust.

“Like...” The older woman paused to reach out with one hand and take hold of either inner corner of the girl's blouse, tugging them together and pinning them low against her chest. Rainbow's face instinctively flushed in embarrassment at the unwanted touching, but said nothing aloud as her boss examined her further, holding her still by the collar and moving a pace nearer. Rolling her plump lips before smiling, Jubilee finally spoke, “A cute tie, maybe. A bow, perhaps.”

"You think so?" Rainbow uneasily wondered, her expression narrowing as she was unsure if the woman was being serious or making a pass at her.

"Oh yea', somethin' bright red would look stunnin' on you. And you know, Ah do love havin' somethin' to grab on to," her voice dropped into sensual murmurs, and Rainbow's face twisted in bewilderment.

“M-Miss Jubilee,” a voice broke in heavily, a little out of breath. Both Cherry Jubilee and the hostess looked up the few stairs to see Applejack standing there, gripping the railing tightly as she glared down at her boss. “Can Ah talk t'you for a minute?”

“Well o'course, darlin',” Miss Jubilee grinned to see her reaction, and her eyes mercilessly perused her barmaid's body from the elevated platform of the lounge, which provided a particularly enjoyable view. “Ah'll give ya an hour, if ya need it.”

“Uh, thanks.” Applejack came down the stairs in something of a rush, taking hold of Jubilee's outstretched arm and pulling her away from Rainbow, which she did not resist.

“See ya 'round, darlin'.” Cherry cast a simple wave back to Rainbow Dash before starting down the stairs as Applejack wordlessly directed her.

Before she herself followed the woman, Applejack glanced back at Rainbow Dash. Applejack met the girl's gaze knowingly, though Rainbow was lost as to what she might have been thinking. It was clear in the barmaid's own gorgeous green eyes, she was terribly afraid. Rainbow could see worry, anxiety, regret, and some kind of protectiveness in her eyes, though she explained none if it before she nodded firmly and reluctantly went down the stairs with her boss.

Applejack willing crept into the dark passageway and stepped through the gates of hell, allowing Jubilee to unlock the office door before the two went inside. Though she wanted nothing more than to run away, she knew that for her own good, and for Rainbow's, she had to have this discussion, and put herself at risk to do it. It had surprised her, of course, that seeing Jubilee even speaking to Rainbow Dash had damn near sent her into a fury. As selfish as it sounded, she wanted the rainbow-haired girl all to herself, and wanted to protect her at all costs.

“Wha's gotten into you today?” Her boss giggled as they found their privacy.

“Miss Jubilee,” Applejack started in a low tone as she followed the woman over to her desk, her eyes daring to catch Cherry's gaze to show just how serious she was.

“Applejack, sweetheart,” Jubilee responded mockingly, pouting her lips as she whined the girl's name, which Applejack hated to hear on the woman's lips. Her fingers reached up and moved a lock of the barmaid's hair, which she knew always made the girl flinch.

“Ah'm gonna tell y'this once. Jus' once.” Applejack raised one finger in between them, and Jubilee placed a hand on her hip and made a blank-looking face as she listened to her barmaid's request, if only to humour her. “Don't y'even think 'bout goin' near Rainbow Dash, y'hear? She's a good kid, Ah won't stand for you tryin' nothing with her.”

“Why, how could y'ever think Ah'd go an' do somethin' like that?” Jubilee sounded offended by the suggestion, but with a dull expression, Applejack did not believe her false innocent act for a second. She did, however, get less confident as a grin spread across the older woman's face. “Oh, darlin', are ya jealous?”

“Jeal—what?! No!” the barmaid frantically defended herself, raising her hands in between the two of them and stepping back nervously. She frowned angrily at the prospect, hating the way the woman laughed at her like it could have ever been true. “Ah'm serious.”

“Don't you worry that pretty little head o' yours, Ah ain't gonna do nothin',” Jubilee promised her, striding the distance between them with her tall heels and slipping her fingers behind Applejack's neck, playing with her hair affectionately. “B'sides, you're more than enough t' keep me young.”

“Mmm,” Applejack grunted, making a repulsed face as she resisted the urge to slap the hand away. She would not have admitted it of course, but some attention did feel nice. Keeping on topic, she continued, “Look, we really, really haf'ta talk.”

“We can do a lot more than talk,” her boss dropped her voice into a murmur, her shimmering ruby lips teasing to meet the barmaid's. Applejack felt her hair flutter around her as the woman easily pulled the tie out, undoing her usual professional ponytail before running a hand down her spine.

“Can you... can you stop that? Ah... Ah don't wanna do this, Miss Jubilee,” the barmaid tried to tell her once more, gently and carefully pushing her away.

“Y'never did, darlin',” Cherry Jubilee reminded her with another playful smirk, pushing back against her until Applejack found her rear pressing against the L-shaped desk once more. “That's th' fun in it.”

“Why can't Ah just work for ya the honest way?” Applejack asked pleadingly, lowering her head to catch the woman's gaze and show her how sincerely she was resolved against the act.

“Ain't no more honest way than this,” she debated cleverly, her fingers dancing up Applejack's frilly uniform and pinching at the frills that bordered her breasts. She tugged at them easily and moved the fabric down the younger girl's body before leaning down and tactfully licking and sucking at her neck.

“S-Stop,” the barmaid protested louder and more adamantly, grabbing her boss by the wrists and prying her hands away. “It-it ain't fair! This ain't right, please understand.”

“Naw sug', it ain't fair.” Jubilee pulled away suddenly and bore her eyes right into Applejack's firmly. “It ain't fair that all your family's dreams rest on your shoulders, ain't fair that at any moment, it could all jus' go bankrupt,” she teased, though it sounded more like a threat, and Applejack gulped to hear it. “It ain't right for a pretty young thing like you t'have to take care'a all y'do, but here we are, ain't we?”

“Ah can work harder 'round the bar,” the barmaid negotiated, squeezing the woman's hands though her own shook fearfully. “Ah promise Ah can—anythin' y'want, please just don't make me do this any more.”

“Sorry darlin', but Ah can't lose ya that easy. You're ma favourite.” Cherry reached out and ran a finger or two along Applejack's cheek fondly, her eyes softening on the younger girl's face.

Applejack could see something there in her eyes, as much as she didn't want to. It was some fraction of adoration, though she would hesitate to call it anything more than lust. Still, she almost felt guilty about rejecting the woman so persistently, as twisted as that even sounded to her. Though at first Cherry's touches seemed delicate and innocent, her hand fell down to the barmaid's chest as it often did, and she perused it without permission.

“Now, what have Ah told ya 'bout insolence?” her voice sounded much more sinister when she said that, and Applejack felt herself grow increasingly unsettled.

“Miss Jubilee, can't you jus—?” Applejack tried to keep her focused, but the woman's strong hands wrapped around her arms and shoved her up against the desk, though several files and objects on top rustled, fell over or slipped off the desk entirely.

“If Ah hafta tell y'all t' call me Cherry one more time, you're gonna get spanked.” Miss Jubilee pushed her harder onto the desk, causing Applejack to scramble to keep her balance. Cherry grabbed her by the chin and forced her to keep looking right into her eyes, though Applejack's widened and her palms began to sweat to know what was coming next. “Oh, but don't worry darlin', what Ah have planned f' you is much, much more fun than that.”

“B-Beg pardon?” Applejack's voice came out shaky and high, her chest tightening with a sense of overwhelming shame.

With a hummed laughed, Cherry Jubilee trusted Applejack to remain still as she bent down under her desk to take hold of the handle of a small, brown briefcase. As she revealed it to the barmaid, the girl immediately recognized it and she flinched with fear as her body went cold.

“Now, do behave, ma little sugarplum,” the Joint owner warned as she placed the briefcase onto the desk and clicked the locks open in one swift motion.

“No... no, please,” the barmaid shakily and quietly spoke, shaking her head in horror as she knew just what things lurked inside that case. “Miss—Cherry, please! Ah'm askin' you nicely, stop this!”

"You're in no place t' ask at all," the irritable growl escaped her plump crimson lips like a hiss.

Leaning back over, Cherry Jubilee pressed her lips right against Applejack's, holding her still as the girl tried desperately to pull away. She frowned against the older woman's plush lips and could even taste her lipstick, which sickened her. Feeling Jubilee's tongue emerge and run along her lower lip, Applejack clamped her jaw tightly closed and was about to fight back more assertively, when the woman pulled away.

Licking her lips in enjoyment, her boss whispered, “Mmm, save your energy, beg me later.”

Miss Jubilee's hungry fingers drummed over the top of the briefcase before she pulled it open. Though the contents made her uneasy, Applejack could not look away as more and more of it was revealed to her once more. She rarely got to see inside, but now that she could, it entranced her in the most twisted and fearful way. All down the bottom and strapped to the top, there was a plethora of different sexual tools. Applejack could name a few, some that she had seen before and others she had unfortunately felt, and she mentally wondered how long it would take her to sprint to the door or how many steps she could take before Jubilee would catch her.

“What... what're y'gonna do?” Applejack asked shyly, pinning her knees together and sinking between her shoulders.

“Oh, Cherry's got a special punishment in mind f'you, darlin',” the woman easily replied, her fingers dancing and tracing along several objects before she found the perfect one, which Applejack could not see from her position. “Today, Ah think Ah'll use ma favourite toy.”

“Is it gonna... hurt?” the barmaid found herself wondering, contorting her face into worry.

“Oh, sugar no... unless you want it to?” The woman laughed at Applejack's uncomfortable expression before revealing the object.

It was small, that was the first thing that came to Applejack's mind. It looked much less threatening than she thought, as it was just a little, red object. As she looked a little closer, she could identify the thing as a little cherry, and resisted the urge to force a laugh at how odd it was for a grown woman to have a play thing that was so reminiscent of her own name. She turned it in her fingers, the maroon hue of her fingernails matching the dark crimson of the object, and Applejack noticed it was clearly made of some kind of plastic.

“Here it is. Y'all can call it, ma very own, lovely little...” Jubilee's lips curved around the words as she came over to Applejack, placing one hand on her knee and holding the object in plain sight as she named it, “Cherry Bomb.”

Applejack blinked at the name, and just had to ask, “... Bomb?”

“Oh, don't worry, it ain't an actual bomb, Ah ain't that sick.” She laughed at the mere idea, but her hand moved up a bit and traced between Applejack's thighs, her fingers sliding roughly between them. “Ah'd tell y'what it does, but... that'd ruin th' s'prise.”

“P-please, don't,” Applejack frantically began to squirm and fight the woman, but found her rather skilled at working around such protests. Feeling her whole body flush hot as the woman made her way between her legs and reached under her skirt, Applejack resorted to pleading once more, “Cherry, stop it... Ah'll be... good, Ah mean it. Don't!” Her words were stalled each time Cherry made her way further towards her destination, or when the woman squeezed her thigh hard and caused her minor pain.

She knew she needed to fight back, she needed to get this woman as far away from her as possible. But she knew too well that Miss Jubilee loved it when she fought back, and protesting only ever served to spur her on. So then, what was she to do?

“Shh, jus' relax, darlin'... tha's right,” Cherry soothed her, rubbing her hand along the inside of her thigh as if she would obey.

Applejack squeezed her eyes shut and threw her head back, biting her shouts and violent reactions back as best she could. As little as she wanted any of this, she could not bring herself to be gutsy enough to hit the woman or something more extreme, and throw her business at risk. Besides that, shouting for help was not a viable option, it would be humiliating and devastating.

Though she tried her best not to focus on it, she could feel the woman's skilful fingers tracing her beneath her undergarments, which she bypassed from the side without hesitation. A low groan came from her lips as she felt the cooler object slide inside of her, and though it felt foreign and larger than she expected, she tried to relax and let it be over with. Cherry's fingers followed it dutifully, making certain it was in deep enough to hit just the right spot.

“Now, see? That wasn't s'bad, was it?” Miss Jubilee asked in a murmur over her pouted lips, taking the moment as Applejack was distracted to kiss her again and move the tips of her fingers around inside her, much to her disdain.

“A-Ah don't like it,” Applejack admitted with a huff, adjusting herself on the desk as she felt the uncomfortable intrusion sitting dormant and deep. “Why are y'doin' this?”

“Don't like it? Are y'sure?” her employer ignored the question as she leaned down to get a better look, noticing the subtle slickness that was apparent between the girl's legs.

“That ain't a conscious reaction an' you know it,” Applejack barked back irritably, though she found herself thinking about just what trouble she could get into if she stole Miss Jubilee's little treasure chest and used it on Rainbow Dash. Shaking her head, she knew she didn't want the girl anywhere near her mind while she was in this situation.

“Oh Ah know, sugar, just looks like ain't no one been takin' care o' you, that right?” Cherry asked in an innocent voice, her thumb pressing against a sensitive nub that always made Applejack's right leg twitch.

“W-Well,” Applejack's voice fell into a mutter, as she had no answer for that. It was true, after all, that time spent with Rainbow Dash had made her grow frustrated, eager for release that they just hadn't had the opportunity to get to working out.

“What do you think Cherry is here for? T' take care o' you, darlin'.” Miss Jubilee spread Applejack's legs a little farther and bent down, her hot breath breezing over the barmaid's bare thighs.

“Stop! Don't do that,” Applejack kicked a bit and managed to scoot back on the desk enough to keep herself away from the woman. “Y'can't keep doin' this t' me, Ah won't let you. What if... what if Ah tell someone?”

“Listen t' you, all fired up.” Cherry grinned to hear an attempt at a threat, and placed her hands on either side of Applejack's hips before pushing her weight onto the desk and leaning closer, her body sliding between Applejack's knees. “You an' Ah both know y'ain't got a spec o' proof, a lady like me knows how t' cover her tracks. An' even if y'did have somethin' on me, you ain't gonna tell, you're too loyal for your own good. T' your family, t' your business, and t' me.”

“Don't put words in ma mouth.” The barmaid frowned.

“Maybe somethin' else,” Jubilee hardly got the words out before her lips were on Applejack's, and her tongue wormed its way into her mouth with more grace than the girl could negate.

Applejack whined into the kiss, though she felt more like whimpering and breaking down into tears. She was loyal, but she used to pride herself even more on her honesty. And now, thanks to this dirty, abusive woman, she was robbed of that. There was someone who she wanted to be those things for, she wanted so badly to be loyal and honest and good... for Rainbow Dash. But this, this was a betrayal, and it made her sick to her stomach.

“Stop,” Applejack repeated into the woman's mouth, and she felt her fingers dig into Jubilee's shoulders as her strong arms pushed her away.

“You're so mean, Applejack,” Cherry complained, and Applejack was startled by the childish tone she forged for it. “Here Ah am bein' nothin' but good t' you, givin' y'all a job, sellin' your cider, an' taking care'a you like only a woman can,” her voice dropped lower as her mouth did, and Applejack felt the woman's tongue on her neck and a hand sliding into her shirt. Being a diplomatic woman, Applejack allowed her to finish what she was saying, and even listened, “Sometimes, Ah jus' feel like you're takin' advantage of me.”

“Ah wouldn't do that, Ah swear,” Applejack told her softly, suddenly feeling a whole lot more guilty and sad for the woman. She grunted as she felt Jubilee's tongue trace her collar bone, and swallowed as she tried to come up with something decent to say. “I don't mean t'hurt your feelin's or nothin', honest, Ah just—?” Applejack paused as she realized just what was going on, and that she was being deceived. “H-Hey! You're sick, y'know that?”

“Aww, that didn't work?” Cherry grinned widely as Applejack tried to push her off again. “Well, Ah like it better when y'struggle, anyway.”

“Get off.” Applejack shoved her again, thought she felt the woman's thigh grind between her legs again and again. “Seriously! Tha's enough!”

And just like that, some of Applejack's frustration was unleashed in a firm, aggressive shove. She had never been physical with the woman, at least not like that, but for a second, she was free. That is, until Cherry Jubilee retaliated with a hard slap across her face. Sent reeling, Applejack caught herself by slamming her hand back down on the desk, though the shock was still apparent across her face just as the light pink mark across her cheek became. Before she got a chance to process what had happened, she felt her employer's fingers tangle up in her hair and yank her back to the edge of the desk before pulling her head backwards, exposing her neck and putting her in a terribly awkward and submissive position.

“What did Ah tell y'all 'bout insolence, again?” Cherry's voice was laced with poison, and Applejack could feel her eyes water as the image before her blurred just a bit. “Now, Ah was gonna be nice and treat ya today, but Ah have a better idea.”

“W-What?” Applejack managed to speak in a strained voice.

“Looks like ma little barmaid needs t' learn a lesson 'bout just who th' boss is 'round here,” Jubilee's words contrasted the careful and affectionate way she released Applejack and brushed her blonde hair back out of her face. She forcefully kissed the barmaid once more, and shoved her tongue deep into the girl's unresponsive mouth for a few near painful seconds, before she stepped back.

Applejack huffed a relieved breath and Miss Jubilee removed the pressure from between her legs, though she could still feel the strange object pressing against particularly favourable spots inside of her. Carefully watching the woman, Applejack noticed her remove another small item out of the briefcase before she closed it back up and locked it. The woman held it out between them, and Applejack noticed a few small buttons across it, and wondered what those could have possibly been for.

“This, darlin',” Miss Jubilee spoke as her eyes dropped down to the still visible space between Applejack's legs, which the barmaid was afraid to close. “Is why that Cherry Bomb is so... excitin'.”

Her finger pressed on one of the buttons, and Applejack's whole body seemed to twitch and convulse. She moaned loudly before she realized what was happening, and felt herself heat up at the pleasurable stimulation she felt from inside of her. Her back was against the desk in an instant as she lost the ability to sit upright, and her eyes closed up for a few seconds in reluctant enjoyment. The Cherry Bomb hummed lightly as it vibrated against her tight walls, and though she was inclined to clench up her knees or reach down and remove the object, she found it hard to do much of anything.

“If you s' much as reach on down an' curiously touch what Ah have s' generously lent ya,” Miss Jubilee warned, shadows falling around her already dangerous looking eyes and frightening Applejack into horror. “Consider y'self unemployed. Do Ah make m'self clear, darlin'?”

Applejack trembled as she tried to speak a coherent response, though all she managed was a couple tired nods of the head and a grunted, “U-Uh-huh.”

“Good.” A sneaky grin crept across her face as her hand played around on Applejack's thighs once more. “Then get on back t' work, Ah ain't payin' ya t' lay around.”

“Y-ya can't... be serious...?” the barmaid huffed with begging eyes, her fingers shaking as she tried to even get a grip on the desk to pull herself up.

“Try me,” Cherry lowly growled, and Applejack knew just how serious she really was.

As Applejack tried to get a hold of herself long enough to make it to her feet, Cherry tucked the remote into what little space there was between her large breasts. Wobbling uneasily as she slid off the desk, Applejack accidentally had to reach out and grip Miss Jubilee for support, which the woman found hilarious. The barmaid grumbled lowly as she forced herself away from her boss, her steps uneven and weak. Tying her hair back up clumsily, she made her way to the door, moving through determination and will power alone. As the reached for the knob, though, Miss Jubilee grabbed it first and pulled it open, leaning against the door and allowing her barmaid to exit first.

“Oh come now, Ah can't miss this. Watchin' is ma favourite part. An' Ah have t' make sure y'ain't gonna sneak around and take it out,” Miss Jubilee said as she watched the girl summon her courage and walk out of the office with minimal trouble. “B'sides, Ah gotta stay in range.”

Applejack glanced over at the woman to notice her pull the remote from her cleavage just enough to remind her of it before nestling it back in. Following a grouchy exhale, the barmaid's head dropped and she stared at her feet as she stepped down the hallway. With her bright red face, which still tingled from the slap, she felt like everyone would be able to see right through her. She reached up self consciously as rubbed the back of her hand against her lips, wiping any potential lipstick residue as she had become accustomed to doing.

Managing somehow to get back up the stairs while her loins felt like they were on fire and soaking right through her underwear, Applejack had never felt more objectified. She could feel Miss Jubilee's eyes on her —all over her in fact— but could do nothing to stop it. As she reached the top of the stairs, she was glad that Rainbow Dash was no where in sight. There was no way she could face the girl like that, especially feeling so disgusting and horrible. She felt as though shame was stuck to her whole body like a shadow.

She hurried back up to her bar, feeling much safer behind the wide counter where half of her body was obscured entirely. As she made it back to her post, she noticed that there were but a few drink receipts printed up at the end of the bar, as often servers would type them in at serving stations and she would receive the order up at the bar. She swallowed nervously before she forced an attempt to make them, finding her mind mostly lost as to how to make some of the most simple drinks. As she fumbled through her work, Miss Jubilee teasingly leaned over the swinging door and teetered back and forth on it in amusement.

“An' here Ah thought Ah hired th' best barmaid in all o' Ponyville,” she spoke up with a cheeky smirk.

“Ah ain't never done this... when I'm... like this,” Applejack couldn't even say it, her face getting redder with embarrassment and humiliation.

“Practise makes perfect, darlin'.” Cherry reached into her bosom and took hold of the remote between her index and middle fingers, pulling it out high enough to notice the intensity dials.

“What're you—?!” Applejack gasped and grabbed the counter suddenly as she felt the vibration increase, actually pulsing through her body so roughly it felt like someone was inside of her, penetrating her. “H-heavens, y'try'na kill me?!”

“Naw, just torture.” Cherry winked at her, watching as the girl's knees buckle as she desperately fought something that felt so good.

“You're... sa-sadistic,” came another tired heave.

It made her feel sick to think that she might have possibly enjoyed it, even just the physical feeling of the toy inside of her. But no matter how her body felt as the thing shook her to the core, she had never hated someone like she hated Miss Jubilee, especially for doing things so cruel to her. Noticing someone approaching from the other end of the bar by the service aisle, Applejack wilfully straightened herself and tried to put on a casual smile.

“Oh, there you are, I was trying you in the office,” Twilight Sparkle said as she hung up the phone she had up to her ear, looking over at Jubilee. “I thought we could go over that checklist of repairs quickly.”

“Mm, that sounds like work, sugar.” Miss Jubilee frowned as she looked over at the supervisor, but pushed off the swinging door anyway. Glancing back at Applejack, she added, “Y'all better not go anywhere, Ah ain't done with ya yet.”

“Y-Yes ma'am,” Applejack breathlessly agreed, waiting until the two went down the stairs before sighing in relief.

Her body slumped against the counter, her legs shifting and grinding back and forth in a pleasing way. The vibration still hummed inside of her, and showed no signs of slowing down at all. She huffed a slow breath as her trembling hand ran through her hair, and she was finally able to rest her head against her palm and close her eyes. But that did not last.

“Evening Dolly,” Rainbow Dash's voice startled her, and she glanced up with a frightened yet fond expression. The girl leaned over the bar right across from her, so near Applejack could feel her words tingling against her skin as she spoke, “Just thought I'd drop in and say hi, check on my favourite barmaid. How's it going?”

“Huh?” Applejack hadn't been listening, as she had been so entranced by the girl's lips, but she put it together in her head before replying in a strained voice, “Ah've... been better.”

“Oh? Is that so?” The hostess inched closer, her lips taunting Applejack's flushed face as they danced so near to her cheek and ear. Whispering in a husky voice, she went on, “Maybe I can help you out... make your night a little nicer, hmm?”

“Hnng...” Applejack stifled a moan as she felt herself grow increasingly aroused by the proposition, her chest tightening with desire. Nearly collapsing onto the counter or the floor right there, she managed to keep up the conversation, “Rainbow, y'really, really ain't gotta do that.”

“Come on,” the girl whined in an adorable voice, and Applejack resisted the urge to grab her and pull her across the counter. “After work, maybe we could swing by my place, bed's big enough for two, you know. Oh, and I do have a storage closet, if you'd prefer.”

“T-That sounds... ooh, uh, w-we'll talk 'bout it, Dash, A-Ah swear.” Applejack winced as she felt herself growing nearer and nearer to some end, just being near the girl giving her all kinds of motivation. She blinked, trying to stay focused and in control though her words fell out of her mouth almost randomly, “Ah'd love to, Ah'm just a little, uh, just a bit distracted right now.”

“We'll talk?” Rainbow Dash leaned back, and Applejack's heart broke as she saw the girl's hurt expression. She hadn't meant to come off as rejecting her, but there was no way she could handle being around her when trying to fight off sexual pleasures, it drove her mad. Rainbow acted aloof though, taking it as best she could. “Well, okay then. That's cool.”

Abruptly, Applejack felt the vibrations increase dramatically, and with it, her lasciviousness. Miss Jubilee must have been playing with her even from some distance away. Her mouth tried for words several times but her mind was blank, the only thing captivating her being Rainbow Dash, as had become normal for her now.

Applejack's head tilted to the side as her resolve wavered, as her eyes fondled the girl's body. Her fingers twitched with the urge to feel her again, and she swallowed before more words came tumbling out without being filtered, “Ugh, Ah jus' wanna rip your clothes off an' lick y'all over.”

Rainbow Dash's face went pale and blank as she heard that, and she looked incredulously over at the barmaid, who was still struggling to get a hold of herself. “Wait, what?”

“Nothin', Ah'm just... thinkin' out loud. But... mmm, but if Ah could just hold y'right between my—no, no sorry, just, just ignore me.” Applejack grabbed the counter and squeezed, clenching her eyes shut as she tried desperately to get the tantalizing images out of her head. She could feel herself brimming, and the moisture and heat between her legs was impossible to ignore. “Y-y'all should get on, Miss Jubilee's 'round, an', an' she'll be mad if y'look...” Gorgeous, is what she wanted to say. Irresistible, perhaps. “Like... you ain't workin'.”

“You sure you're okay?” Leaning back over the counter, Rainbow Dash reached out and placed her warm, comforting hand right on Applejack's. Their bright eyes met between them lovingly, and Applejack was engulfed in the ecstasy of their simple reunion. “Dolly?”

Her whole body tensed up and a whimper escaped her throat as she climaxed right there. It took a few seconds for her to drop back down from a cloud in heaven and realize what had happened, and as she did, she noticed Rainbow Dash looking at her with wonder and concern. Embarrassed, Applejack dropped her bright red face down a bit and managed to hold herself up by her arms rather than her unresponsive legs. Feeling the tickling sensation of liquid sliding down her inner thigh, she resisted the urge to whine again or reach down and wipe it off, since that would have raised questions or given her away. Her heart was racing, pounding hard against her ribs, but she swallowed her arousal and pride to raise her head and display a tired yet blissful smile.

“Yea'... Ah'm, uh,” her voice sounded odd, but her hot hand squeezed Rainbow's right back as she stared at her affectionately. With but one more lie, she replied, “Ah'm great.”

Hearing the clacking of heels, Applejack released the girl across from her at once, her face falling again as she anxiously glanced over at the woman who approached them from down the stairs. Rainbow Dash took the barmaid's advice and went back across the lounge and down the stairs, though not without a worried and suspicious gaze planted in her wake.

As she left, Applejack gave up holding her brave face, as she knew it would hardly fool Miss Jubilee anyway. Turning around and resting her rear against the lower shelf of the counter, Applejack let out a long held sigh and put her weight on her hands, leaning backwards onto the counter. The swinging door was pushed open as her employer came behind the bar, and Applejack had no time to clean or compose herself after what had just happened. The vibrations continued interminably, and Applejack was more than exhausted and humiliated.

“Stop... make it stop,” her voice came out raspy as she tried to put more force into it, flinching as the vibration rubbed against her now much more sensitive loins. “P-please, Ah can't take it—Ah can't!”

Jubilee came right over to her without hesitation, her salacious gaze ravishing her barmaid until she felt like a worthless whore. The woman caught sight of the glistening liquid that slipped down her leg and found it endearing, remarking on it instantly, “Well, lookie here, someone's makin' a mess behind ma bar.”

Cherry Jubilee reached down between her barmaids legs and ran a finger up the slick line that had dripped the lowest, coating the tip of her digit in Applejack's pleasure. Though Applejack made a broken and horrified face as the woman neared her most intimate of parts, she did not push her away—if she even could— and merely watched with blurring eyes. Bringing her now wet and even possibly dripping finger to her lips, Cherry licked off the abundance of moisture and took half of her finger into her mouth.

“Lemme take it out, please.” Applejack shook her head, resisting the urge to do so without permission as she knew what that would mean for her business and family. “Ah will get on ma knees and beg ya, Cherry. Ah need it out, All do whatever y'ask. Ah'll be better, Ah will.”

“While the thought of you on y'knees sure is temptin'...” Miss Jubilee leaned forward and made the face she always made before shoving her tongue into Applejack's mouth, though she held off this time. She noticed the way her barmaid remained obediently still and even looked right into her eyes like a sad puppy. In fact, the girl was damn near in tears. “It does look like y'learned your lesson.”

“A-Ah did, Ah swear Ah did,” she agreed, nodding furiously at the hope of getting out of the situation already. If she could bring herself to lie to Rainbow Dash, she could surely do it with no qualms to Miss Jubilee.

“Al'right then sugar, y'all can take it out,” Jubilee finally gave her permission. Applejack immediately pushed off the counter and went to run to the bathroom, but Cherry caught her by the wrist and stalled her. “But Ah want it back. An' don't y'dare wash it first.”

“R-Right,” Applejack twitched with a sniff and tried to hide the heaving of her chest as sobs clambered to the surface.

As she fought the tears and pleasures enough to break into a hurried step, she passed a curious Twilight Sparkle who approached the bar, greeting her, “Hey, Applejack, I—?” The barmaid raced past her with her head hanging and flustered, and for once, that did not go unnoticed by the supervisor. “Applejack? Um... What's wrong with her?”

“Beats me,” Miss Jubilee passively responded, though a smirk crept onto one side of her face. “Poor darlin' must jus' b' havin' a rough day.”

That was an understatement, as the barmaid hurried into the staff bathroom down the hall. She closed the door up behind her aggressively and wasted not a moment reaching down between her legs and negotiating the small object out of her. With a disgusted expression, she shakily removed it, which was difficult considering she was almost in hysterics and was still impressively wet. Slamming the bright red and sopping wet object onto the counter, she stifled her weeps and tears long enough to snatch handfuls of paper towel and clean herself off. The Cherry Bomb only hummed for a couple more seconds before it switched off, which must have been the doing of the woman up at the bar.

As she shoved the dampened paper towel into the garbage can, she caught sight of herself in the mirror above the counter. Salted water immediately began pouring down her cheeks, and she hated the face she made when she cried, as she thought it looked nothing less than pathetic. One hand covered her mouth as more deplorable gasps and sobs came out erratically, though it hardly stifled them, while the other ran through her hair and gripped at it, hating how it reminded her of when Cherry Jubilee had done it.

“Damn it,” Applejack murmured through her weeping, wiping at her eyes again and again as if trying to stuff the tears back inside. “Ah'm s-so sorry... Rainbow...”

That was truly what upset her the most, what she had done to Rainbow Dash. Not only did she feel like a liar and a cheat, but in trying to keep the girl out of her tangled mess of relations, she had hurt her even more. Looking back up to her reddening eyes, all she wanted to do was smash her fists against the mirror, regardless of the potential injury. She realized then that the only person she hated more than Cherry Jubilee... was herself.

“Applejack? I know you're in there,” accompanied a knock or two, and Applejack recognized the speaker as Twilight Sparkle.

Sniffing and clearing her throat quietly, the barmaid promptly responded as casually as she could, “Oh, Ah'll be out in a minute, Twi.”

“Let me in,” she continued firmly, her hand trying the knob.

“Just a minute,” Applejack tried again, turning on the tap and running her hands under it to test the temperature, as she wanted to splash some onto her hot face.

“I know you're crying,” those words stopped her still, and her body went cold.

Sighing, Applejack reached over and unlocked the door with a turn of her hand before doing the same to the tap. She noticed the Cherry Bomb still sitting on the counter and hurriedly scooped it up, though it left a few drops of liquid behind. Leaning over the counter patiently, Applejack waited as Twilight opened up the bathroom door and stepped inside.

“What happened?” Twilight asked carefully, tilting her head and trying to catch the barmaid's gaze.

“Ain't nothin' t' worry 'bout, honest,” Applejack blankly responded, not sounding the least bit convincing.

“If it's enough to make you cry, it must be a doozy,” the supervisor tried for a joke, placing her hand on Applejack's shoulder as the two shared small smiles.

“Ah just ain't havin' th' best day,” the barmaid said, which was true, though it left a good deal out. “Maybe Ah'm just overreactin' 'r somethin'. Ah'll be fine.”

“You're nothing if not stubborn,” Twilight told her, leaning against the counter and brushing a damp lock of hair out of Applejack's face. “But remember, AJ: I'm not just a co-worker, or a supervisor. I'm your friend, too. I'm here if you need me, okay?”

Applejack nodded a few times, her smile melting warmly though her chest was still tight and guilty. She looked over at her supervisor gratefully. “Yea', Ah know. Thanks, Twi.”

In unison, the two turned to each other and embraced in a comforting hug. It did feel nice to have someone so supportive right there at arm's length, but Applejack knew that she could not tell her about anything important. Besides, the person she wanted to confide in most was Rainbow Dash, and she knew telling her any of it would likely crush her and force them apart. Glancing over Twilight's shoulder, Applejack looked at the little Cherry Bomb in her fingers as it glistened under the fluorescent lighting. She opened her palm once more and let it fall back inside and out of sight.

Author's Note

Well... that was interesting to write. You could probably tell something bad was going to happen once you read the title of the chapter. Usually I hate messing with my OTP, but... I decided to try something a little different. If you didn't hate Cherry already, you probably do now.

So, well... tell me what you thought!

Also, you probably noticed the new cover picture. I admit I am nothing compared to the glasworks and askhumanappledash tumblr artists, whose collaborative image I had as a temporary cover, but I do like to use my own images for covers so... yeah. Arby did do the colouring for me, which I adore. If you have any ideas for more fanart I could whip up, tell me!! I'll put it on my to-do list.

Scotch on the Rocks

XI. Scotch on the Rocks

With a dull look in her tired, half-lidded eyes, Rainbow Dash stared up at her same familiar ceiling. Her hands were folded over her chest and the blankets were kicked down a bit past her hips, and she drummed her fingers over and again. She was bored, but mostly, she was lonely. It was weird to think, but she actually looked forward to going to work, as that was where she would see Applejack. However, she grunted as she resentfully flipped onto her side, facing her back to the window. Applejack hadn't seemed quite so interested in seeing her.

She snuggled her head against the pillow in a slow and melancholy way, wishing for the plush and comforting embrace of someone rather than something. Closing her eyes and shifting her body against the soft sheets, she remembered just where she was in the middle of some fantasy. She had been stalled by the memory of reality, in the form of remembering how Applejack had brushed her off two days in a row like that, and how they hadn't spoken much since then.

Groaning out loud, Rainbow commenced playing a scene in her mind, as sad as it made her to feel that she could not actually live it. Applejack was there in her head, and as she pictured it, the two of them were behind the bar after closing, and the barmaid was all over her. Rainbow smiled and touched her neck where she imagined kisses would go, running her fingers along the smooth and hot skin.

The air around them would be thick and saturated with steamy breaths, daring them to remove their clothes. Rainbow Dash would be smooth as hell, undoing Applejack's lacy outfit with one tug and snapping the hooks of her bra apart. The blonde's breasts would fall right out, and she would moan when Rainbow would suck on them, squeezing and pinching as she desired. It would feel amazing as Applejack would grind up against her, considering the barmaid wouldn't be able to help herself around the skilful hostess.

Rainbow smiled as her hand slipped down her body, her trembling hands reaching down between her legs to gauge to arousal her imagined lover had given her. The slick and slippery moisture served only to drive her on, and she wished the barmaid would taste her once more, surely she would love the flavour and texture without fail. As her fingers perused her own most intimate of parts, she wondered how Applejack's might have felt.

Some noise creaked through the apartment: a door opening, some steps, rustling. Could it have been... her? It would have been a miracle considering she didn't have a key or anything, but Rainbow's hopes still stayed up as her body rose from bed, wondering if the noises had come from across the hall or been imagined. Her damp fingers ran along the covers until they were dry, and she tugged a loose shirt over her head before exiting through her bedroom door, leaving her lower body only concealed by her undergarments.

Creeping down her hallway, she scratched her messy hair blankly, her annoyed eyes drifting around as she searched for some source of noise, perhaps a heater kicking on or some argument down the hall that had floated under her door. The pads of her feet tapped the hardwood quietly, and she grumbled incoherent syllables as her annoyance from being interrupted became clear. As she turned into the living room, she was stunned to see the back of some older man just standing in the middle of her living room.

“What the—?!” Rainbow Dash nearly shouted as the man turned around, and his familiar face made her frown and bark louder while she glared at him, “Fuck, dude! A little warning?!”

“Damn it Dash, put some pants on,” the man yelled back, making a terribly disappointed and furious expression as he looked her over. “I should have expected nothing less from you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow and putting a hand on her hip, tilting her body so her loose shirt hung down low enough to cover most anything private.

“It means you have not matured at all, walking around looking like some cheap whore.” The older gentleman gestured towards her less than classy appearance, his fine and expensive suit flowing with his movements.

Rainbow shrugged lazily, scratching behind her ear as she replied, “Well I can't say I imagined my old man was going to be standing in my living room like a fucking coffee table robber.”

“Just as eccentric as ever,” he muttered as he rolled his eyes, adding, “You must get that from your mother's side.”

“I'll take that as a compliment.” She turned around at once, waving over her shoulder as she went to find some pants.

As his daughter went off from whence she came, the man let out a low sigh and looked around the room once more. He had been noting her choice in furnishing and décor when she walked in on him, and he went back to criticising it once she was absent. He slipped his hands into his trouser pockets as he creased a well-set line between his eyebrows, the wrinkles around his lips and nose being shadowed by his deep frown. Hardly a moment later, the brash young girl strode back into the room with a pair of pyjama bottoms hugging her hips.

“So,” Rainbow's loud voice broke the silence violently, and her father turned to look at her with those same old judgemental eyes. “What did I do to deserve a visit from the devil himself?”

“Maybe I just missed my little girl,” he tried for a calmer approach, but she laughed in his face.

“Little girl? Come on, she's been gone for a long, long time.” Rainbow scoffed and looked anywhere else in the room but at him, her body tense and uncomfortable. “Seriously, what's the deal?”

“You haven't been returning my calls,” the man told her sternly.

“Must have slipped my mind.” Rainbow played coy, crossing her arms.

“Just like etiquette, manners, and motivation, it seems,” her father took a verbal swipe at her, but it didn't bother the girl. With a long sigh, he stared at her usual lack of care for her appearance. “I don't imagine you're coming over for Hearth's Warming dinner.”

“Like you'd want me there. I'm an embarrassment, remember?” she reminded him at once, strolling over to the little liquor cabinet she had by the fireplace and looking at the bottles as if they were interesting in some way. “Go spend it with your other family, old man.

“It's been over ten years—fifteen, Dash, since she left. Moving on is part of growing up, you know,” her father told her evenly, watching her as her hands fiddled with some of the glasses and bottles she had set up over there.

“And apparently I know nothing about that, right?” Rainbow asked, glancing over her shoulder with a glare as she set a glass down and reached for a particularly square bottle. “I live alone now, dad, not with you. I'm an adult. That means you really can't tell me what to do, or lecture me or anything.”

“And yet you still live under a roof I pay for,” he mentioned, but didn't press the issue.

“Oh, we both know why that is,” Rainbow murmured resentfully as she flicked the lid of some bottle off, gently tipping it to the side and letting the coppery liquid slip out into her glass. “Can you leave already? I thought I told you I didn't want to see you. I almost liked you better when you forgot I existed.”

“You'll be alone forever, burning all the bridges in your life like that,” the man's voice was low and somewhat sullen or accusative.

“You don't even know me,” the girl spoke back, her voice getting higher in pitch as she took her glass and went into the kitchen for but a moment. “All you ever cared about was the way I looked. For pictures, for clients, for your business parties, all for you. Never mattered what I wanted, did it?”

“Must you always be so dramatic? I'm just trying to talk to you.” Her father groaned as his stern face set on the doorway which she had gone through.

“Talk, huh? Well, that's a first,” Rainbow Dash came back into the room, a few ice cubes floating in her glass.

“Isn't it a bit early for Scotch?” he commented lowly, his eyes tracing the glass she brought to her lips after he read the bottle she left open on the counter of the little cabinet.

“In the day, or in life?” Rainbow retorted with a smirk, finishing a large sip as she leaned against the wall by the kitchen entrance.

“Don't be a smart-ass.” It was obvious he was not in a joking mood, but that just made her want to mess with him more.

“Don't be a jack-ass,” came her aggressive reply, and she could visibly see his short fuse go off.

“Goddamn it, Dash!” he shouted at her, storming over and towering over the much shorter girl with a dangerous gaze. She just stood there under it, looking up at him and apathetically taking another sip in spite of him. “After everything I've done for you, you have the nerve to talk to me like that?!”

“All you've done for me?” Rainbow swished the liquid around in her mouth as if she was thinking about something. “Oh, sorry, I forgot. Ignoring me my entire life unless you wanted something from me, I really should thank you for that. You got the precious little daughter your associates adored, and I got to spend as little time with you as possible, stupidly low self worth, trust issues and zero desire to be happy. Glorious work there, paps.”

“You whine a lot, for someone who pretends not to give a damn,” the man directed an insult back to her, and she forced another careless shrug. “At least I'm here trying to make up for it, aren't I?”

“Is that what you're doing? You really could have fooled me.” She looked out the window passively, remembering the only other person who had been in her apartment, and how glancing out over the city had been a joy.

Her hand tightened around the glass as she realized just what had turned her towards alcohol in the first place: this man. She really should have thanked him, for sending her straight into Jubilee's Joint that fateful Thursday evening after a particularly heated conversation with the man. He had been yelling at her about wasting her life and isolating herself all alone, and so she had set off to prove him wrong, and found Applejack. Seeing the barmaid's face in her mind once more, Rainbow's expression softened, and she remembered the way she had felt when they were together.

“Your hair,” her father's voice brought her back to reality, and she glanced carefully over at him. “It's getting long again.”

“Yeah, so what?” she growled back, narrowing her eyes.

“I like it long,” his voice dropped into a low murmur as he leaned in close and ran his hand along it, tracing her ear and taking a few locks into his fingers. The soft strands gently fluttered back down as his hand moved through it, but Rainbow Dash was not pleased by the attempt at a compliment at all.

“Don't.” Her head dropped with a frown as she decided on another large gulp. Upon swallowing it, her raspy voice rose up again, “So, are you going to tell me why you're here already? Or are we going to keep playing this little game?”

“If you must know,” he began, and Rainbow tilted her head to listen. “I'm being considered for a very important promotion this upcoming year. I can't have that being screwed up.”

“So, in other words: pretend I don't exist again, right?” Rainbow leisurely asked, churning the liquid around and hearing the ice cubes clacking against the glass.

“That's not what I meant,” he told her simply, but it seemed true enough. “I just wanted you to know.”

“Right, got it.” Rainbow gave him a lazy salute before pushing off the wall and going over to the window, looking out over the snow-covered city as the dark clouds loomed over it.

“It is a nice view, don't you think?” Her father walked up behind her, she could see him in the dim reflection. His eyes trailed down to her as he waited for some response, which only followed after another painful sip.

“Am I ever going to meet them?” she changed the subject abruptly, her hateful eyes meeting his in the reflection. “Your new family, I mean.”

“Neither of us would want that, Dash,” he reminded her softly as he stepped closer, looking at her real face over her shoulder.

“You have another daughter, right? I sometimes wonder if she's anything like me. Probably not, though. Bet they're all pretty normal. They must do a fine job of looking good if you keep them around.” She looked back at him, and he huffed a silent amused laugh.

“They don't go around alienating everyone and making fools of themselves, if that's what you mean,” he said with a smirk that betrayed his otherwise stiff features. His hand touched her back supportively as he let out a slow breath and dipped into a more serious and hushed tone, “Rainbow, I wanted—”

“I have to go to work soon, dad,” she stopped him short, holding his gaze knowingly with the settling sternness of her own face.

“I never thought I'd hear you say that,” the man sounded pleased, though his eyes moved down to her hand critically. “With a glass of scotch in your stomach, too?”

“You taught me well.” She tipped the glass to him before swinging another mouthful down her throat.

“I suppose so,” he agreed, removing his hand from her body and stepping away. He turned from her and walked back towards the door, the sound of his keys jingling in his pocket. As he reached the door, he paused to look back at her. “I'll stop by again, when you have more time to talk.”

“Don't bother.” Rainbow Dash didn't care to watch him leave, she didn't want to see him any more than necessary.

As the door closed back into place, the rainbow-haired girl turned to face it, staring blankly at her solitude. With a growl, she glared at it for a few more seconds, making certain that man would not decide to waltz back in. Her legs carried her away from the bright window at last, and she dragged her feet into the bathroom. Placing the glass on the counter below the mirror, her eyes raised from her tightly fisted hands to her own reflected face.

She stared into that four-cornered eye of heaven, that thing so silver and exact. It seemed to her so honest, though false. A copy of her stood at her nose: hair falling in the same way, thin, pinkish lips pushing together in a scowl or frown, hands, too, gripping at the counter on the other side, eyes set on her own. Those eyes were murderous to her, those familiarly shaped things, arched and lidded just as his were, though the crows feet had not set into them yet.

How could anyone look at her, while she had his eyes? Piercing, persuasive, perverse: these eyes were like narrowed, sharpened shards of ruby; something that corrupt businessman could afford to set into her. If blindness wasn't so hard to swallow, she might have dug the things right out. But instead, something easier to change would keep him from her head, and a pair of scissors were conveniently within reach.

She hadn't been lying, she did have to go to work, after all. And considering it was a Friday night, she should have not been surprised to walk in to find the place already horribly busy. As the closing host, she wasn't obliged to start right as the pub opened, but that particular night, she knew it probably would have helped. Hurrying through the crowds with a look of wonder and bewilderment, Rainbow Dash made her way to the back of the pub to the coat racks. She took off all her extra clothing until just the uniform remained, and she got to work right away.

Upon reaching the pub once more, she dodged, ducked, and sidestepped all kinds of crowds, patrons, guests and servers, who were all rushing about in their own directions without pause. She finally made her way to the door, which was mostly empty as the guests had already shuffled into the pub by then. Glancing at the floor plan, she noticed it was entirely incorrect and frantically scribbled on. The humming and buzzing of the full house was deafening, and the mass of people dizzying, but among them she managed to spot a familiar face.

“Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow called as she rushed over to the girl, who was carrying a large tray with several plates on it and had another plate in her one hand. Following her as the server went on her path and barely managed to cast a glance back, Rainbow asked, “What's going on?”

“It's anarchy—anarchy!” she nearly screamed, sweat apparent on her face as she danced around obstacles with impeccable balance. She was stalled for a moment as she looked at Rainbow Dash oddly, her eyes jumping up to the girl's hair, but shook her head and got on with it. “Carrot Top didn't show up for her shift again, and Lyra called in sick. We're down two servers on, like, the busiest night ever!”

“No wonder this place is such a mess,” Rainbow murmured as she looked around, letting Pinkie drop the food off at the designated table.

She glanced up at the bar, but was surprised to see that her usual barmaid was absent. Instead, Twilight Sparkle was up there, struggling to keep up with the drinks, while Spike attempted to help her by organizing the printed slips with the drink orders and handing her glasses or ingredients as requested. Following the frizzy haired server as she rushed around again, Rainbow decided to speak up.

“Where's Applejack?” she asked, ducking under Rarity's arm as she zipped by with a large tray held over her head.

“Applejack? She's everywhere!” Pinkie cried in near hysterics. “She's been helping everyone with their tables: drink orders, food running, complaints, everything. And on top of that, she's in the service aisle expediting the food orders, cleaning our tables, sitting our tables, and helping Twilight at the bar when she gets overwhelmed. I even saw her in the kitchen cooking and dish washing!”

“Seriously?” Rainbow wondered, her heart swelling to hear such high praise for the girl she already admired.

“If it wasn't for her, we would have all crashed a long time ago,” Pinkie went on with a heave of exasperated breath. Rainbow knew the expression of 'crashing' as meaning someone on staff was overwhelmed and falling apart in the pub. “I have to go though, good luck out there!”

“Yeah, you too,” Rainbow replied monotonously, drifting back to the host stand as her eyes looked around for the girl in question.

Rubbing some of the scribbles out with the napkin she had handy for removing the wax pencil marks on the floor plan, Rainbow set to correcting a couple of errors and keeping it accurate. Her eyes shifted back up to the bar, as had become habit, and she was pleased to notice the very barmaid she was looking for, though she was standing on the opposite side of the bar she usually controlled. The blonde finished encircling her serving tray with drinks before tipping her hat to her supervisor and starting across the lounge. On her way, she dropped off several drinks to tables before starting down the stairs towards the host stand and the rest of the pub.

Rainbow tentatively touched her hair and flicked it about, trying to tuck some behind her ear, though it didn't stay. By then, Applejack was halfway down the stairs, and noticed Rainbow Dash right away. As their eyes met, two fond smiles crossed their faces, and the barmaid came right over to her and let her eyes tousle the difference of her coloured locks.

“Hey,” Applejack started in a pleasant hum, a tone Rainbow had not expected since the rest of the pub was chaotic. As the barmaid stepped closer, she continued with an obvious statement, “Y'cut your hair,”

“What of it?” Rainbow asked, meaning to come off as casual but possibly appearing irritable.

Applejack's smile melted wider as she reached out with her free hand and took a few strands into her fingers, feeling it in an adoring way as she admitted, “Ah like it.”

Her hand gently slid over Rainbow's cheek and jaw, stroking her subtly as the short locks of hair fell out from between her fingers. It was a good deal shorter, an inch or two above her shoulders, and somewhat messy and choppy, but it looked wonderful on her anyway. Smiling as she straightened back up, still balancing that wide tray with one arm, Applejack remembered her duties. The noise of the pub flooded back around them, and Rainbow Dash knew they both had to get on with her jobs.

“Right, well, Ah'll come by an' check up on ya later, honey, Ah gotta keep movin',” Applejack told her with a firm nod, and Rainbow returned it.

“Knock 'em dead,” Rainbow Dash replied with a thumbs-up.

Without even caring if anyone saw, Rainbow grinned widely as she watched the barmaid walk off, her eyes trailing the girl's body without pause. Her heart was beating up in her throat as she touched a hand to her cheek, where Applejack's fingers had traced her. Rainbow found herself nearly giggling, knowing how amazing the barmaid was, and recalling all their intimate encounters. She felt so lucky just to be friends with her, the infatuation was a whole other story.

Rainbow Dash could hardly stop staring the entire night, even after the few times it clearly distracted the barmaid. She was a natural leader during a rush, and even Twilight Sparkle, the supervisor, was glad to follow. Applejack was level-headed, hard-working, selfless, and had a good deal more experience with the service part of the job, while Twilight was much more adept at handling numbers and scheduling than rushes like that.

At long last, the influx of patrons slowed down, and after humbly fighting off gratuities and tips from her fellow workers, Applejack returned to the bar. The pub was still stuffed up with groups of guests, who by then were passing their limits and becoming somewhat louder and more obnoxious. Still, the barmaid hummed pleasantly as she calmly dried some of the still wet glasses and placed them in the frost box or stemware racks. After collecting all the menus from around the pub and organizing the stand, Rainbow noticed Twilight pass her and pause, looking at the stillness at the door.

“You're cut,” the supervisor told her before continuing down the stairs towards the office, meaning that she no longer had to remain on shift.

“Oh, 'kay,” Rainbow responded with a nod, pushing off the host stand and starting towards the back to get her stuff.

She clocked out at once and dipped into the back of house, collecting her jacket and belongings from the coat area. Once she was out of uniform, she went up to the bar and plopped down in her own familiar seat, noticing only one or two drunken old men around the rest of the wood counter, though they looked less than lucid. Applejack noticed her at once, and cast her a warm smile.

“Off already?” she asked simply, and Rainbow just shrugged. “A drink, maybe?”

“You know I can't turn down that offer,” Rainbow smiled sadly, finding something unsettling about the similarity of her habit. She would not have thought about it for a second, had her father not visited her that very day and reminded her of her troubles. Speaking of the man, she decided to order something that he himself was fond of, something strong enough to kick him out of her bothered mind just as she had tried to that morning, “Scotch, on the Rocks.”

“Whoa,” Applejack tipped her hat back with surprise, rarely hearing such a strong request from the young girl. “Somethin' wrong?”

“Guess you could say that,” Rainbow slunk down between her shoulders and teetered on the crooked leg of her seat. “I have a lot on my mind.”

“Ah s'pose Ah can relate,” Applejack shared the sentiment, turning around to start the drink and hide the shame in her eyes.

“I hear you were kicking ass and taking names out there today, Dolly,” Rainbow changed the topic, her voice lifting as she smiled at her friend.

“Well, Ah've been here for a good long time, y'see, Ah've filled in for most any position.” Of course, Applejack was always modest, Rainbow loved that about her. “Ah help out when Ah can.”

Grinning as a term came to mind, one relative to the barmaid's name in fact, Rainbow decided to slip it out slowly and with a teasing tone, “I guess that makes you... a 'jack of all trades, eh?”

“Somethin' like that,” Applejack chuckled as she got the joke, dropping a couple ice cubes into a glass before running the Scotch through it.

As she finished pouring the copper-coloured liquid through the ice, she gave it a spin with her wrist before placing it in front of Rainbow Dash. The liquid still shifted and the ice swayed in the glass, making light clinking noises against the sides. The girl at the receiving end stared at the familiar choice of liquor, the dark hue already making her tongue tingle. It was much too toxic and tempting to resist.

“Hey, Rainbow?” Applejack spoke up softly, leaning in close across the counter with a much more serious or forlorn expression. “'scuse me for comin' outta th' blue with this, but...”

“Mmm?” Rainbow hummed through her sip, looking at her barmaid over the rim of the glass.

“We hafta talk,” she started, nodding faintly. She winced at how awkward the words felt, and how painful it was to discuss, but went on, “About all this... stuff, we've been doin'.”

“Yeah, I expected as much,” Rainbow replied in a sigh, placing her glass down as her heart dropped down into her stomach. As much as it bothered her, she decided to act casual. “It's cool, Applejack. You don't have to explain anything.”

“Pardon?” Applejack pondered, tilting her head as she wondered just how much of her troubles the hostess knew.

Rainbow shrugged and leaned back on the stool a bit, though she avoided Applejack's eyes as she managed to say, “If you don't want to do it, we definitely don't have to. I can't make you like me in that way, if you don't. And don't get all awkward or anything, it's no big deal, honest.”

“That ain't it, that ain't it at all,” the barmaid argued adamantly, hurriedly reaching out and grabbing her patron's hand in both of her own and squeezing it tightly. “Ah do like ya, 'n fact, Ah like ya a little too much, Ah reckon.”

“Wait, you do?” the hostess perked up, noticing the blush in her friend's cheeks.

“Yea', Ah mean, Ah keep doin' that stuff with ya—even at work, which ain't like me at all—'cause Ah want to,” Applejack whispered, glancing around to make sure no one eavesdropped. She got back to being uneasy though as she went on, “But, as much as Ah like y'all, it really ain't right t' you t' keep leadin' y'on.”

The rainbow-haired girl swallowed nervously, slowly asking, “Do you have a... girlfriend, or something?”

“No, no, Ah really don't,” the barmaid denied furiously, hating the way the word even sounded when she thought of the woman who kept her from being happy. No, Miss Jubilee was no girlfriend. Applejack sighed unhappily, looking down at their hands as she affectionately rubbed at the girl's knuckles. “It's complicated, al'right? Ah just ain't in a good spot t' be doin' anythin' serious, much as Ah want to. An' Ah really, really want to. Ah just can't stand the thought o' hurtin' y'all or not bein' able t' give ya all y'deserve.”

“Well, if it's trouble for you, I understand. I like you a lot too, you know. Not to come on too strong, or anything,” Rainbow Dash muttered, flipping her hair coolly to keep a tough façade. “But we don't have to be anything serious, either.”

Applejack was surprised to hear such a thing, and looked up at the girl before her, “We don't?”

“Of course not. I can't ask you to give me everything, no matter how awesome that might be. Even if all you give me is... is your little pinky finger, to suck on.” Rainbow lifted Applejack's hand and placed her pinky finger right into her mouth, closing her lips around it and even running her tongue along it. “Tha's 'nough f' meh.”

“You're crazy,” Applejack chuckled, enjoying the strange intimate feeling of saliva on her finger.

“Mhmm,” the girl hummed on the finger, and the two of them met fond and familiar gazes. Applejack could feel the heat in Rainbow's mouth, and Rainbow almost lost track of heartbeats as she felt them pounding between her lips.

“But... Ah ain't in'erested in just screwin' around, Rainbow,” Applejack told her gently, her eyes softening as Rainbow released her hand and let her stroke her cheek once or twice. “Ah wanna be more.”

They were both silent as they let the statement sink in true. Applejack was embarrassed that she had said so much on the subject, as she didn't want to seem too forward, either. After all, they hadn't spoken much of each other or defined their relationship at all, and she did not want to be presumptuous. Rainbow just faintly nodded and took a sip as she tried to come up with something that let Applejack know how much she wanted things to continue, while still letting her remain cool about the subject. Clearing her throat, she tried to make herself seem a lot more secure than she might have been.

“No pressure, or anything. But hey, I'd love that. If it's not in the cards, I'll wait. Baby, deal me another hand,” Rainbow smirked a sly and suave grin, leaning back and holding the eye contact to convey her determination and diligence. “I'm not going to fold.”

The barmaid's heart fluttered as she heard that, and her glistening eyes fixed onto the bright ruby ones of the girl before her as she replied, “You sure are a smooth talker, y'know that?”

“I try.” Rainbow Dash smugly shrugged as her finger ran over the rim of the Scotch. As her mood lifted, so did her desire for something a little less strong and serious, “So, how about you pour me something a little less depressing than this Scotch, hmm?”

Author's Note

So now we see a little bit more about Rainbow's father. We will be seeing more of him, too, so don't worry.
Now tell me, how did you like it?

Shirley Temple

XII. Shirley Temple

“Applejack, do you mind taking Rarity's cash-out down to the office?” Twilight asked, counting out several debit and credit receipts from Fluttershy's cash-out. On such a mediocre night as that, servers were being let off left right and centre, so Twilight was a little behind on going through their bills and cash for any discrepancies.

“Consider it done,” Applejack agreed easily, taking the little blue zip-up bag from her supervisor's hand and heading down towards the office.

“Oh, and I forgot to tell you,” Twilight spoke up once more, stalling Applejack. “Can you give the bar a quick once over tonight before you leave? Miss Jubilee will be in tomorrow to work out Hearth's Warming bonuses and add up gift card sales.”

“She couldn't do that when she was here last week?” Applejack grumbled with a deep frown, and Twilight noticed her clear distaste.

“No, she said she was too busy with employee relations,” Twilight replied in an innocent voice, and Applejack tensed up to hear such a term.

“Ah see,” Applejack passively murmured, swallowing uncomfortably though her mouth was dry.

“Oh, and she said someone might be dropping in to see her too,” the supervisor added before turning back to what she was doing. “That's all.”

“Ah'll keep my eyes peeled.” The barmaid turned around and started for the office again, wanting to drop the topic and stamp on it.

On the way, Applejack did a quick reconnaissance of the pub, checking on servers and the kitchen. The Joint had already begun to clear out, as many people just stopped in for a meal on most weekdays rather than hanging around to drink. As the barmaid made it to the front door, she recognized her favourite hostess, who was scrubbing some scuffs off the stairs that led to the lounge. Slowing her step and carefully positioning herself behind the girl, she quietly crept up.

“Well, well.” Applejack startled Rainbow, who turned to face the barmaid. “Look at you, doin' real work, an' on y'hands an' knees, t' boot.”

“I really want to go to the Ball this evening,” Rainbow said in a faux distraught and feminine voice. “But my horrid stepmother wont let me!”

Applejack laughed at the cute little joke, before leaning against the wall and looking down at the girl, telling her, “Oh, darlin', Ah'm sure you'd look mighty fine all done up.”

“I look better with nothing on at all.” Rainbow Dash winked suggestively, and Applejack smiled in return.

“Don't Ah know it,” she murmured back, remembering the evening she got to have a glimpse. “Well, Ah gotta run downstairs, 'scuse me honey.”

“I'll miss you.” Rainbow puckered her lips and made a sad face, to which Applejack responded with an odd expression and a light chuckle.

“Yea', Ah'm sure,” Applejack replied sarcastically with a shake of her head, passing Rainbow and heading down towards the office.

Rainbow Dash felt a warm and charming smile stick to her lips as she watched Applejack descend the stairs, and she was pleased to watch her leave as it gave her a great view. Even after their serious talk several days before, it seemed like little had changed between them. There was still constant flirting and touching, and both of them were eager to continue where they had left off.

Though Rainbow Dash knew little of what their relationship was, she knew that it could be just about anything. It excited her, the suspense and surprise. And yet, every time she saw Applejack walk away, she felt this tug of yearning, this innate desire to follow her. And when she was gone, Rainbow Dash felt utterly lonely, something she rarely felt before.

She finished up cleaning the stairs quickly, and dropped the bucket and scrub in the back of house before returning to her post. It hardly took her a couple of moments, but when she returned, she noticed a young girl loitering in the doorway. She was looking up towards the bar with a big frown on her face, and was obviously too young to have been hanging around in a pub, as she looked to be a teenager by her attire, expression, and mood. Rainbow approached her without hesitation, taking note of her curly and plush red locks and her bright eyes, which shone like gold.

“Can I help you with something? You look lost.” Rainbow Dash approached the younger girl, raising her eyebrow as she noticed the disinterested scowl and dark eye-liner she was sporting.

“Maybe yea', maybe naw,” the younger girl said in an annoyed voice, looking Rainbow Dash up and down critically. “Ah'm lookin' fer Applejack, she's a bartender here.”

“Applejack, huh,” Rainbow Dash obviously recognized the name, and even speaking it brought a smirk to her lips. Getting back to the topic, she asked, “And who, exactly, are you?”

“Can't y'see th' unfort'nate family r'semblance?” the girl huffed, gesturing to herself and scoffing, looking around for the blonde farmer once more.

“I wouldn't call that unfortunate.” Rainbow played coy, teetering back and forth on her toes and heel as she thought of the woman. “Applejack, she's quite the looker if you ask me.”

“Eww, Ah don't wanna hear that,” she snorted and made a disgusted face.

Taking another hard look at the young girl, whose pale skin and irritated expression reminded her nothing of the favourable barmaid, Rainbow decided to inquire, “So, who are you again?”

“Apple Bloom, if y'must know,” the girl told her with a nod. Adding a smirk, she went on, “Ah'm her daughter.”

Rainbow's eyes widened to hear such a thing, and her chest tightened up at once. Sure, there was a strong resemblance indeed, but she found it hard to believe the barmaid would be old enough to have a teenage daughter. Besides that, she wondered if Applejack had ever even been with men, considering how interested she seemed in being intimate with Rainbow herself. Sweating as she tried to think up a response, Rainbow hardly noticed the other girl walk up behind her company.

“Quit that, y'lyin' hayseed.” Applejack smacked the younger girl lightly on the back of her head, causing her to reach back and hold her stinging scalp. Looking up at the still shocked and quiet Rainbow Dash, Applejack revealed, much to Rainbow's relief, “She ain't m'daughter, she's ma little sister.”

“Ouch, relax AJ,” Apple Bloom muttered in a grouchy voice, glaring at her older sister. “Ah was jus' tryna freak 'er out.”

“That ain't nice,” the barmaid scolded her sister, matching her irritable expression quirk for quirk.

“Who said Ah'm nice?” Apple Bloom's voice squeaked. Huffing and turning away, the younger girl looked over at Rainbow and narrowed her eyes. “Sheesh, is she y'girlfriend 'r somethin'?”

“Wha—?” Applejack had no idea what to say to that, and she and Rainbow Dash met gazes shyly. “Uh, that ain't none'a your business, any who.”

“Whatever, AJ,” Apple Bloom murmured as she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket, skimming it with her eyes and fingers absently.

“What're y'doin' here, sis'?” she asked in a more gentle voice, her eyes softening on the familiar face of her close family.

“None'a yer bus'ness,” the younger girl repeated her sister's words with a snarky tone.

“Ah reckon it is, consid'rin' you're here at m'work, showin' up outta th' blue like this,” Applejack replied, trying to catch the girl's attention as she texted across her keyboard. “Apple Bloom, is somethin' wrong?”

“Ah ain't 'llowed t' visit?” she went on sarcastically, and Applejack rolled her eyes at the poor attitude. “Ah don't know anyone else in th' city.”

“Y'came down here t'say hey, sugarcube? Why didn't ya jus' come along with Mac on th' weekend 'r somethin'?” Applejack wondered, smelling something rotten about the whole thing.

“He ain't gonna understand, he's a stiff, an' not in th' good way,” Apple Bloom told her sister, and Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh to hear such a thing come out of the little girl's mouth, though Applejack glared at her about it. “Ah want y'all t' meet someone, too.”

“Oh boy.” Applejack sighed and put a hand on her forehead. “How'd y'even get out here, any who? Y'better not'a caught some bus or hitched it 'r somethin'.”

“Ah ain't a baby, Applejack,” the younger sister told the barmaid, glancing a sharp stare as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. “As a matter o' fact, ma boyfriend came an' got me from school an' we walked.”

“Your—your what?!” Applejack gasped in surprise, her wide eyes blinking. “Since when d'you have a boyfriend?”

“Fer weeks now, not that y'all care.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.

Hearing such a thing saddened Applejack, realizing that she missed a good deal of her younger sister's life while she was working and living in the city. She made time to stop by the farm on the weekends, sure, but even then it was difficult to get time for her family when she had the business to take care of, deliveries, and finances on her mind.

While Applejack sighed and punished herself for being absent, Rainbow Dash watched on with an amused expression. She had never seen Applejack look so, dare she say it, maternal. The two sisters were so involved in their conversation that neither one of them noticed the boy walk in through the front door, though Rainbow leaned to the side to see him past the siblings. Before she could speak up about it, Apple Bloom cut her off.

“An' just so y'know, he treats me real good, he's a ripe gentleman,” she told her sister, pushing her nose up proudly.

“A what?” Applejack did not know how to take that.

“Jus' look at 'im,” Apple Bloom gestured towards the boy who had just walked in, and all eyes turned to him.

“Hey,” was all he said, and a nod accompanied it.

“Howd—wait, this is 'im?” the barmaid asked, pointing her thumb at the younger boy.

He had dark hair slicked back over his head, which went well with his dark hoodie. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and his loose and low-hanging jeans bunched up around his ankles. Applejack looked him over, and though she was never the type to be rude or judge based on appearance, she was uncertain this boy would be a good influence on her younger sister.

“Yea', y'got somethin' t' say?” Apple Bloom asked aggressively, trying to push her sister's buttons.

“Naw, Ah'm sure he's, uh,” Applejack looked him over again, noticing his apathetic expression and the way her flipped his hair so it stayed slicked back. “A nice boy.”

“Ah wouldn't care if ya hated him,” the younger girl went on, and Applejack scratched her head. “Ah'm only comin' by outta th' decency o' ma heart. Ma boyfriend an' Ah, we're takin' off. Runnin' away t'gether.”

“Beg pardon?!” Applejack snapped in shock, hoping she heard that wrong.

“Y'all heard me, we're gonna get away from all the bullshit o' school, o' hardships, o' everything,” she went on, and her sister's expression grew more and more confused and incredulous.

“What?! Where is this comin' from, Apple Bloom?” the barmaid asked in a concerned voice, trying to understand. “Heck, first y'start wearing all that eye-liner, then y'stayin' out past curfew, an' now y'wanna run away?”

“What's that s'posed t' mean?” Apple Bloom asked in a moody tone, crossing her arms.

“It means,” Applejack was about to start yelling, but got a hold of herself before it got that far, resorting instead to but a stern tone, “You ain't runnin' off with no one.”

“You ain't th' boss'a me!” her sister screamed back, stomping her foot loudly.

“Ain't no need f'shoutin',” Applejack flinched as she heard the volume of the small girl's voice. Wrapping her arm somewhat playfully around her little sister's neck, Applejack pulled Apple Bloom up to the bar forcefully. “You an' me gotta talk. Get over here y'brat.”

“Oww—watch it!” Apple Bloom whined as she struggled against her older sister's superior strength, barely managing to catch the steps under her feet. “Applejack!”

The hostess and the younger boy watched silently as the two sisters fought their way up the stairs to the bar. It was quiet for another few seconds as the two shuffled about, both feeling too cool to start up much of a conversation. Rainbow Dash, while leaning against the host stand, looked the boy up and down with a dull expression.

“S'up?” Rainbow Dash spoke casually, with a nod to the younger boy.

“S'up.” He nodded back in the same manner.

“Dash,” Rainbow introduced herself simply.

“Rumble,” he replied, stating his name just as easily.

“Cool.” Rainbow shrugged, leaving their conversation at that.

Meanwhile, the barmaid dragged her younger sister over to the bar, plopping her down in a vacant seat across from her. Breathing a heavy sigh, Applejack patted Apple Bloom on the shoulder before going around behind the bar once more. Applejack carefully looked over at her sister as she came around the other side of the wood, though the red-headed girl kept her eyes down with a firm frown.

“Wha's this really about, sugarcube?” Applejack asked in a kinder voice, placing her hand on the edge of the counter. “Y'know, y'ain't even s'posed t' be in here. It's a pub, no minors're allowed.”

“Then why'd y'drag me up here?” Apple Bloom wondered in a dull tone, her unconcerned eyes flashing up to the barmaid.

“T' talk,” her older sister told her, tilting her head. “You gonna tell me what's goin' on?”

“No,” she hurriedly snapped, but after a short pause of the two staring at each other, she gave a different response, “Maybe.”

“Well...” Applejack grunted as she pushed off the counter, turning to face her mixings and tools. Grabbing a small glass and spinning it around in her hand, she offered, “How's 'bout somethin' t' drink?”

“Is it vodka?” the red-head cheekily asked.

“O'course not,” her sister growled, reaching out and poking her on the forehead roughly. “Y'all youngins 're too eager t' grow up these days.”

Apple Bloom put both hands over the sore spot of her head and grumbled, “Y'sound like Granny.”

“Hush, you,” Applejack muttered, shaking her head with a small laugh.

Applejack set along to mixing a drink, one that was very easy to make. Splashing some grenadine over a few ice cubes, Applejack grabbed a soda nozzle and filled the rest of the glass up with ginger ale. It mixed into a bright pink-orange mix, and she garnished it with a few maraschino cherries. She passed it along the counter to her younger sister, whose hands looked terribly small taking hold of the tall glass.

“There ain't no booze at all, is there?” Apple Bloom frowned, putting her mouth over the straw.

“It's a Shirley Temple,” Applejack revealed, and her sister just raised her eyebrow. “That means naw.”

“Thought as much.” The younger girl furrowed her brow irritably and sipped on the liquid.

“So,” Applejack drummed her fingers, checking over her shoulder at the receipt printer to see if she got any new drink orders, which there were two. “Wha's makin' y'wanna leave? Somethin' goin' on at school?”

“You wouldn't know, y'never ask 'bout it unless somethin's wrong,” Apple Bloom murmured into the straw, her eyes downcast and staring at the orange-pink liquid.

“Ah.... Ah'm sorry, sis'. Ah can't be 'round as much as Ah used to, Ah know it ain't been easy, not for either of us,” the barmaid set to making drinks as she spoke, her eyes half-lidded and solemn. “But what's goin' on tha's got y'all riled up?”

“Lots o' things, AJ, y'all have no idea. While y'all're livin' it up in th' city, we're strugglin' t' get by. We ain't got much food 'r money, an' Mac's always stressed out an' yellin' at me. Granny's losin' 'er marbles, an' Ah feel like a burden more than anythin',” she explained in a small voice, the reasons just tumbling out. “An' school ain't been much better, th' only reason Ah can get through is 'cause Ah have Rumble around. We don't see each other much outside o' school any more, seein' as how he mostly lives with 'is brother in th' city here. An' things ain't much better fer him neither, he's got worse stuff in his life than angst, trust me.”

“Y'mean all that, sis'?” Applejack asked carefully, her chest tightening to hear all the things that had gone wrong in her absence. Again, there was an overwhelming weight of guilt that crushed her.

“Ah ain't a liar 'r nothin'.” Apple Bloom took a large sip, and the liquid dropped down in the glass.

“Ah knew things were tough, but,” the blonde dropped her head as she mixed up some cocktail she hardly cared about. “Apple Bloom, th' only reason Ah'm even in this city is t' get money for y'all back home, tha's why Ah got this job, why Ah let ma boss,” she caught herself in time, her honesty too eager to shine out, and hurriedly corrected it, “...Work me s' hard. Ah'd tell ya t' come an' live with me, but t' make sure y'all get all ya need, Ah ain't exactly livin' in luxury.”

“Ah know all 'at, tha's what Mac says,” she grumbled as she stirred the drink around with the straw. “But listen, Rumble's home life's gonna ruin him if he don't get outta there, an' it ain't doin' us no good bein' away from each other an' strugglin', makes school harder than it should be.”

“An y'think running off's gonna fix that?” Applejack asked, trying not to sound condescending. “You're just a kid, sis', y'don't seem t' understand that there's a lot worse out there. Trust me.”

“Y'always treat me like a kid, well, Ah ain't.” Apple Bloom raised her head defiantly, a stern look in her eyes that defied the uneven and juvenile abundance of eye-liner. “Ah'm a seventeen-year-old woman, Applejack.”

“It's hard t' take y'all seriously when you're wearin' ma hand-me-downs,” Applejack cracked a smile as she noticed the familiar attire of the young girl. Though the clothes had aged and been altered, even stitched and ripped to look more intimidating, they were clearly her own. “But Ah understand. Look, Ah won't have time t' drive y'all back home after work, so y'can stay with me tonight, 'kay? But y'gotta promise that y'ain't gonna get on 'bout this runnin' away stuff. 'specially not 'round the holidays. Understand?”

“An' why shouldn't Ah?” her little sister inquired with a narrowed expression.

“B'cause Ah'll come an' find ya, y'all can count on that, an' then Ah'll make ya live with me. An' trust me, y'don't want that.” Applejack smiled again, trying to keep the mood light despite her sister's irritability.

“Y'all don't scare me,” she growled back, her lips curling down and tugging on her childishly round cheeks.

“Oh, y'wanna act all tough, huh?” Applejack grinned as she leaned over the counter, staring firmly into her sister's eyes. “What say we settle this th' way th' Apple family does, hmm?”

Apple Bloom frowned deeper as a scowl appeared on her face. Scoffing loudly, she flipped her hair and replied, “Ah ain't gonna wrestle ya, AJ.”

“I will,” another voice cut in, and Apple Bloom turned to look over her shoulder as Rainbow Dash slung herself onto the counter beside her. She and Applejack smirked at each other, while the younger girl made a disgusted expression.

“Rainbow, Ah didn't see ya come up,” Applejack addressed the girl with a smile and comfortable greeting.

“Yeah, that Rumble kid went out to have a smoke, so I thought I'd check in,” Rainbow Dash said as she gestured to the vacancy at the front door with a shrug.

“He what?” Applejack leaned back in surprise, then glared over at her younger sister. “Ain't y'all a bit young for that?”

“Ah don't do it, don't look at me!” Apple Bloom hurriedly corrected, putting her hands up defensively. “Well, maybe jus' once 'r twice.”

“Apple Bloom!” the barmaid shouted in a scolding tone, shaking a finger at the red-head.

“Oh? And what have we here?” Rainbow Dash asked as she leaned over the younger girl, eyeing her drink. With a free hand, she reached out around the server side of the bar and grabbed a straw, immediately plopping it into the drink. “Why haven't you made me one of these, Dolly?”

“Hey!” Apple Bloom cried out as Rainbow leaned in and took a long sip, swishing it in her cheeks before swallowing it.

“Yuck, where's the liquor?” Rainbow whined, plucking the straw out and licking the length of it as if searching for any trace.

“There ain't none, it's a virgin drink,” Applejack told her flatly, hiding a smile as she noticed how perturbed her younger sister seemed to be by Rainbow's ridiculous antics.

“All yours then, Little Red,” the hostess told the younger girl, nodding towards her bright ginger hair.

“Who's this chick, again?” Apple Bloom asked, raising her eyebrow in annoyance.

“A real good friend o' mine,” the barmaid responded, her eyes resting on Rainbow's affectionately.

“Whatever that means,” the younger girl grumbled into her straw, sipping more of the beverage.

“Well, Ah'll be off in a couple o' hours here,” Applejack got back to the subject, pushing off the counter and tapping it twice. “Y'all can hang 'round 'til Ah'm off, or go get a bite t' eat 'r somethin'.”

“Yea' Ah'm hungry,” Apple Bloom huffed loudly. “Any good places t' get grub 'round here?”

“A family restaurant down the block,” Applejack gestured out the far, dim window.

“Sweet... oh, uh, AJ?” Apple Bloom hopped down off her chair before standing still and placing her hands on the counter to speak to her sister. “Y'got any cash?”

“Yea', yea', y'little freeloader,” Applejack replied as she chuckled at the bluntness, but she complied. Reaching into her tip jar, she pulled out a few-bit bills and handed them to the younger girl. “Y'all come back now, y'hear? Ah'll come lookin' if y'all take off.”

“Ah know, sheesh,” her sister whined in a childish voice as she took the money and counted it out as she turned towards the door. “Y'ain't ma mom're nothin'.”

“Accordin' t' you, Ah am,” the barmaid replied accusingly, and her sister just stuck her tongue out over her shoulder and left.

Rainbow Dash hummed as she looked back at the younger girl, trying to find any semblance of familiarity in personality, which she had a difficult time doing. Though she could see a cuteness in her features that seemed remarkably identical to Applejack, there was an absence of freckles, a particularly unpleasant attitude, and a less than sizeable chest. Shrugging, Rainbow turned back to the barmaid and watched her finish making another drink before she tossed out the remains of Apple Bloom's Shirley Temple.

“So, you never mentioned having a sister before,” Rainbow brought up, tilting her head in question.

“It ain't never come up b'fore,” Applejack told her simply. “Ah don't get t' see her much any more, she's in high school an' Ah'm at work. She's sure changed after Ah left, too. Ah shouldn't blame her 'r nothin', tha's what teenagers do.”

“Yeah, I was a damn handful when I was younger,” Rainbow Dash agreed certainly.

“You're a damn handful now,” the barmaid cheekily retorted.

“Two handfuls, actually.” Rainbow grinned as she reached up and grabbed her own modest breasts, squeezing them twice each.

Applejack laughed loudly in amusement before getting back to work, shaking her head all the while. Noticing the bell ring for the front door again, Rainbow turned around and crossed the lounge to greet the new guests. The barmaid sighed slowly as she watched the girl leave, wishing she was off shift already so that she could keep her company.

Frowning, Applejack wondered just what was going on in her sister's life that she hadn't shared. She was struggling at school, being ignored at home, had a boyfriend, needed a major attitude adjustment, and was thinking of running away. Applejack had never felt so useless and guilty, having abandoned the poor girl. She had come to the city to make money for the farm, and it continuously seemed like she just could not do anything right: not with herself, with her family, or with Rainbow Dash.

Apple Bloom and Rumble returned just after the bar had locked its doors, so Rainbow Dash had to go out and let them in as Applejack was busy closing the bar. The hostess decided to hang around after her shift, hoping to get to know a little more about the barmaid's family and past. As she sipped on her usual fall-back Rum and Coke, she watched Apple Bloom and Rumble pull up two stools side-by-side at the bar. Unfortunately, the kids seemed more interested in whispering and giggling to each other, so Rainbow and Applejack just played pass with looks of amusement or nostalgia.

Soon enough, the lot of them were piled into Applejack's truck. Applejack made Apple Bloom sit in the front, as she was not too sure what she and her boyfriend might get up to in the back seat while it was so dark. Rainbow Dash sat behind the barmaid, slouching in the seat and kicking at the back of Applejack's once in a while carelessly. The blonde girl behind the wheel sighed once more as her sister whined, and their eyes met one or twice.

“Ah don't see why Rumble can't come with us t' your place,” Apple Bloom complained in a low voice, which was difficult given her usually feminine vocal range. “Th' whole world's against us, Ah swear.”

“Th' whole world's 'gainst everyone, chickpea,” Applejack replied flatly, her words sarcastic and cynical. “An' it ain't nothin' like that, ma place ain't big enough for th' lot of us. Y'all will understand.”

“Stingy,” the red-head murmured, crossing her arms. “Rumble ain't gonna take up much room, we'll jus' lay on th' floor, we only need th' one blanket.”

“Oh—sheesh, Apple Bloom! Don't y'go puttin' that in ma head!” Applejack slammed her eyes shut and shook her head before getting back to focusing on driving. “Rumble, you gonna direct me t' your house 'r what?”

“Keep going,” he replied casually with a nod.

“Ah ain't gonna forget this, Applejack,” the younger of the two sisters growled, gnawing at Applejack's name like it was chewing tobacco. “Yer th' worst sister ever.”

“Ah try,” Applejack murmured sarcastically, glaring out the wind shield.

As Applejack's fingers gripped the steering wheel irritably, she let out a slow and heavy breath. It was no surprise that they would fight, that was what family did, but it just seemed like it was getting worse ever since they had spent time apart. Apple Bloom resented Applejack for leaving, and Applejack was so busy with work and responsibility it seemed her sister was growing up without her, and she never knew what to say.

The barmaid flinched as she felt something touch her door-side shoulder, and tilted her head just barely to the side to look at the thin, cool fingers resting on her from the girl in the seat behind her. Feeling warmed and comforted by this, Applejack smiled and gently nudged her cheek against the affection. Rainbow's fingers slid further forward and slipped sneakily across her chest as she sat up against the back of the car seat. Placing her chin onto the seat, Rainbow smirked and cuddled up close to Applejack.

“So, do I get to sleep over, too?” Rainbow Dash murmured teasingly into Applejack's ear, leaning in especially near.

“Ah wasn't lyin' when Ah said there ain't room,” the blonde replied in a monotonous tone.

“Maybe I'll just have to snuggle up close, then,” Rainbow's voice dropped lower as her tongue emerged from her lips and gently ran along Applejack's ear, though it went unseen by the others as it was dark and she hid it well.

“How close?” Applejack breathlessly let slip, her body heating up and almost melting at the touch.

“Left,” a deeper voice said from the back, and Applejack hardly even heard it.

“Huh?” The barmaid blinked, trying to keep her eyes open as Rainbow Dash sucked and nibbled at her earlobe sensually.

“Left,” Rumble repeated with an edge to his voice, some kind of urgency.

“F'Pete's sake, turn left,” Apple Bloom cut in with a loud tone, grabbing at the steering wheel and shoving it to the left.

“Careful y'hooligan!” Applejack barked as she completed the turn, though it was wild and the vehicle behind them blared the horn. “This ain't a darned joyride here, tha's dangerous.”

“Well y'all were distracted by whatever dirty little secrets y'whisperin' 'bout,” Apple Bloom growled back, crossing her arms again.

Rainbow Dash snickered in the back as she fell back into her seat, and Rumble made a perplexed expression. Applejack glanced at the rainbow-haired girl in the mirror before displaying a cute smile and getting back to driving. Rumble's house wasn't far away, but the group noticed immediately when they drove into a questionable neighbourhood. If it wasn't the cracked and holey roads, it was the closed-down shops with boarded up windows and graffiti coated walls. Applejack looked over at her sister and frowned, hoping that Rumble was a better boy than the ghetto life often made people.

“Next right, second building on the right,” Rumble said in an even voice, staring out the window as the familiar street passed him.

“Got it,” Applejack followed the directions and drove down a street lined with boarding houses and apartment buildings. They all looked old and rugged, but she said nothing about it.

They pulled up in front of a particularly scummy looking complex, the walls were coated in spray painted tags and cracked all the way down to the foundation. Broken glass and garbage lined the streets and the concrete pavement was crooked and split by growing weeds, though little of that could be seen because of the frozen snow that still ran along it. There was an older boy sitting on the icy stoop of said building, a can of cheap beer hanging by his fingertips between his bent legs. His bright blonde-white hair was done up in a mohawk, and he sported several neck and body tattoos that peeked out of his loose and sagging clothing.

Rumble let out an audible grunt as he recognized the older man, but said nothing aloud. After a few silent seconds in the truck, he and Apple Bloom opened their doors and jumped out. Determined to escort her younger sister in such a could-be-rough neighbourhood, Applejack followed hastily. Rumble stepped up onto the uneven pavement and walked close to Apple Bloom, his eyes shifting around the scene in case there was something amiss.

“Well there's the little fucker,” the man on the stairs spoke loudly, forcibly picking himself up with a grunt. “I thought you'd fucked off.”

“Hey.” Rumble just gave a single nod and put his arm around the red-head.

“Who's the girl?” he asked curmudgeonly, sniffing and touching a side of his swollen nose with his thumb roughly.

“You've met her before, she's my girlfriend,” Rumble reminded the man, who did little else besides glare and take a long swig of his beer.

“Right, the ginger,” he remembered with a dull expression. His unfocused eyes drifted to Applejack as she came up behind her little sister. “And who's the pin-up?”

“Uh,” Applejack was stalled by such a title, but went on with an introduction, “Applejack, Ah'm Apple Bloom's sister.”

“Well kid, looks like you have a lot to look forward to when your girlfriend grows up,” he said in a hush, sniffing once more and touching his face before getting back to it, “I'm Thunderlane, shortstack's bro.”

“Pleasure t' meet you,” Applejack replied uncertainly, extending her hand for a shake.

“Yeah it is.” Thunderlane took her hand and shook it clumsily, and Applejack couldn't help noticing the way his eyes flickered up and down between her face and her chest. Applejack glanced back at the truck, noticing Rainbow glaring menacingly at the man from her position leaning out the opposite window she had been sitting next to. “What brings you by? You wanna come in for a drink? Smoke? Maybe a—?”

“Naw thanks," she cut him off with her refusal. "Ah just came by t' drop off y'brother, Ah gotta get m'sister on home.” Applejack brushed him off casually.

“Does th' drink offer stand f' me too?” Apple Bloom cheekily asked, and her sister lightly smacked her on the back of the head. “It was a joke, sheesh.”

“Well, we best be goin',” Applejack pleasantly chimed, tugging at Apple Bloom's sleeve.

“Inna minute.” Apple Bloom yanked her arm away irritably and turned to Rumble. “Ah gotta say g'bye.”

Applejack went silent as she watched her younger sister turn towards her boyfriend. They just sort of smiled at each other first, and Applejack resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Suddenly though, their lips were together and their arms were venturing all over each other. Trying to stay out of it, Applejack made an annoyed face and averted her eyes, catching Rainbow's gaze as the girl laughed in the truck. The kissing went on for a long few seconds before Applejack decided enough was enough, and she reached out and took her sister by the shoulder.

“Tha's plenty t' r'member you by,” Applejack muttered lowly as she pulled her little sister away. “C'mon kiddo.”

“Quit pullin' on me,” Apple Bloom could speak again once her lips were free, and she followed her sister with protest. “Y'sure act like ma mom.”

“Nice meetin' y'all an' such, have a good night,” Applejack avoided responding to that and instead played polite.

“Ah'll text ya Rumble,” Apple Bloom told the boy, who nodded.

“Peace,” Rumble said in response, shoving his hands in his pockets and stepping towards the building with his older brother.

Applejack gently pushed her sister back to the truck, wearing a firm and uncomfortable frown on her face. Peering over her shoulder, she was just in time to see Thunderlane giving her rear end a thorough inspection and Rumble making his way up the stairs lazily. She shook her head in distaste and got back into the truck, not wasting a moment before she turned it on. Apple Bloom rolled her window down and gave Rumble another girlish wave before they took off back down the street.

With a despondent look across her features, Apple Bloom stared out the dark window and sighed. Even though she was scared and naïve, she had been quite excited about the idea of running away. She knew her older sister was right about it being stupid, and perhaps she just wanted attention anyway, but she really did need a change. She looked over at her sister as she thought, and watched the older girl carefully. There were some noticeable bags under her eyes, and a sadness in her presence that made Apple Bloom wonder just how well-off she could have been in the city. Her shoulders heaved with each breath and her body seemed to be much less healthy than she used to appear when she lived on the farm.

Apple Bloom blinked in surprise when she noticed the rainbow-headed girl reach her arms back around Applejack's seat, her hands landing on the girl's shoulders. Compassionately, she dug and rubbed her fingers into the aching muscles, and immediately the barmaid relaxed into the touch. With a suspicious gaze, the young red-head observed in silence. She knew her sister was business-oriented, someone who worked hard all day every day for what seemed like any reason she could think of, and yet this display of intimate affection did nothing to support that premise.

After swinging by Rainbow Dash's house and dropping her in front of the building, giving a quick goodbye in the form of a subtle blown kiss or two and a wave, Applejack drove herself and her younger sister back to her house. Apple Bloom was silent for the whole ride, staring out the window as the night dragged on and the scenes sliding by grew more and more run-down. They made their way into some slum-like area, and Applejack drove slowly over familiarly rugged streets and avoided known potholes. She went down a thin alleyway before pulling up beside some four-plex, right up into some spot between a broken, rusted station wagon and a dumpster.

Apple Bloom nervously cast a glance to her older sister, whose head was low as she turned off the truck and hopped out, making sure to lock the doors. The walk up to the back door was unsteady, as mounds of ice and snow bulged along what seemed like stairs and pathways, but Apple Bloom couldn't be certain. Applejack unlocked the primary rear door and the two entered a small hallway which contained the doors to all four of the residences. Retrieving another key, Applejack pushed it into the obviously half-broken and recently kicked-in door of unit number two.

At best, one could call the place humble. At worst, perhaps a word more like cramped and destroyed may suit it better. The walls had holes all along them, paint and wallpaper half-repaired and scratched off. The floors were old and dingy, and ran the same beige tile all throughout the one-room bachelor unit. Looking in through the narrow doorway, Apple Bloom noticed a small, duct-tape patched-up air mattress in the otherwise vacant living room, with some comforter laid over it. It was dark, as the windows were covered in blinds and drapes and faced fences and alley walls rather than any kind of view. The redhead frowned and tugged her clothes on tighter around her body like she thought something would jump out and attack her.

“What is this place, AJ?” Apple Bloom carefully asked, shyly looking around as Applejack locked the knob, chain and deadbolt behind them.

“It's th' luxurious place Ah'm livin' it up in while Ah stay in the city,” Applejack told her in a soft voice, hanging her keys, hat and jacket on hooks. “Ah know it ain't much.”

“It ain't nothin',” her sister remarked as she felt the chill of the room, as the radiator was likely broken like everything else. “Why'd y'pick a place like this? Can't be safe 'r nice.”

“Nope,” Applejack agreed, going into the only other little room in the house, the pint-sized bathroom, to get changed. “It's th' cheapest place Ah could find.”

“That makes no sense, Ah thought y'came t' th' city t' make money?” the red-head asked as she looked around at the few kitchen appliances that lined one wall of the small unit, which were terribly old and probably only half-worked.

“Ah did.” The barmaid chuckled from beyond the bathroom door, which hung crooked and didn't lock any more. “Ah send y'all everythin' Ah make, this is jus' a place t' sleep, sugarcube.”

“Seriously?” Apple Bloom squeaked quietly as she took another sorrowful look around.

It struck her to see in what poverty her older sister lived so that her family could get by. The city suddenly didn't seem so glamorous any more, and her family seemed a lot more diligent than she had given them credit for. Even if she never saw her sister, it seemed the blonde was always thinking about her and sacrificing all she could to give the best to her family. Applejack came back out of the bathroom in a long tee-shirt and some shorts, pulling the hair tie out of her hair and letting the blonde locks flow.

“C'mon, get t' bed kiddo, Ah'll call Mac in th' morning t' come get ya,” Applejack told her gently, starting over to the air mattress on the floor.

“We gotta sleep t'gether?” Apple Bloom cringed uncomfortably.

“You're ma sister, hayseed, y'all used t' crawl into bed with me every night when y'all had a nightmare,” the blonde reminded her with a light laugh, peeling the blanket back and making room for the two of them.

“This is a nightmare,” the younger sister complained, but went over there.

Apple Bloom turned off the light on her way over and took her phone out of her pocket, jotting out another quick text to Rumble as she knelt down to the floor and wiggled under the covers. Applejack shifted so her sister had more room and passed a good lot of the covers over to her. The redhead flopped down at last and grunted as she found the half-deflated mattress uncomfortable. Though most everything else looked pitch black compared to the bright phone screen, Apple Bloom noticed her sister turn away and take hold of the only pillow she seemed to have. Nudging Apple Bloom to sit up, Applejack slipped the pillow under the young girl's head and fluffed it up for her before motioning for her to lay back down.

As Applejack silently turned away and laid her head on the cold mattress, her sister glanced over at her with a pitiful expression. She felt guilty for forcing Applejack to go through all she did to keep their family and business afloat, though she felt worse for not even noticing it. She turned the electronic object off and placed it beside the bed before resting her hands on her upper stomach. Lights from passing vehicles scrapped along the walls now and then, and she could faintly hear car alarms, dogs barking, and drunken shouting. Her eyelids slipped down a few fractions as her expression relaxed, and she sadly recalled that though she would be leaving in the morning, Applejack would not have such a luxury.

“Night, sis',” Apple Bloom whispered gingerly, and she felt her sister shuffle a bit on the bed.

“G'night,” Applejack replied tiredly, reaching back and patting Apple Bloom's hands twice. “Try an' get some sleep, sugar.”

Author's Note

At long last, we get to meet Apple Bloom, who is in her... endearing teenage years. Hope you liked the way I portrayed her in this fic, it's a little different than usual of course, but I wanted to try something new, as well. Oh, and we get another new character next chapter, so... look out.
Cooooooooooooooooomments?

Glass of Water

XIII. Glass of Water

Applejack yawned loudly once again, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands before washing them again. She touched her cool and damp fingers to her face in an attempt to wake herself up, but it did little to help. Having her sister over the previous night had been something of a burden, as she was up most of the night shivering or shifting for room and comfort. Besides that, Apple Bloom talked in her sleep, and flailed about randomly. She was just lucky it wasn't too particularly busy up at the bar, though the rest of the pub had a couple of rushes that night.

The water dripped from the tap several times after she had turned it off, but eventually it stopped. Starting a Margarita for a server to take to a customer down in the pub, Applejack shook the loud contents beside her ear in another attempt to alarm herself, though even that didn't work. As she did, she was too distracted to hear a much older man approach the bar and stare at her carefully. His smirk grew wider as he looked the girl over, and he placed his long and elegant fingers onto the counter.

“Well, good evening, my dear,” the man addressed Applejack, who turned and looked upon his less than familiar face.

“Evenin',” the barmaid responded uneasily, noticing a strange feeling she got when she looked at the man, something ominous and creepy.

His dark and greying hair was cut straight and pushed back over his head, and though it may have been dyed, his long, snow-like beard shouted his age. He was tall and slender, and had sharp and piercing eyes that matched the firmly pressed and crisp edges of his suit. Shifting and tightening his strangely obnoxious and ostentatious tie, he kept up the conversation.

“I'm here to see Cherry, she told me she would be in today,” the man said casually, sucking on his lips as he rolled them about.

“Right. Ah heard someone was comin' t' see her,” Applejack agreed, turning and heading over to the phone. “Ah'll give her a ring down in th' office.”

“By all means,” his sneaky, low voice slithered out from between his teeth.

Picking up the phone, Applejack tried the direct office line, but paused as she held the microphone part of the phone to her shoulder and asked, “Who should Ah tell her you are?”

“What, she never mentioned me?” The man faked some hurt expression, and still Applejack waited on his response. After running his agile fingers down the corners of his blazer, he responded, “You may know me as her third ex-husband, the one whose alimony pays for this place. But you can call me Discord.”

“That so?” Applejack had never heard much about Jubilee taking his money, but she did know him as her last husband. As she put the phone back up to her ear, she absently made conversation with the man, “Discord, tha's an interestin' name.”

“For an interesting man, I assure you.” He tipped his head in a bow and not-so-modestly accepted the possible compliment.

“She ain't answerin', Ah think she's on th' other line,” Applejack told him as she glanced down at the lines as displayed on the phone receiver box. She sighed and placed the phone down for the moment. “Can Ah get ya a drink while y'wait?”

“I'd hate to put you through the trouble,” Discord replied in a mock-innocent voice.

“Ah offered.” Applejack turned to face him and placed her hands on her hips.

“Well, in that case,” the man hummed while he twiddled his beard thoughtfully. “I'll just take a little glass of water, please.”

Applejack stared at him questioningly for a second before she complied, saying, “Comin' up.”

Taking a glass out from under the counter, she started on preparing the most simple of requests. She scooped up some ice from the box and gently slid it into the glass before filling it with the cold liquid contained in one button of the soda dispenser. As she did, she noticed the way Discord continued to watch her, and she felt uncomfortable about it. It reminded her of the way Miss Jubilee tended to observe her. Still, she finished pouring the transparent fluid and replaced the nozzle in its sheath.

She placed the drink on the counter before him and tipped her hat respectfully before turning back to the phone. Once more, she lifted the phone from the receiver and pressed the direct line to the office, holding it to her ear as she listened to the ring. Discord took the glass and brought it to his lips, sipping at it none too thirstily.

“So, you're her barmaid, hmm?” Discord spoke up once more, this tone light and intrigued though the question seemed too simple not to have some underlying motivation or inquiry.

“Ah reckon so,” Applejack carefully replied, letting the office phone ring and ring as she desired something else to talk about.

“And a fine young one at that,” he went on, and Applejack felt herself tense up under his critical eye. “Cherry can be such a tease, putting you all in outfits like that.”

Glancing back at the much older man, the barmaid warned, “Careful, Discord.”

He was not a man to take a hint, though. His teasing and taunting raspy voice called back to her, striking a nerve accurately, “With an ass like that, it's no wonder she left me for you.”

Applejack slammed the phone down at once, not startling the man at all. What he had just implied could not have been true, it couldn't. Of all the things she had been forced to do with Jubilee, home-wrecking was not one at all. Besides that, she sure didn't want this man going around telling people such lies and foolishness. She glared back at him over her shoulder as she felt her fists clenching, and chewed her words carefully over while trying not to yell.

“Al'right, that does it,” she growled as she turned to face him, pointing a threatening finger at him. “You better keep your rank gab shut 'bout whatever bitterness you got, 'cause Ah hardly wanna think 'bout them lies m'self, much less have th' whole bar in on it. I'll go get Miss Jubilee personally.”

“Ooh, and feisty to boot,” Discord mused as Applejack left from behind the bar, the door swinging behind her. “Too bad Cherry never was one to share.” Discord leaned his elbows behind him onto the bar counter, crossing one leg behind the other and leaning back casually.

“Ah ain't above wallopin' ya,” Applejack spoke in a low and hushed voice, her eyebrows arching over narrowed and accusative eyes.

“Wallop away,” Discord inched forwards bit by bit and let his eyes trail over Applejack's body mercilessly. “If it'll get you get a little closer.”

With a blank expression and a shake of her head, the barmaid sighed. She waved him off and continued down the lounge towards the office, leaving but one sentence in her wake, “Ah have no clue what Miss Jubilee saw in y'all.”

“That'd be the money!” Discord called after her, presenting a confident smirk before laughing.

Muttering incoherently to herself, Applejack descended the stairs to the office promptly. Rainbow Dash was at the host stand as she passed, and raised her head as if to address her, but noticing her obvious sour mood, she said nothing. Frowning, Rainbow Dash let the girl walk away without so much as a word. The barmaid hurried down the steps and through the hall, stopping in front of the office with an irritated expression.

Knocking three times, Applejack called to the woman in the office, “Miss Jubilee.”

“Come in, darlin',” a voice responded, and she knew it was the woman she requested. Applejack did as she was told and went inside, making sure to hold the exit open after her as an escape in case her boss wanted something more from her than a message. Cherry turned in her chair as she placed her phone down on the receiver as smiled at Applejack, saying, “Well this is a surprise, y'all comin' down without me even requestin' ya.”

“Miss Jubilee, a man named Discord's here t' see ya,” Applejack relayed the information in a serious tone.

“Oh my, y'all met already?” Cherry Jubilee sounded disappointed, her lips pouting as she spoke. She stood up and went over to Applejack, tilting her head and running a delicate finger under the freckled girl's jaw. “An' here Ah was gonna show you off t' him.”

“... Right,” the barmaid grumbled as she didn't know how to respond to that, but kept on topic, “Well, he's by th' bar.”

“After you.” Jubilee's hand touched the door to hold it open and she gestured for Applejack to go first.

Hesitating for a cautious moment, Applejack decided to follow the command and lead the way. As she turned around and exited the doorway to the office, Miss Jubilee found a particular interest in a certain part of her body, first leering at it and then reaching out. The barmaid felt a rough pinch on her rear and flinched at once, gawking back at her boss irritably. The woman merely chuckled and placed a hand on Applejack's lower back, guiding her forward once more.

Applejack hung her head a fraction as she led Miss Jubilee back up the stairs, frowning as she knew she would now have to deal with two perverse older people. She only hoped the two would reconcile some difference and get back together, leaving her alone at the bar while they did some unfortunately imaginable things in the office, leaving her out of it. As she arrived at the top of the stairs, she found Rainbow Dash doodling something on the host stand, which she readily erased with one hand as her boss and love interest passed her.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes subtly as she noticed the way her boss walked so close to Applejack, and she felt some unfounded jealousy flare up. The woman's heavily shadowed eyes trailed the barmaid objectively, and it made the hostess shudder and cringe. Surely it meant nothing, but she felt an uneasy weight in her stomach, especially when the barmaid in question avoided meeting her gaze. She watched the two go up to the lounge and greet an older man, and though more guests came into the pub, she knew she would keep a curious eye up there.

“G'd evenin' there, handsome,” Miss Jubilee greeted her ex-husband pleasantly.

“Well, if it isn't the busty little thorn in my side,” Discord responded with a sly grin.

“Thorn in your pants, from what Ah see,” her eyes trailed down suggestively, and the man she ogled merely leaned back and accepted the invasive gaze.

“Oh lord,” Applejack grumbled as she passed the two, getting back behind the bar.

“From what I hear, you're not too interested in thorns at all,” the man hinted, his eyes narrowing on the barmaid as she took her post.

“Y'all have eyes, should be obvious why.” Cherry leaned over the bar counter, running her tongue along her bottom lip as her interest caressed Applejack. “Applejack darlin', y'all offer ma man here one'a your sweet, sweet drinks?”

“Most ain't sweet, actually, them bein' liquor an' all,” Applejack mumbled as she moved some bottles around to find one in particular, reading over the order slips that had printed up. She bent down to grab some fruits for garnish from the lower mini fridge and placed them on the counter. “All he got was a glass o' water.”

“Shoot, y'best wrestle one up for me too, sugar. Seein' ya bendin' over is makin' me all hot an' bothered,” the older woman purred, biting at her plush lips and raising her eyebrows in a teasing manner.

“Y'all're botherin' me too, Ah reckon,” Applejack grumbled in a hush irritably, tossing some ingredients into two side-by-side glasses.

“What was that?” Miss Jubilee's voice dropped a little lower in tone, and Applejack tensed up to realized she had been heard.

“N-Nothin', ma'am.” The barmaid curtly bowed her head and hid her eyes beneath the brim of her hat, hurrying along with her duties.

“Sounded for a second there like y'all were givin' me more o' that tasty lip,” Miss Jubilee proposed, leaning further over the counter and tilting her head. Applejack carefully glanced over at her boss, swallowing nervously. Cherry's expression seemed both promiscuous and dangerous, a usual look she gave Applejack, and it always made the barmaid uneasy. “Sugarplum, come a little closer, will ya?”

“Miss Jubilee?” Applejack spoke the woman's name as she did as she was told.

“Tha's better.” Cherry reached out to the now nearby Applejack and placed her hand under the girl's chin, drawing her across the counter a few more inches and reintroducing their far-too-similar gorgeous green eyes. “It's the holidays, darlin', why're y'all actin' so odd? Somethin' wrong?”

“Who, me?” Applejack stalled, pursing her lips like she was keeping in one of her many secrets. “Nothin' Ah ain't told ya b'fore.”

“Ah see.” Rubbing her thumb along Applejack's cheek tenderly, Miss Jubilee inspected each individual freckle as they tapped along the barmaid's face, her leering attention much more than just unwelcome. “Well, maybe Ah'll keep y'all a spell late tonight, throw some extra hours your way for th' holidays. Hmm?”

Applejack's eyes widened as she realized what the woman was actually offering, and she was momentarily lost for words. Her hesitance and reluctance was clear, and she uneasily looked over the woman's shoulder at the host stand. Her heart stopped as she noticed that Rainbow Dash was staring right at her, her attention firmly set. Tilting her head slightly to the side, the hostess silently wondered what the barmaid and her boss were doing up at the bar, and even the thought of it made her furiously jealous. Applejack's eyes softened ruefully on the poor young girl, and she managed to find an adequate response to ease the situation.

“That's, uh, mighty fine of you t'offer an' all, but Ah ain't feelin' that great. B'sides, since y'all're carryin' ma cider, Ah ain't too short on funds,” that was something of a lie, but she said it anyway.

“Aww, breakin' ma heart.” Miss Jubilee puffed out her lips in a pout as Applejack played coy and distracted. “Ah'll just have t' come 'round more often now, won't Ah? Give y'all a reason t' wanna stay.”

“You haven't changed a bit, Cherry my dear,” Discord mused pleasantly, his finger running around the rim of his glass of water.

“Don't go gettin' nostalgic an' jealous, honey, though Ah see why ya would,” the woman spoke in an amused tone, finally releasing Applejack so the barmaid could continue her work.

“Y'all gonna hang around here all night?” Applejack grouchily asked, raising an eyebrow at the pair across the bar. She chanced another glance down at Rainbow Dash, and noticed the distant and objective expression on her face, which made her feel all the more guilty and embarrassed to have been touched by her boss while the girl was watching. Feeling rage welling up towards the devious older woman before her, she let her voice drop a little lower as she added, “Or can Ah get t' work now?”

“Oh sweetheart, what else might Ah pay y'for?” Miss Jubilee grinned and extended another wink, which made Applejack wince uneasily. “Y'all're right, we best be gettin' t' business. C'mon Discord, we can talk in ma office.”

“I should hope for a little more than talking after being apart for the last few weeks,” the man slyly said as he abandoned his glass of water in favour of following the woman towards the stairs.

“Keep on dreamin', honey,” Cherry replied in a light laugh, blowing a kiss back at Applejack as the two went across the lounge.

Merely casually casting a half-salute half-wave back to her boss, Applejack resisted the urge to flip the woman her middle finger. She knew Cherry would not hesitate to return the sentiment, in a much more crude manner. Applejack clicked her tongue in disgust at the thought and shook her head, shrugging the uncomfortable feeling of self-loathing off her shoulders. Her eyes drifted back to Rainbow Dash, who simply watched Miss Jubilee and her ex-husband pass her on their way down to the office before looking back up at Applejack.

Something in Rainbow's eyes gave Applejack a horrible feeling, or perhaps, it was something that was not there at all. As their gazes met, Applejack noticed the seeming apathy and despondence that Rainbow's eyes seemed to hold, and it crushed her. Bouncing her eyebrows passively just once, the hostess broke their connection and busied herself with continuing to doodle on her host stand. She wasn't sure why she should have felt angry or hurt by any of what she may or may not have seen, all she knew was that she did. She hated how emotional and jealous she could be sometimes. Biting her lip, Rainbow dug the wax pencil into the plastic floor-plan and scribbled a dark black smudge.

Rainbow Dash found it in her best interest to avoid Applejack for the rest of the night, as she could tell something had put the barmaid in a bitter mood too. Meanwhile, Applejack had a hard time just imagining how she could face the girl, that is, until she had already left. Instead of hanging around for her usual drink after work, Rainbow Dash had opted to go home after her shift, leaving Applejack alone and rueful at the bar. She should have been more honest, she should have said something, she should have not been so scared or petty. But still, she worked on like nothing was wrong.

Noticing, hours later, when Jubilee and Discord decided to come out from the office, Applejack's dull and loathing eyes stuck to the pair as they parted at the door. She could tell from Discord's now ruffled collar and Miss Jubilee's recently re-applied lipstick that something had gone on down there; she knew the signs herself all too well. Discord finished adjusting his tie and smirked a pompous grin as Miss Jubilee mouthed one more kiss with her plump lips, which made Applejack roll her eyes. Still, her chest tightened to see the two act like that, and she could not pinpoint why. Just as the man was about to take his leave, Discord turned and looked up at the barmaid, which startled her. The older man's grin grew ever sharper and more aggressive, and he lent her an arrogant and smug wink before getting on his way.

She wasn't so sure why that, too, bothered her, but she said nothing as the man finally took his leave. Even if she hated Miss Jubilee for an array of reasons, it still kind of hurt to see her fooling around, with no concern at all. Applejack hissed a laugh though, finding the whole situation terribly trivial and hypocritical. Another noise caught her attention, and she glanced across the bar to find a rowdy patron barking something mostly incoherent at one of her cocktail servers. This was not the first time that someone had gotten aggressive in that pub, in fact, it wasn't even the first time that evening. Reluctantly, Applejack placed the rag she had been absently using down on the counter and came out from behind the bar.

“Seriously dude, if you are going to make a scene about it, you've clearly had enough,” Vinyl was telling the man as she glared at him blankly and put her hands on her hips.

“Who the hell are you to say how fucking much I've had?!” the man nearly shouted, and Vinyl winced before over-playing some act of popping her ears due to the volume.

“Uh, the girl who served them all to you,” the cocktail server grumbled obviously.

“Exactly, now do y'fucking job and, and get me some damn more beer!” he raised his voice again, and Vinyl sighed audibly. “Fucking bitch.”

“Now, now,” Applejack decided it was a good time to step in, as she could see Vinyl's face going red as the man called her such a name. She gently nudged Vinyl out of the way and rested her hand on the patron's table, asking, “What's goin' on over here?”

“Sweet—barkeep, get me a damn beer, would ya? Like, fuck.” He slammed his hands on the table clumsily. “Your servers 're incompetent as shit.”

Applejack could smell alcohol all over the man, so much of it that it actually sickened her, which was surprising considering she worked behind a bar. Keeping her tone gentle and even, she responded, “How much've you had, sir?”

“Not e-fuckin'-nough. And no scrawny lil' shitfuck waitress should be telling me when I'm done, I've had a really hard-ass day and wanna—just want to drink, is that so bad?!” his voice raised again, and Applejack nodded along with him, trying to be understanding.

“What'd you call me?!” Vinyl jumped back into the conflict, but Applejack placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and met her eyes firmly, telling her when it was time to back off. With a snort, she did as she was silently requested and took a few steps back.

“Ain't nothin' wrong with needin' a little time t' relax, Ah know that much,” Applejack agreed with the man, who seemed pleased to be heard. “Only thing is, Ah gotta make sure ma servers and other patrons 're taken care of too. How about y'have a glass o' water, see how y'feel, an' if ya really want something, Ah'll toss ya over a Vodka Soda, on th' house.” Applejack told him politely, having something of a trick in mind. Easiest way she found to calm down a disgruntled guest was to offer something free, and with mixed drinks, often intoxicated people would hardly notice if she forgot to mix in the liquor.

“I don't want a damn Vodka Soda,” the man did not take the offer, in fact, it seemed to enrage him. His friends, who sat near him, said nothing about it, and seemed amused by his actions. “I just want a fucking beer, is that too damn difficult for you idiots?!”

“'scuse me?” Applejack tried to remain reasonable, narrowing her green eyes on the belligerent man. “Sir, if y'can't calm down, Ah'mma hafta ask you t' leave.”

“This is a free-fucking-country, you can't tell me where to be or where to not be,” he growled, scooting his chair out and abruptly standing. Applejack did nothing but watch him intently, not even flinching as he got right up into her face and yelled, “Damn useless redneck!”

“We're jus' doin' our jobs too, sir, our days ain't over yet an' we wanna make it through 'em without confrontation. Ah ain't lookin' fer trouble 'r nothin',” the barmaid carefully tried to reason with him, but he did not seem to be in the mood for a talking to.

“Too fucking late,” the man barked as he roughly shoved Applejack, surprising everyone around them with the sudden violence.

Applejack stumbled a step backwards and stared at the man, trying to figure out what must have possessed him to attack someone in public like that. She opened her mouth to speak, but before any words came out, the man was against her once more, grabbing her by what little amount of fabric covered her chest. He took firm hold of her and forced her backwards again, slamming her against the bar counter and pressing her to lean back over it. She caught herself with her elbows and resisted the force, though it was difficult to do so since the man was so large and aggressive.

Now, Applejack was not afraid of any physical altercation, but she was uneasy having it happen right in her bar. She didn't have time to look over and gauge the terrified expression of Vinyl, or of some of her other co-workers as they noticed what was going on, but she knew they must have been unsettled by it. Her hands gripped at the wood around the counter and she winced as she man pushed harder against her, feeling his great big hand squeezing between her pounding breasts. He pulled back his fist at once, and with fury in his eyes went to swing at the much smaller barmaid.

He wouldn't have the chance to finish his assault though, as he was stalled by some firm yet femininely ginger touch on his arm. Wild eyes glanced back at whoever had stalled him, and from beneath his behemoth form, Applejack could make out the figure too. The barmaid's eyes grew wide as she recognized her rescuer, and yet at the same time, she felt very uncertain and her heart beat hard in a different way. Into the light she stepped, and Applejack was entirely lost for words as she came around the man and met his assertive and commanding presence with her own.

“Ah'munna ask ya nicely only this once,” Cherry Jubilee's voice was threatening and stern, though somehow it retained its charming allure. Her deep crimson hair fell in few loose strands around her attentive and warning expression, her hand tightening around the man's arm. “Get yer dirty hands off'a ma barmaid.” The words were possessive, and for some reason, Applejack liked to hear them that way.

The man glared back at her, his teeth grinding the beer residue in his mouth around. He noticed her attractive attire, and even through his angry drunken haze he ogled the woman, though his words were still just as rude, “And if I don't?”

With a pleasant smile, Miss Jubilee peeled back the frills of her long skirt and revealed a thin, silver object contained within a slim holster, something both Applejack and the patron recognized immediately. It sparkled in the dim lighting, from barrel to trigger, and reminded the barmaid and her patron of mortality. It was some kind of old-style revolver, something Applejack had never seen her boss bring out for any reason. Her skirt fluttered back down before any other eyes caught sight of the piece.

Cherry hummed warmly as she tapped the man on his arm twice, telling him, “Ah don't want things t'get uglier than they already are. Y'understand, honey?”

After a short, resentful hesitation, the man roughly released Applejack, shoving her further onto the counter as he stepped back. He adjusted his shirt and made to leave as he growled at her, “Fucking crazy bitch.”

Miss Jubilee leaned back and placed a hand on her tilted, curvaceous hip, watching the man and his buddies head back down the stairs and out the door. Her heavily shadowed eyes shifted over to the young barmaid, who still leaned back awkwardly onto the bar counter. Applejack stared at her savior thankfully until the woman smiled at her, leaning so close over her that she could feel the heat of her body before taking her by the arm and helping her back up. With her heart beat still racing, Applejack allowed the woman to run her hand along her waist as she inspected her.

“Y'al'right there, Applejack?” Miss Jubilee's voice was soft and considerate, and she was so very tender with her affectionate touching. The barmaid had almost never heard the woman call her by her name, but it did not sound odd to her at all.

“Uh, yeah,” Applejack hesitantly answered, swallowing the butterflies in her stomach that were flapping around as the woman she thought she hated caressed her. “W-Why'd you do that?”

“Darlin', believe it or not, Ah like ya,” Miss Jubilee seemed almost shy or embarrassed as she said that, a fond smile crossing her luscious lips. Applejack stared at her in shock as the words came out, and as they did, she wasn't sure she believed them, “You're somethin' special, an' Ah'd lose a lot more customers than one rowdy son of a bitch t' prove that.”

Applejack blinked, wondering how she felt about those words. She took a slow breath as she tried to sort it out, but finding nothing, she dumbly asked, “What?”

“Chin up, ma little sugarplum.” Cherry reached out and placed a hand under Applejack's chin one more, softly raising it before letting it slip away, her finger trailing slowly along her skin. “Ah'll be here when y'need me. Y'all know that.”

Applejack was utterly dumbfounded, and stood up against the bar tensely as she watched her boss flash her one last suave smile before walking away. Finding herself with her eyes glued to the woman, even noticing the particularly enchanting sway of her hips, Applejack frowned and shook her head. Never had her boss been so selfless and kind, so brave and honest, and it terrified her. She was content thinking Cherry was evil, self-indulgent and incapable of being a decent human being, but now she was suddenly conflicted. Had Applejack been too quick to judge the woman?

“... What?!” the barmaid breathlessly repeated in a confused tone.

“Applejack, are you okay?” Vinyl came up to her next, touching her shoulder and shaking it gently. “I'm so totally sorry man, I had no idea he would just, like, attack you!”

“Naw, it's... it's fine, Vinyl,” Applejack absently responded, shaking her off and faking a smile. “Let's jus' get back t' work, don't ya think?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah okay,” the cocktail waitress agreed in an uneasy tone, letting the barmaid pass her and return behind the bar.

As soon as she got back to her comfort zone inside the counters of the bar, Applejack all but fell apart. The violent situation had hardly bothered her, but it was Miss Jubilee's actions that had rattled her so deeply. Her hands pressed up against her head as the thoughts swirled around, and she could feel her breath quicken. With something so small as an act, Applejack's entire opinion of Miss Jubilee had shifted. It was too easy for Applejack to hate someone who she thought was awful, selfish and incorrigible, but now that she realized the woman was more than that, it truly scared her.

Did Miss Jubilee actually care about her? Did she have stronger feelings than a desire to ravage and torture? Worse, did Applejack feel anything back? No, Applejack could not afford to consider the woman anything more than a nuisance, anything more than an abusive employer who blackmailed her into doing her will. One good act could not make up for all the awful things Cherry had done to her over the years, and Applejack knew she would be naïve to forgive so easily.

The barmaid loathed the fact that Miss Jubilee hung around in her head until closing, and continually tried to shake her out. Did the woman get off on confusing the poor barmaid like that, did she enjoy pissing her off and pleasing her at the same time? Several times Applejack would groan or grumble, and once or twice it was overheard, but no one said much of it. Still, Applejack knew that whatever she was feeling was stupid and groundless and temporary, and she really, really wanted to get back to what actually meant something to her. She knew already what she wanted, and no matter how confusing her boss could be, she could not change that. As she climbed into her truck, her hands and feet began to drive somewhere other than home, whether she willed them to or not.

She was at the door in moments, and stood there for a good few seconds before deciding to do anything. Her knock was loud and aggressive, and she slapped her hand impatiently against her thigh for a painfully long time until there was an answer. A thin line of light crept across the carpeted hallway as the door opened, and inside, a familiar form came into sight. The young girl stood there before her, donning nothing but a pair of short spandex shorts and a loose, low-cut tank top that revealed her enticingly toned stomach. She stepped clearer into sight, holding a glass of water in her hand, something she often finished off right before bed to avoid a hangover.

“Um... hey, Dolly,” Rainbow Dash said with an uncertain tone, wondering what brought the barmaid over at such a late hour, or perhaps an early hour.

“Screw me.” Applejack commanded without reservation, knocking the door open and wrapping her arms right around the young girl in one swift motion.

Their lips clashed together passionately, and before Rainbow Dash even knew what was happening, she was returning the kiss. She haplessly dropped the glass of water and kicked the door shut, dragging the barmaid after her towards the bedroom. The water splashed up and hit their feet, but neither cared as they made their way through the dimly lit house. As they approached their destination, Applejack stepped out of her swollen work boots and tore off her jacket, leaving the rest of her clothing to be roughly ripped off by the girl in her arms.

With heavy and aggressive breaths, Rainbow Dash moaned into Applejack's lips and twisted her clumsy hands tangling into all corners of the barmaid's clothes. They tumbled into the bedroom and immediately collapsed onto the bed, entwining into each other's embraces and disregarding any perceived personal space. Each party was upset by every article of clothing that broke their furious kisses, but as their equally bare skin came together, they found it worthwhile.

Rainbow Dash's mind whirled too quickly for her to comprehend, as she had expected none of this in the slightest. She could not even hope to remember each curve of the barmaid's body as her fingers ran over her, so desperate to feel her. She tried so hard to remember the shape and presses of the blonde girl's lips, but ecstasy rose too quickly for her to follow and she succumbed to merely trying to keep aware despite the tantalising feelings. Before she knew it, Applejack had yanked her shorts down around her ankles and lunged between her legs.

“Oh, fuck!” Rainbow groaned loudly as she grabbed at her sheets, her head falling back in joy. “I'm so glad you're here, I fucking, fucking...”

“Shhh,” Applejack hummed into her loins, her tongue slipping out immediately. She wasted no time easing the girl into the situation and instead ravaged her every fold mercilessly.

“I can't help it,” Rainbow moaned as her fingers ran into Applejack's hair, fondly combing through it. “Oh, my... fuck.”

Rainbow leaned back, ignoring the way her shirt was still half on her arm in favour of indulging in focusing on the glory that occurred between her legs. As Applejack roughly worked on her, biting and squeezing at every chance, Rainbow moaned louder, her legs tightening around the barmaid. With a smug grin, Applejack went deeper, digging her fingers into her orifice without consent and licking every drop that came out. Another raspy groan emerged from Rainbow Dash, and feeling the girl's body nervously or anxiously tighten and tense around her, Applejack pulled an inch or so away to speak.

“Jus' relax, darlin',” Applejack echoed words that had been spoken to her before, and the realization of that stalled her still. Glancing up at Rainbow, she noticed the uncertain and anxious expression across her face, and remembered who it had been who had uttered those words to her in the first place. It had been Miss Jubilee. Applejack sat up slowly and looked curiously at the girl before her, swallowing in fear before asking a question she was afraid to know the answer to, “Do... do y'really want this, Rainbow?”

“What?” Rainbow Dash sat up abruptly, her eyes flashing open and catching on the blonde between her legs. Her hands reached around her thighs to where Applejack's rested and she took them. Without reservation, she spoke the honest truth aloud, “Applejack, I've never wanted anything more.”

A smile graced Applejack's face and she nodded proudly, glad that she was not forcing the girl into anything. Crawling a few hand-steps closer, the barmaid kissed Rainbow Dash, humming a simple, “Good.”

“Now, enough talking.” Rainbow Dash grinned as she shoved Applejack to the side, roughly taking charge and climbing on top of her. “It's my turn.”

Rainbow Dash hurriedly began undressing the barmaid, her ecstatic fingers too anticipatory to control. For once, Applejack enjoyed the aggressive ravishing, breathing heavy breaths that rose her chest between them as her heart raced. She could not look away, loving the way the girl ran down her body with kisses and licks like she adored the taste of mere skin. Chuckling, Applejack was quite fond of how Rainbow's clumsy fingers had trouble tripping on the laces of her barmaid outfit.

At last, Rainbow undid the ensemble enough to dig her fingers inside, and she traced the toned lines on Applejack's stomach. Though she desired desperately to see how the blonde girl looked without her usual garb, she was not sure she wanted to chance killing the mood by flicking on a light for a better view. Still, through the darkness, as she shakily slid down Applejack's undergarments, she could see the glimmer of moisture, feel the heat so near to her hands. Swallowing as her wide and eager eyes fought to catch the slivers of moonlight against the blonde's freckled skin, Rainbow devoured Applejack's form with her lascivious gaze. Earnest to actually sip from the girl, Rainbow Dash leaned down and indulged herself.

Author's Note

Holy shit, almost a month without an update... I've been a busy lil' bitch I guess.
Anyway, I worked hard to get this chapter out to you guys without rushing it and losing quality, because I think it's an interesting chapter. New character, new dilemmas, new developments... and don't worry, next chapter should be a doozy in its own right.

Shaken, Not Stirred

XIV. Shaken, Not Stirred

Snuggling closer into the girl's chest, Rainbow Dash relished in her lover's scent, adoring the heat of her arm as it draped around her shoulders. Before she was awake enough to open her eyes, she noticed that her cheeks hurt. It was something she had never experienced, smiling so much in her blissful slumber that her face was almost sore. Of course, mere seconds later, it was sore for another reason.

She reeled as she was thrown to one side, her ears ringing from the force of the hit. Clambering to remain on the bed as her hands found the corner of the mattress, she dizzily shook her aching head and searched for the source of the shot. It was both loud and quiet as she regained her awareness, the blood vessels in her ears pumping in the otherwise quite silenced room, and her blurry vision stalled her from realizing what was going on. There lay Applejack, breathless and choking and pinned to the bed by a much larger force, whose hands were firmly clamped around her throat. Her own hands were squeezing at his thick wrists, but her voice could not call out for help.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she realized what was going on, and immediately she jumped in to stop it. Despite both of the girls' utter lack of clothing, neither could be focused on their humility or embarrassment as they struggled against the man. Applejack's hands dug into his wrists forcefully, but weakened by her rest she was not able to pry him off. Meanwhile, Rainbow grabbed the man by the shoulders and shook him violently the way he did to the strangled barmaid.

“Get off of her!” Rainbow shouted furiously despite the swelling of her cheek, shoving the man and throwing hits his way.

“What the fuck do you think you're doing with her?!” the angry man called back in a growl—though it was not clear to whom he was speaking—his strong hands trembling as he continued to shake the blonde girl against the bed.

Rainbow Dash's eyes watered heedlessly as she felt utterly powerless, and she screamed the only word she could title her attacker, “Dad, stop!”

“D-Da-ad?” Applejack managed to choke out through the monstrous grip, her own vision beginning to darken.

“Fucking let her go!” Rainbow barked her command, slapping the man clean across his face.

The assault seemed to stall him, and he regained some of his right mind. Glaring lividly over at his imprudent and unabashed daughter, who knelt next to him without regard for her bare body, he loosened his grip. Applejack, though nearly unconscious, was certainly glad that the covers still remained over her own naked body. At last the pressure around her neck was released, and she hungrily gasped for breath. As Rainbow and her father sat up and held their aggressive stares, Applejack leaned to the side and coughed loudly, covering her mouth and making sure to hold the edge of the blanket over her chest.

“You disgusting little whore,” her father spat in a low tone, his eyebrows lowering over his gaze.

“I don't give a damn what you think,” she said back, in just as firm of a voice. “I won't tell you again. Get off of my girlfriend.”

Applejack managed to regain her control, and glanced over at the naked girl beside her. The certainty and possession in her voice struck her as familiar, as it reminded her of how Miss Jubilee had spoken; but this time, Applejack was entirely pleased to agree. As her eyes shifted to the man who Rainbow called her father, Applejack became much more uncomfortable to notice that his knees were on either side of her hips.

“Fine,” he complied, pushing off the bed, climbing off the blonde girl and starting to the door. “But we need to talk. Immediately. Clean yourself up and get your scrawny ass out here.”

“Yes father,” the young girl replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

He slammed the door closed behind him and stomped down the hallway, leaving the girls alone in the awkward aftermath. With mutual uneasiness, the two girls glanced over at each other. Sitting up at last, Applejack let the blanket fall down her chest a fraction, and though the situation was tense and serious, Rainbow Dash had to force herself not to leer. Rainbow Dash leaned closer to the barmaid and tried to get a better look at her neck.

“You okay, Dolly?” she asked carefully, reaching out and touching the blonde girl's chin as to move it a fraction to the side.

“Ah feel like Ah've had more than ma fair share'a violence these last couple'a days,” Applejack murmured grouchily, rubbing her hands over her neck. “But yea', Ah'll live.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't expect him to show up like that, much less suddenly jump on you,” Rainbow began to explain, though in the back of her mind, she knew it was no surprise he would act aggressively. “He's an asshole.”

“So you've let on.” The barmaid chuckled lightly, finding the sensation bothered her still sore throat. “What about you, honey? Your cheek's all rosied up.”

Applejack reached out and caressed the girl's cheek, though she flinched at the touch. It was swollen, she noticed right away, and it must have stung from the expression Rainbow Dash gave her. The skin appeared to have almost broken under her eye, but she did not get much of a chance to look at it before Rainbow pulled away.

“It's nothing,” she denied earnestly, trying to keep the fact that the man had laid violent hands on her from her friend. “Man, what a crap morning. I bet you'll never sleep over again, will you?”

“Ah wouldn't say that,” Applejack played coy, trying on a smile.

“Well, despite the rude awakening, last night sure was something, huh?” Rainbow grinned as she remembered it, leaning back a ways and twitching her toes.

“Mhmm,” the barmaid agreed with a hum, leaned teasingly closer and allowing the blanket to fall ever so slightly more. “Feels like it was a dream, now.”

Rainbow Dash met her seductive gaze and felt her body physically respond to something so simple as a look. Following her lead to lean in ever nearer, Rainbow introduced their lips once more in a telling and compassionate kiss, before speaking into her mouth, “Let me prove otherwise.”

Their kissing grew deeper, and tongues began to mingle once more. Applejack moaned lightly into the interaction, feeling an overwhelming sense of belonging and affection sparking between them. It was hypnotic and tantalizing, and she smiled knowing that it was real, unlike the stupid fickle emotions she had been forced into experiencing at her employer's hand. There was no confusion or fear with Rainbow Dash, there was only want and fondness. However, still possessing some remnant of a sane mind, Applejack remembered where they were and what had just transpired.

“Wait, seriously?” Applejack asked as she pulled away abruptly. “Y'wanna do that with your father in th' next room?”

“He doesn't own me, I'm a grown-ass woman,” the other girl murmured against moist lips. “It'd be exciting, don't you think?”

“Ah think we've had 'nough excitement this mornin',” the barmaid replied as she chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, you're right,” Rainbow finally agreed, pulling back and sliding to the edge of her bed. “Here, I'll grab you some threads to borrow, considering you showed up here in that silly little outfit of yours.”

“Oh, well thanks, tha's mighty kind o' you,” Applejack replied gratefully, sitting up a bit more and watching Rainbow Dash search the cluttered room.

It was surprising to Applejack to find how confident Rainbow Dash was, just walking around completely naked in front of her. She supposed that after all the things they had done together, it was not totally unfounded that she might feel comfortable, but it still struck Applejack as interesting. The young girl tossed a couple of garments her way, which she caught easily enough and looked over before pulling on. Dash found herself some particularly loose and ragged old clothes, tugging them down her body by a couple of holes she had worn in the fabric. By the time Applejack got up out of the bed and straightened herself, Rainbow had gathered the stray parts of the barmaid's outfit and handed them to her to fold up.

“What's he doin' bargin' into your house anyway?” the barmaid asked casually, accepting the clothing that was passed her way.

“He's probably just mad that I told him I wouldn't go to his lame Hearth's Warming Dinner. As if he would want me there anyway,” Rainbow muttered grouchily as she scratched her unkempt hair and tousled it about. She doubted if that was really what he was there about, but it seemed like a good enough excuse.

“Don't people usually spend holidays with their families?” Applejack wondered, her eyes catching the still somewhat shaky gaze of the hostess.

“He's not really what I'd consider family, to be honest,” Rainbow Dash said in a cynical snicker. “Even if he did want me to go over and see his whole new life, funnily enough, that's not exactly my opinion of a good Hearth's Warming Eve.”

“What'll y'do instead?” Applejack inquired simply, tilting her head.

“I don't know... get a bottle of Scotch, curl up by the fire, make some macaroni; my usual tradition.” Rainbow shrugged casually, but Applejack could hear the sorrow in her tone.

“That don't sound none too pleasant,” the barmaid commented, coming up close beside her and checking her face for tells of loneliness.

Even though the girl was a good liar, and adept at pretending she didn't care, Applejack could see that it did indeed bother her. With a long sigh, Applejack pursed her lips as she thought something up. She bent over and placed her barmaid outfit on the corner of the bed, as it was troublesome in her hands. Smiling softly, she reached out and took hold of Rainbow's elbows as she crossed her arms, faintly rubbing them with her thumbs.

“It's no big deal,” Rainbow added, though it only served to prove to Applejack that it was, in fact, a big deal.

“Listen, honey,” Applejack started, licking her lips as she admired the thinner girl with shining eyes. “Ah'd hate t' know y'all were alone on a holiday like this'n. If you'd be okay with it, an' all,” she tried to keep on topic and stop beating around the bush. “Maybe y'all could come on over to my place, meet my family. Ah always help ma granny cook dinner, so there's free food in it for you.”

“You don't need to bribe me, you know,” Rainbow said through a smile, which she tried to hide. “I'd love to go. If it's not too much trouble or whatever.”

“Not at all,” Applejack agreed with an excited nod. “We'll iron out th' details later, Ah'll come an' pick you up sometime early on, sound good?”

“Sounds great.” Rainbow Dash slid her arms out from being crossed and touched the barmaid's hands. “Well, I guess I should head out there before my dad comes back in here and starts screaming again.”

“Th' screamin' ain't what Ah'm worried 'bout,” the blonde touched her neck again, feeling the still tender flesh.

Rainbow Dash's eyes settled on the coming marks, and it killed her to see them. She knew her father was a violent and angry man, he had little boundaries physically whenever he felt like doing something, but she was upset to find out that he would do such things to someone she cared about. Leaning in, Rainbow nuzzled against Applejack's jaw until she moved it a fraction to the side, permitting Rainbow to move further. As gently as she could manage, Rainbow Dash laid an affectionate and apologetic kiss on the barmaid's neck, and was pleased when the freckled girl did not flinch from it.

“I'm sorry he did that to you,” Rainbow murmured softly, kissing one or twice more. “I guess he never really got a chance to learn to be okay with me being with people, considering I never brought anyone home or anything. It's not really my thing, social stuff or romantic stuff. But maybe he was almost wishing I'd bring a guy home, he always wanted me to have been born a boy. Looks like I'm even disappointing him to this day.”

“Don't you worry 'bout me, honey, Ah'm a tough gal,” she embraced the young rainbow-haired girl, running her hands down her defined spine. “B'sides, if he ain't proud o' what y'all grew up t' be, well that's jus' his sorry problem, way Ah see it.”

“Hmm,” Rainbow hummed a light pleased laugh against her lover's chest, kissing the girl again. “Thanks, Applejack. I really don't deserve someone like you.”

“You'd be surprised,” Applejack absently responded, knowing quite the opposite was more likely true. “Well, c'mon now, time t' face th' music.” Applejack released the girl before reaching down and grabbing her barmaid outfit from the place she left it on the corner of the bed.

“His tune's not quite as charming as yours, Dolly,” Rainbow told her with a snicker, playing off the country music singer nickname she had labelled her with.

Peeling the door open, Applejack allowed Rainbow to step out first, taking a few seconds and hanging the folded barmaid outfit over her forearm. She followed the confident young girl just a step behind as they made their way through the hall, and all the while she could feel an uneasiness in her stomach. As they made their way into the living room, the familiar sight of the older man came into view.

He stood before them as arrogant as ever, leaning back with one hand in his pocket and his well-pressed dress shirt done up to the top button. As he noticed the pair, he plucked the cigar out of his mouth and let out a long and heavy breath, which though Rainbow Dash was accustomed to, she still despised. His judgemental eyes lowered as he glared at his daughter, and the wrinkles around his firm-set frown grew deeper.

“Done screwing long enough to say good morning?” the older man asked with a rough tone, showering in the floating lines of his cigar smoke.

“Sir, if Ah may,” Applejack spoke next, surprising both of the others in the room.

“Uh, Applejack, what are you—?” Rainbow quickly whispered, trying to catch her as the barmaid stepped towards her father without fear.

“Ah'd like t' introduce myself,” she said in a strong and forward voice, extending her hand to the man. “My name's Applejack, Ah work with your daughter.”

“Looks like you do more than that,” he commented, looking down with disdain at the girl's hand.

Still though, she left her handshake out between them, allowing him to take a moment to consider. As his eyes trailed her hand, he noticed the several callouses that lined her palm and fingers. He was something of a stranger to manual labour, but it interested him that this woman seemed quite familiar with it. Besides that, she held his gaze and never thought about dropping it. At last, with a small chortle, the man placed the cigar back into his mouth and took her hand.

“Ah know we got off on th' wrong foot, Ah'm real sorry we had t' meet like that.” Applejack firmly shook his hand, and he was impressed by the telling grip and respect she showed.

“Nothing surprises me about that little brat any more, not even that ridiculous hair cut,” he spat at the young girl, who rolled her eyes at the remark. “The kid sure could learn some manners from you, if nothing else.”

“Real nice, pops,” Rainbow grumbled back.

“And you're sure a courteous host, how about some drinks or breakfast, Dash?” the man asked in a low tone, though it was more like a command.

“What am I, your damn maid or something? Fuck,” Rainbow swore, and Applejack was surprised how quickly it slipped out of her mouth in her father's presence. “Is orange juice okay?”

“It will do,” he growled back at her as she took off to the kitchen in a lazy stride. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he shifted his attention to Applejack and told her, “Sit down.”

Doing as she was commanded, she nodded a couple of times before finding a place on the couch, leaving the older gentleman to plop down in Rainbow's recliner. After taking another large drag of his expensive looking cigar, he ashed it against the little empty candy dish on the coffee table. Applejack watched him do it silently, but wondered if Rainbow might have had something to say about it, were she not in the kitchen. Her father took in a thoughtful breath as he sat back in the chair, his large hands straddling the rests between his fingers. By then, Rainbow was on her way back into the living room, placing down a glass of orange juice in front of both her father and her lover.

“Thanks,” Applejack gratefully accepted the beverage, leaning down to pick it up and take it to her mouth.

“No prob,” the girl casually responded, sitting down next to the barmaid and glaring over at her father.

It surprised her how long he could keep his mouth shut in front of company, but then again, he was known for putting on a good façade. He politely took a sip of his own glass of orange juice, though Rainbow thought it more his style to have spiked the thing. At last though, after noticing the way he bent his lips around trying to settle on an appropriate expression, it seemed he had something to say.

“So,” he started, and the two girls stared at him as they waited for his statement. Just as sternly as ever his voice rang out, though he said it through his teeth, “How long has this been going on?”

“Oh that's not condescending at all,” Rainbow huffed sarcastically, kicking her feet up on the coffee table and tossing her arms behind the back of the couch, which looped one around Applejack. “How about, oh, I don't know, accepting that I might be happy, or maybe trying to get to know the woman I choose to spend my time with. Anything?”

“You, happy? Well, that would be the day,” he sort of snorted at the prospect aggressively. “But you're right. Tell me... oh, what was your name again, girl?”

“Applejack,” Rainbow snarled irritably before the barmaid could say it herself, her hand slinking down off the back of the couch and onto Applejack's shoulder. “Don't forget it.”

“Right, Applejack, an interesting name for sure,” he toyed around with his words, knowing it would bother his daughter.

“Coming from a guy who named me after a damn illusion,” Rainbow retorted quickly, but he let it slip.

“Applejack,” he addressed the blonde girl once again, and he had her attention. “Tell me a little about yourself, then. Exactly who are you to my daughter?”

“Well,” Applejack was not sure how to define their relationship, but her eyes drifted to Rainbow's for a second as they silently communicated their uncertainty. Deciding to jump into the first question, she went on, “My family an' Ah own a farm outside th' city, which is where Ah grew up, an' nowadays, we distribute cider all across town, and 're lookin' to expand. Ah hold a degree in Agricultural Economics with a major in Business Management, which, to pay off, Ah've been working as a bartender in th' city here. That's how Ah met your daughter.”

“Seriously?” Rainbow whispered incredulously, having not known about that at all.

Rainbow's face settled into uncertainty and serious wonder. As she thought about it, she realized she really didn't know much about the barmaid at all. It was news to her that Applejack had ever gone to a post-secondary institution, or that she held a degree. As she did the math in her head, she wagered that meant Applejack would have been a couple years older than she was. She had never bothered to ask, and suddenly she felt horrible about it.

“A bartender with an Economics degree, in bed with my daughter,” he chuckled over how ridiculous it sounded, shaking his head. “This must be a joke.”

“Condesce~ending,” Rainbow repeated in a sing-song tune.

“Insolent,” her father snidely remarked back.

“Look, are you going to tell us why you decided to just drop in, or what?” Rainbow raised her voice irritably. “Because I have to say, you're kind of killing the mood here. I had some plans for this morning that do not involve my jack-ass father interrogating us.”

“She sure is a charmer, isn't she?” the man mentioned to Applejack with a light laugh. Looking over at his daughter, he went on, “I said I would come by when you had time to talk, but apparently this is not a good time either. I was hoping to discuss some... finances, perhaps.”

“Finances,” Rainbow Dash repeated, nodding her head with an oddly amused expression on her face. “Well, you know I'm always up for a little budgeting, if the occasion calls for it.”

“Dash,” her father silenced her with her name, though her eyes rolled absently as she leaned back into the couch. “Since I don't suppose you'll be picking up a phone any time soon to call me, maybe I'll stop by another time. How about... a little nearer to Hearth Warming Eve?”

“Thanks but no thanks, I have plans,” she denied his request casually, though there was a pleased note in her voice as she noticed how suspicious and uncomfortable he became. “Applejack here invited me to her house for the holiday. You understand.”

“I didn't know you two were so serious,” her father commented sarcastically. “When's the wedding?”

“Not funny, paps,” Rainbow Dash spat back, raising her eyebrows blankly at the man.

“Well, Ah s'pose if you two need t' talk,” Applejack started as she stood up, causing Rainbow to sit up suddenly. “Ah'll let ya be. Ah should be on my way any who, Ah better stop by home b'fore work tonight.”

“You're leaving?” the younger girl asked with something of a whine in her voice.

“Don't worry.” Applejack smirked, noticing her saddened expression and finding it cute and amusing. She adjusted her outfit back over her arm as she leaned back towards Rainbow comfortingly, saying, “You'll see me at work tonight, silly.”

“I guess,” she murmured, still seeming a little upset.

She led Applejack to the door anyway, letting her put her boots and hat back on, though they were scattered a bit through the room. As the blonde adjusted her Stetson, Rainbow opened the door a fraction and stepped out of the way. Applejack smiled at the girl and went to pass, but was stalled by Rainbow's hand touching her shoulder. It travelled up quickly and paused on her freckled cheek before the rest of her followed. It was a simple, loving kiss, though it progressed a little further as Rainbow heard the hiss of detest that came from the recliner where her father sat.

Pulling away at last, leaving but a hot breath between the still enticed lovers, Rainbow Dash whispered, “See you soon.”

“Uh, yea',” Applejack hesitantly agreed, feeling a bit awkward as she noticed Rainbow's father's eyes on them. Glancing over at him with a small smile, she added, “It was a pleasure t' meet you, sir.”

“Indeed,” was his less than enthusiastic response.

Though Applejack did her best to be polite, there was something of suspicion and resentment in her eyes. She had seen something in the man when he had attacked them that morning, and she was afraid to leave him alone with his daughter. But still, knowing so little about him, it was not her place to make accusations, and so she took her leave. The door closed slowly behind her, leaving the father and daughter alone at last. The first few seconds were silence, but between two strong and confrontational personalities, that never seemed to last long.

“A girl?” he muttered in apparent disappointment.

“A woman,” Rainbow corrected him with an irritable snort, hating the way he always treated her and everything around her like it was juvenile and detestable.

“Regardless,” he didn't care enough to apologize, getting to his feet. “Something tells me you're doing this to get back at me.”

“Why, whatever could you mean?” she played innocent, twiddling her fingers. With a growl, she denied it, “As much as I love seeing you with your panties all up in a bunch, don't confuse my real feelings for Applejack with any kind of petty resentment I hold for you, the two are unrelated.”

“Interesting, considering you do absolutely everything else to piss me off. Who's to say this isn't just another ploy?” her father argued, his eyes narrowing at her.

“Another ploy? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” she snapped back aggressively, glaring at him.

“Why, then, have I never heard anything about your... decision, to be gay,” he remarked snidely. “It's not like you ever brought it up when—”

“When what, you would have listened? That'd be, um, never. And besides, I was just a kid anyway, how was I supposed to know, much less tell my jack-ass father? We have hardly spoken in years, dad. You never asked, and before Applejack... I didn't even really know myself.” Rainbow Dash rambled, crossing her arms and squeezing them tightly.

“I didn't come here to listen to you whine about your privileged adolescence. Whenever you get over this phase of yours, come and find me,” he told her as he pressed his palms against his jacket to straighten it, heading towards the door.

“Phase?!” Rainbow Dash barked as she shoved away from the door frame and stood in his way persistently. “Excuse me, but I'm not too stupid to realize when I'm in love.”

“Oh, for fuck's sake Dash, you are not in love,” he groaned in disgust, placing a hand on his head. “You make me sick saying shit like that.”

“Like you'd know anything about love,” she grumbled back at him, but stopped in her needless argument and stepped aside to let him pass. “You know what, I'm not going to stand here and debate the colour red with a blind man. So get on with whatever you're here for, or fuck off.”

“If you must know, I'll get right to it. It's only a matter of time until my wife notices that I've been wiring money to you, and considering I told her that you and I haven't seen each other in a lifetime, she's bound to think the worst of me if she catches wind of this.” Her father stopped approaching the door and told her exactly his intentions.

“As she should,” Rainbow intervened accusingly, and the man rolled his eyes.

“I don't want her thinking I'm having some sort of affair,” he told his daughter, and the two of them went silent. It was an awkward and telling few seconds as they knew the truth, and the young girl glared at him to remind him all she knew; all they both knew. “Don't give me that look, kid. Anyway, now that you have a job, I was expecting you to be able to pitch in with rent around here. Of course, I'll still cover whatever else I can. Do realize I don't have to take care of you. I just thought that our little agreement was too important to the both of us to brush off so easily. Do you understand?”

Rainbow licked her lips as she thought it over, wondering why he stopped before laying down any more conditions. With a reluctant breath, she raised her voice and spoke, “And what do you want in return?”

“Dash,” he growled, knowing what she was implying. The two stared at each other in mutual dislike and uneasiness. At last, the man just sighed loudly and told her right out, “Shit, just... pay your bills, all right? And remember what I told you about laying low, and keeping your mouth shut.”

She raised her eyebrow threateningly. “And if I don't?”

“You said it yourself: you're not stupid,” he reminded her, and with a shrug she half-heartedly let the subject slip.

“Jury's still out on that one,” she murmured with a self-loathing smirk.

“And as for that little girlfriend of yours,” he started anew, and Rainbow's attention jumped back up to him. “It's not a good idea for you to be dating, much less... ugh, dating a girl. Just... get rid of her.”

“I'm afraid that's something I can't do, especially if you're the one asking me to,” she denied firmly, stepping further out of the way of the door and gesturing towards it. “Now, if you're going to talk to me like that, I suggest you kindly be on your way.”

“Expect me to come by again soon, do try not to be indisposed next time,” the man paused as he looked his daughter over with disdain. “I don't need another reason to drink.”

“Speaking of which,” Rainbow took in a breath as she started towards her little liquor cabinet, knowing the man would be stalled from his exit if she did. “You want to drop the whole orange juice act and tell me what I can really make you?”

“You offer me that after your barmaid has already left?” The older man huffed a laugh, but seemed to take the offer. Starting back towards the living room, he told her, “Well, if you can manage it, a Martini serves to hit the spot.”

“Martini, you got it.” Rainbow Dash took out the necessary ingredients, though she rolled her eyes about it.

She plucked a cocktail shaker out of the set of glasses and tools from beneath the cabinet and grabbed some ice. She filled the shaker mostly full of ice cubes before she gathered the rest of the mixings: vermouth, gin, and a half-full jar of olives from the mini-fridge hidden behind a cabinet door. She added the gin and vermouth together into the shaker with one hand as she reached for the stirring spoon, only to be stalled by the man behind her.

“Shaken, not stirred,” he directed her, and she glanced back at him with a look of incredulous irritation.

“Sheesh, it's like you want to sound like an ass,” she barked back, tossing the stirring utensil to the side before grabbing a top for the shaker and slamming it on. With a snarl, she asked, “You wanna fucking make it?”

Instead of a response, the man just raised his hands defensively and went silent. Taking that as a no, Rainbow went back to making the Martini, following his command to shake his rather than stir it. She frowned as the shaker felt odd in her hands, as she trusted Applejack much more with her drinks than she trusted herself. As she finished, she remembered what she had forgotten, and added a splash of olive juice from the jar, causing the older man to raise his eyebrow questioningly.

“Dirty?” he wondered as he recognized her move, and she snickered at the word.

Glancing over her shoulder at him, she slyly remarked, “Ask Applejack, that's how I like it.”

“Good lord,” he growled as he turned away uncomfortably, shoving his hands in his pockets angrily. He hated the image in his head, and yet at the same time, it seemed to intrigue him, which disgusted him further.

Rainbow Dash finished the quick shake and strained the liquid into two cocktail glasses. Once she was finished, she took two toothpicks and tilted her jar of olives, stabbing the little wooden picks right into the garnish without touching it with her fingers. She obnoxiously dropped the olives into her father's glass, making sure it splashed and spilled a few drops before sliding it over to him. He took it between his fingers carefully and dully looked at the hapless concoction, but raised it up between them as Rainbow snatched her own glass off the cabinet.

“Here's to,” her father began, pausing to think of something to toast as he licked his thin old lips and ran his eyes over his disappointment of a daughter, coming up with, “A dirty reunion.”

Rainbow made a hiss with the click of her tongue and raised her own glass, adding, “And hopes you get hit by a truck.”

The glasses made a ting as they clicked together between father and daughter.

Author's Note

Alllriiiiight, so pumped this out quickly before work today, rushed to post it up. Comments at all, on RD's father and their... interesting relationship?

Rum Balls

XV: Rum Balls

Raising her arms above her head, Applejack pinched the elongated end of her clothespin before aligning the shoulder of her outfit with the line and pinning it in place. She added the second one and made certain the ensemble was stretched right and hanging without wrinkles, before stepping back and letting out a sigh. It was warm in the laundry room beneath the farm house, as that too was where the furnace resided. Which made it easy for hanging clothes to dry when troubling weather did not permit her to hang the clothes outside, as it was right then.

“Applejack, dear, do watch y'time!” a raspy old voice trickled down the old staircase from the door left ajar at the top.

“Ah know, thanks Granny!” Applejack called back gratefully, wiping the imagined sweat from her heated forehead as she started for the door.

With a light groan, the barmaid made her way up the stairs before closing the old warped door back in place with a shrill squeak. She rattled it to make sure it was closed, as it often didn't click in right and would eerily drift back open with a high-pitched moan. Patting her still damp hands on her old, faded overalls, she went down the hall until she passed the kitchen, noticing her elderly grandmother hunching over the counter with a bowl of half-mashed potatoes in her hands.

“Granny, Ah told ya, Mac can do all o' that,” she went over to the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder, carefully taking the masher and bowl out of her reach. “Doc' says no exertin' y'self if you ain't gotta.”

“Oh it's jus' some p'taters, Jackie, no need t' get all grabby,” her shaky voice replied as she trembled over to the half-cooked turkey waiting by the oven.

“C'mon, your joints ain't what they used t' be, y'don't want 'em gettin' all sore on ya,” Applejack reminded her as she placed the potatoes a little ways away from her grandmother.

“Well that brother o' yours is out in th' barn Ah reckon, checkin' th' stock 'r somethin',” her grandmother prattled along.

“Ah know Granny, there ain't no shipments this weekend so he's gotta make himself useful,” the young girl said in a chuckle. “He ain't much use here in th' kitchen most times, Ah'll grab 'im when Ah go out.”

“Y'all're go'n dress'd like that?” Granny Smith asked sceptically.

“What?” Applejack looked down at herself questioningly, spreading her arms out. “It ain't that bad, Ah was doin' laundry an' stuff. Ah ain't exactly try'na put a show on for th' basement.”

“Ah taught y'better than that!” The old woman reached out and smacked Applejack on the back of her head, making her hiss and flinch. “We got a guest comin' over t'night, an' Ah thought y'liked the girl? What, y'wanna look like a darn'd hick?”

“Sheesh, Granny, Ah wasn't gonna stay wearin' this,” Applejack denied with an irritable voice, rubbing her head sourly. “B'sides, who said Ah liked her?”

“She's y'friend, ain't ya s'posed t' like 'er?” her grandmother asked rhetorically. Applejack just sort of chuckled nervously, wondering if her grandmother knew more than she let on. “Well go on an' get ready, ain't much longer 'til y'gotta go pick 'er up, an' Ah'll need y'help in th' kitchen, so move that backside o' yours 'fore Ah hafta kick it t' get ya movin'.”

“Yes, Granny,” she complied easily, nodding her head once before going back upstairs.

Whether she was in college or living in the city, Applejack always made arrangements to come home for the holidays, staying in her old bedroom for Hearth's Warming Eve at least. Her room had been kept the same since she was young, considering her grandmother cared too much about the nostalgia of it to lay a hand on it. Apple Bloom had made a fuss about wanting to switch to the larger room once Applejack left, but she had been talked out of it.

Once she made it to the room, she pressed the door closed behind her before finding something suitable to put on. She settled for a familiar old seasonal sweater, which squeezed her in just the right ways, and a pair of jeans that had a rip in the right knee from kneeling by the fireplace or under the sink so often. Despite the trouble the old house gave her, she did learn to make herself into quite the handy-woman, at the expense of most of her old clothes.

Snatching her hat off the hook by her door and sliding it over her head, Applejack opened her door back up and started down the stairs once more. She ran her fingers along the collar of the sweater to make certain it was folded right and stepped into her boots at the front door. She could see the snow coming down gently from through the windows by the door, though it was soft and slow. It wouldn't have taken her long to get back to the truck, but she extended the trip by stopping at the barn to remind Big Mac to head inside and help their grandmother with some preparation for dinner.

The drive was somewhat long, but she did not mind it as the weather could have been much worse. She did, however, mind the odd nervous sensation she had in her stomach. It was clear to her that she was excited about bringing Rainbow Dash over for dinner on such a familial holiday, but she was not sure why. She was quite certain that Rainbow Dash would make an odd yet interesting first impression, as always she did, yet she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell her family just how close the two of them were, even if they did turn out to adore her.

Her heart pounded as she went up to the door, having slipped into the building just as easily as last time by following someone who went in before her. She looked herself over once more before knocking, and teetered from toes to heel as she waited on the response. Recalling what happened the last time she had waited outside the girl's door, she had to fight off a creeping grin and a fluttering in her stomach that dared to her do it again. At last, she heard the door unlock and watched it crack open.

“Salutations, doll-face,” Rainbow Dash decided to switch up the nickname playfully as she tugged on her jacket and fixed the raised collar.

“Happy Hearth's Warming, Rainbow,” Applejack greeted her warmly.

“Do we have to rush off, or do we have time for a quick seasonal romp or two?” Rainbow asked casually, but catching Applejack's stunned expression, could not contain her laughter. Pushing past the shocked girl, Rainbow closed her door and said, “Pssh, I'm screwing with you—well, I guess I'm not—but come on, let's go. Don't want to leave your family waiting.”

“Uh, yea',” Applejack agreed, following her closely. Noticing the girl's tauntingly tight pants peeking out from under her larger jacket, Applejack noted, “My, you look nice tonight.”

“Babe, I always look hot,” Rainbow used a more attractive word as she looked back and grinned at her, They made it to the elevator at last and she slammed her finger against the down-arrow button. “But I do especially good when I dress for you... or undress, your call.”

“You gonna talk like that all night?” the barmaid asked, raising her eyebrow in an amused way.

“Nah. Despite what my dad thinks, I do have some manners,” Rainbow stated as she waited on the elevator, patting her hand against her pants impatiently. “I imagine your grandmother would not take too kindly to a little perverted shit like me.”

“Ah sure did,” Applejack mentioned, lightly nudging the girl with her elbow.

“Mhmm, but you got a sweet reward,” Rainbow replied in a sultry tone, a devilish grin slipping across her features.

Turning to face her, Rainbow raised her leg slightly and ran it up against Applejack's so that their bodies met. Applejack responded with something of a nervous chuckle, but accepted the attention and even enjoyed it. The elevator arrived quickly though, and the two managed to make their way inside while remaining almost in each other's arms. As the doors closed, a sense of both privacy and publicity surrounded them, and Rainbow found it quite enticing.

“Well, I probably won't get much of a chance to do this tonight,” Rainbow said in a pout, her hips touching Applejack's.

“Do what?” Applejack hardly had time to ask before her lover's lips hit her own.

Adoring the taste, she immediately began furiously kissing back, loving the wet and warm greeting of their tongues entwining between them. Rainbow Dash wasted not another moment pinning Applejack to the reflective wall of the elevator, grinding up against her with the passion that brevity forced. Growing increasingly attracted to the inappropriate actions, Applejack dug her hands into Rainbow's hair, letting the strands of hair flay and fringe out messily between her fingers.

A loud ding was the only thing that shoved them apart, and hurriedly they stood but a foot away from each other, adjusting their libidos and uneven or messed clothing and hair. As an elderly couple limped into the elevator, Applejack reached out and held the door open for them politely. They smiled at her as they filed in, holding hands despite the man having to walk with a cane and the woman hunching over.

“Well thank you, young lady. It's so nice to see a spry young thing being so helpful,” the woman prattled on in a shaky voice, and Applejack let the doors fall back into place once they were inside.

“My pleasure, ma'am.” Applejack tipped her hat politely as she and Rainbow made room for them to stand more comfortably, which pushed the two closer together once more.

While Applejack distracted herself by staring at the descending numbers displayed in lights above the elevator doors, she restlessly rubbed her finger tips against her thumbs. Immediately, Rainbow Dash noticed this peculiar behaviour, and found it too tempting to resist teasing her. Inching subtly closer by shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Rainbow reached out carefully and brushed her hand against the barmaid's backside. Applejack responded with a start, going bright red in the face and tensing up as she glanced over at the elderly couple patiently awaiting their stop.

Applejack twitched again as Rainbow continued, the girl's open palm more firmly stroking the barmaid's plush rear and following low enough to graze her thigh. A much darker blush crossed Applejack's face, blurring the line between her freckles and bringing out the bright green of her wide eyes. The barmaid nearly jumped out of her skin as the elevator ding signalled that they had reached the lobby floor, and she proceeded to step out of the inappropriate invasion of privacy to once again hold the door open. As the elderly couple thanked her once more, Rainbow Dash cheekily watched the blonde in amusement, snickering under her breath as Applejack clumsily hurried to the exit.

The older folks remained inside as the two young girls left the building, Rainbow Dash curiously following Applejack's hastened step. They reached the parking lot quickly, and Applejack could spot her old rust bucket even if it had been parked a mile away. Just as she reached the truck, she stopped in front of the hood and bumper, pausing as Rainbow nearly walked right into her.

“Sheesh Dolly, what's with the—?” Rainbow Dash hardly had time to finish the question as Applejack abruptly cut her off.

Grabbing the hostess by the shoulders, Applejack spun the smaller girl around until her lower back pressed against the ice cold hood of the truck. It had been lightly snowing since she had been inside the building, so the thin layer of snow proved slippery and moist as Rainbow touched it with her hands to steady herself. The barmaid earnestly pressed her body against the younger girl's, her hand forcefully holding Rainbow by her waist and head as their lips opened warmly to each other.

Loving their mutually aggressive interaction, Rainbow released her grip on the truck and wrapped her arms around Applejack instead, allowing the taller girl to impose her force and bend Rainbow several degrees back until her shoulders nearly touched the hood. A moan escaped Rainbow Dash as Applejack moved her ankle between her own, holding her still against the truck with her knee forced to Rainbow's thighs. Applejack hungrily kissed and nibbled at Rainbow's neck as she moved further down, letting the damp remnants of the saliva on her lips catch on the wind and chill them to shivers.

“You go much farther and I'm going to have to make you screw me in your truck,” Rainbow told her in a breathy voice, feeling her arousal peak and her voice squeak as Applejack's cold hand slipped up under her jacket.

“If only we had th' time,” Applejack murmured into her fresh and pale skin, breathing her in scent once more before reluctantly pulling away. “Y'gotta quit teasin' me, you little tramp.”

“Me? Teasing you? And what exactly do you call what you're doing?” Rainbow pouted as her hands gripped the grill of the truck again, leaning her head back to stave her unruly desires. “And you love it, don't lie.”

“Well, much as Ah hate t' say, we do gotta get goin',” Applejack pulled away with a sigh, her white breath puffing in the narrow space between them.

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow sucked her teeth and waved her hand, pushing off the truck and going around to the passenger side door.

Applejack followed her lead and swung around to the driver's side, popping the old door open with a small heave. The handle was a little cold, but she expected as much as she climbed into the hardly warmer interior. The notice of Rainbow's visible breath from the seat beside her made her reach out and turn up the heat, which began to blare seconds after the ignition was turned. As Applejack pulled out, she felt Rainbow's small hand rest onto her thigh, a comforting and intimate move that she did not shrug off.

The snow whisked across the road at their wheels, dancing in lines like white, dusty smoke in the wind, making streams between the lanes. It wafted so gently around the truck that Applejack need not even turn on the wind shield wipers to keep her vision clear. The farther out of the city they got, however, the more uneven the stony road grew, and the snow began to get caught in the ridges and rises of rocks that whined under the heavy roll of the truck tires.

Finally, the pair drove up to this one particular ranch, one whose sign hung in an arch above the one-car road, swaying gently in the mild wind. The truck bumped and rattled as they approached the main house, a two story complex with an old-style rustic appearance that was so clearly Applejack that anyone could have picked it from the whole neighbourhood as hers. Applejack noticed Rainbow Dash swallow anxiously out of the corner of her eye and smiled, dropping her hand onto the younger girl's and squeezing it gently.

“Y'nervous, honey?” Applejack gently asked, taking her eyes off the road briefly to take in her companion's worrisome gaze.

“A little, yeah,” Rainbow replied with a small chuckle, before adding, “It'd be worse if I didn't take those shots of Rum before I left.”

“You what?” the barmaid asked in surprise, her expression turning dark as she reached out and slapped the girl on the back of her head.

“Ouch! Sheesh Dolly, I don't know why the hell you're so surprised,” she growled irritably as she winced and touched the tender spot. “I'm more myself with a little kick, you know that.”

Applejack grunted in annoyance, but said nothing more. After all, it was hardly her place to judge. As they made it up to the house and pulled in diagonally to the shed, Applejack turned the car off but sat completely still. Rainbow was not in any rush to get out first, so she remained inside too, fiddling with her fingers. At last, Applejack turned to face her friend and took in a slow breath.

“Don't take this th' wrong way, but,” Applejack started with a ginger voice, avoiding Rainbow's eyes shyly as she told the girl the truth. “Ah ain't told m' family much about us. Ah ain't sure what they'll say 'r nothin', so Ah was gonna take it a mite slow. It ain't like I'm ashamed 'r nothin', it just ain't come up yet. We ain't been doin' this for long any who, Ah just... Ah just—”

“Enough 'ain't's, AJ. You don't have to explain,” Rainbow interrupted the barmaid's rambling with a smile. “I'm not sure I want their first impression of me to be tainted by high expectations and family protective stuff. It's cool, really.”

As Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, she noticed that the girl seemed not only entirely sincere, but also kind of relieved. She supposed that it took a bit of the anxiety off her shoulders, knowing that her family wouldn’t be quite so critical and judgemental if they just thought the two were co-workers or friends. With a few firm nods, Applejack accepted the answer, cranking the handle on her door and knocking it open before stepping out.

The snow had stopped falling by then, but it had gone on long enough that each step brought with it a crunch beneath their shoes. Applejack led Rainbow over to the house easily, as she could find her way even through a dense storm with no trouble by now. Though she was still uneasy, Rainbow followed along quietly and obediently until they got to the door, when she began to grow worried about the very way that she stood, what she was doing with her arms, just about anything. She flinched as Applejack touched her shoulder, placing a comforting hand and lending a knowing expression to her dear friend. After a shared smile, she walked into her family home.

The warm, stale inside air smelled of hard wood, fireplace soot, turkey, cranberries and tobacco, and each scent felt nurturing to both of the girls. The foyer was entirely welcoming, with a large stairwell right at the door and several open door arches leading to rooms and hallways. Applejack helped Rainbow remove her jacket and hang it on the rack as they kicked off their shoes by the door, all the while calling out to her grandmother.

“Granny, Ah'm back,” Applejack told her in a loud voice, which floated over the mingling smells and quiet clatter from the kitchen. “It sure smells invitin'!”

“Jackie, dear, thank goodness you're here,” her elderly grandmother called back, and Rainbow Dash tried to memorize the woman's voice as she fixed her folded collar and centred the tie she had adorned for such an occasion. “Mac ain't much help at supper time, th' ol' coot. g'head an' give y'friend a tour 'en come in an' give your Granny a hand 'r two, would ya?”

“O'course,” the young girl responded, removing her hat and hanging it on the same hook as her jacket rather than taking it upstairs to her room as she usually did. “C'mon Rainbow, Ah'll show y'around.”

Rainbow Dash nervously nodded and followed Applejack at her heel, glancing in every direction to observe each moulding or frame. The barmaid led her down the hall, pausing to point up the stairs and explain that the bedrooms were up there. As they came around the corner at the end of the hall, they were met with the stale, lingering waves of tobacco smoke that hung near the roof, wafting through the warm air. At the end of the trail sat a man, older than the two of them, relaxing in a clearly well-used recliner.

His shaggy orange-blonde hair was remarkably identifiable, and Rainbow Dash knew him right away as Applejack's brother, though they had never formally been introduced. The fire cracked on at his feet, and though he had been watching it intently, he turned his attention to the girls who had just arrived. His familiar tweed cap was pushed back an inch or so to see them more clearly, and he plucked the heirloom pipe out of his thick lips before addressing them.

“Howdy,” his sonorous voice was coated in grey smoke, which puffed and twirled about once breaching his mouth.

“Mac, this is m'friend, Rainbow Dash.” Applejack introduced as she gestured to the slightly younger girl, who bashfully grinned and scooted a step forward. “An' Dash, this is m'older brother, Big McIntosh. But he goes by Mac.”

“Uh, pleasure to meet you, Mac,” Rainbow Dash politely moved forward and extended her hand to the larger man.

“Eeyup,” he confirmed, sitting more upright as he reached out and took her offered handshake with his much larger palms. Mac was pleasantly surprised by the small girl's tough grip, and smirked a bit as they parted after one or two firm shakes.

“Where's Apple Bloom?” Applejack wondered as she glanced around the room.

“Her room, as usual,” Mac responded with a shrug, settling back into his chair.

“That little brat,” Applejack grumbled as she rolled her eyes and made to leave, but paused to add, “Oh, Dash, feel free t' have a seat, make y'self at home. Ah'll be right back.”

“Right.” Rainbow hurriedly nodded and did as she was told, going over to the couch and slowly sitting down. She picked up the bottom of her tie as she did and rested it on her lap, uncomfortably looking down at it and fidgeting with the knot.

Big Mac looked her over with a stiff expression, his brow sitting low above his curious yet calm eyes. Her deep red dress shirt made her feel a lot fancier than she often looked, though the wrists were rolled up a little ways up her arm. To match the season, her tie was green and black striped, and propped itself up around her neck with a full Windsor knot. Mac raised one eyebrow at the odd accessory, rarely having seen much of them himself.

“Nice tie,” he complimented casually, and Rainbow snapped to attention like she was being interrogated for some murder.

“Oh, yeah, thanks. Well,” she suddenly got to explaining, perhaps revealing a bit too much as she made an attempt to look casual by slinging her arm over the back of the couch. “My dad's one of those stiff business-type men, he's always dressing all stuffy like this and I guess his habits kinda rubbed off on me.”

“Mhmm,” Big Mac nodded in an amused way as he tilted his head and leaned back in his chair, taking another puff from his pipe.

“That and he always used to dress me up in frilly little dresses to impress his colleagues, so as some kind of rebellion, I used to sneak into his room when he was at work and put on all his fancy suits. The guy would scream at me till his face turned blue, but I looked handsome as hell so I didn't care.” Rainbow prattled on, the filter between her head and her mouth not seeming to work too well.

Big Mac took his pipe out of his mouth and sucked in a breath of clean air, pushing the smoke deeper into his lungs. “Ah see.”

“So,” Rainbow dragged the word out to try and keep in her babbling. “How long have you all lived all the way out here on this farm?”

“Since ever,” Big Mac revealed casually, glancing at the rusting old fireplace that flickered beside him. “Granny an' her parents built th' place.”

“Wow, that's really cool,” she murmured as she teetered on her seat a bit. “I bet there's a lot of nostalgia and memories in this place then, isn't there?”

“Eeyup.” Mac coolly sighed, puffing at his pipe once or twice more. His eyes darkened, however, as a subject burdened his lips, “Trouble is, if business does much worse, w'could lose th' whole thing.”

“What?” Rainbow perked up suddenly, scooting to the edge of the couch.

“Until AJ went an' got that job at th' Joint, things were lookin' pretty grim,” Mac slowly told her, his sonorous voice booming in contrast to the crackling fire. “Mortgages an' business loans 're creepin' up though, ain't no one investin' in farms no more. Next thing y'know we'll be—” He silenced himself at once as he heard a creak from down the hall, and flashed Rainbow a look that told her to be quiet too.

Usually Big Mac was a man of very few words, and seldom did he go around explaining circumstances like that, but something about the rainbow-haired girl had put him at ease. Perhaps it was the way that she nearly spilled out her whole life story to him a mere moment or two prior. Regardless, he shut himself up as Applejack led the clearly irritable Apple Bloom into the living room.

“But Rumble's havin' a rough night, he needs t' talk! This is serious stuff, AJ, his brother is a crazy dr—” Apple Bloom tried to start, but Applejack would have none of it.

“Ah don't care, he can wait. Al'right hayseed, sit down an' be social, will ya?” Applejack directed her sister over to the couch, plopping her down right next to Rainbow Dash.

“You can't make me,” Apple Bloom sneered back, forcing up a defiant expression. Her sister would have none of it though, and stood tall in front of the girl, placing her hands expectantly on her hips. With a raised eyebrow and a firm glare, Apple Bloom seemed to settle down. “Fine, quit lookin' at me like that, sheesh.”

“Behave,” Applejack hissed once more before glancing over at Rainbow Dash—though as she did, her little sister stuck her tongue out at her. “Dash, Ah'm just gonna be in th' kitchen, if y'need anything, g'head an' ask, mkay?”

“Kay,” Rainbow agreed with a nod, her big round eyes fixing on the barmaid's warm expression.

Turning back to her little sister once more, Applejack lightly slapped the young girl on the back of the head, having seen her rude gesture out of the corner of her eye. The young girl sunk in her seat and rubbed her head, grumbling incoherently. Applejack took that as good enough and started off to the kitchen to help her grandmother, leaving Rainbow alone with her siblings. As the barmaid walked away, Rainbow couldn't help but watch the hypnotic sway of her hips, which seemed like a swinging pendulum in the light of the fire. She hurriedly averted her gaze and cleared her throat, pretending not to have been anything less than innocent.

“Don't think Ah didn't see that,” Apple Bloom whispered under her breath, and Rainbow Dash straightened her posture abruptly. She glanced at the younger girl to see her typing something on her cell phone, the ginger-haired girl's expression blank and unconcerned.

“Hmm?” Big Mac wondered, having not caught any of what was going on as he was holding a match into his pipe to relight it.

“Heh, cute kid.” Rainbow Dash grinned nervously and forced a chuckle.

Glancing over at the younger girl once more, she noticed that she was still texting. Her eyes drifted casually over the young girl's phone, reading the name of who she was messaging, but not recognizing it at all. Not that it surprised her at all, but she did find it kind of odd that the supposed pseudonym for her nameless friend seemed to read 'chicken'.

“So, what, y'had nothin' better t' do on Hearth's Warmin' than crash our family dinner?” Apple Bloom asked in a snarky tone, glaring up at the slightly taller hostess who sat beside her.

“Apple Bloom,” Big Mac growled at his younger sister, his tone harsh and threatening.

“No I guess not, Little Red,” Rainbow laughed a little at the bluntness of the question, not offended by it at all. “My Hearth's Warming would be something like getting drunk and yelling at old family photos.”

“That's weird.” Apple Bloom muttered as she and Big Mac shared uncertain gazes before looking back at the stranger, who didn't seem ashamed of anything she said.

“At least,” Big Mac tried to think up something to say, and as a smile crossed his lips, he found a perfect quality in the girl that he had known well mirrored Applejack. “She's honest.”

“Honestly nuts,” Apple Bloom added with a snort, and Rainbow Dash glared over at her with a less than intimidating look. She made it even funnier by sticking out her tongue the way Apple Bloom had earlier, a gesture that made Big Mac chuckle to see.

“Supper in ten!” Applejack's voice called from the kitchen, and everyone perked up to hear it. “Y'all wanna set th' table?”

“Yessum,” Big Mac said back, loud enough for her to have heard.

The three of them stood up at once, and Rainbow followed the two siblings to the dining room. It was a quaint little room, walls of wood and two old swinging glass doors that led to the hall. Rainbow felt somewhat out of place as Big Mac and Apple Bloom—who was reluctant, but carried on—set the table and gathered an extra chair from leaning by the china cabinet.

Something seemed very formal about it, and yet it was nothing like the formal dinners that Rainbow had attended with her father. There was a lighter mood, and several times she saw the two siblings poking fun at each other or messing up the other's work. She could not help but break a smile, catching but a glimpse of what real family connections seemed to be like. It was interesting to her, the way that stiff-and-stern Big Mac and bratty little Apple Bloom could break through those façades when in each other's company.

Applejack, too, seemed different, Rainbow noticed as the girl came into the room with arms full of side dishes, her server training coming in handy when carrying many objects. Rainbow could sense some kind of maternal warmth coming from Applejack, perhaps some role she was pushed into fulfilling that she never acknowledged. It was clear, however, that she had been absent from the rest of the family for some time, as there was a lull between their rhythms that almost went unnoticed.

“Sit down, y'wallflower,” Applejack chuckled as she touched her hand to the small of Rainbow's back, startling her.

“Uh, okay,” Rainbow followed her directions and took a seat along the side of the table where Applejack pulled the chair out for her.

Before Applejack turned to leave again, she leaned on the table and flashed Rainbow a comforting smile, something that snagged the girl's attention entirely. Reaching out so carefully and subtly, Applejack brushed a stray strand of hair from out of Rainbow's face, tucking it behind her ear. One more smile stopped the hostess' heart before her barmaid left once more, tugging her gaze after her as always.

Soon enough, Applejack was back, carrying more odd shaped dishes like gravy boats or cups of steamed vegetables. One last trip brought the true dinner to the table, a perfectly honey-brown turkey, stuffed to the ankles with home-made stuffing. Rainbow could feel her mouth stinging as she salivated, having been deprived of a real home made meal for as long as she could recall. Applejack's strong arms stretched out and placed the whole thing right in front of her, and Rainbow's nostrils filled with the scrumptious scent.

While Big Mac and Apple Bloom took their seats, at the head of the table and across from Rainbow Dash, respectively, Applejack went to her grandmother's side. After helping the elderly woman over to the table and into her seat at the other head of the table, Applejack took her place beside Rainbow Dash. Before getting a chance to eat, Applejack reached out and took Rainbow's hand. This surprised her, as she held their connection right on the dining room table. She noticed, however, that Applejack also took her grandmother's hand, and Big Mac, who sat on the other side of Rainbow Dash, extended his hand as well. Realizing that it must have been some tradition to bow their heads and say grace, Rainbow obediently joined in.

Rainbow felt Applejack squeeze her hand particularly tightly, and run her rough fingers over Rainbow's thin and smooth ones. It was clear in that simple embrace how worn Applejack's body felt: the wrinkles in her palms, the callouses along her fingers, the ache of her joints. Rainbow Dash had none of those badges of honour to wear on her own comfortable and inexperienced hands. In her other palm, Big Mac's hands felt even rougher than Applejack's, torn apart and scarred in several places. Still, everyone at the table felt equal, holding their hands together like that.

“Fer all th' good fortunes tha've kept us goin', an' kept us t'gether,” Granny Smith's voice shook as she spoke, but her grand children listened patiently anyway. “We're thankful. Now, best not let this fine spread go t' waste now, y'hear? Dig on in.”

“Yes ma'am,” all of the three siblings agreed, nodding their heads once before releasing their hands and instead grabbing their utensils.

Rainbow was silent and still for the first few seconds, watching the Apple family cheerily collect platefuls of food. Their absent chit-chat was comforting to Rainbow Dash, as she had never felt quite so at home than when she sat alongside strangers. A smirk melted over her features as she watched Applejack tease her younger sister over who got the last drumstick. Of course, Applejack undoubtedly gave it up to the ginger-headed girl after a brief playful game of forcing her to ask nicely for it.

“Dash?” Applejack spoke to her gently, and Rainbow Dash flinched to hear her name. “Eat up already, Mac's got a bottomless stomach, s' eat while y'can.”

“Hey,” Big Mac spoke up with a hint of embarrassment, but his tone was good natured.

“How could I not? This dinner looks delicious.” Rainbow praised pleasantly, scooping herself a big spoonful of mashed potatoes and some white meat. “Thanks... for having me over, and all.”

“Nothin' doin',” Applejack beamed, patting her friend on the shoulder.

Dinner lasted a lot longer than dinners often did at Rainbow Dash's house, she realized. Even before she lived alone, which allowed her to eat anywhere in the house she pleased and do whatever she wanted while eating, dinners with her father had always been tense and short lived, as he would either arrive home late from work or have something better to do afterwards. At the Apple residence, the family spent their meal conversing and joking around. Rainbow was particularly amused by the bickering between Applejack and Apple Bloom regarding the younger sister having to eat her Brussels sprouts, which she clearly detested, and by the subtle yet suggestive under-the-table advances the barmaid made on Rainbow Dash.

After the meal, all of the siblings cleaned up and started soaking the dishes while Granny Smith sat still to let her old bones relax and her food digest. Rainbow Dash helped out as much as she could, carrying loads of dishes to Applejack in the kitchen and helping her dry them off. Once Apple Bloom went of to lounge at the table and text her friends and Big Mac set to stoking the fire, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were entirely alone.

“Ah'm sure glad you decided to swing by,” Applejack said softly, her hands dipping into the steaming water once more.

“Me too, I haven't had a dinner like that since I can remember,” Rainbow admitted, tilting her head at the barmaid and meeting her eyes. “And spending the holiday with you? Gravy.”

“Gravy,” Applejack repeated, chuckling at the related reference. “Well, Granny should be gettin' t' bed soon, so after dessert Ah'll drive ya home. Sound good?”

“I don't get to stay the night?” the rainbow-haired girl prodded, smirking at the suggestion.

“Ah can just imagine what you'd do if ya could,” the barmaid murmured under her breath, sharing the amused grin of her lover.

“What? Like, sneak into your room in the middle of the night? Play you so loud you wake up the whole house?” Applejack silenced her with a shush, though her snickers still slipped out, as well as, “Come on, does that sound like me?”

“D'you really want me t' answer that, honey?” Applejack asked, raising her eyebrow knowingly.

“You just did,” Rainbow replied with a rough elbow to her barmaid's side.

The two chuckled a bit more, making certain to keep their voices low so they were not overheard. With the two of them doing the dishes together it did not take long, and soon enough they were back at the kitchen table for dessert. Applejack had wondered, however, why she hadn't come across any pastries or cakes in the kitchen, as it was customary that her grandmother would whip something up for the occasion. This particular Hearth's Warming, it seemed, would be different.

“Jackie, darlin', y'mind grabbin' me that box on th' cabinet over there,” Granny Smith called out in another tired old coo, and Applejack obediently did as she was asked.

“O'course, Granny. What's in it?” Applejack asked as she retrieved it, handing it to her grandmother before taking her seat beside the elderly woman.

“Oh, well it's a present, dear,” Granny Smith fiddled the bow that held the box closed with her arthritic fingers. “Someone dropped off in person a couple o' days ago. Err, who was it again?”

“Here, let me have a go at it,” Applejack carefully took it out of her grandmother's hands and made much more progress undoing the bow. “Now, who'd y'say gave ya these?”

“Oh right,” Granny seemed to find her bearings, and went on, “It was that nice woman, y'know, th' one with th' big ol' milk jugs an' th' red hair? Ohh, what's 'er name again, Jackie? She's your boss.”

“Ma... boss?” Applejack repeated, feeling her own hands begin to tremble as she held the box. Swallowing her fear, she focused on opening the box as she uttered the woman's name, “M-Miss Jubilee?”

“Tha's 'er name! My, she's a sweet thing, that one,” her grandmother babbled on as Applejack pried open the deep red box and let the ribbon fall to the floor. “She came by an' dropped it off f' you, y'weren't here at th' time but she gave ya her regards an' all. Err, what's in there again, sugar?”

Applejack's face went pale as she stared into the box, running her eyes over the contents over and over. She swallowed anxiously before she spoke aloud, “R-Rum Balls.”

“Tha's right, said she made 'em herself, mighty kind o' her,” the elderly woman praised, leaning back in her chair like she remembered.

“What's the matter, Dolly?” Rainbow asked Applejack casually. “You look like I do whenever my dad gives me presents.”

Staring at the innocent seeming box in her shaking hands, Applejack felt her body grow cold. It terrified her to know that her boss had come to her house like that, and she wondered what the woman might have had up her sleeve this time. It was packaged so neatly, so professionally: a deep coloured box with a well-tied bow of crimson ribbon, which now lay abandoned on the floor. The Rum Balls themselves looked delicious, and the sensation of her mouth growing wet made Applejack even more uncomfortable. Atop the round, decadent treats sat a note, perfectly positioned, with red cursive writing across it.

“For all the hard work you do for me, and all the many more favours to come, my little sugarplum. Yours truly, Cherry. Xoxo.” read across the parchment, complete with a hand drawn heart.

The note seemed so much more ominous and threatening when Applejack read it with knowing eyes. It killed her that she had to deal with the woman not only at work, but on one of her favourite holidays, too. What was worse, she had to heave the weight of her guilt while Rainbow Dash sat right next to her. It was just too much. With a heavy, pounding heart and a shortness of breath, Applejack placed the box on the dining room table. Trying to brush off her obvious uncertainty, she stood up.

“Ah, uh, Ah'll be right back, excuse me.” Applejack hurriedly muttered, the fluster in her cheeks hidden by a hand touching her face, which she moved to make it appear to be a headache. “G'head and eat without me.”

“Applejack?” Rainbow Dash whispered the girl's name quietly, catching the distraught way that Applejack always seemed to get when someone mentioned her boss.

Leaving no reply, Applejack turned tail and left the room, haste in her step. From the quiet dining room table, they could all hear as the barmaid ascended the stairs up to her room. Rainbow Dash stared at the empty door frame firmly, staving the urge to race after the girl and ask what was wrong. In contrast, however, Apple Bloom just grabbed the box of chocolates and turned it towards herself, grabbing a little ball and plopping it into her mouth.

“What's up with her?” the younger girl asked with a mouthful of chocolate.

“Excuse me,” Rainbow Dash said as she, too, stood up abruptly. Grabbing her napkin from her lap and bunching it onto her empty plate, Rainbow took off after the barmaid.

“Weirdos,” Apple Bloom mumbled over another Rum Ball.

Rainbow made her way up the stairs, finding Applejack's room easily enough, as not only was it the first room, but it was the one with a light on and the door slightly ajar, and if she listened carefully, she could hear some faint weeps. Pressing the old door open proved to be troublesome, as she had intended to be stealthy and quiet, but the door squawked loudly with a gentle push. Applejack turned around at once, her eyes lightly pink and her expression uneasy.

“Oh, Rainbow,” Applejack touched her eyes, hiding the fact she was dabbing any moisture away. “What're y'doin' up here?”

“What are you doing up here?” she asked right back, her tone straight and commanding.

“Well, Ah,” Applejack tried to start, but her voice faltered right away. “Ah'm sorry, Rainbow. Ah really am. You... you have no idea.”

“What are you talking about?” Rainbow wondered, stepping over to the girl who looked like she was about to break right down. “Applejack?”

“Ah have to tell you somethin', Dash, somethin' that's really been eatin' at me,” Applejack tried to steady her voice, taking Rainbow's hands and holding them firmly. “Ah was afraid t' tell you because Ah didn't want t' hurt you, 'r lose you.”

“What is it?” she tried to sound sympathetic, but she really sounded worried.

“Ah shouldn't have invited you over, Ah-Ah shouldn't have gone to your house, or, or got you that job, or kissed you,” the blonde prattled on, and she could see Rainbow's expression falling. “Ah've been nothin' but cruel t' you.”

“That's not true,” Rainbow tried to convince her, slinking lower to try and catch the girl's eye line.

“Ah feel nothin' but guilty for doin' these things t' you,” Applejack explained, her loving eyes caressing Rainbow's. “You deserve so much better. You gotta know that.”

“Look, what's this all about, anyway? Rum Balls?” she tried to figure it out and piece it together, shaking her head as nothing seemed to fit. “Because it's no big deal, I mean they're not my favourite treats, sure, but I like them nonetheless.”

“That's not it,” the barmaid denied with a shake of her head and a small, sad smile. “Ah have feelin's for you, Ah really do. An' that's what makes tellin' y'all this s' damn hard.”

“Telling me what?” Rainbow asked more softly, compassionately and patiently listening.

“Rainbow... Ah, Ah haven't been faithful to you, even if Ah wanted to,” Applejack admitted, and it immediately broke Rainbow's heart to hear it. “Cherry—Miss Jubilee, she's been usin' me for more than just bein' her barmaid.”

“... What?” Rainbow's voice squeaked out, her hands sweating and going cold.

“Ah got hired almost two years ago at Jubilee's Joint as her barmaid, but... shortly after, she started... uh, makin' passes at me,” Applejack mumbled as her head dropped in shame. Rainbow's eyes widened as she heard it, and she wasn't sure what to do or say. “At first Ah thought it was kinda flatterin', but made me real uncomfortable. Ah mean, she was a nice woman an' all, but, well, that ain't the point.”

“What are you talking about?” the younger girl absently asked, trying to get it through her head.

“My family got into some trouble around then y'see, what with the farm neck-deep in debt an' my student loans an' all, the cider business was slim and it was lookin' like we might lose th' whole place,” the barmaid explained, her hands squeezing Rainbow's. “Ah made th' mistake of tellin' Miss Jubilee about it, an' she made me a deal. Said she'd buy huge shipments of my family's cider for her Joint, and put in a good word all over town, but...”

“...But?” Rainbow almost didn't want to know.

“Ah was real 'ppreciative of all she did, but when we shook hands t' seal th' deal... she pulled me right in close,” her voice faltered once more, and her eyes shook from side to side to recall. “And she kissed me. Just... kissed me. Ah was caught right off guard, but Ah felt so indebted to her that Ah let it happen. Ah should have stopped it, Ah should have. But it felt kinda nice, bein' wanted like that. Next thing I knew, she had me up against her desk—an' she was so confident, just took me away, y'know? Ah couldn't help m'self. But it didn't end there, she kept wantin' more an' more, and Ah knew that if Ah didn't give her what she wanted, she'd tell everyone what we did. B'fore long, she had me wrapped 'round her little finger, threatenin' my business and future an' all. An' now, Ah'm in way too deep.”

“Wait, this is still...?” she couldn't bring herself to ask, her head shaking back and forth.

“Yea',” Applejack confirmed in an abashed sigh. “Ah keep tryn'a tell 'er t' stop, 'specially since Ah met you, but it ain't that easy with that woman. Ah hate it, Ah hate her, Ah hate it all.” Her hands shook and squeezed tighter around Rainbow's, and the thin girl just stood there, silent. “Ah was never okay with what she'd been doin', but ever since you started comin' around, Ah've been trying to beg her t' let me go, t' stop doin' it. But protestin' seems t' just make her want it more.”

“Want it more?” Rainbow nodded slowly, still in shock.

“Ah'm so sorry, Dash. It's all my fault, Ah never shoulda...” With a sniff or two, Applejack's hardened and guarded exterior cracked, and her eyes began to mist over. “Y'ain't gotta stay around, y'know. Ah don't deserve it any who. Ah just, Ah just couldn't go on lyin' t' you like that... Ah love you too much.”

“Love me?” she repeated the phrase, her eyes widening at the sudden knowledge.

“Ah reckon so,” Applejack murmured, not even able to look the girl in the eyes as she told her. “An' y'don't go hurtin' the people you love. That's why I went on doin' those things for Miss Jubilee, for the people Ah love, my family. Business ain't doin' good, Dash. Ah ain't got a choice, but Ah can't go draggin' you around through all th' ugly stuff too.”

“Right,” Rainbow felt the heat of Applejack's skin under her fingers, and her sad and broken eyes traced the barmaid's face longingly. She felt so distant, so vacant, so betrayed, and yet the only thing she wanted to do was wrap her arms around her Applejack and kiss her. She stayed away, however.

“Ah understand if you want to... well, whatever you choose.” the barmaid decided, nodding once before turning away and wiping her eyes out of sight. “A-Ah'll take you home.”

“...That's probably best,” Rainbow agreed in a quiet whisper, swallowing the lump in her throat that threatened to spill the truth: that she loved Applejack too, but might not be able to forgive her.

Author's Note

Weeeeeeeell that took long enough to update, sorry guys. Well, at least it was a chapter you were all waiting for, the inevitable spill-your-guts chapter. Thoughts?

Spiked Punch

XVI. Spiked Punch

Weeks apart were torture. Hell, moments apart were unbearable. That was all that Rainbow Dash knew. And yet, whenever she saw the barmaid, she felt nothing short of jealousy and anxiety, even if the pulling desire still grasped at her strongly.

Turning her head over in her crossed arms, Rainbow cracked one lazy eye open, glancing up to the lounge from her place slouched right over the host stand. A pang of unrest rattled her heart, but she stared on anyway, at the woman across the bar. Her flowing blonde hair was still as captivating, her bright green eyes, a mysterious manipulator, and her charm was as undeniable as ever. Yet Rainbow gazed at her solemnly, feeling rejected, unworthy, betrayed. It's not like she really had a right to be angry, but she could not help her petty and possessive self.

Applejack had tried to warn her, had tried to keep her at bay, had given her enough signs that she should have caught on to the trouble. Yet Rainbow Danger Dash had once again proved that she excelled at getting in over her head, if nothing else. She should have been supportive, she should have been loving and accepting, but the only thing she could think about was just what compromising positions Miss Jubilee had put her Applejack in. And that drove her mad.

With a groan, she turned her head to look at the front doors, doing so being her job after all. She flinched as she heard the door creak open, and she pushed herself up to appear more personable and professional. She was confused, however, as she noticed who was walking through the doors.

Across the bar, Applejack was having just as much trouble keeping Rainbow Dash off her mind as the hostess had with her. It was the second time that day that she had overfilled a drink, something that she seldom ever had done before. Grumbling as she wiped the spilled beverage off the draining counter top, she failed to notice the perplexed and suspicious gaze of the cocktail waitress across the divider from her.

“You all right there, Applejack?” Vinyl inquired with an odd voice, a teasing kind that matched her slight smirk and raised eyebrow.

“Y-Yea', just a mite distracted, tha's all,” Applejack lied with a shake of her head, hiding the way she pursed her lips and scrunched her face beneath the shadow of her Stetson.

“Trouble in paradise?” a second voice wondered, and Applejack peeked a glare out from under the brim of her hat to notice Octavia slide in beside Vinyl, placing her tray on the moist divider. Applejack merely scoffed, which brought a haughty smile to the Cellist's lips. “Thought so.”

“Don't start with me,” Applejack warned as she finished cleaning up the mess, pitching the wet cloth into its sanitary-solution-filled bucket.

“I would never,” Octavia defended herself in a stunned gasp, and Vinyl glanced over at her with a grin, knowing there was more than that. “Never more than suggest that, perhaps, things don't appear to be going to well between you and your...”

“Husband.” Vinyl finished, leaning back and glancing down the restaurant at the girl in question, who was clad in a nice dress shirt and slacks, a much more masculine outfit than the rest of the employees tended to have to wear.

“She ain't my,” Applejack was about to finish her sentence, when she paused to make an odd face about Vinyl's choice of word. Shaking the idea off, she went on, “She ain't my nothin', Ah don't even think we're friends.”

“Just the benefits, then?” Vinyl questioned, leaning further over the divider and resting her elbow on it.

With a knowing gaze, Vinyl smirked at Applejack's uneasy expression, reading it well. Octavia glanced on the other side of Vinyl, only to notice the drinks that Applejack had made for her tables were inconveniently beyond the girl and out of her reach. Rolling her eyes and sighing, Octavia decided to rescue Applejack by distracting the deviant on her counter.

“Do you mind?” Octavia hissed presumptuously, drumming her thumbs over the metal counter and leaning nearer to Vinyl in an intimidating way.

“Hmm?” Vinyl dully looked over at the other girl, noticing the way she gestured for her to move. With a slick defiance, she leaned ever further and began running the tip of her middle finger around the rim of one of Octavia's ordered beverages playfully. “You want some benefits, too?”

“The benefit of my drinks, maybe,” the well-dressed girl retorted, darting her eyes at the requested objects.

“Gimme that,” Applejack growled as she pulled the drink out from under Vinyl's swirling finger, tossing the contents into the sink and placing the glass in the bus bucket, the thing being tainted by Vinyls dirty finger along the rim. As she began making another drink, Octavia wrestled her remaining drinks from around her obstructive friend. “Al'right you two, now enough o' buttin' into ma business. Y'all got jobs t' do.”

“Yeah, and you have a girl to do,” Vinyl pointed casually to the same hostess, though Applejack reached out and smacked her finger away.

“How blunt,” Octavia murmured in a monotonous voice.

“But anyway, Applejack, whatever she did, I'm sure she didn't mean it,” the blue-haired girl tried to tell her, speaking in rhythm with the tapping of her thumb over the counter.

“And why're you s' sure it was her that did somethin' wrong?” the barmaid asked the presumptuous young girl, who grinned widely and shrugged before explaining.

“Easy: you're boring,” she stated, and the statement nearly floored both Applejack and Octavia. Catching the barmaid's incredulous and offended expression, she waved her hand lazily and went on, “I mean that in the best sense. I mean that you're mature, and stable, and everything. She's... well, she's reckless and wild, kinda like me. And I screw up all the time!”

“It's true, she does,” Octavia agreed readily with an even tone and a simple nod or two.

“Well, thanks, but, for your information,” Applejack paused with a frown as she grabbed the dispenser nozzle from its holster and began pouring some club soda into her mixture. “It was my fault, really.”

“No shit?” Vinyl seemed surprised, raising her eyebrows and pushing off the counter. As she chuckled a bit and put her drinks onto her tray, she turned and started away from the bar, leaving few more words in her absence, “Well then... I don't know what you should do. Beats the hell out of me.”

“How helpful,” Octavia grumbled as she watched Vinyl shrug and leave the conversation. After a slow exhale, she turned her attention back to the barmaid as she finished up her last drink. “Listen Applejack, I'm probably not the best woman to talk to these things about. But from what I see, something has got you bothered. I wouldn't be much of a friend if I let you go on like this without saying anything.”

“You ain't usually much of a friend at all, we don't talk all that much neither.” Applejack reminded the girl with a faint smile, pushing the drink across the counter and watching the mixture settle.

“Well then, consider this a complaint from a co-worker,” the black-haired girl changed her tune, reaching out and grabbing her beverage, placing it onto her tray and hoisting it above her shoulder with ease. “Find a way to keep from spilling liquor. Understand?”

“Yea', Ah hear ya,” the barmaid agreed with a few nods.

“Whatever happened,” Octavia's voice went quieter, and she paused. She glanced across the lounge to see Vinyl, who was busy dropping off her beverages and making small talk with her customers. Octavia smiled a bit, her eyes growing soft as she looked upon the blue-haired girl. “If you like her, and she likes you, well... it will work out. Things have a way of falling together in surprising ways.”

Applejack stared thankfully at the cocktail waitress, cracking an appreciative smile. “Thanks, Octavia.”

“Don't mention it,” she told Applejack as she started off towards her tables. With a slightly deeper tone, she added, “Ever.”

Applejack smirked at her pride, shaking her head and going back to cleaning up the moist remains of the spill. It was quiet once the girl had left, and Applejack frowned to realize how lonesome she was. She sure wished that Octavia was right, but after the way that Rainbow Dash had reacted, she had begun to lose faith. She ran the cloth under the lip of the counter, busying herself the way she had since Hearth's Warming to keep her mind off how awful she felt about it all.

As her head was down, she hardly noticed a boy cross the lounge from the front doors, planting himself solemnly on one of the stools at her bar. Hearing his expel a tired and disappointed sigh, Applejack glanced up to recognize him.

Dressed up in a slightly too-large black suit, complete with a flower pinned to the lapel, the younger boy leaned over the counter with a wounded look in his eyes. Applejack squeezed her rag out and left it hanging on the faucet, turning around and going over to his position along the wood. Leaning her hand on the counter in front of him, Applejack dropped her head to try and catch his sorry gaze.

“Well, someone cleans up mighty fine,” she ventured, but his expression did not change. She tried again, “Y'al'right there, Spike?”

“Yeah,” he said in a sigh, and Applejack didn't buy it. He couldn't hold up the lie for very long, and after making an attempt to warp his frown, he shook his head. “No, no I'm not.”

“What's got ya all sour, sugar?” the barmaid asked compassionately, crossing her arms on the counter and waiting on his response.

“The winter formal is tonight, or, was tonight.” Spike began, but though the idea seemed fantastic, there was a sadness in his voice. “But... well, I was supposed to go with my friend Pipsqueak—we were going to go together stag, you see—but, at the last minute, he called and cancelled, saying he had gotten a date. So... well, he's going with her, and I'm left alone.”

“Ah'm sure he didn't mean no harm, but that sure sounds tough to swallow,” Applejack said with a sorry tone and a sigh.

Reaching out below the counter and grabbing a small, round glass bowl, Applejack began to prepare something special for the downtrodden boy. He dully watched her, not quite sure what she was up to. Mixing in some fresh fruit, Applejack added squirts of favourable juices and stirred them about with some stray spoon.

Upon finishing the mix, she proceeded to glance around the lounge, which was somewhat busy but bore no knowledgeable witness such as a fellow employee. The barmaid subtly took hold of her ounce measure and poured in a shot of something that seemed a bit stronger than Spike would be of age to drink. His eyes widened as he watched her dump not one, but two shots into the concoction. Finding a small, short glass from under the counter, Applejack dipped it into the bowl and filled it with the tainted liquid, wiping the stray drops along the outside with a napkin. She placed the mixture in front of him and nodded.

“If y'don't get t' go t' your party, least y'all can get is some punch,” Applejack told him, sliding it further across the counter until he gratefully took it in his hands. “Don't tell y'sister, 'kay?”

“Wow, thanks, Applejack,” Spike thankfully appreciated the gesture, taking the glass and bringing it to his lips. “Mmm, this is really delicious.”

“Well thank ya, Ah do make a career outta mixin' up some trouble,” the barmaid joked, winking at the younger boy with a crooked smile.

Bringing the punch to his lips once more, Spike took a small sip, letting the fruity flavours mingle on his tongue. He could taste the burn of liquor in it, but found it warm and comforting. With a sigh, he placed the drink back down on the counter, leaving silence between himself and the barmaid.

“Spike?” another voice chirped up, and the two nervously glanced over to see Twilight Sparkle approaching the bar. She didn't seem to have any idea what her brother was drinking, so they both relaxed as she went on, “Aren't you supposed to be at the dance tonight?”

“Pipsqueak got a date, and he's taking the limo, too,” Spike explained to his sister with a pained expression, playing with the drink at his fingertips.

“Oh, Spike,” Twilight murmured in a pitying voice, and Spike seemed bothered to hear it. “Why don't you just go by yourself? You can meet up with your friends there, have a good time anyway.”

“No way, it's so embarrassing to go alone,” her argued in a pouting voice, shrinking in his seat. “I'll just hang out here until you're off, then maybe we can get some doughnuts or something.”

“Come on, you've been looking forward to this for weeks,” Twilight tried to convince him, but he just frowned deeper and looked down at his hands.

“But it won't be the same, Pip and I were supposed to go together and hang out, that was the whole point of going. But now, he has a date, and he's going to spend the whole night with her,” Spike went on in a grumble.

“Well, why don't you go with a date?” his sister suggested in a careful voice, already knowing something of an answer.

“It's too late, everyone already has dates, and besides, who'd want to go with me anyway?” the young boy inquired, looking down at himself disdainfully.

“Spikey-wikey!” a more shrill voice mused, and after the initial flinch or cringe, the three noticed the speaker standing by the bar with a great big smile on her face. “Oh, you just look ever so darling! Is tonight your winter formal? Stand up, let me see!”

The woman scuttled over to him and grabbed him by the hands, pulling him out of his seat. She smiled warmly as her eyes patted and pressed the fabrics of his suit, and under her attentive gaze, Spike blushed madly. Her adoring expression made him feel a good deal better, and he swallowed nervously as he tried to straighten his posture.

“R-Rarity,” Spike murmured her name as he stared fondly into her eyes.

“You look wonderful, Spike.” Rarity told him honestly, placing her hands on his shoulders. “Now, where's the lucky lady who gets to be on your arm tonight?”

“There... isn't one,” he revealed shyly, fidgeting with his hands. “I was going stag with a friend, but he decided to go with someone else instead. I'm not going.”

“Not going? What do you mean not going?” Rarity gasped in a dramatic act of distress, and Applejack rolled her eyes but smiled at the familiar presentation. “Why, you simply must go, Spike. You'll regret it if you don't. This is your winter formal, there will be only one, darling.”

“I can't, its too embarrassing,” Spike mumbled nervously. Snorting something of a sarcastic laugh, he added, “It's not like you'd want to go with me or anything.”

Rarity was silent for a moment as she stared at the boy seriously, a curious expression on her face. Opening her brilliantly ruby lips, she spoke, “I would love to.”

“You would?” Spike, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle all asked in unison, their voices varying levels of disbelief, hope, and confusion.

“But of course! The chance to take Spikey-wikey to his own winter formal, how could I not? What kind of woman would I be if I did not step in when I am needed?” Rarity explained in a valiant tone, but Applejack and Twilight awaited the real reason, which came seconds later, “Besides, a chance to look fancy and get dressed up? I would never pass that up.”

“Right,” Applejack chuckled as that made more sense.

“Well, you came at a perfect time, I was just let off shift. Just let me swing by my place and slip into something a little more, je ne sais quoi,” Rarity began as she twirled a bit, lights shinning in her eyes as she imagined what she'd wear.

“The dance is almost starting,” Spike mentioned as he leaned back by the counter and took another sip of his punch.

“Well then, we'll be fashionably late, darling,” she hardly cared, taking Spike by the hand suddenly. “Come along, there's so much to do!”

“W-Wait!” Spike tried to stall her as she yanked him across the lounge, as he still had his glass of punch in his hand, but she did not pause.

Applejack smiled as she watched them take off, envying their innocent bliss with a sullen sigh. As the two of them passed Rainbow Dash at the host stand, who gave them a curious and suspicious gaze, Spike reached out and placed the glass of punch on her stand. They rushed out the front doors in haste, leaving the wondering Rainbow Dash standing there alone with Spike's punch. She glanced down at the familiar liquid, smirking at it as she picked it up. Peering through the glass to see the fruity hue, she recognized the composition.

“Punch, huh? Reminds me of high school,” she murmured as she brought it to her lips, taking a big sip. Making a surprised face as she noticed the adult ingredient mixed inside, she held it away from her face and grinned at it. “Oooh yeah, high school for sure.”

Placing the punch down on the stand once more, Rainbow solemnly realized who must have mixed it. Slowly and sneakily glancing over to the bar, she saw said barmaid dumping out the remainder of the punch. With a sad smile, she missed the way that Applejack used to make drinks for her, the way she used to sit up at the bar with her. It made her jealous to have seen Spike and Rarity rushing out so happily, and seeing so many couples come and go from the bar, while she was left so lonesome.

She wondered if Applejack was doing all right, after all, she had been so upset when she told Rainbow about what had been going on. Maybe Rainbow should have been more comforting, maybe she should have tried to understand. After all, perhaps she knew a little more about what Applejack might have been going through than what she let on. Still, her pride seemed to get the better of her, and she picked up the glass of punch to go dispose of it in the dish pit.

Author's Note

Just a short little chappy for y'all. Thought you'd all like some TaviScratch and Sparity, and some sad moments betwixt my AppleDashie :(

Beer

*Trigger Warning: this chapter contains very mature scenes and themes*

XVII. Beer

“Ah'm sure she'll turn up,” Applejack spoke into her cellphone with a worried tone, pacing around her small apartment. Stepping over her beat-up air mattress, she went on, “She's been gone for how long? Mhmm. Yea'. Well, did she say anythin' t' you? Could she be stayin' with a friend?”

With a distressed sigh, Applejack ran her fingers through her hair. She leaned out her barred window and glanced around in the falling darkness. Feeling entirely useless and upset by the news, she bit at her lip uneasily. Switching her phone to her other ear, she held it there with her shoulder and fidgeted with her fingers.

“She ain't answerin' her phone neither? Heaven's, what's gotten into that kid?” she groaned and shook her head. “Ah'll look for her m'self in th' mornin', Ah doubt Ah'll find much in the dark. Ah know. Maybe she'll gimme a call, she mentioned somethin' about bein' upset with things lately, maybe she's just lettin' off some steam.”

Going over to the bathroom and looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed the growing wrinkle lines on her forehead and the dark circles appearing under her eyes. She was clearly stressed out, and the disappearance of someone who meant so much to her did nothing to help. Hearing some more voices over the phone, she snapped back to attention.

“Listen, Granny, we'll find her, al'right? Ah'll make sure of it. Ain't no little sister of mine gonna be lost for long, Ah swear it.” Applejack said in a determined tone. Looking up into the reflection of her eyes, she swallowed her anxiety for strength. “Ah know, sleep well Granny. Ah'll take care of it.”

Hanging up her cell phone, Applejack let out a bothered breath and leaned over her worn bathroom sink. The news she had just received upset her greatly, and she had never felt so uncertain and helpless. Going back out into her main room, Applejack glanced at the far window, which bore condensation in the form of rolling beads along the glass. Getting enough of a hold on herself to begin imagining reasons and answers, she shook her head.

“Oh Apple Bloom, what have you done?” Applejack asked in a murmur, though the girl could never have heard it from wherever she had run off to.

Applejack went over to her refrigerator, a small and half-broken thing as it was, and opened it up. Inside, there was merely a few bottles of beer, some milk, apples, and scattered miscellaneous objects. She was about to reach for one of the beers, but paused as she did. Knowing that drinking was no answer to her problem, she closed up the fridge and went over to her air mattress. Flopping down on it, she folded her arms behind her head and stared up at her stained old ceiling.

There was nothing that Applejack could do so late at night, she knew that, but still, she felt restless and troubled. She spent nearly an hour watching the clock, hoping the slow changing of moments would help her get to sleep. Still though, she was wide awake and bothered to the bone. It just seemed like nothing was going well for her: not at home, not at work, not with Rainbow Dash, and not with her family. Her self-pity was interrupted, however, by a quiet noise.

Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...

Applejack rolled over on the mattress, feeling the half-deflated thing whine under her, and glanced at her cell phone. The light on the front of it was flashing, and it turned slowly as it vibrated across the floor. Reaching out and taking the object, she opened it and brought it to her ear.

“Hello?” Applejack tiredly answered, listening very carefully.

“A-Applejack? That you?” a voice replied in a whisper, and Applejack had to strain to hear it.

“Apple Bloom? Oh ma stars, are y'all al'right? Where are ya?” she hurriedly asked, scrambling to get to her feet.

“Ah can't talk long—shh! A-Ah'm scared, Applejack, Ah need ya t' call someone, okay?” her younger sister spoke in a shaky voice.

“Scared? Apple Bloom, what happened? Where are ya?” Applejack stood up, rushing to get on her jacket and shoes, throwing a scarf over her shoulder and around her neck.

“Rumble an' Ah were plannin' on runnin' off,” Apple Bloom started, but paused and dropped her voice even lower, “But-But, it's worse than Ah thought, his, his brother's—”

“Hey, who're you talking to, ginger?” a deeper voice asked, and it sounded somehow uneven or intoxicated.

“Ah gotta go, please Applejack, A-Ah'm at—” the call dropped suddenly, leaving Applejack in silence.

“Apple Bloom? Apple Bloom?!” Applejack called into the phone, but there was no answer. Clapping it shut and shoving it back into her pocket, she started out the door, growling, “Damn it, what trouble have y'got yourself into, kid?”

Slamming the door behind her, Applejack sprinted through the hall and out the back door, nearly slipping on the icy steps outside. She fumbled with the keys in her pocket before managing to find her truck key, squeezing it between her thumb and index finger. Stomping through the banks of snow without care, she nearly slammed right into her truck as she reached it. Without pause, she hopped into the cold vehicle and turned the ignition.

Though it was terribly unsafe on the slippery roads, Applejack sped out of the alley and raced down the street. From what her little sister had managed to tell her over the phone, she imagined there was just one place she might be. She retraced the route she had taken but once before, and in a matter of painfully long moments, she found herself at her destination.

She pulled the truck up crookedly in front of the beaten-up old apartment complex and hardly waited until it was off before she jumped out. It looked just the same as the previous and only time she had been there before: Rumble's apartment. She had remembered Apple Bloom mentioning trying to run off with the boy when she had visited the Joint, and it seemed the most plausible choice considering she had mentioned Rumble's brother in her last words, someone who Applejack knew lived there too. Under the loom of the midnight darkness, Applejack crept towards the building. Glancing up at the few windows, she noticed one of them that had a light on inside, and from what she could tell, music playing. She could hear some faint voices, and carefully measuring the floor and window number, she crept inside.

The doors were left mostly ajar, a good deal of which were broken or kicked in. She could hear some babies crying from the open doors, along with sickly coughing and something like dripping water. Applejack was accustomed to the grime and gritty atmosphere, but something about having her sister lost in that danger changed the way she felt about it all. She actually felt scared.

Making her way to the second floor, she judged her position relative to the layout of windows she had spotted from outside. She came upon the correct door and paused in front of it, leaning her ear against it in case some distant sounds could breach the thin wood. Easily enough, she could hear some familiar murmurs under the rumble of some bass coming from a poor radio station.

There was clear drunken ranting, followed by some angry shouting and something breaking. Applejack pulled away from the door as she heard it and covered her mouth to keep from cussing, feeling her blood boil to imagine that her sister would be inside. Her fears were realized as she caught the sounds of whispers and distraught sobbing or whining, something she knew right away as her sister's voice.

“Ah'm comin' Apple Bloom,” Applejack whispered in an irate hiss, swallowing her urge to kick the door down and storm inside.

She pressed against the door, turning the knob ever so slowly, and to her good fortune and surprise, it opened. The noises became louder as she breached the barrier, and she could hear some hollering from down a small and narrow hallway. Being shielded by a small protruding corner and a pile of old shoes, Applejack managed to sneak inside without causing a stir.

“—Think you can just up and leave, like you're so much fucking better than all this? I can't risk you squealing, you little snitch,” the tail end of some argument reached Applejack's ears, and she silently listened in. “I need your useless ass for welfare, don't fucking forget that!”

Hearing the angry man storm off further down the hall and make a ruckus, Applejack carefully sneaked out from her corner and peeked into the next room. She could see Rumble clearly, and he looked more than simply roughed up. His cheek was swelling and his eye was black, and if she looked carefully, she could see a cut or two along his arm and jaw. Her heart stopped dead when she leaned out more and caught sight of the girl in question: her younger sister Apple Bloom.

“You goddamn kids, just, just fucking stupid,” he rambled on from the next room, and Applejack heard him pause to take a drink. “You're never leaving this house, Rumble, and if you want your little brat around too, she's going to have to start providing something. One way... or another.”

Applejack flinched when she heard that, and hurried to sneak her way towards the younger kids. Keeping an eye down the hall, she darted over to the living room, catching the attention of Rumble and Apple Bloom. Placing her finger to her lips, she gestured that they be silent as she came a little closer.

“Applejack? How did you—?” Apple Bloom began to ask in a hush, but her sister cut her off.

“There ain't time f' that, Ah dunno what's goin' on here, but it don't sound good, c'mon, Ah'm getting' you outta here,” Applejack told her as she waved towards the front door.

“Sis, this is serious, did you call any—?” the younger girl tried again, her voice squeaking quietly as she tried to get a message across.

“Hurry, we ain't—” the barmaid was silenced, and for a moment, stunned. Suddenly though, everything went fuzzy, and she hardly registered the shock to her body as she hit the ground. Groaning, she rolled her head and glanced over at her younger sister, whose terrified expression trailed up to some looming shadow above her. “R-Run, Apple... Bloom...”

Before she could finish, the image of Apple Bloom nearly crying slowly faded to black.

A spinning sensation was never a welcomed feeling to wake up to, and Applejack learned such a thing first hand. The was a pounding in her ears that she certainly imagined, and she hardly had the strength to open her eyes as she came to. She noticed, however, that despite the pain in her head, she was rather comfortable, having been placed on some piece of furniture it seemed. The mumbles of distorted words began to make sense, and Applejack groggily listened in.

“—Is she doing here?! Breaking into the apartment?” a stranger's voice could be heard, and the barmaid tried to turn over and pull herself up, but she could barely move.

“Please d-don't hurt her,” some pitiful sobbing breached the tense air, and Applejack recognized the voice as her sister's, and her position as down past her feet and the end of the couch. “J-Just let her go, she-she won't tell!”

“T-Tell?” Applejack moved her mouth to whisper, but no sound came out. She winced as she felt an aching on the back of her skull, but couldn't move to feel what it was.

“What the hell, you snitched, didn't you Rumble?” his voice called again, and the shifting volume told Applejack that he was pacing around in front of her. “Fucking little bastard! After everything I've done for your sorry ass?!”

“I didn't snitch, Thunderlane, honest,” the younger boy's voice could be heard above Apple Bloom's stifled snivelling. “She doesn't know anything—she's only here for her sister. Apple Bloom just got freaked, okay? You were yelling and drinking, an—”

“She shouldn't be here—neither of them should be!” came with drunken slurs, and Applejack tried to peek out her tired eyes to see the man. “As usual, I'm gonna have to clean up your fucking mess.”

Applejack managed to touch the back of her head, though it hurt even to graze. She could feel her scalp swelling in a particularly tender spot, but felt no open wound or blood, thankfully. Managing to catch a blurry vision or two, Applejack saw that she was laying down, facing some cluttered and disorganized shelving unit. Along with several boxes and beer cans, she spotted large bags bulging and teetering off the shelves, all stuffed with various suspicious substances. From the way the clear and white-cloudy blurs appeared in the light, and from the way Thunderlane was twitching and overreacting, Applejack gauged that whatever was contained in those bags was not only illegal, but addictive in its dangerous effect.

The slamming of an empty beer can on the coffee table caught her attention immediately.

Narrowing her eyes as the man leaned down over a cluttered coffee table, Applejack watched as Thunderlane tapped something against the glass of the table. As her vision came back, she noticed him cutting something up with what looked like some kind of card, his hands shaking to do so. He pushed the powdery substance across the glass, past some old, wrinkled baggies of green-gray debris, until it lined up nicely in some narrow row. Before she got a chance to gasp or get a good look, his face pressed right up against the table, his skin dragging across the glass with a quiet squeak. He jolted back at once and snorted, slapping himself on the side of the face and hissing and groaning. Shaking his head wildly once or twice, he caught sight of Rumble and his girlfriend, sitting together on some makeshift couch.

“This is all your fucking fault, ginger!” he barked suddenly, nearly tripping over the corner of the table as he scrambled to his feet and charged at the younger girl, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. “Ever since you came around, shit's been going to hell! I should fucking—!”

“Stop,” croaked from Applejack's throat, and all eyes darted to her. She struggled to adjust herself to glare at the man past her feet, propped up on one shaky elbow. “S-Stay away... from ma sister.”

“Apple... jack?” Apple Bloom whimpered, her watering eyes wide and affixed on her sister's troubled expression.

“You,” Thunderlane growled, looking back at her over his shoulder. Releasing the younger girl suddenly, he turned to face Applejack. She felt her blood run cold as she caught a dangerous look in his eyes, but it made her even more anxious as she felt something worse than animosity radiating from his intoxicated state.

“Ah'll make you regret ever even thinkin' 'bout layin' a hand on ma sister,” Applejack tried for intimidation once more, but from the way she could hardly sit, up, she realized she wasn't much of a threat.

“How about...” Thunderlane came over right away, leaning so close Applejack was forced to lay back down on the couch to cringe away from him. With a grin creeping across his features, he shakily finished, “I lay my hands on you?”

“What?!” Applejack and her sister both yelped at the same time, and Apple Bloom jumped to her feet to go over to Applejack, but was stalled in fear.

“I'd never have such a hot girl in my house, and not doing anything to her if I had the chance.” Thunderlane snarled, climbing onto the couch and digging his knees into the plush yet malleable cushion of his furniture.

“Don't touch her,” Apple Bloom tried to sound tough, but flinched even before Thunderlane grabbed an empty bottle of beer and threw it at her, smashing it to pieces as it hit the wall just behind her.

“I'll fucking kill you too,” the man sneered, and Apple Bloom went pale to hear his intentions. Rumble rushed to her side at once, holding her shoulders and shaking her to try and get her to calm down. “Now...”

“G-Get away from me!” Applejack shouted, fighting him off as best she could in her still half-deleterious state.

“Shut up!” accompanied a hard hit to Applejack's head, and she was stunned for another miserable few seconds. As she fought off her dizziness, she heard the tremors of her sister's cries and the sound of her belt buckle being heedlessly tampered with. She realized then how futile her struggling was, as she knew her own limits all too well. Thunderlane had her. “You dirty fucking whore.”

“Apple Bloom,” the barmaid managed to whisper as her clumsy hands fought with the man on top of her, soliciting another hit as he slammed her against the armrest and nearly broke her wrist. “D-Don't look, don't watch.”

“But...” Apple Bloom squeaked in a terrified voice, her wide eyes caught on her sister's weak-seeming body, just as unable to move as Apple Bloom was.

“Don't—” Applejack whispered before Thunderlane's hand wrapped around her throat, pressing it deep against the permissive couch.

Her chest felt cold as Thunderlane's fingers ripped the buttons of her blouse clean off with his eager and intrusive touch. Still, as his disgusting urges surged from his violent hands, Applejack continued to defiantly stared straight into his eyes. She could tell, even as the darkness threatened her once more, that something had a hold on him that allowed him to act out his tendencies without remorse. And she had no chance of fighting him off.

Suddenly, the pressure stopped, and his dangerous eyes became vacant. His breath snagged in his throat, and his body became limp on top of Applejack. Without warning, he fell forward, tipping and landing half on the couch and half on the floor in a messy heap. Applejack was still for a few seconds, realizing the sight of a shadow, holding the base of an old, broken lamp, standing above Thunderlane's fallen body... was Rumble.

Applejack scrambled to get a hold of herself, shrugging Thunderlane's body to the floor while holding her shirt together over her chest. Her pants were still mostly done up, and she was thankful for that. The young red-head still shook nervously from her place a few paces away, saying nothing but staring at two of the most important people in her life dealing with a situation she could hardly stomach.

“A-Are you... all right, Applejack?” Rumble found himself asking, as if to rationalize his actions to himself. There was blood on the bottom of the lamp he held, but he could not bring himself to go and check on his brother.

“Yea', Ah'm fine.” Applejack did the honours, reaching down and touching Thunderlane on the side of his neck. She could still feel his heart beating, but he did not move at all. “Rumble, put that down, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” he agreed uneasily, nodding as he placed the lamp back down.

“We have t' call th' police, he could—” the barmaid went on, but Rumble had something to say.

“No, we can't. He'll know it was us, he... he has a lot of dangerous friends, trust me. We can't trust the cops around here, nothing good can come of that,” Rumble yammered on, putting up his hands defensively. “We just need to get out of here. I doubt he'll remember all of this in the morning, and he won't risk calling the cops and getting himself in shit.”

“Right, help me up,” Applejack groaned painfully as she tried to get herself to her feet, but Rumble rushed to her side and helped her. “We... we gotta get Apple Bloom outta here, first.”

“Apple Bloom, come on,” Rumble spoke to his girlfriend, though she still hardly blinked in response to the scene. “Apple Bloom?”

“What've you done?” she blankly murmured, her eyes nearly watering again.

“I had to, you know that. Snap out of it,” Rumble spoke more authoritatively, making sure Applejack was well enough to stand on her own, which was questionable. “He'll be fine, we have to get out of here.”

“R-Right,” Apple Bloom absently nodded until her sister reached her, taking her by the hand and ushering her out the front door.

As Rumble pushed some stray objects aside and propped his brother up in case he came to or began choking on blood or other fluids, which was entirely possible due to how many terrible toxins he had consumed, the Apple sisters made their way into the hall. It was still vacant, and the lights flickered with the shadows of bugs and poor wiring. Rumble hurried after them, noticing his brother making guttural sounds and possibly coming to. He rushed out of the apartment and closed the door behind them, making sure they knew the way back down to the street.

Piling into the truck, Applejack patted her jacket pockets until she found her keys. She tugged the sides of her jacket together firmly, doing it up to hide the near invasion that had just barely been prevented. They pulled out from the apartment in a rush, skidding across a patch of ice as the wheels spun. Applejack huffed and heaved as she adjusted the rear-view mirror, catching Rumble's nervous and regretful expression.

“It'll be al'right, Ah know it will,” Applejack told him firmly, and he nodded over and over absently.

“He's not usually that bad,” he tried to defend his brother, and Applejack felt sorry for their relationship if it was truly so strained. “He had a lot to... well, he had a lot.”

“An' you knew about all this? An' didn't warn me?” Applejack asked her younger sister, whose nervous expression turned to defensive.

“Yea', why d'you think Ah was always tellin' y'all that Rumble needed to move out? Ah told ya it was serious, y'never listened!” she argued, but went quiet as the rest of the car remained silent. “Where're we goin'?” Apple Bloom piped up suddenly, with a question no one had ventured to answer.

“Ma place,” Applejack told her firmly.

“Ain't that too small for all of us?” her sister wondered, looking over at her.

“Ah'll take th' floor, an' you two can—” the barmaid paused as she caught sight of Rumble in the mirror, remembering his relationship to her sister. “On second thought, Rumble can take th' floor, you an Ah will have a... slumber party.”

“Eww, no way,” Apple Bloom bickered, pouting her lip and looking away.

“After what just happened, y'wanna complain?” she snapped back, and her younger sister shut up. With a sigh, Applejack went on, “Either way, you'll be safe there.”

“I don't know about that,” Rumble murmured from the back, searching through his pockets to no avail.

“What'd you mean?” Applejack carefully asked, suspiciously eyeing him in the mirror.

“Apple Bloom texted me where abouts you lived, in the city,” Rumble began, and Applejack listened carefully to the explanation. “But... in the rush, I forgot my phone back at the apartment. If he finds it and checks through the messages, he'll find us.”

“Oh perfect,” Apple Bloom moaned as she buried her face into her hands in the front seat, and Applejack could visibly see her shaking.

“Ah, uh, well,” Applejack swallowed as she spoke up, and both the younger kids in the car looked over at her. Squeezing her hands nervously on the steering wheel, she went on, “Ah do have one other option.”

Author's Note

Shit just got real.

Screwdriver

XVIII. Screwdriver

As the door swung open, Applejack, Apple Bloom and Rumble all straightened and awaited their greeting. At such a late hour, it was surprising they got one at all. But of course, coming from the girl Applejack had decided to rely on, it was a... unique one.

“Dude, you look like crap,” Rainbow Dash spoke thoughtlessly, looking Applejack up and down and noticing the tearing of her clothes and the shadows lining her eyes. Her hair was messed up, and her expression was tired and troubled. Leaning against her doorframe, Rainbow smirked, looking the barmaid up and down seductively, “But you're still top of my to-do list. But what are Little Red and her boytoy doing here? Usually there aren't kids in my sex dreams...”

“Uh... is she your girlfriend or something?” Apple Bloom asked with a disgusted and scrunched-up expression.

“Hush sis,” Applejack silenced her sister with a frown before turning back to Rainbow Dash, who wore nothing but somewhat revealing pyjamas and her shaggy short hair. “And this ain't a dream. Can we come in?”

“Mmm, I guess so.” Rainbow shrugged, stepping out of the doorway and casually gesturing for them to step inside. “It's like two in the morning, what are you doing here?”

“Try three.” Apple Bloom murmured as she walked past the older girl, and Rainbow pouted her lips to hear it.

“That doesn't make it more reasonable. Again, why are you here?” Rainbow asked in a yawn, scratching at her ear as she lasciviously eyed the barmaid up and down while she strode in.

“Whoa... if she ain't your girlfriend, she should be,” Apple Bloom praised, spinning around and glancing all over the gorgeous residence. “Jus' look at this place!”

“Not bad, eh?” Rainbow smirked as she closed and locked the door behind them.

“Ah'm sorry t' stop by so short notice, an',” Applejack mumbled, pausing as she fidgeted with her hands and worked out the words. “Ah guess Ah'm sorry t' stop by at all, if you're still mad.”

“Still not an answer.” Rainbow teased with a straight face. Noticing the way Applejack cringed when she carefully touched her aching head, she became more serious. “You okay?”

“Yea', well, naw, Ah mean, Ah'm fine now, but,” the blonde brushed it off, looking over at her sister and her boyfriend as they sat down on the couch obnoxiously; not that Rainbow Dash cared at all. “Can th' kids an' Ah stay here for th' night? Ah promise Ah'll explain everythin', we... we ain't got no where t' go.”

Rainbow hardly hesitated, responding with a welcoming, “Of course, yeah, make yourselves at home.”

After a brief silence, Applejack touched Rainbow's arm, whispering, “Can Ah talk t' you alone for a spell?”

“Uh, yeah,” Rainbow agreed with a nod, staring at the fond way that Applejack still touched her, and feeling the warmth she had been missing. “Anything.”

Applejack followed Rainbow Dash into the kitchen, glancing over her shoulder once or twice to see her sister and Rumble getting too cosy-close on the couch. She didn't say anything about it though, as now was not the time. Once they were alone, Applejack let out a slow exhale, nervously pursing her lips as she tried for words.

“It's jus' kind of a sensitive topic,” she tried to reason, and Rainbow didn't seem to mind. Applejack went on in an anxious voice, “Well... sorry if we woke ya.”

“No sweat, Dolly.” Rainbow shrugged, easing Applejack's conscience. After rolling her neck and shifting a bit while waiting for Applejack to go on, she decided to ask, “What did you want to talk about?”

“Ma sister went and got into some trouble, see, so Ah went t' fetch her, an', well,” Applejack started too quickly, so she tried to slow down and keep it vague. For all she knew, Rainbow didn't care at all. “One thing led to another, we got in a fight with Rumble's brother, he'd been drinkin' and—”

“A fight?” Rainbow perked up in worry, stepping right into Applejack's personal bubble and inspecting ever inch of her she could see, and pushing her clothes to the side to try and see more. Concernedly, she asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yea', he came up behind me an' blind-sided me a bit, but we got out fine,” the barmaid explained in a calm voice. Taking Rainbow's intrusive hands, she stared into the hostess' eyes and squeezed gingerly on her fingers. “Ah really just... well Ah wanted t' see you. I wanted to make things right. Ah know Ah lied and kept secrets and all, Ah didn't wanna hurt you, honest, Ah just—”

“You don't have to explain,” the rainbow-haired girl stopped her, and Applejack went silent with surprise. Adding a smile to the mix, Rainbow spoke more, “I understand, you know. I really do know how you feel. I'm not mad at you; you did what you could, I'm sure. I mean, how do you even go about telling someone something like that? Mad props for telling me at all, really.”

Applejack was quiet for a moment, before shaking her head and wondering, “What?”

“I said I'm not mad at you, Applejack. I'm just... well, I’m jealous honestly. It really sucks, the situation, I mean. It kills me to imagine what you've had to...” Bowing her head, she sighed heavily and ran her thumb over Applejack's familiar hands. She still did love everything about the barmaid, even down to her knuckles and nails. With a solemn smile she admitted, “Maybe I'm kind of immature, thinking everything would be perfect between us, hoping for some fairy tale love story, you know? And yeah, maybe I'm kind of selfish. But, but, I really just... I want you all to myself, is that bad?”

“Naw...” Applejack chuckled as she moved closer, gazing admiringly and adoringly into her lover's eyes. “Ah want to be all yours, too.”

“Ga~ay!” a voice called from the next room, sing-song in tune and clearly intending to be obnoxious. Applejack frowned to realize it had been her sister's voice, but made no mention of it.

“Well, how about a drink?” Rainbow released her, going over to her cupboard and retrieving a tall glass. Opening her refrigerator and grabbing a jug of orange juice, she mentioned, “I'm making a Screwdriver.”

“All yours, sugar.” Applejack respectfully declined, watching Rainbow find a bottle of vodka and pop the lid off.

“More for me.” She playfully winked back at her barmaid, who for once watched Rainbow make a drink. As she mixed, she went on, “But... like I said, I was just upset. It doesn't change how I feel about you. You're my Dolly, no one can take that away from me. I won't let them.”

“Dash...” Applejack whispered her name, and as usual, saying it brought a smile to her face.

Vodka splashed into the juice and mingled within the transparent container. The Screwdriver settled on the counter, the two ingredients shifting and swirling in the glass. It was entrancing, and Rainbow could not resist touching it.

As Rainbow stared at the glass, Applejack came up behind her without warning. Her arms slid around the shorter girl's waist, embracing her closely and pressing her against her chest tenderly. The barmaid rested her chin onto Rainbow's shoulder, lovingly inhaling her scent and closing her eyes. Smirking at the attention, Rainbow stirred her Screwdriver with a finger before taste-testing it by liking it off.

“Ah missed you,” Applejack murmured against her neck, kissing it once or twice as she remembered all Rainbow's muscular curves and tones with her fingers.

“Don't think you're entirely forgiven,” the younger girl responded tauntingly, turning her head and looking down at Applejack's pleading and submissive expression. “I think you owe me for all the lying, Dolly.”

“Mhmm?” the barmaid hummed as her wandering hands slid up Rainbow's loose shirt, tracing her body and fondling it.

“And know that I'm no push-over, I'm not going to stand by and let Miss Jubilee use you like that, no ma'am,” Rainbow's voice raised, and she spoke with a more aggressive tone. “I'll kick her ass.”

“Please don't,” Applejack begged in a tired voice. “She don't mess around, she'll find a way t' ruin your life... And mine.”

“Yeah, but...” the younger girl huffed and silenced herself with a large gulp of her Screwdriver. In a more whiny voice she pouted, “I wanna kick her ass.”

Applejack chuckled, hugging Rainbow tighter and kissing her once more on the neck. After a small silence, she loosened her hold, urging Rainbow to turn around as she said, “Hey, sugar?”

“Hmm?” Rainbow didn't reply, merely humming over her mouthful of tainted juice.

“What did y'mean when y'said,” the barmaid began in a mumble, drumming her fingers along Rainbow's hips. “When you said that you understood, an' that you know how Ah feel?”

“It's an expression,” she tried in a high, unconvincing voice.

“Dash,” Applejack said her name in a growl, the kind that made Rainbow weak in the knees.

“Yeah, fine.” Rainbow sighed and groaned at the same time, turning around to face her and letting Applejack's arms fall to herself. Crossing her arms, Rainbow continued, “I mean that... well, I've had my share of secrets to keep, it can be tricky.”

“Secrets?” she repeated with a suspicious expression, feeling something like jealousy of her own flare up, no matter how hypocritical and entirely unfounded that seemed.

“Well... you see... I didn't just come to the city for the hell of it, you know.” Rainbow explained, swishing her drink in the glass absently. After nibbling at the inside of her cheek, she went on, “My dad lives here. I told him I wanted a place of my own in the city to start my own life, you know? But that was a lie.”

“What's th' real reason, then?” Applejack inquired, genuinely interested.

“There's someone that I want to... meet,” the younger girl started, looking off out the far window vaguely. Leaning against her counter, she added, “Someone I need to talk to.”

“Y'moved out here just for that?” came another question from the barmaid.

“It's a long story, Dolly, and I don't want to get into it at three in the morning.” Rainbow waved the subject away, taking another long sip as Applejack let the topic slide. With a charming smile, Rainbow went on, “Well anyway, I should let you get some sleep. Sounds like you've had a rough night.”

“You can say that again.” Applejack concurred with a small chuckle.

“There's plenty of room on the couch for the kids,” she leaned out from around the corner to have a glance at the kids in question, who had already cuddled up on the couch and relaxed. Turning back to her barmaid, she asked, “But, uh, if you're down for it... you can stay with me.”

A smile crossed Applejack's face, and she agreed, “Ah'd like that.”

“I'll be in bed in a couple of minutes, go ahead without me.” Rainbow directed her with a flick of her wrist, picking up her glass again and making it seem like she had something to finish up before she could go to bed.

Finishing her Screwdriver, Rainbow Dash stood alone in the kitchen, taking a moment to breathe in the silence. Her heart pounded so hard she could feel it in her stomach, her excitement at the prospect of sleeping next to Applejack again was quite apparent. Still, she paused in the kitchen, placing her glass in the sink and thinking about why she had moved to the city at all. Glancing back at her tall windows, she whispered.

“I'll find you,” came in such a hush is barely breached her own ears. “I promise.”

Having teenagers in her apartment was certainly weird to her, and it reminded her of her intentions indeed. Ignoring that, she went over to her linen closet and retrieved a folded throw blanket, carrying it out into the living room. Letting one half unfurl from beneath the fold, she handed it over to the two young kids on the couch, and they greedily grabbed at it and spread it over themselves. As Rainbow went to turn off the light, she paused.

“No screwing on my couch, got that?” Rainbow threatened with an intimidatory wag of her finger, looking each of them in the eyes. “I'll be checking the springs in the morning for firmness. Trust me.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Apple Bloom grumbled as she curled up under the covers, tucking her feet up onto the cushion. “Then no screwin' ma sister.”

“Sorry, no guarantees,” Rainbow teased in a singsong voice, adding with a grin, “My house, my rules, Little Red.”

Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out at the rainbow-haired girl, who responded by doing the same thing before turning the light off and starting down the hall. Her steps were quiet, and she could feel her heart swell as she arrived at her own bedroom door. It was a place she had spent countless nights in, peacefully sleeping, but now, it bore something particularly pulling for her.

As she pushed the door open, she caught sight of the barmaid, who had already finished removing her jacket and scarf, folding them up and placing them onto the night stand. Applejack looked up and noticed Rainbow, and a smile crossed her speckled cheeks. Holding her ripped shirt together in one hand, she patted the seat next to her in a welcome gesture. Feeling overwhelmed by her desire to be with the girl, Rainbow hesitated not an instant before following her direction and making her way onto the bed.

Despite her petty desires to keep pretending she was angry about everything, Rainbow climbed up onto the mattress and crawled over to the barmaid. Applejack seemed surprised by her forwardness, but allowed her to come right over and place her hands on either side of the pillow beneath her. Leaning closer, Rainbow positioned herself right over Applejack and pressed herself against her immediately, adoring the way it felt when their lips and chests touched. A hum passed between them as a kiss was exchanged, and Applejack reached up to touch Rainbow's cheek, holding her on her lips wantingly.

It seemed that all her insecurities melted away when she kissed the blonde girl. When they were alone together, it felt like nothing could part them, nothing else mattered. But still, Rainbow pulled away, holding herself barely above the barmaid. With one more little peck on the lips, she spoke.

“I missed you too, you know,” she murmured, nuzzling against the girl lovingly. “Sorry I wasn't quite so understanding right away. I just hate thinking about you with anyone else.”

“Ah know,” Applejack nearly whispered, running her hand over the back of Rainbow's head consolingly until the younger girl moved to lay beside her, curling up devotedly to her chest. “Ah'll find a way to fix things, then it'll be just me an' you, okay?... Ah promise.”

“Please do,” Rainbow almost squeaked in her solemn whisper, touching Applejack's toned stomach with her finger and drawing slow circles on it. “Or I'm going to have to kick some bombshell ass.”

Applejack just chuckled in response, continuing to rub Rainbow's shoulder and head fondly. Reaching out and clicking the bedside lamp off, Applejack doused them in the darkness. It didn't take long for the relieved barmaid and the exhausted young hostess to fall asleep, their warm bodies entwined once more.

The morning came too quickly, and just as hastily had the sun come up as Applejack had to leave. Rumble needed to get back to his apartment to see if his brother remembered much, and Applejack had already called Big Mac to tell him that Apple Bloom was all right. Since it was Saturday, Applejack was already on her way to the farm, so she could take Apple Bloom home with her later that day. Applejack had waited while Rumble went inside to his brother's apartment, letting him grab his phone and talk to the man. Things seemed to go over better than she had anticipated, with her thumb hovering over the emergency number, as he came out without a scratch at all.

Understanding now the need for the poor boy to get out of that house, she offered him her old bedroom on the farm until he could find somewhere else to live. Apple Bloom was ecstatic about the idea, and went so far as to even hug her older sister. Working on the farm with Big Mac provided Rumble with a means to boost his resume so that he might find a good job, to boot, and he vowed to stay in school until he and Apple Bloom graduated, so he would grow up nothing like his older brother.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was galvanized to go ahead with her plan after seeing the poor conditions the two teens seemed to be in.

Having the night off from work proved to be a blessing for Rainbow Dash, as it gave her ample time to go ahead with her plans. She had looked up where she was going perhaps a dozen times already, and at last she planned to see it in person rather than on a map. Leaving just as early as Applejack, Rainbow Dash made her way across town, to a large sprawl of suburbia. She knew how to get there already, as it was somewhere near where Pinkie Pie lived. She would have had more time to venture around the area when she had claimed to have gotten lost that one Hearth's Warming party evening, but having promised Applejack she would show up, she was bound to make an appearance.

It did not take her long to follow the directions she had written out for herself, catching a bus most of the way and walking the rest. Soon enough, she came upon a well-maintained row of hedges and a tall, black-iron gate. She peeked around the corner of the hedges to try and take a gander inside, but immediately dipped back away as the gates began to move. Ducking behind a standing pillar that bordered the hedges, she waited patiently as she heard a vehicle depart.

Just as she had anticipated, she would know that fancy luxury car anywhere: it was her father's.

Waiting until he had driven far enough away that he could not see the brilliant colours of her hair, Rainbow Dash carefully stepped out from behind the pillar. By then, the gate had already closed back up, and she cautiously checked around for any motion sensors or cameras. A paranoid guy like that, with all the secrets he had, she was surprised to find no such surveillance equipment.

Upon inspecting the gate, she noticed that not only was there an electric component which meant the gate could open by a button or command, but there was a lock that bound it together, which could possibly be tampered with or picked open. Crouching by the driveway, she glanced in between the bars to see if there were any other vehicles parked in front of the house—which in itself was obnoxiously well-groomed and gorgeous, much to Rainbow's irritation—but found it vacant. She reached into her rear pocket, taking out what she had brought with her in case of such an inconvenience.

The sun sparkled off the metal run of the small screwdriver, and she grasped it firmly in her hand. Flipping it once through the air and catching it again, she reached into her pocket with her other hand and pulled out a thin metal wire, which used to be a paper-clip and was firm enough to stand up straight. Toying with the old lock, she inserted the small end of the miniature flathead into the lock, twisting it as she searched for the prongs where a key might go. With the wire, she pressed it in below the screwdriver, poking and prodding until she found a groove for it.

The old lock clicked as she found the sweet spot, and with a smirk, she twisted it slowly until it opened. Flipping her hair coolly as she pushed the old squeaky thing open, she slipped onto private property with no remorse.

“Breaking into my dad's old offices and briefcases really paid off,” Rainbow muttered with a snicker, slipping between the trees leading up to the house.

It was two stories high and sprawled wide across the lot. There was various fountains and sculptures around the building, and bushes along the walls that bore beautiful flowers. Along with terraces and climbing vines, the house was complete with rock siding and a gorgeous double glass door entryway.

She went right up to the front door, peeking in and checking for any movement or shadows. Finding nothing, she placed her hand on the knob and tried it. Unfortunately, it didn't budge. Noticing the number pad rather than a conventional key lock, she cussed under her breath. She couldn't risk setting off some alarm by trying random codes, so she stepped away from the door to look for another way in.

Tiptoeing around the house led her to the drifting, faint sound of music floating down from an open window. Glancing up at the second story, she noticed the gaping square and planned out a way to scamper up to it. The trellis provided a decent means to reach the sill, but to get to that, she had to jump onto an overturned garbage can and pull herself onto the low roof of the garden shed. Taking the leap to the trellis, Rainbow Dash managed to bequeath her body weight onto the wooden holds and crawl along the wall. She was sure glad that it was screwed in tightly, or else she might have fallen right back down.

As she reached the top of the vine guiding trellis, she carefully peered into the window, scanning the room for inhabitants. Though the music gently played through the room—which looked to be some juvenile bedroom of some kind, complete with roughed-up band posters along the walls and clean laundry strewn across the floor—it was otherwise empty.

Hoisting herself up to the windowsill hurriedly, she swung one leg into the room and made to duck under the hanging window. She didn't know how long she had until whoever lived there might have returned, so she took her chances and swung her second leg into the room, crouching as she made her way inside. Of course, as she had feared, she had much less time than anticipated, and just as she made it inside, the doorknob to the bedroom began to turn.

Stunned by the speed at which the door opened, Rainbow Dash was left standing in the middle of the room, dumbstruck. A young girl entered the room without a care, that is, until she spotted the stranger standing in the middle of her bedroom. Her bright magenta-coloured hair was chopped even shorter than Rainbow's, and for a second, their similarly bright eyes—one set a flaming amaranth, and the other, a gleaming amethyst—met across the vacant room.

“Oh shit.” Rainbow Dash murmured as her eyes widened.

A blood-curdling scream nearly knocked Rainbow over, and the younger girl began shouting at her madly, “Ahh! Who are you—w-what do you want?” Her screams returned, her voice cracking and her body shaking as she tried to think of what to do, calling, “Help! Burglar! Rape!”

“Shut up, I am not going to rape you,” Rainbow barked at her, trying to gesture for the girl to be quiet.

“You better get out of here, I'm calling the cops!” the pink-haired girl nearly fumbled her cell phone as she pulled it out of her pocket, but she managed to get a hold of it in time to make the threat.

“No, no wait, calm down and let me—” she tried again, pleading and holding her hands up defensively.

“Too late! I'm dialing,” the girl promised, pounding some numbers on her phone as she continued to speak, “You're going straight to jail you dirty—”

“I'm your sister!” Rainbow managed to shout, and the girl in front of her stopped what she was doing and went quiet. Going on, she explained, “Well, half-sister I guess. Your dad, he's my dad too. You know, stiff-and-serious guy, kind of an asshole? Hasn't he mentioned anything about having another daughter?”

“The useless good-for-nothing scamp that lived in Cloudsdale?” she wondered, tilting her head to the side and narrowing her eyes at the stranger before her.

“Ouch, thanks for the vote of confidence there, paps,” Rainbow growled and made a pouting and irritable face, scrunching up her nose and lips.

“No way, you're too old,” came the rude response.

“Further offended.” Clicking her tongue, Rainbow Dash let the quip slide for the time being, instead turning the attention to some imminent danger. “Sheesh, would you put that phone down already?”

“You're not going to kill me, are you?” her younger sister asked carefully, raising an eyebrow as she lowered her cell phone.

“How old are you, anyway?” she wondered, looking the girl up and down.

“... Fifteen,” she revealed reluctantly after a short pause.

“Fifteen years...” Rainbow thought back, recalling a time-line of events in her head. She realized it then, “That's around the time when mom left...”

“How about you?” the girl wondered, and Rainbow's attention returned to the topic at hand. “What are you, thirty?”

“Twenty-two, thanks.” Rainbow snorted irritably, crossing her arms and looking over at her new younger sister.

“Whatever,” her sister did the same, crossing her arms in the same way and standing just like the older girl, trying to act cool. With a flip of her bangs, she inquired, “What do you want, exactly?”

“My name's Rainbow Dash. I needed to meet you, to talk to you,” Rainbow started, taking a step closer and looking the shorter girl up and down.

“And you had to climb in my window to do that?” she muttered grouchily, not entirely sold on the story yet.

“You could start with giving me your name, you obnoxious little brat,” the rainbow-haired girl snapped with a crooked and taunting expression.

“You're one to talk.” She rolled her eyes, but after a moment, complied. “Scootaloo, my name's Scootaloo.”

“Scootaloo,” Rainbow repeated, nodding her head as it seemed to suit the girl. “And you're fifteen now, you said?”

“Are you hard of hearing or something?” she asked, raising her eyebrow and narrowing her eyes.

“No, no, just,” Rainbow sighed some frustrated groan, trying to keep her thoughts together. “It's just, weird to actually see you, to know that you're real. I never thought I'd meet you, at least, not if dad had anything to say about it.”

“Yeah, he never really seemed like he wanted me to know much about you, either,” she replied with a small smile, knowing how her father could be all too well.

“Fifteen years ago, my mother—his first wife, she left us, and I never knew why,” Rainbow began to explain, thinking back on it. “I guess this all makes sense now. The bastard.”

“Well,” Scootaloo shuffled a bit, looking awkward. “Sorry, or something.”

“It's not like it's your fault, kid. I blame the perverted, cheating bastard we call father,” sneering at the prospect, Rainbow shook her head. “Um, you want to sit down or something? We have a lot to catch up on, you know.”

“I... guess so.” Scootaloo agreed, gesturing to the end of her bed. Rainbow Dash sat down there, and Scootaloo pulled up the chair she had set up next to her dresser for putting on her make up in the mirror. “I don't know what to say.”

Looking up at the walls that bordered Scootaloo's dresser, Rainbow Dash saw what must have been hundreds of pictures with dozens of friends, all looking so happy and cheerful. “You have a lot of friends.”

“Of course I do, I'm the most popular girl in school,” Scootaloo bragged, flipping her hair again and checking herself in her mirror.

Rainbow Dash was surprised to hear such a thing, as she herself had been a friendless trouble maker. She wondered how Scootaloo could be so outgoing and popular, when she herself had such trouble with people. Rainbow had always attributed her reclusivity to the way her father raised her, but seeing Scootaloo's wall of friends, she was uncertain. Taking a closer look, she noticed that in the pictures that contained Scootaloo, there was a clear similarity: she was wearing expensive-looking, but very revealing clothing.

“Are you a virgin?” Rainbow Dash intrusively asked, and Scootaloo nearly fell off her chair to hear such a question.

“Wha—why would you ask that?!” her voice cracked in a squeak, and she seemed startled. “I'm fifteen! What's it to you, anyway?”

“That's a no, I gather.” Rainbow smirked at her response, and the way the young girl seemed reluctant to answer, pushing her knees together instead.

“Yeah, well, lots of guys are into me, okay?” she tried to defend herself, nervously shifting her eyes.

“Is that really why?” Rainbow asked, clearly not believing a word of that excuse. Scootaloo's expression dropped as she listened to her older sister, wondering just how much she knew. “Once it happens the first time, doing it again and again must not be a big deal, right?”

“... The first time?” Scootaloo repeated with an uncertain expression, listening closely to the subtle hints that Rainbow was dropping.

“I was never very good with other people, you know,” Rainbow changed the subject, keeping her tone light. “Shit, I guess I'm still not. I'm still screwing things up. But, you know I always wondered why that was.”

“What do you mean?” she wondered curiously, still seeming suspicious.

“Well, in response to whatever happened, I just sort of closed in on myself, wouldn't talk to anyone, you know? But, you seem to be doing the opposite. It's funny. So, well, I was just wondering,” Rainbow tried to start the conversation, but didn't quite know how to go about it. Shaking her head, she just decided to speak, “I'm just going to say it, okay? Did dad ever...”

“Did he what?” Scootaloo leaned forward a bit, trying to understand what Rainbow meant.

“Did he ever,” she played coy at first, but after scrunching up her face a bit more, she found it easier just to speak. “Get physical with you? Really hurt you? I mean, I know he has a temper and all, but when he gets drunk, sometimes he can go too far and get a little—”

“What—no, no, why would—?” Scootaloo hurriedly jumped to interrupt her, furiously denying everything. Shaking, she went on, “No, of course not.”

“Scootaloo, you can tell me, you know,” her older sister tried to tell her. Taking her smaller hands, Rainbow quietly and calmly went on, “I lived with him most of my childhood, too. I know what he's capable of. That is, until he sent me to boarding school, and until he came to the city here and moved in with you—sheesh, you must have still just been a kid back then.”

“I don't know what you're going on about, but I think you should leave.” Scootaloo stood up abruptly, dropping Rainbow's hands and gesturing towards the window once more.

“Leave? No, listen, you don't have to keep playing dumb, I understand. Come on, I'm your sister, you can talk to me,” Rainbow stood up too, trying to keep her attention.

“I don't know who you are, you're just some crazy person who climbed into my window, sister or not,” she denied, taking a step away and shaking her head firmly. Rainbow would not let it go so easily, though, and she went on with a much more hasty voice.

“I know why you have so many friends, why you stuff up your time with anything that takes your mind off of it,” she continued, and Scootaloo's eyes darted between her own, anxious and afraid but hearing some truth to the statement.

“Get out,” was her only response, knowing nothing else good enough to say.

“I know why you need external validation, why you try and rationalize it all in your head, everything that happened.” Rainbow told her firmly, a concerned expression painted over still unfamiliar features. “It's not normal, it's not okay, and you're not going to get over it or forget it.”

“I told you to leave,” her sister repeated, reaching into her pocket and grabbing her phone, holding it out threateningly. “I'm going to call the cops if you don't get out of here right now.”

“Fine, fine, relax,” Rainbow put her hands up in front of her defensively again, backing away towards the window. Reaching over to Scootaloo's dressed and grabbing a pen, she began jotting something down on some scrap piece of paper, ripping it off the full sheet and handing it to her sister, “Here, this is my number, okay? If you ever want to... well, you know how to reach me.”

“I won't,” Scootaloo took it and ripped it in half, before crumpling the whole thing into her palm roughly. “Now fall back out that window.”

Rainbow nodded and sat back onto the windowsill, swinging one leg out. Something paused her, though, and she stared at it. It was some picture that Scootaloo had on her night stand, framed and everything. The harder she looked at it, the more she recognized one of the two girls that stood on either side of Scootaloo. Her bright red hair was a dead give-away, and the familiar crooked smirk reminded her of someone she knew all too well.

“... Who's that?” Rainbow asked cautiously, though she already knew the answer.

“A friend of mine, she's a little older than me, but she's cool, introduces me to a lot of people.” Scootaloo explained with an annoyed shrug, before getting back to pushing her sister away, “Why do you care?”

“I... I guess I don't,” Rainbow admitted, though she felt odd to know that her sister had been so close to her, and she hadn't know. For Pete's sake, her little sister's best friend had slept in her apartment one night prior.

“I'm not asking again,” Scootaloo caught her attention with the threat, and Rainbow looked back at her.

“Scootaloo,” she said her sister's name, though it still didn't feel right to call her by, as she wasn't familiar enough with her to let it roll of her tongue the way it often might have. Swallowing her pride, she tried once more, “You're not alone, you know. You're not helpless and you don't have to stay silent about everything. I know.”

“Go,” she growled, pointing a firm finger at the window Rainbow was already half out of.

“He did it to me, too.” Rainbow Dash revealed, and Scootaloo fell silent as she heard it. Sucking on her teeth awkwardly, Rainbow proceeded to crawl out the window from whence she came, leaving but three words in her wake, “Well, see you.”

Scootaloo watched her disappear out of sight, and once again she was alone with the easy lulling of her music. She stood there for a moment or so longer than she anticipated, thinking over what her sister had told her. Opening her palm, she looked at the worn piece of ripped paper inside, still making out the numbers well enough to read.

Scoffing, Scootaloo crunched the paper back up, placing it on her dresser and placing her phone down next to it. She shook her head, grumbling, “Damn lunatic.”

Author's Note

Scoot-Scootaloo! At long last I got to put her in, I've been working her into it for a while now. Poor little popular rich girl, lol.

Dark 'N' Stormy

*Trigger Warning: this chapter contains very mature scenes and themes*

XIX. Dark 'N' Stormy

Checking her cell phone once more, Applejack noticed the time was late. Rainbow Dash had asked her to meet her that evening, though she had not specified the reason. It had seemed urgent, and she could tell something was really bothering the younger girl. The red-lit scattered drops across her wind shield shone green as the stop light changed colour, and Applejack shifted some weight onto the gas pedal.

The bottle shifted in the paper bag as her truck sped up, and Applejack's eyes drifted to it. She had brought it special for the girl in question, as she thought it might cheer her up if something was indeed wrong. Reaching out and shifting it on her passenger's seat, she made certain it would not fall off or break. It was still cold, though not as cold as it was outside.

A brief change of weather had brought freezing rain, and Applejack was careful not to let her wheels slip on any black ice. The rain poured hard, creating countless craters in the banks of snow and running down her windows like she was driving under some waterfall. It was loud, the hissing and stamping of drops on her truck, but it beat the growling of her broken radio, spitting static about.

Pulling up to the old familiar street corner, Applejack doused the spark of the ignition, feeling the truck's breathing cease and the rumble of the engine sleep. For a moment longer, she sat in her truck, glancing up at the tall building where Rainbow Dash lived. The great concrete and steel structure seemed a stark contrast to the comforting wood that lined her farm house, and it looked so very cold standing up in that storm.

Rainbow Dash buzzed her in that time, and they hardly exchanged a word over the intercom as she did. Squeezing the neck of the bottle in her hand, Applejack patiently waited as the elevator took her up to the girl's floor. From inside the windowless hall, Applejack could not really be certain there was rain or darkness outside at all, as it always looked the same inside. She came up to Rainbow's door, and after a brief hesitation, reached out and knocked.

The door opened almost immediately, and Applejack flinched at the sheer speed at which it was yanked out of her way. In it's wake, a very distraught and sleepless Rainbow Dash stood. Her bloodshot, dark circled eyes stared both pleadingly and accusingly at Applejack, who innocently blinked at the greeting.

“Uh... y'al'right there, Rainbow?” Applejack asked concernedly, tilting her head to the side.

“You knew all along, didn't you?” she growled, and Applejack's eyes shifted from side to side trying to think of what she meant. “And you didn't tell me!”

“What?” The barmaid scrunched up her face in wonder.

“She's her best friend, why would you hide that from me?” Rainbow asked in a snap, grabbing Applejack by the collar and staring into her eyes dangerously.

“Ah really don't know what you're talkin' about,” Applejack explained, shaking her head and letting Rainbow touch her roughly. “Honey, slow down an' tell me what's wrong.”

“Scootaloo!” Rainbow barked her name, and it registered with Applejack immediately.

“Wait... my little sister's friend? How d'you know the girl?” the blonde asked with a confused expression, scratching her head and trying to fit the pieces together.

“She's my sister,” Rainbow revealed, and Applejack's eyes widened as she thought about it. Having met the girl a couple of times, she certainly saw something of a resemblance: their similarly trim bodies, short scruffy hair, even their voices may have sounded alike. Yet she had never considered it before then. “You must have met her father before, how did you not recognize him when he walked in on us?! Why didn't you tell me about her?!”

“Ah-Ah never met her dad before, honest,” Applejack denied adamantly. “Big Mac might've, but Ah ain't seen much o' my sister for a few years, Ah've only met 'er friends a handful of times, rarely their parents.”

“You lying to me?” Rainbow narrowed her eyes suspiciously, leaning in close as if to intimidate her.

“No, Ah wouldn't do that.” Applejack took Rainbow's hand in her own, stepping into her apartment and gently speaking to her, “Ah didn't know, Rainbow. Ah would o' told ya if Ah did.”

“I... guess you're right,” her voice fell into a murmur, and she released the barmaid, shyly looking down at their feet.

“Honey, look at me,” she nearly whispered, placing a finger under Rainbow's chin and raising it up until their eyes met again. “You okay?”

“Not really,” she grumbled with a deep frown, though her eyes stared lustfully at Applejack's lips. “I've just had a rough couple of days, a lot on my mind, is all.”

“C'mon, Ah got you somethin', might make you feel better,” Applejack kicked the door closed behind her and took Rainbow by the hand, leading her to the kitchen pleasantly.

“A present?” Rainbow perked up at the prospect, following the barmaid obediently.

“Yea', all th' rain comin' down t'day gave me an idea for a drink Ah wanted t' make you,” Applejack told her as she got into the kitchen and set the brown bag on the counter. Rainbow went to take a gander, but Applejack expected as much and slapped the girl's hand as she absently grabbed a tall glass out of the cupboard. “No peekin'.”

“Fine,” she mumbled through pouted lips, turning instead to face the windows.

As Applejack absently gathered some other ingredients from around Rainbow's kitchen, the younger girl stood in front of her tall windows as if she was trying to count the raindrops. The barmaid could hear her patron sigh distantly, and glanced back to capture the sight of her back. She was standing there with her arms crossed, silhouetted by the dark window. With a small, charming smile, Applejack set to fixing the girl her drink.

Removing the bottle from the bag, she turned it over in her hand once or twice before opening it, smelling the sweet, ginger scent. Home-made ginger beer was not usually her speciality, but this particular concoction was thick and pale, a perfect brew. Pouring it into the glass, she watched the cloudy mixture settle before slowly dropping some ice cubes on top. In a second glass, she mixed a shot of dark rum with a bit more of her home brew. She gently slid the dark mixture into the glass, so slowly that the two colours remained separated. Finally, she poured one more shot of pure dark rum on top, which stayed mingling with the ice cubes rather than sinking into the rest of the drink. Garnished with a wedge of lime, Applejack ran her thumb along the glass where the separated contents met, before calling to the girl she had mixed it for.

“Dash,” Applejack spoke her name, and the girl in question turned her attention back around. Noticing the glass on the counter, she hurried over and looked at it in wonder. “What d'you think?”

“What is it?” Rainbow turned the glass, watching it so gingerly sway around.

“Here's th' Dark,” Applejack pointed to the dark rum on the top of the mixture, and her finger trailed down to the pale ginger beer, narrating, “An' here's the Stormy.”

“Awesome,” Rainbow praised, but as she went to try it, Applejack plucked the pierced garnish off the top, sliding it into the glass and stirring the mixture together. Rainbow was somewhat disappointed as the aesthetics were altered, but as she tasted it, found the mixing necessary. Humming in delight, she went on to speak, “Mmm, speaking of Dark 'N' Stormy... would you like to accompany me outside?”

“Outside?” Applejack repeated with a sceptical expression, wondering what she meant by that.

“What, haven't I shown you my balcony yet?” Rainbow asked, a smirk gracing her features as she took Applejack by the arm and led her down the hall.

“Y'have a balcony?” Applejack asked in surprise, never having noticed before. That was probably because the balcony was not visible from the living room, and led around the far corner of the apartment past Rainbow's bedroom.

“I do,” Rainbow repeated in a somewhat stoic voice, a tone that Applejack wasn't sure how to take.

Leading her barmaid out the balcony door, Rainbow stood under the slight overhang, staring at the growling raindrops. With a content sigh, she adorned the brisk air as it filled her lungs and chilled what skin was left bare. Applejack closed the door behind them and bundled herself under her scarf, lovingly yet worriedly watching Rainbow Dash relax.

“Why're we out here, ain't you cold?” Applejack asked slowly, but Rainbow did not address the question directly.

“I love the rain, Applejack.” Rainbow spoke quietly, barely audible over the rain. Applejack found it rather odd the way she didn't use the usual nickname, and she knew something was up. “The smell, the feeling, the nostalgia; all of it. That doesn't sound too depressing, does it?”

“No,” she simply replied, waiting for more.

Breathing in another heavy, adoring breath, Rainbow went and took a sip of her drink before speaking up again. “But, you know what? I love you, Applejack. More than anything. And you may think that you've got a lot more trouble going on with you, a lot more baggage, than I do. But you'd be wrong to think that.”

“Okay, enough beatin' around th' bush, spill it. What's goin' on with you, any who?” Applejack found herself asking, finding some tense nervousness swelling up inside of her to see the calm and open way in which Rainbow spoke. “What's got y'so wound up?”

Rainbow was about to reply, when her pocket vibrated. Picking up her phone and looking at it, she found a text she wished she had not received. She swallowed as she read it over, and read between the words and lines; read what it really meant.

'He's drunk.' was Scootaloo's text, the first one she had received from her half sister. It infuriated her to see it, and she swallowed to keep her heart out of her throat.

“Seeing her the other day, I guess it just reminded me how real it all is.” Rainbow told the blonde, and her voice was shallow and cold. “I should have told someone, I should have told you.” A pause rendered between them, before, “Listen... I have secrets too, Applejack.”

“We all do, sugar,” Applejack tried for consoling, but Rainbow didn't bite. Instead, she reached out and let her hand touch the wall of falling rain, getting wet and cool as the water rolled over her already frigid fingers.

“My dad, he,” Rainbow started, but it was hard for her to say. She rarely had trouble saying what was on her mind, but this was painful. “He always... he always married really young women. Most people must have thought he was some playboy, some wealthy bastard looking for a hot young gold digger or something.”

“Where're you goin' with this?” the barmaid wondered, tilting her head questioningly.

“Sorry, I should start at the beginning,” she amended with a chuckle, shaking her head. “He was never a very happy man, from what I could see. He married my mother when she was still just a kid, which is maybe why she resented him, never getting to accomplish what she wanted to do with her life, and instead, being forced into parenthood when she was only eighteen.”

“She was that young?” Applejack inquired.

“Yeah, dumb kid... Anyway, she had me real young, right? But things with my dad don't get any better after I was born, and they fought a hell of a lot. I don't really know what about, I was too young to understand anyway.” Rainbow waved her hand and took another sip, licking her lips. “Fifteen years ago, when I was only about seven, she up and left us. My dad never told me why, but... I think I have that part figured out, now. I haven't heard from the woman since, but whatever.”

“Do y'miss her?” she asked carefully.

“I might, if I wasn't so damn mad at her for leaving me alone with that man.” Rainbow's eyes narrowed again and a scowl crossed her face. “She must have known who he was and what he was capable of, but she left her child in his care. Shows how much of a damn she gave.”

“He's got a temper, don't he?” Applejack tried, and Rainbow nodded easily as the truth was heard.

“Yep, but that's probably the least of it. I can handle his anger,” she went on, fidgeting a bit as she thought on. “He's never been the kind of man who could handle his alcohol, and when he gets drunk, he gets... unpredictable.”

“Unpredictable?” Applejack wasn't quite sure what Rainbow was trying to say.

“I must have been eleven or so when it started, I can't really put it chronologically; I spent so long just trying to pretend it wasn't real, you know?” Her sad eyes met Applejack's, and she could see all the pain she held inside. “He was always threatening, always abusive and aggressive, but... there's more.”

“... More?” she repeated in an anxious tone.

“I still remember it; it's blurry, and hurts to think about, but I remember it,” she began, nodding as she recalled. “He was out almost all night, drinking with some clients I think, and I was asleep until he got home. I heard the front door open, because he nearly fell into the house, so drunk and all.”

Rainbow swallowed shakily, and Applejack knew it was flashing before her eyes. She was afraid to know what it was: if there was some scar, some awful mark or trauma he had left her with. Having seen the girl's naked body before, she assumed not. But something had Rainbow Dash bothered, terrified to speak.

“He came up the stairs, stubbing his damn toes loudly on each other step. He was muttering profanities all the way up—I can still hear his voice, raspy, slurring—he was so angry. So damn angry...” She shook her head and fought off some sobbing frown. “He came into my room, and I was curled up under the covers; I knew to be quiet when he was mad. But instead of yelling at me, instead of complaining or ranting about this and that, instead of hitting me...”

“What?” She needed to know.

“He... crawled into bed with me.” Rainbow whispered, and she could not stop the tears from breaching her eyes. To hide it, she slipped under the falling rain, placing her drink on the balcony railing and clasping the edge tightly with her hands. Staring at the familiarity of her own fingers—the way they resembled his—she squeezed as hard as she could. “His hands w-were so big, a-and so rough. I-I was crying—crying underneath him, a-as he c-covered my mouth...” A sob, and she let it slip, “... As he fucked me.”

Rainbow covered her own mouth then, as she snivelled and balled some terrible cries. Her hair began to stick to her cheeks and forehead, and she had never felt so pathetic as then. Applejack was completely still, mortified to hear such a thing, and shook not because of the cold, but because of how upset she had become. She knew that man was horrible, she could tell that from their first meeting, but hearing this destroyed any perceived respect she might have had for him.

“I-I can still feel him, touching me, looking down at me... all of it,” her voice shook with distress, and her body was no different. “It hurt so badly, every time.”

“...Every... time?” Applejack wondered about the phrasing, and Rainbow slowly nodded.

“It wasn't often, it was scarce enough for me to wonder if it was happening at all, or if I was just crazy. And every morning, nothing was different. He'd make me breakfast, he'd drive me to school, he'd tell me about work,” she ranted a bit. “I acted out a lot: destroyed things, closed in on myself, skipped school. By then, he was gone a lot for business trips, which was really a neat way to hide the fact he was coming here to the city to spend time with his other family. He sent me off to boarding school eventually, but every time I would come home: for spring break, summer vacation... Hearth's Warming... it was the same.”

“D-Does he... still...?” the blonde tried to ask, but she hardly needed to finish the thought.

“He stopped touching me when I was about seventeen... Trouble is, I think I know why.” Rainbow Dash explained, and she bit her lip as she stared at the Dark 'N' Stormy between her arms.“My sister would have been about ten or so by then.”

Applejack knew what that meant, and her eyes widened as she whispered, “Oh, Heavens...”

“That's why I needed to meet her, to find out for sure, to protect her from that pedophile... but, I can't.” A sigh breached her throat, and she looked out at the view, before gesturing to the building, the balcony. “I guess... this apartment? The money? It's making up for more than just childhood neglect; the opposite, I suppose. It's a deal, an unspoken agreement. He's buying my silence.”

“But... he's doin' it to your sister, ain't he? Y'can't let him do that.” Applejack pleaded, stepping close to Rainbow and letting the rain tangle into her golden hair.

“I don't know that for sure. She wouldn't tell me,” she murmured with a frown. “She has my number, in case she wants to... I just don't think she trusts me. She probably doesn't trust anyone, if she's anything like me.”

“That's just awful,” the barmaid almost whimpered, her heart swelling to imagine her own sister in the same situation. It killed her to even imagine. “You have to tell someone, Dash.”

“I know, I wanted to for so long... I guess I just sort of accepted it as normal, I knew no better way to deal with it.” She admitted ruefully. “After so long, I'd need some kind of proof to make it all stick. He's a well respected man after all, and he's all I know. It's a hard situation, and hard to explain or understand. That's why I went to Scootaloo, to see if it was the same for her, to see if we could do anything. But she has to tell me first.”

“That's so messed up,” Applejack let slip, hearing how bad that must have sounded. Rainbow merely huffed a laugh about it though, a solemn expression on her visage.

“After everything that happened, I never let anyone else close to me again. I mean, I made jokes and stuff, but it was all a defence mechanism. He kind of ruined me for intimacy, you could say.” A small smile struck her features, despite the tears that still speckled her cheeks. Her eyes raise towards Applejack, though, and her expression softened. “That is, until you.”

“Me...?” Applejack repeated in bewilderment.

“I told you I understood how you felt, about Miss Jubilee. I can relate, really I can.” Rainbow shrugged, taking another large sip of her drink before placing it back, noticing the taste had changed as rain water had gotten in.

“That's why y'were s' nervous when we—?” Applejack couldn't finish the sentence, recalling the night when she had dragged Rainbow into the storage room and forced herself upon her. Her heart stopped, and her expression became horrified to imagine how hard it had been for the girl to let her touch her like that. She hated herself at that moment, realizing how selfish she had been. “Ah... Ah'm so sorry, Rainbow.”

“No reason to be sorry, Dolly,” Rainbow tried to calm the air, playing with a familiar nickname. “It was different with you. I wanted it... I loved it.”

Sliding her wet hand into the silky runs of blonde hair at the base of Applejack's neck, Rainbow Dash fondly leaned nearer. Their lips met, and the rain parted around their exchange, running down their meeting mouths and dripping from their chins. Applejack could taste the salts of sorrow on her lover's lips, but devoutly held her and kissed her in spite of them. As they parted, a white puff of breath swirled between them, heated by the expelled emotions they shared.

“This is a lot t' take in, Rainbow,” Applejack admitted, her expression falling solemn.

“Trust me, I understand,” she compassionately purred, loving the way Applejack's hands encircled her waist. “That's why I was so upset when you told me about Miss Jubilee, it reminded me of my own burdens. It killed me, imagining you feeling the way I did when he forced himself on me.”

“Why're things all so complicated?” she grumbled, drumming her fingers on her back and rubbing it tenderly.

“Everything will work out, Dolly,” Rainbow huskily promised, her pink eyes gleaming a mere few inches from Applejack's. “I know it.”

“How're you sure o' that, honey?” the barmaid nearly whispered, her chest tight and pained.

“All you have to do to make it right,” a sweet song played off Rainbow's lips, and in its tune, she lovingly stroked Applejack's cold cheek, smiling as she told her, “Is just touch your woman.”

Author's Note

Wow, glad to have finally revealed that. I've left breadcrumbs through the whole story about it, so you may or may not have guessed it already. If not, read back through the old chapters, there are several hints.
Well... what do you think about poor Rainbow's situation?

Kamikaze

*Trigger Warning: this chapter contains very mature scenes and themes*

XX. Kamikaze

Rolling groggily over, Applejack winced as she peeked out her heavy eyes at the alarm clock on the strange bedside table. While usually waking up somewhere odd would have roused her to a start, she recognized the comfortable mattress and messy room as Rainbow Dash's. It had not been any blaring alarm that had woken her up, nor had it been another intervention of Rainbow Dash's violent father. No, this morning, she had risen to a cheery tune being hummed from down the hall.

As she sat up, the blanket that had smelled of her lover gently folded onto her lap. She could not find the girl anywhere in the bedroom, so she clumsily slid out of bed, not bothering to cover her underwear with her pants—if she could even find where she threw them. Fixing her hair absently, Applejack moseyed into the hallway, following the tune, and the alluring scent, into the kitchen.

“Jubilee, Jubilee, Jubilee, Ju~ubilee,” it was Rainbow's voice, charming and musical, as she sang to the morning. Applejack narrowed her eyes as she recognized the tune, though not exactly the words, “Please don't take her just because you can.”

“Oh, lord,” the barmaid grumbled as she came into the kitchen, leaning in the doorway drowsily and smirking some incredulous look at the girl by the stove. Rainbow continued heedlessly to hum, scraping her spatula across a pan and tapping her bare foot on the cool tile floor.

“Your beauty is beyond compare, with flaming locks of auburn hair, with ivory skin and eyes of emerald green.” she mused, swaying gently in her modest amount of clothing. Though Applejack shook her head in distaste at her choice of truthful country jingle, she found Rainbow's antics otherwise amusing. “I cannot compete with you, Jubilee.”

“Please quit singin' that,” Applejack asked in a whiny voice, going over to her lover with pleading eyes. Rainbow looked over at her and smiled a pleased expression, having intended to bother the girl.

“Why? It's funny.” Rainbow teased, leaning over and prodding the barmaid in the ribs with an elbow. After a snicker, she amended, “I hate the bitch, but it's funny.”

“Rainbow,” Applejack murmured with a blank expression, though that only spurred the hostess on.

“Jubilee, Ju~ubilee,” she started up again, over the sound of Applejack groaning, “I'm begging of you, please don't take my—”

Rainbow was silenced by Applejack leaning over her and capturing her lips with her own, having to turn Rainbow's head forcefully to make it stick. Her singing turned to a light hum as she enjoyed the kiss, and she looped her arm around Applejack's waist lovingly. Their bodies pressed together, with no regard to watch the sizzling eggs on the frying pan, and a comfortable quietude was restored. That is, until Applejack pulled away and spoke again.

“Quit that singin',” she said in something of a laugh. Gently stroking the younger girl's face, staring fondly at her adorable expression, she explained, “Ah don't want her in my head when Ah'm around you.”

“Mmm, then kiss me again,” Rainbow murmured, hardly waiting for the words to slip out before their lips closed on one another.

Abandoning her hissing fried eggs, Rainbow pushed Applejack up against her refrigerator. Light hums of amusement were shared between them, and for an instant, their travelling hands nearly lured their slim slips of fabric back off of their bodies. That is, until the smell of fresh breakfast reminded them of their other bodily needs.

As Rainbow Dash made sure she hadn't accidentally burned her breakfast, Applejack gathered up a couple of glasses and filled them up with juice. She brought them over to the nook table, a place she had never seen Rainbow Dash sit, and placed them at each seat. The rainbow-haired girl came over shortly after, scooping some scrambled eggs and placing them onto Applejack's plate, and some for herself. All the while, she was still whistling that Dolly Parton song she had been singing, and Applejack just smiled and shook her head. Some toast accompanied the meal, and Rainbow Dash sat down across from the barmaid at last.

“Ah didn't know y'cooked, sugarcube,” Applejack mentioned as she took a bite.

“I'm not totally useless,” she responded with a smirk as she stuffed a forkful into her mouth.

Applejack let the topic slide, getting back to her still steaming eggs. She heard Rainbow Dash grab a newspaper up off the table and unfurl it noisily, shaking it straight and holding it out while she ate. Sitting there with one leg crossed over the other reading a newspaper, Applejack thought she looked somehow sophisticated; despite the way she was clad in just a tank top and underwear.

As she coaxed her eggs onto her toast and fork, Applejack noticed Rainbow glancing over at her from above the newspaper. Looking up to meet her gaze, Applejack watched Rainbow quickly look away. Once more, she felt the younger girl's attention, but again she avoided addressing it. With a sigh, Applejack placed her fork down and leaned over the table.

“Al'right, why d'you keep lookin' at me?” she asked with a curious tone.

“Who, me?” Rainbow played coy, bouncing her one leg up and down over the other. “No reason.”

“C'mon, don't gimme that,” Applejack pressed on, kicking under the table at the girl who sat opposite her.

“I just,” she started abruptly, but paused to chuckle a bit and force a smile away. “I like this. It's so... normal. I feel like we're just some average, everyday... well, married couple. You know?”

“Ain't nothin' normal about you, y'bright-headed goof,” the blonde teased, and Rainbow stuck her tongue out in annoyance. “But Ah guess Ah understand. There's s'much goin' on, it feels nice t' just sit down an' act like common folk.”

“You bet,” she concurred with a wink.

Though the morning had felt so relaxing, soon enough, afternoon rolled around, and the two had to get going to work. Since it was a Thursday, both girls knew it wouldn't be very busy, and if they had it their way, they'd be able to get out of the Joint early and head back to Rainbow's apartment. Of course, that was some very wishful thinking, as they had forgotten that particular Thursday would be the second one since Cherry Jubilee's last visit.

Applejack was up at the bar as usual, doing some mindless cleaning duties she had neglected to do over the past few days. Running a cloth over the now vacant shelves which usually bore their selection of liquors, Applejack absently hummed the song that Rainbow Dash had got stuck in her head earlier that day.

“Kamikaze,” someone ordered, and Applejack paused as she faintly recognized it.

Turning around, she caught sight of a man she had not wanted to see again. It was that tall, blonde, older man, whose stone-stiff face seemed stoic and senseless. She recalled the ironically charming name that belonged to him: Angel.

“Yes sir,” Applejack mumbled as she got on to making it, tipping her hat at the gentleman.

From the way he sat down at her bar and checked his watch, she assumed he was waiting for his girlfriend, Fluttershy, to get off shift. His lack of interest to speak with the barmaid as she prepared the drink either meant that he couldn't care much less if she liked him, or perhaps that he didn't even recognize her. Regardless, Applejack went on grabbing a cocktail mixer, shaking up three equal parts lime juice, Vodka, and Triple Sec. Straining it into a cocktail glass, she garnished it with a twist of lime, and the barmaid pushed it across the counter to her patron.

“Waitin' for Fluttershy?” Applejack innocently started up a conversation, and after the man took a large sip, he replied.

“Mhmm,” he monotonously hummed, making a face as he licked his lips. He seemed disappointed by the drink, and Applejack resisted rolling her eyes at his obnoxiousness. “What the hell is in this?”

“Lime juice, Vodka, Triple Sec,” she explained, and his eyes narrowed. “That's an orange-flavoured liqueur. Served straight-up. Y'all ordered it.”

“I know that.” Angel sucked on his teeth before gulping another sizeable portion down. As some warmth settled into his stomach, he felt like speaking again, “You know Fluttershy?”

“Ah do,” Applejack responded, coming to terms with the clear fact that Angel did not remember who she was from Pinkie's party. “Y'all have been goin' out for six months now, ain't ya?”

“I guess.” His eyes pranced up to Applejack's, and she got an odd chill from them. “Sometimes I get a little curious, though.”

“Uh... what?” she wondered if she had heard that correctly.

“She's hot and all, but such a pain in the neck. All that anxiety shit,” he explained with a shrug. “Frustrates the fuck out of me. Pisses me off, which just makes it worse, she gets all stuttery and starts crying or some shit. Damn women, I'm telling you. You're lucky you don't have to date them.”

“Funny you should say that,” Applejack tried to hide an amused smile, returning to her duties.

“What, are you a dyke or something?” he snorted obnoxiously, but noticing the serious look on Applejack's face, frowned. Hurriedly finishing the rest of his drink like he was parched, he placed the glass back down on the counter and went on, “Damn shame, I wouldn't mind wetting my dick with a tall drink like yourself. Speaking of which,” he slid the glass over to her, motioning with a nod of his head. “Another.”

“... Right.” Applejack cautiously did as he asked, looking over at him uneasily. Every time he opened his mouth she disliked him a little bit more, and it was hard to be objective and polite with a man like that.

“Still, you never know, maybe you just need the right guy to turn you back around,” Angel callously noted, and Applejack found it terribly conceited, but kept fixing him another drink.

“Who, like you?” Raising her eyebrow sceptically, she passed another drink along to the man at her bar.

“Yeah, baby,” he slyly murmured, adding a wink. Applejack cringed a bit, nearly vomiting in her mouth. She really wondered what Fluttershy saw in the guy at all. “So, when is Fluttershy off? Even if it's the same old boring one, a piece of ass is always welcome.”

“Why y'gotta talk about her like that, any who?” the barmaid asked suddenly, more than tired of his horrible attitude. “She's a nice girl.”

“Like what? It's not your business, bartender,” he didn't even dignify her with reading her name-tag, though his eyes traced the area where it was pinned quite regularly. Downing almost half his drink, he wiped his mouth aggressively and glared at Applejack. “Just do your job and keep these coming.”

After staring at the man like she didn't believe he wasn't kidding, Applejack swallowed her pride and nodded, saying, “Of course.”

By the time she had passed over his third drink, Fluttershy had finished up her shift and came up to the bar. She spotted Angel immediately, and seemed to tremble upon spotting the drink in his hand. Swallowing nervously, she went over to him.

“U-Um... H-Have you been drinking, Angel?” she carefully asked, and he turned abruptly to look at her, making her flinch.

“Hey, Flutters, baby,” he greeted her with a sneaky looking smile, and Applejack rolled her eyes in annoyance. Patting his knee, he made room for her to sit down, which she did not do. “Just a few, your barmaid friend here was shoving them down my throat.”

“Yea',” Applejack grumbled blankly, adding an inaudible, “Ah wanted t' shove somethin' down y'damn throat, that's f' sure.”

“B-But you're driving... tonight...” Fluttershy quietly reminded him.

“Who do you think I am? I'll be fine, you worry too damn much,” Angel growled at her, throwing back the rest of his drink easily. Clumsily shoving off the bar, he went to stand up. “Come on, let's get out of here.”

“Yes, but, well, would you like me to drive? I mean, if that's okay,” she tried to ask, but her faltering confidence allowed Angel to brush her off. “A-And have you paid your bill?”

“Pfft, no. And it's my fucking car. I drive,” he barked back, standing straight and turning to leave.

“What's this now?” a voice spoke in an intrigued tone, and it stalled Angel almost as it did when he nearly walked right into the speaker. “Did I hear someone say they're walking out on a bill?”

“Who the hell are you?” Angel looked up at the taller man, whose curious and sarcastic expression irritated him.

Applejack looked up at the man who stood in front of Angel, blocking his exit. She recognized him immediately, and felt uncomfortable having him there at all. Saying nothing, she anxiously watched as the older man tilted his head at Angel, narrowing his eyes critically.

“Well, I am the man who owns this Joint, and I can't stand for someone stealing from me.” Discord's voice dropped dangerously low, and even Angel could tell he meant business.

“What're you doin' here?” Applejack whispered to him in confusion, and he hardly bothered explaining.

“I own this place, I can come and go as I please, even if just for the treat of your company, Applejack,” he suggestively murmured to the barmaid, who rolled her eyes as his attention returned to the younger man at his toes. “And you are?”

“Angel, Fluttershy's boyfriend,” he replied seriously.

“And does that give you some right to free drinks?” Discord's playful voice seemed both ominous and taunting, and no one was quite sure how to take it. “My lovely barmaid here took the time to make you some, quite likely, fabulous beverages. The least you can do is cough up some cash. Maybe even a tip, for making her put up with your gob.”

“What do you think you can do, old man?” Angel argued, making the most intimidating expression he could muster.

“Me? Well, I'd hate to have to forcefully retrieve my just share, especially in front of these lovely young ladies,” the older man admitted, gesturing to the barmaid and server, summoning a grunt from Applejack.

“Don't hold back on my account,” she grumbled, shrugging any discomfort off.

“You don't scare me,” Angel told him with a nod of his head, grabbing Fluttershy roughly by her slender arm. “Come on, Fluttershy.”

“I wouldn't be so hasty, were I you,” Discord stepped in front of him once more, blocking his exit. “I know I'm not the most menacing of men, but that's not to say I'm without my quirks.”

“Get out of my way,” he growled lowly, digging his fingers into Fluttershy's arm before she pulled away, leaving him nothing but the bar to grab for support.

“Not that I'm not concerned about the money any more, but now it's the principal of the matter, really.” The bar owner clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. “You know, I've met men like you before, Angel.”

With a careless snort, he responded, “Yeah, so what?”

“I know exactly what it is that makes you tick. Unlike the charming means that I go about enjoying myself—those being mischief and devious shenanigans in the best senses of the words, if you must know—you're the kind of fellow who likes to stir real trouble.” Discord looked him up and down observantly. “From the way you're white-knuckling my bar right now, I'd say you're quick to violence.”

“Shut up!” Without warning, Angel went to take a swing at him. However, Discord had anticipated such a strike, and evaded it with ease.

“Right-O! Bullseye with that one, I do think my intuitive perception skills are honing to a fine point; but enough about me,” the older man praised himself, straightening his collar. Shooting a look to the man's shaking girlfriend, he made another deduction. “With a temper like that, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to, perhaps, insinuate that you respond to most frustrations so aggressively. No?”

“I swear I'll fucking kill you if you don't get out of my face,” Angel snarled at him, threatening with a fist.

“So maybe, were I to, lift up this lady's shirt—for purely hypothetical and scientific reasons, I assure you—that I might find a few little... marks. Indicators of domestic disputes, I'd wager.” Discord grinned as he noticed how flustered Fluttershy became at the suggestion. Raising his index finger, he knew he was correct. “Another point for me, it seems. So, tack that onto the charges I'd press for stealing from my establishment, and I think we'd have ourselves enough cause to make an arrest, were I to call the proper authorities, of course.”

“You wouldn't.” The younger man's eyes slitted as he spoke.

“Oh, I just might.” He threatened, and the blonde boy went silent at the prospect. “And from the way you're shrinking under these threats, I might not hesitate to say you might have something of a record already. I wonder how serious such an offence would be—ooh, especially if you're already... on probation?” he curiously took a stab at it.

“Angel,” Fluttershy uttered his name, knowing the truth behind Discord's guess.

“Bingo. And for what it's worth, I think you'd find that—even if you may arguably be the toughest in this room—you're not quite the toughest man in... say, jail.” Discord stood tall above Angel, clearing his throat before trying to act more civil. “So I'm going to ask one last time, nicely, that you please pay your gracious server.”

After a hesitant pause, Angel reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, sifting through his money, much to Fluttershy and Applejack's surprise. Slamming some bills down on the table, she growled, “This is bullshit.”

“Thank you ever so much for stopping in tonight, I truly hope to see you again.” Discord stepped out of the way, playfully waving a goodbye.

“Fluttershy, we're leaving.” Angel grabbed Fluttershy once more, and she squeaked at the force of his aggression.

“To get into a vehicle with an irate drunken man? I do hope not, surely I could coax you into asking me for a ride home tonight.” Discord mentioned, tugging at the dress shirt sleeves that stuck out beneath his pressed jacket. “I'm a perfect gentleman, I swear.”

“Much as Ah hate t' say it, Discord's right. You ain't gotta go with him, y'know,” Applejack told her carefully, trying to be gentle with the girl.

“Wha—stay out of this, you disgusting dyke,” Angel snapped at her, hitting his hand against the bar once more.

“Angel!” Fluttershy spoke with surprising volume, and all eyes were on her. “Y-You can speak your mind to me, sure, b-but I draw the line at letting you insult my friends.”

“You'll regret talking to me like that,” he glowered at her, and from the way his body trembled, one could tell he wanted to lash out at her.

“Angel, I'd be glad to talk to you once you've calmed down, but I think you should call a cab. Please.” Fluttershy tried to be reasonable, but he'd have none of it.

“I don't need you telling me what to do, I'm fucking done with all your self-esteem issues and bullshit. We're over.” Shoving away from the bar and storming across the lounge, he cursed under his breath, “Bitch...”

As Angel crossed the bar and left through the front doors, Fluttershy nervously rubbed her hands together and looked down guiltily. She felt awful about making him leave, and yet some part of her was relieved. Applejack was sure that she would be better off, and her respect for Discord had substantially grown, though she'd hate to admit it. After a pleased exhale of breath, Discord brought the attention back to himself.

“Well, that went better than I expected,” he mused in an amused tone, smirking down at Fluttershy.

“You're kiddin', right?” Applejack stated incredulously, raising her eyebrow and making a confused expression. “How did that go well?”

“Why, this beautiful young flower is now on the market,” Discord bent down towards Fluttershy, taking her by the hand and kissing her knuckles. With a smile, he went on, “Enchanté, mademoiselle.”

“O-Oh, um... nice to... meet you, too,” she shyly agreed, blushing and playing with her hair.

“A woman with a tongue for languages,” the older man noticed, going on to praise her more, “I'm sure I can find a good use for that.”

“Oh brother.” Applejack rolled her eyes again, wanting to slap herself in the forehead.

“W-Well, if you, um, wouldn't mind,” the younger girl stammered a bit as she found her words. “Maybe you could give me that ride home, t-that you haven't offered yet?”

“Seriously?!” Applejack nearly fell over as she gasped in surprise.

“Of course, my dear.” Discord agreed firmly, bowing over and extending his hand towards the direction of the door. “Your chariot awaits.”

“Y'gotta be kiddin' me,” the barmaid murmured, shaking her head and closing her eyes in disappointment. With a sigh, she added, “Fluttershy, y'have th' worst taste in men, Ah swear.”

“Oh don't be jealous, Applejack,” the older gentleman teased her, winking back at her. “There's plenty of me to go around.”

With a huff of a laugh, Applejack turned him down, “Ah'll pass.”

Discord merely shrugged before guiding Fluttershy down to the front doors, probably leading the poor girl into his car. Though she did not trust the man as far as she could throw him—which was probably surprisingly far—she knew that he was probably better than Angel had been, and besides that, if he hurt Fluttershy, Applejack knew just how to find him. So, for the time being, she continued her duties, stacking the liquor back onto the shelves she had cleaned off.

As her back was turned, she hardly heard the sneaking footsteps of a certain woman as she approached the bar. Her long locks of deep crimson hair fell over her shoulders like a red sea, mostly contained and bunched up on the back of her head. She pursed her ruby lips as she leaned over the swinging door behind the bar and eyed her barmaid, in a not so innocent way.

“Lookin' gorgeous as ever, sugar,” Cherry Jubilee told Applejack, a smile creasing her features as she noticed the younger girl flinch to hear her ice cold voice.

“Cherr—uh, Miss Jubilee,” Applejack hurriedly corrected herself, flustered by the woman already. Cherry seemed pleased by Applejack's initial response, and the way she called her by name without having to force her to. “What brings you by?”

“It's Thursday darlin', did you forget our usual date?” she asked with an edge to her voice, and Applejack shrunk away from it. “Ah'm hurt.”

“No, no, Ah just,” the barmaid stammered, glancing over at the doors to try and catch Rainbow's attention, to no avail. “Sorry, Ah didn't realize th' time, is all.”

“Ah forgive you,” Cherry shrugged the topic off, slipping around in front of the bar and letting her hand trail over the wood, something that snagged Applejack's gaze and slid it along across the bar with it. “Well, Ah have t' go around an' play manager for a spell, think y'all can wait up for me?”

“Um...” Applejack really wanted to say no, to turn her down, to tell her what was on her mind. But at the moment, all she could muster was some uneasy nod of her head and a murmured, “Sure.”

“Perfect.” The older woman pushed off the bar and started across the lounge, turning back just to say, “Ah won't keep ya waitin' long, sugarplum.”

Without another forced word, Applejack allowed her boss to walk off, after the woman blew her a kiss over her shoulder. Though she originally intended to get back to cleaning, Applejack hesitated to instead watch the woman descend the stairs, her protective instincts kicking in as she saw the way Cherry looked at Rainbow Dash. The girl had been folding some menus when her boss approached her, and she straightened up noticeably as she caught sight of the woman.

“Mmm, the adorable new addition to my collection,” Cherry Jubilee mused, going over to Rainbow without falter. She seemed to size the girl up, and under the unwarranted attention, Rainbow glanced towards Applejack for assistance, only to meet her warning gaze. “Ah have a little present for you, ma darlin'.”

“You... do?” Rainbow was unsure how to respond to that, cautiously watching the woman come over to her and slip a finger under her chin, turning her head to follow her as she strode around her.

“Bet your bottom dollar,” the older woman said as she reached into her more than revealing dress, making a show about ruffling the flowing skirt and flashing a few provocative sights at the younger girl, who looked away adamantly despite her curiosity. “Here.”

Rainbow tried to see what she held out, but the woman slipped around behind her and held something around her neck. At first, Rainbow Dash thought that it was some attempt at her life, and froze up with shock and slight fear. However, as she felt the soft crimson silk pressing against her smooth skin, she looked down and made out that the red fabric was not life threatening at all. In fact, it was a charming little accessory that intrigued the young girl. As Cherry's adventurous hands slid over her shoulders and straightened her shirt, Rainbow felt particularly objectified, but said nothing on the matter.

“A... bow tie?” Rainbow named it as she reached up and touched the folded fabric as her boss linked the catch behind her neck, being a perfectly pre-tied knot as it was. As Cherry Jubilee folded her collar over the run that tied around her throat, she leaned close and tickled Rainbow's neck with her hot breath before pulling away to take a good look at it. “That's nice of you.”

“Oh don't mention it,” Cherry smiled this alluring smile, and for a moment Rainbow Dash felt her face heat up, perhaps realizing what had enchanted Applejack about the woman. With a wink of one set of long, fluttering eyelashes, she went on, “A pretty young thing like you deserves t' look her best, don't ya think?”

Swallowing the lump that had appeared in her throat beneath the red bow tie, Rainbow Dash managed to reply with a dry mouth, “Uh... yeah.”

“Good, now Ah best be gettin' off an' finishin' up ma chores 'round here,” she toyed with the laces around her bust, which Rainbow hated to notice. Shaking her head, she listened to the woman's words, “You look tired, sugar. Late night?”

Biting her tongue and initial reaction to start bragging about herself and Applejack, Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and murmured, “Well...”

“No need t' explain, how's about y'get on off shift then? Ah doubt we need ya much at this time of night, especially at how slow it's goin'.” Cherry patted the girl on the small of her back, and Rainbow stiffened under the attention, wary of her motives. “G'head, darlin'.”

Accepting it as some friendly gesture—and even if not, it meant she got to leave early—Rainbow Dash took her suggestion to get off shift, gratefully saying, “... Thanks, Miss Jubilee.”

“Please, you sweet thing,” the older woman spoke with a chuckle, letting her slim fingers trail down Rainbow's spine and linger perhaps an instant too long on her hips. “Call me Cherry.”

Rainbow Dash's suspicious and uneasy gaze darted to Applejack, who was intently watching their interchange, her hands seeming so tense she might break the glass and bottle she held in them. She hated the fact, but something more than protective anger flared about in her stomach, something she could name as jealousy; but jealousy of whom was uncertain. Scrunching up her face, Applejack shuttered and shook her awful feeling away. By then, Cherry Jubilee had left Rainbow Dash's side, continuing her round to check the office, the kitchen, and her supervisor on shift.

Sliding the freshly washed glasses onto the stemware racks, Applejack continued her nearly robotic movements. It troubled her, knowing that she had to do something about the older woman; she had to tell her boss, and be firm. And yet, the guilt of letting her family down was already creeping up on her. Shaking her head, she vowed to find a way to support them that did not put her in such a vulnerable position, no matter what.

“Hey there,” Applejack was roused from her thoughts by a stimulating, suave voice. Without even turning to look at the girl, she knew who it was, and smirked. “The Joint sure has one sexy barmaid.”

“You're off already, Dash?” Applejack asked, noticing the way the girl slid onto the bar stool and tugged her regular jacket over her shoulders.

“Mhmm, I'm all yours, Dolly.” Rainbow Dash hummed, drumming her fingers along the wood and licking her lips. “How about you make me something special tonight? I'm especially thirsty.”

“Oh yeah?” The barmaid had already known that was coming.

Looking down at the almost empty cocktail glass that was left in front of her usual stool, Rainbow Dash smelled it curiously before speaking, “What was in here?”

Glancing over to see what she was talking about, Applejack replied, “A Kamikaze.”

“Oooh, make me one of those,” she said in an excited voice, not having tried one before.

“Just one?” the barmaid teased, smiling as she grabbed the mixer and stray ingredients, knowing Rainbow was hardly the type to stop after one drink.

And that evening was no different, as two drinks passed her lips in a matter of moments. Clearly something was bothering the girl, and Applejack did not have to ask to know what it was. After all, Rainbow was still humming that same old song and playing with the hanging red accessory tired around her throat. After hissing a click of her tongue, she brought it up.

“Does that woman get off on making people feel uncomfortable?” Rainbow asked in a higher-pitched, annoyed voice.

“You'd think so, wouldn't ya?” the blonde agreed with a chuckle.

“Well I mean look at this thing. Look at it!” the hostess called as she plucked at the bow, tugging on the corners and making it just a bit casually looser. “I look ridiculous. Bright red bow tie? I feel like a... like a valet!”

“Ah think it's mighty cute, if y'ask me,” Applejack taunted her young friend, who scoffed at the remark.

“Yeah, besides the fact that—with its stupid ruby colour—I feel like I'm wearing Cherry Jubilee around my neck, like I'm her damn pet or something,” Rainbow Dash murmured, taking the drink that Applejack passed her across the counter and nearly downing it in one motion.

“Dash, relax, don't get yourself all riled up about it,” Applejack tried to warn her, already preparing her next drink from the way she was gulping back her current one. However, there would be no fifth, Applejack was certain of that. “Y'all should slow down, y'know.”

“Whatever, I'm mad,” she defended herself with some poor excuse.

Frowning, Applejack let the topic slide. She understood how Rainbow Dash felt, especially since the young girl knew a lot about what Miss Jubilee had done to the barmaid. And now, she must have felt heart broken every time she saw the woman, and repulsed or nervous every time her crimson-painted fingers perused her own body. It was clearly the only thing on Rainbow's mind, as her aggravated, drumming fingers played a familiar tune, and she chewed at her lip incessantly until she got enough liquid courage in her to open her mouth.

“Jubilee, Jubilee, Jubilee, Ju~ubile,” Rainbow sang, quietly at first, but the volume rose with the ferocity that she meant each word. “I'm beggin' of you, please don't take my girl.”

“Be quiet, she's gonna hear ya,” Applejack warned, putting a finger to her lips and glancing down the hall. She could have sworn she had seen the woman, but now, she was nowhere to be found.

“Your smile is like a breath of spring, your voice is soft like summer rain, and I cannot compete with you, Jubilee,” she rainbow-haired girl sang on, swaying in her seat and feeling the words rolling off her tongue.

After a light laugh, enjoying the girl's voice, Applejack shook her head and murmured, “Well that just ain't true.”

“Do Ah hear some charmin' ol' country tune a'playin' up here?” Both girls froze as they heard the woman's voice, and looked over as she came up to the bar, tilting her head in curiosity.

“M-Miss Jubilee, she-she was just... just,” Applejack tried to explain, but no words would come out to rationalize it.

“Yep, I got a little Dolly in my heart, you know?” Rainbow easily told her with a narrowed gaze, taking her fourth drink and filling her mouth. Applejack could already feel the thick tension between those two, and it made her more than nervous.

“Ah do,” Cherry seemed to agree, her eyes trailing over Applejack's body wantingly. Rainbow and the barmaid exchanged glances, but Miss Jubilee interrupted, speaking to Rainbow Dash it seemed, “Mmm, someone's lookin' delicious tonight, don't you agree?”

“Does she now?” Rainbow raised an inquiring eyebrow, trying to play nice.

“Uh, th-thanks,” Applejack cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to keep the two from talking directly to each other. “Ah got some closin' duties t' get doin', s-so...”

“You're such a hard worker, darlin',” Miss Jubilee praised, opening the swinging door and approaching Applejack. Rainbow noticed this, and immediately felt defensive of her barmaid, clenching her teeth. “Ah really should give y'some reward.”

“Don't... you... dare,” Rainbow Dash growled, enunciating each word like it bore the weight of a whole unspoken sentence.

Pausing in her step, her boss casually glanced over at the disobedient young girl. With a suspicious gaze, she glared at the hostess, “Hmm? Somethin' botherin' you, darlin'?”

“You could say that,” she glowered in a low tone, holding their eye contact knowingly. This intrigued Cherry, and a smile melted over her luscious lips.

“Rainbow,” Applejack murmured through her teeth, widening her eyes as if telepathically telling her to shut up.

“Somethin' 'bout me rubbin' you th' wrong way?” Cherry wondered, leaning onto the bar and looking the young girl up and down.

“Rubbing Applejack the wrong way, more like it,” Rainbow Dash growled, sitting up onto her crossed arms and narrowing her eyes further, dropping her eyebrows dangerously over her gaze.

“Oh?” Miss Jubilee pretended not to know what she was talking about, but her devious grin gave away her guilt. “Do you have somethin' y'want t' say t' me?”

“I had to have this talk with you, my happiness depends on you,” came more words from the same song, and Applejack's jaw dropped incredulously. Rainbow nearly fell out of her seat, shifting in it to move to the edge and lean over at her. “And whatever you decide to do, Jubilee.”

“Heavens,” Applejack breathed, closing her eyes in embarrassment.

“What's that now?” Her boss seemed taken aback by that, and stifling a laugh, spoke on, “What are y'goin' on about?”

“I know what you've been doing to Applejack, and I won't stand for it,” she started suddenly, pressing her palm against the wood. “She told me everything.”

“Everything, did she?” Cherry laughed lightly, brushing off any sense of imminent trouble. Going over to the blonde, Miss Jubilee sized her up with intention in her eyes, before reaching out and touching the girl's cheek, trailing down to her chin despite the worried look on her freckled face. “Did she tell y'how it started? That she liked it?”

“Ah did not.” Applejack denied, though she did not pull away, as she was afraid of the consequences.

“You don't remember th' first night we were t'gether? Oh, you're breakin' ma heart, sugarplum,” she played like she was insulted, and Applejack appeared to have bought it. Whispering lowly in a sultry tone, Miss Jubilee spoke to her barmaid, “Ah remember it ever time Ah look into those gorgeous green eyes. Ah wrapped ma arms 'round that sexy waist o' yours and kissed you, an' sugar, you melted right into ma embrace.”

“That's not...” the blonde grumbled, looking down at her feet. “Ah didn't know what t' do, a-an' y'all had just saved ma farm an' ma family by gettin' me a job an' all...”

“Now Ah don't know who this young thing is t' you, but Ah won't have her comin' 'round an' try'na take ma barmaid away. Y'hear?” Jubilee's tone went dangerous once more, and a tingle climbed up Applejack's spine.

“Get away from her,” Rainbow barked once more, looking like she was about to leap across the counter. “Or I'll kill you.”

“Oh, darlin', you think so?” Cherry found the sentiment rather amusing, and laughed haughtily at the prospect. “Y'all should be careful who you're messin' with.”

“I'm not afraid of you,” the younger girl defied her, standing up and screeching the stool across the floor as she did. As she and Cherry faced off, Applejack felt an odd heat in the air, a dangerous mood. “How about we take this outside—just you and me, and we settle this.”

“Ah don't think you wanna be doin' that, sugar,” her boss murmured back, touching her hip and gently sliding the ruffles of her skirt up.

Applejack already knew what was hiding under her dress, holstered and buckled right over her fishnet stockings, but from where Rainbow Dash was sitting, she could not have seen it. Shimmering under the dull Joint lighting was the silver barrel of Cherry Jubilee's revolver. Her thumb pulled back the hammer threateningly, and both Applejack and Rainbow twitched when they heard it, though Rainbow was not certain where it came from. Glancing down at the source of the sound, Applejack noticed the barrel was pointed under the counter right towards Rainbow Dash. Determined to save the young girl, she intervened.

“Calm down, please. No need t' get violent. Miss Jubilee,” Applejack spoke up, though neither Cherry nor Rainbow looked over at her until the next few words escaped her mouth, “C-Can we just talk 'bout this like adults, somewhere a little more private, maybe?”

“What?” Rainbow growled as her and Jubilee's attention darted to Applejack. She stiffened up under their gazes, as clearly they had misinterpreted her intentions.

“A-Ah just mean that... that this ain't somethin' we should be discussin' at work, is all,” the barmaid tried to stay rational, noticing as Pinkie Pie cheerily crossed the lounge to greet some guests at the door. Applejack swallowed, giving a pleading look to her aggravated employer, whose finger still hovered over the trigger aimed at her lover. “Miss Jubilee... please. Please listen t' me.”

After a moment of silence, Cherry pushed the hammer back into place and released her hold on her pistol, leaning back against the counter, “Well, since y'went and asked s' nicely.” Extending her hand out to the barmaid, who shrunk under her lascivious glare, Miss Jubilee smiled and spoke, “Shall we?”

“Applejack,” Rainbow's whisper came out hurt, and it made the barmaid sad to hear.

“It's al'right Rainbow, what's the worst that could happen?” she tried to ease the girl's worry, building a makeshift smile over her concerned expression. “Ah have a lot t' say, is all. Let's try an' be adults about it.”

Applejack sighed in relief as she made certain the imminent danger to Rainbow's life was not present, knowing she had to do whatever it took to keep Rainbow Dash safe. Even if that meant having a difficult conversation or being alone with Cherry Jubilee. Reluctantly, the barmaid took Miss Jubilee's outstretched hand and allowed her to led her out from behind the bar. She could tell from her grip that Cherry was not pleased with her by any stretch of clemency, just she followed her along towards the office anyway. Rainbow watched Applejack leave, following her with a gaze when her feet could not make chase. For a moment or two longer than she should have waited, she hesitated going down there after them. After all, she knew Applejack had to deal with everything as tactfully as she could muster, and yet she was afraid that Cherry would not be so understanding.

Finishing the last of her Kamikaze, Rainbow Dash wiped her mouth and stormed off after her lover, taking the advice of her beverage and throwing herself to the wolves for some presumably good cause. By the time she reached the basement, however, the office door was closed. She could hear some muffled speaking from behind the door, which became easier to decipher as she placed her ear against the wood, but the knob itself had been locked up tight.

Inside the office, Applejack had to force herself to stop pacing, being rattled by the sudden need to explain her intentions to the woman she was so afraid of. Sitting down on the edge of Miss Jubilee's desk, a place she often was forced up against, Applejack brushed her bangs out of her face and took a calming breath. Her boss stood opposite her, a knowing and critical expression scrawled over her features.

“Al'right, let's not get ahead of ourselves or nothin', let's just start from the beginning.” Applejack tried to start.

“Ah'm listenin'” her boss seemed understanding, but something in her voice did not sound legitimate.

“Ah should have told ya, Ah know Ah should have, but, well we ain't really... together—you an' Ah, are we?” Without waiting for a response, Applejack went on, “Ah tried t' tell you Ah didn't want t' be your plaything no more, but, but Ah need this job, Miss Jubilee, Ah really do. Ah know you'll understand, Ah mean y'can't monopolize me, can you?”

“Ah don't think y' quite understand your position here, darlin',” Cherry Jubilee started, her crimson shaded eyes darkening. “Ah could get another bartender in a blink, an' Ah already have other cider salespeople knockin' at ma door. Th' only reason you're still here is 'cause Ah like ya.”

“Ah know that,” the barmaid solemnly agreed, nodding.

“And Ah think you're misunderstandin' quite how dangerous it is t' put yourself in here with me... alone.” Cherry told her firmly, and Applejack's hear skipped a beat.

“Um... Ah'm sorry, what?” the barmaid asked uneasily. Shifting under her gaze, she tried to be strong and keep on point. “Miss Jubilee, Ah said it's over. Ain't we gonna be adults about this? Ah ain't gonna work for you if that's what you want, but Ah'm tired of you threatenin' t' stop buyin' from my family. It ain't worth it. Al'right? Ah won't tell no one about what's been goin' on, we can just part ways if that's what's best.”

“Usually Ah'm all for mischeif,” she admitted with a shrug, a playful smile only flashing from her lips before her frown returned. “But this deceit, sugar? It don't make Cherry very pleased.”

“R-Right.” Another few nods.

“So Ah tell ya what. Ah'm all done bein' your sugar mama, an' Ah'm real tired of playin' nice with ya.” Miss Jubilee told her in a serious tone as she strode right up to her barmaid.

“Playin'... nice?” Applejack carefully repeated her words, her body tensing up as she heard such a thing.

“That's right. Now, my sweet, sweet little sugarplum,” Cherry reached out and caressed Applejack's face gently, noting the very nervous expression she touched. With a smirk, she took the barmaid more forcefully by the chin and demanded, “Ah'm takin' what Ah want.”

“What?” Applejack jerked back, but her attention darted to where Miss Jubilee's second hand went.

“Shut your little tramp mouth,” she spoke in a demeaning yet not entirely harsh voice, as her fingers unbuckled the gun in her holster and she removed it. Holding it right up to Applejack's nose, she told her, “An' open those sexy legs.”

“Cherry!” Rainbow's voice broke in through the door, as well as loud banging as she slammed her hands against it. “Cherry you'd better not lay one dirty hand on her!”

“Oh? You're still here?” said woman spoke as if she had forgotten about the young girl. Smiling over at Applejack, Miss Jubilee pressed her up against the usual desk, her hand trailing between the girl's legs to silently command her. “Ah don't think y'have much you can do either way, kiddo. If y'all could only see your little Dolly right now.”

“I'm going to call the police—I-I'll get Twilight, Pinkie—everyone!” She shouted stepping away from the door as if she was about to start running for help.

“W-Wait! Don't go doin' that, hold up Dash, please, don't make things worse,” Applejack pleaded, and Rainbow was unsure why. As Rainbow Dash glared at a closed door, the barmaid stared down the barrel of a pistol. “Y'gotta trust me on that one.”

Finally, Rainbow caught on that something seemed amiss. Gulping, as she feared to ask, she worked up the nerve to speak, “What does she have on you, Applejack?”

“Somethin' long, silver,” Miss Jubilee was who spoke next, taunting Rainbow Dash with what she could not see. “And deadly.”

“Wha—no! No. No, no no, Applejack!” Rainbow caught on, pounding more aggressively and fearfully on the door. In a voice that told she was nearly in tears, she called out, “Why did you go in there? Why did you trust her?! Damn it, Applejack!”

“Ah wasn't thinkin', Ah just wanted everything t' be solved, without yellin' or violence or... Ah wanted, Ah wanted...” Applejack could not even explain it, shaking her head sadly, regretting ever believing things might work out all right. She had been ignorant, naively thinking that Miss Jubilee would just let her loose like that. And she had been silly to think that she could handle herself alone around the woman, especially when she had never been able to do such a thing before.

“I'll get you out, I'll-I'll—” Rainbow tried to rationalize some solution, but nothing came to mind.

“Y'all should quit yellin' s' loud, someone might hear ya.” Cherry warned as she pulled back the hammer once more, sliding her finger gently over the trigger as the barmaid's eyes widened. “Y'all might startle me, an' make me do somethin' Ah'd regret.”

Giving up and pressing her forehead against the door, Rainbow gently whimpered, “Please... don't.”

“Sugarplum? Your move.” Cheery Jubilee said to her barmaid, raising her eyebrows as she anticipated a response. Reluctantly, Applejack's eyes fell, and she obediently spread her legs as Jubilee had silently requested. “That's what Ah thought.”

“D-Dash, y'ain't gotta listen t' this,” Applejack gave her an out, pursing her lips as she felt her boss slipping between her legs and touching her thighs.

“I'm not leaving you,” she said in a voice that tried to sound brave, but faltered. Swallowing shakily, she ran her hand gingerly over the cold door and tried to ease the girl it kept her from, “I'm right here, Applejack. It'll be okay.”

“Will it?” Miss Jubilee's question was haunting, and Applejack got goosebumps from the very ring of her voice, not to mention the words. As Cherry adjusted Applejack and pushed her skirt up her legs painfully slowly, she stroked the girl's smooth, stiff and nervous skin and told her, “Aww, just relax, darlin'. Ah got ya.” It did not sound nearly as comforting as it possibly should have.

“P-Please stop, y'ain't gotta do this,” Applejack begged her employer desperately.

Her twitching hands grabbed at the desk beneath her as her eyes softened on the door. She knew Rainbow was there, she knew the girl was probably just as horrified as the blonde was about the interchange. Refocused on her position by the commanding grip Miss Jubilee sunk into her tender thighs, Applejack winced, but gave no cry, yelp or shout to voice her agony.

“Oh, Ah do. Ah want you t' know just how angry Ah am with you. See, instead of ma usual collection of generous toys,” Cherry started in a dangerously taunting voice, and Applejack's eyes widened once more to notice the way the revolver moved away from being pointed between her eyes. She caught on immediately where her boss was going with that suggestion, and shifted in terror as the barrel pointed lower, and lower. “We're usin' somethin' a bit more interesting.”

“Miss Jubilee, w-what're you—?!” Applejack could not even muster the courage to ask, and by then, the aim of the devious iron-sight had drifted and caught onto a particular prize: right between the barmaid's legs.

“Don't y'think Ah deserve one last little date before y'go and leave, sugar?” her normally dark voice sounded childish as she toyed around with the dangerous weapon, spinning it once on her finger and making the blonde flinch nervously. “For old time's sake.”

“You're outta your damn mind,” Applejack snapped, frowning and leaning away in fear.

“Don't that just make it much more fun?” Cherry laughed in a pleased way, and Applejack's gaze locked onto the pistol as she gauged the likelihood of an escape. It did not seem plausible. As if reading her mind, Miss Jubilee reached out and grabbed Applejack by the back of her bright golden locks, squeezing and pulling until the barmaid hissed and relinquished her hesitance by submitting. “Don't even think about it, sugarplum. Ah'd hate t' have t' clean y'up off o' this desk.”

“...Yes ma'am,” Applejack responded through clenched teeth, feeling the cold metal of the revolver grazing her inner thigh.

As Cherry moved further in between Applejack's legs, she released a bit of the hold on her hair. She still controlled the young barmaid of course, and used that force to tip the girl's head a few uncomfortable fractions back before squishing their lips together. It was an awkward and horrible kind of kiss, as Applejack made no move to return it, and honestly felt like balling her eyes right out, but kept them tightly shut to try and block out the invasion. Applejack's body inadvertently jerked when she felt the icy touch of the barrel against her most personal and tender of parts, and it gently slid from one side to the other, moving her undergarments out of its way.

A gasp came as Miss Jubilee pulled her kiss away, and Applejack panted her first few breaths shakily. Sucking on her teeth to try and contain much less stifled noises, the barmaid was intently focused on the feeling of such a deadly object drawing circles over her most sensitive nub. The barrel rolled over her, and was surprisingly smooth despite her thoughts on the contrary.

Without warning, Miss Jubilee's smile spread like thick tar, and with it, her hand moved up further between Applejack's legs. This brought about a much more tortured whimper from Applejack, who tried to remain still in fears she might bump her employer's finger too roughly against the trigger. A sudden ram deeper and a throaty moan came simultaneously, and Applejack cursed herself for it as she noticed how loud it must have been. Loud enough to breach the door, at least.

“I'm right here, Applejack,” came a soothing understanding, Rainbow's distant voice so quiet and muffled it was hardly heard over the force of another unwelcome thrust. “I-I'm here.”

Miss Jubilee seemed to find some sick fascination in hearing Rainbow's stammer, and proceeded to endeavour to make it falter once more. Leaning against Applejack so closely their breasts squeezed against each other, Cherry ground her lips against Applejack's neck, opening them roughly to viciously bite at the delicate young flesh. Another pained yelp escaped the barmaid, and her quivering body became nothing but another commanded instrument to her employer.

“Damn it... Applejack...” came out in near sobs as Rainbow dug her fingernails into the hard door, rubbing her forehead against it like she could nestle against Applejack's chest to soothe her.

As much as she hated it, the barmaid could feel the risen cusp of metal on the end of the revolver's barrel scraping up against a particularly fond spot deep inside of her, rubbing it raw. Her stomach muscles tightened and shook with her pained breaths, and her expression twisted into anguish and disdain. The friction became too much, and Applejack gasped and called out in discomfort, her feet flexing and twitching from their spot hanging off the edge of the desk. The rocking of their two bodies was hardly any consolation, and the rough and rowdy bashing and slamming of the revolver deep inside of her was murder.

“You wonderin' what Ah'm wonderin'?” Miss Jubilee questioned suddenly over her barmaid's whimpers. Her soft, saddened green eyes opened slowly to exhaustedly gaze upon her rapist's expression, which was pleased and amused. She went on, heedlessly, “If this here revolver were anythin' like some member of manhood, what d'you think ejaculation might be?”

“You bitch!” Another shout from the door, and it saved Applejack from stammering out some incoherent response. “Don't talk to her like that! I-I'll kill you, I-I swear it!”

“Oh, Ah'm just teasin',” Cherry warmly responded, a familiar smile playing along her lips.

“P-Please,” Applejack gasped, but could hardly hear her own voice over the sound of the desk creaking and the blood pounding in her ears. She might not have been able to hear it if the gun had gone off. In fact, the way it scraped against her and invaded her, it already felt as though it had. Her somewhat muted and breathy voice came out with each thrust and shake of her body, “Please... stop, Ah-Ah... can't... please... Ah can't....”

“Applejack...” Rainbow whispered, her heart breaking as she heard one of the strongest women she had ever met... beg. A sobbing frown threatened to crack across her face, but she held it at bay, knowing she had to be strong for Applejack.

Denying Applejack her one request for just a little while longer, Miss Jubilee's devious intentions rushed on, striking into her prey more aggressively than before. Her groans turned to shouts as the invasion became so rough she could hardly bear it, and the barmaid pleaded to her employer's pride by leaning against her and squeezing desperately at her shoulders. Moaning a few more breathless begs against Miss Jubilee's chest, Applejack was finally appeased.

The friction slowed to a stop, and the blonde sighed in contentment, not being able to remember the last time she was so relieved. But of course, her momentary rest did not last, as the barrel of the pistol mocked her by so slowly exiting her body, and she gently moaned as it came fully out, dripping with her shameful fluids. Applejack tiredly glanced down between her employer's large and motherly breasts, seeing the pistol still in the woman's hands, leaving a thinning trail of moisture from her sex to the object of death. Her panting was heavy, and she could see little black flying dots all around her fading vision as she came out of her near comatose-inducing situation.

She was shoved back violently, and took the abuse without complaint, even as she knocked a good few folders and a phone off the desk. Her youthful eyes flashed up to Cherry's equally green yet dangerously narrowed ones, and Applejack swallowed uneasily from her position mostly laying back on the desk. The pistol was in front of her face again, and she nervously stared at it, anticipating another threat or two. It reflected the dim office lights and glistened with moisture, she unfortunately noticed.

“Y'best clean it off, sugarplum.” Cherry Jubilee demanded rather than suggested, and Applejack shyly looked back up to the woman. Her big, round eyes were darling and sorrowful, but Cherry was set on abusing them, and pressed the barrel of her revolver against Applejack's plump lips, which were swollen from biting back protests.

The pistol pressed harder against her lips, and she felt her own wetness on it. Obeying her employer, Applejack slowly opened her mouth, surprisingly yelping a muffled shout as the woman who controlled her shoved it deep inside. Applejack's eyes clamped shut as she tasted it, a metallic yet sweet flavour filling her mouth. It was odd to her how warm it felt against her squirming tongue, but she hurriedly set to completing her duty and licking the evidence away. Cherry seemed impressed by her prowess with her tongue, and lustfully watched the girl suck at the end of her pistol.

The older woman ground up against her barmaid, her stocking covered thigh roughly abrading Applejack's already tender loins. Moans hummed out through the invasion of the revolver in her mouth, and she made a face at how entirely awful she felt. Miss Jubilee was otherwise tender with her though, surprisingly, as she looped her arm under the blonde's lower back and held her dearly. Their inappropriately clashing bodies rocked and swayed on the desk until Applejack was sure it was too much, and she nearly choked on the barrel.

As Miss Jubilee gingerly removed it from her victim's mouth, she shook her head and sighed, explaining, “Ah don't know how Ah'll ever get along without you.”

“... Y-You'll manage,” Applejack lowly grumbled, wanting to wipe her mouth of the remnant fluids that had dripped down to her chin.

After a series of agile and accurate flicks of her wrist, which did their due diligence and plucked apart the laces of the barmaid's revealing outfit, Miss Jubilee tugged at the frills around Applejack's breasts, slowly revealing them. Applejack could not even look at the woman, and her face darkened with humiliation as she felt the barrel of the pistol slide up to her temple, playing with a few strands of her golden hair. Cherry pulled back suddenly, yanking the barmaid into a stumble after her as she found her shaky footing once more. As Applejack anxiously looked up at the crimson haired harlot, the woman before her ruffled the flowing crease in her dress until she revealed a particularly petrifying sight: Cherry's fishnet stockings, which led to the woman's matching red thong.

“Knees, now.” Cherry demanded, and Applejack hardly had time to respond before the revolver aimed at her once more, and her already beaten body collapsed to the floor beneath her.

Applejack stared at the floor as the woman's thong came down around her ankles in front of her, and she swallowed in fear. The silver revolver found her temple once more, and pushed hard as if direction her what to do. After hesitating, Applejack slowly looked up at her employer, keeping a stern expression as if it could dissuade the woman's evil intentions.

“Applejack? What's she making you do?” Rainbow asked pleadingly through the door, knocking lightly. She wasn't sure she could handle knowing, but she just had to ask. She had to. “Applejack?”

“...” her silence told a frightening story, and Rainbow Dash covered her mouth in terror once she imagined it.

“Ah can't do all th' givin', can Ah?” Miss Jubilee's voice tormented her, and Rainbow nearly lost it right there.

“No... no...” Rainbow cried, her trembling hand touching the obstacle she could not pass. Again, her fingernails scraped against it, and they felt like they might break from the force of her fury and fear.

“Ah... Ah'm sorry, Rainbow.” Applejack nearly whispered, but she hardly got through the last word, as by the Miss Jubilee had grabbed her by the back of the head once more.

Applejack winced as she was dragged the last foot on her hands and knees over to the woman, and through one eye she saw the ruffles of her employer's favourite dress stroking her cheek. Her breath caught in her throat as her mouth was covered, and the taste made her cringe and salivate at the same time. Her lack of action caused Miss Jubilee to prod her with the pistol once more, and Applejack knew there was no other way out.

“That's it.” Cherry moaned as she felt her barmaid's mouth open against her, though it was reluctant and detached. Bucking her large, rounded hips against Applejack, she sighed contently and pressed the young girl deeper, taunting, “Just like that, my sweet, sweet sugarplum. Just like that.”

“Applejack, goddamn it, Applejack, I shouldn't have said a-anything, I s-should have let y-you...” Rainbow's breath frantically jumped and fell, and her own legs gave out from underneath her. Losing her strength and crumbling to her knees, Rainbow Dash sobbed hard against the impermissible door, feeling the salty tears scratching against her pitiful and pathetic expression. She continued to cry out, her uneven voice faltering at ever syllable, “It... It's... a-all my... my f-fault, I-I'm so, so sorry...”

Just to spite the defeated young girls, Miss Jubilee raised one leg and wrapped it around her barmaid, pulling the girl deep between her legs and scraping her heeled shoes against the blonde's lower back. She mused a hum of contentment as she forced Applejack to work harder, using a successful regiment of pulling on her hair and threatening her with the revolver. She even enjoyed the way that her barmaid twitched with each silenced sob of her own, her begging hands squeezing at Cherry's fishnet-clad thighs.

“Whenever you an' that little tramp 're together, y'best remember everythin' that you an' Ah have done.” Miss Jubilee reminded her, and Applejack's heart pained as she feared it to be the truth. “Y'best remember this.”

As her employer was silenced by the movement between her legs, Applejack worked hard to negotiate herself out of the situation. There she was, pathetic and useless, a heap on the floor who had been completely dominated and defiled, and she was powerless to stop any of it. Her selfish need to live, to continue to love Rainbow Dash, to try and protect her family, those things damned her. Were she ballsy enough to defy her employer, to risk the bullet, perhaps she would not have to hurt her lover so much, perhaps she would not have to find a new job. Perhaps she should have just left well enough alone, perhaps she should have taken the sweet release of death. And yet, she knew she had to live on, she had to work to make it up to her family... to Rainbow Dash.

As the intimate space between her legs throbbed with the agony of imprudent penetration, and as the secreting juices of a woman she loathed with her whole being trickled down her chin and slipped into her cleavage, Applejack seriously feared whether or not she would be able to make love again.

A great breath was provided to Applejack as Miss Jubilee yanked her head away, allowing her the blessed freshness of free air. She coughed and choked loudly, falling to her hands weakly as Cherry took a step back and revelled in the aftermath of her victory. Tears, mixed potentially with other fluids, fell to the ground near her palms, and her whole body shook pitifully. Applejack noticed Miss Jubilee kneel down in front of her, and felt the woman take her by the chin once more.

With an infuriatingly pleased grin, her employer gratefully praised, “Why thank ya, sugarplum. Y'all were great.”

Another kiss was shared between them, though the enjoyment of it was one-sided at best. Applejack was too disgraced to summon enough will to forcefully pull away, but she managed at last. Miss Jubilee seemed to let her have her disobedience just once, pulling away and standing back up as she played with her revolver.

“Well, Ah guess that's all Ah need your sorry rear for.” Cherry growled as she glared down at her barmaid, who made her way to her feet while avoiding eye contact.

“Ah... Ah hate you,” Applejack finally mustered the courage to murmur, having lost everything else, her dignity included.

“Oh that don't bother me too much, honey,” Miss Jubilee chuckled at the prospect, watching Applejack angrily do up the laces on her outfit once more. "Get on with your mediocre life, now that y'ain't got me t' keep you company. For now."

Slapping Applejack's rear once more, which made the barmaid jump in shock, Cherry strode over to the door and waited for Applejack to follow. As she did, the crimson haired woman held her firearm up once more before unlocking the door and allowing the two lovers to see each other once more.

Their eyes met solemnly between them, and for a moment, neither could move. They both gulped uneasily, unsure how badly the other was plagued by what had transpired. As last though, Applejack nearly fell to Rainbow's side, wrapping her arms around the younger girl and holding her tightly against her trembling chest. Rainbow Dash continued to sob lightly as she tried to get a hold of herself, reaching up and wrapping her weak arms around the barmaid lovingly. Her amaranth eyes opened suddenly though, and their determined stare was set on the woman who had tried to destroy her.

“You won't get away with this,” Rainbow told her sternly, her voice still hoarse from crying.

“Oh, y'all could go blabbin' all over th' city, and ain't no one gonna believe you, darlin',” Cherry knew this for a fact it seemed, and both girls turned to glare at her as she went on. “Ah'm a well-respected woman, y'see. Seems to any objective observer, darlin', that you have clearly been drinkin', an' ma little sugarplum here just lost her job. Plenty o' reason for doubt if y'ask me. An' trust me, Ah always make certain not t' leave any evidence. Bet on that.”

Applejack already knew too well that Miss Jubilee covered her tracks. She was willing to wager that the woman would find a way to dispose of that very pistol in case the police were to try and find Applejack's DNA on it, or to match it to any abrasions left inside of the poor barmaid. There was no hope.

Rainbow Dash shook with rage, and she could hardly find the requisite words to express her fury, “You're a devil, a goddamn devil.”

Cherry Jubilee seemed to like the remark, and looked down at her crimson dress fondly, responding with, “Well, Ah do look gorgeous in red.”

“How... How could you do such a thing, you, you crazy bitch?! How could you?!” Rainbow spat, and Applejack had to hold her to keep her from charging at the woman and getting herself killed. Rainbow did, however, grab the red bow tie from around her neck and rip it clean off, dropping it to the ground in front of her as a statement of her disgust at the woman.

For a moment, Miss Jubilee was silent. While she wanted to scream some more, something about the shift in mood stalled Rainbow Dash, as well. Her expression shifted to confusion as she saw Miss Jubilee's eyes soften to solemn for an instant, an a small false smile failed to hold up for more than a second. Applejack wondered what took her so long to respond, so she, too, met her employer's questionable gaze.

In a voice that was so quiet it was hardly audible at all, the woman revealed, “You ain't th' only one who loves her, y'know.”

“W-What?” both girls were uncertain if they heard it correctly, but they never had the chance to find out, as Jubilee's harsh exterior returned.

“Now get outta ma Joint, before Ah call th' cops an' tell them how you're takin' your firin' so hard that you're tresspassin' where you ought not to,” Cherry told them seriously, pointing her free hand down the empty hallway threateningly. “Ah said get, before Ah change ma mind 'bout sparin' your little rainbow-haired plaything.”

Rainbow kept one arm protectively around Applejack as she warned Miss Jubilee, “You'll regret this. I promise.”

Cherry simply smiled, holding out her pistol towards the young girl and saying, “Do your worst, kiddo.”

Author's Note

Whoa, first chappy in this particular fic to breach the 10k words mark! A good one, no doubt. Started off light, aaaaaaand we're back to the dark matter that riddles this story.
Sorry about the (literal) trigger warning there, folks! But hey... at least... um... is there a bright side?... Isn't... there?

Open Bar

XXII. Open Bar

Her breath could have obscured her vision had she stood still enough to let it linger; the heat of it was blistering in the cold winter air. However, with each heave and ho, Applejack swung through the chilled air and placed another large barrel or box into the back of her delivery truck. Wiping the sweat or frost from her tired brow, she bent down to retrieve the last of her shipment, hoisting it into the bed once more. As the farmer looked over her haul, she was pleasantly surprised to find it so full, and hopefully anticipated a decent income that weekend.

“That's all of it,” her brother's deep voice broke louder than his heavy boots through the fresh snow, as he approached Applejack and finished the inventory check list.

“Not lookin' like a bad delivery, Mac,” Applejack told the older man, casting him a casual smile.

“It's a start,” he agreed, nodding and adjusting the cap on his thick skull.

“Yea',” Applejack understood the sentiment, as she knew well that one good delivery would hardly put them financially in any favour. Swallowing the guilty and dreadful lump in her throat, she kept her tone light, “Well, we best get goin' on, don't wanna make a reputation o' bein' late.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed, pulling his pipe out of his pocket so he could adequately reach the truck keys.

As her older brother ducked his head and passed her without another word, Applejack frowned and her face settled to the contemplative and worrisome stone it had grown accustomed to setting. The cold air hardly bothered her when she had so much on her mind, and even though her fingers numbed beneath her gloves, she did not get into the truck right away. Glancing down at her clothed hands, she slightly relaxed, imagining how silly she would be had she been wearing the kind of gloves that her lover used to adore. She remembered the time that Rainbow Dash had stuffed her icicle-like fingers into her shirt, and how she used to hold them and rub them warm back in Jubilee's Joint. But that pub was in the past now, that part of her life was over, and she had to focus on her duties at home rather than her juvenile desires.

Applejack paused once more before reaching the vehicle, as she caught sight of her younger sister standing a few paces away from the delivery truck. The young girl looked adorable and small, all bundled up in two jackets and a thick scarf that her grandmother had knitted for her back when she was young enough to have it reach her ears if she wrapped it around her neck right. The two siblings stared at each other for a moment as Apple Bloom tried to think up what to say, and eventually her mittens tugged at the hem of the scarf and pulled it down so her mouth was free to speak.

“Rumble's gettin' some firewood for t'night, s'gonna be a cold one.” Apple Bloom started a casual conversation, something she rarely did.

“Right, Ah heard that too,” Applejack concurred. “Keep inside, al'right? Ah won't be long.”

“You headin' out with Mac?” she asked in a timid voice, or perhaps it was apprehensive, Applejack could hardly tell as the wind bit playfully at her ears.

“Yea', he asked me to. An extra pair o' arms'll make th' trip shorter,” Applejack explained plainly, trying on another false confident smile.

“'Kay,” she said with a nod, and a cute smile crossed her features as her eyes lit up a fraction. “Ah'd say t' drive safe, but he always drives like Granny.”

“Yea', Ah ain't worried.” Her older sister chuckled at the prospect.

“See ya... oh,” Apple Bloom was about to wave her off, but another confusing look flashed in her eyes. “An' have fun, don't rush back 'r nothin'. Y'all deserve some time away from workin' an' all.”

“Uh,” Applejack wasn't sure what she meant by that, but nodded anyway. “Sure.”

With a wave back at her younger sister, Applejack pulled open the truck door and hopped inside, slamming it behind her. The engine was already on as Big Mac heated up the interior, and while she buckled up he switched the gears and pulled away. The wind shield wipers scraped at the few remnants of ice that clung to the window, as Big Mac hadn't quite defrosted all of it. Grabbing at the lever beneath the seat, Applejack adjusted her backrest three times until it was right, the old contraption jerking back and forth with every press.

Applejack always used to love driving into the city, when she was younger. It was so big and bright and open, full of opportunities and potential. And she had loved it again when she knew that Rainbow Dash resided somewhere within it, even though she had rued going back to Jubilee's Joint. In fact, she remembered that the Joint was still right along the delivery route, and dreaded when she would have to look upon it again, which would be much sooner than she would have liked.

For the moment, with her seat shifted back, she was faced nearly directly towards a familiar high rise building. A smile melted across her cool cheeks as she recalled the evening when she had climbed such a structure and met her Rainbow Dash inside for a certainly heated night. If she looked carefully, even from such a distance she could nearly make out the girl's balcony. Even though the two of them had not seen each other since they left Jubilee's Joint, her heart still raced at the thought of her. She missed the little rascal.

A low grumble from the back of Big Mac's throat caught Applejack's attention, and she followed his narrowed and accusatory gaze out the wind shield. Her heart stopped immediately as she recognized the building, and she debated slinking down in her seat so that any wandering eyes creeping from the windows might miss her. However, the nearer they drove towards the establishment, the clearer it became that the whole place was empty. There was a sign hanging on the front door, too, and Applejack read it aloud.

“Closed,” she recited in a confused and disbelieving tone. “Jubilee's Joint ain't never closed at this time. Wonder what's goin' on?”

“Ah bet they couldn't find no one t' replace their ace barmaid,” her brother kept the conversation light, but his spiteful look still lingered on the passing pub.

“Yea', that ain't it,” Applejack murmured with a chuckle, shaking her head and trying not to appear too obvious with the way she stared at the Joint in the rear-view mirror. She couldn't admit aloud that she missed the place, somehow.

There was silence once more, and the two siblings were unusually uncomfortable with it. Often the two went long periods of time without directly speaking, as Big Mac was rarely much for words and Applejack respected that, having a close enough relationship with him to understand him non-verbally. But that afternoon, it was awkward, forced, and stuffed with things unspoken. But though there was much that he wanted to say, Big Mac did open his mouth to utter but one burning question.

“... Are you happy, AJ?” came a deeper inquiry than Big Mac usually intended, and it struck Applejack silent for a moment more. Glancing over at her brother, she pondered the answer carefully before speaking.

“Where'd that come from?” she evaded the question entirely, and the older man noticed it right away.

“Ah'm wonderin', is all,” he told her with a shrug, glancing over at her as the road was disinteresting. “Y'all've been workin' real hard at th' farm, up an' left th' city fer us. Your head ain't with us though, Ah can tell. S' tell me, are y'really happy?”

“Ah...” Applejack had never been good at lying, especially to her family. This was no different, though she smiled a sad smile and dropped her hat over her eyes to reveal it, “Naw, Ah ain't. But we've got bigger problems than whether Ah'm smilin' or not, Mac.”

“There ain't much bigger problems, sis,” he murmured, his narrowed eyes darting between her and the rear-view. “Ah'm glad y'came out t' th' city with me again, then.”

“You are?” she inquired innocently, adjusting her hat as the whistling breeze from the broken slit of the passenger's window had knocked it off centre.

“Y'all need t' be out here, doin' what y'want to. You're too good t' be wastin' your life takin' care of us ol' beans.” Mac joked, but there was a serious message in his speech, there always was. “Ah hope y'find somethin' that works for you, AJ. Ah'm just glad y'got people 'round who care 'bout you s'darn much.”

“Pardon?” his younger sister questioned what he meant by that.

“C'mon, Ah know that Dash girl ain't stickin' 'round for th' free drinks,” Big Mac smirked at his younger sister, who blushed to hear the girl's name mentioned.

“Yea', well,” Applejack murmured uneasily, fidgeting with her fingers and defying her reflex to smile. “Ah don't think she's gonna be doin' much stickin' 'round.”

“Ah wouldn't be s' sure,” he replied ambiguously in a quiet voice, turning the wheel around several times to complete a hard turn.

Perking up at the change of course, Applejack glanced around uncertainly before speaking up, “This ain't the usual route, is it?”

“It's in th' itinerary.” Mac pushed the clipboard across the dash, where it was resting as they drove. Applejack took it casually and scanned it, finding his statement to be true.

“Huh, yup.” Applejack nodded and replaced the clipboard, feeling silly for doubting the driver.

She was, however, rather unfamiliar with the neighbourhood at first, having never really taken much time to peruse the area for leisure. It was pleasant, bright, and rather close to where Rainbow Dash lived, if she thought about it. The snow made the whole area look like an untouched canvas, thick with snow and tucked in tight. Her brother ducked once more to the left, slinking behind a few old shops and getting on to an alleyway.

It took another perhaps ten to thirty seconds before the truck slowed behind a particular building. It was tall, clearly old, and built up of wood and brick. Despite it being somewhat run-down or not taken care of quite properly, there was such potential that it shone like a beacon in the already bright white alley. In Applejack's eyes, it was brilliant and gorgeous in its simplicity and charm.

Both siblings opened their truck doors at the same time, swinging their boot-clad heels into the foot-high snow-bank. Even for the rear doors of a building, through which deliveries like their were almost always carried, it was quiet, and hardly a snowed-over depression was left by the door to tell anyone had been there that day at all. Hesitantly, Applejack reached out and pressed a little silver button, one which alerted any insiders to their presence with a buzzing noise. However, after two or three more presses, the Apple siblings were still left out in the cold.

“Little rude, wouldn't y'say?” Applejack grumbled, kicking at the thinning snow beneath the slight overhang. “Jus' not answerin' 'r nothin'.”

“Why don't you head 'round t' th' front door? Buzzer could be broke.” Mac tried to make sense of it, shrugging as he sent his younger sister around the building with a point of his thumb.

“Ah'm doin' all th' legwork, ain't Ah?” she questioned with a playful smirk, and her brother returned it twofold.

“Trust me, y'all'll wanna do this y'self,” he ushered her along, and though she didn't know what he meant by that, she followed obediently.

“Uh, sure,” she agreed reluctantly, stepping with high knees to avoid kicking the snow all around and into her boots.

Digging her hands into her pockets, Applejack fought off the hissing breeze and walked around the building. It wasn't difficult to find her way towards where the door would be, but as she looked at it, she noticed that all the lights were off. She was about to begin huffing and grumbling with disdain, when she paused to really take a look at the joint. It was clearly under renovations, as some tools were still laying about and such.

Yet, something stalled her to look closer. Perhaps it was the name, perhaps it was the odd chill she got as she looked upon it, one that did not scare her, but excited her. Perhaps, indeed, it was feeling a familiar presence so near.

“It's not much to look at, I admit.” The barmaid froze from more than the cold as she heard that endearingly raspy and nonchalant tone. “But it's a start.”

“A start?” Applejack repeated as she turned around to face the girl who addressed her, and came face to face with her all bundled up in a thick scarf, rosy-nosed as if she had been waiting nearby for a good deal of time.

“Yeah, I mean, you can't expect it to be the most talked-about pub in town on opening day, can you?” the girl teased with a smile, easily moseying over to Applejack and joining her in staring at the structure before them. “Soon enough, everyone will know the name.”

“The name?” Applejack was still somewhat lost, and turned to stare at her dear friend closely.

“The Cider Cellar, exclusively featuring the renowned Apple Family Cider,” Rainbow Dash revealed with a casual shrug, and a smirk crossed her face as the two of them met gazes once more. “Served in hollowed-out apples. Your idea, if I recall correctly.”

“Uh, yea', Ah...” the barmaid wasn't sure what else to say, and her confused expression delighted Rainbow Dash. “Ah'm sorry, what's goin' on, exactly? Ah'm a little confused.”

“This old place was a bargain, no one seems to want to invest in archaic looking pubs these days. But then again, they don't have such infatuating barmaids as I do.” Rainbow closely approached Applejack, holding her hand out with some small book clasped fondly at the bottom. “The job's yours, if you want it.”

Taking the book, Applejack read it over without hesitation, and recognized it instantly. It was her very same worn-out copy of The Bon Vivant's Companion, complete with a fading receipt for a Blue Blazer tucked inside. She could hardly even comprehend how to question the situation, and sort of looked up dumbly at Rainbow Dash.

“Twilight grabbed it, on her way out of the Joint. Things went to hell without you, you know.” came more of an explanation. “And once I explained that Jubilee had been exploiting your hard work—omitting the nitty gritty, I might add—the rest of them followed suit: Spike, Rarity, Pinkie, even Fluttershy, despite her new boyfriend's protests.”

“They all quit? But why?” Applejack wondered with a solemn look, as she would be more than upset if her failings had lost her good friends their jobs.

“Another opportunity came up,” Rainbow vaguely suggested, a grin crossing her face.

“Hey!” a more chipper and loud voice rolled over the fresh snow, and Applejack glanced to the now open window in the side of the old bar house. “We've got lots of work to do before we open, get your butts in here before they freeze!”

“Pinkie Pie?” Applejack named her with some surprise, and the girl briefly waved before ducking back inside.

“Come on, boss, try out your new key.” And with those words, Rainbow easily flung a keyring at the barmaid, complete with front and rear door keys.

“Boss?...” The blonde caught them easily, glancing at the way they fit in her palm before approaching the main doors.

Though the lock was a little charmingly finicky, Applejack had no trouble opening it, and with a great heave, thrust the doors ajar. It was darker inside, since she had been accustomed to the bright white of the fresh snow, but once her eyes adjusted, they lit up. Pinkie Pie immediately set to turning all the lights on, which glowed along the ceiling between arched rafters and tall wooden support beams. Chairs and tables littered the spacious room, pulled together for large parties and lining the walls with booths. Everything looked classic yet restored, comfortable and yet casual. With a look of awe on her face, Applejack took another astounded few steps into the doorway, glancing in each direction with stupor.

Cheering and clapping caught her attention at once, and she glanced over to the large bar-counter to see all of her old friends and co-workers crowding around it. Even Octavia, who was never much for displays of obnoxious affection, smiled at the barmaid and cast her a friendly wave. Applejack gaped at their welcome, and was pushed several paces closer by a bemused Rainbow Dash.

“You're all here?” Applejack asked an obvious question, and her friends seemed pleased to see her so bewildered.

“Of course! Jubilee's Joint was a mess without you,” Vinyl chimed in with a smirk.

“This place will be a hundred times better: no stingy, exploitive boss, no unreliable co-workers,” Rainbow started off, and smirked as another reason crossed her mind. “And no skimpy uniforms, though Rarity is still content with donning the old dress.”

“Hey,” Rarity piped up in an offended tone, crossing her arms over her somewhat revealed bosom.

“How'd y'even afford all o' this?” Applejack asked incredulously.

“I had a little debt with my old man I thought I should call in,” Rainbow vaguely explained, though Applejack knew to what she referred. “It's not hard to convince a businessman of a little investment, and with all his connections in advertising, there's already a hype generating about this place. And about the Apple Family Cider business.”

“Y'did all this... for me?” the barmaid weakly asked, hope brimming in her eyes.

“I told you, when we first met, that you'd be seeing more of me.” Rainbow Dash reminded her, reaching out and gingerly stroking her cold cheek with her gloved fingers, which Applejack recognized as the pair she had made for her a few weeks earlier. “And I meant it. There's no way I'd let some busty old broad keep us apart. Got it?”

“Y-Yea',” Applejack reverently nodded, her loving eyes set on the most wonderful girl she had ever met.

“Of course, you're going to have to teach me how to make those awesome drinks of yours,” Rainbow added with a casual shrug. “I can't let you have all the fun behind the bar all by yourself, can I?”

“You best be ready t' learn then, kiddo,” she teased back, prodding Rainbow in the ribs with a poke. “And you're gonna really hafta work, for once.”

“I know, I know. I need the money, so no slacking,” the younger girl agreed readily, adding, “I have to hold a stable job to keep the bills paid until the Wonderbolts come around in the Spring for their annual recruitment. Me and the brat have to eat, after all.”

“Quit calling me that,” Scootaloo grumbled in false irritability from her spot beside the rest of the group.

“Oh, and there's one more thing, Dolly.” Rainbow took Applejack by the hand and led her behind the bar at once, nearly skipping past her co-workers cheerily.

With an amused smile, Applejack willingly allowed the young girl to guide her around, following close behind until they came right around the bar. Rainbow immediately ducked under the counter, opening some wooden cabinet tucked under the shelves of alcohol. Though Applejack was initially confused, her expression brightened upon catching sight of the object that Rainbow Dash removed from storage. There, clutched in her careful little hands, was Applejack's favourite old banjo.

“My banjo,” she gasped incredulously, taking it into her hands at once and running her hands over the freshly polished neck. “How did you—?!”

“A girl's got her ways, Dolly, though those Flim Flam brothers sure are a hard pair to barter with,” she added in a murmur, but a smirk stayed sprawled across her features as she watched how happy the thing had made her barmaid. “Well? What do you think?”

“It... it's all too much,” Applejack started, shaking her head in disbelief.

“No, Applejack,” Rainbow strode right up to her again, placing a hand on her own as it rested on the body of her banjo. “Everybody knows how hard you've worked, what you've put yourself through to take care of everyone who's important to you. But now? Now it's our turn, to make sure that you get everything you deserve. You deserve loyal friends, a good, stable job, a means to keep your family's farm afloat without regrets or having to sell your most precious things, someone to love you and be there for you, for once. And, baby, I Will Always Love You.”

Touched by both the incredible amount of devotion in Rainbow's voice and by her always charming humour, Applejack chuckled lightly before replying, “Ah'll always love you too, ya crazy thing.”

“Great, now on to the fun stuff,” Rainbow happily clapped, turning to face the rest of the group. “You want to go open the delivery door, squirt? Our newest hostess should be suited for such a job.”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. But you'd better not be thinking about bringing your girlfriend home with us, it's hard enough to sleep on the couch without having to hear you two up all night,” Scootaloo retorted snidely, though her playful smirk betrayed the grouchy tone she tried to use.

“We're moving out like two days, I think you can survive on the couch till then,” Rainbow replied, sticking her tongue out and patting her younger sister on the back until she hurried off. With a fond sigh, she told Applejack, “Cute kid.”

“Reminds me of someone,” the barmaid replied, nudging the younger girl teasingly.

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow repeated what her sister had responded with, and snickered to have heard it. Getting back to the subject at hand, she looked over at Vinyl, “You can finish setting up your equipment now. Everyone else? We still have a lot to do to get this place ready for opening day, so let's get a good groove going, cool?”

“A groove?” Applejack wondered, but by then Rainbow had taken in a large breath and was set on keeping the attention on the barmaid.

“Ol' Applejack was loved by everyone she ever knew,” Rainbow Dash began singing loudly, clapping her hands in time until some others began to join in. “Applejack picked apples, but she picked the banjo too.”

“What?” the barmaid was surprised by the girl’s actually quite soothing voice, but more surprised as Rainbow grabbed her hands and placed them into the playing position of the banjo, ushering her forward.

“Play a song for me, Applejack, Applejack!” She continued, and after a short chuckle, Applejack joined in which a light and playful tune on the instrument, matching Rainbow's rhythm. Several others joined in with clapping or harmony, and Rainbow Dash continued her tune, “Play a song for me, and I'll sing! Everybody! Play a song for me, Applejack, Applejack! Play a song, let your banjo ring!”

Recognizing the song as one of Parton's tunes, Applejack smirked and remarked to the younger girl, “Y'all really love your Dolly, don't you?”

Grinning, Rainbow leaned closer to her barmaid and replied, “Yeah, I really do.”

While Applejack continued to pick at the banjo and their friends hummed or kept the beat, Rainbow shifted closer and managed to plant a kiss on the barmaid's lips. This only spurred the cheers of several of their co-workers, and a few surprised or gleeful gasps. Though it only lasted for a few seconds, Applejack wouldn't hesitate to call it one of the best moment's of her life. For just an instant, everything that she had been through seemed worthwhile. Though there was still so much uncertainty, Applejack and Rainbow Dash for once felt at ease. Without the looming pressures of an employer or a father, the two could finally look to the future and anticipate success or happiness.

“And they lived happily ever after!” Pinkie Pie nearly screamed with bright eyes, a smile beaming on her face and shoving dimples into her chubby cheeks.

“Ah done told you, this ain't a fairy tale, Pinkie,” Applejack replied with a weird look on her face.

“Why not?” Pinkie questioned with big, oblivious eyes. “The prince fights on through various trials, and after saving the princess from the fire-breathing dragon—Miss Jubilee—the two escape to their own castle—The Cider Cellar—and rule the kingdom together!”

“Does that make me the prince?” Rainbow Dash wondered, when a smirk cross her features once more. “I'm cool with that.”

“You're all nuts,” Applejack murmured, shaking her head with a light laugh as she put her banjo down on the back counter carefully.

“Hey, hey, you know what this occasion calls for?” Rainbow rushed out from behind the bar, bouncing up and down with her hands on the counter and an excited look seeping over her features. “A very, very special drink, one reserved for only your lovely prince?”

“Oh? That so?” the barmaid replied casually, but after acting aloof about it and drowning Rainbow in anticipation, she finally agreed, searching around for two perfectly sized metal tankards. “That's a little dangerous, but Ah could make it work. Ah guess Ah could risk a little fire for a happy ending.”

“Oh baby, it'll be a very happy ending.” Rainbow remarked with a devious little grin, and Pinkie burst out laughing immediately and nearly fell right over.

“Yuck. I'm standing right here,” another voice butt in, and Rainbow glanced over her shoulder to see her younger sister standing behind her with an armful of Apple Family Cider, beside the behemoth Big Mac who was carrying the same.

“Hey squirt, cop a squat over here, Dolly's about to show you something really awesome,” Rainbow plopped down on a barstool and patted the one beside her.

“What is it?” Scootaloo asked curiously, coming over and sitting beside her older sister.

“Something she did for me the very first night we met,” the rainbow-haired girl recited like it was scripture, and several of the other workers paused to hear a familiar story that Applejack had told them perhaps months ago. Watching the way Applejack looked at the girl and the way she gathered her ingredients under dim lighting, they already knew, but Rainbow spoke the words anyway, “A Blue Blazer.”

Applejack took hold of a long-nosed lighter she found conveniently placed by the point of sale system, and set to lighting one of the tankards ablaze. As the lights fell dark around her, all she could see was the immediacy of space in front of the bar, where Rainbow Dash had always sat. Over the pouring blue flame that danced over her face, Applejack stared into the eyes of her lover once more, feeling the same infatuation and allure that had captured her attention so many nights ago, on an evening such as that. As ever she did, the barmaid fondly remembered the first time she had met that crazy girl.

Author's Note

At last, it's pretty much done! I'm probably going to make a flash-forward epilogue to finish it off, but for now, this is something of an official end. I can't believe I've been working on this since like November of last year... and it was originally supposed to be a little side-project to Hail Mary. Crazy. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading, I hope this ending (and the coming epilogue) is satisfying! Comments on the whole story?
(Also, yes, the cover art was changed. The old one can still be found on my Deviantart, where I am also known as Ezrienel)

Blue Blazer

xx~~The Barmaid~~xx

I. Blue Blazer

The barmaid fondly remembered the first time she had met that crazy girl. It had been another late, desolate Tuesday evening: not much at all for business, but it did give her a good chance to get ahead on some cleaning duties. She had taken apart some of the nozzles on the soda-pop machine and was cleaning them all out, had them spread across the back counter. It was never very busy on Tuesdays, but that Tuesday was especially slow. The entire lounge had been empty for some time, and due to the shortness of the staff in Jubilee's Joint, the barmaid herself was left to watch the door just down the stairs across the lounge. Not that it was very difficult, considering the lack of patrons.

Wiping some imagined sweat from her forehead with the back of her unfortunately frilled sleeve and tipping her hat back, the barmaid looked down at her name-tag, and noticed several white spots across it. That must have happened when she had changed the CO2 and cream in the whipped cream tins; it had sprayed back at her the way it often did. She frowned and licked her thumb, running it along the metal, engraved tag and wiped it with her collar until the shine looked right. It may have been upside-down, but it clearly read her name in perfect text and sizing: Applejack.

The chiming bell that signalled the door opening gave her something of a fright, as she seldom could hear it over the usual chatter of the lounge and whatever duties she had been performing. She ran her hands under water to make sure they were clean, though it stung a bit since she had used more hot than cold. She shook them gently and dried them on a paper towel, using it to turn off the handle as per proper procedure. She turned and looked over her shoulder to see the guest approaching her, all bundled up in a big, stuffed-up jacket with a wide hood. It saved her the time of going out from behind the bar, across the lounge and down the stairs to greet them, anyway.

The guest sat down right in the middle of the bar stools that bordered the counter, and Applejack noticed the dark, fingerless gloves that touched the edge as the guest pulled the stool up closer. Pale fingers were quite striking against the dark granite of the counter, but Applejack waited to speak as the guest began removing them finger by finger. Twisting the nozzle back onto the soda-pop dispenser, Applejack curiously watched her guest shed clothes out of the corner of her eye and under the brim of her brown Stetson.

The gloves were shoved haphazardly into the pocket of that large jacket, and the shivering bare hands seemed much too small to suit the overcoat. As that was unbuttoned and a scarf was pulled roughly from under the hood, more pale skin became visible. The guest reached up and took hold of the top of their hood, tossing it back off of their head in a furious motion, revealing the most gorgeous hair Applejack had ever laid her eyes on.

She couldn't help but stare as the guest—who she could now identify as a woman—flipped her hair out and displayed all the brilliant colours of the spectrum right there on her head. The woman's face was slightly pink from the cold, which matched her shining and youthful eyes, but her sharp and feminine features were undeniably attractive. Applejack swallowed anxiously as she felt herself flush a bit at the girl's beauty, but regained her composure and opened her mouth to speak in that same nonchalant, low tone of hers.

“Howdy there.” Applejack extended a casual nod as she placed the drink nozzle into the cradle and moved towards the refrigerated box that frosted glasses. “Can Ah getcha somethin' t'drink?”

“I guess the name Jubilee's Joint is what's keeping everyone away,” the girl avoided the initial question in favour of admiring Applejack's own unique appeal, her eyes crawling over the barmaid's body suggestively. “Because the staff here sure is fine.”

“Beg pardon?” Applejack blinked with surprise to hear such a remark, especially from a woman who seemed no older than herself.

“That accent is adorable,” the girl continued with a cheeky smirk, her thin eyebrows pointing aggressively at the ends. She pursed her lips and stared at Applejack's hands as they drummed over the metal handle of the refrigerated box she had waited for confirmation to open. “I bet you sing really well too, fingers like those probably dance across guitar strings.”

Applejack looked at her own hands and took them off the box at once, though she opted to keep her cool by grabbing the nearby cloth and tossing it onto her shoulder. The girl at her bar was certainly strange, but the barmaid wasn't certain she found that unappealing. She cracked a suave smile of her own, which must have spread her freckles across her face, and kept up the conversation carefully.

“What, y'think every blonde southern gal is a country-western singer?” Applejack asked passively, lifting an eyebrow and leaning against the counter with one hand.

“Only the cute ones,” the girl ventured a compliment, and Applejack was once again stalled by the unwarranted statement.

“You're the one showin' up in a Coat o' Many Colours, sugarcube,” Applejack remarked as her eyes were once again drawn to the guest's brilliantly coloured hair. Even if she wasn't a country singer herself, Applejack did know a thing or two about them, and could slip in a Dolly Parton reference where she pleased. This did not seem to go unnoticed by the girl across the counter.

“You gonna write a song about it, Dolly?” the girl asked simply, her smile turning to a confident grin.

“Dolly, huh?” Applejack chuckled a bit at the nickname and dropped her hat over her eyes in a shy habit, but actually found the name kind of flattering and cute. Her laughter fell to light huffs as she stood back up and put her hands on her hips, meeting the eye-line of her guest firmly. “So, what's y'poison?”

“Whatever you'll wet my lips with, baby.” The girl winked at her, but it did not catch her off guard this time.

Applejack was rather good at picking out just what kind of drink a person favoured, though it was never an exact science. As she looked at the brash girl across the bar from her, it became obvious that she was very unique, that there was something about her that screamed daring and rebellious. Her eyes glanced down at the girl's slender fingers, which rubbed together to spread what little warmth they had. With an inquisitive hum, Applejack considered several options before voicing them. She glanced behind herself at the television that hung above the bar for patrons to watch, and noticed the temperature displayed in the bottom right corner was less that ten degrees Celsius, which suited the original legend that permitted the mix in mind.

“Y'strike me as a Blue Blazer kinda girl,” the barmaid said in an even tone, though the girl's curious expression told her she was unfamiliar with the drink. It wasn't much of a wonder, not many bartenders made such a thing or spoke of it any more. “But we can start off with a lil' Rum an' Coke.”

“Blue Blazer? Sounds freaking sweet, make me one of those!” The girl eagerly slapped her hands on the counter twice, her face lighting up with intrigue.

“It ain't your usual cocktail,” Applejack warned with a tilt of her head, and added, “Ah don't make it for jus' anyone. It can be a mite dangerous.”

“What do I have to do to you to earn one?” The girl across the bar grinned and bit her lip lasciviously.

“Somethin' y'can't do from that side'a the counter,” Applejack murmured in a retort, but left it at that as a joke.

“Alright, I'll take that Rum and Coke,” the girl agreed with a nod. “But you'd better have that Blazer in the mix by the time my empty glass hits the counter, Dolly.”

“Y'got a deal.” Applejack came to terms with the agreement, and the two girls shook hands in a manner that did not seem to suit two girls at all. Though Applejack noticed the chilled temperature of the girl's hand, she made no mention of it.

The barmaid fixed up a Rum and Coke with no issue, the drink being so painfully simple she could do it with her eyes closed. As she passed it easily in a slide to her guest's awaiting hand, she went on to make that very something special. She placed two identical silver-plated tulip-shaped tankard mugs on the counter in front of her and turned around, carefully selecting the highest proof and most favourable Scotch whiskey she could find. Next, she grabbed a lemon, scraping a knife under the peel to remove just a shaving. She ran it along the lip of a short, stout little snifter glass and placed it inside, pushing the whole glass just off to the side. The girl across the bar watched intently, entranced entirely by the skilful fingers of the barmaid.

“S'tell me, what brings y'down here, if y'ain't much for the name'a the place?” Applejack made conversation, something she had become adept at from keeping bar, as she found some sugar and laid out just a bit in a measuring spoon.

“Well, my night was kind of dull, and I'd never been in here before. I mean, there are only so many pubs in Ponyville, right?” The girl smiled and shrugged, but her terribly devious eyes shifted up to Applejack's as she quoted, “Besides, a rose by any other name, baby.”

“Well, this place ain't been 'round for too long any who,” the barmaid continued as she measured the boiling water from the machine behind her, placing it beside the two silver mugs. “A gal from Dodge Junction came down here an' opened it up, she's got one jus' like it back there, Ah'm told.”

“Do they have such infatuating barmaids in the Dodge Joint?” the girl mused in an affectionate voice, watching the barmaid continue, measuring the whiskey and adding it to one mug.

“Ah ain't never been there m'self, but Miss Jubilee almost only hires girls, puts 'em in frilly get-ups like this.” Applejack shook her head and forced a laugh, hating the way her uniform made her feel, all done up like she worked in some old time western saloon.

It was tight around her midsection, laced up to hug her in fact. It accentuated the curves of her hips and bust rather well, but that was not what Applejack liked to dress for. The sleeves were short and white, frilled up and tightened around her unusually sizeable biceps, which she had earned through vigorous hard work. It was complete with a skirt that hardly covered half of her thighs, which grew troublesome when she had to bend down for anything. She was permitted to wear her own worn leather boots and her Stetson, but it still didn't seem to make her feel any better about the outfit.

“Maybe I should come around more often.” Her patron seemed to enjoy the look, and cocked her head as she observed the way the fabric moved as she did.

“Y'done with that there Rum n' Coke?” Applejack shifted the attention back to the girl at her counter.

“Mmm.” Her guest hurriedly brought the glass to her lips and finished it off in rushed gulps, clinking the counter with it as she finished and sighed aloud. “Hit me, Dolly.”

“Ah'mma hafta ask you t'sit back. For safety,” Applejack spoke seriously as she began the mix, pouring the hot water into the mug.

“Sit back?” The girl blinked in surprise, but did as she was told. “What's this drink made of, anyway?”

“A lil' Scotch, a lil' sugar, a lil' hot water,” Applejack orated as she was satisfied with her preparation, before stepping back and flicking the lights off from behind the bar, leaving but a dim ambiance between them. She drew a long, barbecue lighter into view and raised the tankard up, tipping it as she flicked it on. “An' some fire.”

Flames ignited from within the tankard, giving a cool blue light to Applejack's face as she made certain it would stay lit. She placed the lighter down and took the next tankard up in her other hand, stepping away from the counter. The guest's eyes lit up as she saw the fire, and her heart raced, her hands squeezing the counter as she resisted the urge to lean in for a better look.

“Holy shit,” the girl incredulously gasped, watching as the barmaid brought the tankards closer together. Slowly, the flaming liquid began to pour from one mug into the next, a stream of blue fire emerging between them. Her eyes grew wider as a great big grin spread from ear to ear. “Holy shit!”

Pouring slowly as to get used to the feel of it after so long without practice, Applejack kept her hands steady as the stream of fire ran from mug to mug. As she grew confident enough to spread her arms wider with the bright blue blaze, she found it difficult to keep her eyes on the act instead of on the captivated girl in front of her, whose face flickered magnetically in the light of the fire. Applejack gulped and forced her eyes on the tankards, though they nearly watered with intent attention on the hot light. The handles grew warmer in her hands, but she dared resist for just a bit longer, pouring great, wide, daring streams to evoke the positively passionate response from her patron.

The barmaid flirted with fate, spreading her arms almost the full meter apart that the legendary "professor" and accredited inventor of the drink used to practice. Spilling but a few drops over all, Applejack wound down her performance and poured the entire line of blue fire into one tankard, letting the flames erupt out of the rim for a few more seconds. While usually she would extinguish the fire with the bottom of the second tankard, she felt particularly inclined to tease the girl across the counter from her.

Moving the snifter glass closer to her again, she slowly poured the still blue and flaming liquid directly into the glass. She knew her own glasses well enough to be certain this one was heat-resistant enough to take the cocktail at the full strength, and certainly it did. It still lightly burned in the glass between them, the light dancing across their faces in the darkness in a tantalizing way. She hardly had to look at her hands to douse any remaining flame in the tankard, placing one atop the other.

Applejack leaned over the counter, and the girl across from her went still as she noticed the way the light caressed her somewhat revealed bosom. It was a good thing it was too dark to notice blushing, as both girls were guilty by the time Applejack's lips neared the glass. With a gentle and sensual breath, she blew out the fire from atop the cocktail. The barmaid stood up straight with a smile across her lips, caught in the wondering gaze of her infatuated guest. A gentle push slid the glass across the counter until the absent hands of her guest took hold of the steaming mix.

“That was... the most awesome thing I have ever seen,” the girl praised in a bewildered voice, her eyes jumping up to Applejack's. “You're so cool. Seriously, I, like, got wet watching that.”

“Good t'know.” Applejack chuckled awkwardly and stepped back to turn the lights on.

“Where'd you learn how to do that, anyway?” the girl asked curiously.

“Y'know what they say 'bout magicians and secrets, honey.” Applejack smirked as she set to cleaning up the mixing tools. “That, an' a lil' thing called The Bon Vivant's Companion.”

“I'm not even going to pretend I know what that means.” The girl laughed as she brought the warm glass to her lips, taking a long sip and letting it roll smoothly over her tongue. “Oh my freakin' balls, this is awesome!”

“Glad y'like it.” Applejack was pleased as she rinsed the mugs and placed them into a stray bus bucket behind the counter. “It's a nice warm treat on a cool night, Ah find.”

“You got that right,” she spoke over the liquid in her mouth.

The rainbow-headed girl wrapped both hands around the small glass, her fingers still pink from the cold, especially at the tips. Applejack found herself staring at them again, her small and cold hands. Though she had come in wearing gloves, they didn't seem to do the trick. Her guest tipped the drink back again and finished it off, more than delighted by the heat as it trailed down her throat. She licked her lips to savour the sweet and citrus flavours, before placing the glass down, with the lemon peel still inside, and sliding it across the counter.

“Y'want another one, sugarcube?” the barmaid asked casually as she snatched the glass up from the counter and tossed the lemon peel into a nearby garbage with the flick of her wrist, placing the glass into the bus bucket.

“I shouldn't.” The girl at the counter leaned back and stretched her arms out, breaking into a confident smirk as her eyes met Applejack's. “I get more charming when I drink, and I wouldn't want you falling hopelessly in love with me, Dolly.”

“How thoughtful o'you.” Applejack returned the smile and laughed lightly. Turning around to replace the bottle of whiskey, she asked a burning question, “So tell me, what can Ah call you, then? If y'don't mind m'askin'.”

“Sounds kind of funny, considering we were just talking about Miss Parton,” the girl rubbed her hands together again and blew some hot air between them. “But my name is the same as one of her albums, actually. Take a wild guess.”

Applejack glanced over her shoulder for a good few seconds, noticing the way the girl knocked her hair behind her ear with one of her cold hands. Her vibrant locks were unmistakable, and Applejack already knew just what it had reminded her of. With a smile playing coy with her lips, the barmaid turned back to face her patron and tilted her head at the endearing girl.

“Rainbow,” the barmaid guessed with a firm tone, and the two girls shared identical expressions of amusement.

“You got me.” Rainbow shrugged her shoulders casually and laid her hands out across the counter leisurely. “Rainbow Dash, if you want to know.”

“Pleasure, darlin',” Applejack tipped her hat at the girl respectfully.

“So, what do I owe you, Dolly?” Rainbow reached back and grabbed her wallet from one of the pockets of her jacket, rifling through it.

“If y'could pay in banter, we'd be square,” Applejack murmured wistfully.

Applejack frowned, for some reason, she didn't feel quite right taking money from the girl. But being a woman of business and a responsible employee, she had to do just that. She turned to the machine behind her and punched in the orders, though she had to search around for a way to add in the Blue Blazer, printing up a receipt of the drinks. Noticing the clock on said machine, she knew it was time she started on her closing duties anyway, but still, she was disappointed that this marked the end of the transaction. Applejack ripped the receipt from the printer and creased it along the middle, placing it on the counter face-down in front of Rainbow.

The girl placed two fingers on it and slipped her thumb underneath, lifting it up just enough to see the amount. It was clearly upside-down, both of them know that, but Rainbow just closed one eye and squinted, reading it as it was. She plucked a twenty-bit bill from her wallet and placed it right on top of the receipt, leaving her fingers lingering there.

“Keep the change,” Rainbow said with a smile, causing Applejack to frown deeper, almost insulted by the gesture.

“Tha's too much,” the barmaid told her dully, leaning over the counter as she went to retrieve and reread the bill to distribute the change accordingly.

As her hand touched the bill, Rainbow's closed around it, holding Applejack in place. Applejack's eyes flashed up to hers, and the two faced each other in stubborn silence for a few more seconds. Rainbow Dash's cold hand felt weird against hers, but it made her own skin turn hot to the touch. The patron leaned teasingly further across the counter, coming right close to the barmaid's face.

“Consider it a tip, for the show. And a promise,” Rainbow spoke slowly and sensually, holding Applejack still with the words and motions. “You'll be seeing more of me.”

And with that, Rainbow Dash moved closer and pressed her lips right up against Applejack's. Completely stunned by the action, the barmaid could do nothing but stare wide-eyed and let it happen, feeling the warmth on her mouth that defied the cold in her hand. She nearly flinched as the second cold hand touched her freckled cheek tenderly, but was too shocked to do much of anything at that moment. It was quite frightening, the kiss being so unprofessional and unexpected, but that made it all the more thrilling too.

But suddenly it stopped. Rainbow Dash pulled back just about an inch, her warm, scotch and citrus-scented breath tempting Applejack for a better taste. They remained still for another few seconds as Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, leaving them seductively half-lidded. The barmaid blinked back to reality when she felt the front brim of her hat get poked, knocking it back and a bit off centre. Rainbow Dash grinned cheekily and moved away at last, taking her hands with her, but leaving the cash on the counter.

“G'night, Dolly.” The patron strung her scarf back around her neck and gave a casual two-fingered salute to the barmaid, spinning around and strutting back down the stairs and out the door.

“E-ev'nin',” was the quiet stammered mumble that Applejack could muster, though Rainbow Dash was probably too far away by then to hear it.

Applejack numbly looked down at her hand, and the now scrunched up twenty-bit bill and receipt clutched inside. Placing the cash into the small detached till, she found herself unwilling to crumple and toss the receipt. A smile graced her face as she read the unusual name of the fiery cocktail she had made for the girl, something no bartender ever had to do around Jubilee's Joint; not that any of the others would risk it anyway.

The barmaid reached under the rear counter beneath the lines of alcohol along the back wall, where she kept her very own personal copy of The Bon Vivant's Companion, an old edition that was a bit torn up and well used. After laying the receipt on top of the book and running her fingers along it to fix the few wrinkles, she fingered around in the book for the correct page, opening it up to see the familiar sketch of the professor and his own stream of fire. With a fond expression curling her lips into a crooked, dimpled smirk, she slipped the receipt snugly between the pages and closed the book back up.

Author's Note

So, the first chapter of another new Human AppleDash story. I anticipate a good lot of downvoting as usual, but I'm not too worried. I decided to go with a restaurant theme rather than sports or school this time, so we'll see how it sits with y'all. I couldn't resist putting a little Dolly in there, too. Anyway, tell me what'cha think.

Applejack

**Warning: Mature Content**

IX. Applejack

The barmaid heaved a heavy sigh as she finished placing the new kegs close together in a simple and convenient pattern. Wiping her brow of some imagined sweat, she squatted down in front of the familiarly labelled casks. Reaching up, she plucked at the uneven corner of the pressed sticker before running her thumb along the edge and correcting the odd wrinkle. A great, proud smile crossed her face as she could call such a thing her own, and she got back to her feet to gaze lovingly down at it.

“Thanks for helpin' me lug it all in, Mac.” Applejack beamed as she glanced back at her older brother, who was jotting down the numbers onto his delivery clipboard.

“Eeyup,” the man agreed firmly, scratching the stubble under his chin with a hissing noise. “Ah still can't believe she's lettin' ya carry this on draught.”

“Well, our seasonal stuff was back-ordered, y'see,” the young barmaid explained cheerily. “So Miss Jubilee asked if Ah had anythin' special, an' o'course Ah did.”

“Sure helps us out,” Big Mac plucked his hat off and ran his hand through his hair before pulling it back on tighter. “With th' extra revenue this'll turn over, Hearth's Warmin' dinner's gonna be mighty fine this year.”

“Ah reckon so,” Applejack concurred, finding the seasonal nozzle on the wall by the rest of them and starting to affix it to the nearest keg.

“So, what's th' compensation f' all this?” Mac asked simply, glancing up from his clipboard at Applejack, who went still.

“Uh, beg pardon?” the barmaid shakily questioned, nervously looking back at her brother.

She hadn't told Big Mac anything about what Miss Jubilee had been making her do on the side, and she wanted to keep it that way. Surely she had heard him wrong or misunderstood his intentions, but the idea his words provoked made her uneasy. Would Miss Jubilee want something more from the barmaid in exchange for carrying her family's craft?

“Y'know, did y'give 'er a discount for th' bulk purchase?” Mac inquired easily, business-minded as usual.

“Oh, yea', o'course.” Applejack shuffled around, biting at her cheek and pretending to be distracted.

“Good, Ah'll go jot up a receipt,” he said as he opened the door to the small room, letting his younger sister leave first before following.

They emerged around the corner behind the bar, as that was where they kept all the kegs and extra bottles, in the liquor storage room. Applejack led him behind the bar before going over to the draught handles and unscrewing the blank one reserved for seasonal draughts. Big Mac handed her the one they had hand-carved, which displayed the Sweet Apple Acres logo and was shaped as their signature crop.

“Ah hope it sells,” the barmaid said as she finished screwing the tap handle on right, making sure it was positioned correctly.

“Well, Ah think Ah know one patron who'll love a taste o' your namesake.” Big Mac smirked as he glanced over his shoulder, nodding down the stairs towards the girl by the front door.

Tensing up, Applejack anxiously met his eye-line before following it down to the host in question. There she was, hair as bright and multi-coloured as ever, stance as casual and bored as always. The barmaid gulped slowly as her eyes took the liberty of tracing at her body, though she knew it was not very professional of her to do so. In her endearingly somewhat-masculine uniform vest and button-up shirt, the girl did look quite desirable, and Applejack could not help herself.

The barmaid had not told her brother much about the girl, really, but he did know that she had been a good customer of hers whom she had made a plethora of drinks for. However, noticing the way she ogled and stared at the hostess, Big Mac had a creeping suspicion of his own. Forcing a light laugh, Applejack fumbled the pitcher she had grabbed to fill and start up the new keg, but managed to keep a hold of it.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash? Ah'm sure she'll give it a try,” Applejack hummed pleasantly, acting aloof.

“Ah'm sure,” he repeated in a low chuckle, agreeing. “Al'right, Ah'll leave this with y'all, Ah'm gotta head out. Don't be a stranger, AJ.” Her brother placed the receipt into the book as usual and turned to leave, nodding back at her.

“Yea', drive safe Mac, roads 're still slippery,” she warned him, watching him leave.

“Eeyup,” he responded as he turned the corner and exited the way he came.

The usual, inherent smile across her lips slipped off slowly once the older man left, and she got back to her work. Still, as she picked and plucked unhappily at the small raised corner of the tap handle, her eyes focused instead on the girl at the door. It seemed that no matter how distracted she kept herself, she could not keep her mind, heart, or eyes away. Ever since they had begun spending time together, touching and kissing and flirting, she was far too invested in the possibility of something steady between the two. She groaned to herself, clenching her eyes shut and trying to force the attraction out of her attention.

Down the stairs from her, unbeknownst to the barmaid, Rainbow Dash was not having any easier of a time. Remembering the rush of each individual and perfect kiss, the feeling of napping briefly under Applejack's arm, the tingling of the home-made gloves on her hands— all of it, it drove her mad. Groaning in the same tune of the mixologist, despite neither of them being aware of such a thing, the rainbow-haired hostess resisted the urge to slam her head against the host stand.

Seeing as how it was so slow, Rainbow Dash amused herself by placing her hands on the stand and propping her weight up on it bit by bit, wondering how much it could take. She imagined Applejack picking her up and placing her on the stand, doing all kinds of awful things to her that made the object rock back and forth. She shook her head though, knowing such a thought was not even close to safe for work. She cringed as she heard the off-key humming of a girl approaching from behind, and tried to look less pathetic than she was.

“Long time no see, Dash!” Pinkie Pie chimed, finishing tying up her apron again, as the strings hugged her somewhat wide midsection quite tightly.

“It's only been a few days,” Rainbow Dash murmured grouchily.

“Aww, what's got you down?” The frizzy-haired server swung around the host stand and leaned down on it, plopping her head onto her hands and her elbows on the stand. Rainbow Dash frowned at this, as the look of the girl draped over it so obnoxiously shattered her previous appealing fantasy.

“Nothing,” the host sighed out as she turned her head habitually in the direction of the bar. Her eyes settled on the barmaid again, and she swallowed slowly once she noticed the woman reach up to grab one of the hanging glasses in the stemware rack.

“Nothing at all?” Pinkie grabbed the wax pencil from the host stand and doodled on the plastic cover for the floor plan, which Rainbow Dash used to mark down dirty or occupied tables. “Are you sure?”

Glancing down, Rainbow Dash noticed the server scribble a somewhat lopsided heart on the board, which was upside down to the drawer but correctly flipped to the host. Her eyebrows furrowed as the girl proceeded to pierce the heart with an arrow, the tip of which was pointed right up to the barmaid. Rainbow followed the arrow and found herself looking at Applejack once again, her own heart pounding in response.

Without acknowledging her suspicions that Pinkie Pie must have figured out her desires, she responded ambiguously, “Have you ever wanted something so badly, it, like, physically hurts?”

“Yes,” Pinkie agreed, getting back to doodling. This time, she drew a long line before going back and drawing one nearly parallel to it, making it look like some kind of stiff shaft. Rainbow Dash widened her eyes at the possibilities, but nearly slapped herself in the face once Pinkie doodled big, puffy rounds at the larger end, narrating, “Cotton candy.”

“Cotton—?!” Rainbow huffed a laugh, shaking her head solemnly. “No, never mind. It's not the same thing.”

“Of course it's not, silly.” The frizzy-haired server pushed off the host stand and skipped around it, a smile clear on her face. With a giggle, Pinkie reached out and poked Rainbow Dash right in the side, making her twitch. “Cotton candy never wants me back.”

Blinking in surprise, Rainbow Dash was only able to respond with a dumb, “Huh?”

She frowned as she watched Pinkie stifle another few giggles before going back around the corner to the main restaurant section of the pub. Feeling her palms begin to sweat, she clapped them lightly against her pants, straightening the cuffs on her blouse and the buttons on her so-called lame vest. She checked the time displayed on the corded business phone to her left, noticing that though it was getting later, and very little had happened in the last hour or so. No surprise for the usual beloved Tuesday night.

After glancing back up the small couple stairs to the lounge two or three times, Rainbow Dash made up her mind. Taking great wide steps large enough to clear two steps, which was quite the stride for a girl Rainbow Dash's size, she made her way up into the lounge. Meanwhile, Applejack was busy making sure the draught tap was working well, pouring some traces of the new liquid into her jug until it was no longer just foamy head. She let it flow out of the tap just a few seconds longer, her eyes adoring the smooth, deep golden orange-red-colour of the beverage.

The tap flicked off abruptly, falling with a clunk back into place. Applejack glanced up from the settling liquid to see Rainbow Dash leaning right over the wide counter, having plucked the handle back into place curiously. She read the label, but it still seemed foreign to her. From such a position, Applejack could clearly see almost entirely down the girl's shirt, though she voiced no complaints.

“Hey Dolly,” Rainbow kicked her feet up and down, as she was leaning so far over the counter she picked them up off the ground, and rested on her elbows, which served to push her modest breasts up considerably. “What's this stuff?”

“It's a Sweet Apple Acres speciality,” the barmaid responded promptly, resting her hand on the top of the handmade tap handle and smirking a crooked, dimple-dotted smile. “Applejack.”

She was much more accustomed to seeing it in a barrel, or bottles as they often packaged it. It did take a good deal of effort to make properly, as the freeze-distillation could easily be messed up. By now though, she knew the recipe, times and preparation off hand, and made some of the finest brew in her whole family. Rainbow Dash gaped at her to hear that, though it did sound familiar the more she thought about it. Glancing down at the barmaid's name-tag, her face scrunched up in wonder.

“... Wait, like... like your name?” Rainbow asked in an incredulous voice, her expression suddenly jumping to excitement. “No, seriously?! What, were you named after the stuff?”

Applejack frowned in embarrassment, remarking, “Oh like 'Rainbow Dash' is so much better.”

“Yeah, it's the name of some badass future Wonderbolt,” the hostess said with an expressive wink. Noticing the way Applejack remained quiet and unresponsive, Rainbow Dash reached across the counter and touched her chin, raising it so their eyes met once more. “Come on babe, don't be stingy. I like your name, it's rugged and charming and stuff.”

“Y'do?” the barmaid asked hopefully, feeling her chest tighten at the touch.

“Duh!” Rainbow Dash broke into a beaming grin, pushing off the counter and coming around behind the bar instead. “I like everything about you.”

“Yea', Ah'm sure,” Applejack murmured, pouring some of the beverage into a smaller glass and shifting it around.

“Oh, I really do,” Ra.nbow slunk closer, peering over her shoulder as Applejack studied the texture of the liquid. Applejack paused as she felt Rainbow's warmth so near, and tilted her head to the side to listen. “Every,” she whispered against the barmaid's neck as she nuzzled against it, taking in the scent of her hair. “Little,” she continued, her hand tracing the girl's defined hip and pressing her chest against Applejack's back. “Bit.”

“Mmm, what're y'doin'?” Applejack mumbled in a hum, enjoying the closeness perhaps a bit too much. She was only glad the lounge was empty at that moment, which was never surprising considering guests often preferred the luxury of booths. “You're gonna get us in trouble.”

“Baby, I'm nothing but trouble,” Rainbow spoke into her skin again, kissing her sensually and gingerly once under the jaw.

“Uh, well...” Applejack cleared her throat, trying to negotiate the intimacy out of a supposedly professional situation, something she had failed to do many times. “Since this here drink is new, everyone's gotta try some, so they can recommend it an' all. Want a sip?”

“Do I?!” Rainbow chirped more excitedly, releasing her hold on the barmaid so the girl could turn around and present her with the glass.

Taking the glass in two hands, Rainbow Dash brought it to her lips, and stalled sipping only for a quick whiff. It was stuffed right up with the familiar scent of apples, and the more than familiar scent of alcohol. She could tell already that it was stronger than the usual Apple Cider that the barmaid provided, but she was eager to try this new beverage. The cool liquid touched her lips at once, and it tingled pleasantly all the while as it went down her throat. Her lips puckered as she thoroughly enjoyed the trademark rustic flavour, something that might have reminded her of old cask packaging if she knew anything about it.

As she finished her gulp, her eyes flashed up at the barmaid over the rim of the glass. A devious grin crept across her features, and Applejack wondered just what might have been going through her mind. Rainbow Dash casually shrugged and placed the glass on the counter, licking her lips once more.

“Not bad,” Rainbow revealed as her finger ran around the rim, her daring eyes tracing the body of the girl in front of her instead. “But...” Rainbow stepped closer at once, pouting her lips temptingly and loving the way Applejack stared at them lustfully like she was called by some siren to do so. “I want a taste of the real thing.”

“Th' real...?” Applejack realized what she intended as the girl tilted her head and smirked. Swallowing nervously, the barmaid nodded absently and huffed a simple, “Oh.”

“Mhmm.” Rainbow Dash reached out and twirled the loose string on the tied bow of Applejack's laced ensemble. “It sure is warm back here, behind the bar. Isn't it almost time for a break, don't you think?”

“Ah don't usually take breaks,” the barmaid explained slowly, forcing herself to look away and pretend to be disinterested. She wasn't a very good actress, it seemed, as Rainbow didn't buy it.

“Oh, but wouldn't it be nice to relax, just for a little while?” the rainbow-haired girl taunted more aggressively, twisting the lace around her finger until it was pressed right between Applejack's somewhat revealed breasts. Her finger trailed along tickled flesh before she released the tension, saying, “Unwind, perhaps?”

As Rainbow tugged on the laces ever so carefully, Applejack felt them slightly give way, allowing her bust to slip out freckle by freckle. She was so taken with this strange girl, in fact, that she was almost forced to stay still and let whatever may happen, happen. Some unfamiliar desire bunched up so hard in her chest that it actually hurt her to feel, and her palms burned with the urge to feel the ripe plush rounds and curves of Rainbow Dash.

“T-That reminds me,” Applejack spoke huskily, having to swallow to regain control of the shaking in her voice. “Ah do need your, uh, help with... somethin'.”

“Go on?” Rainbow asked, pressing herself nearer in anticipation.

Applejack suddenly shoved Rainbow away and nearly fell backwards, glancing over her shoulder as she saw someone approach the bar. It was the shift supervisor, Twilight Sparkle, who was scribbling names into slots for side duties as she ascended the stairs from down by the service aisle. The girl glanced up to see the barmaid and host, both with somewhat anxious and flustered faces. Not that she noticed at all, she was too busy with work as usual.

“Uh, howdy, Twi,” Applejack addressed her first, and she faked a warm smile.

“It sure is slow up here today, have you been keeping busy?” Twilight asked simply as she came behind the bar and placed her clipboard on the counter to write more accurately.

“Yea', always.” Applejack glanced at Rainbow, who winked at her in a way that kept Twilight from seeing. “Err, Twi, would you mind maybe watchin' the bar for a few minutes?”

“Huh?” both Twilight and Rainbow Dash wondered, surprised she would actually ask to leave her post.

“'s just that Ah got some stuff t' sort through in th' office, s' Ah was wonderin' since it's slow an' all, maybe Ah could recruit th' new girl t' help me out,” Applejack asked casually, taking Rainbow by the hand before she got permission.

“Go ahead, I can handle things up here,” Twilight agreed without question, letting the two of them pass by behind her as she put her pen to paper once more. “Miss Jubilee should be here in a couple days, and I know she likes it when things get done on time. If they're not, she always get bothered and pulls you down there to finish up.”

Applejack froze as she mentioned the name that stopped her heart cold, glancing back at her supervisor as if she even understood what she just said. Noticing she clearly had no idea at all, Applejack just swallowed her fears and continued down the two sets of stairs into the basement. Feeling Rainbow's warm hand in her own, she felt her chest growing tight all over again, and could hardly wait until she made it to the final room down the hall. Her own set of keys jingled and waggled in the lock, and it made her furious how long it took until the door opened, but at last it did.

It was not the office, as that was some place Applejack dreaded to go, but it was just as good. The barmaid shoved the door open and barely managed to rip the key from the lock before she yanked Rainbow Dash inside and slammed the door behind them closed with the girl's body. It was odd that she had said nothing, but now as they looked at each other in the dim, storage room lights, the expressions could not be silenced.

“Wait, there's no actual sorting?” Rainbow asked with a smug grin, before Applejack demolished it with a firm and expressive kiss; several, in fact. “Mmm... and here I thought... you were... all business.”

Though Rainbow Dash spoke between the kisses, Applejack could not dare stop, in fear that either of them may realize truly what it was they were doing. Her hands were all over the girl's body before she could even adequately understand it, though she desperately wanted to. So consumed with want, Applejack found herself being increasingly rough with the girl against her, and loving the grunts and gasps she provoked.

It felt so wrong to do so without explicit permission, but Applejack's hands raced up Rainbow's shirt, nearly busting the buttons right off with such an invasion. She groped mercilessly as her thigh slid between the smaller girl's, pinning her there and taking just about everything she pleased without reservation. Not that the hostess seemed to mind one bit; she adored every squeeze and shift. Applejack's mouth fell lower, sucking and lapping at Rainbow's neck as more moans escaped her, the sensations amplified by the vibrations of her throat.

Compared to any remnant of a relationship, the only one coming to mind being with her boss, this was much more appealing. Applejack was never one to date or fool around, but at that moment, those very things were all that filled her mind and her body. She could almost feel herself getting drunk off the ecstasy, the taste and texture of bare skin against her own so tantalizing she drank herself mad.

Rainbow Dash interrupted her thoughts as she began to pry at her vest and blouse buttons, flinging them apart and tugging her now more open collar down her shoulders a bit. As some clever excuse, she heaved, “Baby, I'm Burning.”

“How many o' those Dolly jokes y'got up your sleeve?” As she caught on, Applejack laughed in a murmur against Rainbow's skin, moving down to the revealed area and helping her along.

“Dolly, Dolly, Dolly,” Rainbow repeated the cute title over and over, and Applejack knew such a thing to be the name of an album by said artist. It amused her, though she was focused on other things. “I can't help it any more than I can help myself when you're around,” the hostess went on, gripping at Applejack as she nibbled at the sensitive flesh of her chest, peeling away the layers of her blouse. Rainbow looked down at the barmaid's own ensemble, nearly drooling at how good she looked in it. “I mean, look at you? Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That?”

“Tha's another one, ain't it?” Applejack noticed, peering up dangerously enough to silence the girl. “Let's get that mouth busy, shall we?”

“Don't mind if I do,” Rainbow replied eagerly, closing her lips onto the barmaid's as they fought their way out of more clothing, letting it fall to the ground at their feet.

Forcing her tongue into the girl's mouth, Applejack ground herself against Rainbow and shoved her harder against the storage room door. Their tongues were wet and tangled, but it felt strangely right, oddly enticing and exciting. They broke apart for a moment as Applejack felt Rainbow push her back just the slightest bit, whether she meant it or not. The barmaid took the opportunity to get back to kissing her chest, which became more revealed as her skilful fingers pinched the buttons apart and ran over the thin lines of her bra.

A shiver and shaky breath caught the blonde's attention, and she glanced up at the girl she was pressing up against. Though it was dark and dusty, Applejack caught the expression on her paler-than-usual face as the two looked into each other's eyes. She looked entirely... nervous. Perhaps anxious, or scared. Could it have been that she had never done this before? Was that the reason for such a response?

Rainbow Dash's hands trembled as they traced the girl around her, as she was not really sure what to do. She wanted to do just about everything, but despite her usual bravado, she was rather inexperienced in acts like that. And further, she felt so strongly about the girl at her hands she couldn't stand the thought of accidentally screwing it up. Luckily for her, the barmaid found her hesitance adorable, and leaned back up to press a kiss against her lips once more; a simple, loving kiss.

Invigorated by the familiarity of their now mutual lip-locking, Rainbow found herself relaxing into the embrace and dropped her hands down lower. The two shared smirks and snickers as Rainbow's hand slid up under Applejack's skirt, feeling the toned muscle of her thighs adoringly. She continued up to her rear, and fondled it curiously before squeezing more firmly. By then, Applejack had resumed the furious kissing and undressing, ravishing her body with unbridled desire.

Finally able to express her own sexual needs, Applejack's mind reeled with possibilities. Never before had she just taken what it was she wanted, never had she been so physically honest as that moment. And she wanted to go further.

Her hands slipped under the remnants of Rainbow's blouse once more as she fiddled with her bra, easily unhooking it and letting the slack fall. The rainbow-haired girl swallowed anxiously, having never let someone look at her body that way so willingly, but let it happen. Sleeves fell over arms before straps, and Applejack hungrily watched on, her bright eyes falling in love with everything about the girl's body. Rainbow Dash was pleasantly surprised to feel Applejack take hold of her so carefully, despite the roughness of their encounter, her lips felt so gentle against bare chest.

“Shit, dude,” Rainbow breathed out heavily, her chest rising against the touches. “That, that feels... awesome.”

“Ah should hope so,” Applejack spoke as she wrapped her lips around the most sensitive nub on Rainbow's chest, pressing two fingers over the other.

“Oooh,” she groaned as she could feel her eyes rolling into her head and her knees going weak, but luckily Applejack was there to hold her upright.

“Jus' y'wait,” Applejack grinned over her nipple, baring her teeth against it enough to nip it and let the vibration of her voice play along it teasingly.

Yelping as Applejack suddenly lifted her off the ground, Rainbow found herself grasping the barmaid for dear life. Her legs easily wrapped around the blonde's strong body, in a much more comfortable way than the piggy-back ride had been. As her lips still worked hard on Rainbow's chest, Applejack carefully knelt to the ground, placing the girl down and nestling closer between her legs. Rough hands trailed along firm thighs, and Applejack greedily took in the form of her new lover inch by inch until she reached her destination: the button and fly.

“Whoa wait, you're not serious?!” Rainbow Dash whispered in a high voice, becoming a whole new kind of nervous. She looked terrified, unsure of how she would react to what Applejack seemingly wanted to do, and her body went cold with sweet kisses of sweat.

“Ah am,” Applejack murmured into her lips with a silencing kiss, able to undo Rainbow's slacks without even looking down.

Pressing one hand firmly over an exposed breast, Applejack proceeded to infiltrate Rainbow's mouth with her tongue once again, using her distraction to move her other hand into the freshly loosened pants. Against her better judgement, Rainbow's legs instinctively spread further apart, prompting the solicited engagement. An enjoyable moan moved from one mouth to the other as Applejack found her way inside of the girl at her fingertips, stroking just the outermost edges and adoring them.

“Well, tha's a s'prise,” the barmaid grinned as she could feel just what she had been doing to the girl out of sight; the abundance of moisture enthralling her. “Y'always get this wet?”

“With you... fuck, yeah,” Rainbow had trouble speaking through her heavy breaths, which came and went with each movement inside her trousers. “Secret's... out, now.”

“Ah think Ah can help ya with that,” Applejack's kisses went lower again, and Rainbow let her head lean back and enjoyed it.

It sure felt weird allowing someone in her pants like that, especially in some storage room in the basement of her new work, but Rainbow was utterly helpless under Applejack's thumb; which she literally was, as the barmaid pressed hard and rubbed little circles over a particularly sensitive spot. Rainbow's hips rose responsively as she felt Applejack tugging on her pants, and she let them slide down one of her legs and hang off the other lazily.

The blonde's arm wrapped around her victim's midsection, pulling her back into an arch to kiss the defined muscular line down her stomach, which she discovered she loved. Feeling it with her tongue just once or twice, she remembered how little time they must have had, and hurried down to her true destination. Sliding her wrist lower, she peeled back the underwear that prevented her from going further, and was impressed to see Rainbow not stopping her. She even bent up her knee so it would slide off easier, and left the article bunched up with her pants on her one leg. Applejack's eyes glistened as she caught sight of the most intimate part of the girl's body, and bowed her head to worship it reverently with her lips.

“You don't... have to... do that,” Rainbow whispered huskily, though she did nothing at all to show that she didn't want it to happen.

“But Ah want to,” Applejack whined in a cute voice, her mouth opening against Rainbow too tauntingly to ignore.

Rainbow Dash twitched as she felt the barmaid's tongue emerge, twisting and sliding against her in just about every possible way. Though it was uncomfortable being just about completely naked while Applejack was still clothed, she found her concern melting away with each little touch and suck. Her mouth was hot and wet, and she could not get over the amazing way it felt pressed up against her like that. Gripping at the girl's blonde hair, Rainbow moaned louder and pulled her deeper, satisfied at the way she urgently responded by digging her tongue in further.

“Y'taste so good,” Applejack groaned fondly into her, allowing the still secreting juices to slide over her lips and down her chin.

Though she wasn't lying, she liked Rainbow Dash so much she would not have cared for any unpleasant flavour. Gripping at her thighs to hold them still, Applejack ravaged the quite probable oral virginity of her lover, drinking every drop as if it were heaven sent. She loved the way the girl squirmed and shifted with each touch, and hummed in amusement at her attempts to stifle her voicing of contentment. Licking and lapping at the tips of her finger, which could touch the furthest reaches of this divine cavern, the barmaid reinserted herself into her lover and pressed hard against her. Raspy groans told of her affirmation, and the bucking of her hips told no other story than that.

“Damn it, you're... really good at this,” Rainbow managed to speak, her words varying in emphasis and volume, relative to what was going on between her legs.

“Thank ya,” Applejack mumbled into the skin, kissing it a few more times before getting back to the rhythm.

A steady and constant pressure was applied: forceful, accurate, and fast. Rainbow Dash had never felt anything like it, and before she could even close her eyes she had begun to see stars. Applejack was used to hard work in most all facets of her life, and though she expected this act to be no different, as she had resolved herself to keep going until the job was done, she was surprised to find it end rather quickly. Abruptly, the hostess pressed herself against the door as if trying to get away from the bedazzling action, but her hips dared not move an inch; well, at least, they would not move an inch away. With a higher pitched moan, an influx of liquid began to run down Applejack's hand and into her mouth, a sure sign that she had achieved her goal.

However, the barmaid knew better than to stop there. With the wetness increasing, so came the incline in sensitivity, and she made good use of that by working just a fraction harder. Rainbow Dash had to release her grip on Applejack to cover her own mouth, holding in each near shout as best she could manage. She flinched and shivered more and more, and Applejack loved to torture her already.

“A-AJ,” Rainbow squeaked out between her shaking fingers, ignoring her usual playful nickname. “I'm g-gonna scream.”

“Good,” Applejack replied simply, pouting her lip before returning to sucking on a hidden button and running her tongue against it in her mouth.

“Please, please stop,” her voice faltered as her head rolled back and her hand dropped to her chest as if she could stop the screaming from there.

“Is that what y'really want?” the barmaid asked as she sat up onto her knees, pressing one against the back of her hand to pin it between the girl's legs.

Her second hand ran up Rainbow's naked body and took hold of her just against her neck, combing the tips of her fingers into the roots of her fabulously multi-coloured hair. As she got a firm hold, she leaned back in and connected their lips once more, transferring a good deal of the liquid from one to another. Rainbow furiously reciprocated the kiss, opening her mouth and begging for entrance there to match that which occurred lower. As moans and tongues passed between their lips, Applejack felt Rainbow's legs squeeze hard around her, an inherent response to the aggression between their hands and mouths. Rainbow's face scrunched up once more as she felt another climax coarse through her, and though she wanted to shout out again, her body seemed to go limp and numb after the tensing subsided, leaving her silent and completed.

It was then that Applejack decided to give the girl some mercy, something she surely would not have done had they more time to spare, and slowly began to wind down her performance. Her kisses were still constant and loving, but she released the rough grip on Rainbow's head and relieved the pressure between her legs bit by bit. A sigh rolled out of Rainbow's nose and mouth as she relaxed against her lover, her hand fondly rubbing at the barmaid all down her arm and then along her hip.

A charming grin crept across Rainbow's face, much more confident than she had appeared throughout most of their encounter, and she pushed a long and telling kiss onto the barmaid before leaning back against the door. By then, Applejack had been kind enough to remove her intrusion and glanced down at the mess they had made with pride. Rainbow tilted her head as she examined the similarly happy expression on Applejack's face, and reached up to brush a piece of hair out of her face.

“I could get used to this,” Rainbow Dash said contently, a warm smile melting over her features.

“Mmm, me too,” Applejack agreed with a wink, plopping her still sopping wet finger into her mouth and humming at the taste.

“Pervert,” the hostess called her as if it were some cute title, finding herself further aroused by the sight.

“Well...” The barmaid sat back with a hot breath. “Ah reckon Ah should let'cha get dressed an' all.”

“Right, I do need pants for work, I'm pretty sure.” Rainbow shrugged, but as she tried to move, she shakily fell back into the same casual position and felt her body still trembling.

“Al'right, Ah'll go out first,” Applejack said with a grunt, picking herself up and placing a hand on the doorknob. Glancing down at the girl resting on the floor, she told her, “Come on after in a minute 'r two, got it?”

“That, uh, that's a good idea,” Rainbow responded breathlessly, rolling her head to the side and casting a satisfied gaze at the barmaid. “Considering I can't even stand right about now.”

“Somehow, Ah'm flattered t'hear that.” Applejack winked down at her before pulling the door open and stepping out.

Her boots met the familiar tile of the hallway, and she was relieved to find it entirely vacant. Pulling the door closed behind her, she took the moment to lean against it and expel a comfortable sigh. That, however, was cut terribly short as she heard the click of the doorknob opening beside her, from the door that led to the office. She went horribly still as she heard it open, and her eyes nervously passed into the expanding light as she recognized a familiar figure.

“Well if ma ol' eyes ain't deceivin' me,” her drawl rang out as the two met gazes. “Is that ma cute lil' barmaid?”

“M-Miss Jubilee,” Applejack swallowed her name with an anxious squeak. “Y'all're early, Ah, well... Ah wasn't 'xpectin' ya for a couple days.”

“Oh, darlin', Ah'm here for business,” the older woman spoke in that same suave, sultry tone that made Applejack uncomfortable, and made it worse by stepping right into her recently intruded personal bubble and touching a finger to the barmaid's chin. “Not pleasure.”

“T-That so?” Applejack forced a quiet laugh, just a huff or two to keep up the nonchalant appearance.

“Had t' drop off a few things from th' Dodge Junction Joint. Did y'all manage t' hook up th' new draught al'right?” she asked casually, checking her nails as she pulled the office door closed behind her.

“Yea', 'course,” Applejack mumbled, watching her carefully while keeping her own hand on the doorknob behind her in case her associate decided it was late enough to come out. “Make sure y'have a taste of it, Ah'm sure you'll like it.”

“Surely Ah'll love it,” Miss Jubilee responded by leaning in and gauging the full attention of the girl she seemed to have complete control over. It did nothing but please her. “Do bring me down a fresh taste when Ah'm next 'round, sound good?”

“Whatever ya need,” the blonde girl almost whispered, afraid to say anything otherwise. She wasn't certain if she was actually asking for a taste of the beverage, or something she usually demanded.

“Ah like that attitude,” her boss agreed with a smirk, leaning closer so that her bright ruby lips seemed to pout far enough out to close the distance. With a hush, she added, “Keep it up, an' Ah'm sure Ah'll lick up every last drop.”

It was clear with that statement that she had not been talking about any alcoholic drink, and Applejack should not have been surprised. It horrified her, however, that since she was still quite aroused by what she had done to Rainbow Dash, she thought such a thing sounded appealing, though who might administer such a treat was hopefully not the woman before her. Gulping back her urge to vomit, run, or scream, she bit at her own lips to make some more distance between them. Knowing Cherry would press on to usher another painfully repressed and therefore endearing response, Applejack hurried the conversation along.

“Yessum.” She nodded firmly, her green eyes wide and uneasy.

“Aww, Ah could jus' eat y'right up.” Applejack winced at the turn of phrase. “Well, Ah'd love t' stay a little longer, sug', you know Ah would.” Jubilee pulled back, leaving a wink in her stead. Flipping a lock of tousled hair over her shoulder, she tilted her head and raised her eyebrow, revealing a better view of her perfectly eye-shadowed eyelid as if Applejack knew anything about that sort of thing. “But Ah do have other business t' get to. You'll b' seein' me for our usual second-Thursday fun, though.”

“If you... say so.” Applejack found it difficult to respond, and brimmed another uneasy smile.

“Stay gorgeous, darlin'.” Cherry Jubilee twirled off at once, her body swaying in perfect strides as her heels clicked and clacked against the hallway. She always had a way of bobbing her hips that made anyone look, and Applejack grunted irritably as it tended to work.

The barmaid let out a slow breath as the woman rounded the corner and ascended the stairs, leaving her alone in the hallway at last. Licking her lips nervously, she released the doorknob and put her hand over her eyes instead, trying to calm herself down. Just as she got that moment to herself, however, the door opened from behind her, nearly knocking her backwards until she got a hold of herself and stepped away. She gulped as the saw the odd expression on Rainbow's face as she finished doing up the buttons on her now wrinkled blouse.

“What was that about?” Rainbow Dash asked obliviously, tugging on her collar as she stepped out and let the door fall behind her. “She sure talks to you funny.”

Applejack faked a smile and brushed it off. “Uh, yeah, that's just how she is. Ol' fashioned an' all.”

“Well, I'm just glad she didn't see anything. That sure would be awkward, huh?” Rainbow Dash snickered and nudged the barmaid.

“Y'all could only imagine,” Applejack mumbled, raising her eyebrows knowingly. Shaking her head and letting that slide, she went on, “Anyway, we should be gettin' back.”

“Man,” Rainbow let out a loud breath, tugging on her blouse as she fit snugly back into it and walked past Applejack. “I don't know how I'm supposed to focus on work after that.”

“Like y'ever focus much,” Applejack mentioned snidely, and the hostess turned around and stuck her tongue out in a retort.

With a light-hearted chuckle, Applejack followed Rainbow Dash up the stairs, taking the moment to carefully assess the girl's rear end. She was quite pleased by it, and found herself even puckering her lips in an impressed expression. But still, she was irked by the reality of her confrontation with Miss Jubilee, and found herself unable to get the woman out of her head. She was like poison, some toxic disease that reminded her just what little control she had over herself and her future.

At first, like Rainbow Dash, she had been concerned about Jubilee finding out about them. But what if she didn't? If Miss Jubilee had no idea about any of it, she would likely keep forcing Applejack into the same manipulative and abusive situations as ever. That was not fair to Rainbow Dash. In fact, it made the barmaid sick to imagine, as if the torturous acts with her boss weren't sickening already.

Dropping her head to the floor, Applejack scrunched up her face and frowned deeply. She knew it was wrong, it was all and always wrong. Applejack couldn't go about leading this girl on, if to protect her family and her job she had to continue some twisted affair with her boss. It crushed her even to think about. Rainbow Dash was already no good at social things, something like this would be a devastating betrayal.

She knew she had to stop everything with Cherry Jubilee, but she had been trying to do just that ever since she started, and never had she been able to make any progress. There was too much at stake for her to have been thinking about herself. But then, what was she suppose to do with all these feelings? These all-consuming romantic and lovely feelings? She had never been so swept away with someone before, was that something she should jeopardize, or chase? Sucking on the succulent taste that still hung in her mouth, she sure knew what she wanted to do. Rainbow Dash sure tasted a lot better than any Apple Cider or Applejack, though the girl may have disagreed.

Author's Note

Believe it or not, this was not the reason I changed the rating. Sure, this was fun and all, but their... intimacy becomes more of a standard and juxtaposition to other... relationships that will be unveiled. And mature themes are going to be a bit heavier, not just... well, the sex stuff. But I did want to put a few instances of that in here, what with the... complicated relationships we have going around.

And yes, we will be seeing more of Jubilee again. Now that we have some background stuff sorted through and more characters introduced, we can get to some good stuff.

Red Wine

XXI. Red Wine

Leaning over her balcony railing and looking out over the white blanketed city, Rainbow Dash let out a forced huff of a laugh. The whole scene looked like a bed of lovers bundled up under a white sheet on a hot summer day, despite the way the snow bit at her few exposed bits of bare skin. It made her terribly sad to think that, but she tried not to dwell. She flipped her hair, as the wind liked to pick it up and mess it around, and held it behind her ear with her spare hand. She shifted her phone from one ear to the other, shaking her head before responding to who was on the other end.

“No, I'm not going to climb in through your window this time,” Rainbow chuckled lightly, remembering how well that had gone over when she had first met her younger sister. “How about we go out for a bite or something? My treat.”

“Sure, when? Don't you have a job or something?” the younger voice on the other end questioned.

“I did,” Rainbow started slowly, biting her lip as she avoided directly addressing the subject. “I quit. Long story, lots of shit a kid like you shouldn't hear about.”

“Kid? Don't patronize me, Dash,” she snarled in response, finding the comment offensive.

“Oh lighten up, take a joke, will you?” Rainbow teased, but sighed as she got back on topic. “Anyway, I'm glad you called. We really need to talk, Scootaloo. Besides, I've been murderously bored for the last few days.”

“Why's that?” her sister wondered, sounding genuinely interested despite her apathy at their first meeting.

“Well... I haven't talked to this... this friend of mine, for a while.” Rainbow decided to leave it somewhat vague, frowning as she kicked at the few snowflakes that gathered on her patio. “I get the feeling she's angry at me about something, or avoiding me. I just miss her is all. She's got a lot on her plate though, so I'm sure she's too busy to hang out with a loser like me.”

“Aren't we all.” Scootaloo snidely remarked, and Rainbow clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“Hey! Shut up, you brat,” the older sister growled, wishing she could have shown some irritable expression, but the phone was not equipped for that. Shaking it off, she got back to timings. “How's this afternoon? You have school?”

After a thoughtful hum, Scootaloo replied, “I can skip.”

“I'm a wonderful influence, clearly.” Rainbow Dash murmured as she rolled her eyes. “All right, there's a discrete little diner I saw on my way to your place. Dad would never stumble into a joint like that if he was kidnapped and forced to. It's perfect.”

“Sounds good to me. Text me the address and shit,” the young girl told her.

“Yup. Later, Scoots.” She hung up abruptly, knowing young girls were hardly much for phone calls anyway. With that settled, she sighed and leaned back over the railing slowly.

She was saddened as she was once again all alone, and she relaxed against the cold breeze that was nearly strong enough to hold her up. She hadn't been out on the balcony since the barmaid had been to her house what seemed like so long ago. In reality it had been a few days—week or two, maybe. But it felt like much longer. The barmaid had neglected to answer her calls, and Rainbow had pinned that on the fact that she was either too busy without Jubilee's business, or she was angry about what had transpired that evening at Jubilee's Joint.

Running her hand through her short, colourful hair, Rainbow Dash whispered to the wind, “Where are you, Applejack?”

It was true, when Rainbow Dash thought that the girl was too busy. Though she wasn't pleased with Rainbow Dash after the way that everything had transpired, she knew it was not the young girl's fault. She felt worse about what she had done—or, been forced to do—and could barely even imagine facing Rainbow as her life lay in such shambles. She was afraid that Miss Jubilee was right, that when she looked upon the visage of her beloved Rainbow Dash, she would think of Cherry, and all the awful things she had done.

After losing Miss Jubilee as a client, the farm's sales plummeted to almost half of what their projections once were. Applejack had quickly realized what a mistake she had made, and how necessary it had been to have Jubilee around after all. At first, she hesitated telling her brother, but since he was the delivery driver, it was no wonder that he would notice right away.

In lieu of their original moderate success, Applejack had to move back to the farm to help with production and marketing, which had hardly boosted. Running out of options as the payment on their mortgage loomed, the Apple family had to settle for pawning most of their assets. They had packed up Applejack's truck and were on their way down town, just Applejack and Big Mac. Fearing Granny Smith might have a heart attack if she knew, and not wanting to trouble the young Apple Bloom, the two had decided to keep it to themselves for as long as they could manage.

“Ah can't believe Ah did this, Mac,” Applejack groaned into her palm, peeking through her fingers to see the road she travelled on. “Ah'm so sorry for everythin'.”

“Nothin' doin', sis,” his deep voice soothed her, though she would not make eye contact. “We would'a fallen apart much earlier had y'not done what y'did. Y'bought us time. Ah'm just sorry y'had t' do all that, an' didn't tell me...”

“Ah couldn't tell ya,” his younger sister told him, her heart heavy. “Ah was humiliated Ah let it get s' far. Ah should have just done honest work, made what Ah could. Ah ain't nothin' without ma integrity.”

“Ah'd never think less o' you for doin' what y'thought y'had to, AJ.” Big Mac reached over and placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, and she nearly broke into tears right there.

“Everythin's fallin' apart, Mac, Ah'm afraid we'll lose th' farm. What about Granny, and Apple Bloom? How can we take care o' them?” Applejack got back to ranting, though Big Mac had heard it all before.

“We'll make it work, AJ. We always do,” he tried to comfort her, but her vacant nod told him she did not believe him.

Pulling up to the pawn shop, Everything Under the Sun Emporium, Applejack felt miserable. Everything that had filled the back of her pick up was invaluable to her, everything was sentimental. And yet, every last thing had to go so that she could keep bread on the table and the leaky roof over her family's heads. After a few dolly loads taken in by Mac, Applejack was still shy of her necessary income. At last, she had to grab the last thing she had in her truck that could have made up the difference: her old banjo.

It had belonged to her grandfather, hand made and crafted generations ago. Though it had fallen apart and been repaired countless times, it still retained the old shine of gorgeous stained wood and the original neck. Holding it in her arms like an infant, Applejack slowly walked into the pawn shop. The two men at the counter perked up to see what she was holding, and smiles crept over their faces. Their matching greased-up runs of ginger hair seemed equally crooked in their perfect lines, and Applejack frowned as their hungry money-grubbing looks focused on her.

“Well, who do we have here, Flam?” one of the businessmen spoke up in a voice that sounded best suited as a racetrack announcer.

“Looks like a cute young customer, Flim,” his apparent near-identical twin, save for a thick bristly moustache, chimed in with the same obnoxious ring to his voice.

“Think she's looking to sell that fine string sling?” Flim, the first of the two, piped up again.

“I think you're right!” Flam came out from behind the counter in something of a bound, and his probable brother followed after. Applejack cringed as the sun caught on their snow-white pants and boisterously striped shirts. “Well now, hand it right over and we'll appraise it for you.”

“Always a fair deal here Under the Sun!” the first chimed afterwards like some tacky motto.

“You betcha, brother!” Flam and his brother exchanged confident glances before Flim, the one without the moustache, proceeded to mercilessly yank the banjo from Applejack's gentle hands.

“Now wait a second here, be careful with that,” Applejack warned them in an uneasy tone, but let them take it from her. “That's real important t' me.”

“It looks like it, look at this woodwork, Flam,” the first brother praised as he handed it to Flam, who seemed just as strangely interested in the old thing.

“Oh, you're right, that's gorgeous.” Flam agreed easily, his hands roughly rubbing over the old, fine wood. Applejack felt sick to see them touching it like that, but had no choice but to listen to their demands, which came as, “Tell you what, if it's all you have—”

“And you really need the money—” Flim cut him off to add a bit in.

“How about we give you a good large sum right off the bat—” his brother went on with their joined sentence.

“And at a mere twenty percent interest rate—” a sneaky condition.

“You can buy it back in three months!” the both almost shouted in excited voices.

“Twenty percent? How're we supposed t' afford that?” Applejack shied away a bit, knowing how slim her wallet had become as of late.

“This is a mighty fine banjo, a lot of history here, wouldn't you love to get it back sometime?” Flim argued, holding it up for her to see once more and displaying it like it was made of gold.

“But you need to make ends meet?” Flam did not let her forget that. “So...”

Both brothers stood over her, one holding out a handshake and the other counting a small wad of cash in front of her, and in unison they asked, “Do we have a deal, darling?”

Applejack watched the bills hiss between the pawn shop owner's hands, and she knew it would be enough. Still, though, she hesitated, looking to her brother as she uttered, “... Mac?”

“It'll cover th' bill, AJ.” Big Mac reminded her, but left the final choice up to her.

After mulling it over, and speaking against her better judgement, she agreed, “... Yea', we got a deal.”

“You will not regret this!” Flim shook her hand roughly, and the second she got it back to herself, the other brother slapped the wad of cash into it.

“We all need a little help once in a while,” Flam tried to sound sympathetic as he shook her hand, holding the money in her palm.

“And that's what we're here for!” the first brother chimed excitedly.

“Thanks for stopping in,” Flam said as they both ushered the Apple siblings right back out the door as quickly as they had come.

“See you again soon!” Flim added as they reached the door, and Applejack did not hesitate to walk out the door as her brother held it open for her.

“Thank ya kindly,” Big Mac tipped his old tweed cap to the two brothers, who gave mock bows to show their equal gratitude.

As Applejack moseyed back to the truck, digging her hands into her pockets deeper than necessary to get her keys, her brother carefully watched her. He felt awful about letting her sell something that was so precious to her, but it had to be done. She unlocked the truck and hopped back inside, taking her hat off for a moment and running a hand through her long, blonde hair. Sighing, she briefly held her Stetson over her heart to lament the old banjo, before placing it back on her head and soldiering on.

“Y'al'right, AJ?” Big Mac asked in a comforting voice, placing his big hand on her shoulder.

“... Yea', Mac. Ah'll be fine,” she replied in a false sounding voice, holding up some broken smile. “No need t' be getting' all misty eyed 'r nothin', just an ol' banjo.”

Putting the truck into gear, Applejack looped her arm behind Big Mac's seat, backing out of her parking spot. The truck bobbed over the curb lightly, and she craned the wheel to the left to complete pulling out. As she left the parking lot, she failed to notice the old diner that sat merely across the street. She passed the establishment without pause, having other things on her mind than glancing through the windows to catch sight of a girl she had not seen in far too long.

The girl in the diner, however, had her sights entirely set on the blonde driving the truck. She had recognized the old decrepit thing from a mile away, and silently watched as Applejack sold her favourite possessions. She knew why it had to be without even asking, but she had to pin herself to her booth seat to keep from jumping right out and chasing after the girl. Swallowing as she watched the old truck kick up the freshly fallen snow, she forgot to listen to the girl who sat opposite her.

“Um... Hello? Rainbow Dash?” the younger girl called her name and snapped her back to attention. “Are you listening to me?”

“Yeah... yeah, right, sorry. I am.” Rainbow stammered to get back on topic, her voice sounding distant and distracted. After a pause as her younger sister gave her a weird and expectant look, she admitted, “Sorry, I wasn't. Where were we, Scoots?”

“Typical,” Scootaloo grumbled as she rolled her eyes, but proceeded to reach into her satchel and pull out three sizeable file folders, placing them onto the table.

“What's this?” Rainbow asked as she picked one up, opening it and peering inside.

“I brought it all, including my statement and everything.” Scootaloo explained as Rainbow scrambled through it all, finding what seemed like gold between the thin pages. As Rainbow went to snatch the rest up, her younger sister grabbed them instead, holding them away from her. “Uh-uh, no way. I need to know you're going to be careful with this information.”

After a scoff, Rainbow pointed a thumb to herself and confidently went on, “Careful is my middle name, squirt. Rainbow Careful Dash.”

“I seriously doubt that.” Scootaloo murmured incredulously. She frowned again though, holding the files tightly as she went on to more serious topics, “But listen, this stuff? It doesn't just put your neck on the line if everything doesn't work out, all right? I'm in this too.”

“Look, I know all about trust issues, trust me,” the rainbow-haired girl told her, but paused as she realized how silly the sentence sounded. “...Or don't, whatever. But, anyway, you're my sister. I understand all this more than anyone else in the world. If there's someone to go to about it, it's me.”

“Yeah, but...” The younger of the two looked down at her hands as she spoke, and her voice was but a whisper as she admitted, “I'm scared.”

“Honestly?” Rainbow sighed, the truth coming out, “Me too.”

“Well then... then why do we have to do all this at all?” Scootaloo asked suddenly, finding some comfort in the idea that was safe. “Can't we just leave things as they are?”

“And let him get away with it? Is that what you want?” Rainbow Dash reminded her, and her expression softened on the familiar dilemma that had plagued her for years. Reaching out, she touched the young girl's hand, though she flinched at the attention. “I know it's hard. But you'll regret staying silent one day, I know it. We have to do this.”

After a few nods, Scootaloo finally understood, concurring with, “... You're right.”

“Of course I am, I'm your older sister. I'm always right.” Rainbow sat back and crossed her arms behind her head with a wide, toothy grin. Scootaloo must have thought it was somewhat amusing, as she chuckled lightly at the weird girl.

“Sister...” the younger girl repeated in a thoughtful tone. Upon recognizing Rainbow's wondering expression, she shook her head and explained, “Sorry, it's just strange to think that you've been around all this time, and we never met. I don't really know what to say. What are sisters supposed to do, anyway?”

“Well, taking you out to lunch seems to be a good start,” her older sister suggested, raising her glass of orange juice to Scootaloo.

“Yeah,” she agreed with a smile, raising her own glass of water and tapping it against Rainbow's.

“Next comes the noogies and name calling,” Rainbow teased with a grin, and her sister rolled her eyes but laughed. “And maybe stealing each other's clothes.”

“I wouldn't want to dress like a boy,” Scootaloo prodded an insult, and it seemed to delight Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, snap, squirt!” Rainbow beamed pleasantly. “I like you, you know that?”

“Jury's still out on you,” her younger sister murmured, but the smirk she had told that she was joking.

“I tend to grow on people,” she mused, leaning back in her seat and glancing back out the window.

While she had hoped to catch another glance of Applejack driving past, her eyes seemed to settle instead on a tall, shimmering skyscraper across town. She would recognize that pillar of deception anywhere, and even seeing the masculine way it stood erect above the smaller corporate offices made her uneasy. She despised the building so much that she winced and frowned to look upon it.

That very building was where, a mere day later, she would confront the man she so despised.

At a rosewood desk, littered with miscellaneous papers and files, her father sat alone. Save perhaps for the phone, which had his slightly divided attention as he breezed over a particularly imperative deal he was discussing. He had no conception that his two daughters had reconvened at a visible diner dozens of blocks away just one day prior, and carried on with his business as usual.

“Ten percent is highway robbery,” he told the phone in his hand, and perhaps the man on the other end was listening, too. “Who wrote up this offer? Well, he should be fired. No. Listen, call up their financial department and get them to conference. No, when I'm on my deathbed—of course right now!”

“Sir?” a fuzzy and muffled voice came in over the intercom, and he paused to listen to it. “There's some young girl here who says—she—I can't—!”

“I'm the bastard's daughter, let me in!” rang another voice, and the man behind the desk groaned and rubbed his temples as he recognized it.

“Sir, she won't let me—!” the intercom faded as marching steps grew louder outside his office door, and he curmudgeonly glanced up.

The door flew open, revealing the girl he had wanted least to see, and his poor secretary chasing after her until she slammed the door closed in the woman's face, locking it behind her. After a short huffy sigh, Rainbow Dash straightened out her collar and said, “You're going to want to hang that up, pops.”

“... I'll have to call you back,” he reluctantly obliged, pressing the phone down hard on the receiver at once and standing up straight. “What do you want, Dash? I never expected to find you willingly coming down to my office.”

“I never expected to find you actually working, here I thought you just drank the blood of virgins and pissed on innocent civilians from your ivory tower.” Rainbow playfully took a jab at him, and she could tell it made him angry.

“You're not amusing,” he told her flatly, leaning over his desk and pressing his palms onto the rich wooden top. “Stop wasting my time and tell me why you're here.”

“A man in your position really shouldn't be so demanding,” she taunted with a bemused tone, and her father did not like the sound of it.

“Dash, don't make me have to call security.” he threatened lowly, his hand hovering over his phone.

“I really don't think you'd want anyone overhearing what you and I are about to discuss.” Rainbow Dash led him on, walking over to his desk and pressing her own hands atop it, mimicking his pose. After an excruciatingly long pause, she went on, “Dad, it's time I speak up about it. All of it.”

He was silent at the subtle mention, and furrowed his brow with a stern expression. At last, though, he let out a long sigh, resigning himself to the discussion and pushing off his desk. While Rainbow had originally thought he would start screaming at her, she quickly realized that was not his intention. Instead, he turned around and popped open the door to a small fridge hidden under his bookshelf, reaching inside and retrieving a long, narrow box.

“I knew that this day would come,” he spoke in a calm and rational voice, placing the box on top of his desk. Rainbow was silent as she watched him lean down and pull two small objects out of his bottom desk drawer. “Honestly, I'm surprised you kept your big trap shut about it for this long.”

“Insulting me right now is probably not the best course of action,” she snarkily replied, watching him set the two transparent objects down on his desk in front of them.

“You're right.” he agreed, opening the narrow box on his desk and revealing an old, unopened bottle of Red Wine. Casually unwrapping and uncorking the bottle, he proceeded to take a good long smell of it before he decided to commence pouring even amounts into the two glasses. “I was saving this for when I got the promotion. It would likely be the last one before I retire. But, I suppose that's probably not going to happen now.”

“A crook in charge of a whole department? What corporation would turn that down?” Rainbow rolled her eyes irritably.

“Here.” The older man pushed a glass across the desk, and as it settled, Rainbow looked upon it wantingly. She accepted the gesture and picked it up, testing a sip once she saw her father take one. “Bordeaux, '82. A remarkable vintage.”

“Mmm,” Rainbow hummed an agreement as the flavour swirled in her mouth. “Now then, on to business.”

“I wasn't always a detestable man, you know,” he started up again, and Rainbow wasn't sure where he was going with it. “I only took this job to support you and your mother. By the time she left, I was already so invested in the company, I could hardly think of leaving. Besides, I had you to look out for.”

“Look out for? Is that what you call it?” Rainbow toyed with the words viciously, taking another large gulp of the expensive Wine. “She left because of you, I'm sure of it. Looking back at the dates, that's around the time you fathered your other daughter, isn't it? Hard to hide that evidence of a cheating man.”

“Your mother was an amazing woman, Rainbow Dash.” he praised, his gaze turning to the window remorsefully. “I did not love her the way she deserved to be loved.”

“Yeah, you do seem to have a problem with expressing the appropriate types of love. And being a decent guy.” Rainbow agreed knowingly, and her father huffed a sadistic laugh and nearly finished his glass of Wine.

“It seems so,” he had to concur, pouring himself some more Wine and leaning against his desk. “For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'm certainly to blame for at least some of your poor manner.”

“Sorry? What, you think that's any consolation?” she snarled, crossing her arms and glaring at the window he seemed so interested in. “If you were sorry about any of it, you wouldn't have repeated your mistakes with Scootaloo.”

“... How do you know that name?” her father growled as he realized he had never told it to her.

“You couldn't have thought you'd keep me away from my sister forever, could you?” Rainbow asked rhetorically. “She's a bright young girl; a little torn up about what you did to her, but she's tough.”

“Is that what she told you?” He didn't seem to believe her at all.

“She didn't have to tell me,” Rainbow barked back, polishing off her glass and slamming it onto his desk aggressively. “I know the signs. I've been there, remember? Or have you wiped your memories of me away by ruining her life instead?”

“Come on, you're being ridiculous,” her father spat with a frown, pouring some more Wine into her glass as she was busy nearly screaming at him.

“Ridiculous? Me?!” A sardonic laugh erupted from her throat. “You're the man who abused his position as care provider, as guardian, as father, for what? For a tight, ripe young—?!”

“Don't be crude,” he interrupted her with a disgusted expression, though she did not know why he was suddenly so shy about it. “What's this really about, Dash? Money?”

“Money!? You think I came all the way down here for your dirty money?!” Rainbow squinted at him and made an appalled expression.

“Yes, yes I do.” He nodded, though he wasn't even sure if he believed himself. “What else could you possibly—?!”

“For her—for your daughter, Scootaloo! You may not have actually realized it, or cared to understand what it might mean, but you stole her first time! Her first time, dad. She only gets one!” Rainbow pointed one finger at him, her lip quivering as she tried to get the words out without snivelling or screaming. “You greedy, selfish jackass.”

His straight face settled calmly as he watched his daughter nearly break down. Swirling his Wine in his glass and watching the legs drip down. “You'll never understand, Dash.”

“I never want to!” She scrunched up her face in a disgusted way. Steadying herself with a shaky breath, she told him, “You're a sick, sick bastard, and I'm not going to stand by and let you ruin her the way you did to me.”

“What, you're going to go to the police? Tell my wife?” he asked, but his level of interested wavered as if he was acting aloof.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Rainbow played coy.

“And you're sure they'll believe you?” he asked sceptically, tilting his head at the girl. “Come on, you're a kid living off her daddy's money, with big dreams and horrible habits. I'm a plenty respected man.”

“I thought of that.” Rainbow Dash unclipped the buckle on the shoulder bag her father had hardly noticed she was wearing. Pulling out a file folder, she slapped it down on the desk between them.

“... What's this?” He reached out and pushed it open, trailing his finger across the first page or two.

“Bank statements of you wiring money to me, reports of domestic disputes, pictures of marks—and not just mine, Dad.” she explained in an even tone, and she noticed the way his face settled to stone. “Even if I didn't have any of this, the scandal over whether it's true or not would be sure to stir up enough commotion to sink your career.”

After a hard swallow, her father nodded and looked up at her. As a business man, he knew how to begin a negotiation. “... What will it take to make this go away?”

“I'm glad you asked. I'll get my list.” she replied, reaching back into the satchel for her demands.

Author's Note

Aha! At last Rainbow Dash is dealing with her issues. Heads up, folks, probably only going to be one or two more chapters after this. Stay tuned!