Christmas Time, Mistletoe and — well, no wine, soz
Picking and tending to the fruits of Sweet Apple Acres trees was a job that Applejack could do in her sleep. In fact, she wished she could do exactly that; the demand for fresh apple delicacies always increased around Christmas time, and Applejack and her family were tuckered out more than anyone else in town, she was sure. No one ever considered, however, that behind those rough working hands, after the long hours in the orchards, Applejack was bored to death of it.
Christmas was an event that kept the Apple family as busy as ever, but the pure indulgence and greed that arose at this time sickened Applejack. Being a family-oriented, long-serving food producer, she knew the hardships that merchants alike herself had to face during the festive season: the rush to provide quality goods; the gluttony of many customers who cared for nothing but a magnificent Christmas feast. Yes, they always stopped by to say "Merry Christmas", but every trader in Ponyville market knew what they really wanted: an armful of seasonal food and drink, expensive gifts, and a very merry Christmas indeed.
One frosty morning on the brink of Christmas Day, Applejack and Big Macintosh set off towards the east of the orchard — the last region to have apples needing collection. The rickety shed that had sunken in the mud over the years sheltered the remaining apples that had already been sorted into top condition fruit baskets. All Applejack and her brother needed to do now was to bring those heavy baskets to the farmhouse kitchen, where Granny Smith (and little Applebloom, bless her) would help them bake the superbly popular pies, fritters, cakes, you name it, that would be sold to eager buyers to very same day.
After trudging through bog and ducking under severed tree branches, Applejack and Mac found the decrepit building. The door was barely hinged, the padlock lost and the wood rotten with dankness.
"This shed's sure seen better days," Mac sighed, and poked the decaying panels, watching them almost fall apart at his touch. He gently swung open the door, revealing a dozen baskets of bounty that shone endlessly despite the having spent the last few months stored in the murky shed.
"Well, with the profit we get from these beauties, I reckon we can buy ourselves a new one," Applejack smiled up at her brother. Both of them were exhausted from working overtime the past month or so. The hours of manual labour they spent hauling equipment around the farm, tending to the animals and crops, housekeeping and caring for Granny and their little sister Applebloom had eventually built up inside them to the point where the sight of plain apples drove them to mild depression. Nevertheless, Applejack kept a smile on her face to remind everyone that all the hard work was necessary, and would all be worth it in the new year. She trusted Big Mac to do the same for her.
Mac put his arm around his sister and gave her a reassuring shake. "Let's get this over with," Applejack nodded, and pulled away from her brother. She walked towards the first basket she saw, filled to the brim with Pink Ladies. Of course, this sort of weight was something Applejack was used to, and her arms were more than able to pick it up. She bent down and felt for the bottom of the basket. "AJ, let me take that — it's heavy."
"I can handle this," Applejack argued. However, as soon as her fingers tucked under the bottom of the basket, a wave of feebleness outshone her will to work, and she found herself struggling to lift it. With a groan, she managed to bring it up to her chest, gripping it with sore fingers, her knees almost buckling under the weight. Shuffling towards the door, Applejack suddenly felt the weight decline a little, and large fingers support her own. She peered over the top to see Mac.
"AJ, I don't want you hurtin' yourself," Mac said. Before Applejack could protest, he took the whole basket from her arms with little effort. "Go and find yourself another job to do."
"What?" Applejack crossed her arms. "What makes you think all of sudden that I can't do this job? I've done it with you three times before this year, and every single year before that."
"I know, it's just I've seen how tired y'all are. I think you need to take it down a notch—"
"We're all tired, ain't we?" Applejack interrupted her brother. "But this here has to be done, and you can't do it all by yourself!" She waved her arm at the mass of apples behind them.
"I don't have to. I can call Caramel, and a few other mates of mine might be willing to lend a hand," Mac shrugged.
"But Mac, what else can I do?" Applejack asked. She felt somewhat hurt that he refused her to work anymore. "I can't rest knowin' that I'm slackin' off while y'all doin' the work."
"I don't know. You can help bake the pies n' stuff," Mac began.
"I already do that. After I've helped you bring this lot in. Now let me—"
"AJ, no," Mac stuck his arm right in front of Applejack, stopping her in her tracks. "I know how you feel. I really do. I've been there just a few more times than you… it's for the best," he sighed. "Trust me." Applejack pushed Mac's arm away from her and glared at her brother. Really, she knew he meant well, and she shouldn't be angry at him. Heck, he was probably even right. It was true that, being her older brother by 4 years, he was more experienced in farm work. People often looked up to Big Mac more than her. Applejack could argue all day that she was just as good at working on the farm than Mac, but deciding to save both her voice and his, she gave in.
"Fine, fine…" Applejack flopped her arms to her sides. "You better not complain about backache this afternoon at market!" She slipped out of the shed, chuckling to herself; Big Mac never complained. He always got the job done, come rain or shine, and during the winter months, Applejack was more grateful for it than she appeared.
Applejack turned onto the driveway, where at the end, the humble farmhouse stood on the horizon. She noticed the clumps of thick mud that weighed down her boots as she walked, and how it flicked off her boots, scattering across the gravel. She vowed to clear them up later, for Big Mac was right; she was not in the mood to heave apples around the farm, let alone wash off a few lumps of mud.
Entering the yard of the house, Applejack ambled over to the outbuilding where the hay was stored under its leaky metal panel of a roof. Sitting down on a bale, she kicked off her mud-clogged boots and planted her feet in some spare, abnormally large wellies that lay on the ground. She stretched out her legs and leaned back onto bale behind her. Bits of hay poked her in the face and tangled in her hair, but she didn't care. As much as she hated to admit it, it felt good to sit back knowing that her job was being taken care of for once. Why, she could have almost drifted off right there…
Ding! Ding! A vibration in Applejack's jacket pocket startled her; her eyes snapped open. She had been on the very edge of a peaceful slumber, yet she wasn't sure exactly how long she had been lying there. Taking her mobile from her pocket, she saw the screen flash with a new message. Rainbow Dash. Applejack smiled as she opened up the text,
Hey, you busy? I'm not, so come round and you can help me decorate the Xmas tree. Pinkie totally ditched me this year…
Applejack looked up from the screen. Peering up at the sky, it didn't look like many minutes had passed since she'd left Big Mac, even though it felt it. She considered going round to her best friend's. She didn't want to be left feeling guilty having neglected the farm altogether… but then again, Mac did say she should take a break.
It had been a while since she'd spent time with Rainbow. She'd been so busy with the farm work, she hadn't really seen any of her friends at all, especially since the end of college. The more Applejack thought about it, the more inviting Rainbow's offer seemed. Eventually, she dropped her eyes back down to her mobile screen and tapped her reply,
Sure. See you in five.
It was simple, but Applejack knew that they'd have far more to talk about once she arrived. With a sudden new lease of life, Applejack leapt from the hay bale and made her way out of Sweet Apple Acres.
~~~
"Fluttershy, please?" Whined Rainbow Dash, clasping her hands together in a beg. "It'll be fun—Applejack's coming."
"Sorry, Rainbow, but I told you I had to go to the animal shelter this morning," Fluttershy shook her head and pulled on her shoulder bag.
"You don't have to go, do you?" Rainbow leaned on the doorframe and crossed her arms.
"Oh, but I do. The shelter is busier than ever with all of these winter rejects," Fluttershy turned to leave, and said behind her shoulder, "I won't sleep tonight until those poor creatures have been properly groomed, fed and watered!" And with that she trotted off.
"Huh, bye then," Rainbow muttered under her breath. She spun around and stepped back inside.
"Howdy," Applejack took Rainbow's place, leaning on the doorstep. Rainbow twisted round in shock,
"Applejack!" she squeaked, placing her hand on her chest. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Heh, sorry," Applejack smirked and playfully punched Rainbow in the arm. "Thought you were expectin' visitors." Rainbow's hand dropped to her side in relief, and she cracked a slight smile at Applejack.
"Thanks for coming," Rainbow said, and then grinned foolishly and scratched her head.
"S'alright. It sure has bee—" Rainbow threw her arms around Applejack's neck and squeezed her, catching her off guard and causing her to nearly choke on her words. "Y'all okay, sugar?" She giggled nervously. Rainbow didn't let go, but muffled into Applejack's shoulder,
"Yeah, I just… I've just missed you, AJ," she stuttered. Applejack responded by wrapping her arms tightly around Rainbow.
"Hey, me too," Applejack replied. She was slightly taken aback by the unexpected gesture that was not quite in Rainbow's character. But she enjoyed it, nevertheless—she truly had missed her best friend over the past two weeks. Finally, Rainbow let go of Applejack and stepped back,
"Sorry."
"Don't be," Applejack laughed. She didn't hesitate to toss off her shoes — then she realised she was still wearing the oversized wellies. Quickly, she examined herself to make sure she wasn't sporting any other embarrassingly dirty or huge garments, but she was safe. Rainbow just giggled,
"Nice boots, just don't get mud on the carpet, dad'll be furious."
Applejack grunted. "So, where's this tree?" she asked, following Rainbow through the hallway.
"Err… I kinda haven't got it out yet," Rainbow admitted, and pointed up the stairs. "It's in the attic." Applejack rolled her eyes,
"Pfft, was this your plan, you lazy mule?" Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.
"You know me too well, AJ," she said mischievously. "No, really, Pinkie was supposed to help me." She swung casually on the bannister before racing upstairs. "It's quite heavy, by the way."
"I think I'll be fine when it comes to heaviness," Applejack followed her. Rainbow quickly pulled the attic trapdoor down and reached for the ladder.
"K, I'll go up and find it, and chuck it down to you," she instructed as she tiptoed up the cold metal ladder. Applejack stood at the foot of the ladder and watched Rainbow disappear into the dark attic. She sniggered to herself as she heard Rainbow stumble about the place, struggling to keep her balance and searching for the tree-sized box. "Incoming!" Rainbow yelled.
"Wait, what—" Applejack hadn't the time to look up and stretch out her arms to catch the huge box that came tumbling from the attic. Instead, she instinctively raised her arms above her head and crouched. The weighty box hit her full on and knocked her right off her feet.
"Did you get that?" Rainbow called, and found herself waiting a while for the reply. "Applejack?"
Applejack was on the floor, the box covering half her body. She rubbed her head and moaned, "Rainbow, can you please make sure I'm ready before you chuck something like that at me again?" She heard Rainbow scurrying across the floor above her and saw her poke her head over the ledge.
"Oops…" Rainbow hid her smirk with her hand. "Are you okay?"
"You're lucky," Applejack growled and pushed the box off her. She brushed the dust off her jeans and tightened her ponytail. "You were right, that thing is bloomin' heavy… anything else you got to bash me with?"
"Just the baubles," Rainbow replied nonchalantly, and disappeared into the dark attic again. Applejack listened to Rainbow shuffling around above her until she called very slowly and clearly, "Are. You. Ready?"
"Yes," Applejack rolled her eyes, and held up her arms as the smaller box slid from Rainbow's hands into hers.
"Awesome," said Rainbow—one of her favourite words. She waited till Applejack stepped back, and then leapt right from the attic trapdoor onto the floor with a loud bang. Applejack laughed,
"You crazy mare."
"I'll be even more so when we've finished these decorations," Rainbow replied. "Let's get this over with," she said in the same bored tone Big Mac had earlier this morning. Without hesitation, she began dragging the huge box with the tree downstairs. Applejack followed with the box of baubles in her arm, shaking her head and chuckling at Rainbow who appeared to be being chased by the box that was almost as tall as her.
The girls dumped the boxes on the rug in front of the vintage open fire place, a spot that was extremely nostalgic to both of them. Applejack and Rainbow had been best mates since they were kids, and the hours they spent round each others houses proved to be their second homes. Of course, those hours were shortened massively now that they were older and had responsibilities.
The two must have been recalling those slightly melancholy memories, for they stood in silence, listening to the cracking flames. Finally, Rainbow knelt on the rug and began to tear the tape off the box. The fake tree branches sprung out as she ripped each cardboard flap out of place.
Next, Applejack popped the lid off the bauble box and poked around at all the exquisite decorations. There were very few that were matched, but Applejack liked a tree with a variety. Some were homemade, some were new and pristine, some were old and barely glued together, but each individual decoration told a story, and added to the sentimental value. Applejack also noticed a sparkling golden apple hung from glittery woven twigs—it was one that she had given to Rainbow and her family a few years ago. Mesmerised, she watched it swing and spin as she held it in front of her eyes.
"I've got it—whoa!" Rainbow was grasping the whole tree to her body, swaying clumsily about with it. One of the branches flew past Applejack's face, making her flinch and drop the golden apple back into the box. "Sorry!" She apologised hastily, frantically trying to hold down the loose branches. Applejack stood up and grabbed the end that Rainbow had little control over.
"Bout' poked my eye out," she groaned, whilst Rainbow looked away sheepishly. "Now get the bottom and stick it in," Applejack ordered.
"Alright, alright…" Rainbow muttered, trying to hide her smirk. "What's got into your hair?" Applejack frowned, and instantly dropped her half of the tree, crossing her arms stubbornly. With the sudden imbalanced tree in her arms again, Rainbow jerked forward in attempt to keep it off the floor.
"Applejack!" she complained loudly. Gaining grip of the large tree, she stood straight and glared at Applejack. She wanted to shout, to get her own back—it was what she did best. But somehow, when she stared into Applejack's eyes, she saw the hidden hurt, and it melted her heart. "What's wrong?" her voice cracked.
Applejack didn't like the way Rainbow stared at her patronisingly, and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Nothing… I've just had a hard day, s'all," she sighed heavily. Rainbow placed the tree gently on the floor and stepped closer to Applejack.
"You don't have to help me, if you don't want to, you know," she said quietly. She stood directly underneath the taller girl, so that she had no choice but to face her.
"Don't be stupid. Would I have come if I didn't want to?"
"Well, I dunno… you're kind of a sucker like that," Rainbow shrugged. Seeing that Applejack's disinterested expression didn't change, she grinned naively. As feeble as she seemed, it worked; Applejack smirked slightly.
"And you're an idiot, Rainbow Dash," was all she could utter. She grabbed the girl and hugged her tightly. Rainbow let slip a small shriek which made Applejack laugh again.
"I might ask you what's wrong and blow your fuse more often, if I get a hug at the end," Rainbow said cheekily.
"Don't push it," Applejack said sternly.
"I ain't!" Rainbow mocked Applejack's cute country accent. "I really mean it."
Applejack and Rainbow still stood in each other's embrace in silence, now a little awkwardly, a few seconds longer, until Rainbow managed to unhook Applejack's arms. She returned to the tree and heaved the thick end up.
"Let's get this damn thing up."
~~~
When the two worked together, the tree was placed in the stand in no time at all. The assortment of baubles had the plain old branches looking enchanted, and as they stood back and admired their handiwork, the Christmas spirit began to interfere. Rainbow had got a little excited and turned on the radio, and began to sing to the playlist of festive songs. Applejack joined in occasionally, but found her voice was quite hoarse, and singing her heart out made her queasy.
She had enjoyed the morning with Rainbow, ultimately, for she didn't take the small petty arguments into much account. To be fair, the two always ended up quarrelling over silly things. Goodness knows why, but Applejack always narrowed it down to the fact that they were both so competitive in everything. Other people had different ideas as to why heated arguments occurred among the two… ones that they found rather amusing at times; Applejack tried not to think about those.
It took them a good few hours to embellish the entire living room with flashy tinsel, soothing lights and singing ornaments. Applejack yawned and stretched her hands above her head, feeling the strain in her back from leaning on the floor simultaneously.
"Looks pretty neat, eh?" Rainbow jumped up beside Applejack, elbowing her knowingly.
"That must be my artistic streak," Applejack said proudly.
"Or my athleticism that enabled me to put that star right on the top," Rainbow pointed to the bright star that towered both of them.
"Yeah right, shortie!" Applejack scoffed and shoved Rainbow a little, knocking her off balance. Rainbow laughed and looked up at Applejack, a familiar glint in her eye. That glint that alerted Applejack that she was up to something… Applejack only huffed as Rainbow danced off into the hallway, and peeked out the window. The sky had become very grim, shadowing everything and causing the leaves on the trees to wave violently. She knew she'd have to be making her way home soon.
"Hey, AJ, look what I found!" Rainbow shouted from the hallway, and came charging back into the living room soon after. She was waving something around, and when she reached Applejack's side, she had to stretch her arm a lot to hold it above both of their heads.
"What's that?" Applejack asked suspiciously. She peered warily up at the object that dangled above her: a scraggly green and white plant. "What the…?"
"You don't know?" Rainbow cracked a teasing smile. "It's mistletoe."
"M-mistletoe?" Applejack stammered and blinked. She hoped Rainbow was just meddling with her head. "And whereabouts on the tree are you gonna put that?" She waved a hand lazily at the tree, already packed with glitzy items — Rainbow just burst out cackling, followed quite a serious expression;
"Stop messin' AJ."
"What are you on about? Rainbow, I don't—" Applejack's words were cut off and replaced with a startled yelp. In one swift movement, Rainbow had wrapped her arm around Applejack and smacked her body into hers so violently that she could hardly breathe. After that, her mouth was restricted of any speech, for Rainbow's lips were locked on hers. Rainbow had always had good aim, but at the speed of which she had reached in and planted her lips firmly on Applejack's was unquestionably impossible. Yet somehow, she had managed to execute it perfectly; it was like Rainbow was holding her there securely with only her devious wit and charm, and surprisingly honourable talent for kissing.
Applejack's eyes bulged, examining the lids that were shut in bliss before her; her face was so close that she could distinguish the blemishes on her otherwise flawless skin. Her heart was in her throat, pounding like a bass drum, and threatened to explode right there—until Rainbow released her. Her eyes flickered open and met Applejack's immediately.
With a gasp of the air that she had been deprived of, Applejack just stood there gawking at Rainbow, still trying to process what had just happened. That same devilish grin spread across Rainbow's face, this time with a hint of triumph as she noted the pleasing effect the kiss had on Applejack. How she longed to jump in for a second chance to taste those tender lips. The way she stood so defenselessly dumbstruck triggered a feeling of lust inside Rainbow. Gently, she caressed Applejack's back and felt her shiver.
"Stop," Applejack whispered, her lips quivering with a desire that Rainbow was so slyly increasing. Rainbow hummed, her hands travelling up Applejack's back ever so slowly and stroking her neck.
"I couldn't let you leave without teaching you the real tradition with our mistletoe," a Rainbow said in a low, purring voice. Applejack had never heard her sound this way.
"W-what do you mean?" she swallowed hard, Rainbow's piercing eyes gazing into her own.
"Don't tell me that wasn't a very good lesson?" Rainbow pouted her lips, quite affronted.
"Oh, don't worry, it was one heck of a lesson," Applejack said through clenched teeth. Rainbow's fingers still explored her upper body and combed through her hair; her very touch beginning to make her skin melt. "Rainbow, I had no idea you, err, you…"
"Were totally crazily in love with you?"
"Um, yeah, I guess."
There was not a single word that could resemble how Applejack felt at that moment. Instead, Rainbow began to ramble,
"Look, I don't know how you feel right now—hell, I don't even know how I feel. But I figured the only way to find out was to give it a go," Rainbow still stared fixedly into Applejack's eyes; there was no escape.
"Give it a go?"
"Well, I mean, if you didn't first…" Applejack jerked her head back and scrunched up her nose.
"Rainbow!" she hissed.
"C'mon, Honesty," Rainbow said, the word rang in Applejack's head like a bell. The nickname that she had been given as a kid—and a different one for all six of them, in fact—which enhanced their imaginations and promised their life-long friendships. "Even if you were any good at lying, you can't tell fibs to me. I know—" She hesitated, and then repeated more certainly, "I know that you felt something too, when I kissed you," that word stung Applejack's ears. "I can see it in your eyes. Ive been friends long enough with you to read you like a book. Feelings as strong as mine, you can't hide them—"
"Alright, Shakespeare!" Applejack voice was unintentionally high. Her head was a blur. Part of her knew that Rainbow was right, and part of her wanted to accept it. She had no clue how to describe her feelings, but she was positive that what she was about to do might prove them to her. Let's see how you read this, then.
Without hesitation, she took Rainbow's dainty head in her hands, and though she plunged down, the collision with Rainbow's lips was delicate. Rainbow tried to murmur something, but suddenly Applejack sucked up her words hungrily. Rainbow, however, was more than happy to cooperate, pressing into the taller girl's boiling body. The two were battling to replenish one another's fiery passion: Rainbow tugged at Applejack's shirt as if attempting to hoist herself higher; Applejack deepened the kiss, taking Rainbow off guard, but she would not break away until the kindling flames inside her burst into full roar.
Clasping her hands to Rainbow's back, she dragged the slender girl with her until the back of Applejack's legs slammed into the arm of the sofa and knocked them both backwards. Rainbow came flying onto Applejack's front, and their contact finally broke. Rainbow pulled herself up until she was level with Applejack, and threw back her head with hysteria. Applejack repeatedly kissed her neck softly, and she squirmed, her laughing faded to moans,
"Applejack," she mumbled. "S-stop it!" she continued with small burst of euphoric laughter.
"You started it," Applejack breathed, but she didn't stop. That was when she realised it was because she didn't want to. Her whole body was floating with ecstasy, her senses buzzing with every touch of Rainbow's hot skin. Building up the willpower, she pushed away Rainbow's prurient curiosity.
"Then either end it or don't!" Rainbow growled, and fought against Applejack's resist. Her eyes sparkled with a vicious yearning as she attempted to climb over the top of Applejack. "You're driving me insane, Freckles…" Applejack unleashed her power through her muscular arms, and the next thing she knew, Rainbow Dash was sat on the floor. She grumbled and rubbed her skull. "Wow, AJ, I— you— I can't believe you just—" Rainbow's voice was raspy.
"I had to find out," she panted.
"Well?" Rainbow crawled towards the sofa and eyed Applejack.
"What do you think?!" Applejack snapped, and looked at Rainbow who leaned on her arms beside her. The more she thought about that past experience, the more she wanted to kiss her again. She snorted suddenly as she recalled Rainbow's delirious sex-crazed antics, "Rainbow, you're one crazy bitch."
"I could say the same to you," Rainbow muttered, and grinned seductively. Why, Applejack could slap herself: everything Rainbow did now appealed to her in a sexual manner. Applejack stretched out her hand and touched Rainbow's cheek; before she could lean forward towards Rainbow's lips again, Rainbow slapped her hand in the vicinity between them.
"Heh, well," Rainbow began, and abruptly rose on her feet and inspected herself creased clothes. "That mistletoe sure does the job. Three Christmases my dad tried that on mum—it worked eventually," she laughed.
"Pfft, yeah, must have some kind of magic power."
"Are you sure you're not some kind of secret majestic sex beast, AJ?" Rainbow asked playfully.
"We'll see about that, Loyalty."
Author's Note
I'm just glad I finished this before Christmas! Been working on it whenever I could the last three days. (Sorry it's uploaded after though)
This is my first completed AppleDash story (I'm working in a full length one). I really wanted to contribute something to the community this Xmas and personally I'm quite surprised I actually finished it. I'm a sucker for getting things done quickly. Buuut feel free to bash the hell outta this; I've never written anything quite so "saucy" before (I wasn't even intending for the last scene to turn out like that… my imagination just got the better if me).
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
