Each day when the sun rises, I hurry from my sleep
I can't wait to greet you with my song

“Mmph... “ Applejack’s eyes creaked open, surprised to wake up, not to the shrill and obnoxious crowing of the family rooster… but to a most beautiful song.

“Wha… whoozat?”

She got out of bed, put a quick mane-tie on, and poked her head out the door, hearing the singing more clearly and noticing she wasn’t the only one.

You are every kind of flower, every animal I meet

She saw Apple Bloom, Twinken, and even Granny Smith up and awake as they all shared confused looks as they all had the same question: Who was singing?

You are nature, full of grace and majesty

Granny Smith gestured with her head to the stairs and they followed the old mare down them, the singing gracing their ears as they got closer to the singer.

From your skies the snow gently falls to the earth,
From your trees the birds nest and play

They approached the kitchen and their answer made herself known as they saw it was Faerie Tail, just finishing breakfast before setting the table with her magic and serving up helpings for everyone. However, she hadn’t noticed yet that she had an audience.

From your oceans the fish school and travel the world,
Oh, nature, please don't ever go away

Apple Bloom and Twinken smiled and were about to go in, only for Granny Smith and Applejack to hold them back and silently hold their hooves to their lips and they continued to listen to Faerie Tail.

Each day when the sun rises, I hurry from my sleep,
I can't wait to greet you with my song
You are every kind of flower, every animal I meet,
Nature you are grace and majesty

Sighing in content as she finished her song and was satisfied that breakfast was ready, Faerie Tail was caught utterly off guard as she heard a little applause and looked to see everyone awake, smiling at her.

“Mah word, whudda gorgeous way t’ wake up!” Granny Smith smiled warmly, everypony nodding in agreement.

“Oh! Oh my, I- Good morning, everypony…” Faerie Tail blushed, looking bashful before she cleared her throat and said, “Breakfast is ready! Heheh!”

"Faerie Tail, Ah gotta say," Applejack said as she sat at the table, "tha' was one o' th' most bee-yoo-tiful songs Ah ever did hear."

"Oh stop it, Applejack," Faerie Tail got all bashful as she took her own seat.

"Don't be embarrassed, Mom!" Twinken sat next to his mom and gave her a hug, which she warmly reciprocated. "It was wonderful! Where did you learn it?"

"Yeah, Faerie Tail, tell us, please!" Apple Bloom gave the unicorn mare her heartbreaking eyes, which caused Faerie Tail to cave.

"Alright, alright, settle down, I'll tell you all," Faerie Tail took a deep breath, "It's not my song, but it has been sung for over a thousand years. My mother-in-law taught it to me after I married Midnight and Twinken's father, Ignitus. She told me it was first sung by the wife of Vulcan, the founder of House Obsidian, and it was tradition that all female members of the family, by blood or marriage, would sing it to their children or to welcome the morning in the hopes for a good day."

"Well, wakin' up t' such a beautiful song an' voice like that?" Applejack said as she started to enjoy her breakfast, "Ah ain't got no doubt about mah day turnin' out great! Jus' as soon as muh chores are done. Wha's on anypony else's agenda?"

"Ah'm goin' t' see muh friends fer our weekly tea n' biscuits," Granny Smith replied, "little bingo on th' side, some knittin'..."

"Hey Twinken, is tha' grammar homework due t'day or tomorrow?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Tomorrow, no worries," assured Twinken before he took a swig of sparkling apple juice. Afterwards he stifled a burp and then said, "Thunderlane's at the door, wants to see you, AJ."

"Huh?!" Applejack looked to the door and saw Twinken's red mana turn the handle to reveal Thunderlane just as he'd been about to knock, surprising him.

"How'd ya do that?" asked Apple Bloom, all eyes turning to Twinken.

"Telepath, remember?" Twinken pointed at himself before taking a bite of buttered toast.

"Uh..." all eyes turned back to Thunderlane, who stood before the doorway, looking caught off guard, "...good morning?"

"Howdy, Thunderlane," Applejack waved him, "join us fer breakfast?"

"Um, no, that's... okay," Thunderlane cleared his throat, "AJ, I'm... uh, see... it's... such a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"It sure as sugar is," Applejack agreed, failing to see the blush and forced smile on Thunderlane's face, which did not however go unnoticed by the rest of the family. "Once some chores're done with, Ah'm gonna-"

"Wouldyougooutwithmetonight?!" blurted out Thunderlane, clearly acting on impulse for he immediately seemed to regret, the way he sucked in his lips and got shifty-eyed.

"Uh..." Applejack said dumbly while Apple Bloom and Twinken shared a foalish laugh at her expense and Granny Smith and Faerie Tail shared a maternal smirk. "Well, uh, Thunder, Ah'm... well, Ah- Hey!"

Applejack was being levitated out the door in Faerie Tail's soft golden mana as the older mare said, "Have a good time out, Applejack, and don't worry about the chores, Twinken and I can handle them. Don't you kids get into any trouble now!"

"Wait!" Applejack tried to protest, only to get her snoot smacked by the closing door. "Ow..."

"You okay, AJ?" Applejack turned to the concerned Thunderlane, holding her nose.

"Uh- Yeah... Oh!" Applejack gently flared her nostrils a bit, letting the pain dull away before clearing her throat, "So uh, Thunder? Um... a date, huh?"

"Uh-huh! I, uh... thought we could enjoy ourselves with a steam bath at the spa," Thunderlane started to get just a little excited as he explained, "and then afterwards, there's this movie over at the cinema I think you'd like, it's called 'Lone Ranger Silver', and finally I thought we'd have a nice dinner at the restaurant of your choice!"

Applejack had to admit: All of that sounded really nice, An'... Ah s'pose Ah could take a day off eve'ry once in a while.

But still, this wasn't hanging out with a good friend, but an actual date! How long had it been since Applejack had been on one of those? Applejack had never been the romantic type, especially after her parents passed away. Oh, she'd tried to date a couple of times, once with Caramel, the other with Dangleberry Doo (how that stallion could love jelly so much still disturbed the young mare), but neither had gone anywhere.

Granted though, she hadn't liked them as much as she liked Thunderlane. She was well aware that Thunderlane had feelings for her and truly she admired and respected Thunderlane a great deal, and considered him a very good friend, practically family.

But still... Applejack thought with a slight gulp before clearing her throat and saying aloud, "Tha' all sounds... mighty dandy, Thunderlane! Tell ya what though: Can we... take some time t' prepare? Ah mean, Ah'd like t' spruce up a bit, powder muh nose, an' such?"

"Oh! Uh, absolutely!" Thunderlane was secretly relieved. Sure, he had some general ideas for the date but he hadn't entirely prepared himself for it. "So... you go ahead and get ready, I'll meet you at the Spa at three o'clock, after that is the movie at 4:15, and finally we'll go wherever you'd like to eat. Sound good?"

"Fantastic, seeya then!" Applejack galloped past Thunderlane so fast, it sent him spinning a bit, leaving him in a loopy daze of dopy hopefulness and anxiety as he shook it off and watched Applejack disappear down the way towards Ponyville.

"OH MY!!" gushed Rarity with a swooning smile, "Thunderlane asked you out on a date?! Applejack, darling, this is-"

"A dee-zaster!" interjected Applejack as she was pacing around in a circle within Carousel Boutique, leaving Rarity perplexed as she sat on her display stage.

"Okay, not the word I was going for..." Rarity debated before clearing her throat, "Now, Applejack, dear! How, in Faust's Holy Name, could this possibly be a... 'dee-zaster'? I think it's rather wonderful! Thunderlane is rather like you in some ways; you're both hard workers, responsible, everypony knows they can trust each of you and rely upon you."

"Rarity, Ah- It's jus' tha'..." Applejack sighed as she fell back onto her haunches and moped a bit, Rarity stepping down from her stage to sit beside the mare who was among her oldest and dearest friends despite their considerable amount of differences, and gently nudged her shoulder to the cowgirl before Applejack gave Rarity a look and saw an understand smile on the fashionista's face.

Gathering herself, Applejack took a deep breath, "It's jus'... it's been so long since Ah've... dated anypony. Ah mean, shor, at some point Ah considered findin' me a stal'yun, a partner, somepony Ah could depend on, an' maybe... have foals with..."

"As I recall, you've dated a few stallions before, but..."Rarity gave it a thought before realizing, "Oh goodness, it has been a long time, hasn't it? I believe Caramel was the first pony you ever dated? Nice chap, but somewhat... blasé."

"Caramel was a nice guy, only he wuz always fergettin' stuff an' he tended t' complain," Applejack nodded, "Truthfully, Ah think he was relieved when Ah let him down an' broke it off. Ah dated a couple more after that, but when Apple Bloom got older things jus' got busier at th' farm."

"Well, I am confident Thunderlane would fare far better in winning your affections, Applejack," assured Rarity, "He's no slouch when it comes to attacking chores and labor, and you must admit, having to raise his little brother by himself after their parents' accident... he sacrificed much to keep foal services from splitting him and Rumble apart."

Applejack sighed, mentally agreeing with Rarity. She could recall when Thunderlane first moved to Ponyville with Rumble; Thunderlane had arrived a few years after Rainbow Dash moved to Ponyville, and was often working at the Weather Office to earn enough income to support himself and his little brother. Thankfully, his neighbors-turned-friends Cloud Chaser and Flitter had been kind enough to foalsit for Rumble anytime, helping Thunder a great deal. But Applejack could also recall how workaholic Thunderlane once was, devoted to proving himself a responsible guardian for Rumble, something she could relate to, only she'd had Granny Smith and Big Macintosh to lean on.

As hard as Ah've worked, Thunder's worked even harder t' keep his fam'ly t'gether, Applejack thought morosely. But then that sadness gave way just a little for a sense of warmth and... giddiness? Applejack wasn't entirely sure what to call it, only that it made her feel flattered that of all the mares in Ponyville, Thunderlane was interested in her!

That's when she heard a barely-contained giggle from Rarity and looked to see the unicorn was giving her a suggestive look, making Applejack feel bashful.
"Come, come, darling, there's no need to shy away from your feelings! In all honesty, Thunderlane is quite a catch. And let's not forget that technically you already agreed to the date."

"Oh..." Applejack glanced at a clock on the wall and saw that it was still hours before she had to meet Thunderlane, "Well, thankfully there's a lotta time t' get ready-"

"Time? Time, darling?! There's no time for time!" Rarity got up in Applejack's face, "If you want for this date to go splendidly we must get you prepared one hundred and ten percent!

"So let's not waste a-" Rarity was about to bring out her beauty products, only for Applejack to interject.

"WAIT A MINUTE." Applejack hadn't shouted, only raised her voice in a firm manner before politely saying, "Ah don' need t' be froufrou'd up or wear makeup, Rares. Firs' stop's th' spa, remember? Besides, if'n Ah go out wit' somepony, Ah wanna go as muhself."

"Hmm, fair enough, Applejack," Rarity respected Applejack's decision, putting her beauty products back, before she got up in Applejack's face, "But at the very least, let me give you just a few touches to emphasize your natural beauty, along with some... advice."

"Uh... okay?" Applejack had a feeling she might regret this.

Meanwhile...

"So yeah, it's finally gonna happen," Thunderlane explained on the wraparound veranda of Macintosh's house, leaning onto the railing as he kept shifting his gaze between Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres.
"I asked Applejack out, and... she... technically said yes? I mean, she didn't actually say no and told me to meet her at the spa at three. That counts as a yes, right?"

Thunderlane looked over to the porch swing where Macintosh was gently swinging with his baby foals, Belle and Sandow, the filly and colt smiling and giggling adorably as they enjoyed the gentle swinging as their daddy held them in each foreleg.

"Eeyup," Mac nodded while minding his children.

"Even so... I'm really nervous!" Thunderlane began to pace around a bit, making sure to be quiet so as not to upset the foals, "I've been planning this date for weeks! I just want for it to go well and AJ and I have a nice time, because... I really do like her, Big Mac! Um..."

He gave the red stallion a hesitant look but Macintosh was enjoying making Sandow go uppy, the colt giggling happily in his daddy's hooves while Belle watched curiously.

"That doesn't... bother you, does it?" asked Thunderlane as he resisted the urge to gulp.

"Nnope," Macintosh replied before he set Sandow down on the swing beside him and started raising Belle uppy, making her fuss, which quickly told the father that his baby girl didn't like it. So he set her down onto his lap, feeling her lie back onto his belly.

"I'm mean, sure, a while back you said you were cool with me having a thing for your sister," Thunderlane noted, "It's just you're one of my best friends, Mac, and I just don't want things to be weird if I'm dating your sister, you know that, right?"

"Eeyup," Macintosh laid down onto the swing, making sure his foals were on his belly so they could all settle down for a nap.

"Good, good... but I'm still so nervous!" Thunderlane couldn't help ruffling his feathers, trying to cool himself down, "I planned this date for weeks, but it took me forever to work up the guts just to knock on the door to ask AJ out! Although technically, Twinken opened the door before I could knock-"

"Thunderlane."

Thunderlane stiffened up at the subtly raised tone of Big Macintosh as the earth pony relaxed, his babies beginning to doze off on his belly, as he peered at his friend out the corner of his eye, "Speakin' as her big brother, Ah can tell ya, Ah think you n' AJ would be good t'gether. Jus' be yerself, treat AJ right, relax, an' hav' a nice time. S'all there is to it."

"I... guess so," Thunderlane did the calming technique he'd seen Twilight do a lot, feeling some of his anxiety abate though it didn't entirely go away. Despite this, he furrowed his brows and steeled his resolve as he then declared, "This date is gonna go great and with Faust as my witness, it will be only the first of many!!"

Almost forgetting the twins were dozing off on their daddy, Thunderlane nearly launched himself skyward, but remembered to be careful and quiet as he gently took flight and soared off to Ponyville.

Big Mac yawned as he smiled, feeling his son and daughter snoozing adorably on his paunch and softly muttered, "Yeah, you do that..." before drifting away to dreamland himself.

Author's Note

The song Faerie Tail sang was sung by Princess Shayla, the mentor of the Power Rangers Wild Force, which is one of my all-time favorite PR generations

And, as you might have guessed, the date isn't gonna go the way Thunderlane hopes. Also, it replaces the episode of "Applejack's 'Day' Off"