"C'mon, we're almost there!" Applejack called, only slowing down slightly to let her friend catch up. "Trust me, sugarcube, you'll love it!"
"You've only said that about ten times!" Twilight Sparkle shouted above the sound of thunder and the beat of their hooves. Not that she wasn't curious; she'd been in Ponyville a few months now and she still had yet to see all of Sweet Apple Acres, so she was actually looking forward to seeing what Applejack had to show her. Part of her hoped it was a secret library, maybe some photo albums of the Apple family's ancestors or stories from the past. Twilight couldn't think of a better way to spend a rainy afternoon.
She finally managed to catch up to Applejack, who led her into the barn just as the first drops began to fall.
"So? Where's this thing you want to show me?" she prompted. The other mare grinned and waved a hoof around the space.
"You're standin' in it, Twilight! This here's my hayloft, I come here anytime it rains." There wasn't a book in sight, to Twilight's disappointment; all she could see was a bushel bucket of apples, a small lantern and a platform buried under a pile of hay. The earth pony gave a flying leap and flopped onto the pile, the platform making a creaking noise under her weight. "C'mon up!"
"Um...are you sure that thing can hold us both?" It looked so old, and the thought of lying on so much hay...maybe Applejack was used to it, but Twilight felt itchy all over just thinking about it.
"Aw, it aint too far from the ground," Applejack said, holding out a hoof. "It's real cozy, trust me! Git on up, sugarcube!"
"Applejack..." Twilight sighed, knowing she'd never get anywhere arguing with her friend. Against her better judgment, she grabbed Applejack's hoof and let herself be pulled on board.
"I always come out here to listen to storms," Applejack said. "Rain sounds real spooky beatin' against the outside, and sometimes it's nice to be someplace quiet for a while."
"Boy, do I ever know how that feels!" Twilight squirmed as she tried to get used to the hay rubbing against her body. It wasn't as itchy as she'd feared, but it still felt...weird. It almost tickled, and it was hard not to make a face at the sensation.
"You?" Applejack smiled at her in the darkness. "Since when do you ever need peace and quiet, all you've got is Spike and the owl!" Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Ever tried living with Spike? Sometimes one baby dragon can be as noisy as fifty ponies," she giggled.
"Point taken," Applejack laughed. "Hey, don't ya wanna come closer? You're all the way at the edge!" Before Twilight could answer Applejack threw a foreleg across her hip and pulled her closer, and now the hay tickled. She just barely managed to suppress another giggle at the sensation.
"Thanks," she said. "This is kind of nice." The rain and the darkness and the tiny light from the lantern created a mysterious, romantic atmosphere. And the warmth of Applejack's body...wait, was she blushing? It wasn't as if she'd never snuggled up to her or any of the others. "I really like the lantern!" she added quickly.
"Aint it? Told you it'd be nice," Applejack said. "Lantern's purty old, but it still works okay. I like when there's only a little light in here, makes it nice and spooky." She grinned. "Like there could be a ghost floatin' around in here, watchin' us!" Twilight shivered, pulling closer to her friend.
"What kind of ghost?"
"A big one, all floaty and gray with hollow eyes and no mouth," Applejack whispered. "But it still moans all night, every night, chasin' everypony this way and that."
"Ooh..." Twilight shuddered. "What did it want from them?" The back of her neck prickled with fright, momentarily distracting her from the hay prickling through her coat.
"Nopony knows. Just floatin' and moanin', moanin' and floatin' all ov'r Equestria..." Applejack's grin became a sneer. "Someday, though, it's gonna bust in and snatch up somepony, takin' em off to parts unknown...maybe even..."
"-the Everfree Forest!" Both of them shouted as thunder boomed loudly, shaking the little enclosure. The platform suddenly gave way, sending two shrieking ponies and a pile of hay tumbling to the ground. Hay scattered every which way, but most of it landed on Twilight and now she couldn't even try not to laugh. Applejack gave her a weird look.
"Hey now, don't try pretendin' like that wasn't so scary," she teased. "You were screamin' as loudly as me!"
"I-it's not the story," Twilight gasped, "it's-it's all this hay!" A gleam came to Applejack's eye.
"Didn't realize you were ticklish, sugarcube..." With a grin, she took a little pile of hay between her teeth and straddled Twilight's lower body.
"A-applejack, what are you-eeek! Applejack, stop that!" The ends of the hay were brushing against her neck in rapid circles; Twilight gasped and squirmed beneath the Earth pony, but Applejack was relentless. "S-stop!"
"Mmnope," Applejack muttered around the hay. She was taking some between her front hooves now, rubbing it over Twilight's sides; she couldn't decide if this was cold-blooded torture or not, or if her protests were sincere. She'd never even thought she was ticklish...was she, or was it all Applejack's doing?
"I mean it!" she cried. "C-cut it out! Or-or-"
"Or what?" Applejack dropped the hay from her mouth, and with a sudden rush of energy Twilight flipped them over, taking some hay between her hooves.
"Or this!" she cried as she began to dust the hay over Applejack's neck and belly. Applejack yelped and began to thrash underneath her.
"W-woah! Twilight, that's not fair!" But they both knew it was, and soon they were a rolling ball of shrieks and giggles as each pony tried to one-up the other. Hay was everywhere now, all over the ground and in their manes and tails, Twilight even had a piece between her teeth and didn't care. Finally, finally they were exhausted, lying side by side on the ground and panting.
"Now that," Applejack laughed, "is one heckuva way to spend a rainy day! Admit it, sugarcube, you had fun too."
"Ahahaha, well..." Twilight smiled, leaning against her friend, "maybe it wasn't so bad."
"Heh, I'll take that as a yes." The farmpony grinned, resting her head against Twilight's. "Mm...you feel all nice and toasty."
"It's pretty warm in here," Twilight said with a yawn.
"Yeah..."
And then their noses met and rubbed together, not quite a kiss but still just as meaningful. Neither pony seemed alarmed by this other than a blush from Twilight, and they curled their bodies closer together as they let the steady fall of the raindrops lull them to sleep.
