Busy Days to Peaceful Nights

The hooficures and massages had been great, but Applejack didn’t feel as relaxed and at home in her comfort zone more so than in the mud bath. Both she and Rarity sat next to each other up to their shoulders in the warm mud while holding a slim glass of sparkling cider. To Applejack’s surprise, the cider was just as high quality as everything else the spa had to offer.

“So my father decided it would be a good idea to stay downtown for the show, but I said that just would not do. A good show also deserves a good meal, does it not?” Rarity asked as she regaled on and on about her vacation with her father to Trottingham.

Applejack merely nodded and sipped casually. “Ah guess. Ah ain’t never been.”

“Well it is the usual custom.” She set her own glass down next to her ear. “I for one enjoy a nice meal before a show.”

“Wait, what show was this?”

“Hm, let’s see…” Rarity searched her mind. “I can’t for the life of me remember. No matter. As I recall, it wasn’t particularly good. What about you? What was your last vacation like?”

“Well, Ah guess it wasn’t like a vacation vacation…” She said, finishing her glass. “It was just the last Apple Family Reunion.”

“Hold a moment, darling. Are you telling me that your last leisure holiday was your family reunion.”

“Uh, yeah? Ah guess?”

“That was ages ago! You’ve been busy this whole time?”

“Uh…yeah, guess Ah have.”

“I protest! Fully protest. You must have at least one day a week set aside for yourself. You will run yourself absolutely ragged if you don’t.”

“Well, it ain’t like Ah get much say ‘n the matter. The farm is a full time job. Ain’t much time for foolin’ ‘n playin’ durin’ the week.”

“Then you must make time.” Rarity replied pragmatically. “Look at what all your working has done to you. I’ve never seen you run down.”

“Ah appreciate the concern, Rare.” Applejack sighed. “But there really ain’t nothin’ Ah can do. Ah wish there was, but there ain’t.”

“Applejack,” She addressed her face to face, “You will make time for yourself, or I will come over every week and drag you away from your farm, so help me!”

She laughed. “Well when ya put it like that, guess there ain’t no way of sayin’ no.”

Rarity nodded once with a dignified huff. “It’s settled then.”

Two new guests arrived to the mud baths. One was a petite little yellow mare with faded light curled green mane and tail. The other was a tall dusty brown stallion with short cropped grey mane and chopped tail. They were obviously a couple considering how fond and friendly they were with each other. They waved to Rarity and Applejack after accepting their towels from one of the spa’s employees. Rarity gestured with her glass and Applejack waved back, splashing a bit of mud up into the air.

Having finished their cider, the two girls leaned back, put fresh cucumber slices over their eyes, and sighed with satisfaction. It seemed like the mud bath soaked up all of their stress and frustration, leaving them serene as could be. Five minutes passed by without anypony having a single care in the world. The silence and atmosphere of the room was simply splendid, only broken abruptly by the new couple sitting in the bath on the other side of the room.

They were difficult to hear due to the distance, but the words were unmistakable.

“S-Stop it, Socket Wrench.” The mare said through a giggle as her stallion tickled her. “We’re in public.”

“It’s not that public.” He said, looking around before returning her gaze mischievously. “It’s just us.”

“Yes, us and two others over there.” She gave him a small peck on the cheek.

“It’s ok. They’re aren’t even awake. Look. I think they’re sleeping.”

She glanced at Rarity and Applejack before sighing. “Ok, I’ll do it. Just try and stay quiet.”

“Yes!” The stallion said happily in a whisper. He gave his mare a wet kiss on her cheek before sitting back and closing his eyes.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this…” She glanced up nervously as she shifted her position in the mud. The stallion began breathing slowly as his cheeks turned pink. He gasped quietly and quickly put a hoof over his mouth.

Rarity’s ears perked up when she heard the gasp. With a hoof, she gently lifted one of the cucumbers up away from her eye to glance at the source of the noise. When she finally understood what she was seeing, she nearly choked. She whispered to herself, “Dear Sweet Celestia…”

The stallion buried his face his mares neck, moaning inaudibly. She laughed and giggled as she watched her stallion become like putty from her touch. The mud made it impossible to see anything more below the shoulders, but the gentle ripples on the surface of the mud that came from between the two ponies told Rarity everything she needed to know. “Shhh…” the mare whispered. It was no use. He continued to make little gasping noises.

Rarity quickly covered her eye with the cucumber, trying hard to stifle a little giggle of her own. After a few seconds, her curiosity had become unbearable, and with as much discretion as she could muster, she moved the cucumber far enough away from her eye so she could see at just the right angle. “H-Heavens…” She mouthed to herself.

“Oh, Daisy…” The stallion murmured.

She put her other hoof over his mouth. “Shush!” She whispered. “If you can’t be quiet, I’ll stop right now.”

“Ok ok, sorry.” He laughed, leaning back farther.

As Rarity watched, she could see the stallion moving his head side to side while holding his breath. It looked like he was arching his back while making a painful expression. “Goodness Gracious…He’s isn’t going to…”

“A-AHH!” Came a horse whisper from the other side of the room.

Applejack sat up and took her cucumbers off her face. “What was that?” Rarity turned to look at her, and Applejack could see her friend covering her mouth with her hoof with an embarrassed red face. “Geez, Rarity. Ya’ll look like ya dropped yer glass. What was that noise?”

The mare sitting next to her stallion was furious. Her face looked so mad that Rarity expected her to elbow her stallion in the ribs. Instead, the stallion spoke up first. “S-Sorry!” He choked. “I..uh…think I stepped in something slimy.”

“Mud is supposed to be slimy.” Applejack pointed out, looking at him like he was a little slow in the head. “What did y’all expect?”

The stallion tried to force out an awkward laugh as the mare next to him just hid behind her hooves. “Its my first time in a mud bath. Sorry.” Applejack simply huffed and went back to enjoying her mud bath. Rarity tried to stare up at the ceiling, pretending she hadn’t seen anything. The little green and yellow mare did in fact elbow her stallion in the ribs, and he yelped. “I’m sorry, Daisy baby…” He whispered into her ear.

She crossed her hooves and turned away from him before whispering back, “You promised you would be quiet!”

His ears drooped. “I’m so so sorry, honey bunny…I’ll make it up to you.”

She shook her head. “Don’t bother trying.”

“Not even if I do…that one thing?”

She turned back to face him. “Ok…” She sighed. “For as long as I want?”

“Yeah, for as long as you want.”

She seemed to perk up a bit as she gave him a smile. “Ok, let’s go.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, right now.” She said as she slowly got out of the mud bath.

He still sat shoulder deep in the mud. “Don’t I get like five minutes to rest?” He groaned.

“Would you just get out.”

He sighed heavily and did as he was told. “Fine…”

As the couple covered in mud walked slowly past the two girls still enjoying their mud bath, Applejack gave them a friendly and oblivious wave goodbye. “Have a nice day, ya’ll!” They both nodded awkwardly at her before continuing out to steam rooms. Applejack turned to Rarity and said, “They seemed nice. Maybe the colt-friend is missin’ a few puzzle pieces, but all ‘n all…” She trailed off when she saw Rarity’s motionless face. “Uh, hey Rare. Ya with me, sugarcube?”

She slowly turned to face her before bursting out in an uncontrollable giggle. “O-OOH-HAHAHA…”

“What’s so funny?” Applejack asked while giggling. Her friend’s laugh was infectious.

“Applejack…darling…hahaha…You completely missed it.” She gripped her sides, trying to contain herself.

“What? C’mon, Rare! Tell me! What was it?” Applejack asked with desperate curiosity. Rarity cleared her throat while wiping a tear of laughter away from her eye. She leaned forward to whisper in Applejack’s ear. Even though they now were the only two ponies in the room, the need for discrete conversation seemed necessary. As Rarity spoke, Applejack would occasionally nod and say, “Uh-huh” or, “Yeah”. Finally, Her eyes grew wide as she gasped. “JUMPIN’ JUNEBUGS! Yer kiddin’ me!”

They both broke out into a fit of laughter.

--o0o--

The Ponyville marketplace has the perfect balance of quality products and tolerable lines. It could get crowded at times, but only for about an hour in the late mornings on the busy weekends. Other than that, it was a fun place to shop and socialize. Ponyville’s entrepreneurs didn’t have the top of the line products for sale like Canterlot would have, but everything from peaches to quills were high quality homemade goods. A pony could find almost anything they were looking for at any time for reasonable prices. There were a few venders that did not mind ripping off the meek and uninformed, but they were very few and far between.

Rainbow Dash was still having some trouble getting what she needed, despite such a great shopping atmosphere. When she had set out to buy the necessities for lunch, she had in mind something simple. When she happened upon the different stands and stalls with all their great fruits and vegetables, she began to imagine all the delicious things that could be made. For the life of her, she had no idea how to cook all the glorious things she thought about. That really bothered her. She wanted to make something really nice for Fluttershy, but everything she thought about just wasn’t possible for her. While standing in front of a garnish and spice stand, she growled at herself.

“Are you ok, Rainbow Dash?” A voice asked her.

“Huh?” She turned to the side. “Hey Twilight. Hey Spike I didn’t see you there. I’m good. Just can’t figure out what to buy.”

“Well, you’ve been standing here for over a minute. I tried calling out to you, but you looked mad about something.”

Spike added his two bits by asking, “Why so blue?” He laughed and jabbed Twilight’s side. “Get it? Blue?” He received no response from either pony other than annoyed scowls. “Forget it.” He grumbled.

“I promised to make Fluttershy a late lunch, but...I kinda forgot I can’t really cook. I can sort of cook little stuff, I guess, but not complete meals or anything.” She said plainly. “I was going to go with something easy, but there’s so much great stuff here.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.” Twilight smiled. “She’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

That made her feel a tad better. “Thanks.”

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you made something simple. Fluttershy isn’t the type pony who expects a five star three course meal.” Twilight put a hoof on Spike’s head. “Maybe this little guy does, but not her.” Spike pushed her hoof off his head and glared up at her.

“Yeah, I guess.” Dash giggled. “It’s just, Shy is having a tough day. I want to do something extra nice.”

With a hoof on Dash’s shoulder, Twilight said, “Rainbow Dash, anything you do for somepony in your heart is plenty good enough. If that pony doesn’t like it, then that pony isn’t a real friend.”

She smiled. “You’re right. Thanks, Twilight. I kind of needed that. I think I’ll just buy whatever looks good and throw it together. I can’t go wrong there.”

Twilight giggled. “No you can’t. I think that’s a great idea.”

With the fire rekindled in her heart, Dash nodded her head. “So what brings you guys here?”

“Twilight’s looking for wooden blocks.” Spike said looking bored.

“Wooden blocks?”

“It’s for making little gears.” Twilight said. “I’m going to try and make an egg timer.”

“That’s…cool…I guess.” Dash tried to sound impressed.

“I know it’s not the most exciting thing in Equestria-”

Spike interrupted her. “You can say that again.” She stepped firmly on his foot with her hoof. “Ow! I’m sorry, geez.”

“But, it’s actually a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

“Uh-huh.” With a blank face, Dash blinked once. “Yeah. Cool.”

Spike started making obnoxious snoring sounds, mimicking Twilight's talking face, and Twilight glared at him mischievously. “Looks like somepony is going to be up all night helping me if he can’t behave himself in public.”

“Ok ok! I’m sorry!” He griped. “I was only kidding. Can’t you take a joke?”

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “We should probably get going.” Twilight said. “It was nice seeing you.”

“Yeah, you too.” Dash replied. “Good luck with your egg timey thingy.”

The bookworm and her assistant began walking away while waving back at her. Dash returned the wave before quickly trotting up and down the stalls. She bought a bit of everything that caught her eye and hoped that Fluttershy might be able to help her come up with something. If she got a little of everything, the more possibilities opened up. At least, that’s what she hoped.

As the sun moved a few degrees across the horizon, Angel Bunny and his new beaver and mice friends continued to play. Having moved on from cards to a board game full of little multicolored pieces and painted squares, a bigger mess of toys and paper had piled up in the center of the room.

Fluttershy lay curled up on her side in her favorite spot on the couch. Only the very end of her tail swayed back and forth while her chest slowly rose and fell with each silent breath. Her eyes remained firmly closed while she slept. She had been so tired that even the sun in her eyes from the window across the room did not bother her at all. If it did, there was no way to tell.

The beavers started getting restless after cooping themselves up inside all day, and Mrs. Beaver suggested they go play outside for a little while. Every animal agreed, and Angel opened the window to allow themselves to pass quietly outside without disturbing the tired yellow mare.

Rainbow Dash finished her shopping, saddlebags full of all the little goodies she happened to gaze upon. She made a quick stop in Cloudsdale to report to her weather team. Unfortunately, she was informed that the rain was scheduled and fixed on the calendar, and that there wasn’t anything that could change that. Applejack wouldn’t be happy to hear the bad news.

When she tried to explain the snake problem, the team leader and her boss was confused. Usually, that kind of thing was a flood problem that happened after the rain, not before. When Dash mentioned something about a particular beaver’s damn breaking, her boss said, “Ohhhh, ok yeah that makes sense. The grass around the bank probably got flooded, and the snakes moved out.” Apparently, her boss was more informed about land and geology than she led on. This made Rainbow Dash feel a tad dense, but she shrugged it off. What she lacked in general knowledge she made up for in her level of cool.

She flew back and over Fluttershy’s cottage repeatedly to time her landing perfectly. Once she descended and landed with all four hooves on the ground, Angel came up to her and put his paw over his mouth while shushing her. He pointed to the cottage, put his paws together like a pillow next to his head, then pointed again. “Oh, is she sleeping?” She asked.

He gave her this utterly confounded look as if to say, “No buckin hay, Rainbow-crash. What gave it away? Do you have ponyfeathers for a brain?”

“I was just asking, Angel.” Dash hoofed her face for a moment before approaching the door. She gently pushed it open and stepped inside. The sleeping little mare was just too much for her. When Dash saw her, she giggled. With a hoof, she brushed a few strands of her mane out of her face before retrieving a small blanket from the closet by the door. With her teeth she laid the blanket across Fluttershy’s body and laid a hoof on her shoulder for a moment.

The kitchen was smaller than she remembered, and it was hard for her to retrieve the little pots and pans she needed without making too much noise. On more than one occasion, she would look up to make sure she hadn’t woken the sleeping mare. The actual cooking was less noisy, thank goodness. The tiny baking potatoes didn’t take long to steam and soften up. With a little bit of rosemary and salt, they were finished and set aside in a bowl. The carrot stems with celery and split peas were made into a stew that could be served in a large pot, and for desert, she had an assorted little tray of nuts and apple slices.

It’s important to note that none of this would have been possible if there wasn’t a cookbook sitting right next to her the entire time. Some of the potatoes were a little over done, and some still a bit stiff, but other than that, everything seemed to work out well. Maybe she should cook for herself like this more often. Angel Bunny, the beavers, and the mice had all scrambled inside quickly in anticipation of food.

Fluttershy took a whiff of the pleasant aroma as she slowly opened her eyes before noticing the small blanket on top of her. With her teeth, she slowly pulled the blanket off of her and got up. Her legs were a bit wobble as she stretched, and when she yawned, she made the most adorable little squeak.

“It smells really good in here.” She said, blowing a lock of her mane out of her face. Her eyes scanned the counter in front of her. “Did you make all this?”

“Sure did.” Dash said proudly. “Not bad for a beginner, huh.”

“It’s incredible.” She looked up her friend’s chipper blue face. “Thank you so much, Dashie.” She gasped. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.”

“It’s cool…t-totally fine.” Dash cleared her throat. “I don’t mind you calling me Dashie. I call you Shy sometimes, so I guess we’re even.”

Fluttershy smiled back at her. “You are such a wonderful friend. Thank you so much for this. I forgot to eat all day, and I can’t believe how hungry I am.”

“Really? Here let me make you a bowl.” She poured some stew into a bowl, added a couple potatoes and a spoon, and placed the bowl on the counter in front of her. “Here you go.”

The animals hopped up on the counter with their paws held out. Dash poured on really big bowl with a bunch of wooden spoons bobbing up and down the surface. They eagerly dug into the stew while Fluttershy gracefully sipped from her spoon. “This is delicious.” She said, a big smile spreading across her face.

“Heh…” Dash rubbed the back of head. “I think the cookbook did more than me. But…thanks, Shy. I‘m really glad you like it.” She poured herself a bowl, and to her surprise, it was better than she had hoped.

When Fluttershy ate, she would always take a second after each gulp to smile. She really loved the food, and it was just what she needed after napping. Rainbow Dash stole glances at her when she wasn’t looking to make sure everything was perfect.

Everything was without a doubt perfect. The lovely way she held her spoon, the adorable smile she wore, and the charming little nods of approval could melt anypony’s heart. Dash found herself awkwardly holding her spoon in place while doing nothing but staring at Fluttershy. When Fluttershy looked up, she tilted her head to the side. “Everything ok, Rainbow Dash?” She asked.

Dash cleared her throat and looked straight up. “Oh, yeah totally. Everything’s cool.”

-o0o-

Applejack exhaled very slowly as she sat back on the wooden steps inside the steam bath with her hat placed next to her. Goodness gracious sweet Celestia did this feel good. She understood how nice a bath can feel after a long day, but nothing quite compared to a hot misty room like this.

Rarity‘s eyebrows rose when she heard her friend‘s delight. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Boy Nelly…am Ah.” She leaned farther back rather ungracefully.

“I’m very glad to hear that.” She replied, tilting another glass of sparkling cider up to her lips with her levitation.

“Uh…” Applejack opened her mouth to speak, but quickly decided against it.

“What is it?”

“It ain’t nothing. Ferget it.”

“It’s obviously something, dear.” She put down her glass. “Please tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Well, Ah don’t wanna get in yer business.”

“Applejack, darling, just spit it out. I would hope that as friends, you can trust me with your thoughts.”

She sighed. “Well, ain’t that like yer fifth glass?”

Rarity looked abruptly down at her glass and scowled at herself. “Oh, I see. I suppose you are correct.”

“Ah ain’t judgin’ you. Just was wonderin’ is all. Ya’ll havin’ a tough time with somethin’ Ah should know about?”

Rarity sighed. “Not quite in that sense. There is something, shall we say, trivial, that has been bothering me.”

“Is it somethin’ Ah said?”

“Oh heavens no, dear.” She cleared her throat. “It’s like it said, trivial. Nothing worth mentioning.”

“Ya’’ll can’t just get on my case ’bout keepin’ quiet then do the same thing to me.”

“You’re right…” Rarity sipped her glass again. “It’s about Sweetie Belle.”

“Did she do somethin’ again?”

“No, well, not exactly.”

“She makin’ a mess of yer store again?”

“No…”

“Then what?”

“She…” Rarity cleared her throat. “As it happens…I found out something about her.”

Applejack sat up. “What did ya find out? Is it bad?”

“Goodness no…At least, I don’t think so. Like I said, it’s trivial…She just…I think…may have a…crush.”

“No kiddin’!!” She gasped, a broad smile on her face.

“You have to promise me that you will absolutely under no circumstances tell anypony about this. Sweetie Belle would never talk to me ever again if she knew.”

Applejack crossed her hooves together with a vigorous nod before covering one eye. “Ah promise.”

“Thank you.”

“So? Who’s the lucky ’lil colt?”

“I’m afraid I wouldn’t know. At least, I don’t think I know who it is.”

“How could ya’ll not know who yer ‘lil sis is fancin’ on?”

“It isn’t my place to ask.”

“Then how did ya find out?”

Rarity finished her glass quickly. “She walked home with sompony from school yesterday.”

“Ain’t that usual? Her ‘n Apple bloom ‘n Scootaloo play together after school all the time.”

“This time…was different. She came home yesterday after school trying to be really quiet. I guess she didn’t want me to know she was home.”

“Huh…” Applejack scooted closer to her as if their conversation was miraculously being overheard somehow. “That’s kinda strange. Then what?”

“She dropped her bag inside by the door, and before I could say hello to her, she went back outside.”

“Mhm.”

“I was going to open the door, but I could see her talking to somepony through the window.”

“Did ya’ll get a good look at ‘em?”

“No, I don’t think I did. At least, if I had gotten a good look, my memory escapes me.”

“Wow, Rarity…That’s big news! She’s growin’ up so quick!”

“Yes…quite right…” Rarity nodded her head. “Which leads me to my little problem.”

“Haven’t had the talk, huh?”

“Precisely.” She laughed. “Have you and Applebloom talked about the…birds and the bees?”

“Ah don’t really see what birds ‘n bees gotta do with it, but no. We ain’t had the special sompony talk yet.”

“That’s good. At least you have a bit of time until them.”

“Ah ain’t really worried ‘bout it, though. Ah’ll just have Big Mac give her the talk. Ain’t no sense ‘n it comin’ from me. Ah ain’t had much experience there. Come to think of it, Ah ain’t sure Big Mac has either…Still, Ah ain’t good at this kinda stuff.”

“Neither am I…”

“Are ya worried?”

“How can I not be? She’s my dear little sister. I don’t want to give her the wrong idea.”

Applejack fanned herself with her hoof, forgetting her hat was right there. “Yer a good sis, Rarity. Ah don’t think ya’ll should worry none. Sweetie Belle ain’t a bad filly. She’ll listen to ya.”

“Thank you, dear. You have no idea how reassuring it is to hear that. Sometime I feel as if my relationship as a sister is more to be desired.”

“Are you kiddin’? Ah think Sweetie Belle adores ya! Ya’ll may be different, but that ain’t gonna come between ya none. Yer the kinda sister everypony wants. Yer successful, yer generous, yer real pretty, ‘n ya’ll ain’t got nothin’ to worry ‘bout.”

“Applejack, if you weren’t so honest, I would think that you might be flattering me.” She said with a giggle.

“Well, Ah don’t know ‘bout that…” She replied, her face already pink from the steam. “But trust me. Ah meant every word.”

“Thank you ever so much, Applejack. You really can make a pony feel like herself again.”

“Aw, shucks.” She smiled more and nudged Rarity’s side. “What ‘er friends for?”

The steam had now become more dense, making it hard to see their hooves in front of their faces. The towel around Rarity’s mane had started to unravel, and the air had become uncomfortably stuffy. When Rarity met Applejack’s gaze, she returned her smile. The golden strands of Applejack’s mane that clung together with great contrast to her warm expression made her look exceptionally pretty. Applejack couldn‘t help but think Rarity‘s lovely white coat gleamed with an adoring glow accentuated by the steam. Their gazes upon each other lasted a second longer than they intended, and each pony looked away rather quickly.

“Shall we adjourn to another room?” Rarity asked, feeling extremely thirsty from the heat and her fill of mild alcohol.

Applejack nodded. “Yeah. It’s gettin’ kinda hard to breath ‘n here.” She opened the door to the steam bath and immediately felt the cool air rush inside. The steam pooled and clouded out into the hallway as they exited.

The same stallion from their massage was standing in front of them holding out two towels with his hoof. “How are you feeling?” He asked with the most polite and courteous tone.

“Absolutely marvelous, dear.” Rarity replied, replacing the towel she had with a fresh one. “Thank you.”

“You said it!” Applejack whipped her hat against her side.

“Can I get you both anything else?”

“Ah think Ah’m good.”

“Hm…” Rarity thought or a moment. “I am somewhat parched.”

“Another cider?” He asked.

Rarity glanced at Applejack. “Is it alright with you?”

“What the hay, it’s my day off.” She nodded her head and shrugged. “Ah could go fer one too.”