Busy Days to Peaceful Nights

All of the little critters sharing a meal together started to yawn after they had their fill of the stew. When Fluttershy noticed, she calmly set her spoon down, said goodnight to the beavers and the mice, and carried Angel up to her room. The rest of the animals hadn’t returned yet, but it was of little consequence now. Dash had made that clear enough. Once Angel fell asleep on the foot of her bed, she returned downstairs to find Rainbow Dash doing all the dishes.

“Sorry, Dashie.” She said, walking up next to her in front of the sink. “Please let me do that. You cooked dinner, so it’s only fair.”

Dash shook her head. “It’s cool. No worries. I already started, and my hooves are wet. Besides, you had a long day.”

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your help today.” Fluttershy said as she meekly obeyed. “I can’t help but wonder where I would be if you didn’t stop by to see me.”

“It’s nothing…” Dash muttered, trying to focus her attention as much as possible on the dishes. Futtershy’s continual appreciation and friendliness was keeping her cheeks rosy. Since the timid mare had caught her staring at her during dinner, the blush she sported since then hadn’t gone away.

“It’s something, Dashie. It’s really something.” She gave her blue best friend a gentle hug from behind.

Dash nearly coughed. She could feel her soothing body heat radiate against her winged back, and it took every ounce of strength to hold back a slight shiver. “Y-Yeah…well…uh, maybe next time I’ll leave the cooking to you. Then we’re even. Sound cool?”

Fluttershy released her hold. “Yes. I would love to do that for you.”

“Sure…”

While Dash started drying the bowls, Fluttershy poured herself a mug of hot water with a small tea bag. She sat down, allowed the water a few seconds to soak up some of the herb, then sipped. With their close proximity broken, Dash felt as if she could breath just a tad easier. Each time she dried off a bowl, she would set it down by the sink and reach for another. Her hips slightly swayed as she moved, and her wings involuntarily twitched every other moment.

The tea wasn’t bad, but it could have used some sugar. Before she could get up to retrieve some, Fluttershy looked up to see Dash working away. Her back hooves would sometimes come off the ground with her wings spreading farther apart. Her tail swished back and forth happily as the multicolored strands intertwined. A little smile spread across Fluttershy’s face. Out of all things in Celestia’s green lands, she had always had an appreciation for all things cute. The critters both big and small could always make her smile. What she saw in Rainbow Dash at that moment was no doubt the same feeling, just monumentally more so. To top off her smile, she blushed a tiny bit with a warm glow that rushed pleasant heat to the tips of her ears.

In a very quiet mumble, Fluttershy muttered to herself. “Dashie…”

Wondering if she had heard something, Dash turned around. “Huh?”

Suddenly forced back into reality, Fluttershy looked up. “O-Oh…sorry, it’s nothing.”

“You sure, Shy?” Dash noticed her red cheeks. “You feeling ok?”

“Y-Yes…I’m alright. Thank you.”

Once Dash spun back around to continue her work, Fluttershy found it painfully awkward to return her gaze to Dash’s backside. As lovely and appealing as it was, she just couldn’t do it again. Now feeling a bit dejected and sad, not to mention very confused by her actions, she returned to sipping her tea.

“There. That’s the last of that.” Dash said, drying her hooves off.

“I can’t thank you enough.”

“You keep saying that, and I gotta say, I’m not sure I agree. Once is plenty.”

“Sorry…”

“That too.” Dash booped her nose before plopping herself in the seat across from her. “I told you, it’s fine. Really. No worries.”

Fluttershy just nodded, still looking down. “Ok…”

“Hey, wanna play cards or something?” Dash asked, feeling a mixture of boredom and fear of a possible awkward silence. “Or would you rather do something else?”

“I’m happy with playing cards.”

“Cool. Hang on a sec.” Dash went into the living room and examined the floor. The cards were mixed together with game pieces and paper all over the floor still left over from the critter’s game. It was hard to make out which went with which, but instead of griping, she bent over to sort them out. “What kind of game were they playing?” She mumbled.

When Fluttershy felt that strange impulse to look up at Dash’s back side again, she fought internally with herself to control it. Why was she so motivated to ogle her friend's...butt? She never really had these kind of thoughts before, so there was no way for her to identify them clearly to make the right decision. Sometimes, innocence can falter a pony’s judgment just as much as promiscuity. Instead of looking down at her tea all night, she gave in. When she did look up at last, she quietly gasped in a nearly inaudible whisper. “O-Oh…my…”

It would be very hard indeed for anypony to not appreciate what they could see right then and there. With her tail swishing more freely and higher in the air, Dash could make lots of folks in a crowd do a double take. Her frame was the perfect proportion between height and build, and nothing emphasized her toned curves more than her rump. “Where is the princess of hearts?” Dash muttered. “Ah-ha! Thought you could hide, did you?” With all the cards together in her mouth, she trotted back into the kitchen and sat down spat the cards onto the table with an extreme lack of grace. “So, what game do you wanna play?” She asked, wondering what was so interesting about that mug of hers. Had she been staring at her tea the whole time?

Fluttershy tried hard to pretend she hadn’t gawked, but if she didn’t say anything soon, Dash would probably think something was wrong again. “Um…maybe old maid.”

Not too impressed, Dash shrugged. “Sure.” She removed one of the princess cards before quickly dealing them across the table. With an irregular heartbeat, Fluttershy only looked up when her cards stopped next to her mug.

The game probably would have been more interesting if Fluttershy was even a speck as competitive as her friend. She would occasionally put down a pair, but halfway through the game, it was clear Dash was winning. Unable to stop playing until she had dominated the table, Dash quickly racked up pairs with every turn until only one card was left in Fluttershy’s hand.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright?” Dash asked. It was clear she was the only one who really wanted to play. “You still tired? I wouldn’t blame you if you were. Today was nuts.” Fluttershy nodded again while taking another sip, not sure if she should return the gaze. Dash scooted her chair around the table before reaching up with her hoof to the little mare’s forehead. “You don’t feel warm…I think.”

“Mn!“ Before she could swallow her sip, she felt Dash’s hoof. Her body tensed up, and her eyes suddenly opened wide. Once she quickly inhaled, she coughed hard into her foreleg to keep from spewing tea all over the table.

“Whoa!” Dash nearly jumped back in surprise. “Oh my gosh! Hang on!” She brought her hoof up into the air and smacked her back as hard as she could. That was an incredibly stupid idea. Not only did the mug of tea spill all over the floor, but Fluttershy had just coughed all over the table like a small water balloon. “Oh my gosh! Fluttershy! I’m so sorry!”

Nearly half a minute went by. Fluttershy hacked quietly but painfully into her foreleg before she finally caught her breath. The entire time she wheezed, Dash kept apologizing over and over. “I-It’s…*cough*…It’s ok.” She said in a raspy voice.

“Oh no! I spilled your tea all over the place! Hang on!” With sonic speed, she leaped out her chair and snagged a towel from the counter. The already damp towel slapped against the table surface with a loud smack. “I am so so so sorry, Shy!”

The now exacerbated little mare got up and retrieved another towel for the floor. “It’s ok, Dashie. Please don’t feel bad. It was an honest mistake.”

“When you say it like that, I feel worse.” She replied, trying to frantically fix the damages she caused.

Fluttershy put her hoof over Dash’s towel to stop her. “It’s ok. Please don’t worry. See? I think it’s dry now.”

“Oh…” Dash nodded when she looked down at the table. “Yeah…”

“No harm done.” She put wet towels over the sink’s faucet. “There. All clean.”

“Sorry….that was so totally lame.” Dash said, a bit of her spirit now gone.

Fluttershy approached her and gently started rubbing her back. “Aw, don’t say that. You did the right thing. You were worried about me, and you tried to help me.”

“But I didn’t. I totally made it worse. Wow, I‘ve never felt so stupid”

Fluttershy gave her another hug. This time, she hugged with more of a squeeze. Thankfully, that seemed to calm Dash down a bit. “See? Everything is ok.”

Dash hugged back awkwardly. “Thanks…”

“You’re very welcome.” She replied, squeezing a tad harder. Her eyes slowly closed with a smile growing wider on her face.

“Uh…” Dash released and looked up at the ceiling. “Shy? You can...stop hugging me now…I think I‘m ok.”

“O-Oh…” She complied and looked away.

“I’m such a klutz sometimes.” Dash giggled. “It‘s silly, huh? You...uh… really scared me, Shy. I got really worried.”

“Thank you for worrying, but I’m perfectly fine. It’s just nice to have somepony else here when stuff like this happens.” She said, giving Dash a happy smile.

“Heh…” She tried not to blush, but failed. “I…kinda…know what you mean.”

--o0o--

After having their equal fair share of the spa’s bubbling cider, Rarity and Applejack began walking down the now quiet road. They both had a silly smile plastered on their faces only occasionally broken by a hic-up. Even though they felt relaxed as could possibly be, their appearances clearly showed how much time they spent getting the highest cosmetic care. The only obvious tell tale sign that they were quite inebriated was Applejack’s hat refusing to stay upright on her head.

“That was simply marvelous.” Rarity said with glee in her voice.

“Ya’ll can say that again!” Applejack nodded. She suddenly burped bashfully up at the sky, and she covered her mouth before looking at Rarity in the hopes that she may have not noticed such an obnoxious noise.

Instead of scowling, Rarity laughed. It was most out of her usual poised character, but the alcohol had taken care of that social inhibition. “Applejack, you certainly have an incredible skill.” She said after stifling her laugh.

“Ya mean besides my applebuckin’?” Her hat tipped over her face again, and she pushed it back into place. “Ah ain’t just a one trick pony, ya know.”

“Quite.” She replied, trying to hide her visible smirk. “And here I thought only Sweetie Belle could posses such a boisterous talent.”

“Ah’m learnin’ a lot ‘bout yer ‘lil sis today.” Applejack mused. “The belchin’ maybe ain’t as interestin’ as her new colt-friend though.”

“Shh!” With lightning speed, Rarity covered her mouth with her hoof. “Not so loud, dear. Somepony might hear you.”

“Ain’t nopony out when the sun’s a settin’ silly.” She brushed her hoof away. “Trust me.”

“Please, not so loud. I can’t possibly imagine how mad Sweetie Belle would be at me if she thought I was spreading rumors about her.”

“But ya’ll ain’t doin’ that. It’s true, right? Ah thought you said ya’ll saw her ‘n-”

She covered her mouth again. “Shhhhh!”

“Alright, Rare.” Applejack pushed her hoof back with more force. “Ah promise Ah won’t say nothin’ more.”

“Thank you.” She sighed with relief.

“It’s kinda cute ‘n all…the ‘lil filly’s growin’ up fast, huh?”

“Heavens, yes they are…”

“Uh…ya’ll don’t sound that happy ‘bout it.”

“It’s not that I’m not appreciative.” Rarity replied. “I just don’t want her first…experience...to be as bad as mine, if she really is…you know.”

“Yer first experience? Was it that bad?”

When Rarity realized she made the mistake of bringing up such talk, she scowled. “I really shouldn’t say anymore. It is very undignified of a lady to talk about such things.”

“Aw, come on, Rare! Ya’ll drop a bushel of apples on me, and ya’ll expect me not to ask?”

“I most certainly will not elaborate.”

“Why? ‘Cause yer embarrassed, ‘er ‘cause it was that bad?”

“It…No, I won’t say anymore.”

“Rarity! Please?”

“I have already said more than enough.”

“But Ah thought we could tell each other anythin.”

Rarity sighed heavily. They should be able to tell each other anything, and after how bonded they had become with each other, it seemed natural. Still, it didn’t seem fair to her. “I…would rather not talk about it this evening. Perhaps another time?”

“Fine.” Applejack groaned. “But Ah’m gonna bring it up again ‘n again until ya spill yer beans.”

It took a little convincing, but Applejack settled on talking shop for the rest of their walk. She explained all the little chores that had piled up around her farm, and Rarity waited patiently for her to finish before going into detail about her own irks and annoyances. After they were done whining, they both agreed that they sounded like little fillies with their manes tangled in knots. For the rest of the night, they decided not to complain or gripe anymore about their lives.

When they reached Rarity’s boutique, they stopped at the front door. “Well, Ah guess this is good night, huh…”

“Yes…So it is…Have a good night, Applejack.”

“You too, Rare. Take it easy.” When she started to walk away, Rarity called out to her.

“Would you care to…perhaps…come inside?”

Applejack turned around. “Pardon?”

“I…I think…maybe you might rather stay here for the night instead of walking all the way home.”

“Ya’ll sure that’s ok?” It was going to be a long walk if she decided against staying.

“Absolutely.” Rarity opened the door and gestured for her to come in. “If you wish to, of course.”

“Can’t say no to a friend!” She said, sounding very much relieved and happy. “Yer the best, Rare.”

Once they crossed the threshold, three little fillies ran up to them. Applebloom led the way with Sweetie Belle right behind her while Scootaloo followed in toe with a colored pencil in her mouth. “Hi-ya, sis!” Applebloom nearly shouted.

“Well howdy ho, Applebloom! Watcha doin’ here?”

“Well, we were helpin’ Big Mac with the snakes, but….he sorta told us to go do somethin’ else.”

Sweetie Belle laughed. “He told us to go bother somepony else.”

Rarity groaned. “What did you three do this time?”

Scootaloo spat out the colored pencil. “We didn’t do anything. Honest.” She squeezed in between her friends and shushed them both. “Don’t say anything. Maybe they won’t find out.”

“Then why did ya’ll get kicked off the farm?” Applejack asked. “That just don’t sound like Big Mac.”

“Um…” Applebloom thought about how to phrase her words. “Ah think it’s ’cause we were makin’ a huge mess ’..sorta...”

“Speak for yourself.” Scootaloo puffed out her chest with a huff. “I was kicking flank out there today.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “You’re supposed to chase them away from the trees, not up them.”

“They weren’t on the ground, were they?” Scootaloo protested. “Besides, I’m not the one who knocked over like ten barrels of apples.”

“Ya’ll did what now?!” Applejack gasped.

“Would you two be quiet?” Applebloom hissed at her friends. “Yer not helpin’ any.”

Rarity decided to mediate the conversation. “I think the three of you should apologize to Big Mac tomorrow for creating such an ordeal. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him to tend to the farm all by himself.”

All three crusaders nodded as they bowed their heads. In unison, they sighed, “We’re sorry…”

“Maybe tomorrow ya’ll can offer to help Big Mac with some other stuff to make up fer it.” Applejack noted.

“That’s a great idea!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “We can probably fix the side of the barn in no time if all three of us are there.”

“What’s this ’bout my barn needin’ fixin’?” Applejack nearly growled.

“Oh, uh I totally forgot.” Scootaloo tried to laugh it off. “It so not a big deal or anything…heh” She looked over at the other crusaders. They both shook their heads. It was clear no pony was buying it.

Applebloom decided to come clean. “We kinda made a hole…”

“What?!”

“It’s not a big deal, sis!” She pleaded. “Ah promise it ain’t no big deal. We just thought that we could scare ’em away faster if we had some shovels ’n stuff.”

Sweetie Belle spoke up in their defense. “When we tried to pull them down from the wall, we knocked over everything.”

“Even the big plow?” Applejack was not happy at all.

Instead of elaborating more, the three of them said again, “We’re sorry…”

Rarity inched towards them and pointed with her hoof to the stairs. “To bed with all of you!”

“Aww!!” The crusaders whined.

“I would suggest you girls move rather quickly before I become furious.” Rarity scowled harder. “We can talk about this tomorrow, but for now, just go upstairs.”

Scootaloo whispered to her friends, “Uh-oh, she sounds pissed.”

Applejack joined her by pointing to the stairs with her own hoof. “Ya’ll heard her! March yer ‘lil flanks upstairs.”

All three crusaders lowered their heads and slowly trudged with heavy hooves. “Yes, mam…” They all sighed.

--o0o--

The night had begun to cool off. The sun had now completely hidden behind the horizon, and Dash found herself fighting with Fluttershy’s small fireplace more than she thought she would. “AJ is way better at this than I am” She sighed. “What am I doing wrong?”

Fluttershy was content enough to sit in front of the unlit fireplace with her napping blanket draped over her shoulders. “It’s ok, Dashie. The fire isn’t really important.”

“But I want a fire…” She continued to rub the two sticks she had together. Once she saw a small line of smoke rise, she gasped. “C’mon! I’m so close. Don’t fail me now.”

A small flash erupted followed by a tiny flame. Fluttershy clapped her hooves together. “Great job, Dashie!” She praised in a quiet voice. “I knew you could do it.”

“Alright!” Dash stepped back and started fanning the flame with her wing. “I knew I was too awesome to lose.” She stepped back from the small fire and sat down next to her smaller friend to watch the growing embers.

“Thanks so much. Usually I just heat a little twig over the stove for the fire. I can never get it lit by myself. I’m really impressed.”

“Over the stove? A twig? Why didn’t I think of that!” Dash growled as Fluttershy merely giggled. “Hey, I got an idea. Wanna make smores?”

“That does sound pretty good right now.”

Dash trotted to the kitchen and retrieved everything they needed from the cupboard. Fluttershy never really ate smores, but Angel Bunny sure loved them. There was no way she could go without one of her little bunny’s favorite snacks. When Dash sat back down again next to her, the fire had grown surprisingly fast. “Aw yeah. I knew I had it in me.” Dash said smiling.

“It’s a wonderful fire. Thank you.”

With a hoof, Dash held out two little branches with marshmallows attached to the ends. One of them started to burn too fast on one side, and before she could do anything about it, the surface had already caught fire. She quickly blew it out and giggled. “I guess that one is mine.” She made two little smores and gave Fluttershy the best out of the pair.

With a small nibble, Fluttershy bit off the very end. It was delicious. Hers had come out just right, and it was delectable. “Mn…”

There was a loud crunch as Dash bit off at least half. The crunching only became louder as she chewed. “Mn!…Aw yeth! Tith ith awethome!” With an adoring smile, Fluttershy looked up at her excited blue companion. The funny face she made as she munched was just enough to make her stop eating to get her giggles out of her system. Dash gulped and wiped her mouth with her hoof. “Sorry…I haven’t had smores in like forever.”

“Good.” Fluttershy bit off another tiny mouthful before swallowing. “You always make my day, Dashie.” She mused, licking some melted marshmallow off her own nose.

“I do?” Dash sounded a little too happy. It was very high praise, and for some reason, those words touched her heart more so than she could have guessed. “T-Thanks, Shy…I’m glad I make you feel better.”

“You…really worry about me, don’t you?” She muttered.

Dash nodded, masking her rosy cheeks with a glance up at the ceiling. “Well, yeah of course I do. We’ve been friends since like forever.”

Fluttershy gently pulled her blanket off of her shoulders and leaned up against Dash with a content sigh. “I am so lucky to have you as a friend.”

“Aw c’mon…I’m nothing special.” Dash said, her voice almost cracking when she felt their shoulders touch. When the small mare laid her head against her, an intense heat rose up her back to her ears. "Ok, well I am like...super awesome...but not special."

“Yes, you really are something special. Everypony knows you are.”

“T-Thanks, Flutters…” She quickly shoved the rest of the smore into her mouth to avoid the possibility of saying something awkward. Once she finished chewing, they sat in silence for another minute, both mares watching the dancing flames.

“Dashie?” Fluttershy mumbled out of the blue.

“Y-Yeah?”

“…We should do this more often.”

“Y-Yeah…sure…why not.”

Another minute went by, and after staring at the fire and feeling the warmth of Dashie's shoulder against her head, she began to relax more and more. Now would be a good of a time as any to ask a question that had been on her mind for a while.

“Dashie?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Do you ever…get…um…lonely?”

“W-What?” Dash quietly gasped.

“You know, when no pony is around, and all the little critters are asleep, and you didn’t talk to a single other pony that day?”

As she searched her mind, Dash tried to think of such an experience she may have had before. It surprised her to conclude that nothing did really come to mind. Working as a cloud-buster weather pony meant being around her co-workers a lot, and her outgoing personality had made her rather popular all around Ponyville. Ponies knew who she was, and she was greeted everywhere she went. Maybe she wasn’t as famous as a Wonderbolt, but she was locally renown for her up and coming flying abilities. With a solemn response, she said, “No…I guess I don’t. Sorry...”

Fluttershy didn’t respond right away. After a long pause, she finally muttered, “I do…sometimes.”

“Y-Yeah?” Dash replied in a near whisper.

“…Yes…”

Her heart was racing, and she felt short of breath just by sitting there. What was she supposed to say to something like that? What was she supposed so do with her best friend right next to her with her head directly on her shoulder? Dash was about to open her mouth to say something, but choked on her first word. “W-Well…*cough*…I’m...sorry to hear that…” Wow. That was super lame. Dash wanted to bite off her own tongue right then and there.

“Dashie?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“Remember when we were little…and how…we used to cuddle together…in your bed sometimes?”

Dash slowly nodded. “Uh…y-yeah…I remember. You used to get scared when there was lightning.” She recalled the times when they were fillies spending the weekends together in her father’s favorite spot on his recliner. Back then, they were small enough to both fit comfortably while listening to Dash’s dad tell them stories. Dash thought about how nice her dad was to her best friend. He knew that Fluttershy got scared, but never once did he point it out or say anything. A young filly is very impressionable and sensitive at that age. He knew it, and always wanted to make Fluttershy feel welcome in his home.

A little tear trickled down Dash’s cheek as she wrapped a hoof around her friend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Shy…I’ll always be here for you.”

“Thank you…” Fluttershy wiggled her nose gently against Dash’s neck, earning a quiet gasp from her.

With the tear inching its way down her cheek, Dash laid her chin on top of her mane. “Anytime, Shy…Anytime.”

--o0o--

“What do you think?” Rarity asked as she emerged from one of her dressing rooms wearing a satin dress with frills on the edges.

“Uh…” Applejack tilted her head. “It’s nice?”

“You don’t like it, do you…”

“Ah wouldn’t say all that. Ah just think maybe it ain’t my kinda style is all.”

“Hmm…” Rarity thought for a moment before clapping her hooves together. “Of course! I might know just the thing for you would like.” She returned to the dressing room.

They had spent the past hour playing dress up, or rather, Rarity had spent the last hour trying to get somepony’s opinion on her new line of evening wear. She received a few new orders for dresses that appealed to a more adult oriented audience. It wasn’t the usual sort of work she was commissioned to do, but never would she back down from a fashion forward challenge. When she emerged from the dressing room again, she pointed her nose at the ceiling to strike a pose before asking, “What do you think?”

“It’s…kinda…” Applejack cleared her throat in an effort to remain polite. “…colored all strange.”

“What, do you mean the red overtones? I knew I should have used scarlet ribbons instead of cinnamon.”

“It ain’t the ribbons, sugarcube.”

“The what is it?”

“Well…It’s kinda…well, it kinda looks like somethin’ somepony would wear ’n Hearth’s Warmin’ Eve.”

“Very good eye, Applejack.” Rarity said with delight as she made a little twirl. “That’s exactly what I made it for. Don’t you think the cinnamon ribbons really bring out the white?”

“Uh…Ah guess.”

“I knew you would approve. It’s been something I’ve had on the drawing board for quite some time now.”

Applejack nodded her head in approval. At least, she was trying to be approving as much as she could. “It’s wonderful, Rare. I like it.”

“Oh, you are such a doll.” Rarity gleefully said with a smile. “I hope my client enjoys this as much as you do.”

Sure hope so.

“Ain’t ya’ll get bored of tryin’ on dresses all the time?” Applejack asked, “The way Ah figure it, ya’ll do it so much that it’s gotta wear thin after ‘while.”

Rarity sighed and began untying the ribbon behind her back with a white sparkly glow. “True, however, my first and biggest passion is creating such lavish and beautiful pieces of design. I may grow weary from a long day, but my love for elegance will never die out.”

“Ah know exactly how ya feel. The farm sure can be a might tough some days, but there ain’t nothin' more satisfyin’ than seein’ so many pretty ‘lil apples during buckin’ season. Oh, ‘n when the leaves start changin’ my orchard is the darn prettiest thing to look at. Ain’t seen nothin’ so dazzlin’ in all my days as a workin’ mare.”

“That does sound absolutely divine.” Rarity said, hanging up the dress on a large wooden coat hanger. “It’s a wonder that I have yet to come admire your orchard.”

“Well, most trees ‘round here don’t really change color, you know, with winter wrap up takin’ care of all the seasons changing’ ‘n all. But my trees know when the cold’s a comin’ ‘n Ah always take the whole family out for a ‘lil picnic.” She paused for a moment. “Ya’ll should come next time. Bring Sweetie Belle too. Ah’m sure her ‘n Apple bloom will have the best darn time a filly could have.”

“Oh I couldn’t possibly intrude on such a sacred family tradition.” Rarity waved a hoof at her to convey her hesitance. “It would rude of me to overstep my bounds.”

“Are ya serious? Yer my best friend, Rare. Ain’t nothing you do that’s gonna be oversteppin’ on my hooves. Ah’d be honored if ya’ll came.”

“Thank you very much, Applejack. That is very kind of you. I will be sure to take you up on your offer.”

She nodded her head once with approval. “Good.”

Rarity giggled. “So…What would you rather do? I’m sure watching me try on more gowns wouldn’t suit your fancy.”

She wasn’t going to lie, but she didn’t wanted to sound ungrateful. “As interestin’ ‘n fun tryin’ clothes on is…”

“I understand, dear. There’s no need to try and spare my feels. You’re honesty is what’s important.”

“Thanks real nice of ya to say. Thanks. What Ah‘m tryin‘ to say is, Ah‘m kinda beat.”

“Oh of course, dear. We should probably get some sleep.” Rarity glanced over at the floor to see the scattered colored pencils and paper all over the floor. “I really must teach Sweetie Belle to clean up after herself.”

“Well, we did sorta kick ‘em upstairs to bed ‘n a hurry.” Applejack walked over to the mess and began putting the pencils back in Scootaloo’s open bag. “Sure they didn’t mean nothin’ by it neither.”

Rarity started helping her by stacking the papers together. “Those girls mean well, but I have never seen fillies so prone to mishaps and accidents in all my years.”

“Ah hear ya. Apple bloom’s a good girl, ‘n she sure can be a huge help ‘round the farm, but she sure is cheeky sometimes.”

“Cheeky?” Rarity asked. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Ya know…like…lackin’ a filter when she’s speakin. Ah guess she’s just honest like her big sis.”

“That’s quite a compliment coming from you, dear. To be as honest as yourself is quite an achievement.”

“Aw, thanks, Rare. Ah’m sure she’s loved to know ya think so.” She picked up a piece of paper with a crudely drawn dark orange filly with violet mane and tail flying through the air paired with what looked vaguely looked like a contorted Rainbow Dash next to her. “Poor Scootaloo…She wants to fly so darn bad.”

Rarity leaned over to look at the cute picture. “And be best friends with Rainbow Dash...She is such a darling…I really hope she will soon. It would crush her spirits if she was the last of her class.” She took the picture, added it to the stack, and levitated everything to a small table. “There. Much better. I dare say my boutique just might be magazine worthy now.”

“Heh…” With a small laugh, Applejack nudged her shoulder. “Ah think yer right.” When she withdrew her hoof, she suddenly let out a long and obnoxiously loud yawn. “Whew-wee! Sorry ‘bout that, Rare. Guess Ah’m more tired than Ah thought.”

The yawn was infectious, and Rarity immediately covered her mouth. “I suppose we should adjourn for the night. It has been quite an interesting day. I do apologize if I kept you up so late.”

“You ain‘t keepin’ me up none. Ah enjoy spendin’ all day with ya.” She said, pulling her hat off her head to rub her eyes. “Besides, Ah don’t get the chance to have a girl’s day out with my best friend as much as Ah like.”

“You simply are a doll, Applejack. I agree completely.” Rarity said as she thought about possible sleeping arrangements. It hadn’t occurred to her yet, but with Sweetie Belle and her friends occupying the guestroom now turned into the young filly’s room, there wasn’t anywhere that immediately came to mind where her tired friend could sleep. “Hm…Applejack, darling?”

“Yeah?”

“I…I may only have one bed left upstairs.”

“Uh, Ah see…Well, Ah can always hit the hay ‘n one of the cushions down here.”

“Don’t be silly. I only mention it because I was curious as to how you might feel sharing mine.”

“Ah ain’t got no objections.” She shook her head. “Ain’t yer bed pretty big?”

“I suppose so…At least, bigger than most.” Rarity thought for a moment. “There are plenty of pillows as well.”

“Whatever ya say, Rare. Ah‘m just ready to flop down like a tired mule.”

They trotted upstairs, most eager to do exactly as Applejack suggested. The moderate consumption of alcohol and their long day at the spa put them both in a rapidly growing sleepy state. Upon entering the bedroom, Applejack jumped up into the air, turned backwards, and landed on her back into the cushy large round bed. “Whoa Nelly. If my bed was half this nice, Ah’d sleep like a ‘lil angel.” It took a little restraint not to frown at the blonde’s rather churlish approach to the perfectly made sheets.

Instead of saying anything, she sat down and positioned herself with a pillow under her ear. “Are you quite comfortable?” Rarity asked.

“Mhm!” Came the response. “Ya’ll need me to scoot over?”

She was about to say yes, but the sudden cool night air warned her against making such a request. It would be rather awkward to say she wanted somepony to warm her up, so she simply said, “I have plenty of space, thank you.”

Applejack yawned again with the same vigor before flopping her hooves out like a star. “Alrighty then. Nighty night, Rare.”

Rarity could feel a hoof not belonging to her grace across her side. Instinctively, she spoke up but quickly closed her mouth before getting passed the first letter. Applejack was already snoring soundly. Apparently she wasn’t kidding about how much she liked the bed. As discretely as possibly, Rarity ever so slightly wrapped her hooves around Applejack’s, giving her a hoof a little squeeze before closing her eyes. “Sweet dreams, dear.”