Busy Days to Peaceful Nights

It was clear during second night they spent together that Dash was extremely eager to see the show the next day. After their picnic that day, Fluttershy had brought out one of her favorite games that she always played with Angel. Instead of focusing on the game in front of her, Dash would hold little pieces up in the air, zoom them around, and making whooshing sounds. It was silly, but Fluttershy felt like they were fillies again. Even she admitted that she was a little excited to watch the upcoming stunt performance, but her focus remained on her game. Neither of them could concentrate fully.

The next day finally came as the sun barely peeked over the horizon. The air was chilly that morning, but both mares couldn’t have cared. Dash was especially rushed. The very minute the ticket booths by the cloud arena opened at six in the morning, Dash and Fluttershy found to their great surprise that a considerable line had formed in front of them. Ponies from all over Equestria had shown up to witness the performances of the most talented up and coming little mares and colts.

The line moved way too slowly for Dash. Way too slowly. There was only one ticket booth open, and no pony was here to direct the crowd in an orderly fashion. Because of the surprise rush, neither mare could even hear each other speak or see in front of them. Dash hoped with great optimism that the show would be well worth the crowd, if they could even get through the gates before it started.

The ponies that were directly in front of them were a rowdy bunch of teenagers who obviously spent the whole night up hoping to meet cute mares. They probably thought this would be a good place to try next. Neither of the teenagers were particularly well groomed or polite, and Dash groaned with great annoyance each time she heard one of them speak. They just sounded so lame! She even felt like screaming “Who cares!” before Fluttershy pointed her to the open ticket booth.

The suffering finally seemed to end, and Dash got her chance to buy the tickets she always wanted. “Sweet! I’m up!” She squealed.

The stallion behind the ticket booth ushered her over with a yawn, clearly not enjoying his day in bed the way he had hoped “Morning.” He groaned.

Dash paid no attention to his lack of enthusiasm. “Can I get two box seat tickets, please?”

“Box seats?” He glanced up from the seating chart in front of him and squinted at her. “Are you sure?” The two mares in front of him didn’t look the type to be well off.

“Yeah.” Dash crossed her hooves. “Why ? Are we not cool enough? You don’t think I have the money?”

He glanced up and down her frame, obviously not impressed by her tomcoltish figure and brusque attitude. The small yellow mare, on the other hand, caught his eye. “You do know box seats are like two hundred bits per ticket, right?”

“Try me!“ Four very shiny and detailed gold pieces were slammed onto the counter. “That enough?”

Fluttershy gasped as she saw the large sum of money before her, and she quickly put a hoof on Dash’s shoulder to stop her. “Dashie, you don’t have to do that. I don’t mind sitting somewhere else.”

“No way, Shy.” Dash quickly shook her head. “I want best, coolest seats this place’s got.”

The stallion quickly apologized. “I am very sorry, miss. I didn’t realize you had the money.” He began punching out little holes in two tickets.

“This is too much.” Fluttershy put her hoof up to the window to stop him, grabbing the stallions full undivided attention.

“Relax, will you? It’s no big deal. I’ve been saving up for this all season, and I’m here to cash out. Don’t you want to sit in the coolest possible seats? From there we can see the beginning of each routine before they ponies even launch out of the gate! That‘s gotta be the coolest thing ever!”

As great as that all sounded, Fluttershy still couldn’t bring herself to say yes. “I don’t know…It’s just…too much…I can’t help but feel bad for letting you spend so much on me.” Her adorable gestures while she spoke caused the stallion’s eyes to wander more than they should have. Good thing neither pony was paying attention to him, or Dash might find a way to get in that ticket booth.

“You sure you won’t say yes?” Dash put a hoof around her and pointed up at the sky. “Think about it. Best seats, amazing view, waves from the stunt team, room service for just the two of us-”

“R-Room service!?” Fluttershy squeaked even louder.

Dash nodded. “Yeah. The box seats get room service. They even have a full menu from the snack bar delivered to us. Anything we want, no extra charge. It’s all on me. C’mon, Shy! You’ll love it! Let me do this for you.”

There were a lot of things the stallion thought about that he could do for her too. When Dash noticed his rather zombie like expression and line of drool hanging from his lower lip, she smacked her hoof against the glass. He looked up at her and nervously cleared his throat.

“Well…” Fluttershy sighed. “…Ok.”

Dash turned back to her, determined not to let anypony ruin her day. With a triumphant scream, she bellowed up at the sky, “Yes!”

The stallion punched out the rest of the tickets, slid them to Dash, and smiled up at them both. “Here you go. Two box seats right next to the team bleachers.”

“Oh my gosh oh my gosh!” Dash took them and began stomping the cloud floor happily. “Alright! Let’s go!”

Feeling rather embarrassed but very pleased at how happy her best friend seemed to be, Fluttershy smiled and tilted her head to the side while quietly shouting, “Whoo-hoo!”

“That’s the spirit!” Dash took her by the hoof and totted off towards the fluffy cloud stairs leading upwards. “I still think we have some time before it starts.” As they ascended, Fluttershy took her time walking as Dash looped around her with lots of energy. Again, Dash started making those funny whooshing noises.

The box they found themselves in was royalty to the maximum. With large lounge seating and a balcony for close up viewing, it was well worth the expensive four hundred bits. “Aw yeah!” Dash nearly screamed Fluttershy’s ears right off. “Told ya it would be cool!”

The event staff were still setting up in the arena. Pillars of clouds were being pushed and dragged by nearly fifty pegasi in white coats. The rings in the sky before them hadn’t been properly spaced out yet, giving the stunt performs plenty of room to practice before everything would kick off.

Dash glanced from pony to pony, nodding in approval while they zoomed and twirled in tight circles. Each member of the team wore blue and yellow capes with lightning bolts on the back that looked almost exactly like the color scheme of the Wonderbolts. It made sense since the Wonderbolts were the biggest sponsor of the event. Maybe some of them might be here.

“Awesome!” Dash pointed to a small colt free-falling with a baton in his mouth before pulling up and circling very close to them with neck breaking speed. “Shy! Did you see that?”

She gasped. “That looked dangerous!”

“It’s no biggie. I used to do that all the time when I was warming up.”

Fluttershy could easily picture the blue mare performing such a feat with the greatest of ease, but that didn’t make the image any less terrifying. “Isn’t it scary?”

“Sure it is. At first, I would only dive maybe twenty feet before pulling up. Now it’s what I do every morning when I leave home.”

An older middle aged but well built pegasi colt wearing an athletic cap and whistle barked at the team member who flew dangerously close to them. He apparently got way to close to the edge of the stadium, and the coach was very unhappy. “Heh…Yeah, that was me when I was his age.”

“Did you get in trouble a lot?”

“All the time!” She sounded proud like it was an accomplishment. “My coach would yell at me all day for not paying attention.”

“Is that…why you got kicked out?” Whoops. Fluttershy instantly regretted asking.

Dash sighed. “No…Not because of that…I uh…don’t really want to talk about that.”

“Of course. I’m sorry for asking.”

“It’s cool. No harm done.” Dash shrugged, trying to casually hide her unfortunate disappointment that happened long ago. At least, she hoped she was being casual. “Hey…uh…you hungry? I sort of rushed us out here before we could even have breakfast.”

Fluttershy nodded her head. “I am hungry, but…let me pay this time.”

“Don’t even start.” Dash raised her hoof up in the air.

“But…you already paid for the tickets. I should at least pay for the food.”

Dash laughed. “I got this, Shy. Relax. It’s my treat. I really want to treat you today.”

“Me?” Fluttershy nearly choked. “R-Really?”

“Uh, yeah.” Dash cleared her throat in anticipation of her ears tingling with heat. “You know…I just thought you needed to get away from all the animals and relax. You…really deserve it.”

“That’s so sweet…”

Dash leaned back on the railing of the balcony and glanced up at the sky upon realizing how much she really liked having her best friend constantly thank her and praise her. “Nah…c’mon. It’s whatever. Don’t worry about it. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll get room service.”

“W-Well…” Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together. “…I guess…I’ll just have what you have.”

“Great!” Dash walked to the edge of the stairs leading down towards the other seats. As loud as she could scream she bellowed, “ROOM SERVICE!”

Fluttershy had put both of her hooves on her ears while cringing. “W-What did…you do that for?”

“How else do we order room service?” She asked.

“Isn’t there like…a bell, or something?”

“Not up here in the Cloudsdale arena. The servers sort of just fly around behind the stadium. That’s the only way of getting some pony’s attention.”

She hadn’t been to that many sporting events before, so the customs were rather new to her. The competition Dash and Rarity had participated in was more of a closed event for participants and friends.

A young sunset red pegasi mare flew over the top of the arena from behind the bleachers to meet them. “What can I get for you?” She asked with a big smile.

“Can we get two waffle stacks with hay bacon strips?” Dash licked her lips. “Oh, and one of them with extra syrup and lots of ketchup.”

“Anything else?”

“Two programs please, and…” Dash looked at Fluttershy, thought for second, then answered, “…do you have souvenirs?”

“Yes, we do. This year, we are selling scarves. Would you like the blue and yellow striped design, or the Wonderbolt’s logo design?”

“Wait, you have two different kinds?” Dash sounded very excited. “No way! That’s awesome! I’ll take one of each.” The mare politely nodded before flying away, and Dash took a seat next to Fluttershy on one of the lounge seats.

“I didn’t know you liked scarves.”

She looked at her timid friend with a playful smirk. “They’re ok. Not really my style, but whatever. I guess you could say I’m a collector. And…I thought…you might want one too.”

“F-For me? Really?” She was about to say that it was too much, but Dash would definitely not want to hear that. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome. Anything for you today, Shy.” Dash’s tummy rumbled very loud out of the blue, and she poked herself with a hoof. “I guess I was more hungry than I thought.”

A nearly identical rumble came from Fluttershy’s own tummy, and she glanced down at the ground with a red face. “Oh…my.”

Dash snickered, nudged her shoulder, then poked her tummy. “Nice one, Shy. Almost as good as mine!” This only fueled the little mare’s embarrassment.

Their server returned with two large plates in both hooves towering with waffles covered in butter and syrup. Hay bacon circled the plates on the edges as warm steam vapor trailed up from the pads of butter. “Here we are. Two waffle stacks with hay bacon, and this one has extra everything.” She set the plates down in front of them and smiled. “I’ll be right back with your programs and scarves.”

Fluttershy was about to thank their kind server, but Dash had already face planted into the waffles, making syrup splash around. Both Fluttershy and the server watched with gaping mouths as she ate. Nearly half a minute later, Dash came up for air, mouth full, face messy, smiling wide. “Aw yesth! Thith ith awthome! Besth food ever!”

“Let me know if I can get you both anything else.” The server politely spoke through a cringing expression and flew away. When Dash went back to inhaling her food, Fluttershy bit off the end of her top waffle. There was way too much food for her to eat. Not even a whole day’s worth of her meals could amount to even half of what she was presented with.

Nearly a half hour went by, and Fluttershy hadn’t even eaten a quarter of her plate. Dash, on the other hoof, had just about cleared the halfway mark. Her tummy was already full, and it was getting painful to continue downing waffles. It was just too good to stop. Stadium food can have that affect sometimes.

When Dash suddenly felt a painful pinch in her gut, she abruptly pushed her plate away and groaned. “I…uh…think I’m gonna be sick…”

Fluttershy licked her muzzle to clear off any syrup before she spoke. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah. Totally…Just…need a minute.” She paused. “Shy?” She asked in a pleading groan.

“Yes?” She pushed her plate away as well.

“Can I lean up against you? I think I’m gonna fall over…”

“O-Ok…go ahead.”

Dash flopped her body against her, nearly knocking her poor friend over. “Ugh….” She whined.

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Sure…I’ve bounced back from worse.”

“Um…can I get you anything?”

“No, just stay very…very still. I don’t want to hurl on you.”

Fluttershy nervously tensed up, very eager not to be covered in somepony else’s vomit. “Oh dear…”

Their server returned with scarves and program pamphlets in her hooves. “And here are your-” She glanced twice at Dash. “Are you ok, miss?”

“Yeah, super.” Dash groaned again. “No more food, please.”

The server gave the very scared Fluttershy their souvenirs. “Are you sure, miss?” The server looked around as if something nearby would miraculously solve the problem. “We do have barf bags.”

“…Well…maybe just one.” Dash sighed. “Just in case. If I don‘t barf, I could just breath in it.”

The mare took off as fast as she could, leaving Fluttershy to tend to her friend’s plight. “Dashie…maybe if you sit up…”

“Hang on…” Dash groaned again as she sat up slowly before pushing her head into Fluttershy’s neck so her back didn’t hurt so much. “That’s much better.” The soft multicolored mane against her neck, to her great and further unnerving surprise, felt pretty darn nice. When Dash would squirm uncomfortably, Fluttershy could feel her friend press herself against her more. Her eyes darted all over the place while her ears burned white hot and her face turned deep red. If anypony didn’t know any better, it might look like Dash was really enjoying herself.

“Umm…Dashie?…”

“Yeah?”

“You’re…really…um…making me…”

Dash grimaced as she felt her tummy tighten up. “Ow… Why did I have to eat so fast?”

“You’re…kind of…making me…”

Before she could finish, their server returned with a barf bag. “Here you go.”

The suffering Dash gratefully took it, sat up, and started breathing as slowly as she could into the bag as if anticipating a hurl. Eventually, the tummy ache finally passed, and she gave them both a big happy smile for having conquered her pain. “Whew…That wasn’t fun. Sorry. I’m ok now.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Their server giggled uncontrollably. “I gotta say, you two have got to be the funniest couple I’ve ever met.”

Fluttershy gasped and covered her mouth while Dash cocked her head and squinted at her. “We’re not…wait, what?” Dash asked, only trying to be clear.

“I said you two are the funniest couple I’ve ever met.” She replied. “Did I say something wrong?”

“We’re not a couple.” Dash pointed at herself and the mare next to her. “What gave you that idea?”

“I’m so sorry.” Their server bowed apologetically. “I didn’t mean to assume. You two just look…very close.”

“We…we do?” Fluttershy asked in a nearly inaudible voice.

“Gosh, I’m such a ditz. I’m really sorry.” The server awkwardly laughed. “Wow…why do I keep doing that?”

“No worries.” Dash said with such nonchalance and indifference that Fluttershy looked at her with great surprise. “It happens. I do it sometimes too when I‘m working.” It was a small lie, but it would probably make her feel better.

“Thank goodness.” She sighed with relief. “I felt really bad there for a second. I was so worried you would yell at me.”

“Yell at you? No way.” Dash giggled. “We’re not like that. Besides, you've been super cool with us so far.”

Fluttershy had turned away from both of them, desperately hoping no pony could see her face. Her body was as tense as a tight wire, and her wings twitched occasionally despite being pinned to her side as hard as possible.

“Well, as long as you not mad. Thank you.” The server bowed again before taking off. “I really should go check on the other patrons. Call for me if you need anything.” With that, she was gone, very glad to now be separated from that awkward conversation.

With a huge happy sigh, Dash looked her tummy. She patted herself a few times, and with each pat, she said comically, “Nom nom nom!” She was expecting a laugh, but Fluttershy gave no response. “Um…hey, Shy?” She asked, tapping her shoulder.

“Eep!” Fluttershy nearly jumped before quickly spinning around to face her, their noses only a hoof’s length away from each other. “Y-Yes?”

“Are you ok? You’re not like…upset, are you?”

“…n-no…” She slowly shook her head. Why would she be? It wasn’t as if their server was that serious or anything. It was just sort of a joke, right? Still…the idea of Dash and her being an item was…really nice to think about.

“You know she didn’t mean anything by it, right?” Dash asked, feeling kind of bad for not telling her off now that Fluttershy seemed to be rather taken aback by the remark. “It’s no big deal.”

Maybe not a big deal for her, but certainly a much bigger deal for Fluttershy. She couldn’t help but feel like Dash was taking this way to lightly, as if she didn’t really care. It kind of hurt her, and a slight pain tightened up in her chest. “Of c-course…” She feebly sighed as she looked down at the cloud floor. “No…big deal…”

What came next for poor little Fluttershy came as a huge surprise to herself. Some very strong emotion was rapidly growing inside of her like a flooding pond. She could feel an intense heat travel through her whole body before completely enveloping her head. Everything felt like it was on fire, and her limbs shook uncontrollably. It wasn’t love, and it wasn’t longing.

It was anger.

How dare she say something like that! No big deal! Really!? After so many years together as friends, after so much they had been through, after the memories they shared, and after all they had admitted to each other, Dash actually had the nerve to say it was no big deal? What about taking her out and spending so much bits on her trying to give her a nice time? Was that just to show off or something? Was all this just a joke? Were their past couple of days together nothing but the obligations of what a normal friend should do?

She snapped.

With tears now blurring her vision and her hooves shaking violently, she got up. “You know what, Rainbow Dash!?” Her voice was uncharacteristically loud and full of emotion. “You’re right! No big deal!”

Fluttershy stormed off towards the stairs, leaving Dash sitting there with a blank face and wondering what in Equestria she had done to deserve that.

It sounded like Fluttershy was mad. Why? Dash had tried to downplay the whole thing to spare her any extra embarrassment. Wasn’t that the right thing to do? She quickly got up and went after her. “Wait, Shy! Wait! What did I say?”

It wasn’t like Fluttershy was in any hurry. She hadn’t even made it to the stairs yet before Dash put a hoof on shoulder. She stopped for a second, let her tears build up, then began walking away again. This time, Dash became a little angry. Thanks to Fluttershy’s long tail, it wasn’t difficult for Dash to wrangle her back with her mouth. Fluttershy felt herself being pulled and let it happen.

“I said wait!” Dash nearly shouted before realizing that her best friend was about ready to ball her eyes out. “Oh…my gosh…Fluttershy, I am so sorry…” Anger now being replaced by embarrassment and severe despair, Fluttershy pointed her nose directly at the ground to sniffle. Dash continued with desperation in her voice. “I am so so so so sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. That was totally not cool…”

She didn’t reply. With a fresh tear falling from her cheek, Fluttershy wiped her face with the back of her hoof slowly before giving up trying to hold back.

“Is this about the whole looking like a couple thing? I should’ve told her off, huh? C’mon, Shy. Please just talk to me. Please?” The sight of her closest friend crying was way too much for her to watch. Dash quickly wrapped her hooves around her and squeezed her tight. “Shh…hey, no crying. You make me feel like a grade A jerk-head when you do that.”

Fluttershy actually laughed for a second through her tears. For once, Dash was hitting it right on the nail.

“I’m sorry I acted like it wasn’t a big deal. I know that special someponies are nothing to joke about.” Dash rubbed her back as she felt Fluttershy’s face bury into her neck. Did something happen recently to her? Maybe somepony she was really into or something got together with somepony else and now she was heartbroken. Was she such an absent friend that she didn’t even know about the ponies she may like? How distant had she been to her? She had to ask. “Did…uh, something happen…recently?”

Fluttershy wondered. Something definitely had happened to her recently. Her best friend that she held so dear had recently found a deeper and more intimate place in her heart.

“Cause…if something did happen, like…somepony broke your heart or something…I’ll personally go over to their house and bop them good in the nose.”

Fluttershy laughed again as she wiped her face and hugged her back. “Oh silly…” She said through a giggle. “That didn’t happen at all.”

“Then…” Dash brought their eyes together. “What happened? It was me, huh…I said something stupid.”

“Dashie…you are…just so…thick…sometimes.”

“I am?” She asked, feeling a little offended. “No I’m not. Am I? Really?”

Fluttershy put a hoof over her mouth to shush her. “It’s ok…You have a lot of other great qualities.”

“….Thanks?” Dash went back to hugging her. “Listen, Shy…You can tell me what’s bothering you. I’ll listen. I know I’m a meanie sometimes, but I can change. I can be a better friend. I promise! I know we haven’t spent much time together, and it’s probably been really hard on you. We can……”

Fluttershy stopped listening as her mind drifted away somewhere else. It just felt incredibly nice to be hugged and be told how much she meant to somepony. It was replacing tears of anger and despair with tears of happiness. Their warm coats against each other was almost dreamlike for her, and she suddenly felt the urge to turn her head a few degrees and kiss Dash’s cheek.

But…would it be ok?

Dash still continued to ramble. “If I could take it back, I would. I’m just really sorry that…….”

It would be ok, probably. She would understand. Even if she still didn’t feel the same way, it would be ok, right? Like Dash had said before, it’s no harm.

Bringing herself to do it is a whole other ring to jump through. Isn’t this when all that assertive training is supposed to pay off? It’s time to commit, Fluttershy. Just do it. As reasoning in her mind slowly started getting replaced by impulse, Fluttershy took a very deep breath, pressed her soft lips ever so gently against Dash’s neck, letting them linger in place for a moment.

Something flashed in Dash’s eyes as she choked on her words. “F-Flutter…shy?”

Even after Dash found herself without a voice, Fluttershy continued to kiss the same spot. Expecting her to stop and look away, Dash awkwardly stood there waiting patiently. Fluttershy released her kiss only to trail an inch farther up her neck to another spot. With a stuttering gasp, eyes fluttering closed, Dash’s body shook from her tender touch.

Fluttershy squeezed herself harder against her blue mare tighter, only allowing herself the chance to breath when moving to a new unclaimed spot to kiss. There was no stopping her.

“S-Shy…w-what….are y-you….” Dash tried to choke out her question through occasional moans of surprise and pleasuring heat building in her chest.

Her lips opened wider to taken in more of Dash’s incredibly delicious neck. Instead of mere kissing, she began to suckle, causing Dash to throw her head back. It was so much more than what she had expected herself to do all at once, but after starting, she found it incredibly difficult to stop.

“W-Whoaaa….G-Geeez…Shy, s-stop it…” Dash trailed off as she put a hoof behind Fluttershy’s head to press her face harder against her neck. Clearly, her protests lacked resolve behind those words.

There came a small popping noise when Fluttershy broke contact with Dash’s neck. There were faint little darkened red circles now covering one side of Dash’s neck, but neither of them paid any heed. Fluttershy nearly panted before wiping her muzzle with a hoof.

“…W-Why…did you…do that?” Dash felt uncomfortable now that the moment had been abruptly stopped.

She instantly looked down at the ground, ears drooping. “I’m so sorry…” Came a timid reply. “…I couldn’t help myself…”

Dash forced a bad awkward chuckle. “That’s…your excuse?”

She looked up at her and began focusing her gaze on those soft small lips between her cyan tinted cheeks. Even her cute squishy nose looked so tantalizing to her. Fluttershy really didn’t feel like talking at that moment. It was clear in her mind that something else looked much more delicious than words. “I’m so sorry for that…” She mumbled, “…and this.”

Her eyes began to close, and Dash watched as she leaned forward farther towards her painfully slow. She desperately wanted to do the same thing, but she felt petrified to move. It seemed to be Fluttershy’s game, and Dash couldn’t help but feel very unsure of what she should do. Just stand there and wait it out or close the distance herself? She wanted to with every feather of her wings, but she was actually scared.

With her eyes closed and head tilted to the side, Fluttershy appeared enticing and alluring. Her blushing face, her standing ears, her wafting mane, her cute little button nose, and gentle arched closed eyes made Dash reach her decision.

The distance finally closed, allowing their lips to press against one another. They both echoed a small gasp at the same time.

Unknowing to either mare and after suffering in line for so long, they were missing the opening act.

--o0o--

Confined to minimal labor, Applejack begrudgingly agreed to lay off any heavy lifting or pulling. Instead of her usual work, she found herself supervising the three crusader’s second day of helping out on her farm.

“That’s it, girls.” She said, chewing on a piece of straw. “Keep pullin’ like that, ‘n ya’ll be done ‘n no time.”

With Applebloom in front and Sweetie Belle pulling the rear, the girls were all tied to different ropes connected to a large stack of hay. It was incredibly hard pulling such a heavy object across the dirt towards the barn, but somepony had to do it since Big Mac was off deep in the orchard looking for stray snakes. The rain that morning also made the dirt increasingly harder to work against. After that, he still had to somehow fix the hole in the barn wall.

“Agh!” Scootloo whined shamelessly. “This is hard! Can we take a break?”

“Sooner ya get it ‘n the barn, sooner ya’ll can rest.”

They all groaned unanimously.

Next to Applejack was a sight quite out of place. Rarity sat leaning back in an overtly big lawn chair sipping iced tea through a straw with a paper umbrella while wearing a wide brimmed sunhat and sunglasses. “Must you girls complain so excessively?”

All three girls had their own choice remark they could retort considering how relaxed she appeared, but at least they had enough sense to remain silent. Instead, they simply said at once, “Sorry…”

The hay stack was almost there. Their goal seemed almost tangible, but Applejack quickly put an end to their hopes. “When ya’ll ‘er done with that there stack, fetch the rest ‘n the other side of the field by the plow.”

“Aw, c’mon on!” They shouted.

“Ah said ya’ll can rest when yer done! That also goes fer yer whinin.”

“Applejack?” The Applebloom asked in an effort to appeal to her sisterly love, “Can we just say were sorry ‘n make it up to ya some other way?”

“No way, no how, sis.” Applejack tipped the back of her hat back to keep the sun from beating down on her neck. “Big Mac’s still gotta fix the barn, ‘n Ah ain’t lettin’ ya’ll go until Ah see everythin’ the way Ah want.”

“Pst!” Scootaloo whispered. “I say we make a break for it.” Both Sweetie Belle and Applebloom shot wide eyes at her. “What? I’m serious!”

“Ah ain’t so sure…” Applebloom replied.

Sweetie Belle nodded her head. “Yeah. Maybe it’s a good idea to you, but you don’t have an older sister here breathing down your neck.”

“Ugh!” Scootaloo lamented. “Please? I’ll throw in a milkshake at Sugarcube Corner for both of you!”

“Ya’ll ain’t got no extra bits fer milkshakes.” Applebloom growled at her.

“Well, I can get the money. I just need some time.”

“Yeah, great idea.” Sweetie rolled her eyes. “A free milkshake, or getting punished worse by my sister. Really hard to decide.”

“You girls are no fun.”

Applejack leaned on the barn door with a smirk. “What ya’ll talkin’ ‘bout?” She asked, already aware of their conversation.

The crusaders glanced at each other with blank faces. “We were just saying…” Scootaloo bit her lip before finishing. “…how cool you and Rarity are as big sisters.”

“Ah see.” Applejack nodded her head. “Well, Ah’m glad ya’ll think so. Ah guess since me ‘n Rare are such dandy sisters, you girls ain’t go no problem sweepin’ the house too.” They all whined over and over while throwing their hooves up in the air. “Ah’m just kiddin’ girls! Take it easy! Just get yer stack a hay inside, ‘n ya’ll can go run off ‘n play. No sense ‘n workin’ ya into the dirt.”

All three girls perked up and asked, “Really? Promise?”

She nodded before letting the piece of straw she was chewing on fall to the ground. “Now hurry yer flanks before Ah change my mind.”

“Alright!” Scoolatoo stomped the ground a couple of times. “See? I told you it would work out.”

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom both gave her killer glares. Neither of them could tell her off because that would mean exposing what they said to Applejack standing right there.

Applejack made her way back to Rarity and her lawn chair underneath one of the trees. With a sigh, she took her hat off and wiped her brow. “Whew-wee…”

“Still feeling not quite yourself?” Rarity asked, sipping her tea.

She nodded. “Still ‘lil achin’ too…My head’s throbbin’ like a sore thumb in this sun.”

“You poor dear.” Rarity motioned for her to take a seat next to her on the chair, and she gratefully complied by flopping down. Rarity frowned when her tea almost spilled, but decided not to say anything. “Would you care for something to drink?”

“Ah’m fine, thanks. Ya know, ya’ll ain’t gotta be here. Ah can manage the girls on my own.”

“I’m not here to overstep your authority as an older sister, Applejack. I’m here to supervise as well. Sweetie Belle can be quite a handful when in company with Scootaloo, bless her heart.”

Applejack chuckled. “Ain’t that Celestia’s truth. Ah ain’t seem Applebloom gettin’ ‘n so much trouble ‘til them girls all got together.”

They both sighed.

“I wonder…” Rarity glanced up at the green leaves overhanging above them.

Applejack tipped her hat over her eyes. “What’s that yer wonderin’?”

“Was I such a pain for my parents growing up? I can’t quite recall being such a literal headache.”

“The way Ah’m imaginin’ it, ya’ll probably wanted to do yer mom’s hair ‘n make yer dad ties fer his birthday.” She giggled.

“You are right about the ties, dear.” Rarity decided to keep the memories of trying to make her father dresses a secret not worth mentioning.

“As fer me, Ah always had Big Mac watchin’ me ‘n playin’ with me ‘n helpin’ when Ah was growin’ up.”

Rarity levitated her hat off and fanned herself. “You two sound quite close.”

Applejack tipped her hat back so she could glance up at Rarity. “Uh…actually…we ain’t.”

“Really?”

“Uh…yeah…”

“You sound, dare I say, almost regretful about it.” Rarity returned her gaze.

“Well, ya know…we’re different ‘n years…kinda grew apart when we got older Ah guess… ‘n he had his own friends growin’ up. He’s the best brother a pony could have, but we weren’t like un-separate-able ‘er what-not.”

Rarity laughed and covered her mouth to avoid sounding impolite. “You mean, inseparable?”

“Yeah. That’s the word.”

“I’m…sorry to hear that.”

“Hey, ain’t no hair off my tail.” Applejack tilted her hat back down. “What ‘bout you? Ya’ll had friends growin’ up like our ‘lil sis’ got?”

She sighed before returning her sunhat to her head. “I’m afraid I did not…No pony growing up was quite kindred as I when it came to fashion. And…I never could understand other pony’s interests.”

“Well…at least ya’ll got friends now, right?” Applejack shot her a smile.

She nodded her head and smiled back. “Yes. Especially you. I truly am grateful for such a friend as you, Applejack.”

“Aw shucks, sugarcube, ya make it sound silly when ya say it like that.”

“It is not so?”

“Course it is. Ah’m just sayin’ that…uh…ferget it.”

“Forget what, dear?”

“Nothin’…”

Rarity eyed her as Applejack tried to covered her face more with her hat. She eventually decided that her own question was not worth pursuing farther, and they both settled back next to each other to enjoy the shade. A few minutes later, the three crusaders came running past them, now full of rejuvenated energy. They tried to scramble past each other as if in some sort of race with Sweetie Belle in the lead. Right when Rarity and Applejack looked up to see commotion, all three girls tripped over each other into a pile.

“Oh for goodness sake, girls!” Rarity exclaimed. “Please do be careful!”

“Yes mam!”

Applejack giggled. “Ah think they’re extra clumsy today.”

“I certainly hope not…” Rarity frowned. “Will they be alright on their own?”

“Ah’m sure they’ll be fine. They’re just probably goin’ to their clubhouse. Ain’t nothin’ they can break there….well, except for the clubhouse.”

“Hm.” Rarity slowly sat up and gave out a yawn before asking, “Can I use your restroom, dear?”

“Ah don’t know.” Applejack laughed. “Can ya?”

“Oh hush.” She flicked her brown hat over her face before trotting off towards the house, leaving Applejack with all the room on the lawn chair.

With a heavy yawn, Applejack rolled onto her side. She suddenly felt very drowsy like a heavy weight had been place on her shoulders. Allowing her body to sink into the chair, she smacked her lips a few times before trying to drift off.

Big Mac came by with a large barrel on his back. “Sis?” He asked in an impossibly deep voice that resonated in Applejack's ears. “You alright?”

She opened her eyes before sitting up. “Right as rain, Big Mac.” She replied, being almost honest. “Ah’m doin’ much better. See?” Her condition had improved immensely from the day before, but there were still a few small nuisances that affected her.

He nodded to her, said “Yep.” in a long drawn out timbre, then continued his slow trudge to the barn.

With a fresh glass of tea levitating above her head, Rarity came back out and approached the tired orange mare. “Now, I know you said you were content without something to drink, but I took it upon myself to bring you something that might help with the heat.”

After decided it would be impossible to sleep anyway, Applejack took the glass. “Thanks.” She gulped down nearly half of it before taking a deep breath.

“Would you rather go inside? You still look a touch pale.”

“Why not…” Applejack hopped off the chair to find that her legs wobbled excessively. Rarity quickly came to her side and let her lean against her. “Sorry…guess Ah stood up too fast…”

“You are simply incorrigible, darling. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you enjoy punishing yourself.” She nudged her gently to help steady herself.

“Ah’m a might sorry, Rare…Ah feel like Ah’ve been burdenin’ ya these past couple a days.”

“I am going to ask you to do something for me, as a friend, Applejack.” Rarity said plainly as they began walking to the house.

“N what’s that?”

“Do close that intolerable mouth of yours. I simply cannot stand to listen to you adversely critique yourself in such manner. If I hear one more pointless little gripe from you, I shall and I will flick your ear as hard as I can.” She waved her hoof in the air for dramatic affect.

“So…yer askin’ me to stop my whinin’?”

“Did I not make myself clear enough?”

Applejack laughed hard for a few seconds before choking back a cough. “Thanks, Rare. Ya’ll probably ‘er gonna make a good ma someday.”

Rarity blushed hard and turned her face away to conceal her red cheeks. Somehow, when Applejack said that, it felt really sweet to hear. “W-Well…if you say so.”

They walked inside to greet Granny Smith in her rocking chair. “Well howdy, Applejack. You feelin’ better now that yer back inside?”

“Yes, Granny Smith.” She replied while making her best effort to remain courteous. “Ah am feelin’ better.”

“Good to hear, dearie.” She smiled while continuing to rock back and forth. “Can Ah make ya gals some pie? Bet yer hungry by now.”

“No, Granny. We’re fine.”

“Well, just tell yer ‘ol Granny if yer hungry, ‘n Ah’ll fix ya both somethin’ before ya’ll can count Applebloom’s ribbons.”

“Fine, Granny.” Applejack groaned.

Rarity snickered and nudged her side before saying, “Of course, dearie” in her best Granny Smith voice. With a scowl, Applejack walked quickly towards the kitchen’s dinning room and sat down in a chair before taking her hat off. Rarity sat down next to her and said, “Oh darling, there’s no need to be so mad.”

“Hardy Har…”

“Now now, that’s no way to talk to a friend.”

“Hardy Har, friend.”

Rarity laughed and nudged Applejack again. “Darling, you are such a laugh!”

No reply. Applejack was beginning to wonder if she should ever invited Rarity over again if all she did was tease her. Although, as much as it irked her, she kind of liked being shown such affectionate mockery. It almost felt like they were sisters in a way. Maybe she didn’t show it directly, but her red cheeks and hinting smile betrayed her attitude. She felt almost pleased each time Rarity would tease her like that. It made her wonder. Was there…something else to this?

In Rarity’s defense, she was only behaving this way because something felt natural about it. There was something that drew her closer to Applejack in a way that she never quite felt before. Almost as if she realized she left her stove on, she gulped.

Growing up, Rarity saw young colts tease the little fillies all the time. It wasn’t until she was older did her mother explain to her that they did that because they were smitten. Was she smitten right now? She had felt obsessed and infatuated before, but never truly smitten. Was Applejack different to her than anypony else she cherished close like a friend? Maybe. They were best friends after all, that much was clear. Also, Applejack did have this rugged beauty about her that no pony else she ever met seemed to have. It did make her wonder. Was there…something else to this?

To keep up her toughened appearances, Applejack asked, “Don’t ya’ll got like some dresses to sew ‘er somethin’ back home?”

“Oh, you’re absolutely right, dear!” Rarity quickly got up, stopped, clapped her hooves together, then turned to Applejack. “Idea!”

“Uh-oh…” She mumbled

“Um, Applejack dear? Seeing as how you are not currently preoccupied, would you perhaps care to assist-”

“Nope!”

“But you didn’t even let me finish.”

“Ah know what ya’ll ‘er gonna say, ‘n Ah say no.” Applejack turned away with a huff.

“Darling…” She whined most obnoxiously. “Please? After everything we did together?”

“Nope.”

Rarity decided to pull out her hold card. It would be a low blow, but she was determined to win. “Even after I treated you to an all day spa retreat?”

“Gosh darnit, Rare!” Applejack glared at her for a very long moment before sighing. “……Fine.”

“Oh, marvelous! Simply marvelous, darling!” She sounded way too excited. “I have these new garments that absolutely need a model’s touch.”

“Ugghhhh….”

“There’s no need to sound so crass, dear. I believe this is a fair trade.”

“Ah said Ah’d help ya, but Ah ain’t said nothin’ ‘bout bein’ happy ‘bout it.”

“Good enough for me!” Rarity trotted out of the dining room towards the front door with Applejack very solemnly following.

Granny Smith added her much unwanted two bits before they left. “Are ya goin’ to help yer friend try ’n some fancy shmancy dresses, Applejack?”

“Oh she most certainly is!” Rarity chimed in. “And she is so delighted to do so, aren’t you, dear?”

Applejack gritted her teeth. “….Yeah.”

“Well have fun, gals. Save me some pictures is ya can, Miss Rarity.”

“I most certainly will.” Rarity smiled at her as innocently as possible, and Applejack could feel and hear her own teeth grinding hard together in frustration.

When they had closed the front door behind them and walked out of earshot down the road, Applejack growled as ferociously as she could, “When Ah get the chance, Ah’m gonna make ya walk into town wearin’ a top hat ‘n poncho with ‘lil Applebloom’s rain boots.”

“I would certainly like to see you try, you silly gal.” Rarity teased her again in her Granny Smith impression. She cleared her throat. “Now, we mustn't dally. I have already squandered much of the day away without bothering to check on my wares.”

It didn’t take long to reach the boutique. Rarity had trotted at a quick pace most eager to get started. Dressing up Applejack was going to be fun, and she didn’t want to miss a second. Applejack had begrudgingly followed while trailing behind a few feet, partly because she was still a bit sick, but mostly because she was loathing what might come next. To add insult to injury, Rarity kept telling her to catch up every other minute.

When they arrived, Rarity blew opened the door with a fanciful sweeping gesture to beckon Applejack inside. “This way, please.”

With a snarl in her direction, Applejack did as she was told before sarcastically replying, “Thank you kindly.”

Almost immediately, Applejack was pulled towards a set of mannequin ponies circled the edge of the bottom floor. Two at a time, Rarity levitated dress after dress above Applejack while make quick inspections on how they might look.

“No…” She moved the dress to the ‘no’ pile. “No….no…heavens, no….”

“Is there any dress that’s a ‘yes’ ‘n there?” Applejack grew bored very quickly just standing there.

Upon spotting a particular ashen red evening gown, Rarity held it up and gasped. “Celestia be praised!” She joyously cried out. “I believe I have made a match!”

“Great…Can Ah try it on now? The sooner Ah do, the sooner Ah can leave, right?”

“Of course not!” She pressed the dress up against her side. “I have dozens more sets to compare you with.” With a heavy sigh, Applejack took her hat off and flung it across the room into a chair. “Now, stay still for me. I would rather not you thrash about. It could harm my precious dresses.”

“Oh no. That would be awful.”

Paying no heed to the remark, Rarity took great care as she fed the dress over Applejack’s head. After years of experience, she was quite proficient at dawning attire. Once everything seemed to be in place, she took a step back. “Hmm…” She had Applejack undo her mane, letting it flow freely. “Better…” Next, she clipped her long tail up against the base near her flank like a crescent oval. “It’s coming along…”

Feeling very uncomfortable, Applejack fidgeted. Rarity’s gaze became a little too interested, and her eyes would often remain in the same place on her body much longer than necessary. Her first instinct was to say something, but there was just something about being ogled and visually praised that she found herself enjoying.

Rarity’s approving nods would cause her cheeks to turn a tiny bit more rosy every time, and Applejack actually found herself meekly striking different poses. Rarity quickly put her hoof up. “Just like that!” She screamed. “Don’t move a hoof!”

Her position was somewhat uncomfortable. With her back and flank arched like a proud Canterlot lady, she groaned. Rarity put a hoof up to shush her before slowly circling her with intent eyes.

When Applejack suddenly felt a hoof gently slide down her flank, she yelped. “R-Rarity!” It wasn’t a yelp of annoyance, but of surprise. It was very hard to admit to herself, but that had felt very enticing.

“Sorry, darling, but bare with me for just a few moments.” Her hoof trailed up this time.

“R-Rare…”

“I said wait!” Her hoof made the most alluring circle across her back.

“EEK!”

They both stared at each other very intently before Rarity broke into a fit of giggles. It lasted for nearly half a minute before Applejack got mad enough to start pulling the dress off over her head. By then, Rarity didn’t care. She was already on the ground holding her sides. When the dress finally came off, Applejack huffed.

“Ah ain’t helpin’ no more if yer gonna poke fun ‘n laugh at me.”

“Heavens alive, darling!” She exclaimed, trying desperately to hold back her giggled. “That noise was…cute!”

“C-Cute?” Applejack attempted to hide her delight from being called cute by masking it with anger. “Ah ain’t no such kinda thing!”

“But you are, dear! That was adorable!”

“Hush yer trap, Rare…”

“Aw, Applejack, please don’t be like that. I meant nothing by it.” She cleared her throat to stop laughing. “I am terribly sorry. I had no idea you were so…sensitive there.”

“N-Now ya’ll just wait a sec there, Rare! Ah am not…sensitive…there! It just kinda tickled is all! Ain’t mean nothin!”

“You do realize that you perfectly described what sensitive means, darling.”

Applejack trotted towards the front door, put her hat back on, and said bluntly, “Ah’m headin’ home.”

Rarity ran up to her and quickly apologized. “No, wait, please don’t go. I really do mean it when I say that I apologize. Truly.”

She sighed. “….If ya’ll…even…do it one more time…then Ah’m leavin’…” Applejack tried to sound like she was putting her hoof down, but her embarrassed flush still hadn’t quite left her yet.

“I duly promise.” Rarity put a hoof over her chest. “Happy?”

“No.”

“Aw…” Rarity was really beginning to worry she had hurt her feelings. After she put a hoof on her shoulder, she said in the most soothing tone, “I am very sorry for teasing you, dear. You are still sick, and I should be more aware of how you feel. What can I do to make it up to you?”

Her heartfelt and sincere apology made Applejack turn ever darker. “…Ah guess…It’s fine then…”

“Good.” Rarity gave her a hug and squeezed her before receiving one back. She instantly felt forgiven and decided to release her hold, but when she did, Applejack didn’t release hers. A second went by, then a couple more, then a few more. “Um…Applejack, dear?” She stammered. “I…I believe…you can let go now…”

She felt the orange mare’s embrace loosen a bit, so she tried to step back. When she did, only about a foot of space opened up. Confused, she looked up at Applejack. Their noses came less than an inche apart before their eyes made full contact.

In probably the quietest voice Applejack had ever had before, she whispered, “Rare?”

“Y-Yes?” She answered back, her voice nearly cracking.

More long seconds past as Applejack tried to open her mouth again, wondering how she should ask what she wanted to ask. So many combinations filled her mind, but none of them seemed appropriate. In the end, she went with the most simple way possible.

“C-Can…can I?”

Rarity instantly knew what her question meant, and she nodded. Their lips met, their eyes closed, and the room became ten degrees warmer. Rarity’s hooves slowly rose up to wander Applejack’s back, making her produce a soft little whimper. The light in the room dimmed as Rarity closed the curtains with magic without breaking her rhythm, and they collapsed upon each other on the floor.

A solitary dress had fallen off its coat hanger to join them as it rested flat against their intertwined embrace.