Soft music swam across the room like a mist of serenity, surrounding Applejack with enough tranquility to melt away an entire day of labor. As soon as one harvest was over, another began, which meant that if Applejack wanted to be ready to start picking the next batch in time, this whole week would have to be spent working at twice her normal pace. Finally, though, after a long day of working hard, she could melt on her couch and enjoy the rest of her evening.
Applejack reached down towards the oak coffee table in front of her and poured herself a warm glass of herbal tea. With a smile, she blew a cool current against the steam of the tea and let the hot drink spill past her lips, calming her nerves while bringing energy back into her fingertips.
"Finally. Home at last."
With a giggle, she skipped to the closet, pulled out a lifesize cardboard cutout of Applebloom (decorated with Applebloom's signature green shirt and rolled up jeans), and laid it beside her on the sofa. With a ladylike sigh, Applejack collapsed next to the cutout, resting her head on its shoulder.
"How is it ya always smell so nice?"
The older sister hugged onto the younger's clothes, allowing the sweet scent of fresh fruit to entangle her senses, getting her lost in the toxifying fragrance. Applejack wished that the cutout had Applebloom's real hair, but that was a boundary not even she was willing to breach. Besides, it would never compare to the actual sensation of brushing back Applebloom's beautiful red hair, barely skimming across her flawless rosy cheeks.
Instead, she wrapped her arm around the cutout's shoulders, ran a finger around the figure's chin and leaned in to place a passionate kiss on the lips. As she kissed the figure, she pulled herself in closer, breathing in a deep, relaxing breath through the nose and exhaling all the tension out of her shoulders, never taking her lips off until she was ready to bring them back down.
Giggling again, she sat back up, scooching as close to her sister as she could. "What do you reckon we oughtta watch tonight? Somethin' scary? Somethin' romantic? As long as I have you, little sis, I'm happy." She smirked and gave the cutout another peck on the lips. "I love you, Applebloom."
Slam!
"Applejaaaaaack! I'm hooooooooome!"
Applejack's face went red as all but her rapidly beating heart froze in place. As quick as lightning, she grabbed onto the cutout and stuffed it underneath the couch, wiping off the lipstick from her face just in time to dodge Applebloom running into the living room.
"A-Applebloom!" the elder sister said, her face burning red in angst while butterflies fluttered around her stomach. "I thought y'all were with yer friends tonight."
"Nah. We were gonna try campin' out tonight, but then Sweetie Belle forgot her sleepin' bag and..." Applebloom tilted her head to the side. "I didn't know y'all drank tea."
Applejack's eyes darted to the drink laying on the coffee table, kicking the cardboard cutout further under the couch just in case.
"What?" Applejack stammered. "Ya mean you've never seen me drinkin' good ol' herbal tea before? You should try some!"
"No, thanks. I think I'm just gonna pour me a glass of OJ."
As soon as Applebloom had turned her back and started making her way to the kitchen, Applejack leaped off the couch, snagged the Applebloom cutout and ran to the closet, throwing it in before Applebloom could notice.
"Oh, and I've been missin' a pair of underwear. Have you seen 'em lyin' around anywhere?"
"C-can't say that I have!" Applejack said, pulling her shirt down as far as it could go on the off chance that Applebloom could see what she was wearing underneath her cowgirl jeans.
The elder sister had to do a double take, making sure her sister didn't hear the sound of the closet shutting, but as she looked to the kitchen, she saw Applebloom with her back turned, opening up the fridge and pouring herself a glass of orange juice.
"Hey, I have an idea!" Applejack said, walking into the room with a huge smile and her hands behind her back. "Why don't I rustle up some dinner for you?"
"Aw, you don't have to do that. I wasn't plannin' on even bein' home tonight."
"Come on, now. Ever since you and your friends started crusadin', I haven't been able to spend any quality time with my sister. I could make us some apple fritters on the side."
"Well then, ya don't have to ask me twice!"
Both sisters began giggling hysterically, running in circles around the kitchen to grab this, that and the other for their after dinner sweets. Even though Applejack had been running from tree to tree all day, seeing her little sister laugh and smile filled her with so much energy that she almost wanted to start a friendly wrestling match with her right then and there, and if they weren't in the middle of making dinner, she probably would have. Instead, though, she settled with chasing Applebloom around the kitchen, trying to get the flour off of her hand by getting it on her sister's nose.
After spending a lot of effort (and wasting a whole lot of time), the Apple sisters had finally finished making their dinner, with enough apple fritters to last them three days. With Big Mac and Granny Smith out visiting relatives for the weekend, it was nice being able to have dinner just between the two of them for once.
"So what's new with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle?" Applejack asked with a forkfull of mashed potatoes.
"Actually, I think we've finally figured out what we're good at."
Applejack practically dropped her fork, a huge smile reaching across her face. "Really?"
"Well, actually, we'd been spendin' so much time tryin' to figure out what we were good at that we never stopped to help the other kids at school figure out what they were good at. OH! Take a look at this!"
Applebloom reached down for her backpack and pulled out a poster with three matching designs, with an apple, lightning bolt and musical note in the center of each design. "We designed 'em ourselves!" Applebloom continued. "We're like guidance counselors, and all the kids at school are comin' to us for advice now!"
"I'm so proud of you, Applebloom!"
"Thanks," Applebloom said, her eyes drifting to her lap. "You know... I think that's really all I wanted."
"Whaddya mean, Sugarcube?"
"I mean... You and Big Mac and Granny have always been good at somethin' since I can first remember. I guess I thought that maybe if I found somethin' I was good at, maybe I could fit in with the family more and maybe... maybe make you as proud as Mom or Dad woulda been."
Applebloom was then suddenly surprised by a pair of arms wrapping around her, giving her just enough room left to breathe. Applejack didn't say a word, but kept her embrace tight, hoping that her hug would be able to say the words "I love you" more than her voice would ever be able to. As the message finally sunk in with Applebloom, and realizing how silly she was to even think the thought, she wrapped her arms back around her sister, adding her own silent, "I love you more."
After a long day for both sisters, the sun had finally gone down over Sweet Apple Acres, and the two girls decided to finish off their day with some quality TV time. Applebloom laid sideways on the couch with her head on Applejack's lap facing the TV while the older sister ran her fingers through Applebloom's hair, brushing through her long, ruby red locks.
"Applejack... How do you do it?"
"Do what?" Applejack replied with a chuckle.
"How do you manage to do everything around here? I mean, you work on the farm, clean the house, cook whenever Granny's away, go to school AND still manage to keep up with all of your friends. I think I would explode!"
Applebloom rolled onto her back, head now facing Applejack, and with a smile, brushing Applebloom's hair out of her face she replied, "I wish I could tell you."
Applebloom yawned. "I'm not fallin' asleep. I'm just restin' mah eyes for a few seconds."
"Works for me."
Of course, it was within the minute that Applebloom's head tilted to the side, completely passed out and in a whole new world of dreams. Applejack carefully bent over without waking her and pressed her lips to her sister's forehead, leaving her kiss for as long as she could stand. She wished so much that she could share a real kiss with Applebloom, but she knew that their first kiss would be far more magical than that. She had her cutout to last her until then, but for now, she had something far better. Closing her eyes and giving her one more kiss, she said softly, "Good night, little sister. I love you so much."
