“A hoot of a night,” Applejack grumbled, her sarcasm got the better of her as she sat at a table, bored.
She was supposed to be on break from watching the crusaders that had tagged along with Rainbow Dash and Rarity. But the other two must’ve lost track of time. The farmer glanced over to where her sisters were gossiping, and did a double take.
Applejack was brought out of her musings by the fact that there were no three fillies giggling or gossiping. She looked up from her table and nearly had a heart attack, the girls were gone!
She swiveled right to find nothing, then left to see her sister and her friends pestering somepony on the other side of the room. Applejack stood and marched over, intent on making the three rambunctious fillies apologize for messing with others. It was when she got close did she realize what they were talking too. A uniformed Thestral, one whom bore a rank of some kind on the sleeve of his blue jacket. Then she got a look at his face as her sister said something to him, and noted from the strong lower jaw, that he held an air of sternness about him.
“I heard y’all got scary sharp teeth,” Applebloom said, much to her sisters embarrassment.
Applejack prayed, too whomever was listening, that the stallion didn’t take offense to their probing questions. Then she heard a chuckle, his voice was a deep accented baritone as the laugh raised it’s volume slightly. She stopped and watched as the girls made a request of the stallion.
“Can we see ‘em?”
Applejack watched in curiosity as the bat pony let out a hum before he leaned towards the fillies and bared his ivories with a wide grin. Pearly white razors were his teeth, and the crusaders let their approval be known by ooh sounds and whispers. He held the grin for a moment longer but soon closed his muzzle before he took a swig of water.
“Am I so scary now?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
The fillies answered with an emphatic no. This made a gentle smile appear on the Thestrals’ face.
When the crusaders began to ask about his wings Applejack stopped them, “Alright girls, leave this feller alone.” She then spotted Rarity coming through a door on her left, “Go have fun with Rarity, she’s waiting for y’all.”
Her sister and her two friends deflated that their fun was over, but headed over to Rarity nonetheless.
“Sorry ‘bout that partner, the cutiemark crusaders probably ain’t something that y’all are used to ‘round here,” Applejack said to the still seated stallion who slowly stood to his full height.
The mare involuntarily gulped at the sheer size of him, while not as tall as her older brother this pony looked like he wasn’t the type to be messed with.
“Not a problem, Frauline Apfeljack, “ He responded with a light hearted smile that melted away her unease.
Applejack was very nearly lost in the ember twinkle in the bat ponies eye, but didn’t miss how he’d pronounced her name.
“Ya’ll mind me asking where you’re from? I ain’t never heard my name said that way before,” Applejack asked before she covered her mouth at her wording.
“I’m mighty sorry, that didn’t come out right. Uh, well,” she stuttered as he raised an eyebrow.
“I hail from Pferdlin, a Thestral colony to the east of the Crystal Empire. I pronounced your name in my mother tongue. Please, forgive my rudeness, my name is Stürmischen Morgen. That is to say, Stormy Morning in Equestrian. Staff sergeant of the Lunar Fallschirmjäger, at your service,” the Thestral introduced himself with dip of his head.
“Mighty fine to meet you, I’m Applejack, but Ya’ll already knew that,” she introduced herself and offered her hoof to shake. Both as a friendly gesture and to keep herself from blushing too profusely at the male’s smoky voice.
Stormy grasped her offered hoof with his own and gave a strong shake as he spoke, “A pleasure, truly.”
Then the party music began to play something of a waltz. Stormy looked in the direction of the dance floor and noted that quite a few couples were dancing.
He breathed deeply before he motioned to the dance floor, “I do not want to be too forward, but would you like to dance?”
Applejack blushed before she looked down, “I would, but I ain’t so good with fancy music.”
Stormy nodded then replied, “Very well, perhaps I can get you a drink?”
“I’d like one, sure thing,” the farm mare replied before she followed the male to the bar.
On the way there, Applejack mentally prepared to decline any and all alcohol. On top of that she steeled herself to prepare for the worst incase her new friend decided to get drunk and tried to feel her up.
“Bartender, can I get a Roy Rogers, and a…” the Thestral trailed off and raised an eyebrow in question to Applejack who took a gander at the menu.
She blinked in surprise, hardly anything was alcoholic. No wonder Princess Celestia found the Gala to be awful.
Applejack picked her drink then looked back up and answered, “A Virgin Mary?”
“So, how long have y’all lived here?” Applejack asked, as she tried to make small talk while they waited.
“Oh, two years now, I believe. I was stationed in Vanhoover for a time before that. And you? Where are you from?” he answered amiably.
Their drinks arrived after his question.
“Ponyville, born and raised on the-,” Applejack stopped abruptly when a stallion placed a hoof on her backside before he made his way around them.
“Nice flank, babe,” the stallion slurred as he went by.
Stormys’ eyes narrowed and with great strength used his foreleg to pin the stallion to the bar with such a force that the counter shook.
The Thestral hissed then growled a single word, “Apologize.”
Applejack huffed indignantly then politely motioned for Stormy to move.
“Thank you kindly, but I can handle this,” she said with a smile before she pinned the troublemaker to the counter.
“Let me tell y’all something, you touch me again, I’ll knock your teeth out,” Applejack warned, then stole a glance at her new friend who backed her up.
“Or better yet, I’ll give you to him, let this feller straighten y’all out,” she nodded to her companion who hissed again.
“S-sorry, I had a little too much. Please, don’t hurt me,” the stallion whimpered, more afraid of the Thestral than anything else.
The trouble maker bolted as soon as he was let go and Applejack noted that she’d spilled her drink in the commotion.
She turned to Stormy who’d already ordered her the same drink. The bartender placed the Virgin Mary in front of her and went back to his business.
“Are you alright Apfeljack?” Stormy asked her after a moment of her staring at him.
“Yeah, thanks for getting that varmint, partner,” Applejack praised the Thestral who blushed and looked down.
“It was nothing, Frauline Apfeljack,” an abashed Stormy Morning tried to wave off the complement.
“Nah sugarcube, that there was quick work, and believe me, I’ve seen fast,” Applejack giggled before she shot him a grin.
“So you said that you were in the ,uh, Fall something or other?” Applejack questioned, her head tilted in curiosity.
“Fallschirmjäger, to put it simply, I’m in the Army,” Stormy clarified before he shot back, “And what do you do?”
“I live on Sweet Apple Acres, in Ponyville. Born and raised on the farm with my brother and sister,” Applejack answered with a proud look.
“A family tradition?” he asked, eyebrow raised.
“Eeyup, me and my kin go way back to the founding of Ponyville. What about y’all?” Applejack responded, eager to hear if they had anything in common.
“Nothing in the way of tradition such as your family, save for military service. My father is a retired Air Force officer, admittedly I’m a bit of a disappointment to him,” Stormy said before he sipped his drink.
“Why would you be a disappointment?” Applejack asked, curiosity piqued.
“Nothing to extreme, he simply wished for his offspring to continue service in the Air Force. Rivalry between military branches gets the blood boiling in our house,” he answered with an uneasy laugh.
For a moment they sipped their drinks until Applejack looked at the stage, at Vinyl Scratch at the sound controls of her as of yet unused turn table, then the dance floor, and grinned before she turned to her companion, “Ya’ll come with me.”
Applejack set her finished drink down before she gently urged the stallion to follow her.
“And where are we going?” Stormy asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Ya’ll earned that dance, sugarcube. I might not dance to no fancy songs. But I can Two-step,” Applejack explained with a smile.
“I do not know that one,” Stormy admitted nervously, which made Applejack laugh.
“I’ll learn you up right,” she informed before she had him wait at the edge of the mass of ponies and spoke to the DJ who nodded eagerly at the chance to play some music.
Applejack made her way back to Stormy and lead him onto the floor.
“First we got to get a little closer,” Applejack instructed before she was neck to neck with the muscular Thestral. Then she continued, “When the song starts, we move two steps to the right then one back. Think y’all can do that?”
Stormy smirked at the playful tone and showed his teeth before he replied, “I believe that I can manage.”
The song began and Stormy began to lead by following Applejacks nudge to the right to the rhythm of the guitar. And, after a few moments of ridged movement, began to loosen up.
Applejack breathed deeply and took in the aroma of her dance partner. She sighed at the scent of him, oh dear Lord it was nice, like pine trees. His throat vibrated as he chuckled at the lyrics to one of her favorite songs. The farmer blushed at the sound of his laugh, and pressed herself into the ebony coat of Stormys neck as she hummed along with the song.
The pair collectively laughed at the humorous lyrics as they seamlessly worked themselves around other ponies, not disturbing anyone else. Applejack nearly squealed in delight as Stormy picked up the pace in time with the guitar and added a few twirls with the normal two step.
She sighed as she thought, “If this here’s a dream, never wake me up.”
At the end of the song Stormy took Applejacks hoof and slowly spun her in a circle. The pair came to a stop as the last note played and smiled at each other.
“Whoa nelly, sugarcube. That was-“ Applejack began, only to be interrupted by Applebloom.
“Applejack, Rarity says we got to go,” Applebloom said, and snapped her older sister out of the moment.
Applejack could have screamed at her for the interruption, and turned back to her dance partner to apologize but was stopped when Stormy gave her a slightly downtrodden smile.
“May I escort you both to your carriage?” Stormy asked as the trio exited the sea of now waltzing ponies.
“Don’t mind at all, sugarcube. We’ll just follow Applebloom,” Applejack answered with a smile.
And with that they headed to the exit. Once they got to the carriage, Applejack shook Stormys’ hoof.
“I had a good time, Stormy,” Applejack thanked the uniformed stallion who grinned at her in response.
“It has indeed been a most wonderful evening Apfeljack, and I thank you for it,” he paused and kissed her hoof before he resumed, “A good evening and safe trip to all of you. Bis wir uns wieder treffen, Apfeljack.”
“Oh yeah, sugarcube, you too,” Applejack replied in a near intoxicated manner as she was pulled away by Applebloom.
The carriage then pulled away from the castle and headed for Ponyville.
“What’d he say to you sis?” Applebloom asked her sister, who still looked love struck.
“I don’t know what he said, but I sure like the way that he said it,” Applejack giggled before she noticed the way Applebloom grinned.
“Applejack’s got a Coltfriend!” she sang as the carriage went down the road.
“N-No I don’t, but I tell you Applebloom, that there stallion was a golden delicious if I ever seen one,” Applejack exclaimed as the rest of the girls chatted.
"Applejack, darling, did you have fun?” Rarity asked as she noted her friends content expression.
The farm mare leaned back into the velvet seat and sighed, “Oh yeah sugarcube, I had a hoot of a night.”