The silence in the room was broken with the loud creaking of the old wooden door. Applejack, entering her room, let out a sigh of contentment, a smile upon her face as she closed that same door behind her. Right now, the young farmer was not clad in her usual attire, but rather a bright blue dressing gown, complete with a pair of slippers. In one hand was a towel, which was currently being used to dry her still-moist hair. After taking just a few moments to carry on doing this, she stopped, using her free hand to test the dryness at the top of her head, before then breaking out into a satisfied look.
"Yep, a good shower'll do ya good!"
Moving over to a chair beside the wall, she carefully placed her towel, and then, after turning around, she started to move towards her modestly-sized bed. Upon its sheets were her intended pyjamas for the evening, a simple green shirt, brown shorts and a pair of socks. As soon as she'd reached the side of that bed, she swiftly slid her feet out of her slippers, leaving them where they lay, before then reaching forward, ready to take hold of her currently-unused shirt. But, as she did so, she paused, looking at it for a long time, seeming deep in thought all the while. After a time, she turned her head slightly, looking over to a nearby closet on the other side of her room. Eventually, she let out a dry chuckle.
"Nah! Ah couldn't..."
But, she didn't finish, her eyes once more moving over to the closet. Hesitation crossed her face, and she looked over her shoulder to the door leading out of her room. Then, after letting out a sigh, she instead started to walk over to the window beside where the closet was. Taking just a few moments to appreciate the sight of the setting sun, she then got to business, closing the curtains tightly, making sure that nobody could look in on what she was doing.
"Ah can't believe ah'm doin this."
Now came the matter of her walking just a few steps towards the closet she now focused on. It was not long before her hands were upon the knobs of the closet door, and slowly, she began to open it. As the light began to illuminate the clothing within, her eyes drifted across each and every one of them. Most were practical-looking, the kind of attire that most would expect of a girl like Applejack. But, nestled right at the very end, was a particular item that nobody would really consider for her. It was a nightie, bright green in colour, like her eyes, with thin shoulder straps. A small grimace crossed Applejack's face as she regarded it, but even so, she nevertheless reached in and took hold. It looked relatively new, and right on the skirt-section was a small label. Taking it, the farmer began to read aloud.
"Jacqueline, ah know ya don't have much in the way of sophisticated sleepwear..."
She rolled her eyes for a moment before continuing.
"...so ah decided ta get ya somethin nice fer ya Birthday. Yers sincerely, Rarity."
Applejack did not look unappreciative, it had to be said, but regardless, there was still some trepidation here. In this moment, she made doubly sure that nobody was around, even though she knew full well that her curtains and doors were closed. None were going to bother her, but even that knowledge did not seem to make her feel any less embarrassed.
"Um...alrighty then."
She placed the nightie upon the side of her bed for the time being, and instead got to work on untying her dressing gown. Even with nobody here to se her do it, she still seemed to blush slightly about becoming naked within her own room. But, undress she did, and as soon as she'd done so, she then took hold of the nightie yet again, making sure to take the aforementioned label off before doing anything else. It took no effort whatsoever to slip it onto herself, and once this was done, and paused. Glancing down at herself, she seemed to find the idea of her wearing this thing as inherently bizarre, evidenced especially by her raised eyebrow. In particular, she seemed to be just a little bit unsure of the fact that the thing only went down to about halfway down her thighs. However, she soon looked up, seeing a large mirror hanging from the inside of the door of the closet she'd opened.
"Hmmm."
Walking over, she gave herself a quick look over in the mirror. It could not be denied that this particular item of clothing seemed to be just a little bit tighter than she would have liked, particularly around her chest and hips. And as she considered that, a new thought came to the forefront of her mind, prompting her to frown slightly.
"Rarity...ah hope ya ain't takin fashion advice from Adagio here. All this, ugh...emphasis."
Her blush returned as she'd said that, particularly when she chanced a glance to her rear-side. It was a short-lived look, as her head snapped back to face forward, the red in her cheeks even more prominent now, leading to her raising one hand and rubbing her temples.
"Yep...a whole lotta huggin back there too."
She sighed, lowering her hand and once more taking to looking at her reflection. She said nothing, but over time, her expression seemed to soften. Her annoyance and slight frustration was gone, and now seemed to be gradually replaced with a look that could only be described as curiosity. Yet again, she checked to make sure the coast was clear, and as soon as she'd done so, she developed a small smirk. With one hand, she rested it gently upon one hip, and with the other, she placed it just behind her head. Here, she struck a very un-Applejack-like pose for herself in the mirror, even going so far as to wink to her reflection. Seeing her mirror-self do this pushed her over the edge, as she started to let out a hearty laugh, to the point where she found herself wiping a tear from her eye.
"Whoo-boy! That just...that really ain't me!"
As before, she found herself feeling calm, relaxed, perhaps even a little content in the silence that followed that laughter. But, slowly, her eyes began to drift once more, and her sight landed upon a dressing table not two steps away from her. It too had a mirror, and after just a moment of considering her options, she began to walk to it. Taking a seat beside it, Applejack then looked down to the many items that littered its surface, in particular, a hair-brush that looked as if it had rarely, if ever, been used. Staring at it, a small smile began to creep onto her face.
"...Why not?"
Taking the brush into her hand, Applejack used her other hand to adjust her hair, so that all of it was now falling in front of one shoulder. Carefully, she began to move the brush's bristles through it, going slowly and gently. And all the while, she stared at herself in the small mirror before her. There was even a moment, albeit a brief one, where the girl would slowly pause to enjoy just how soft her carpet below felt upon her bare feet, as if it was something she'd never really done before, though the moment passed soon after. Her expression was hard to read, with her face being almost completely blank, and minute after minute passed as she just continued brushing her hair in utter silence. But, after this long while had passed, she began to smile softly once more, letting out a contented sigh and speaking in a gentle tone.
"Yeah...it ain't me..."
Her smile grew a little bit warmer as she finished her words.
"...but it's nice all the same."
