Apples to Apples

     You open your eyes, and are instantly greeted with a pounding headache. That's one reason you don't drink. The hangover is murder. Your vision is rather blurry, but you vaguely remember entering the barn last night. You rub your eyes to clear your vision. You can feel somepony's hooves holding onto you. Did you bring a mare back last night?

     You look over, and notice that it's Applejack. Wait, Applejack?! You begin racking your brain to remember what happened just last night. Unfortunately, your memory is as fuzzy as your vision was. You really hope you didn't do anything regrettable. Heck, your faces are just mere inches from one another. You lay there, not sure if you should wake her up or let her sleep.

     Eventually, she answers that for you. She begins to stir, and yawns. You quickly shut your eyes, hoping to feign sleep. You hear her groan, and open one of your eyes. Sure enough, it looks straight into one of hers. You open the other, an stare into the sea of green looking back at you. She's trying to sort out what may have happened last night. An awkward air begins growing between the two of you. You decide to break it.

"Umm, good morning AJ." You say.

"What the heck happened last night?" She instantly responds.

"I don't know. Honest." You respond.

"Did we?" She begins.

"I don't know AJ. But...." You respond.

"But what?" She snaps.

"Could we maybe, stay like this for a bit?" You ask, a small smile coming across your face.

"Why in tarnation would we?" She says, scowling as she jumps up.

"Sorry. It was a stupid question." You say as you stand.

'THEN WHY DID YOU ASK IT!?!?!' Your mind screams at you, causing you to wince.

"Then why'd ya ask it?" She asks.

"I don't know. It was just a bit nice. That's all." You answer, looking down.

"And why would that be?" She asks in a scolding tone.

"I just haven't gotten to ....." you say, your voice becoming no more than a whisper.

"Gotten to what?" She asks.

     You remain silent. You don't want to answer her.

"Answer the question." She says, a hint of anger seeping into her tone.

"I haven't gotten...to wake up with a pretty mare in a long time." You say, tensing up as you anticipate a punch.

     You stay like that for a bit. You're surprised when a punch doesn't come. You slowly raise your head. Applejack is frozen. She has one hoof raised, and looks ready to hit you. But her cheeks are also red. She doesn't know if she should take that as a compliment, or if she should be disgusted and give you a punch in the mouth. You both stand there for a while.

     Eventually, she sighs and lowers her hoof. She starts walking out of the barn, taking her hat and putting it back on.

"Listen. Ah don't know what to do. Mah head hurts. Ah'm gonna go get somethin' to drink, and try to remember what happened." She says as she walks out.

"I'm sorry if I offended you AJ. It won't happen again." You say.

     She doesn't respond. She just continues on. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why did you open your mouth?! You begin beating yourself up. Your head screams out with another wave of pain. You follow Applejack to the water pump. Not only will it help your headache, it will cure your thirst. Your mouth is sticky, and your throat dry.

     You wait for her to finish at the pump, and then take a long drink yourself. Never have you been so happy to have water. It feels wonderful as it flows down your throat. Almost instantly, your headache lessens. Your memory begins to come back as well. You decide to go sit down in one of the fields. You wander in, and find a tree to sit under.

"Who's there?" Applejack asks as you sit.

     Wow. The odds are just astounding. Out of thousands upon thousands of trees, you just happened to pick the one she occupied.

"It's me. I'll go find another tree if you want me to." You respond.

"Nah, you ain't done no harm. You can sit." She says.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" You ask.

"Go ahead. Ah ain't got a reason to be mad. Ah just wish Ah knew what we did." She answers.

     You sit next to her. You both sit in silence. You're waiting for your memories to come back. You can't help but notice how beautiful the day is. The midday sun is high in the sky. The fruit on the trees has a nice shine. It's a hot day, but there's little humidity. It's a very comfortable heat. The air is crisp and warm. It seems to carry a faint scent of apples. What more would you expect from an apple orchard, though?

     You can't help but smile as you enjoy the day. You continue thinking, and notice as your memory keeps coming back. Soon enough, you remember what happened. You gave Applejack her first kiss. It wasn't a quick one like your first kiss. No, this one was passionate. You feel your stomach knot, and look at her. She's looking back at you, with an expression that says "I just remembered it, too".

"You were...mah first kiss?" She asks.

"Yeah. I...I was." You reply.

"Well. At least it wasn't...that, other thing." She says.

"Yeah." Is all you can say.

"Ya have to promise ya won't tell anyone." She quickly says.

     You nod, and make the promise. Again, an awkward air begins to form between you two. It lingers for a bit.

"I have to ask, though. Was it good?" You ask.

"Huh?" She responds.

"The kiss. Did you like it?" You explain.

"Oh. Well...yeah." She says, blushing deeply.

"Would you. Umm, would you do it again?" You ask.

"What, kiss you?" She responds.

"Well, yeah. Would you?" You say.

"Yeah. Ah mean, if we weren't cousins and all." She answers.

'Don't. You. Dare.' Your mind scolds.

"Well, we kinda aren't. I mean, we aren't blood cousins. If you want, we could...you know." You say.

'Why are you such an idiot?' Your mind says.

     She looks around, making sure the two of you are alone.

"You promise you won't tell anypony? Ah mean, it was real nice the first time. Ah just don't want the others thinkin' Ah'm a freak." She says.

"Don't worry. I won't tell." You respond.

     She sighs in relief, and smiles at you. You smile back. She looks around once more before she scoots closer to you. She closes her eyes, and leans towards you....