The warm summer breeze danced gaily through an open window in Carousel Boutique. Blocks of sunlight cast themselves into the building, illuminating Rarity and the desk she stood in front of. Little purple sparkles came and went as the light washed over her illustrious mane. An easygoing song was playing from a phonograph on the other side of the room. The music felt so perfect on such a beautiful day; Rarity would involuntarily move her hips and sway her head to the gentle thumps of percussion.
Resting on the desk were several pages torn out of a sketchbook. Numerous drawings of sundresses littered the paper. A stubby grey pencil floated above the desk, enveloped in a pale blue glow. The pencil danced elegantly around the page. With a few flicks of lead the simple essence of a pony would appear. Long strokes would follow to spin a flowing skirt that hugged the imaginary mare's body. From a stray curve, a sun hat. Out of nothing, a vision.
Rarity was so enveloped in her musings that she failed to hear the jingle of the bell above the Boutique's front door. Hoof steps up to her room also went unnoticed. Finally, a knock at her bedroom door drew the seamstress' attention.
"Who i-his iiiit?" sang Rarity. She set the pencil down on the pile of papers and turned to the door.
"Do y'all got a moment to speak about our lord n' princess Celestia?" Applejack smiled as she walked into the room.
Rarity let out a carefree laugh as she jumped toward her girlfriend. A wave of energy pulsed out of her horn, pulling Applejack up into her hooves from clear across the room. She closed her eyes as she nestled her cheek against AJ' soft chest and spun her around with glee. Some uncharacteristically squeaky sounds drew out of Applejack.
The unicorn magic dissipated as both ponies landed back on all four hooves. While Applejack quickly regained her balance, Rarity turned around and magically pulled a few items over to her.
"You're just in time, darling," said Rarity, "I was just about to pick out my outfit for the fair!" Three mannequins, all adorned with different dresses, slid up to the ponies from different corners of the room. The first displayed a frilly gala dress. Plumes of light blues and greens shot out from the skirt, and a large gem was displayed on the chest plate. The second was a simple solid dress; it was a gentle pale yellow, with a tan belt around the waist. The third dress was covered entirely in silver sequins.
Light blue surrounded the poofy gala dress as it traveled from its holder over to Rarity.
"I was leaning toward this," she stated. Using her magic, she swiftly put the garment on. "It's a new design I've been working on."
The hum of magic continued as a rolling mirror slid up behind her. She eyed her figure carefully. Such a dress would naturally make one's frame look a little bigger than it actually is, but...
Her eyes turned to Applejack.
"No games, but does this dress make me look fat?"
Rarity watched as a hoof raised to Applejack's chin in thought.
"Turn around?" asked AJ. Rarity did.
"Hmm."
Applejack's hoof lowered back to the floor as she walked toward a mannequin.
"That dress don't quite flatter you, if that's what you mean. I think this one would look real good."
She lifted the solid yellow dress off its display and held it toward Rarity. "Try?"
The frilly dress floated off of Rarity and on to the floor. She turned her head and levitated the yellow dress out of her partner's hoof. Stepping each hoof through the front leg holes, she pulled the new dress onto herself.
It felt much more comfortable. The back felt snug, but not too tight. Looking back at herself in the mirror she realized the cloth hugged her curves quite nicely. Her hips were pretty clearly emphasized.
"This one makes my flank look bigger," she said, looking back to Applejack for comment.
"It does," AJ replied, "and that is one-hundred percent not a bad thing."
Rarity watched her girlfriend's eyes move down her frame, then back to hers. Both mares smiled.
"That is one-hundred percent the right thing to say," said Rarity. Her face was absolutely glowing with confidence. She closed her eyes momentarily and shook her mane to and fro. A pair of two different sized combs floated off of a table on the other side of the room and over to her. She looked into the mirror and used the combs to adjust her mane to perfection. Zooming right past AJ, a bottle of perfume joined the amalgam of beauty products. After a few spritzes, Rarity let out a happy sigh as the members of her arsenal all floated back to their places.
She turned around, presenting herself proudly to her mare. Her whole being shined, from the glimmers of light in her mane to the residual droplets of perfume dotting her coat. Even her eyes seemed to be sparkling with life. She could tell by the look on Applejack's face that she must have looked stunning.
"Mmmmmmmhmm. Yes. Yes yes yes. I feel good. I feel hot."
Rarity crept up and placed her front hooves on Applejack's shoulders. She swayed gently to her music as she looked into the eyes of the mare she loved. "How are you feeling right now?" The couple rested their foreheads against each other's, eyes closed.
"I feel like a million bits," replied AJ warmly. "I love you Rarity."
The mare in question smiled. She lifted her head back and gave her partner a peck on the tip of her nose. They both opened their eyes and gazed at the other.
"Hey," said Rarity, lifting a hoof from AJ's shoulder and bopping her nose. Applejack perked up in anticipation. "Can you say my name again?" she continued.
"Rarity."
"Can you say it slower?"
Applejack gave her gorgeous seamstress an odd look. Rarity's smile didn't falter. Applejack shrugged.
"Rrrrr-aaairrr it-teeee."
"Sweet Celestia of Equestria your voice is the most beautiful sound I could ever ask to hear," said Rarity, swooning. "I love the way you say words. You say good words."
Applejack grinned contently as Rarity's head rested on her neck.
"You ready to go, sugar?" she asked, nuzzling Rarity's head.
Rarity let her love go and hopped back on to all fours. She nodded and magicked the door open, holding a hoof out. Applejack took it as they made their way out of the Boutique.
"Hey, sugar?"
"Yes, Applejack?"
"Can you say my name again?"
"Applejack."
"Slower?"
"Aaaa-pellll-jaaaack~"
"Mmm."
Afternoon sunlight poured over Ponyville's town center. The entire area was roped off to contain the county fair. Ponies of all sorts were mulling around, carrying various sorts of fair food. A few pegasi could be seen heading back to the ground after busting the few remaining clouds in the sky.
A long line of townsfolk stood in front of a ticket gate leading into the event. Rarity and Applejack emerged on the other side of the gate, having just been given two tickets and an itinerary.
"Ah, I just love the county fair," said Rarity. She levitated the itinerary in front of her and looked around with a smile.
"Me too!" replied Applejack, "ain't nothin like it." She leaned over to stick her nose in the floating itinerary. "Whacha wanna do?"
Rarity shrugged, then placed a hoof around AJ.
"The only things I really want to do today are to go to the concert this evening and then see the fireworks," she explained. Her nose perked up at the smell of carnival food and she noticed a caramel apple stand behind them. "Oooo," she added, mouth watering, "and I want one of those."
"So, we wingin' it?" asked AJ.
"Like a pair of pegasi," replied Rarity as she telepathically balled up the itinerary. She turned around and spotted a trash can right behind the ticket gate. The wad of paper aimed itself upward as Rarity grinned and squinted her eyes. A draft caught the paper ball as it soared toward its destination, rerouting it to the ground next to the trash can. Luckily, before it touched down, it froze in a pink glow and floated back up into the bin.
"Assist!" yipped a raspberry colored unicorn who had just walked out of the gate. She looked over to Rarity and smiled.
Rarity waved back, but then froze as a circular object popped up right in front of her nose. She held her head back to see a delectable caramel apple come into focus.
"There y'are, pumpkin," came Applejack's voice from behind her. She held the apple in her magic and turned around.
The sun was catching Applejack's mane just right, making her golden locks shine. Underneath, her piercing green eyes were almost as bright. Rarity took a slow bite of her caramel apple as she started getting lost in those emerald eyes.
"Whacha think, hun?" asked the mare behind those emeralds.
"My stars, you're pretty..." murmured Rarity. She shook her head as she stopped spacing out. "The caramel apple is good. Thank you. It's super sweet."
"Y'all are super sweet."
"Oh pish-posh."
"Can I have a taste?"
Rarity grew a devilish little grin. Applejack had already closed her eyes; she knew just what she was walking into by now. A white hoof gingerly brushed her cheek. Despite her preparedness, she still slightly jumped as she felt Rarity's warm lips press into hers.
She opened her eyes as Rarity pulled away. A bit of caramel had stuck to her lips. She used her tongue to draw it into her mouth and hummed.
"Mmm. Caramel-y."
Both ponies started to mosey around the fair. Rarity let her caramel apple float next to her as she worked on it. Applejack rested her hoof around her partner's shoulders. They chatted about recent events and commented on attractions.
A large, mechanical ride came into view, and Rarity noticed her girlfriend eyeing it. She let AJ direct their walking path toward the attraction.
"Ooo, Rare this is it!" said Applejack excitedly. An orange hoof pointed up to a sign above the ride.
"The Star-Swirler?" Rarity read aloud.
"Yeah, it's supposed to be one of the craziest rides in all of Equestria! The mayor rented it out from Las Pegasus just for today."
Rarity looked up as the carnival ride's main section lifted up into the air. Ponies of all sorts were strapped into harnesses on the outside. It began rotating, building speed rapidly. In just a moment the passengers were nothing but a colorful blur. Many screams of excitement/fear could be heard.
"Line's short, I think we can get in next go," said Applejack.
"Ah, dear..." began Rarity. Her partner looked over to her. "I just did my mane, I should probably pass on this one."
"Oh, yeah I guess you're right," replied AJ, "shoot." She looked down and the ground with a defeated expression.
"Darling."
A hoof gently lifted Applejack's chin so she could see her girlfriend. Rarity shook her head and smiled. "I said 'I' not 'we', you can still go!"
"Nah, that wouldn't be right hun," said AJ as she put a hoof on Rarity's.
A momentary hum of magic saw Rarity suddenly sporting a cowgirl hat.
"Nonsense. Go on it! I'll watch!"
A wide grin grew over Applejack's face. She leaned in and smooched Rarity before the gate to the ride opened.
After discarding the stick that had housed her caramel apple, Rarity sat down by the edge of the Star-Swirler. Applejack waved from her harness on the ride. Rarity smiled and waved back as her girlfriend became an orange blur.
"WAAAAUUURRGGHHH!!!"
Two voices yelled in unison as a couple of ponies ran out of the exit of a carnival haunted house. Not paying attention to her hooves, Rarity tripped over herself. She in turn tripped Applejack. Both ponies instantly became a pile of panting and laughter on the ground.
"They really upped the ante this year," said Rarity, catching her breath, "that was way spookier than last year's haunted house!"
"Yeah!" replied AJ. She climbed to her hooves and helped her girlfriend up as well. They both looked back at the attraction they had just fled in terror. "Did you get a good look at that 'Headless Horse'?"
"Yes I did, that was an actual pony, wasn't it?"
"It couldn't have been fake, it moved too real-like. Maybe magic?"
"I'll bet you dinner that Twilight found some obscure spell to hide a pony's head."
Applejack lifted her hoof up to her mouth and spat on it. She then held it out to Rarity. "Yer on."
Rarity winced for a moment, before letting out a sigh and giggling to herself.
"Gross," she said as she shook the wet hoof.
"Oh this ain't anything new to you."
Rarity leaned in and pecked her girlfriend on the cheek. "You're gross, but I love you anyway."
Celestia's radiant sun was starting to sink into the horizon, and the whole fair was dyed a dreamy orange. Ponies seemed to be flocking to the town hall; the center of the fair. Applejack and Rarity made their way there, bumping into a few ponies they knew on the way.
Gentle thumps of sound became audible as the couple arrived at the town hall. Speakers of varying sizes had been set up all around a roped-off area in front of the building. Surrounded on all sides by rope and audio equipment, a sea of colorful ponies were just starting to dance. Hooves stepped and hips shook all around as Rarity led Applejack on to the dance floor.
At the front of the crowd, local DJ Vinyl Scratch stood behind a table which housed a turntable and mixer. Rarity watched as the DJ's electric blue mane whipped to and fro as she nodded her head to the beat.
Feeling the rhythm herself, Rarity closed her eyes and began to nod her head as well. The feeling traveled throughout her body. She began to move fluidly to the song. Her hooves stepped around as she swayed and shimmied. Opening her eyes, Applejack was looking at her with a face that most ponies would only dream of seeing. Rarity felt the hot warmth of being wanted in her heart.
To the sharp cracks of electronic snares, Applejack began to approach her. Suddenly she was face to face with her. Unicorn magic, inaudible due to the concert, pulled the orange mare against her. They danced as one, ebbing and flowing like water.
The muscles in her body were hot with energy. Sweat trickled down her neck. She could feel Applejack's breath against her. The smell of sweat mixed together with various perfumes and colognes as the sounds of heavy synthesizers and 808s washed over the crowd.
After a few songs, Rarity noticed a large part in the crowd. She raised her head to see what was causing the rift in dancers.
A dark, purple-blue mare was standing where the crowd broke apart. The mare stood taller than any around her. Her mane flowed on it's own, seeming to defy gravity. Some of the ponies making room for her bowed.
Princess Luna nodded to the DJ before turning toward Rarity and her partner. The couple waved her over, so she approached.
"Ah, good evening..." she said, stuttering slightly. The couple nodded and smiled as the princess cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. She looked at Rarity and let out an awkward laugh.
"Miss Rarity, my eye happened to catch you this evening, and, um...I must say you have quite a...presence, a strong one...ah, and are looking very alluring..."
At that, Luna's cheeks turned red. She quickly shot a look to Applejack and shook a hoof in front of her. "Please do not be alarmed! I do not intend to dishonor you or your-"
"Aw don't you worry none, Princess!" said Applejack with a warm grin. "You're fine, continue."
Luna lowered her head an let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you. I was just wondering, Rarity, if you would allow me to dance with you. Just for a song."
The royal mare offered up a hoof weakly. She smiled, but it was clearly something she was trying to uphold. Rarity felt dumbfounded as she looked at the princess. She blinked a few times, realizing that she of all ponies was making one of the Royal Sisters nervous. Butterflies filled her stomach. She didn't consider herself somepony capable of doing such a thing.
She looked over to Applejack.
"Go on!" said AJ, chuckling and giving her girlfriend a nudge toward the alicorn. "Not everypony gets to dance with a princess. You GOTTA do this hun."
Rarity took Luna's hoof. They walked only a short distance away, and the crowd formed back around them. When the next song played through the sound system, Rarity began to dance.
The princess was trying her best. Rarity could tell that she was not used to such a social activity. Both ponies being vastly different sizes didn't help either.
Luna jumped as Rarity slid herself under the princess's chin. She playfully batted the royal mane with her tail as she danced around. Luna looked over to see Rarity gazing up at her with a gentle smile.
"I know you aren't used to this," said Rarity, raising her voice over the crowd, "but it's okay! Let's just have fun!"
This was what Luna had needed to hear. She let out a hearty laugh at her own foalishness before allowing herself to move with the music. The two ponies danced and laughed together. Before long, the song faded out.
"Thank you," said Luna, bowing to her dancing partner. Rarity followed suit.
The DJ was taking some time to adjust her station, so Rarity and Luna walked back toward Applejack. AJ smiled upon seeing that her girlfriend clearly had fun. Rarity ran up and gave her a quick kiss.
Another rift began forming in the crowd. Rarity, AJ, and Luna all looked over to see who was parting the sea of ponies this time.
"Good evening, my little ponies."
Princess Celestia walked gingerly up to the group. She grinned and extended a wing to pat Luna on the head. "I hope my sister isn't causing you too much trouble."
"Tia, cut it out..." said Luna, pushing away her sister's wing.
"She's not bothering us at all your highness," said Applejack, "she just wanted to dance with Rare is all."
Celestia's face lit up at this. She turned to her little sister and gave her a gentle bump on the shoulder.
"Luna! You went out and danced! I'm so proud of you!"
"Don't tease me T-" began Luna, but she stopped herself as she looked at Celestia. Her face was one of honest joy.
"You are being sincere," said Luna, a warm expression drawing over her own face, "thank you for getting me out of the castle today, sister."
Celestia pulled her sister into her hooves and hugged her tightly. Applejack and Rarity exchanged happy glances.
"Well," said Celestia, releasing her sister from her embrace, "fair Luna is not the only pony to admire another tonight." She turned to face Applejack and held a hoof out. Her head lowered into a bow. "May I have a dance?"
"Me?!" replied AJ, taken aback.
"If you wish. I can tell you get a lot of sun, which I very much appreciate."
Applejack looked down at her hooves and then over to Rarity. It was true, she did get more sun than almost anypony else in town. Her mane was sun-bleached blonde. Her coat was the orange of a Summer sunset.
Rarity nodded and motioned toward the ruler of Equestria.
"Hoo boy..." muttered a nervous Applejack. She reached up and took off her hat and handed it to Rarity. "Alright your highness, let's dance."
"Oh, call me Tia!" said Celestia, snorting with laughter. Her hoof took AJ's and she trotted off into the crowd. "Let's goo!!!"
Rarity and Luna watched as the princess of the sun whisked away the unprepared farm pony. They looked at each other. They both laughed.
"Oh, my sister can be quite the character," said Luna, wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Indeed she can!" replied Rarity. She then nudged the princess lightly to get her attention. Luna jumped and looked down at her friend.
"Yes?"
"Since they're gonna be a bit, would you like another dance with moi?"
"Well I suppose it wouldn't hurt!"
"That's the spirit! The night is still young!"
Luna laughed.
"The night is all but young, though tonight she is feeling like she is 300 again."
The sun had finally sunk into the horizon just as Vinyl wrapped up her set. Cheers erupted from the crowd as the mayor popped up next to Vinyl. She gave a cheeky smile and waved to the crowd before lifting a microphone up to her mouth.
"Thank you for coming everypony!" boomed her voice over the crowd, "the county fair is a special part of living in our town, and it warms my heart to see so many of you out and about!"
Rarity felt a nudge on her shoulder. She turned around to see Applejack holding a cup of water out to her. The cup levitated its way over to her and she took a sip. Applejack leaned over and kissed her gently on the cheek. Rarity blushed and grabbed her girlfriend's cheek, redirecting the kiss to its proper place on her lips.
"-and the Town Hall lawn concert is a staple of the fair. Let's hear it for our DJ for this evening, miss DJ PON-3!"
Rarity and Applejack whooped along with the crowd, AJ stomping her hooves as well.
Behind the mayor and Vinyl, a small stage rose up. The crowd "ooo'd" as a single stage light from somewhere above the town hall illuminated a single pony.
"And now, for a final song," said the mayor, "Ponyville, please welcome the pony of pop, miss Sapphire Shores."
The crowd erupted with cheers as Sapphire stepped up to a mic stand. She waved and smiled while pulling the mic close to her.
"Ponyville, the pleasure is all mine. I've been out touring my new album, but I couldn't pass up a chance to perform in the home of my favorite fashion designer. This one's for you, Rarity."
Many eyes turned to Rarity as she blushed harder. Ponies were about to approach her, but Sapphire's song had begun.
Gentle piano chords floated through the air. The pop-star closed her eyes and drew close to the mic as the music grew stronger. Warm electronic synthesizers began to buzz below the piano keys, all slowly raising in pitch and volume. Sapphire's voice came through as she began humming in tune with the song.
"♫ Mmm... mmm mm hmmm... ♫"
Just then, the electronics vanished from everypony's ears. The piano played a final chord very high in it's register.
Colorful lights from all directions snapped to life as the crowd was shaken by a powerful bass tone. Rarity could feel the subs vibrating in her ears and all the way down to her hooves. She felt her muscles loosen as she swayed gently in the ocean of sound. Applejack must have felt the same sensation, as she moved over and took Rarity into her hooves.
A slow beat made of a muffled kick drum and clap entered the track.
"♫ Youuuu... could never be... the pony of my dreams... oh, baby~ ♫"
Rarity and Applejack held each other close. Both ponies had their eyes closed. Their heads were nestled together as they moved gently side to side. Sparks flew in Rarity's mind. Warmth filled Applejack's heart.
"♫ Cause you're no make believe...no... you're my reality, my darling I...
don't have a thing without... you... oo-oo~♫"
As the song drew on, the couple raised up so they were both standing on their back legs. The faint glow of ice blue magic helped support them on half as many limbs. Rarity barely had to focus on this, however; this wouldn't be the first time her and Applejack had danced like this. Her head rested daintily on AJ's chest as they moved together. Standing upright allowed them to hold each other closer. It was something Rarity really liked. It made her feel special.
After finishing a second soulful verse, Sapphire reached up to her microphone. She detached it from it's stand while shooting her audience a slow wink. The percussion started to become more pronounced; the kicks and claps were no longer muffled, and a steady, rattly hi-hat faded in behind them. The diva took a quick breath before lifting the mic back up to her lips.
"♫ ay, never thought that I could see
you and me, seein' eye-to-eye and we,
feel like a sun and a moon,
feel like we're fire an ice on a spring afternoon ♫"
Rarity lifted her head. She opened her eyes just as her partner did. Time stopped as she gazed into gentle fields of green.
Everything she ever wanted in life was in those eyes.
"♫ don't care how you get here, I want you, I need you,
I'm losin' my mind, oh I hope you come soon,
but baby-doll, I'll always wait for you. ♫"
Flashes of bright colors burst to life across the purple night sky. Following each explosion of light, a loud crack echoed through the air. All the ponies still attending the fair dotted a grassy hill right outside of town. Scores of excited eyes looked skyward as the fireworks show continued.
Rarity lay in the grass at the top of the hill. Her head was propped up by Applejack's midsection, which she was using as a makeshift pillow. Looking nearly straight up, she had a panoramic view of the stars and firecrackers alike.
She closed her eyes and thought. None of this was as beautiful as the mare she had spent the day with. No colors were as bright as how she saw the world when Applejack was by her side. The boom of distant firecrackers could never beat as loud as her heart when the mare her head rested on looked into her eyes.
Her head turned and she pressed her ear against her girlfriend. She could faintly hear Applejack's heartbeat. It was slow and subdued, much to slow for a pony that was awake.
"Darling?" Rarity whispered as quietly as she could. Applejack gave no response.
Rarity looked at her girlfriend. She had figured she might have crashed by this point. AJ was a pony who had to get up very early every morning, and her work was very tiring. Rarity knew that Applejack went out of her way to spend the day with her. She even took her dancing. She really was the best girlfriend Rarity could ever dream of.
Rarity let out a yawn. She hadn't realized how tired she was herself. The sounds of fireworks and ponies talking softly faded as she focused on Applejack's faint heartbeat and let herself drift away.
Author's Note
Thanks for reading! Some notes in case you are interested:
The "Star Swirler" that AJ wanted to ride is kinda like this but with the ponies strapped to the outside rather than the inside. I don't enjoy these, or really any carnival rides, but it seemed like something she would be into.
For Sapphire's song, her slow verses are loosely written to the tempo of Estelle's parts from "Garden Shed", whereas her rap verses are to the tempo of "Glitter". Both songs from Tyler, the Creator's 2017 album "Flower Boy", and the second gives the fic it's name.
