“Sunset. Hey. Darlin’.” Applejack waved her fingers in front of her girlfriend’s slightly unfocused eyes. “Ya ready?”
“What? Oh, y-yes. Yes. Of course.” Sunset snapped out of her reverie and pasted on a big smile. Her eyes darted around nervously. “Alright. We should probably get going.”
Applejack squinted closer at that smile. She knew all of Sunset’s smiles by heart. There were the happy smiles, the resigned smiles, the I-love-you smiles, the I-just-performed-a-science-experiment-in-your-backyard-and-you-may-have-incurred-some-property-damage-smiles (AJ had been on the receiving end of that one many times). This one was evidently a fake smile. It was twitching at the corners and Sunset’s top lip was almost completely concealed by her bottom one - that's how Applejack knew.
Aware that grilling her girlfriend could wait until after they were on their way, AJ instead rolled her eyes and adopted an expression of mock indifference as she pretended to be preoccupied with dusting her jeans off. “Well, whenever you want to, of course. Ah mean, Ah’ve only been sayin’ we should get goin’ fer five minutes now, but whatever.”
At least Sunset had the grace to appear chagrined. “Sorry,” she apologized ruefully with a sheepish shrug. “I've just been a bit, well… distracted.”
Applejack twisted her lips into an exaggerated pout that she only managed to maintain for a few seconds before she lost her composure and her throat hummed with a low laugh that sounded like warm apple pie. “No lastin’ harm done, sugar,” she chuckled, tipping her trademark Stetson lower over her forehead. Beneath it, her cheerful constellations of freckles shifted across her cheeks along with her friendly smile, and her long-lashed, grass-green eyes were full of nothing but shining affection. “Now whaddya say we get this rodeo goin’, partner? But first - a kiss fer good luck.” Without waiting for approval because she knew, or at least hoped, she’d always have it, Applejack swept Sunset into her arms, slid a hand around her neck, and kissed her square on the lips. They were pressed so close to each other that their eyelashes joined in in a butterfly kiss, and their heartbeats thrummed against each other’s chests. The space between them wasn't even wide enough to be called a space - just the way that AJ liked it.
Sunset’s lips tasted warm and sweet, like marshmallows that had been lightly browned over a campfire. Closing her eyes in rapture, Applejack danced her fingers over Sunset’s thick, luxurious curls and gave that kiss all of the breath she had in her body. She'd had some ulterior motive for kissing her, but now, oddly enough, she couldn't seem to remember what it was.
Finally, when her lungs were screaming for air, Applejack broke the kiss, but she didn't loosen her grasp around Sunset’s neck for a second. Instead she shifted Sunset’s weight onto one of her palms so that she could use the other hand to cup her girlfriend’s cheek. The muscles in her tanned forearm strained as they bore Sunset’s entire weight, but hey, she'd been heavylifting her whole life. Now it was finally paying off.
“Wow,” Sunset murmured dreamily, leaning back to look AJ in the eye. “Three years later and you're still just as good at kissing as you were the first time.”
AJ beamed proudly - but all of a sudden, Sunset seemed to recover from the aftereffects of the kiss and her eyes filled up with that same nervous expression Applejack had noticed earlier. She squirmed slightly, perhaps inadvertently, in AJ’s arms, as though she wanted to be let down, and Applejack felt her heart crash into her boots. Now she remembered the ulterior motive.
Ever since Sunset had offered to show Applejack around Equestria a few weeks ago to celebrate their three-year anniversary, the former pony had been kind of… distracted. She stopped by Sweet Apple Acres less and less, jumped whenever AJ wrapped her arms around her for a hug, and seemed more reluctant to cuddle up together as they used to. It was almost as though she didn't want to spend time with Applejack anymore. The farmgirl was completely clueless as to the reason for any of this - she’d never been great with feelings or knowing how to talk through problems. Kissing Sunset had been something of a final test, to see if she really was as uncomfortable being close to Applejack as AJ had suspected.
And, apparently, she was.
Sighing, Applejack gave Sunset a final peck on the cheek and carefully set her down. She didn't know how to communicate her questions to Sunset right now, nor was she sure that she ever would, so she just crossed her fingers that Sunset’s behavior would return to normal. Almost as soon as AJ had this thought, as if in apology for her skittishness, Sunset tipped her head onto her girlfriend’s shoulder. She was the perfect height to do this - both of the girls were tall, but Applejack was at least a head taller nonetheless.
Sunset slid an arm around Applejack’s chiseled stomach, currently hidden by a massive plaid flannel that was honestly big enough for two people. Maybe Ah’m just bein’ ridiculous, AJ mused. Ah’ve been spendin’ too much time around Rarity lately, seein’ drama that ain’t there. She rested her chin on Sunset’s head; pressed her hand against the small of her girlfriend’s back, where it fit perfectly; and did her best to relax and stop worrying. Being a worrywart by nature when it came to personal problems, she only partially succeeded.
A loud chorus of ‘Awwwwwww!’ was enough to completely ruin the moment. Blushing hard, AJ removed her hand and turned around to stare pointedly at all of her other friends, who had come to say goodbye. “Guys, really? We’ve been datin’ fer three years now. When are y’all gonna stop doin’ that every time we do somethin’ cute?”
“NEVER!” Pinkie Pie screamed. “Because you're always doing cute stuff! You guys are just too awwwwdorable for words! That's why we always say ‘awww’ instead of words!”
“That was a terrible pun,” Sunset deadpanned while swinging her fiery locks into a scruffy ponytail. “But a compliment too? I guess?”
“Of course it was a compliment, darling!” Rarity chimed in. “You really simply are the cutest couple I've ever seen. And it's so romantic that you two are going away to Equestria for a week to celebrate your three-year anniversary! Speaking of which, Applejack…” She gestured elegantly to a colossal tartan duffel bag at her feet. “I finished packing your bag like you asked me to. But you really must buy a new one the moment you return, do you hear me? This one’s positively ghastly.”
“But it's a family heirloom,” AJ protested.
Rarity’s eyes widened to the size of tea saucers, and she dramatically flung a hand to her forehead. “An heirloom? Goodness gracious, that's even worse! My family heirlooms are gemstones and jewelry, not ratty old duffel bags! Darling, these were out of style years ago!”
“Well, that's why they're called heirlooms, ain't it? They're from the past.”
Nobody could argue with that logic, so they all stood there silently while Applejack strode over to pick up the duffel bag. Her eyes bulged out as she tried to pick it up and was forced to hastily drop it again, narrowly missing her toes. “Ooof. Rarity, when Ah invited ya to come over to mah place early to help me pack, Ah did not mean that ya should pack enough fer twenty people! What in the hay’s in here?”
“Just the essentials, my dear!” Rarity assured her with an expression of wide-eyed, eyelash-fluttering innocence. “Everyday clothes, clothes for fancy events, clothes for bad weather, camera, spare camera in case the old one runs out of batteries, a selection of books for your spare time, and… acollectionofmybestLeCreusetcookingpotsthatI’mlendingyoujustincaseyouwanttocookfancyromanticmeals.”
“…Right,” Sunset said dubiously. “Only the essentials. Well, um, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Rarity, but even though it's too late to repack anything now since we should really be off, I should tell you for future reference that clothes are unnecessary.” Not to mention absurd. Rarity had clearly gotten so excited at the thought of clothes that she'd forgotten that ponies wouldn't be able to wear human clothes anyway, but Sunset decided not to point that out right now. “Ponies don't usually wear any. Sorry, I could've sworn I'd told you that before.”
“What?” AJ gasped, her cheeks reddening. “Uh, no. Ya didn't tell me that.”
“Oops. Like I said, sorry. But it's not like I mind or anything,” she added, shooting Applejack a sultry stare that made her blush rise up to the roots of her hair.
“Get a room, guys,” Rainbow Dash called out mischievously, cupping her hands around her mouth.
Sunset giggled. “Yep, point taken. Let's get out of here. We'll see you guys in a week.” She and AJ hefted their bags, the latter with a grumble of discontent as she slung her heavy duffel bag over her back, and gave everyone a final hug.
“Have fun,” Pinkie giggled with a sly wave that definitely wasn't suspicious at all.
Their friends continued to shout well-wishes from behind them as Sunset and Applejack approached the portal. Today was Saturday, so Canterlot High School was, thankfully, deserted. “Ya sure about this, honey?” Applejack asked softly.
Sunset Shimmer flashed her a small smile, her eyes glimmering like shallow water. “We've been dating for three years now. So, yes, I'm sure I want to show you my home.”
It sounded like she was trying to reassure herself more than Applejack.
Still, it was too late to reconsider now, so AJ shook her arms to limber up and grabbed her girlfriend’s hand, and, together, they stepped into the statue that served as the portal to Equestria. “Then let's do this thang, Sunny.”
After they’s vanished, Twilight leaned over and murmured to Fluttershy in what she thought was a stage whisper, “Is it just me or did Sunset seem, well, not quite herself around Applejack?”
The others all nodded and mumbled their agreement. All except Pinkie Pie, whose lips were curled in a knowing smile.
***
The portal to Equestria was a tad bit more… rainbow than Applejack had expected. She reached out a hand to touch the dazzling spirals of color around her, but there didn't seem to be anything corporeal to touch. Frowning, she pulled her hand back and tightened her grasp on the duffel bag. Rarity would kill her if she accidentally lost her Le Creusets inside a magical portal to ponyland (also, even though she never would've admitted it out loud, Applejack kind of wanted to cook with them herself. They were supposed to be the best of the best). “Uh, Sunset? This place is kinda weird.”
“Mmm. Yeah,” the flame-haired girl mumbled. Now that their friends weren't around to watch, Sunset had become even more distant than ever. Inexplicably, she wouldn't even meet Applejack’s gaze, focusing instead on a random point somewhere to the left of her Stetson.
The farmgirl heaved a deep sigh and pushed her bangs off her forehead with the palm of her hand. Alright. Ah know Ah’m bad with talkin’ about feelin’s an’ whatnot, but everyone’s gotta stop shufflin’ around the apple tree an’ just climb it sometime. “Sunset, what's eatin’ ya, gal? You've been as distracted and skittish as a horse lookin’ at its own shadow fer three weeks now. There somethin’ ya wanna tell me?”
That got Sunset’s attention. Green, pink, and blue light flickered in her eyes as she turned her head to face AJ, her expression shifty. “Um……. no?”
“Well, ya don't seem too sure about that, honey.” Messy red and yellow curls hung softly around Sunset’s cheeks and Applejack was tempted to reach out and tuck them behind her ears, but after the way her girlfriend had been behaving she wasn't sure she was allowed to do that anymore. “It's just that Ah’ve noticed you’ve been avoiding me a lot lately. Did Ah do somethin’ wrong? Do Ah make ya nervous?”
Sunset sighed wearily. “Applejack, it's not - ”
But now that Applejack had finally made up her mind to say her piece, she needed to finish it before she lost her resolve. “Look, Sunny. Ah need to know. Ya don't even seem to like it when Ah kiss ya anymore. Ya keep flip-flopping between sayin’ cute stuff about our relationship an’ then shyin’ away from me when Ah try to come close. What's gotten into ya? It's like ya don't even wanna be here… or like ya don't want me to be here. Ah mean, do ya even wanna date me anymore?”
Her eyes widened. “Applejack - "
But Applejack wasn't finished yet. “It just feels like ya stopped carin’. Is it me? Did Ah do somethin’? Am Ah not the gal ya fell for three years ago anymore?” She hung her head and swept off her head, nervously wringing it in her hands. Her voice was flat and carefully modulated to sound as indifferent as possible, even though she felt like her heart was breaking. “Can - can ya even tell me why ya fell for me in the first place?”
Sunset opened her mouth, and Applejack felt a surge of hope. Maybe now she was going to deny everything and put Applejack’s fears to rest.
Then she sighed. And said nothing.
AJ’s shoulders slumped, and she twitched her eyelid to force the moisture that had suddenly welled up back in. She passed a weary hand across her face, suddenly wanting nothing more than to go home, crawl into bed, and sleep for two days straight. Or possibly just forever. She didn't even know what the status of their relationship was anymore. She opened her mouth to ask without really knowing what she intended to say, but the worried expression in Sunset’s eyes stayed her.
“Applejack,” Sunset said slowly, her eyes alert, “The portal’s never taken this long to transport me to Equestria. And it's supposed to spin you around in a spiral. But I just realized that we've been floating here for five minutes.”
Their relationship could wait. A portal malfunction seemed like a much more pressing issue at the moment, considering that if it blew up or whatever while they were in here there would be no more relationship to talk about. They'd be too dead to care.
“Alright,” Applejack agreed. “Somethin’s wrong fer sure then. But, uh… does that mean we're stuck in here? Cause that’d really be a bummer.”
“I don't know! This has never happened to me before.” Every one of Sunset’s breaths was shallow and forced, and her eyes were wild. She was clearly beginning to hyperventilate. “What if we really are stuck in here forever? Or at least until we die of starvation because we don't have enough food? Or ohmygoodnesswhatif -”
“Sunset! Calm down! Ya sound like Twilight havin’ one of her little freakouts. Let's take stock of the situation before we decide it's hopeless. Maybe even if we can’t get to Equestria, we could still, Ah dunno, go back the way we came?”
“But the change has already started to happen,” she wailed, pointing to Applejack’s body. “Look!”
Applejack looked down and realized that she had begun to morph into a floofball.
“What in tarnation?” she gasped, starting down at her left hand, which had already been replaced by a shiny horse’s hoof, and at the spot on her arm where her freckled skin gave way to thick and fluffy orange fur. Twisting around, she saw that a wavy blond tail also seemed to have grown out of her… er, derrière, as Rarity might politely deem it. “You've gotta be kiddin’ me. Ah can't be stuck lookin’ like this! Ah got a flippin’ tail!” This was far and away the strangest thing that had ever happened to her - except for everything she and Pinkie Pie had ever done together, but those experiences required a category all of their own.
“I know! And how come you started to change and I didn't?”
Applejack sat very still and thought long and hard. “Sunset. What kinda pony did ya say ya were again?”
“A unicorn. Why?”
“Well, Ah’m just thinkin’… what if ya did start to change? What if ya got the magic, an’ just not the horn to go with it?” She scratched idly at her new fur. “Ah mean. Ya never know.”
“Hmm… highly unlikely, but you’re right. You never know. Let me try.” Screwing up her eyes in concentration, Sunset thrust out a hand. A light blue aura flickered into existence around it, and she cracked an eye open and drew in a sharp breath. “Oh my stars. Applejack, you were right! You're a genius! I could kiss you!”
Silence. Applejack waited to see if she'd follow through, but no such luck.
“Um… heh.” Chuckling awkwardly, Sunset scratched the back of her neck. “Let me see if I can use this to get us out of here. I do know a handy teleportation spell, but I don't know if I'll be able to channel it very well without my horn, and I don't know if it'll work inside a portal. I mean, the probability - ”
Sensing a science lecture coming, Applejack held up a hand. “Nope. Ah won't understand a word of it an’ you know that as much as Ah do.”
“Okay, fine. Let's just get out of here.”
Applejack couldn't help staring at the adorable way Sunset kept scrunching her nose while she worked. If Sunset was this cute as a human, she couldn't even imagine how adorable she’d be as a pony. Maybe she'd be floofier than Applejack. AJ tentatively patted her own new fur and instinctively felt a smile stretching across her face. Dang, that stuff was soft.
But she didn't get to admire it any longer, for just then a flash of light split her vision and she found herself suspended five feet in the air above the hallways of Canterlot High School. Like a pro, she managed to perform a tight somersault as she hit the ground, and rolled onto her feet looking ready for action… albeit with a few strands of tail hair caught in her mouth. Why was that thing so long? Sunset, on the other hand - or hoof, since AJ could choose whichever one she wanted now - dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes and smashed into it face-first. “Oooooof.”
Hefting the duffel bag over her back, Applejack bent down and used her only remaining hand to help her maybe-still-girlfriend to her feet. “Next time could ya maybe teleport us a little lower to the ground?”
“I'll keep that in mind.” Sunset winced and ran a hand through her hair, which now frizzed out as though it had been sizzled by a lightning blast. “Though considering that I wasn't sure I'd be able to teleport out of a portal at all, it wasn't bad. I'll have to do some experiments on that. Anyway. Where are - ” her voice wavered. “Wait… this is Canterlot High!”
“Yeah. Why in the hay are we back here? We graduated three years ago. Thought Ah was never gonna have to see this place again,” AJ added sourly. High school hadn't been her favorite. “And hey, look. There's mah locker right there.” She tried to jerk a thumb towards it, realized she'd accidentally tried to use her entire hoof instead, and gave up.
“I hate to admit it, but… I don't actually know. I was trying to teleport us to right outside the statue…” Her voice died as the school bell rang with a screech shriller than Pinkie Pie’s whenever she got new party supplies. “Oh, no.”
The two of them scrambled to hide behind the corner, Sunset’s head poking out with Applejack’s on top of it. Realizing that her new tail was protruding beneath Sunset’s head, Applejack mumbled a curse under her breath and hastily shoved it behind her back just in time. The doors to the classrooms flew open simultaneously, and the hallway was suddenly flooded with students drearily treading from one class to the next. One girl in particular stood out - a tall, model-looking type with swaying hips, lips curled into a perpetual smirk, and a distinctive hairdo of swirly red and yellow curls.
Applejack gulped and stared down at the girl below her (trying very hard not to enjoy breathing in the faint berry scent of her hair). “Sunset… that's you.”
“Yup,” she agreed grimly. “The bitch is in the house.”
Sunset Shimmer strode out of her classroom wearing her trademark black leather jacket with an upturned collar, pushing people out of the way to get to her locker without any qualms. Her posse of admirers swarmed around her trying to get her attention like a crowd of ants - and to Sunset, that's practically what they were.
The doorway across from Sunset banged open and Applejack strode out, her face creased in a wide smile as she laughed over some inside joke with Fluttershy, who was behind her. But her smile wiped itself away as she found herself standing face-to-face with Sunset.
“Oh,” the Sunset Shimmer behind the wall whispered softly. “We're not just in the past. This is…. a memory.”
Other Applejack crossed her arms determinedly, despite Fluttershy’s feeble tugging on her arm to dissuade her, and stared Sunset down. “‘Scuse me, y’all are in mah way,” she said, politely but firmly.
Sunset arched a wry eyebrow. “Let me check: do I care?” She turned around and spread out her arms to her crowd of adoring fans. “Guys, do I care?”
“No,” they all chorused simultaneously, although some of them seemed to eye Applejack with pity.
Sunset flashed AJ an evil smile. “There you have it.”
To her credit, the farmgirl didn't budge one inch. “Oh, really? Well, Ah’m gonna let you have it if ya don't git outta mah way right now.”
Sunset’s mouth flapped open like a fish’s as she gaped at Applejack, who used her speechlessness an an opportunity to shoulder her to the side and march on. Refusing to look back, Applejack strode over to her locker. She didn't see the way that Sunset Shimmer stated after her with something like admiration in her turquoise eyes.
The memory faded away as suddenly as it had come, and Sunset and Applejack found themselves back in the portal almost as though they'd never left it. Sunset cleared her threat painstakingly. “Well, that was kind of awkward.”
“No kiddin’,” AJ agreed. “Wow. Ah was a bit rude back then.”
“Are you kidding me? I was literally evil.”
“Uh, let's not go there. Ah just wanna know why we got teleported there instead of Equestria. Ah mean, ya never told me this portal could transport people inside their memories an’ all.”
Sunset scratched her head perplexedly. “That's because it can't. But let's think about it later - after we finally get out of here would be a good time. You know, it's funny, that memory. I don't suppose you know this, but that encounter was actually the day I started crushing on you.” A faint smile lingered over her lips.
That was unexpected. AJ tugged at her flannel, blowing a stray honey-blonde curl out of her eyes. “Really?”
“Sure thang. I mean, thing,” she corrected hastily. Some of Applejack’s mannerisms were infectious. “I can't really explain why. I mean, you were hot, of course. I already knew that even though I'd never really spoken to you before.” Her cheeks colored a rosy pink like her namesake. “But it was more than that. I'd never really had anybody stand up to me before. You were so… bold. Like you didn't care what I might do to you. You were going to take a risk to stand up for what you believed in, even if this case what you believed in was my evilness, which sucks. But still. You completely blew me away that day.”
Applejack opened her mouth and realized that she had nothing to say. “Aw, Sunny. Ah - Ah didn't know that.”
“Well, now you do.” Sunset favored her with a quick smile. “Now, um, we should probably keep trying to get out of here. Teleporting’s a bit hard though. There's too much weight to transport - it's a lot of magic.”
“Probably a good idea to keep tryin’, ” AJ agreed. “An’ if ya need to jettison some weight, lemme know. Ah gotta sack full of Le Creusets right here.”
They shared a quick laugh. “Yeah, I'll let you be the one to tell Rarity you got rid of those,” Sunset chortled. “Okay. I'm going to try again.” She pursed her lips, toying thoughtfully with a strand of her hair. “It stands to reason that we just might get teleported into another memory. I have no idea when we'll get out of here, but I'm going to keep teleporting until we do, or until I get too tired to keep going. Whichever comes first. And this time we probably don't need to hide, since they're just memories, so they shouldn't be able to see us. You ready?”
Her jaw set stubbornly like a bull’s, the muscly farmgirl tipped her a firm nod. “Ready. Just don't push yourself too far, sugarcube.”
Sunset slipped her backpack further over her shoulders. “Here goes nothing…”
Flash.
Sunset pressed a weak finger to the doorbell, and let her hand return limply to her side. Heavy footsteps sounded from the other side, and Applejack opened the door. They regarded each other in silence until AJ nodded, flashed her a half-smile, and stepped aside to let Sunset in. “Thanks for letting me stay the night,” Sunset intoned wearily. Every syllable lurked deep in her though it didn't want to come out, and she had to force the words onto her tongue. Talking still required far too much effort. Sunset had only been stripped out of her powers earlier that day, and even breathing seemed to hurt afterwards. Her new friends had decided that she shouldn't be left alone while she recovered and that they would take turns hosting her at their homes. Applejack had been the first to offer.
Friends. Sunset had thought she'd had an abundance of those. But now she was beginning to realize that she'd been wrong.
“Good gravy, girl,” Applejack snorted as Sunset shuffled inside, her head tucked against her shoulder. Despite being miserable, Sunset was still able to register how adorable that accent was. “Ya ever smile? How come ya look so gloomy?”
“How come you're pretending that everything’s normal?” she whispered bitterly, her eyes filling with tears that, though unwanted, needed to be shed. “What I did was inexcusable.” She didn't deserve to be here, in the home of the girl she'd been crushing on since freshman year. She didn't deserve anything.
A hand that was calloused by toil but as warm as anyone else’s slid under her chin and tipped her head up, and Sunset found her gaze locked in the embrace of the pair of stark green eyes that she'd been admiring from afar for years. “It’s all in the past, Sunset,” Applejack murmurs. “We excused it as soon as ya changed yore mind. That's what friends are for. It's all over now.” She stepped forwards and wrapped Sunset in a hug, her flannely, cinnamony embrace the warmest thing that Sunset had ever felt. “So ya can smile now, honey. Ya can smile now.”
Flash.
Sunset Shimmer and Applejack wandered aimlessly through the park. A friendly silence hung around them; they didn't need to speak to enjoy being in each other’s company.
A loud wail came from ahead of them, and Applejack frowned and glanced up. A little girl had just bought a balloon from one of the vendors strolling the park, but she had accidentally let it go and it was wafting up through the sky like an idle puff of smoke.
Sunset felt a gentle pressure against her wrist. It was Applejack. “Wait here,” AJ instructed, slipping her hand in her pocket and shifting around for change. “Ah’m gonna buy that kid another balloon.”
Sunset had been reformed for a few months now, but she still wasn't sure that she understood why Applejack felt so compelled to do this. Applejack saw the silent question in her eyes and wrapped her fingers briefly around Sunset’s. “Because it's the right thing to do.”
Flash.
“Thanks for comin’ over.”
“Thanks for inviting me.” Sunset stepped over the lintel and held up her champagne with a devilish grin. “What do you say to some underage drinking?”
“Sugarcube, Ah make hard cider for a livin’,” AJ chuckled. “An’ yore lucky I do or I'd be mighty disapprovin’. So Ah say let's git down to it.”
Sunset took a closer look at Applejack. The farmgirl was wearing a fresh tank top underneath a well-fitting flannel, and her arms and face looked like they had been scrubbed to a shine. It almost looked as though she had tried to clean up for this event.
Unaware that Sunset had noticed anything out of the ordinary, Applejack led her into the kitchen of Sweet Apple Acres. A homely, mahogany table had been arranged in the table, bedecked with a simple red and white tablecloth and two already-lit candles that hissed and warped through the air in that particular way that only flame does. The whole setup was incredible cheesy - but also incredibly romantic. Sunset’s heart began to beat faster.
With a flourish, Applejack reached into the oven and whipped out a vegetable lasagna. “Hope ya like it,” she said. “Ah know you’re vegetarian, so Ah modified the recipe a lil’ bit.”
“That's sweet,” Sunset answered with a a small smile as Applejack took up a knife and began deftly carving portions.
“Can Ah getcha anythin’ else? Water? Salad? An’ of course, there's bread an’ butter.”
“Nope, not yet. I wanna try your lasagna while it's warm.” Upon being served, Sunset stayed true to her word, stabbing her fork into the lasagna and tearing away a small piece. “Mmmm. Thish ish really good,” she mumbled around a bite of steaming, gooey marinara sauce clustered with vegetables and cheese.
AJ beamed with pride, and her freckles seemed to light up. “Glad ya think so, sugar.”
Sunset swallowed her bite and, looking up, found herself staring right into AJ’s bright green eyes. They flickered with streaks of gold in the candlelight and Sunset had to tear her gaze away before she fell into them and never came back out. “So. Um. What's with all the candles and stuff?” she stuttered, grasping for something to say.
Seeming nervous, Applejack scuffed her sock against the table leg. It was old and faded, black and yellow striped with a small rent in the calf. For some reason, Sunset found it adorable. She'd only ever seen AJ wearing thick, sturdy work boots. Her feet were surprisingly small. “Uh… well. Sunset, Ah gotta be honest with ya. Ah didn't just call ya over here to make ya a meal. Ah… Ah gotta talk to ya. This is gonna be goddarned difficult to say, but Ah gotta try, cause, well… it concerns ya as much as it concerns me, so ya have a right to know.” Sweeping off her Stetson, she wrung it nervously in her hands, her hair glinting like streaked honey. “Sunset, Ah… Ah kinda have a crush on ya. A big one. And it ain't little. Er, Ah just said that. Sorry. Ah’m gettin’ flustered - ”
Leaning across the table, Sunset grabbed AJ’s collar, yanked her head forward, and crashed their lips together. Their noses smeared together, their hair was tangled. It was messy. It was perfect.
Sunset finally broke apart several seconds later, her face as red as her hair. “Er - Sorry. I've been wanting to do that for a few years.” Her lips still tingled with the taste of Applejack’s.
AJ’s mouth flapped open like a door in the wind. “Uh - what - Ah -”
Sunset grinned. “First kiss, huh?”
The cowgirl nodded dumbly, her rumpled collar smushed flat against her mouth.
“I can tell.” Sunset paused to take a breath. “Applejack, I like you too. More than I could ever express. You're a beautiful human being, and I mean that. I've never been more honest in my life. And you of all people should be able to know that,” she added with a grin.
The corners of AJ’s lips tilted upwards. “Ya know, Ah was all prepared to be mad that ya didn't let me finish my speech. Ah had it all planned out an’ everything. But - ” she looked up, her firm gaze interlocking with Sunset’s - “Ah think ya already knew everythin’ Ah was gonna say. An’ besides,” she whispered, resting her elbows on the table and angling herself towards Sunset, “Ah think Ah’d rather kiss ya again anyway.”
Flash.
Sunset opened her door and found that Applejack had brought her flowers.
“Roses,” the farmgirl explained nervously, as though Sunset couldn't have been able to figure that out on her own. “Ah - Ah thought they'd make a good start to our first date. Ya like ‘em?”
“I love them,” Sunset promised, accepting the bouquet and holding it to her nose. “You dork,” she added, laughing. “This is so cheeseball. Which is, of course, what makes it so perfect.” She held out her arms for a hug. “Now. Popcorn. Sofa. Movie. You. Me. Canoodling. What do you think?”
“Sounds like a dream.” Applejack tipped her a wink and swept her into her arms, cradling her against her chest as she leaned down for a kiss. “Just like you.”
Flash.
A surge of random memories shot by all at once. Kissing in a movie theater - Applejack gallantly holding up an umbrella to protect them both from the rain - Applejack draping her sweater over Sunset’s shoulders - a picnic in the park for their first anniversary - Sunset forcing a clearly feverish Applejack to stop working, lie in bed, and let herself be spoon-fed soup - Sunset almost in tears over AJ’s birthday present to her, a beautiful handmade guitar -
Flash.
Green fields slumbered all around them, rippling with the shadows of the clouds dancing overhead, and a town full of talking ponies sat snugly in the distance -
Oh, wait, that was Equestria.
“Whoa.” Dizzy from the constant teleporting, Applejack turned a full circle and then comically fell down on her rump, the duffel bag already lying peacefully beside her. “Dang. My head hurts… wait.” Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she stared down at her body, and her breath hitched. “Um, Ah now appear to be a colorful pastel talkin’ pony. So Ah’m guessing we've arrived.”
“Yep. Welcome to Ponyville,” Sunset agreed weakly, also in all of her pony glory, sprawled into the grass next to Applejack to recover some energy. “Which is also weird, because usually the portal takes you directly to Twilight’s portal. This thing definitely has a bug. I'm going to look into it.” Regaining some verve, she tottered to her hooves and peered around them. “In fact, we aren't even in Ponyville proper. We're in the hills outside of it. Why in Equestria would the portal put us here?”
Applejack, however, had not heard a word. She was too busy staring rapturously at her girlfriend. “Sunset, Ah think y’all should know that you're the cutest horse Ah’ve ever seen. An’ probably the floofiest. Also, Ah like yore horn.”
Sunset couldn't resist preening a little. “That's very sweet. And yes, it's good to have a horn again. But - ohhhhhhhhhh….”
“What? Do Ah look weird or somethin’?”
A blush was crawling like a brush fire up Sunset’s cheeks. “Muscles. Fluffy. Hot,” she choked out, as though she was paralyzed.
Frowning, Applejack looked down to give herself another once over, and whistled in appreciation. “Well, I'll be.”
Her body rippled with sleek, powerful muscles hidden by a thick coat of soft orange fur. A stark red cutie mark was emblazoned on her rump, gleaming in the sunlight with all the deliciousness of real apples. Her hooves were feathered with thick white fur, and her chest was the color of fresh creamer. Strands of golden mane hung over her eyes, and when she experimentally twitched her ears she could feel her mane flopping over them.
Suddenly, being naked didn't seem so bad anymore.
Sunset rolled a little closer, her eyes riveted on Applejack’s fur. “Mmmmm. You know, you don't look like the Applejack from Equestria at all. Your eyes are greener, your fur’s whiter… you're magnificent.” She paused. “And if we run into her, please don't tell her I said that.”
Applejack gave an easy chuckle. “Sure thang.”
Sunset Shimmer stared at her a moment later, and then something stole over her eyes, a shadow of emotion that lingered like a raincloud. “AJ… um, we need to talk.”
A stab of panic twisted into AJ’s heart. Oh, no. Was Sunset going to break up with her? Had she brought her to Equestria just to end their relationship on a nice note? Trying to swallow back her fear, she crossed her forelegs over each other, settling her tail over her rump. “Ah - Ah’m listenin’.”
Sunset sighed and twisted her muzzle, her eyes downcast. She reached out and gently pressed the underside of her hoof to Applejack’s, a gesture as intimate as holding hands. “Applejack… I've figured out what connected all those memories, even if I still can't explain how we got teleported into them. You asked me if I could tell you why I fell for you in the first place, and I didn't answer. Well, as cheesy as this is going to sound, I didn't answer because I really couldn't. I… always find it hard to quantify that. The way I feel about you. I'm just not very good at this dating thing. I meant to try to answer you anyway until I got distracted by the portal - but there's the miracle, Applejack. I could never really have told you the reasons why I love you. There are too many reasons. I feel too much. I would've had to show you… somehow. But that's what those memories did, AJ! Every memory we saw is of a time when I fell in love with you just a little bit more - of a trait you had that I found attractive, of a particular smile you smiled that made my heart sing, of a thing we did together that I'll remember until I die. They're my memories of our relationship, Applejack, even before it was a relationship. They're my favorite memories of you. They're the reasons why I love you that I couldn't have expressed earlier - but now, I think I can.”
She took a deep breath. “I love your bravery. I love the way you never hesitate to stand up for what you believe in. I love the way you can be both gentle and so, so strong. I love how you're honest even when it hurts you, and how you never hesitate to be generous. I love your accent and the way you sometimes tip your hat to say hello even though it's ridiculously old-fashioned. I love all your sweet little romantic gestures. I love the way that even though your eyelashes are so long they're also blond so no one can see them very well until they're close enough to kiss you, which means I'm the only one who ever gets to see them. I love your freckles and your lips and your arms and the way you let me sit on your back with my arms around your neck and I feel lighter than a cloud. I love how you don't even care when I get so excited that I start speaking grammatically incorrectly like I am now. I love you, AJ. Everything about you. I love being with you. And that's the real reason I brought you to Equestria, because I wanted to ask you to let me be with you forever. You taught me to smile, and now I want to smile together until I'm so old that I've forgotten how.” She used her horn to magically draw a small crimson box out of her backpack on the ground. With a flick of her horn, the box snapped open, displaying the dazzling diamond ring that was nested inside. “Applejack… will you marry me?”
Okay. So Sunset wasn't breaking up with her.
“Yes,” AJ breathed, stunned. “Yes, yes yes. Yes, a hundred times over!” She got to her hooves and galloped over to the edge of the hill, stumbling slightly as she got used to her new extra legs. “Ah’m gettin’ married, y’all!” she hollered to the middle of nowhere. “Yeeeeee-haw!” She'd never said it before, but somehow it felt right.
Sunset trotted over to join her, her muzzle creased in a huge grin of relief and joy. “I know this is a human wedding ring,” she apologized awkwardly. “So we can't wear them here. But I wanted to ask you here anyway, surrounded by all this.” She waved a hoof at the sloping countryside around them.
“Don’t apologize,” AJ whispered, capturing her girlfriend’s - fiancé’s! - lips in a sweet kiss. Whether human or horse, kissing was still just as beautiful. “Ah don't mind at all. Nothin’ could possibly ruin this moment,” AJ grinned, her eyes riveted on the ring. “Ya know, Ah thought ya were gonna break up with me! ‘Cause of all the - ” Her smile faded as that she realized that she'd put her foot in it. Why'd she have to go and mention that? “Uh, never mind.”
“Wait - you thought I was going to break up with you?” Sunset repeated dumbly, the smile sliding off her muzzle. “Why? Is this what you were trying to get at earlier, in the portal?”
AJ scowled. “Ah, nuts. Ah shouldn't have said anything’.”
“No, tell me,” Sunset pressed.
With a heavy sigh that rumbled deep in her throat, Applejack acquiesced. “Well… ya were bein’ really distant for a while there, Sunny. Like Ah said - Ah felt like ya didn't wanna be around me no more. Ah’m sorry. Ah shouldn't have brought it up again. It's all in the past,” she finished, echoing what she had said in one of Sunset’s memories.
Groaning, Sunset slapped her hoof to her forehead. “I'm an idiot. So that’s why you were so anxious. I'm sorry, AJ. I knew I was being a little bit distant, but I didn't realize the effect it was causing. I was just, well… nervous to propose, I guess. I'd been planning it for ages, but when the moment finally came I panicked. That's why I was so distracted. And I guess I must have seemed a bit cold, too. I think I was unconsciously trying to distance myself from you just in case I got rejected. I mean, not I thought you were going to reject me! I - I don't know. The whole thing was stupid.”
“Yeah,” AJ agreed. “For a genius scientist, ya can be a real dodo sometimes.” Sunset hung her head, but Applejack tipped it back up again with a soft hoof, her eyes full of love. She pressed a gentle kiss to Sunset’s shaggy mane. “But you're mah dodo, Sunset Shimmer. An’ the love of my life. Ya hear me?”
Sunset nodded dumbly, and Applejack continued. “‘Sides. Part of it’s mah fault anyway. Ah definitely overreacted. Ah didn't even let ya finish speakin’. Ah jumped to conclusions without thinkin’ ‘em through, so Ah apologize to ya for that. Even after spendin’ so much time around Twilight, Ah still don't know how to think straight.” The two of them shared a laugh. “So, whaddya say now, pardner? We even?”
Sunset smiled and leaned in for another lazy kiss. “Even. And I love that from now on, whenever you say partner, it's not just figurative.”
They snuggled deeply into each other’s hooves, and Applejack rested her chin on her lover’s head, sweeping her honeyed tail over Sunset’s stomach. “Ah just have one more question for ya. Did ya tell Pinkie ya were gonna propose to me? ‘Cause she looked mighty suspicious as we were leavin’, Ah tell ya.”
“Well, it was more like Pinkie just knew anyway and I confirmed it for her. You know how she is.”
AJ chuckled. “Don't Ah ever.”
The two of them lay in silence for a moment, staring out at the landscape. “So how do you like Equestria?” Sunset asked softly.
“Ah love it,” Applejack answered immediately, her lips twisting into a smile. “But not as much as Ah love you.”
***
Back at Canterlot High School, the rest of the girls stood around the statue discussing Sunset and Applejack’s relationship. “I’ll bet a hundred dollars they come back engaged,” Rarity sighed, her hands clasped and her eyes glittering with stars. She was probably already picturing the design of the wedding rings.
Rainbow Dash scoffed. “No way. It's only been three years. AJ’s slow as heck, it'll be ages before she ready to get married.”
“I wouldn't be too sure about that, Dashie,” Pinkie Pie cackled gleefully. “I wouldn't bet against Rarity if I were you.”
Four heads snapped up and stared at her simultaneously. “Pinkie? Do you know something?” Twilight queried suspiciously.
She took a deep breath. “Weeeeellllll….. I may have known that Sunset was going to propose and based on my extensive character files that I store in my secret underground lair under the bakery oh wait it's not a secret anymore never mind anyway I knew she was going to need a little bit of help so I slipped over to Twilight’s castle in Equestria and re-engineered the portal to break down halfway through and show them a selection of Sunny’s favorite memories of AJ and oh yeah I may have coded it to give Applejack a hoof and tail just for fun and I also gave Sunset some magic so she could teleport but it would take her a few tries to get to Equestria and I changed the portal destination so that it would lead to a super duper romantic field place where Sunset could propose.” She paused. “But of course that's all just a maybe.”
“Re… re-engineered?” Twilight choked out, her eyes goggling. “Coded? Castle??”
“A secret underground lair?” Fluttershy looked slightly sick at the thought that an entire file was probably composed of observations about herself. Did that mean that every time she thought she was alone, Pinkie had actually been watching her? That was terrifying.
“A romantic field?” Rarity breathed in a very different tone of voice, the stars in her eyes growing to the size of suns.
Dash crossed her arms and shook her head, whistling in admiration. “Dude, that is so extra. How'd you swing that?”
Pinkie grinned and wagged a finger. “Dashie, Dashie, Dashie. You don't even want to know.”
Author's Note
Whew, been a long time since I posted any stories here. Sorry about that.
I've been a bit frazzled and busy lately so I didn't have enough time to work on this as I would have liked. Hopefully it'll still pass muster.