“I can’t believe we’re going on a real date,” Spike practically giggled, filled with a childlike excitement.

“I can’t believe you’re this worked up about it,” Applejack couldn’t help but smile, “Honestly, Spike, all we’re doing is going to see a movie.”

“Yeah, but as a couple!” the dragon sighed, “I have wanted to date a mare for years! The romance, the fun… I know it’s silly, but call it a need to perform a courtship ritual, or something.”

“Rather ironic since we’re already mates,” Applejack chuckled as she looked through her closet for an appropriate outfit. Something nice enough for a date, but not too formal. Rarity had definitely made her some cute outfits over the years, hidden between her gorgeous Gala dresses. And hats! So many, many hats.

After dinner with Twilight the day before, they had decided to have a nice dinner and a movie – their first official date. They’d finished their chores and had begun preparations for their outing even though they weren’t going to leave until later in the afternoon. Pinkie Pie would be stopping by well before then to help out with decorations and preparations for Nightmare Night, which was fast approaching. They had no idea how long that might run on for, however, so they had decided to set their clothes aside well in advance. Applejack smiled once she found an outfit she thought would be perfect, placing it aside in the closet so she could change after a shower.

Spike had just finished settling on an outfit too, but looked more disappointed.

“What’s wrong, sugar?”

“Oh, nothing,” the dragon sighed, “I just realized that all my clothes are really, really formal. I don’t want to seem overdressed, but aside from my Gala tuxes, I don’t really have much clothing. I settled on a tie.”

“You don’t have any reason to apologize, Spike,” Applejack smiled, “If it makes you feel better, I’m only wearing a simple dress.”

Spike gave a noncommittal shrug; a dress was still more than a tie, after all. Before they could continue the conversation, Pinkie Pie showed up in her usual, sudden manner. Applejack had a sudden idea and had Spike start showing the party mare around while she took care of something private, ignoring the dragon’s curiosity. As soon as she was alone, the farmer ran for where she kept her stationary, writing a letter out to Rarity. She began by quickly going over the details: she and Spike were dating, and he had moved onto her farm. She added a formal invitation to the Nightmare Night haunted hay ride, and said she would be bringing back the Sisterhooves Social. Finally, she got to the main point of her letter, a clothing order for some surprise date clothes for Spike. Something simple but which looked nice for dates. And a hat for Spike, for reasons she was too embarrassed to pen. Applejack ended with a comment on how she missed Rarity, and how she had only recently started hanging out with the others again.

As she sealed the letter, the mare also made a note to herself to compose invitations to Apple Bloom and her friends, and Rainbow Dash. Twilight would likely get Starlight to come, herself. She smiled at the prospect of the whole gang getting back together. She hadn’t seen Rainbow Dash in over a year, and no one aside from Fluttershy had anything like regular contact with her. Similarly, Fluttershy was the only one with regular contact with Rarity; one of the benefits of having a reality-warping husband was that she could find and visit any of her friends, no matter where they were, whenever she wanted. Just as an added assurance, she decided to have Spike send an invitation to Fluttershy, his magic fire capable of delivering it to her wherever she was, since it was sometimes difficult to get a hold of her.

Hesitantly, as she finished writing the names on her list of invitees, Applejack penned in Big Macintosh on the paper. It was silly that she’d hesitate; by Nightmare Night, all of Ponyville would know she was dating Spike anyway, if they didn’t already. There wasn’t any reason to hide it, anyway; there was no shame in their love. By Celestia, how silly and frilly she felt thinking things like our love, as if she were in one of Rarity’s cheap novels! She heard Spike calling for her and decided she’d wasted enough time on the notes.

“What kept you?” the dragon asked as she exited the house.

“I was writing a list of ponies to invite to Nightmare Night and got stuck on how to contact Fluttershy,” Applejack half-lied, “I figured you could use your fire breath to mail hers directly, though, right?”

“I could just mail them all directly,” the dragon grinned, “but I like to support the postal service. Anyway, I was just telling Pinkie about the haunted barn and how you were building some trapdoor thing, but I can’t remember any of the details.”

Spike followed the two mares as Applejack began describing the as-yet-unbuilt construct, using a lot of engineering jargon that went over his head but which Pinkie seemed to understand completely. They walked around the area where the trapdoor would be placed overhead, gesturing as if the thing had already been built and placed, envisioning it as if it were a solid reality. Spike only cocked his head to the side, trying to picture it. They began talking about lighting, fog effects, and all manner of electronics, pyrotechnics, and chemistry. Not for the first time, the dragon realized how deceptively intelligent Applejack and Pinkie Pie were. They behaved in a way that most ponies overlooked as very specialized – one only good at farming apples, the other only good at throwing parties. In reality, both were highly skilled in mathematical sciences. While they only applied their skills to their trades, Spike had no doubt that either or both were capable of so much more.

“Think you two can handle this for a little bit? I wanna write up those invitations, if it’s not too much trouble,” Applejack asked after a while.

She had already helped with the hardest of the labor and all that was left on the schedule before her and Spike’s date was stringing up a few lights. Both Pinkie and Spike gave the affirmative before the other mare returned to talking Spike’s ear off, asking all sorts of questions about Twilight – as if she didn’t already know the answers to half of them, considering how knowledgeable she was about every resident in Ponyville. Applejack slipped away to finish composing her letters, making sure to word everything in such a way that her dating Spike would be at least moderately-well received.
I found myself a special fella, and you’ll never guess who it is, she had written to her siblings.

I guess you could say I beat you at something, at least, she had written to Rainbow Dash, feeling a twinge of her competitive streak at that. Rainbow Dash had never shown any interest in dating anyone. The farmer was confident this was a race she had won for sure.

The letters written, she went outside to check on Spike and Pinkie Pie only to find them wrapping up and coming towards the house. Applejack gave a grateful thanks to the pink mare, pleased with how the lighting had been done up, and after she left she let Spike take the first bath since he had worked so hard. Afterwards, she took hers and let the dragon take his time brushing her. He seemed to enjoy it a lot. Not that she didn’t, of course; as embarrassing as it was, she secretly loved his attention to her, and his husky whispers in her ear about how soft and lustrous her coat was, how nice she smelled. It made her cheeks burn bright, but she always blamed that on the hot water. Fortunately, the dragon was probably the most gullible creature she had ever met and he’d usually accept even her poor lies. They separated to change into their date outfits and met up by the front door.

“Hey good looking,” Applejack greeted the waiting dragon, “Have you seen my drake-friend around?”

“Hardy-har, AJ,” Spike snorted, unable to peel his eyes off of her, “You look amazing.”

The mare felt herself blush yet again. She was only wearing a modest dress. A light green front with a draping, dark green skirt, embroidered with apples and leaves along the ribs. She’d swapped out her usual hat for a straw one Rarity had woven, bound with a green silk ribbon and flowers that complemented the dress.

“It was the simplest fall dress I could find,” Applejack chuckled, “Rarity thought the green was too springtime, whatever that means, but she said I look good in it. Do I?”

“Absolutely,” Spike didn’t even hesitate, grinning, “I feel kind of simple in just a tie.”

Applejack took a closer look at it and beamed.

“I’ll be… you kept it!” she exclaimed. It was a tie she had bought him years ago, one with red apples on a green field.

“It felt appropriate,” the dragon laughed, “Shall we go?”

They departed, strolling into town as the evening began. Applejack had made sure to leave her letters in the mailbox on the way off the farm, and now she felt a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Now she could just relax and enjoy their first official date night. It wasn’t until they were nearly to the restaurant that either of them noticed the curious stares and hushed whispers, catching the barest mention of their names as they passed by. It was slightly embarrassing, but they grinned and bared it, figuring it was normal there’d be some gossip. Of course there would be. After all, they were famous and neither had been seen often until recently, always by each other’s side. Now they were back in earnest, obviously on a date. Their grins became nervous as they entered the restaurant, but they expected only awkward questions.

They had not expected the restaurant to stop and stare. The hostess, the waiters, and especially the patrons looked at the couple with a mixture of awe and… fear? A few of the patrons even looked ill. Applejack looked up to Spike, ready to suggest they go somewhere else, but the dragon had a stubborn look on his face and led her to the hostess.

“Reservation for two,” he told her, forcing a smile to his lips, “under the name ‘Apple’.”

“So the rumors were true…” the hostess breathed out, blinking back into focus and blushing as she realized she’d said that out loud, “Um, I mean, right this way!”

“You used my name for the reservations?” Applejack whispered as they were led to their table.

“One thing I learned while working with dragons was that they don’t really have family names,” Spike explained, “so the dragons living in Ponyville tend to all use ‘the Dragon’ as a surname. It gets really confusing.”

They were led to a nice, spacious booth with soft lighting and a decent view of the restaurant. Slowly the other patrons began to look away, only a handful shooting odd looks back at the couple every now and then. A murmur of lowered voices could be heard around the place that made them both uneasy.

“We’re just being paranoid,” Spike chuckled, suddenly, “Look at us; we must have big egos if we honestly think every-pony here has nothing better to talk about than us.”

“You’re right,” Applejack giggled, picking up the menu. Her mirth died as she saw the prices. “Good gravy!” she exclaimed loud enough to draw surprised looks, then much quieter, “Spike, I can’t afford these prices!”

“I’ve got it covered.”

“Now Spike, I don’t like being taken care of like some kinda invalid,” the mare chided, “I don’t want you spoiling me.”

“It’s not spoiling,” Spike pointed out, giving a disarming smile, “You don’t let me pay rent, and I’ve never been able to get you anything really nice for your birthday because you’re so hard to shop for. Look, we’re not going to be eating at fancy restaurants every date night, alright? I just wanted to make the first date special, so don’t worry about the cost. You don’t let me spend money on the farm or house, so at least let me pay for something.”

Applejack opened her mouth to protest but ended up sighing in resignation. It was a little silly, actually. Spike was very wealthy from his career as a dual-ambassador, and had made a lot of money from being a princess’ assistant when Twilight realized she probably should have paid him. He lived pretty humbly, too, so he was really just sitting on his wealth. She also refused any effort he made to help pay for the farm or repairs to her house, so really, what was he supposed to spend the money on? It just chafed at her that after all the work she had done all her life, here she was having someone else pay for her meals. Humiliating didn’t begin to cover it, and yet… she couldn’t help but smile at his insistence to let him do something nice for her.

“I can really order… anything? You don’t mind?”

“AJ, I can buy a nice house with my saved up wages,” the dragon snorted, “even if you ordered everything on the menu, it still wouldn’t put a dent in my savings. Next time we go out, I promise we can split the bill.”

“Well, alright then,” Applejack blushed. When the waiter returned, she asked about several items on the menu. The waiter was mostly helpful, but every question was met with a sigh of exasperation. Finally, Applejack furrowed her brow in frustration. “Is it really so hard to answer my questions?”

“No, but…” the waiter shifted uncomfortably, not expecting to be called out like that, “It’s just… most of our clientele are familiar with these sorts of delicacies already. I don’t mean to be rude, but we’ve never had to deal with a pony so unfamiliar to high-class cuisine.”

“Are you calling my filly-friend low-class?” Spike challenged, glaring at the waiter before Applejack could speak up.

“O-of course not, Mr. The Dragon!” the waiter looked horrified, “She is a Bearer of the Elements of Harmony and will always be welcome here, but I suppose I speak for every-pony at this establishment when I say that we never expected Applejack to visit us. It just… isn’t her style.”

“I admit, I don’t tend to eat overpriced, small-portioned foods at snobbish establishments,” Applejack sniffed, dismissively, causing the waiter’s face to flush, “but Spike here wanted to treat me to a nice evening, and I figured it’d be best to indulge him.”

“Whoa, wait,” the dragon looked surprised, “You’re indulging me?”

“I only meant that I don’t like eating fancy,” Applejack twiddled her hooves, “Makes me uncomfortable. But I know you like fancy stuff, and I know you’ve always wanted to take a mare out.”

“Ouch,” Spike grunted, “kinda takes the fun out of it if you’re not enjoying it.”

“I never said I wasn’t enjoying it!”

“Did you even want to see the movie?”

“Of course I want to see the movie! It was my idea, remember?”

“Um…” the waiter looked uncomfortable, “Y-your order?”

“What’s this thing?” the mare asked on impulse, wincing at the fact she had done it again.

“That’s a ‘tofu steak’,” the waiter explained, actually relieved for a break in the couple’s argument, “It’s supposed to taste like meat.”

Spike and Applejack exchanged looks, confused, then looked back at the waiter.

“Meat?”

“I’m not sure what it is either. Apparently it’s a delicacy enjoyed by virtually every species other than ponies, but they refuse to tell us what it is. The tofu itself is made from soybeans and flavored. It’s pretty good; I’ve been curious to try meat myself, but it isn’t sold in Equestria.”

“Huh,” Spike pursed his lips, “Alright, make that two tofu steaks.”

“Two steaks, coming up,” the waiter offered a nervous smile, “and again, apologies for my earlier behavior.”

He hurried off at a canter before either of the couple could say anything more, leaving them embarrassed. Looking around they noticed the stares were more frequent and some of the ponies who had looked disgusted now looked smug. Looking around, Applejack realized something.

“Why are there only ponies eating here?” she asked in a hush.

Spike looked around, seeing it for the first time. He’d never noticed before, eating there only once in a while during his diplomatic duties, wining and dining important emissaries. He’d never eaten there outside of work, outside of bringing other non-ponies in. He recognized the place was for the wealthy elite, but he didn’t realize that only ponies made up that percentage. It was odd. Wealthy elite hadn’t existed in Ponyville before it became an international hub, so it made no sense that the only elites would all be ponies. Logically, with all the trade and cross-culture between ponies and non-ponies, there should have been some diversity. None, not even in the staff.

“I don’t know,” he confessed, “I never noticed before.”

“This place is for all the rich types, isn’t it?” the mare asked, not noticing Spike’s somber cast, “Shouldn’t there be some griffons, or hippogriffs, or something?”

Finally, she looked back at the dragon, seeing the hurt in his expression.

“They… probably just don’t like the food,” she offered a smile, raising his spirits a little, “After all, if they have access to real meat, why would they want tofu steak? Whatever meat is.”

Despite the occasional stares, the couple finished their meal in relative peace, and Spike paid the tab. The tofu steaks had been alright, but after a lifetime diet of salads, apples, sweets, and gems, neither of them were about to go crazy for some flavored soy. The pair left the restaurant behind them, hurrying to get to the theater in time. Spike had been able to make a dinner reservation last minute, his reputation as an ambassador and longstanding customer service with them guaranteeing a seat even on busy holidays; the movies, however, had been an altogether different story and now they waited in line.

“Wow, this is a popular movie,” Spike whistled, “What’s it about?”

“I’m not really sure,” Applejack shrugged, “It’s based off of a book Rarity and Twilight read. Some kinda romance story about a dashing officer of the Royal Guard and a humble farmer. They kept trying to get me to read it whenever the desire to find me a stallion struck them.”

“Feels kind of ironic that you’re seeing it now that you’re in a relationship,” the dragon chuckled. Applejack gave a noncommittal shrug. “I never knew you really into romance movies, anyway.”

“I’m mostly just interested in seeing a moving-picture show again,” the mare explained, “I figured, being a date and all, and with how much Rarity and Twilight went on about it, this should be the movie we see.”

“Makes sense to me,” Spike nodded, “I hope they don’t run out of tickets… how many ponies are seeing this film tonight of all nights?”

“That’s a good question, sugar,” Applejack stood a little taller to look over the heads of the queue, “At this rate, we might miss the movie anyway.”

As if her words were a harbinger, the line groaned witnessing the theater what a ‘Sold Out’ sign over the poster for the movie they were apparently all there to see. As the mass dissolved, Spike sighed and kicked a pebble off the cobblestone path.

“I’m sorry, AJ. I wanted tonight to be special, but I dragged you to a fancy place you weren’t interested in, then we missed the movie you wanted to see! I feel like a jerk.”

“Easy there, lover boy,” the mare gave a dismissive chuckle, “just ‘cause I weren’t interested in the fancy food doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. It might’ve been full of a bunch of stuffy upper-crusts, but there was at least one fella there whose head wasn’t bigger than an overripe melon in June.”

Spike smiled from that, feeling a little better.

“Still, the movie… It was the whole point of the date, and I was so busy getting the reservation for the restaurant, I didn’t even think about the film.”

“It’ll be showing tomorrow, and I should probably go see it with Twilight and Fluttershy, anyway,” Applejack scratched her cheek thoughtfully, “To be perfectly honest with you, I’m feeling a little sluggish after that tofu steak – it was more filling than I figured it would be – and I’m not sure I could sit through a four-hour movie this late.”

“Four hours?!” the dragon rounded on her, astounded, “How could a love story drag on for that long?!”

“Oh Spike, ever the romantic,” the mare smirked, voice dripping with sarcasm, “I’m not sure why it’s so long, though considering the book Twilight showed me was as thick as my foreleg, I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“Well… is there anything else you wanted to do before we went home?” Spike looked up at the sky, “It’s hardly evening, and that whole experience at the restaurant left a bad taste in my mouth.”

“A bad taste, huh?” the farmer pursed her lips.

That uppity waiter had put a damper on her mood, too. If she weren’t so full, she might have recommended dessert, but there were still a few ponies shooting them disapproving looks. As much fun as bucking their faces in, or having Spike set them ablaze might be, Applejack wagered that wasn’t particularly friendly. They couldn’t hang out with others; that would defeat the purpose of their first real date, just the two of them. What else was there to do?

“Well, shoot, I guess all that’s left for the evening is a good rut,” she mused aloud, unable to devise another solution since few other activities ran so late.

“W-what?” Spike gaped, looking around and thankful no one had overheard, “Here?!”

“O-of course not h-!” Applejack began, blushing furiously, but stopped herself. Putting a hoof to her lips, she began weighing the pros and cons. Some of her cousins had bragged about their brazen sexcapades with their lovers before, whether in the family barn during a reunion, or during work at a bakery! Part of her was disgusted by it, but another part of her felt her core moistening, just like when they’d brazenly done it on the orchard. “Actually… you’re pretty familiar with the new Ponyville, right? Think you could… find us some privacy?”

“Are you serious?” Spike shifted uncomfortably, clearly aroused and trying to keep his erection from unsheathing. He was blushing, sweating, and grinning in equal measure. “If we’re caught-”

“If we’re caught, they won’t treat us any different than they’ve been treating us all night,” the mare retorted, “I say we enjoy ourselves.” As an afterthought, she added, “A-and we probably shouldn’t make it a regular thing.”

“Pfft, obviously,” the dragon chuckled, looking around for a moment, “Alright, follow me.”

She did as he asked, trotting just behind him as he led her through a crisscross of streets, some of which she recognized, but many more being the new additions that had been added to Ponyville over the years. She figured he’d lead her to some secluded alley, but he had instead led her to foot of Twilight’s castle, using a key to get into a garden that had been gifted to the Princess by the citizens of Ponyville. It was a small maze of flowery hedges, and Applejack was left breathless at the beauty. Some flowers were bioluminescent, giving off a silvery light like the moon, and bugs flitted around, glowing either from moonlight reflecting off of their white wings, or from the light within them.

“It’s beautiful, Spike,” Applejack whispered out, snapping back to the moment as she felt the dragon’s claws rake along her shoulders, his tongue and fangs coil and nibble along her neck. His touch reawakened the horniness she had felt before being blindsided by the courtyard’s beauty. “This don’t seem weird to you? Doing it right outside Twilight’s home?”

“Is it weird for you doing it in the home of your parents and Granny Smith?” Spike asked with a chuckle, peppering kisses along her back.

“Good poi-i-i-iiieeeee!” Applejack went ramrod straight and had to stifle a shriek as she felt Spike’s tongue enter her, unannounced. Almost immediately her legs wobbled. She hadn’t even noticed the dragon shift her green dress up! “Mmm, that feels good, sugar. Is that helping get the bad taste out of your mouth?”

“You’d be hard-pressed to make me happier,” the dragon chuckled as his tongue slithered out of her warm marehood with a pop, “Honestly, I could do this all night. I can actually taste a hint of gem in there now.”

“As much as I’d love for you to pleasure me all night, that ain’t exactly fair, is it?” the mare turned to face the dragon, shoving him onto his back, “Besides, you’ve gone and challenged me.”

“I have?”

“You said I’d be hard-pressed to make you happier,” Applejack smirked as she lowered herself onto the dragon’s throbbing member, releasing a hiss of pleasure from him as her moist walls sucked him in, “and I aim to prove you wrong.”

“By all means, then,” Spike bit his lip as he watched Applejack raise and lower herself on him, “please!”

Applejack put a spin in her hips, gyrating herself as she was impaled upon him, twisting him around inside her. The dragon’s tongue slithered to and fro across his lips as his emerald eyes watched her slide forward and backward, up and down, and side to side. Rosy-cheeked, eyes closed, massaging every ounce of pleasure she could from the experience, the mare put her apple-bucking muscles to work. She braced her forelegs against his chest, increasing her pace. Spike sighed in contentment, laying back on the bench and allowing himself to feel the pleasure.

“I feel like a silly filly for admitting this,” Applejack spoke up, “but I’m getting tired. Do you mind taking over?”

“No problem.”

She got off of him, feeling the emptiness left behind. Quickly they repositioned themselves, Applejack lying on the bench and Spike behind her, eager to mount and return to the warm sensation they had shared moments before. As he plunged in, he realized he was already close to climax. He muttered a curse, trying to last longer.

“It’s alright, sugar,” the farmer looked back over her shoulder at him, “I’ve already had a few good rounds already. We probably shouldn’t dilly-dally here anyway.”

Nodding, the dragon picked up his pace, gripping her tightly as he climaxed, grunting a gust of green-tinged smoke and embers across the nape of her neck. As he slowly pulled out, panting, he kissed her along her neck. As soon as he was out, she turned to say something, all smiles.

“Spike? Is that you?” another mare’s voice cut in, instead. Immediately the lovers froze and paled, looking at the sudden lavender light emanating from around the corner of a hedge and growing brighter as the newcomer approached. They both recognized the voice as Twilight’s.

“Oh no,” Spike looked down at his deflated but still-exposed member, rushing over to the bench. With a quick pelvic thrust and a pained yelp, he managed to inflict enough pain to drive the last of his arousal away.

“Are you alright?!” Twilight sounded concerned now, the light approaching faster.

“What do I do?!” Applejack demanded in a harsh whisper, “I’m dripping more than the barn’s roof during the storm season!”

“You’re wearing a dress,” her lover said with a calm he wasn’t feeling, “Just stay calm and don’t move too much. She won’t get suspicious if you don’t look down.”

The farmer quirked an eyebrow before looking down at the small puddle beneath her hooves. It really was small, easily hidden by the shroud of her dress, but knowing it existed – and was growing ever so slowly as more of their love juice dribbled out of her – made her paranoid. It was too late, though, and she looked back up just as Twilight rounded the bend at a gallop, confusion replacing the worry on her face.

“Applejack?” she asked, slowing as she approached, “I thought it was you, Spike. You made that weird coughing noise you used to make when you received a letter. What are you two doing here?”

“Uh…” the dragon looked at Applejack who only shrugged. Looking for a lie from the Element of Honesty was a dry well, after all. “Applejack and I were on our date, and I wanted to show her the garden, since she’s never seen it before.”

“That’s so sweet!” Twilight let out a little squeal, “I’m sorry! I just can’t get over the fact you’re dating! One of my best friends, no less! Wait, but what was with the coughing noise, and the yelp? Are you alright?”

“I… wanted to give you an official invitation to the haunted hay ride,” Spike grinned as he came up with the perfect excuse, “Applejack here has been writing them all day, isn’t that right?”

“Eeyup,” the mare nodded once, trying not to wince at the awkward sensation of cum running down her legs. Technically she was not lying.

“I summoned it with my fire breath, but then a… gust of wind came by and took it,” the dragon finished, sweating anxiously, “That’s why I yelped.”

“Oh,” the alicorn looked like she didn’t fully believe him, but she didn’t press him any further. She took a sniff of the air and her face scrunched up. “What smells like seafood?”

“That’s what we had for dinner,” Spike lied quickly. Twilight sensed it and was about to press, so the dragon preempted her. “What are you doing out here so late?”

“Uh…” it was her turn to be caught off-guard, “Well, I… needed a break from…” she blushed deeply, trying to think of a lie, and it was terribly obvious.

“Twilight!” Pinkie’s voice came out sharply, the pink mare bouncing into view, eyes closed and grinning wide, “Are you ready for round 26? Or is it 27? I lost track!”

She stopped, gaping slightly as she saw Spike and Applejack there. Still grinning, but evidently mortified, Pinkie cleared her throat, ears drooping, and chuckled nervously. Judging from Spike and Applejack’s anxious and embarrassed expressions, they had no trouble figuring out what exactly Twilight had been taking a break from.

“Well, that’s awkward…” Pinkie confessed.

“I’m so sorry!” Twilight was on the verge of tears, “This is humiliating!”

“Oh shoot, Twilight, there ain’t nothing to be ashamed of,” Applejack gave a dismissive wave of her hoof, “At least you didn’t have sex in the garden.”

She winced slowly at her own mistake at the same instant Spike decided to stare intently at a June bug trying to fly into the cobblestones, purposely avoiding eye contact with Twilight. Pinkie nodded appreciatively, mouthing ‘nice’ at their daringness. Twilight only released a pent up breath.

“Alright, let’s just pretend this meeting never happened,” the princess suggested, looking at each of her friends, “Agreed?”

“Consider it forgotten,” Spike agreed at the same moment Applejack said “Sounds good.”

“What meeting?” Pinkie looked genuinely confused before winking at Twilight.

“Great!” the alicorn nodded, “This goes without saying, but for future reference, do not do anything inappropriate in the garden, please. You’re free to come over whenever you want, just… please do not do… that thing… here.”

“Sex?” Pinkie asked.

“Pinkie!” Twilight snapped, taking a calming breath, “We need to have a discussion about filters.”

“Sorry,” the pink mare looked abashed for a moment, then waggled her eyebrows, “Did you want to punish me again?”

“Pinkie!” Twilight gaped. She quickly turned back to Applejack and Spike, “I don’t want to kick you out, but I don’t think tonight could get any more awkward. Would you two mind…?”

“No problem, Twi,” Spike said, leading Applejack away. They hurried out, closing the gate behind them. Behind them they heard Twilight scolding Pinkie for a moment before going silent.

“What did I step in?” they could hear the alicorn’s voice fading behind them. Paling, the couple immediately broke into a gallop. “EW! SPIKE!”

A while later they quit running, catching their breaths halfway to Sweet Apple Acres, looking over their shoulders to make sure Twilight wasn’t pursuing them.

“Well, that was horrifying,” the dragon sighed, resuming the walk, “I am so sorry the date went bad.”

“I wouldn’t say it went bad, sugar,” the mare giggled, “just… not according to plan.”

“We had a fight at the restaurant, the server was rude, almost every pony gave us dirty looks, the movie was sold out, and to top it all off, we just endured the most mortifying experience of my life, hands down,” Spike counted off on his claws, grimacing, “Did I forget anything?”

“A lot of things, actually,” Applejack chided as she kept pace, “You left out the fact our ‘fight’ lasted all of two minutes; that the waiter was apologetic; that dinner was pretty good; that I probably would have fallen asleep watching that movie so late tonight; that the garden was the prettiest little thing I’ve seen in a long time; the fact we enjoyed a wonderful bit of loving; and finally, you forgot that that mortifying experience never happened.”

“She stepped in my cum, AJ,” Spike deadpanned, “Even if we say it never happened, that’s not something you just shrug off.”

“She’ll move past it, sugar,” the farmer assured him, “Trust me. Pinkie will make her forget all about it, one way or the other.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to think about Twi and Pinkie…” the dragon shivered.

“See? You’re already forgetting.”

“Ha-ha,” Spike rolled his eyes, “Alright, so tonight wasn’t so bad. I just wanted you to have a perfect date…”

“It’s really not a bother, Spike. We’ve got years ahead of us, Celestia willing. We’ll have plenty of chances for a perfect date, and if this is as bad as it gets, then I ain’t complaining.”

“Thanks, Applejack,” Spike leaned over to kiss her cheek, “What did I ever do to deserve a mare like you?”

“Well, for starters, you give a hay of a back massage,” the mare smirked.

“Seems like chump change compared to everything you do for me,” the dragon chuckled.

“You’re too sweet, but I suppose that’s why I call you sugar, huh?” Applejack giggled at her own joke. After a moment, she cleared her throat and, avoiding eye contact, asked, “So, uh… what did you mean everything I do for you?”

“Oh gosh, I didn’t mean the sex,” Spike blushed, “I-I mean, that’s great, too, but I didn’t mean-”

“Easy there, Spike,” the mare laughed at his anxiety, “I know that’s not what you meant. I only meant… I don’t understand why you say I do all this stuff for you when all I’ve really done for you is let you stay at the farm. Even then you help out around the farm!”

“It’s the little things, mostly,” Spike explained, stopping to embrace her, “You just have a way of doing things that makes me feel valued, and eases my worries. When I was interested in Rarity, I was always paranoid I was never good enough. With you, well, I still feel like I don’t deserve you, but I don’t feel this soul-crushing pressure on my shoulders that I can’t satisfy you. You make me feel… comfortable with myself.”

Applejack blushed and hugged her lover back. They stayed that way for a moment before separating and making the rest of the way to the farm. Rather than go straight to bed, they decided to cuddle before the fireplace beneath a quilt Granny Smith had made for Applejack years ago. The couple slowly drifted into a fitful sleep, warm as they were beneath the quilt and in each other’s embrace.

Author's Note

I’m going to have a surprise or two with Rainbow Dash that some might not like, so just a heads up.

I threw in the bit about meat because I just had a fit of dark humor. I went with a little more out-there comedy in this chapter than I usually do, but I probably won’t do that too much.

I’m getting a little bored writing smut, so the fic will probably focus less on that aspect and more on moving the plot along.

Updates might take a while because I’m moving.