//-------------------------------------------------------// 99 Red Balloons -by Star Wittness- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter One //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter One The soft, gentle feeling of a hand brushing the hair from her face and the gentle murmuring voice of one she loved deeply whispering her name awoke Rainbow Dash from her slumber, bringing her out of her gentle dreaming and into the warm summer morning. Her eyes fluttered open, slowly becoming accustomed to the warm light spilling through the open window, allowing her to make out the sparkling green eyes of her girlfriend. She smiled, freeing her arms from the warmth of her duvet to stretch, yawning loudly as she did. “Mornin’ Applejack” she said mid-yawn, turning sideways to face her and returning the favour by taking a stray lock of her long blond hair and twirling it in her fingers. “You sleep well?”. “Yeah, just about” Applejack whispered back, batting Rainbow’s hand away before continuing, “No thanks to your snoring” she teased, playfully tussling her partners already messy hair. “I don’t snore!” Rainbow Dash retorted in defence, trying to hold back laughter as Applejack messed with her hair. “Anyway, even if I did, I’d make it look hot” She finished, sporting a smug smirk aimed at the girl lying next to her, as if to dare her to disagree. Applejack made to reply, before she was interrupted as Rainbow placed a finger on her lips to silence her, completing the suppression of her perceived enemy with a short but sweet kiss planted on the offending girls lips. Rainbow withdrew after a few moments, gently biting down on Applejacks bottom lip as she did, leaving her partner in crime with a blissful smile. She couldn’t help but smile at the affectionate response of her girlfriend, still amazed that even after all the time they’d spent together, she could still elicit such a response from something so simple as a kiss. “I’ll take that as you agreeing with me” Rainbow Dash spoke quietly across the narrow space that separated the pair, turning to lie on her back while nestling down further under the duvet, her free hand finding Applejack’s own and holding it tightly. She directed her eyes to the open window behind Applejack, content with watching the tall fir tree in her back garden sway gently in the breeze, the evergreen boughs standing out firmly against the clear sky. She briefly wondered about the time, conscious of the fact that the rest of the girls were meeting them at her house that morning, but quickly dismissed the thought, surmising that as their alarms hadn’t gone off yet there was still time. Besides, even if her friends had been banging against her front door at that very moment, she’d still find it difficult to leave the familiar comfort of that moment to let them in. Happy to stay in the moment with her lover, Rainbow repositioned herself against Applejack’s toned physique, slinging one arm lazily over her girlfriend’s waist and resting her head on the other, allowing her shorter hair to fall over her head and mix with Applejack’s own in a brilliant clash of prismatic hues amongst shifting shades of golds and browns. “Rainbow, we gotta get up soon” Applejack mumbled sleepily, attempting to maneuver herself from underneath Dash’s embrace, much to the annoyance of the rainbow haired girl, who tried in vain to hold on to her girlfriends hand and keep her close as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Their not here for another half hour” Rainbow mumbled back, feeling a sudden chill as Applejack stood up, stretching her arms overhead as she moved to pull the blinds over the window. Rainbow sat upright, fiddling with her hands as she watched Applejack stride from the window to her desk where she’d haphazardly dumped her overnight bag. Rainbow remained silent, leaning back against the headboard while Applejack changed into her loose fitting CHS jumper and her denim skirt. As she started heading to the door, Rainbow Dash made to get Applejack’s attention, opening her mouth to speak but finding the words dying on her lips. She instead watched in silence as her girlfriend left the room, sighing to herself as she listened to the sound of Applejack making her way downstairs and into her kitchen. She stayed where she was for a moment, alone next to the fading imprint Applejack had left beside her, before deciding on following her downstairs. Rainbow lept from her bed, skidding lightly on the floor as she came to a stop in front of her wardrobe. She threw on the first hoodie she found; a light blue one with her gym logo on, and completed her impromptu outfit with a pair of black running leggings. She headed downstairs, following the bittersweet smell of brewing coffee coming from the kitchen. Applejack was leant lazily against the counter, occupying herself by watching the steady dripping of coffee from the machine collecting in the pot. Rainbow Dash stood in the door, one hand on her hip and the other resting on the painted door frame. Applejack looked up from the collecting coffee upon hearing Rainbow’s footsteps, a fond smile spreading across her face at the arrival of the girl she loved. Rainbow Dash shared her smile, moving from the door frame and towards the fridge with the intent of finding food for them both, lightly brushing by Applejack as she did. “What’d ya want” Rainbow Dash asked as she opened the fridge, glancing up and down the shelves in the hopes of finding something she’d be able to cook, without turning it into pure carbon that is. “We can have…” she drew out the ‘a’ sound as she perused the unorganised contents of the fridge. “We have eggs” Rainbow Dash shouted in faux triumph, retrieving a small egg carton from the middle shelf and spinning on her heels to face Applejack, who merely chuckled at Rainbow Dash’s small display. “Aaand” She continued, sliding across the floor tiles to the other side of the kitchen and lifting the cover of the bread bin with her usual flair “We have bread! For toast!”. “Do you even know how to cook?” Applejack asked incredulously, laughing in a light hearted tone as Rainbow Dash began fishing through the cupboards for various pots and pans Applejack was almost certain she didn’t know how to use. “Yes” Rainbow Dash replied in a flat, unconvincing tone accompanied by an attempt at keeping a straight face, which lasted for all of a few seconds before she joined Applejack’s laughter. “Okay, maybe I don’t know how to cook per say” Dash admitted, pushing the cupboard shut with her leg once she found the pan she had wanted. “But!” She whirled around to face Applejack, pointing the pan at her like it was a sword “That’s never stopped me before!”. She did a little twirl and set the pan on the hob, reaching for the egg box to start cooking, but stopped as Applejack sidled alongside her with a wry grin. Rainbow Dash stopped mid-motion, narrowing her eyes at Applejack as she stood silently grinning. “Yes?” Rainbow Dash questioned in a suspicious tone, slowly reaching for the egg box and sliding it along the counter towards her all while maintaining eye contact with Applejack. Applejack didn’t respond, instead taking a moment to stifle more laughter at her girlfriends expense. “What?” Dash asked, getting slightly paranoid, wondering if she’d messed something up already. “It’s nothing really” Applejack began, moving around Rainbow Dash gracefully and positioning herself on the other side of the oven where her girlfriend had set up the pan for the eggs. “It’s just” She moved a little closer to Rainbow Dash, putting her hand on the pan handle. “You don’t cook eggs with a wok”. ———————————————————— Applejack grimaced slightly as she picked out yet another egg shell from the scrambled eggs Rainbow Dash had made her, adding it to the small pile she’d already made at the side of her plate. She looked up from her plate of burnt toast and half cooked eggs, meeting the endearing gaze of an animated Rainbow Dash staring back at her. “How is it?” Rainbow Dash asked excitedly, taking a tentative sip of her coffee and burning her tongue, eliciting a quiet hiss from the athlete as she set her mug back down on the table. She took a bite from her blackened toast and waited expectantly for Applejack to reply,flipping her colourful hair behind her and flashing her best smile. “How are you not dead?” Applejack asked disbelievingly, stifling bouts of laughter as she picked out yet another egg shell from her plate in her failing battle to find anything edible from what Rainbow Dash had made. “You burnt yourself god knows how many times, cremated the toast, and I don’t even want to think about what happened to these eggs” Applejack shuddered for extra effect, pushing her plate to one side as she opted instead for her black coffee, smirking from behind her mug as she took a small sip. Rainbow Dash made to reply, but all that came out was indignant stuttering. “It’s not that bad!” Rainbow Dash argued, taking a huge bite out of a blackened piece of toast as if to prove her point, hiding her grimace as her senses were assaulted by charcoal and soot. “See?” She mumbled while forcing down her mouthful of toast in a last ditch attempt to prove her point and defend her honour against Applejack. “Your just jealous of my cooking skills” She added, a small laugh escaping her lips as even she realised how ridiculous that claim was. Applejack stared at Rainbow Dash blankly, lowering her mug from in front of her face and holding it with both hands. “You put the toast in the grill” Applejack stated in a deadpan tone, motioning to the burnt toast in her girlfriends hands. “Your meant to use the toaster sweetie, clues in the name” She smirked as Rainbow Dash’s face lit up beet red, gesturing to the left of the girl where the unused toaster was located. Applejack stood up and began clearing the table, chuckling to herself as Rainbow Dash stayed put, mumbling obscenities under her breath. Applejack cleared their plates and set them down in the sink to be rinsed later, turning back to grab her coffee mug from the table to bring back upstairs with her. She was about to suggest Rainbow Dash come back upstairs with her so the two could get their hiking gear ready for when their friends arrived, but was stopped short when out of the corner of her eye she spotted Pinkie Pie, standing in the kitchen doorway and smiling at them. “Holy fuck!” Applejack yelled, jumping backwards instinctively and crashing into Rainbow Dash, who flinched at her sudden outburst. Rainbow Dash spun her head around to see what had startled Applejack, recoiling in surprise to see Pinkie Pie smiling and waving at them both. “Morning Dashie, morning AJ” She chirped, patting the two girls on the head affectionately before helping herself to the coffee pot, unnervingly knowing exactly which cupboard the cups lived in. “Sorry for scaring you AJ, but the house was open so I thought I’d let myself in” she continued, helping herself to two huge heapings of sugar with her beverage. “Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash began, sharing a nervous look with a red faced Applejack momentarily before renewing her focus on her faux house invader. “The door was closed!” She stated irritably, motioning from her seat towards the hallway and front door, where Pinkie Pie had unceremoniously abandoned her gear: a pair of hiking sticks, a small backpack undoubtedly filled filled with sugary snacks, and a dark blue rain jacket. “It wasn’t locked” Pinkie Pie replied between mouthfuls of coffee, briefly flashing the two less than impressed girls a sickly sweet smile. She glanced around the kitchen, taking note of the burned cookware piled in the sink and the faint lingering smell of smoke, before putting two and two together with a sly smirk. “I thought the fire department banned you from cooking”. Author's Note I hope you all liked it so far :twilightsmile: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/twilightsmile.png