The Farmer and the Wonderbolt

Rainbow hadn't even been thinking about the day ahead for fifteen minutes, and already she was considering changing plans. If both she and AJ had the day off, why wait until dinner to get things started? No, she wasn't going to wait around until late afternoon, letting her putz away at the farm waiting for her to come back. She was going to give her an unforgettable date that lasted all day, culminating in fulfilling her fantasy of love in the air, literally.

So, the question was, what first?

The start was obvious. Rainbow Dash strapped on her saddlebags, and was out the front door, heading towards the north end of town at a relaxed glide. Twilight's Castle of Friendship was the first thing to come over the hills, followed immediately by Town Hall and the School of Friendship. Flapping a few times to keep her altitude, she flew over Ponyville and came to a soft landing in front of the castle, immediately turning to her right and crossed the limestone bridge to the school. Pushing the doors open and stepping into the main hall, she immediately headed upstairs towards the headmare's office. First period was currently in session, so the halls were mostly empty, and it was a quick two-minute trot to her office, where she knocked a few times.

"Come on in." Was the answer she got in reply. The pegasus turned the knob, opened the door, and stepped inside, and Headmare Starlight Glimmer smiled at her.

"Well, good morning, Rainbow. What can I do for you?" The school's new Headmare greeted.

"Well, it turns out I need some assistance of the alchemical sort. I need a potion as soon as possible, and I'm prepared to grade a few papers, host a few tutoring sessions... Just let me know what you need done." Rainbow told her.

"What kind of potion?" Starlight asked, closing the planner she had been writing in.

"Cloudwalking." Rainbow answered.

"Well, obviously this potion isn't for you, then. What do you have going on?" The headmare got up from her chair and came around her desk, standing in front of Rainbow, who got a light tint in her cheeks.

"If you really have to pry... AJ and I had dinner last night and... Feelings were shared, and... Well, I guess we're kinda seeing each other now." Rainbow told her, her wings fluttering as she rubbed her right leg with her left.

Starlight smiled as she put her hoof to her barrel.

"Well, congratulations! Normally for a case like this, I'd say it's on the house, but let's say five bits, because that's how much I owe Pinkie now."

"You owe Pinkie bits?"

"Some of the staff had a little bit of a pool going, because... Well, a lot of us were wondering when one of you would spill the beans to the other."

"Well, for your information, I kinda knew there were beans between the two of us, I was just waiting for her to notice. So what did Pinkie have?"

"Anytime between the beginning of the school year and Hearth's Warming break."

Rainbow smirked, using a wing to open the flap of her left saddlebag, opened her bit bag, and came out with a 5-bit coin, flipping it over to Starlight with the tip of her wing, and the unicorn caught it with her magic.

"If you've got any other quick stops to make, go take care of it now. Check back in thirty, and I'll have it ready." The headmare told her.

"Thanks, Starlight. I owe ya." Rainbow said, and the two of them left the office; Starlight down to the alchemy labs, and Rainbow back out to the main hall and out the front door, as she took to the sky and headed for the market square. It was time for step two.

Cooking.

Rainbow's Wonderbolt salary could take them to any number of exquisite dining options, both here locally and a short train ride up to Canterlot. But that wasn't enough for the pegasus. She wanted to prove that Applejack wasn't the only one who could make a nice, hearty, home-cooked meal. When she thought of what to make, she first considered something apple-related, but quickly decided against it; apples were her marefriend's specialty, and if Rainbow was going to put something on a plate and set it down in front of AJ, it was going to be something she knew how to cook. Something exciting. Something with kick. And likely, more than a fair helping of carbs.

Thinking about what was already in her pantry at home and what she had to pick up, Rainbow quickly planned today's schedule and meal plan in her head as she descended into the market. Over the course of about twenty minutes, she visited four vendor stalls, spent about fifteen bits, and was then back on her way to the front of the School of Friendship, where Headmare Starlight was already waiting, a small corked potion bottle in the magical grasp of her horn.

"Here you go, Rainbow. Don't worry, it's enchanted glass, it can take a little jostling around in your saddlebags. Well, I've got to get back to work. Have fun!"

"Thanks again, Starlight." Rainbow replied, waving goodbye as she took off again towards her house. She was back home in five more minutes. She came through the front door and immediately went up to the second floor and into the kitchen. Setting out what she had gotten at the market on the counter, she started digging through her pantry to make absolutely sure she had gotten everything she needed for a complete dish. It wasn't going to be for lunch, no, this was going to be dinner; once Applejack was here, she wanted to put a good meal in her, then take her up to her room. There were still several hours and one more meal to go through before she was brought up here, though.

Setting the box of pasta next to everything else she had gotten today, Rainbow knew she was ready. Digging the small potion bottle out of her saddlebags, she knew it was time for the next step...

Getting Applejack to drink up.