Whiskey Business

Twilight decided not to complain about losing half a day and just be excited to finally get an explanation of what happened.

At her familiar corner booth alongside a now calmed down Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and a literally vibrating with enthusiasm Rarity, who was acting more Pinkie Pie than Pinkie Pie. "Come on!" Rarity whined. "There's fashionably late and then there's just dragging out the suspense!"

Finally the moment of truth arrived. The new couple walked in shoulder to shoulder tails entwined. Giggling from an untold joke in the way only lovers do. Rainbow trying to look Applejack in the eye and Applejack blushing like a school filly until she was redder than her brother.

"Sooo?" Rarity said eye twitching with impatience. "Tell us a story" The new couple took their seats and Applejack began.

"Well ah suppose it all started with the running of the leaves all those years ago. Somethin about that day changed the way ah looked at little thunder thighs here." Rainbow Dash slammed her hooves against the table and stood up blushing wildly.

"Not in front of the girls Apple bottom! You promised!" Rarity and Pinkie Pie both let out a squeal that threatened to burst Twilight's ear drums.

"You're already on pet names! It's so adorable I could just just" Rarity let loose with another squeal and that was officially the end of Twilight's patience with her. Twilight cast a one way sound proof bubble around Rarity. She then on second thought doubled the size of the bubble to include Pinkie Pie for good measure. She then steepled her hooves and calmly looked at the two love birds.

"Now if you would please, Pretty Please, EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY BEFORE I KILL SOMEPONY!!!" Applejack crawled out from under the shelter of Rainbow Dash's wing where she had been hiding from Twilight's wrath.

"Ahem, well I'd liked Rainbow for a good while now but bein in charge of the family farm I had to find a steady Earth stallion who could work the farm while I was rearin yungins. But with Big Mac settlin down with Sugar Belle I was finally free to be with whoever ah wanted." At this Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a firm nuzzle. The whole party, Rainbow Dash included, was silent with shock.

"Applejack I had no idea! I'm so sorry." Twilight almost whispered. Applejack waved a hoof dismissively.

"Tweren't nothin, duty to the family 'n all"

"But Applejack, not being with the one you love that's, that's just awful!" Twilight pleaded.

"Eh ah've had crushes in the past that didn't go nowhere, wasn't no trouble to like dash from afar." Applejack reasoned.

"Get to the awesome part already!" Rainbow Dash whined. Applejack gave Rainbow a peck on the cheek which turned her into a blushing mess. The two silenced ponies hugged and let out another squeal mercifully silenced by the translucent lavender bubble around them.

"Ahem well I got it into mah head to finally fess up but every time I tried I'd get tongue tied and couldn't get the words out. Well ah talked to Granny about it and after the initial shock wore off she gave me permission to breach a barrel. A little liquid courage to steel the soul Granny said. Well I decided to go about it like y'all would Twilight. Make a list n such. Step one get liquid courage, step two get Thund~." A gentle elbow to the ribs from Rainbow Dash for trying to use her pet name broke the flow of Applejack's narrative. "Just teasin R.D. " Rainbow Dash snuggled against her mare and Applejack wrapped a hoof around her very special somepony. "Well step two get RAINBOW DAAAASH" putting extra emphasis on each word. "Alone with me and the Apple whiskey and then."

The doors to sugar cube corner burst inward. A very disgruntled Berry Punch stepped slowly deliberately towards the assembled ponies. "Where. Is. It." The ponies looked from one to the other looking for a clue to what she was talking about. " Where is THE FUCKING WHISKEY!" Twilight Sparkle was officially done. She grabbed Berry Punch by the waist and teleported to the Apple family wine cellar. She shoved a bottle into Berry Punch's hooves and teleported back. Berry Punch nodded and downed a third of the bottle before she had even left sugar cube corner. Applejack called after her.

"I'll be by later for the thirty bits for that ya hear?"

"Story time, NOW!" Twilight roared, eyes glowing, Royal Canterlot voice echoing, raw magic arcing of her horn singeing the furniture around her. Rainbow Dash came to the rescue speaking clearly but quickly.

"So she invited me to polish off the bottle with her but I got way too drunk too fast and when she was confessing I was kind of spaced out."

"Ah thought she was makin fun of me so ah ran off."Applejack said deflating slightly at the memory of that feeling of hopes dashed, dreams deferred.

Fluttershy squeaked "Umm I hate to interrupt but umm that was really dangerous Rainbow Dash you could've died." Applejack looked at Fluttershy and raised an eyebrow?

"But we were at ground level so the altitude shouldn't be an issue should it?" Applejack asked looking from pony to pony as if not understanding the rebuke. Rainbow Dash looked down and away knowing she was about to be in trouble.

"Alcohol hits Pegasi much harder than Earth ponies Applejack. Has to do with an increased respiration and higher metabolism. If you're going to be dating a Pegasus you need to know these things." Twilight lectured.

Applejack rounded on the offending pony. "Whah didn't you tell me Rainbow!" Applejack said voice staying to crack at the thought of losing the pony she loved.

"You know me Applejack. I'm not gonna turn down a chance to drink with my favorite pony." She said this while tracing Applejack's face with her hoof and lifting her muzzle to a hair's breadth from her own.

All Applejack could do was dreamily whisper "okay." The rest of the table chuckled about how thoroughly whipped Applejack, the normally stubborn hard headed pony,was. Even Twilight was ask in a chuckle at the display. Applejack regained a bit of her composure and sighed.

"Ah guess that's why you didn't say anything when I told you I loved you." She chuckled to herself about the silliness of the whole situation "You were so out of it you probably didn't know your head from your hooves."

"You don't know the half of it." Rainbow confirmed remembering her slow motion somersault.

"So ah ran off and just happened to run across Fluttershah, and when she asked me what was wrong I spilled everything, but everytime I said Dash's name I took a drink so I ended up makin mahself sick." Applejack made a slight gag the memory of that instant still fresh in her mind.

"Oh umm yes everything." She muttered trying not to look at Applejack. Between the country drawl, the alcohol, and the vomiting Fluttershy caught one word in three. "That's when I took her to the hospital." Fluttershy added to keep the flow of the narrative.

"Then I brought Rainbow Dash to the hospital and then." Twilight Sparkle blushed and trailed off. "What uuhm what exactly happened in that hospital room?" Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack grinned at the memory of that magical moment.

"Well I woke up first, and when I saw Applejack safe and sound I couldn't help but wrap my hooves around her. I had never been so concerned about anypony before. I didn't know why but I never wanted to let her go." The couple shared a short kiss.

"Then Ah woke up and when I saw Rainbow holdin me everythin just kinda fell into place." The two looked intently at each other.

"We looked into each other's eyes and then it just happened." The whole party was red faced at this point. Rarity and Pinkie were crying from the overpowering saccharine sweetness of it at. Fluttershy was buried in her mane and hooves. Twilight was very closely studying a nail on the floorboard. Rainbow was studying every aspect of Applejack's big green eyes, and Applejack was pressing her forehead against the pony she loved.

"Then I couldn't help mahself I just kept sayin 'Ah love you,' 'ah love you!' 'Ah love you."She punctuated every sentence with a kiss. "Like ah was tryin to make up for lost time of wantin to say it and never gettin to do it." Rainbow Dash got a mischievous smile at that phrasing.

"And speaking of doing it!"

"NOPE!" Twilight snapped, grabbing the well since fainted Fluttershy and teleported them both out of Sugar cube corner. The magic bubble disappearing around the overly enthusiastic ponies. A small pop of purple magic burst over the table and a single piece of parchment floated down. All it said was "We're very happy for you." The remaining ponies erupted with laughter.

"Awwww They left at the best part of the story" Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"Don't worry sugar cube." It was Applejack's turn to don a mischievous smile. "We know where they live." Pinkie Pie cleared her throat. She put in her best Canterlot Noble voice.

"Do go on then," and bit her lower lip.