The weekend before school was a godsend for the students of Canterlot High. With the summer holidays filled with camp, family trips abroad, or summer jobs to tie them down, friend groups couldn’t wait to get back together once again. Especially a certain group of girls, who had been forced into a summer away from their usual closeness.
***
Applejack rose earlier than usual that Saturday morning. Her friends were due to arrive at Sweet Apple Acers that afternoon for their big reunion – that was more for Rarity, Pinkie, and Twilights benefit, as the rest of the group had still managed to spend some time together – and end of summer camp out.
Sneaking quietly down the creaking staircase, Applejack quickly got to work in preparing the farm for her friends. She’d spent the day clearing out the old barn on the east of the farm, she set up a projector that would connect to her laptop, she cleared out all of the cobwebs and had Fluttershy gather up all of the mice and critters. Freshly washed blankets sat folded up in the corner, next to a mountain of pillows, that AJ could already imagine Pinkie Pie cannonballing into upon arrival. As Applejack padded softly into the old fashioned kitchen, she happily got to work fixing up her friend’s favorite apple family treats.
Applejack had spent most of her summer days working hard on Sweet Apple Acers. With Applebloom away at camp she easily picked up on her chores, as well as taking on a few of Granny Smith’s jobs to help the aging woman. While any free time the golden-haired girl found herself having was spent at her desk, trying and failing to keep up with her assigned summer studies. It didn’t come as a shock to anyone when Big Mac announced that he would be leaving school to dedicate more time to the farm and their family business deals, but Granny Smith had made it extremely clear that she didn’t want the same for Applejack. So when her report came, the older Apple woman was less than pleased with Applejack's results, and had, in turn, asked Twilight to set up a study plan for her granddaughter. Studying had gone alright in the beginning, but was quickly put on the back burner as a case of blight hit the west orchard and required Applejacks full attention. Now her books lay dust-coated on her desk, completely untouched for the last few weeks. She knew that her studies were important and that no Apple had advanced in education as of yet, but similar to Big Mac, AJ found herself pulling away from the academic world as she found herself with endless responsibilities.
By the time AJ had her apple pie, apple fritters, and gooey caramel apples cooling in the fridge, the rest of the Apple family had risen and stumbled into the kitchen. Still on a high from her time at Camp Everfree, Applebloom – who usually dreaded the rosters cry in the morning – was practically skipping to her seat at the kitchen table.
“Mornin’ Sis! Smells mighty fine in here!” The littlest apple remarked, her toothy grin shining bright.
“There for ma friend’s party later, so keep yer little hands off of em.” AJ warned, her stern voice turning into a slight chuckle as she watched her little sister retreat ever so slightly. “I put some in this yer box for ya,” She gently ruffled the young girl's red hair amusingly, before getting back to her role as chef for the day.
“I told that there smartypants friend of yers, that yud be done with that ‘er work today,” Granny spoke up as she lowered her aching body into her usual seat at the head of the table. “Yer done, right Applejack?” The older woman questioned, taking Applejacks sudden change in demeanor as an answer before the nervous girl had a chance to respond.
“Well, I was gunna get it done...but then we hadda fight the blight, an with Applebloom away at Everfree...I...I didn’t.” She gulped as Granny’s stare in her direction intensified.
“Applejack!” The oldest member snapped, her frail fist slamming against the hardwood table. “Yer studies are important! Take it from me, I wish I hadda kept my nose down at school!”
“I’m sorry Granny.”
“This er year is important!” Big Mac spoke up, his deep voice drawing the attention away from his younger sister.
“Don’t yer start now! I still ain’t happy bout yer dropin’ out mister!” Granny yelled at the oldest Apple sibling, prompting the man to turn a deep shade of red and sink into his seat.
“But Granny-”
“Don’t yer ‘but Granny’ me!” She snapped as she gently reached over and tapped the back of Big Mac’s head. “Lookie her’, Applejack. I only want what’s best for ya,”
“I know Granny...I promise that’ll try harder.” Applejack swore, before walking over to give her Granny a tight hug, one that was gladly accepted by the oldest woman.
“That’ll do youngen.” Granny placed a small kiss on her granddaughter's head. “Are ya cookin or what? I ain’t getting any younger here girl.”
***
Being at Camp Everfree for a second year in a row was not how Pinkie Pie had planned to spend her summer, but when Gloriosa Dasiy had called her offering her a job for the summer, the pink-haired couldn’t be more excited. But the party animal very quickly learned that life as a camp counselor wasn’t as jampacked with fun as she thought. All of the elements of Camp Everfree that she had loved from the year previous were still there, there were endless activities for her to take part in, loads of new faces for her to make new friends and a lifetime supply of marshmallows – as per her contract – for her to gorge on. But without her friends by her side, Pinkie found the experience to be quite boring at times. Until she met him. Her camp crush. Cheese Sandwich was just like her. His smile, his attitude, his marshmallow addiction. At first, Pinkie was threatened by the hyperactive man who she thought was out to steal her role as ‘the fun counselor’ but when she finally spent some time with him, all that distaste seemed to melt away like a crispy mallow in a super doper chocolate s’more.
Their summer romance had been the most amazing experience of Pinkie’s life and she couldn’t wait to tell all of her friends about it. Her first boyfriend. Her first kiss. Her first time...that’d be one that would leave even Rainbow Dash blushing. Everything about her time with Cheese Sandwich was utter perfection, well apart from when he broke her heart into a million pieces on the last day of camp. But Pinkie chose to forget about that part of her summer romance and focus on the good times instead, no one likes tear dampened marshmallows after all.
It was her job to bring some of her infamous cupcakes to the big end of summer campout, so the pink-haired girl got to baking the moment she arrived home from camp. In hindsight, she might have gone a little overboard with the sheer amount of cupcakes she had boxed up in the back of her car, but she’d happily donate the rest to Applejack’s cows and pigs when they were done with them.
The music poured out from the pink Mini as Pinkie drove the short distance to Sunset’s house, the girl in question still yet to pass her drivers test and completely reliant on her friends and public transport to get around.
Summer for Sunset Shimmer used to be filled with pure boredom. With no friends to her name and the majority of her classmates out of town or busy, she found herself left with no one to torment. But with a great group of friends, Sunset had been counting down the days until summer – especially since their first summer together had ended up being so jampacked with exciting adventures – only to be disappointed to find that most of them had their own things planned. With a lot of free time on her hands, Sunset tried to keep herself occupied, she completed most of her video games, got caught up on tv shows she’d been keeping on the back burner. But all of that happened in the first few days of summer. In desperate need of some sort of fun, Sunset applied to endless amounts of part-time jobs and in the end landed herself one working alongside a few of her classmates in the Mall’s food court. Flipping burgers ended up being more fun than she thought, even if the thought of eating meat still didn’t sit right with her. But at least spending all of her time at the Mall allowed her to update her wardrobe, much to Rarity’s annoyance that she couldn’t be there for the occasion.
As Pinkie pulled up outside of Sunset’s apartment, the thumping pop music signaled the hyper girl’s arrival before her high pitch voice screamed, “Sunset! I’m here!”
Grabbing her backpack with her games console and her ever-growing collection of favorite games, Sunset ran down the stairs of her apartment complex, to meet Pinkie. She’d been counting down the days until she’d been able to see all of her friends once again.
As Sunset stepped into the hot summer air, she was greeted by a bouncing pink-haired girl who instantly threw her arms around her friend and squeezed as tightly as possible.
“It’s...good...to…see...you...to...Pinkie.” Sunset mumbled as she happily patted Pinkie’s back, hoping that Pinkie would release her from the bone-crushing hug.
“Oh my god Sunset, it’s been sooooo long since I’ve had a Sunset cuddle!” Pinkie spoke in her usual quick tone as she released Sunset from her grip and linked their arms together as they walked towards the car. “I’ve got so so so much to tell you guys!”!
“I take it Camp Everfree was good?” Sunset smirked as she caught sight of the stack of boxes filled with cupcakes.
“It was...magical.” Pinkie gushed in an un-Pinkie like fashion.
“Magical?” The red and yellow-haired girl questioned, a teasing smile falling onto her face as Pinkie slid into her seat, a lovey grin still playing on her lips.
“All in due time…”
***
“Yeah, I heard ya Mom!” Rainbow shouted over her shoulder as she hopped out of the car with her right leg sporting a bight blue cast. Reaching back into the car she pulled out a pair of crutches and secured them under her arms before leaning back on the door to close it.
“I mean it Dashie, stay off the leg.” Her Mom warned but Rainbow simply brushed off the comment with a wave as she hopped towards the Apple family house.
For Rainbow Dash, her summer wasn’t as enjoyable as everyone else’s and in fact, she would wholeheartedly call this the worst summer of her life. For Rainbow Dash, summer was all about sports. Then again, for Rainbow Dash, her entire life was centered around sports. She was the captain of every sports team – a title she held with pride – and had brought the Canterlot Wondercolts to a surprising victory in the last year. As the school year drew to a close, Rainbow and her couch, Spitfire, had come up with the perfect game plan for the long summer days, a plan that was going to enhance Rainbow’s abilities and put her in the perfect position for recruitment agents. But all of that was put on hold when Rainbow shattered her leg while playing a pickup game at the park with a few of her teammates just as school ended. So, after nearly a month in the hospital, the rainbow-haired girl was forced to spend her summer inside with a cast reminding her of the fun she was losing out on and her friend's visits and phone calls making her countdown the days until school started up again.
Slowly she made her way up the dirt path – one that her Mom had offered to drive up, but Rainbow Dash was quick to reject her offer – the white tails of her cast turning a light shade of brown. In the distance, she could hear the childish laughter flowing from the small patch of woods behind the farm. A small smile tugged on Rainbow’s lips as she thought back to the endless summer days she had spent in the treehouse with Applejack and Fluttershy, back when she was Scoots age. She wished to be brought back to a time where all she had to worry about was making it home in time for dinner. Looking down at her leg, she let out a muffled sigh as she continued on her journey to the home of one of her oldest friends.
“Howdy, there miss Rainbow Dash.” Granny Smith’s voice startled the star athlete as she failed to notice the older woman tending to her flower bed.
“Afternoon, Granny Smith. Is AJ in the house?” Rainbow stopped to exchange pleasantries with the oldest Apple. She had always liked the older woman, after all, she had spent the majority of her childhood at Sweet Apple Acers and Granny Smith never seemed to have a problem with an extra mouth to fed or bloody leg to dress.
“Fraid not youngen. Out in the east orchard...or was it the north?” The older woman rubbed her chin in thought with the back of her mucky gloved hand. “Big Mac!”
“Eeyup.” The older Apple sibling poked his head out of the main barn, his floppy ginger hair stuck to his sweaty forehead.
“It’s fine, I don’t mind-”
Granny quickly cut the rainbow-haired girl off, Rainbow Dash putting it down to her bad hearing or Apple family stubbornness. “Where’s that there sister of yers?”
“What’s all this hollerin’ bout?” Just as Big Mac was about to respond, Applejack rounded the corner that leads to the west orchard, carrying a large pail of freshly picked apples. Her dirt-covered shirt clung to her chiseled body, the sight making Rainbow Dash’s mouth go dry momentarily. Rainbow quickly shook any unwanted thoughts from her mind, blaming her uncharacteristic reaction of her best friend on her weeks of isolation and nothing else. “Howdy there RD.” Applejack gently placed the bucket on the path next to the barn and tipped her hat in a welcoming fashion.
“AJ.” Rainbow muttered as Granny and Big Mac shared a chorus of knowing glances at each other. There was no denying that there was something brewing between the two tomboys, even if neither girl was ready to admit it, even to themselves.
“Applejack, didn’t I raise ya better than tis? Get ta girl a drink and somewhere to sit!” Granny shouted as she walked past the two friends and joined Big Mac in the barn ready to sort out the bucket of apples for their cider.
“Come on in.” AJ chuckled nervously as she quickly skipped up the few steps that lead to the main house. “Shoot...want a hand?” She asked, after remembering that her friend might not be able to manage the handful of steps that lead to her house.
“Nah, I gots this, AJ.” Rainbow insisted as she paused in front of the steps. Sizing up the narrow steps she tried to lift her good leg while balancing on her crutches, only to lose her footing and slowly start to fall backward. Quickly, Applejack jumped into action and grabbed Rainbow’s frailing arms pulling the shorter girl into her embrace.
“Woah there Nelly. I got ya.” Applejack smiled as she moved to Rainbow’s side and wrapped her arm around her thin waist before helping her hop up the small steps. “See, no trouble at all.”
“Ha...thanks, AJ.” The rainbow-haired girl blushed lightly, but before she allowed Applejack to see the faint hint of pink on her cheeks, she quickly hopped towards the front door of the Apple house.
“Not that I’m glad to have ya here, but ya know that the party don’t start for a few hours?” The golden-haired girl smiled as she leads the injured athlete towards the kitchen.
“I managed to convince my Mom that we were starting earlier than usual so I could escape from her evil hold!” Dash exaggerated as she waited for Applejack to pull a chair out for her. “Thanks...again.” She nodded as AJ went to retrieve two bottles of cold apple cider and easily popped the two caps off with her spare hand.
“Well, I still got a few things to set up fer tonight. I could always use the extra set of hands.” AJ added before taking a large swig of her apple cider, finishing off almost half of the bottle in one mouthful. “An I don’t think the girls would appreciate my current getup.”
“I can set up as best that I can if you wanna take a shower.” Rainbow’s mind disobediently thought about how that scene would unfold. She could imagine every muscle getting soaped up and glistening in the sun that peered through the small window. Her flowing locks free from their signature braid, their length reaching the small of her back. Rainbow’s mind begged the blonde to turn around, to revel her rock-hard abs and what Rainbow could only imagine as perfect breasts.
“Ya alright there, Sugar cube? Yer ain’t lookin so good.” Applejack’s worrisome look broke Rainbow Dash from her unwanted trance and as the farmgirl reached over to check her temperature, Rainbow prayed that her cheeks would stop burning.
“Fine!” Rainbow snapped as she tried to move away from Applejack's touch, only to send her chair flying backward with a thud.
Worried about her friend, Applejack jumped to her feet to check on the groaning girl. “Yer sure bout that?”
“Maybe I could use a hand...”
“Good thing I gots two.” AJ chuckled as she pulled the shorter girl to her feet and grabbed her crutches which had fallen along with Rainbow Dash. “How bout I bribe Applebloom an her friends inta helpin’ and yer can sit an supervise the littleins?”
“I don’t...I think I can live with that.” Dash gave in as she pulled away from Applejack's strong hands. As much as she couldn’t wait to get out of her house to spend time with her friends, with the way her body seemed to be betraying her that day, she figured that time away from Applejack – at least until their other friends arrived – would be a good thing.
***
Fluttershy was running late. Which if you knew the light pink-haired girl, you knew that Fluttershy was never late. She was meant to be picking up Rarity and Twilight, but when she was on her way she happened to pass by a cardboard box with the word ‘free’ written on the side. Pulling over she was distraught to find a litter of hungry kittens who looked far too young to be separated from their mother.
“Oh my little darlings,” She cooed as she scooped the kittens into her arms and placed them in a dry and clean pet carrier she had in the back of her car. “Don’t worry, you’re safe now little ones.”
With all of the little kittens safely tucked away in their pet carrier, Fluttershy headed back to the Canterlot Mall. Fluttershy’s summer was no different than the rest of the year. She spent all of her free time tending to the animals at the Canterlot Animal Shelter. She watched in excitement as little babies were born and cried as some of the older or sick animals took their last breathes. She nursed the injured when she could, and never stopped trying to find every animal their forever home.
Worried that she leaving her friends waiting, Fluttershy called Twilight, knowing that she was most likely to answer her phone.
“Hey, Flutters.”
“Twilight, I’m so sorry. But I was on my way to pick up you and Rarity and then I came across this little box of the most adorable little kittens, and I couldn’t just leave them there. So now I have to drive back to the shelter and get the little ones settled. I’m so sorry, I never meant to be late but-”
“Breathe Fluttershy. I was just about to call you, Shining Armor was heading that way, so I managed to convince him to give me a ride. We can pick Rarity up on the way as well.” Twilight's confession was like music to Fluttershy’s ears, and the shaky breath that she didn’t know she was holding filled the small car.
“Oh thank you Twilight. I’ll you girls at Applejacks!” She happily exchanged a quick goodbye before ending the call. Now all she had to do was deliver the kittens to their new – temporary – home and make it to Sweet Apple Acers before dusk was upon them.
As Fluttershy let herself back into the now-closed shelter, she smiled at all animals who were excited to see their favorite caregiver. As quick as she could, Fluttershy got the litter of kittens settled into their own little pen and made sure that they were all fed and had access to water. Noticing the time ticking by fast, Fluttershy ran into the office to leave a note for the evening staff about their newest arrivals. Quickly she scribbled a few details about the kittens and stuck the posted note to the to-do list. She was ready to sprint out of the shelter for the second time that evening when a letter caught her eye with the words ‘Final Warning’ in big red print.
“Oh, dear...” She muttered to herself as she scooped up the letter and quickly skimmed the page. “Double oh dear.” She added as the realization of the financial situation of the shelter hit her and her heart began to break. She wasn’t going to let anything happen to the innocent animals in her care, no matter how hard it might be to save the shelter.
***
As Twilight Sparkle watched the city streets turn into beautiful forests, she couldn’t help but think back on her summer that had spent traveling with her family, her mother had suggested that developing her worldliness would look great on her college application and while Twilight had been apprehensive at first, she soon allowed herself to relax into her surroundings and opened her mind up to the possibility of attending a college further away from home than she had originally planned. From the different foods to the cultural difference she witnessed, Twilight enjoyed every second of her travels. All apart from the feeling she’d feel every time she taste something new or saw an amazing street performer, she missed her friends and maybe one more than the others.
“Missing the world, Twily?” Shining Amor asked, bringing his sister back into the real world.
“Maybe a little bit.” Twilight turned to face her brother, her smile halfway between happy and sad. “But I missed my friends more.”
“All of them, or a certain one in particular?” He teased, reaching over to poke his sister in the ribs.
“Shut up.” Twilight blushed as she sunk into her seat, crossed her arms over her chest, and fought the urge to smile. She told her brother everything, but a part of her regretted her decision to inform him of her first crush on her best friend, Sunset Shimmer, especially when he would act like an idiot whenever Sunset was around, just to make Twilight squirm. “Please don’t say anything in front of Rarity,”
“Give me some credit, Sis.” He winked playfully as he turned down the street that led to the fashionista's house. “But, all joking aside.” He turned to face his sister, now that the car was in park. “Don’t wait around forever, Twily.”
“I...I don’t even know how to-”
“Hello, darling!” Rarity squealed happily as she flung over the car door. “I need to hear all about your worldly travels darling! Oh how I’d love to spend the summer traveling,”
“Hiya Rare,” Twilight turned around to face her glamourous friend and was slightly taken aback to find six outfit bags in hooked over her arm as she climbed into the car. “What’s that you got there?”
“Presents from my time in Manehatten, darling!” The purple-haired girl answered matter-of-factly, as she unzipped one of the bags to reveal a flowing green dress with flowers and butterflies attached to the lace. “Fluttershy is going to love it!”
Rarity had spent her summer working with some the top Manehatten designers, she had found a home away from home in the Big Apple, her goodbye being almost as bittersweet as the one she’d shared with her friends weeks before. But she knew that she’d be back in no time. Between the connections she made and the list of fashion design schools that she complied, Rarity was determined to make her way in Manehatten.
“Onward, ladies?”
“Let’s get this party started.”
Author's Note
If you liked this and what to see more, let me know!
Currently without anyone to proofread, so if anyone is interested Pm me!
Rainbow couldn’t help but stare at the steady stream of steam that floated from the Apple family bathroom window. She was supposed to be keeping an eye on the three younger volunteers who were currently filling a large bucket with ice water to keep the bottles of apple cider cool, but her mind couldn’t stop imagining what was happening in the bathroom.
This wasn’t the first time she’d found herself lost in an Applejack induced daydream, in fact, Rainbow had found this kind of predicament becoming almost a daily occurrence in the past few weeks. At first, Rainbow had put it down to her pain medication driving her hormones wild and since Applejack was visiting her daily in the hospital, the farmgirl was the first thing that came to mind. She had felt guilty at first, especially when her thoughts would turn from admiring the farmgirl to thinking about touching her, kissing her...and other stuff that Rainbow wouldn’t dare think about in the presence of the young girls. But she couldn’t help but find the farmgirl attractive.
“How much longer you got that thing on for?” Scootaloo spoke up, tearing Rainbow Dash’s attention away from the cloud of steam and back into the small barn.
“Another few weeks, kiddo.” The rainbow-haired girl shrugged, letting her eyes fall to the blue cast that Applejack had insisted she rested on a nearby box. “I’ll be back to my usual awesome self by the time the soccer season starts.”
“If you say so. When I broke my leg a few years back it took forever to get back to normal.” The younger tomboy shrugged before running back to her friends at the other side of the barn.
Rainbow Dash sank into her seat, Scootaloo’s words echoing through her head. This wasn’t news to the athlete she’d had the same conversation with her Doctor the day before. But it was news that she wasn’t ready to accept or even entertain. Sports were her life and without them, Rainbow Dash was unsure who she'd be. She wasn’t an egghead like Twilight or great with animals like Fluttershy. Sure, she enjoyed a good party, but not to the same extent as Pinkie Pie and she didn’t even want to acknowledge what fashion designer Dash would look like. She’d worked the farm before with AJ, but even that would be ruled out because of her leg. She had nothing else going for her.
“It’s sure lookin good in here!” Applejack smiled brightly as she walked into the modestly decorated barn.
Rainbow Dash’s mouth went dry as she looked up at her friend. Her golden hair was tied up in its usual braid and thrown over her shoulder, but with the tips still damp her white t-shirt was starting to become see-through just above her breast, allowing Dash the perfect view of her white bra with little apple designs scattered. “Y-yeah, we’ve been hard at work. Yep.” Dash sputtered nervously as she tried to look anywhere but at her friend, afraid that Applejack would catch her staring at her chest.
“More like we’ve been workin’” Sweetie Bell corrected, thankfully drawing Applejack's attention away from Rainbow.
“Hey! I gave instructions.” Rainbow shot back, not wanting to seem completely useless to Applejack.
“Yeah, when you weren’t staring at the clouds.” Scoots added jumping to her friend's defense.
“I’m sure it was a group effort all the same.” AJ chuckled as she walked over to retrieve a red button-up shirt she’d left in the barn and quickly threw it on, much to Rainbow Dash’s relief. “I’ve got some cookies left for you lot in the kitchen, shake a leg littlens.”
“Thanks, Sis!” Applebloom called out as the three excited girls ran towards the Apple home, leaving the two best friends alone once again.
“Hope they weren’t too much trouble, for ya.” The taller girl mumbled as she moved the last few boxes to the far corner of the barn.
“Nah, I can take it.” She laughed in response, her body still on fire as she carefully studied her friend. “Let me help ya with-” For a split second Rainbow had forgotten about her leg and moved to stand, only be reminded by a scream-inducing pain shooting up her leg, that sent her flying back into her seat once again.
“Easy there Dash.” AJ ran to her side and knelt to face the squirming girl. “Yer gonna do more damage than is if yer don’t stop!” She warned, but when she received no response from Rainbow Dash she feared that the shorter girl might have hurt herself even more. “Hey…ya alright sugar cube?” She gently stroked her fingers through the messy rainbow hair, her voice as soft and sugar-coated as she could manage.
“I’m fine…just hurts.” Rainbow finally responded as she raised her head and met Applejack's worried gaze. Her eyes were red and strained, filled with tears that she wouldn’t dare release. Applejack kept her hand in place as her fingers rubbed soothing circles into Rainbow Dash’s scalp. “I hate this.” Rainbow let her head fall once again as she whispered so softly that she didn’t even think that Applejack heard her, it wasn’t until AJ hooked her finger under the shorter girl's chin forcing her to meet her gaze to meet again.
“You’ll get through this, RD and I’ll be right by yer side.”
Dash could feel her cheeks begin to burn up again as she relaxed into Applejack’s touch pushing her fingers to thread deeper into her messy hair. The air around them grew thick and Rainbow slowly began to inch herself closer to the farmgirl, but she stopped short when she saw a look of confusion fall upon AJ’s face. “I...umm...I better finished gettin’ set up fore the girls get here.” AJ pulled away, letting her hand weave out of Rainbow’s hair gently before she went back to setting up the barn.
Rainbow Dash spent the rest of their alone time together in complete silence, mentally kicking herself for trying to make a move like that. She worried that she’d messed things up with Applejack, she prayed that this wouldn’t put an end to their friendship and that Applejack would laugh it off at any minute and it’d be forgotten about. But as the time ticked on, Applejack didn’t laugh, in fact, she could barely look at Rainbow Dash.
Applejack’s moment with Rainbow Dash played on repeat in her mind as she tidied up the barn. She’d never thought of the rainbow-haired girl like that, heck she’d never thought about any girl like that. But there was something about the way Dash had looked at her, the way her eyes would flicker between her green orbs and her lips. And when she started to inch closer, AJ could see what was about to happen, what she was about to do...what she wished she’d done. Applejack had only ever kissed one person before when she was eleven at Young Farmers Camp. He was her biggest competition for camper of the year, and surprised her with a kiss to try and throw her off her game...it didn’t work. She wasn’t even sure that counted as a first kiss, she hadn’t asked for it and she definitely didn’t want it. But as Rainbow’s face moved closer to hers, she wouldn’t have complained if the sports star were to steal a kiss or two.
“RD, about before-” She started, but was quickly cut off by Rainbow’s nervous ramblings about how she was only fooling around and that she’d wish Applejack could take a joke. “If that's what yer want, I’ll drop it.” Applejack swore she heard Rainbow mutter the word ‘safe’ under her breath, so she added, “For now, anyway…”
***
Finally, Fluttershy was on her way to Sweet Apple Acres, but the words of the letter she’d found swirled around her mind on replay. Three months. That's how long she had to make things right, how long she’d have to save the animals and their home...she just needed to figure out how she was going to do it.
As she pulled up the dirt road that led to the Apple family home, she was surprised to see that she had managed to beat everyone else to the farm. This helped ease her anxiety ever so slightly, as she grabbed the spare blankets Applejack had asked her to bring. Fluttershy had always loved the quietness of the farm, that and all the different critters that tended to frequent the area surrounding the apple orchard. Looking around she was surprised to see the farm so empty. Usually, she could see one of the Apple siblings out and about the large farm, or Granny Smith on the porch with her knitting in hand. But that was not the case as Fluttershy locked up her car and followed the dirt path up to the Apple Family home. She took the isolation of her surroundings as a chance to ground herself and try to clear away her worries for the animal shelter when suddenly she was startled by the loud crash of glass bottles coming from the barn. Peering towards the red building, Fluttershy could hear her heart thumping in her ears.
As she rounded the corner she was relieved to see the oldest Apple sibling, “Oh, hello Big Mac.'' She sent a small wave to the tall man who had been carrying a crate of Apple Family cider to his truck.
“Fluttershy.” He blushed slightly as he looked over at the shy girl. Applejack had often taken great pleasure in teasing her big brother when it came to his crush on her friend, but she wouldn’t dare do it in front of the pink-haired girl, not knowing how the already shy girl would react. Big Mac lifted his hand to wave back at Fluttershy, forgetting for a moment that he had a crate of cider in his grasp. “Oh fiddlesticks!” He muttered as a few of the bottles fell to the ground and smashed.
“Oh dear. Let me help you with that.” Fluttershy quickly set her blankets down on the bonnet of his truck and knelt to help clear up the broken shards.
“T-thanks...ah guess ah didn’t havea good enough grip on em.” The taller boy’s blush intensified as Fluttershy moved closer to him, her sweet perfume sending his senses wild.
“It was kinda my fault, I shouldn’t have been distracting you from your work,” Fluttershy mumbled as she tried to hide behind her hair.
“Ah distraction like ya, why ah’d take it any day.” Big Mac plucked up the courage to say before his own shyness took over and he quickly tried to stand only to hit his head on the edge of his truck bed.
“Oh, are you alright Big Mac.” She asked as she reached over to check Big Mac’s head for any bleeding. “Feels like just a bump.” Fluttershy’s fingers softly danced over the growing lump on his head, before she pulled away to check for any signs of blood.
“I...umm-”
“Are we interruptin’ something?” Big Mac jumped away from Fluttershy’s touch, only this time he made sure to avoid injuring himself anymore. Looking up he saw his sister smirking down at him with an equally amused Rainbow Dash by her side.
“Fluttershy er’ was just helpin’ me with da…nnope.”
“Party’s this way Flutters. If you can tear yourself away from Big Mac, that is!” Rainbow teased, earning a playful slap from Applejack before she picked up an extra crate of cider for their party, seeing how Rainbow Dash had already worked her way through half a crate on her own.
“Leave her be,” Fluttershy heard Applejack scold their cocky friend as they headed over to the unused barn a few yards away from the main house, Rainbow Dash struggling to keep up with Applejack.
“I should…” Fluttershy kicked the ground nervously, her eyes avoiding Big Mac’s.
“Eeyup.” He muttered as he felt the back of his head wincing as his hard hands found the lump.
“A few ice cubes should help.” She mumbled with a shy smile as she grabbed her blankets and ran to catch up with her friends.
“Eeyup.”
***
“And then we went down to the lake and it was really, really dark. But I didn’t mind, because there were all these little fireflies zooming around and then…” Sunset looked up from her phone as Pinkie Pie paused the extremely long retelling of her time at Camp Everfree.
“And then?” Sunset questioned as a lovey-dovey look fell onto Pinkie’s face for the second time that day. “You didn’t...did you?”
“I DID!” Pinkie cheered letting go of the steering wheel for a millisecond, Sunset Shimmer had predicted this kind of outburst so she calmly reached over and steadied the steering wheel. “It was...magical, Sunset.”
“Woah, who have thunk that you’d be the first.” The taller girl teased playfully as Pinkie took control of the wheel. “So, when do we get to meet the lucky guy?”
Pinkie’s smile disappeared as Sunset’s words sank in as the memories of their painful parting played behind her eyes, like an old school romantic movie, the ones that always end in heartbreak.
“Pinkie?” Sunset reached over and gently rested her hand on the unusually quiet girl’s leg. “Hey, where’s all that first love excitement gone?”
“It wasn’t the fairy-tale ending I thought it’d be…” Pinkie whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she thought back to a few days before.
The Last Day of Camp
Pinkie had spent the morning helping the campers under her supervision pack up all of their stuff, said their goodbyes, and piled onto the buses heading out of state. As for the kids from Canterlot High, they had volunteered to help with the basic cleanup duties, earning them a few more hours at camp. When Pinkie had told Cheese Sandwich about her cleanup duties, the fun-loving teen had offered up his own services wanting to spend as much time with Pinkie as he could.
As they finished up with their cleaning duties, the young couple managed to sneak away from the group of campers and the last few counselors. They walked hand in hand to their spot, the big oak tree tucked away deep in the forest that had an amazing view of the Everfree lake. Cuddling up under the tree, Pinkie relaxed into Cheese’s arms, wishing that her magical summer with him didn’t have to end so soon.
“This has been perfect…” She whispered, content in their relaxed state. “I wish that we could stay like this forever.”
“Me too...but, we can’t Pinkie.” He mumbled, forcing Pinkie to look up at his frowning face. “This...us...we were only meant to last the summer. But the summers over now, so-”
Pinkie jumped out of Cheese’s embrace and took off running towards her cabin, the tears falling at a rapid speed. The entire drive back to Canterlot was spent in complete silence for Pinkie, a silence that the students of Canterlot High noticed almost instantly, but any questions or attempts at raising her spirits were ignored by the pink-haired girl, who spent the whole time snuggled up to her Gummy plush as the memories of Cheese Sandwich danced in her mind.
“That asshole!” Sunset swore as Pinkie finished her story. The pair had pulled over, Pinkie knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get through her story without shedding a bucketload of tears. “He doesn’t deserve someone as amazing as you, Pinkie Pie.” The taller girl smiled softly as she laced their hands together.
“Thanks, Sunset,” Pinkie sniffled as she used her free hand to wipe away the mixture of tears and snot running down her face. “I really needed to get that off my chest.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Pinkie.” The two shared a loving embrace. Pinkie’s mood quickly shifted as she pulled out of Sunset’s arms.
“Time to get this party...STARTED!” Pinkie went back into overdrive, removing any signs of feeling upset, and while Sunset didn’t agree with her friends burying their feelings, she knew that a party would be the perfect thing to lift Pinkie out of the dumps.
“Turn up the music, and let's go! Full speed ahead!” Sunset shouted trying to match the pink-haired girl’s enthusiasm.
By the time the pink mini had pulled up at Sweet Apple Acres, the sun had started to begin its set. Excitedly, Pinkie honked her horn as she pulled up to park next to Fluttershy’s car, her singsong horn sound drew the attention of the youngest Apple sibling and her two friends.
“Hiya Pinkie Pie! Hiya Sunset!” The country girl waved from their place on the porch, their faces covered in different shades of chocolate. “AJ an the others are in da barn over en the east.” She directed, earning her keep for the night, as Applejack had put it to her.
“Hello, Darlings!” The duo turned happily to find Rarity and Twilight walking up the dirt path, with a trailing Shining Armour following close behind, his arms filled with Rarity’s dress bags.
“Rarity! Twilight!” Pinkie cheered and quickly ran to engulf her friends in the same bone-crushing hug as Sunset received. “It’s been so so long!” Sunset smiled sheepishly as she walked over to join the trio.
“Three months of distance shouldn’t be allowed. Ever.” She added as she joined the group hug, all four girls neglecting to pay any attention to an inpatient Shining Armor.
“Ahem, ladies.” He coughed, catching the attention of the girls. Shaking her head in amusement, Sunset volunteered to take over Rarity’s manual labor as she scooped the seven dress bags from the blue-haired man. “Do ya need me to pick you in the morning, Twily?” He asked, before placing a small kiss on his sister's blushing head.
“I’ll be fine.” She mumbled, as her brother gave the girls a quick wave and headed down the dirt path. “I can help with those..if you’d like.” The bookworm offered, as the girls began to walk towards the barn.
“It's cool, months of flipping burgers and opening pickle jars has done wonders for my biceps.” Sunset half-joked as she tried to flex as best she could with the clothes in her arms.
“At this rate darling, you’ll be giving Rainbow a run for her money.” Rarity added, making the red-headed girl blush as she reached over to squeeze her biceps. “Definitely bigger, don’t you think Twilight.” The fashionista teased as she bumped her hips with Sunset, pushing her slightly towards the purple-haired bookworm.
“I’m sure that the daily exercise you go through at work, has certainly helped to improve your muscle mass.”
“Aha…” Rarity rolled her eyes at her friend’s awkward attempt at flirting. “Pinkie, darling. You must fill me in on all things Everfree.” She quickly hooked her arm around the Pink haired girls and zoomed away, leaving Twilight and Sunset alone.
“So, how was traveling?” The red-haired girl asked after a few moments of unsettling silence. Sunset had been daydreaming about seeing Twilight again, and so far things hadn’t gone as smoothly as she’d like. Something about Twilight just seemed to turn her brain to mush, and suddenly she didn’t know how to speak or act normal.
“It was amazing, Sunset!” Twilight’s eyes lit up as she thought back to the months she’d spent in all the different countries. “There was this one place, where the grass was so green and the sky was so blue. We took a picnic to the seaside and there was this field of little calves, and Shining Armor got stuck in the fence. You should have seen his face, Sunset!” She stopped and looked over at the taller girl, who had been intently listening to her speak and had begun to chuckle gently at the thought of her friend’s brother. Her mind went back to the words that her brother had spoken earlier that day, “Don’t wait around forever, Twily.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah...I was just thinking…” She trailed off as she stopped walking and turned around to look at the sun setting on the orchard. “It was all so beautiful…”
“I bet. Beats plain old Canterlot.” Sunset muttered as she looked sidewise, watching as Twilight sighed heavily.
“For the most part, but something was missing.” Twilight could feel her heart pounding in her ears as she turned to face the intrigued girl, she had never planned on making ‘a move’ as her brother put it, but standing there looking up at the night sky...it just felt right. “I didn’t have you there...and…” She gulped, “And, that’s all I wanted. All I want.” Twilight shut her eyes tight, afraid to look at the reaction on Sunset’s face, but what she didn’t expect was for a soft pair of lips to brush gently against her own.
“You can open your eyes now,” Sunset whispered, as a stunned Twilight obeyed, and met her excited gaze. “I want you too, Twilight.” She smiled brightly, as she dipped her head and stole another kiss from the bookworm, a kiss that they both fully embraced as Rarity’s dress bags were dropped and Sunset wrapped her arms around Twilight’s waist.
“That was...perfect.” She dazzled, her arms now wrapped around Sunset’s neck, their current position coming so natural to them. “Umm, Sunset?”
“Aha…”
“As much as I want to stay like this forever...I’m afraid that if we don’t get a move on, there’ll be a search party sent for us.” Twilight pointed out, snapping Sunset out of her Twilight induced haze.
“Think it's too late to slip away?” Her grip tightened playfully around the shorter girls waist, and while Twilight had been tempted to take Sunset on her suggestion - both of them wanting to make up for lost time - she also didn’t want to let her friends down, so she begrudgingly pulled herself away from Sunset’s touch.
“Come on you.” She smiled brightly as she picked up Rarity’s dresses and handed half of them to Sunset. Together, they happily walked hand in hand towards the barn.
Author's Note
If you'd like to become my proofreader, let me know!
Enjoy!
