"We're hooving out?" The elderly mare asked.
"No." The gamboge-coated mare corrected for the fifth time, "We're moving out, Granny. Moving out!"
"Oh! We're grooving out!" Granny misinterpreted the message from her granddaughter, Applejack. "Well let me go get my Weedles album and we can really cut loose."
Applejack placed her hoof over her face as Granny Smith left the Living Room at a slow pace.
It's been two months since Applejack's brother, Big Macintosh, married Sugar Belle. Her sister-in-law has been living on the farm ever since. It was nice to have another sister around and getting to know each other better while telling her embarrassing moments at her brother's expense. But as things began to settle down and Sugar Belle got more comfortable with this new lifestyle, Applejack began feeling that something felt off about the place she called home.
"Why do we have ta move out, Applejack?"
Applejack glanced over to the only other pony in the room, a sunny-coated filly named, Applebloom.
"We're not really leaving Sweet Apple Acres, are we?" Applebloom asked her older sister.
"Course not, Sugarcube." Applejack reassured, "We're coming back to Sweet Apple Acres everyday."
"Then what's all of this moving nonsense?"
"Well..." Applejack considered her words carefully before proceeding, "...does this place feel different to you?"
Applebloom placed some thought into the atmosphere of the house. She got a sense of cosiness from the place, one that she's felt since as long as she could recall. Everything seemed to be in order from the location of the furniture to the scent in the air, but the more she thought about it, the more she began to understand what her sister was getting at.
There's a few extra cushions with cupcake patterns on the couch, a couple of additional books about cooking rested on the shelves, and there's a faint hint of vanilla to the smell of apples in the air.
"It's starting to look less like a house meant for Apples," stated Applejack, "and it's beginning ta look like a home for a pair of sweethearts, doesn't it? Big Mac was always planned to inherit the farm one day, and now that he's married, I think you, Granny, and I need to give Mac and Sugar Belle some space for them to get adjusted at living together by themselves. She married him after all, not the family, so moving out seems like the best answer."
"Maybe," Applebloom said after seeing where her sister was coming from, "but ay don't think Big Mac will be too thrilled on the fact that we're doing this just for him and Sugar Belle."
"Which is why I want to keep this from them until we got everything settled at the other place."
"And that place will be..."
Applejack had a giddy smile, "I'm gonna leave that as a surprise."
"Please tell me it isn't the Cutie Mark Clubhouse." Applebloom had a miffed look on her face.
Applejack sucked in her lips as her pupils contract, "....wh...why do you say that?"
Applebloom lowered her head and rubbed a hoof on it, "I wonder if Sweetie Belle has to deal with moments like these with Rarity?" she groaned aloud before returning her eyes back at her sister. "Well faw starters, it's ah one-room structure that's unfit ta live in for three mares. The rustling of the leaves just outside the window would keep us up at night. Walking up the ramp would be strenuous for Granny Smith."
She continued as Applejack started to sweat. The older sister had to think of another alternative that'll be more suited for everypony's needs.
Applejack locked her sights on Granny Smith wobbling through the door. "GRANNY!" Applejack skittered over to the elderly mare, "Could you tell me what happened to you shortly after Mom and Dad got married?"
"What happened to me?" Smith completely forgot her prior objective the moment she was asked the question, "Well if I recall correctly, I decided to spend some time with Apple Rose to let your mom and dad get more acquainted. I still did my share of work around here, but I didn't really move back here until you youngins were born."
"So you decided to bunk with family." Applejack confirmed. She began to ponder over the thought, "That might be a problem. The closest family member outside of the farm are miles away." As she reflected on other choices, Applejack's mind kept recalling her close friends, "I'm sure one of the girls could help us out. I'll start asking them tomorrow."
"I don't think Granny Smith would like living here, Applejack." The pegasus caretaker, Fluttershy, informed her as she poured a large bag of seeds into a big bowl for all the critters in her cottage to eat from. "Living with all of these little ones can be quite a chore all on its own. And your grandmother comes across as somepony that probably doesn't want to deal with a bunch of rambunctious critters."
"That's nothing to fret over." Applejack scuffed at the idea, "The old green mare ain't what she used to be, but there's nothing my Granny can't handle."
"Are you sure? Things have only gotten a lot more difficult since Discord started living here."
"...beg ya pardon?"
"Discord, after what he did with trying to reform Tirek, Cozy, and Chrysalis; I was asked by The Princesses to keep a closer watch on him. So what better way to always have an eye on him than to have an entire cottage of little eyes seeing his every move."
Applejack kept picturing the scene between Discord and her grandmother. They're bound to cause friction with their stubborn nature. The country mare gave a low groan to the issues this could bring, "I think that's one character that not even Granny can live with."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help."
"Don't worry, I'm sure Rarity will be more than generous to help me out on this."
"A roommate? Darling, does this place look like a house to you?" The Carousel Boutique owner, Rarity, huffed at Applejack as they conversed in the fabric store. "You and Sweetie both, this is a place for business, not a house."
"But you have your own bed upstairs and a kitchen in the other room, complete with a stove and tableware."
"So I tend to sleep at the office and redid my break room to be shishi."
"Come on, Rarity." Applejack pleaded, "How about me and my kin help around the store."
"No offence dear, but you or your family won't be of much help. I mean, you don't even know what's the rage these days."
"Uh... isn't it dresses?"
"No." The fashionistas shook her head, "Today's trends are facial masks. And that's just a trend, what if a customer wanted a touch up and it requires a Basting Stitch, do you even know how to make one?"
"Look, all I really need to do is sell dresses. I can at least do that."
"Then answer me this... a customer walks in and asks for a Maxi dress. Do you know what to look for amongst the seventy different kinds of dresses I have in stock?"
"....."
"Sure you can stay, Applejack." The upbeat Pinkie Pie said with a nod and a bounce in her curls. "What are cousins for?"
A sigh of relief escaped from Applejack, "Thanks, Pinkie Pie. You don't know how much this means to me."
"Oh, by the way, I wanted to keep this a secret until you and the other girls were together. But since you're here, I have to tell you the big news."
"Big news?"
She zipped up to the farmer's face, "Me and Cheese Sandwich are getting married!"
"..." The country mare pulled at the side of her stetson hat down over her head, groaning to the irony.
"Don't worry, you'll be one of my bridesmaids."
"Sorry Applejack," rejected the new principal of the school of friendship, Starlight Glimmer, "but I don't have any room for you, your grandmother, or even your sister."
Applejack had a peeved look on her face as her and Glimmer walked down the halls of The Castle of Friendship. "What do you mean you don't have room? You're saying that you can't spare one room in this entire castle?"
"All the rooms are already occupied with students for the new school year. Since Twilight gained the throne, The Castle of Friendship has gotten pretty quiet around here, so changing this place into a dormitory seemed like the best thing for students that are studying abroad."
Applejack cupped her hooves over her face before her exasperated expression could be displayed for the world to see.
"I'm sure one of the other girls could help you."
Applejack shook her head, "Flutter's would cause conflict, Rarity's will be strenuous, and Pinkie's would be no different from back home. The only other pony I can think of is Twilight over in Canterlot, but the trip between there and Sweet Apple Acres would be an exhausting one."
"What about Rainbow Dash?" Glimmer asked with curious interest.
"Rainbow Dash's place is made from a cloud, can't very much get or stay up there so easily."
"Right," Glimmer recalled, "and the 'Lighter Than Air' spell will eventually wear off too."
"The only option I have left is to find a place to rent."
"Are you sure you can afford it?" Glimmer warned, "Making rent around here is already pretty difficult, and I'm assuming you'll be helping your family's business by working at a near-free payment, meaning you'll be paying for two households. You'll probably have to get another job just to cover for your sister, grandmother, and yourself. Not to mention, with school just starting, many of the cheap places have already been taken and they won't be available anytime soon."
The concerning fact left her with little hope for success, but Applejack placed those feelings aside and stayed committed that there was an affordable place somewhere in town.
Over the course of the week, Applejack asked various locations for a possible deal at an affordable cost. But either through haggling attempts or offering a weekly supply of apples, she still wasn't able to find a place.
After the last failed attempt, Applejack planted a seat on a park bench to settle her frustration of coming up empty-hoofed. She tilted her head back and gazed at the sunny-clear sky. She closed her eyes, thinking on what her next course of action should be. "Hmm... maybe I should go off Starlight's suggestion on getting another job? She wasn't exaggerating about the cost to rent something around here, and I'll be needing a good job in order to do that." The heat of the sun warmed her body up and the anxiety of finding another job would be a difficult tree to buck all at. "Granny's age pretty much makes her retired from working, and I don't think Applebloom is old enough to get one, so I'm pretty much going to be having a troubling few months from this."
"You look beat."
Applejack opened her eyes and saw a cyan pegasis staring down at her from a small cloud. "It's been a hectic week for me, Rainbow Dash."
"I kinda figured." Rainbow replied. She pushed the cloud she was on down to a more even level with Applejack. "I guess you're still trying to find someplace to stay."
"I don't remember ever telling you about my house hunting."
"Well you know how young mares are and how they have to talk with their friends about every little detail that's happening in their lives."
Applejack laid a forehoof over her face, "Applebloom."
"Who told Scootaloo, who told me." Dash told Applejack, "You know I felt pretty left out when I heard you asked about being roommates with everypony but me."
"There was no point in asking."
"But why didn't you?"
"Because I don't want to have a falling dream and then wake up to see that I'm actually falling."
"I'm sure Starlight could make a spell that'll keep that from happening, she's like, a wiz at magic and stuff!"
"Dash!" Applejack scorned at her from the ongoing drive of these questions, "Get your head out of the clouds already! It isn't going to work."
A period of silence fell between the two mares. Rainbow Dash pouted on her personal-sized nimbus and Applejack sulked on the wooden park bench to ease her temper. The atmosphere began to cool down around them as they faced the facts that had fallen on themselves.
"...okay," Dash said with a stern expression on her face, "I'll do just that!"
Applejack looked up at the pegasus, feeling content on her decision.
"I'll move out of my home in the clouds and into a ground level house along with you."
And quickly lost the peaceful state. "You'll do no such thing!" Applejack fiercely replied.
"Sure I can. I can pay for the rent with my job and you can focus on supporting your family's business."
"That cockamamie hairball of a ploy is something I'm not going to condone with."
"Why not? You need a place to stay, and this idea will fix it."
"You're missing the point, Dash. You're giving up your home, leaving it with little notion of ever returning to it."
"Your point being?"
"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO ABANDON YOUR HOME JUST FOR THE SAKE OF SOMEONE ELSE'S HAPPINESS!!!!"
"You mean like what you're doing for Big Mac?"
Applejack lurched back like the wind was knocked right out of her. Rainbow Dash got her good, she rendered her speechless as Applejack couldn't even come up with a reason to fight against that fact.
Rainbow Dash hopped from her cloud to the solid earth below, "You're doing this more than just to give your brother some room to build upon his new life. You're also doing this as a way to settle your mind for your family's needs. But do you think for me seeing you struggling like this is any different?"
Giving off a heavy huff to blow the remaining distaste she has on the matter away, Applejack began to come to terms that she can't win this fight. "For the element of loyalty, you're certainly persistent to go against my wishes."
Rainbow Dash hopped on the park bench, sitting next to the mare. "I have to be, you're too stubborn to accept the honest truth that you need help on this."
And as the issue for finding a place to stay was coming to a close, Applejack found herself smiling from seeing that her new roommate is definitely going to be bringing a new spin into her life.
"...you are aware that Applebloom and Granny Smith will be joining too, right?"
"Just keep your grandmother's issues about my wild mane away from me and we'll be fine."
Author's Note
This is an idea I thought about shortly after the finale to make sense of the unspecified setup we got with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. I think it's solid reasoning, but this story has been very sporadic to me as it feels like the pacing is bouncy. Maybe it's the fact that I've been out of it, maybe it's because I'm out of my element (I don't make fluff stories..... there's some irony there sense my name is Amereep), but I think I'm unsettled with this story is because it isn't what I originally wanted.
I originally wanted to have the story play out like it's meant to be a child's storybook, complete with simple illustrations.
While the illustration would've been an issue (given with my outskirt talent and my interfering work days), I feel that the word count wouldn't reach the necessary amount of 1500 words needed for the story. I think the 'Director's Cut' version would've been under 750 words (it was originally meant to feel like a child's book after all). The beginning would've been a little different, the middle would've been chopped down heavily, but the ending would've stayed the same if I had made it the way I wanted it to be.
I never saw Dash and Jack as ever being a couple (or Fluttershy and Discord to which I slipped into the story), so I just wanted to tell a story as to why they became roommates. All I really needed was the motivation to tell this tale.
