It was three weeks into Winter, and even for Rainbow Dash, a creature designed by haphazard evolution to survive and thrive in icy altitudes, it was cold aboard the drifting airship. Hundreds of feet in the air, the vast machine hovered above snow-cloaked mountains and hills. Rainbow leaned against a frosty railing on a lounge deck clearly made for warmer weather. The chairs were coated with a layer of ice and looked thoroughly uncomfortable.
The journey west from Griffonstone was a long one. Not so long that Rainbow couldn’t conceivably fly it by herself, but certainly long enough that she didn’t want to, particularly in the thick of winter and carrying heavy saddlebags filled with her things. In many ways, it was a trip easier to perform on hoof. It’d take longer, granted, but in a less energy-intensive manner.
Despite the frigid temperature, Rainbow found herself admiring the view from the outdoor lounge deck. The humming of the propellers was irritating and ruined the silence of high-altitude flying, but the crisp cold air and lack of clouds allowed for visibility that, in Rainbow’s opinion, should be enjoyed without a thick window washing out the clean colours. Mountains and jagged peaks stretched out for many miles, and beyond that, she could see the beginnings of a white, flat landscape. Equestria.
The grinding of metal on metal jolted her to her senses. The heavy steel door swung open, and emerging from the dark interior of the airship was Gabby. The younger griffon had grown since the last time she had visited Ponyville. She was Rainbow’s height now, which was a little shorter than the average female griffon. Rainbow herself had been surrounded with them ever since she had left Equestria.
“Hey there, miss Dash!” Gabby exclaimed joyfully, and sauntered up to her. “Enjoying the view?” Gabby was no more built for these kinds of extreme temperatures than Rainbow herself, which was why the younger griffon came equipped with what appeared to be three separate scarves and a large, heavy woolen hat.
Rainbow’s hoof drifted to a small wrapping of cloth around her foreleg, and nodded. “Yeah. Kinda nice to see this far without actually flying myself for a change.” She gestured vaguely westward. “I keep on thinking that I can see my house from here, but we’re not that close yet.”
“Looking forward to getting home?” Gabby asked her. “I know I can’t wait to see my friends again.”
Gabby had decided to visit her old friends, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, over the winter holidays. Not unlike Rainbow herself, in fact. Scootaloo had left Ponyville for a time to go travelling with her parents. Rainbow hoped for Scoot’s sake that it was somewhere warmer.
“Yeah, really looking forward to it. I haven't been back in ages.” Rainbow flexed her wings, injecting some much needed heat into them. “Rarity should be back for the Winter. AJ’ll be there too.”
“Not Pinkie, Twilight, and Fluttershy?” Gabby asked.
“I don’t think so. Pinkie should be, uh… I actually don’t know where Pinkie is. South, maybe? She said she was going on a ‘journey of self-discovery, and also parties’.” Rainbow rolled her hoof around dismissively. “Not sure what that’s about, but hey, different strokes. Twilight is in the Crystal Empire with her family, which I’m sure she’ll be enjoying, and Fluttershy has kind of, uh, vanished?”
“Vanished?”
“Yeah.” Rainbow caught Gabby’s concerned stare. “Nothing to worry about! Discord’s apparently ‘taking her somewhere nice’.” Rainbow shrugged. “Which could be anywhere, anywhen, whatever. But look, she sent me a picture!”
Rainbow whipped a polaroid out of her saddlebag and displayed it for Gabby to see. The little griffon narrowed her eyes as she squinted. “That’s a weird picture. Is that tiny tower going to fall?”
Rainbow glanced back at the picture. “Uh, dunno. It must be a really small tower if Fluttershy can keep it from tipping over, though. It does look kinda dangerous.” She put the picture back in her bags. “So, uh, not quite a total reunion, but still pretty good! Three out of six is a passing grade, right?”
Gabby nodded. “I guess.” She tilted her head and glanced back out at the horizon. “Anypony in particular you’re excited to see again?”
Once more, Rainbow found herself touching the piece of cloth wrapped around her foreleg. She stopped herself after a moment. “Uh, nah. Just… nice to see my friends again. No offence, but you griffons can rub me the wrong way sometimes.”
Gabby sighed and turned to head back inside the airship. “Well, you’re still a great instructor,” she told Rainbow, “Even if we can be a bit… coarse.”
Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah. It’s been fun.” She cast a last gaze at the horizon. “You heading to get food?” She turned to follow Gabby. “If you are, I’m joining you. It’s way too cold for me out here. Kinda lonely too.”
As Gabby disappeared into the bowels of the aircraft, Rainbow slid her hoof towards the wrapping of cloth again. Her chest tightened and, despite the chill, she felt a hot sensation in her cheeks. To think that it had been six months since Rainbow had seen her last…
Memories of being told ‘it won’t work’ flooded back to her. ‘I don’t want to hold you back, Dash’. ‘We’ll see how we feel when we see each other again’. ‘I’ll miss you.’
Well, the time Rainbow was going to see her again was coming soon, and Rainbow wasn’t sure how ready she was for it. Would Applejack even feel the same way, after being apart for so long? Did Rainbow?
The airship touched down in a small field near an aerodrome, roughly half an hour’s trot from Ponyville. Like the rest of Equestria, the landscape was largely white, pale blue and grey, a mixture of wintery colours.
A small crowd of ponies was gathered by a fence, not far from where the airship was due to land. Most were wearing suitable winter clothing; scarves, hats and little hoof-mittens, as well as coats for the more well-to-do, which Rarity was. She craned her neck to see the gangplank get lowered down to earth, and the crowd of ponies aboard disembarking, chattering all the while.
Rarity herself was largely ignored by the two other ponies accompanying her; Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, her sister. They were both there to pick up Gabby, a friend and fellow ‘crusader’. Rarity herself had elected to tag along in order to greet a friend of her own. Rainbow Dash had been gone from Ponyville for five months now, after taking an offer from Spitfire to act as a Wonderbolt liaison and instructor to the griffon flyers. An odd job, to be sure, but one that would catapult Rainbow’s career forward in a big way.
The transition from expert flyer to leader was one not even many Wonderbolts achieved, Rarity was given to understand. Taking a temporary position as an instructor was a significant step towards demonstrating skills in a more leadership-related position.
It wasn’t difficult for Rarity to spot Rainbow Dash and Gabby. Both of them disembarked at the same time and struck quite a distinctive figure. Gabby, despite being small for a griffon, still had a wingspan that would make even a pony stallion green with envy, and Rainbow Dash herself had never been one to blend into a crowd. Rarity held her hoof up, waving at the pair.
“It’s Gabby!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, jumping up and down to get noticed. “Over here!”
Gabby shot towards the group, bouncing excitedly. The squeals from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nearly drowned out Rainbow’s own voice as she called out to Rarity.
“Hey there!” she exclaimed, trotting towards Rarity, her wings flaring out slightly.
“Instructor Dash!” Rarity replied, putting especial emphasis on Rainbow’s new title. “Darling, how have you been?”
Rainbow pushed past the crowd gently and navigated towards Rarity. The two quickly threw their hooves around one another, hugging. “Pretty cold!” Rainbow replied jokingly. “But better now that I’m home.”
Rarity smiled as the two squeezed one another, before releasing her hold on Rainbow. Her eyes locked onto the small piece of spotted cloth that was wrapped around Rainbow’s foreleg. “Darling, what is that? Don’t tell me it’s a fashion statement gone terribly wrong.”
Rainbow glanced at the wrapping with a sheepish look in her eyes. “Uh, just a parting gift from AJ.” Rainbow dismissively waved her hoof. “It’s not much but it keeps my foreleg warm is all.”
Rarity withheld an unladylike snort. “Naturally. Protection from the elements must be your sole priority.” She gestured away from the aerodrome. “Shall we begin heading to Ponyville?”
Rainbow nodded, and Rarity called out to Sweetie, Apple Bloom, and Gabby, who were all holding hooves/talons in a circle and chatting excitedly. “Come along now! It’s still a distance back to Ponyville and I, for one, cannot even feel my hooves.” Rarity glanced towards Rainbow Dash. “Besides, I am certain that Applejack will be very delighted to see you again, dear.” Rarity leaned in towards Rainbow as they trotted away from the aerodrome and towards a path leading West. “I have it on very good authority that she has been counting the days until you returned.”
Rainbow’s cheeks were already flushed from the cold, but Rarity was convinced she could see them get a bit more purple than before. “Y-yeah, sure.”
The farm was pretty much as Rainbow had left it. The sign looked new; a fresh coat of paint, perhaps? It was hard to tell given the thin sheen of frost and gargantuan icicles hanging beneath the wooden frame like large, translucent fingers. Some were as big as Rainbow’s head!
Rarity was thoroughly shivering now, clutching at her shawl. Every five minutes, she cast a quick warmth spell to keep the chill at bay.
Now that she was at a lower altitude, Rainbow herself felt a bit more comfortable. That, and she was someplace familiar. How many times had she dawdled at the farm, lounged amongst the trees and cheekily stole some of the nicer apples as a snack when visiting her friend? Too many to count, which was saying something. Rainbow could count fairly high before she got bored.
The track was mostly obscured beneath snow and sleet, with tracks dug into the ground where carts and sleds had gone. Not far from her and Rarity was the farmhouse itself, still painted in vibrant warm colours. The tools, barrels and crates that were so often strewn in front of the barn were all gone, tucked away inside the homely wooden structure.
Apple Bloom and her friends cantered ahead, eager to get inside where it was warm. Rarity insisted on displaying more decorum, despite being far more affected by the cold than any of the others.
“...So yes, that’s four boutiques I own personally now,” Rarity said, continuing a conversation that Rainbow had only been partially paying attention to. “Ponyville, Canterlot, Manehattan, and now Fillydelphia. I do have my name on a little project up North, however, but we’ll be seeing how that one goes…”
Rainbow nodded absent-mindedly. Her attention was absorbed by the front door to the farm, which Apple Bloom had swung open in a desperate attempt to get inside faster. Sweetie and Gabby followed her into the orange glow of the indoors. Rainbow felt uncharacteristically nervous, like her stomach was tighter than it should be.
“Oh, you are incorrigible,” Rarity grumbled, and gave Rainbow a small push forwards. “Go on.”
Rainbow Dash lurched forwards in the direction of the front door. The aroma of pies and spices wafted out from inside, and her stomach grumbled in anticipation. From around the corner, wearing a neckerchief and apron, emerged Applejack.
She looked older, even to Rainbow Dash, yet at the same time seemed to be exactly as Rainbow had remembered her. Taller than Rainbow, slightly wider and with more bulk to her, she flashed a smile at Rainbow. Orange light glinted off of her grin, and the corners of her eyes crinkled as she beckoned Rainbow closer.
“Howdy there!” she exclaimed, her voice a little deeper and hoarser than when Rainbow had left. “C’mere!”
Rainbow’s hooves acted without much input from her brain, and she practically stumbled towards Applejack, her nose and face sinking into Applejack’s long golden mane. After a brief moment of resistance, Rainbow sank into the farmpony, putting her hoof around Applejack’s neck, squeezing gently. She closed her eyes.
“Hey there, AJ,” she said.
“Welcome home.”
It felt like home. Rainbow might have been born in Cloudsdale but she had been made in Ponyville, grown in Ponyville, made her most long-lasting friends in Ponyville, gotten an extended family in Ponyville. As she nestled in Applejack’s mane, she smelled what it meant to be home, a warm sensation that all the dramatic landscapes in Griffonstone couldn’t replace.
If there had been any doubt in Rainbow’s mind about how she felt about Applejack, about how the distance and time apart had affected her, they all vanished like snowflakes in summer. It was like Rainbow had never left.
Rainbow heard a buzzing sound around her ear, and emerged from Applejack to come face to face with her little green friend, Tank, hovering at eye-level. She nudged Tank’s face with her nose and grabbed a hold of the tortoise with her hooves, allowing her pet to absorb all her attention with glee. “Hey there little guy!” she exclaimed. “Missed me? Has AJ been feeding you salad the way I told her to?”
Tank did not reply.
“We had to keep him indoors on account of this winter bein' too cold for him to sleep outside. Looks like he's gone and woken up just to see you." Applejack said with a broad smile. "And yup, fed him salad just like you told me to, plus all the little treats you said he liked.” Applejack said. “Come on in or you’ll catch your death of cold.”
It was hours past any semblance of a sensible bedtime, and the three mares were still lounging in the large living area at Applejack’s farm. They had long since run out of Rarity’s wine she had brought from Manehattan as a gift (barring one remaining bottle, which Rarity hoarded jealously), and had moved onto Applejack’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of hard cider.
Rarity stretched to fill the space of the large, cosy armchair, glass of cider levitated nearby, giggling furiously at Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s stories of clueless farmhooves and bumbling griffon students, respectively. Rainbow’s stories of griffon culture in particular attracted a great deal of attention from both Rarity and Applejack. Rarity observed the farmpony sit back on her side of the couch, hanging upon Rainbow’s every word.
Tank hovered nearby before landing in-between the two ponies. Rainbow extended her hoof to nudge the little tortoise playfully, at which Tank sat down and began to nap. Rainbow raised herself and pulled her body closer to the tortoise. Once she nestled in next to her pet comfortably, she began gently stroking the top of his little bald head.
“He looks mighty happy to see you,” Applejack said. “He’s been okay here, but the first month you were gone he didn’t look really comfortable.”
“Yeah, well, my place isn’t really set up for a pet yet. Hopefully I can take you with me next time I head back though!” Rainbow nuzzled Tank. “Yes I will! Heh!” Rainbow raised her head to look at Applejack. “Thanks for taking care of him whilst I was setting up.”
Applejack blushed awkwardly. “Well, it was nothin’.”
Rarity felt her heart warm as she watched Rainbow pet Tank, a broad silly grin on her face.
“There’s a lot of cool stuff in Griffonstone, actually,” Rainbow went on, reaching towards her saddlebags. “I brought back some stuff. There’s, uh, these griffon flatcakes that are really high in protein that are awesome…”
Rarity’s eyebrow raised. She extended her hoof towards Rainbow. “Pass one to me, darling. I delight in all foreign cuisine,” she declared dramatically.
Rainbow tossed the packet of biscuits over to Rarity in a large arc. Rarity caught them with her magic and quickly peeled open the wrapper. It smelled… of seeds. Lots of seeds. Rarity wasn’t sure what she had been expecting. It must be the bird part of being a griffon.
“There’s loads of athletic stuff there too, actually. I can’t compete in a lot of them because, firstly, I’m busy, and secondly a lot of them aren’t really designed for pegasi. It’s pretty awesome. You’d think griffons would be all about flying but they have loads of no-flying stuff too.”
“No kiddin’,” Applejack commented.
Rainbow sank into the cushions, taking another sip of cider. Her cheeks were quite rosy from all the drink, and she had a silly tipsy smile plastered on her face at all times. “Yeah, Griffonstone is cool. Pretty lonesome though.”
“Must be nice to be back in Equestria, then,” Rarity said.
“Yeah!”
Rarity took a few bites out of Rainbow’s mysterious seedy bar. “This is quite interesting. Not quite what I’d consider a delicacy, but…”
“I can’t get enough of them,” Rainbow said. “Here AJ, you try one.”
Applejack held her hoof out, and quickly tried one of the seed bars. She chewed it for a while thoughtfully. “Ain’t bad.”
“Right?” Rainbow rummaged around in her bags. “Let me see what else I have…”
“Ain’t quite as good as my apple flapjacks, though.”
Rainbow scoffed. “You kidding? Your flapjacks are like cement! These are awesome.”
Applejack’s brow furrowed, and she harrumphed, a narrow smirk drawing her lips together. “You couldn’t tell a nice snack from my flank,” she retorted. “‘Least mine have a bit of flavour instead of just bein’ seeds.”
Rarity took a sip of wine. She had missed this.
“Seeds taste great.”
“That’s the birdbrain in you talkin’!” Applejack replied with a sly grin.
Rainbow’s wing gently shoved Applejack, who rolled to the side, chortling madly.
“Shut up!” Rainbow giggled. “No bird jokes!”
Applejack held her hooves up. “Fine, no bird jokes.” She glanced down at where Rainbow had shoved her with her wing. She shook her head quickly. “Darn, those things tickle.” She reached towards the griffon snack again and continued eating. “So it’s been good for you, being an instructor?” Applejack asked in-between bites.
“Yeah, definitely. I mean, when Spitfire asked me if I wanted to I was a bit, uh… well it didn’t seem like it had much to do with me flying, y’know?” Rainbow shrugged. “But it’s been awesome. The griffons are pretty enthusiastic to learn about how ponies fly and stuff and the Wonderbolts want more presence all over the world, not just Equestria. And I get to be in charge! That’s cool.”
Applejack opened her mouth hesitantly, and then after a moment's silence, took another bite out of the seed bar. It was a motion that Rarity quickly picked up on.
“Anything to look forward to on your end, Applejack?” Rarity asked, steering the discussion back to her old friend.
“Oh, y’know, not much. My family are in a pretty good spot right now, so I was thinkin’ about competin’ in some more local events.”
“Why not international ones? You’re good enough for it,” Rainbow said, still searching in her bag.
“There’s always somethin’ to do at the farm,” Applejack said wistfully. “I couldn’t rightly leave for too long.” She scratched the side of her foreleg. “Uh, but there’s one near Fillydelphia I wanted to try and get to.”
“Oh, if you visit Filly’ you absolutely must pay me a visit,” Rarity declared, enthusiastically sitting up. As she straightened her wine sloshed messily in its glass. “My friends there would adore meeting you!”
“You’ll kick their flanks in Filly,” Rainbow said. “There’s like, nothing you don’t at least place in.”
Applejack giggled in embarrassment. “Shucks, don’t go puttin’ that on me. I ain’t a pro’ like you are, RD.”
“Yeah, but you could still beat me in a race on hoof,” Rainbow went on. “Not by much but still.”
Rarity giggled. She delighted in watching her friends switch from teasing and arguing to swapping compliments. It was something she didn’t get as much with her current crop of friends.
She sighed. It was a shame those two hadn’t figured out how to stick together. They were thick as thieves, and it showed.
Rarity harrumphed. She didn’t like getting so melancholic at a cheerful gathering! She levitated the last remaining bottle of wine and began filling her glass up, letting Applejack and Rainbow chat amongst themselves. Once adequately armed, she leaned back and enjoyed the show.
Rarity was now fast asleep on her armchair, curled up not unlike a cat. The near-empty bottle of wine sat next to the chair, a glass resting next to it. Applejack threw a blanket over the sleeping pony as Rainbow cleared up some of their mess with her wings, brushing it into a bin.
“Too cold out for her to get home at this hour anyways,” Applejack muttered to herself. “Rainbow, I’ve had one of the spare rooms set up for you. You want help moving your stuff up…”
Applejack turned around, and immediately found herself nose to nose with Rainbow, leaning in closely.
“I’ve missed you,” Rainbow muttered. She felt that now, with Rarity asleep, she was finally free to talk. “Those were some long six months.”
Rainbow noted every detail of Applejack’s face, the softening expression, the growing blush, the strands of mane falling across her eyes, out of place. She knew Applejack still felt the same way she did. She had seen it in the way she looked at Rainbow, and she heard it in the sadness in her voice when she had spoken about being unable to travel internationally.
“Yeah,” Applejack replied simply, and leaned forwards even closer, brushing against Rainbow before pausing. Rainbow closed her eyes, waiting patiently. This was exactly how they had left it last time, when Rainbow had announced that she was leaving for Griffonstone. The wait continued, interminably and painfully. Please let it not be like last time…
Applejack’s nose brushed against Rainbow’s. Uncertain, she began, “Is it okay if I…”
Rainbow didn’t want to wait forever for a touch that never came again. She closed the final gap, gingerly kissing Applejack. She smelled of cider and birdseed, but felt the same as when Rainbow had left her. Soft but firm, strong and warm.
After many heartbeats, Rainbow and Applejack pulled away, gasping slightly. Her cheeks were flushed, but she didn’t look upset or sad. Her breath was ragged when she smiled back at Rainbow. “S-same room, then?”
“Yeah, definitely.”
Inside Applejack’s room felt steaming hot despite the snow piling up on the window frame outside. Rainbow could barely breathe, the heat was so stifling. She was breathing heavily, her every limb feeling like it was humming gently. Applejack rolled next to her, and everywhere she touched, Rainbow boiled.
“I don’t…” Rainbow began quietly, her whisper dying down to nearly a whimper, “...think I’ll be getting much sleep tonight.”
Applejack nuzzled Rainbow on the neck. “That ain’t a problem, is it?”
Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side, brushing her chin against Applejack’s nose as she did so. She flared her wings, extending them out from under the scorching sheets to cool down. How did Earth ponies live like this? So hot.
Rainbow felt like she was on fire, but despite that, she couldn’t bring herself to pull away from Applejack. She needed to press into her and feel every hair and muscle. Six months she had been starved of her, and now she needed to overdose.
Applejack giggled as a tuft of Rainbow’s thicker pegasus coat tickled her nose. Rainbow pulled back slightly, and kissed Applejack on the cheek.
“I’m so sorry I can’t just commute from here. This is a great way to live.”
“Don’t go remindin’ me,” Applejack whispered. “I don’t want to think ‘bout that right now. Or ever.”
Rainbow closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the Earth pony’s soft head. All of a sudden Rainbow felt the fatigue of the journey, the drain of partying with Rarity and Applejack, and the exhaustion of sex all catching up with her at once. She laid her head down and her breathing slowed.
“Changing your mind so soon?” Applejack whispered in Rainbow’s ear.
“Shut up,” Rainbow replied, smiling faintly. “It’s like a two day trip on an airship and I barely slept at all… I’m super tired. ”
“I know.” Applejack slid her mouth down Rainbow’s neck again. “I can tell.” She came to a stop at Rainbow’s chest, and slowly drew back and pulled the quilt off of Rainbow slightly. A wave of cool air hit Rainbow’s neck, shoulders, and upper back. “Here. That better?”
Rainbow let out a soft noise to indicate that it helped. Then she fell asleep, her forelegs entwining with Applejack’s own.
“Don’t go back to Griffonstone too soon, sugarcube.”
Rarity groaned loudly as she stretched. Her back felt as if it had been folded, pressed, and thoroughly ironed before being tucked away in a cupboard. As in, very bent out of position.
Perhaps if she had been sensible enough to head home before the temperature dropped, she could have slept in a proper bed… but alas, foresight was one of the first things to vacate the mind once the third bottle of wine got opened.
She glanced around at the living room. Applejack and Rainbow must have given it a quick clean before they went to sleep, because Rarity remembered it being much worse than this. She yawned, and trotted out the living area.
Gabby passed her by. Of course, Rarity thought; the griffon was staying with Applebloom for the winter. Of course she’d be here.
“Good morning, miss Rarity!” Gabby exclaimed. “Did you have a nice sleep?”
“No,” Rarity admitted, blinking. She needed coffee. Coffee, a bathroom to do up her mane, and preferably some food. Also a good stretch; her back was killing her after sleeping curled up like that on an armchair. “But I’ll be fine. I presume Applejack and Rainbow are up?”
“I’m not sure,” Gabby said. “They weren't in the kitchen.”
Rarity nodded, and sleepily turned towards the stairs. “Very good. I’ll ask them if they want coffee.”
She walked up to Applejack’s room. It wasn’t hard to find, as the word ‘Applejack’ was inscribed on a small piece of carved wood that was pinned to the door. A souvenir, perhaps? She knocked, and then cracked the door open slightly.
She sighed loudly as both Rainbow and Applejack sat up quickly, startled.
“If you were going to share a bed to have your own ‘private party’,” Rarity muttered, “You couldn’t at least have given me the spare?”
Applejack grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, Rare’.”
“My back is very sore.”
“Sorry! You looked so cosy though,” Rainbow added.
Rarity rubbed the bridge of her nose. Of course they wouldn’t wait a single night before hooking up again. Rarity was surprised that she had expected something different. She was actually surprised in hindsight that they had waited for her to be asleep.
“It’s fine. Coffee, ladies?”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack leaned into one another in the snow as Rarity left to head back to the Carousel Boutique with Sweetie Belle. Breakfast had been comfortable. Rarity was neither too surprised with Rainbow and Applejack’s late-night activities nor did she disapprove or fawn over them. Rather, she had acted as if it was to be expected.
The two were sitting on a bench just outside the farm, their backs against the house wall. Rainbow was wearing a thick woolen hat, and had her wing wrapped around Applejack tightly. Apple Bloom was already on her way back from saying goodbye to Sweetie Belle, and passed the couple by.
Not far away, Rainbow spotted a small group of stallions brushing down the trees with large rakish tools, keeping them clear of snow. Rainbow whistled. “Looks like the farm practically runs itself.”
Applebloom nodded as she opened the front door. “Yup. I was actually talkin’ with Big Mac’ about taking over more responsibilities.”
Applejack rested her head against Rainbow’s shoulder, but her eyes glazed over somewhat. Rainbow tilted her head down, her smile fading as she became curious. “Anything wrong?”
“Nothin’ much,” Applejack said.
The door closed behind Apple Bloom. Rainbow nudged Applejack. “It’s okay. I’m not very judgy.”
Applejack chuckled. “I reckon not. I just…” she swallowed. “I don’t want this to end.” She turned her nose towards Rainbow’s feathers. “Us.”
Rainbow swallowed. It had ended once before… Amicably, but ended nonetheless. Rainbow was going to leave for Griffonstone and Applejack was going to stay in Ponyville. That had been the way things were and there was no way around that.
Applejack was right. As much as Rainbow wanted otherwise, as much as she loved the farm, loved the way Applejack talked and how brave she was, loved the food and the company and the sex, it would end again.
Rainbow’s voice lowered. “You could come with me.”
Applejack felt stiff in Rainbow’s wings. “That’d mean leavin’ the farm, though.”
Rainbow nodded. “I know.” She paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to suggest this. Gently, tactfully. “You don’t need to be on the farm anymore, though.”
Applejack scoffed. “The farm always needs work. You know that.”
Rainbow gestured towards the stallions working. “I dunno, AJ. You’ve got workers now. Money. Apple Bloom wants to help out more. And you could compete in Griffonstone. You’d kick butt.”
And they would be together.
Applejack was quiet, somberly gazing into the winter landscape before them. She breathed out a long extended sigh. She suddenly seemed older, more tired than she had ever been before.
“It’s all me, ain’t it?” she muttered.
“What is?” Rainbow asked, rubbing her hoof against Applejack’s side. “C’mon, you can talk. It’s not like when we just met and we could barely string two words together.”
Applejack shook her head. “Darn, when did you get to be more mature than me?” She breathed out. “I guess I ain’t never left the farm. Not really. It was all that I had to keep my family together. I don’t think I know how to live my life not thinkin’ about it all the time.” She leaned back, drifting away from Rainbow slightly, and a layer of cold air formed between them. “My family don’t need me no more, RD. I don’t know if I’m ready to not need them, either.”
Rainbow was a braggadocious pony, but even she knew when somepony needed to talk and be listened to. For Applejack, she’d be quiet and listen patiently.
“Ever since I came back from Manehattan, this farm has been teeterin’ on fallin’ apart. Granny’s health has been a rollercoaster, I never knew if Apple Bloom’d be needin’ money for education, and all that. Even the whole deal with competitions I’d take part in were for money, usually.” Applejack swallowed. “It was kind of nice, bein’ needed that badly. I kind of feel like nopony needs me as much any more.”
Rainbow could hardly stay quiet for that long. “Now I know you’re just trying to get me to say that I need you.”
Applejack snorted. “You say that, but you went six months on your own just fine, didn’t you? You don’t need anypony, RD. You’re way stronger than most ponies I’ve seen.” She nudged Rainbow in the side. “It’s what I like ‘bout you.”
“Heh. Stop, you’ll make me get all soft.” Rainbow smiled. “Okay then. Maybe I don’t need you, but I want you. That’s not bad, right?”
“I guess not.”
The two rested against one another, enjoying the quiet of winter.
Under Rainbow’s hooves the crispy snow began to melt away, and soft, luscious grass stroked her underhooves. Spring had come. Griffonstone was thawing and revealing its fantastic majesty to the world once again.
The clinical white that draped the landscape was being rolled back, unveiling a rainbow of browns and greens. Rainbow breathed out. It wasn’t as homely as the view of the Acres, but it was impressive and awe-inspiring nonetheless. Jagged peaks, ferocious cliffs, and ambulant clouds invading the skies around her. She rolled her neck, and looked upwards, trying to spot her students.
Flying overhead were a flock of griffons, flying in tight formation. Very tight; tighter than griffons would naturally find comfortable. This was part of the exercise; one of the characteristics of pony flight was their capacity to fly very close together. It bred a sense of dependance and awareness that made them one of the most social flyers amongst the denizens of the sky.
They must be sloppy from the winter holidays. Rainbow narrowed her eyes. Truth be told, she was struggling to get back into the swing of things as well, but she’d make it work.
Rainbow blew her whistle as loud as she could. “Bring it in, guys! Gertrude, you’re dipping behind.”
The griffon flying in the back grimaced and angled her wings, and the gap between her and her lead shrank.
Rainbow didn’t smile. It was hard to smile when she was concentrating. She was satisfied, however. Her teams’ weakness was that they didn’t pay attention to each other. That was something she could fix through practice.
The flock descended down and landed on the partially melted snow, stiff and professional. Their form was very strong; a griffon by nature had more muscle built onto their powerful frames, and they could land heavily without bending or breaking better than a pony could. Of course, Rainbow herself had practiced to be able to do it as well, but that didn’t mean it didn’t come more naturally to the team of griffons.
“At ease, guys,” Rainbow instructed. “I think that wraps it up for today, yeah?”
The griffons breathed out, relaxing as one. They milled around, chatting to one another as they walked towards the thatched house that served as a makeshift locker room.
“Pretty fast today, Galia,” Rainbow commented, nodding at one of the smaller griffons leading the group.
“Thanks, miss,” Galia replied. “One day I might be able to fly faster than you.”
Rainbow snickered. “Don’t hold your breath. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m pretty fast,” she bragged.
“Yeah yeah,” Gertrude began. “You might be faster in the sky, but we’ve still got you beat in a sprint.” The larger part-feline patted her hind legs, which had the elegance and power of an apex predator. “So there!”
Rainbow withheld a snort. “Oh yeah?” She grinned. “Faster than me maybe, but I’m not the fastest pony on hoof, y’know. You should try racing my mare—”
From the edge of the field emerged Applejack, trotting towards the group with a broad smile on her face. Rainbow turned to look at her, then back to Gertrude. “Speak of the devil. Hey, AJ.”
Galia made a teasing ‘ooh’ sound as she grinned cheekily. “Instructor’s got a marefriend now.”
Rainbow struggled to stifle a groan, and pointedly ignored Galia’s ribbing. “Hey, AJ, tell these losers that you could easily beat them in a hoofrace.”
“I could easily beat you losers in a hoofrace,” Applejack declared as she approached. “Hey there, sugarcube.”
The two ponies came close together, nudging one another with their noses. “Registered with the contest griffons?” Rainbow asked.
“Yup. They were a lil’, uh, surprised to see a pony here, but nothin’ too terrible.”
“They’ll be more surprised once you beat them,” Rainbow cooed, grinning. She waved at the griffons in her class to disperse as she wrapped her wing around Applejack, turning to leave. “So, how’re you enjoying Griffonstone?”
Applejack smiled warmly, the heat radiating off of her energising Rainbow. She nestled her head into Rainbow’s mane as they trotted away from the field. “I love it.”
Fin
Author's Note
Oops, forgot to add authors notes!
Hope you enjoyed the story. It was fun to write and try to make something a little more romantic than my usual AppleDash style, which is a lot more friendshippy than sexyshippy, I think.
Do let me know what you thought of it! I always enjoy getting comments, so fire away.
Good luck, and stay safe folks!
