It was early in the morning, the sun barely full as it lazily climbed past the horizon. The breeze smelt of apples and dew, a smell Applejack greedily inhaled. It wouldn’t be too long before these smells would fade and she was determined to make the best of it.
Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably beside her, hooves perched on the lip of the wicker basket. “Ugh...Do I have to be in the basket with you? I could get this balloon up to altitude in 10 seconds flat if you let me.”
Applejack chuckled and wrapped a hoof around her wife of three years. “Ah know, but Ah wanted to share this experience with you. Yer so fast sometimes, you don’t always see the beauty you pass by. Besides, Ah ain’t too sure Cherry would appreciate it.”
They glanced back at Ponyville's resident hot air balloon expert, but she appeared busy with the mechanics and had not heard their conversation.
Applejack nudged Rainbow and turned back to the front, sweeping her hoof over Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow sighed as she nodded in begrudging agreement. “Yeah yeah, stop and smell the roses.”
Rainbow took in a deep breath, a small smile spreading at the sweet scent of apples. Her eyes drank in the view, the rising sun to her back illuminating the trees below her and casting golden light that made the leaves seem on fire. “Okay you got me, this is pretty awesome.”
Applejack grinned and nuzzled her neck, the silent ‘Ah told ya so’ ringing in Rainbow’s mind. Not that she really minded of course. Something she had learned was that for all the awesome she was, she was allowed to be wrong a couple times. Like, once a year at most and only to Applejack...Not that she would ever tell her that.
“Hey AJ?”
“Mmhmm?”
“Not that I’m ungrateful or anything but...why a hot air balloon ride for our anniversary?”
Applejack shrugged against her, her lips pulled into a sly smile that indicated she had a plan. “Just seemed like a nice idea is all. Relaxing morning, sharing the same amazing views you get to see all the time when flying.”
Rainbow suppressed a yawn as she grumbled softly. “Yeah, a relaxing up before the sunrise morning.”
“Oh hush, we are always up before the sun anyways.”
“You are. I wake up for like, a minute to say good morning but then I usually go back to sleep once you go to start the chores.”
Applejack’s smile turned into a full smirk as she lifted her head and held Rainbow’s cheek in hoof, her bottom lip jutting out. “Aww, does my poor wittle pegasus need a nap awready?”
Rainbow blushed, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she smirked in response. “Oh you are so going to get it when we touch down.”
Applejack snickered and pecked her nose. “Ah can’t wait~”
Rainbow wrapped her wing around her head and pulled her back into a real kiss. After making her point, Rainbow pulled away just enough to whisper, “I love you Applejack.”
Applejack smiled, pressing their lips together again for another short kiss, “Ah love ya too Rainbow.”
They stayed nuzzled together as the balloon drifted higher, finding no need for further words.
The air grew thinner as they ascended, leaving behind the soft scent of apples and dew for the crispness only high altitude could provide. The winds were a little stronger up here, gently tossing their manes about and ruffling feathers. The sun had followed close behind, driving away any chill that may have crept over them.
Rainbow’s eyes widened as the balloon slowed and it seemed they reached their peak, looking down as a soft ‘wow’ escaped her lips. This sort of birdseye view wasn’t an unusual sight for her, but it never failed to take her breath away. This was her favorite part of being a pegasus, flying so high up the ponies faded to ants, buildings to stones, and lakes to puddles.
She glanced over at Applejack and smiled, for even as much as she loved the sky, she had a pretty good reason to be on the ground as much as she could.
Beside her, Applejack whistled lowly. “Dang, now that’s a view. Ah can see why you like flyin so much.”
“Yeah it’s pretty awesome.”
And so are you.
Rainbow shook her head at the thought. Neither of them were really into mushy declarations of love, spelling names with rose petals or comparing their eyes to precious jewels, but that didn’t stop the occasional overused, cliche declaration from flying through her mind.
Applejack let out a dramatic gasp as she looked to her side, “Well would you look at that! Who could have done such a thing?”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow at Applejack’s dramatic tone; it was obvious she was up to something. Did she give in to something as equally mushy and lovey-dovey as Rainbow was just thinking about? She looked over, furrowing her brows. They were floating above and lazily drifting closer to what seemed to be a field of clouds, a large expanse of the fluffy things held tightly together. Rainbow’s eyes widened as she looked back at Applejack. “Uh...AJ?”
Applejack paused in her climb onto the lip of the basket, her hat off and safely stowed on the floor. “Yes?”
Rainbow fought to keep the panic out of her voice. “W-what are you doing?”
Applejack smirked, “Nothin.”
And then she jumped.
Rainbow screamed and lunged forward for her, but just missed grabbing her hooves. She flapped her wings and dived out of the basket, just as Applejack bounced onto the clouds.
Rainbow flared her wings to slow her descent, but she still hit the cloud cover with a quiet ‘thud’. “Applejack just what the hay were you thinking? Are you insane?! Earth ponies can’t... walk...on…”
Applejack grinned as she stood up, trotting over and nuzzling her. Rainbow’s jaw dropped, stammering for a moment with the nuzzle. “...clouds. What?! Did you get Twilight to cast that spell on you again?”
“Eyup, surprise!”
Rainbow deflated with a low groan, collapsing onto the clouds and grumbling into them. She hadn’t been that scar- worried since the zombie cookie prank!
She felt Applejack lay next to her, her strong hooves wrapping around her body and hugging her tightly. “Oh shoot, Ah’m mighty sorry Dashie, Pinkie told me it would make fer a good prank but…”
Rainbow raised her head, chuckling softly, if not very convincingly. “No, no. That, that was a good one. You really got me.”
Applejack kissed her cheek. “You okay?”
“Pfft, yeah. My wife just totally got me with the prank of the century! Why, why wouldn’t I be okay?”
Applejack took mental note of Rainbow’s increased heart rate and breathing, but didn’t voice her thoughts. She knew Rainbow well enough to know she was freaking out a bit.
She squeezed the trembling pegasus tighter, nuzzling her as her breath grew steady again, her heart rate slowing.
Rainbow let out a sigh, mumbling just loud enough for Applejack to hear, “Please don’t do that again.”
“Ah promise.”
Rainbow nodded and head butted Applejack's chest, a more genuine laugh bubbling from her lips. “Heh, you know this means you gotta help me get Pinkie back, right?”
Applejack grinned, “Of course. But we can plan that later.”
She nudged Rainbow and trotted off a few steps, “Fer now, it’s our anniversary, and this cloud walkin’ spell won’t last forever.”
Rainbow stood up and looked down at the clouds, prodding her hoof against them and really evaluating the work that had gone into making this. “How did you do this?”
“Fluttershy and the rest of the Ponyville weather team.”
“Huh, figures. They really packed this tightly.”
“Eyup. Fluttershy was in charge of making sure it wouldn’t dissipate too easily. Ah wanted to spend some good time with ya up here; Cherry will be coming back in two hours.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow as she looked at Applejack, a smirk fighting its way onto her lips. “Oh? And just what would we do with a couple hours to ourselves up here?”
Applejack sauntered over, swaying her hips exaggeratedly, drawling, “Weeellll…”
Rainbow’s wings twitched by her side, a blush forming on her face as Applejack leaned in to nip her ear. “Ah can imagine a few things married folks do when on their lonesome…”
Rainbow shuddered at Applejack’s hot breath tickling her ear, her heated whisper making her wings stiffen. She gulped, “O-oh? And, what, what would one of those things be, exactly?”
“Hmm, how about…”
Applejack leaned back, grinning down at Rainbow as she lifted a hoof.
Rainbow’s breath quickened as the hoof slowly made its way down, past her muzzle and aiming for her chest...
“TAG! Yer it!”
Applejack shouted gleefully as her hoof made contact, quickly turning around and running off, leaving a very confused Rainbow.
The pegasus shook off her confusion and reared up, “Ohhh, you get back here!”
She took off running after her laughing wife, a determined grin on her face. Oh she is going to get it now!
