The light illuminating from the fireplace was the only source of light, throughout the entire farm of Apple Acres. The sun had long since set in the distance, now the moon was shining brightly up in the sky.
Rainbow Dash didn’t care about the sky right now. What she wanted was right here beside her. Nuzzled up against her chest floof, lay Applejack her marefriend. The way the light from the outside shining in onto her Applejack’s golden blonde locks was just lovely.
Applejack snored softly, her chest raising and falling as she lay there in Rainbow Dash’s forelegs. This moment was precious to her. Rainbow Dash adored simply lazing about. It was one of her favorite things to do.
Lately, with being the leader of the Wonderbolts now that Spitfire had retired, she didn’t get this luxury as often as she wished. She leaned her chin against her wife’s mane, just inhaling her sweet scent of apples. Rainbow could have lazed in front of the campfire all night, but she knew she had to get up. Groaning, and reluctant to let her go, she carefully grabbed for some pillows, replacing herself with them.
Applejack fell onto the pillows, and for a moment, groaned.
Rainbow Dash jumped back, panting nervously she had woken her up, only to hear her whisper something in her sleep.
“Ah yeah...that’s the spot. Oh…”
“Dreaming about a massage huh? I’ll have to remember that.” Rainbow Dash stated, smirking, already forming a surprise for her later.
Rainbow Dash stretched out, unfolding her wings from their stiffened position. She felt a crack and a pop. Instinctively she looked over to Applejack, sound asleep. Shaking her head, she could sleep through anything. That gave Rainbow an evil idea, she’d have to try it out someday.
Not now.
“I can’t afford to be distracted. Tomorrow is our anniversary, and I still haven’t gotten her a gift,” muttered Rainbow Dash, as she trotted outside, gently, and she ensured she shut the door as lightly as she could, and went out.
The air was quite brisk, she could see her own breath in front of her face. Shivering slightly, she wrapped a scarf around her neck, and put a hat on, before making her way through the snow covered acres of Sweet Apples acres, heading straight for Sugarcube corner. If there was any pony that knew how to solve her dilemma, it was Pinkie Pie.
The walk to Sugarcube Corner wasn’t fair, heck, she could have just flown. But she wanted to take her time with this. It had to be right, it had to be the best of the best. The perfect gift for their anniversary. Rainbow walked up the stairs to the entrance to Sugarcube Corner, she was about to open the door and walk in, when the door opened outwards, hitting her directly in the face, and sending her backwards onto the ground below, with a heavy thud!
“Whoopies, Rainbow Dash why are you on the ground silly? That’s no place to be,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing, and offering her a hoof up.
Rainbow Dash stood up, dusting herself off. Good she wasn’t busy. Now was her chance.
“Pinkie Pie...I need your help.” Rainbow Dash began.
"You need my help?" asked Pinkie Pie, bouncing in place. "With what?" she paused, starring and batting her eyelashes at Rainbow.
"Oh! Oh!" She exclaimed, taking a step back, and pulling Rainbow towards her. "Yeah, you really do need my help. What am I going to do with you Dashie?" asked Pinkie, heading into Sugarcube corner, quickly closing the door behind them, it was dark. And it was easier to talk inside where there was the warmth of heat, and the promise of food.
“For all you know, Applejack might think you forgot." The joy slipped from her face as her eyes blazed with fiery intensity. "And you never, EVER forget an anniversary."
“Sheesh, Pinkie Pie I know all that okay? It’s just everything I thought of wasn’t good enough. It has to be the best for Applejack. And nothing is working out for me. You have to have some ideas…” Rainbow Dash begged, her lips parting and forming a pout, her eyelids narrowing together, as she gave the cutest puppy dog face that she could muster.
“Ideas? Well yes, sure. I could help. But it’s not my place. This is your anniversary. I can’t ruin that for you. It’s like sacred,” Pinkie Pie began as she trotted in place.
“They say anniversaries are the most important time in a couple’s lives. It’s the one time of year where they truly worship one another with hugs and kisses. And of course there’s a party too,” Pinkie explained, as she noticed Rainbow was silently glaring in her direction.
“Pinkie…” Rainbow Dash muttered, tail flickering back and forth. Rolling her eyes, and letting out a huff.
“Yes, Rainbow?” Pinkie asked, looking right into her big wide pink hues. There was stress there, anxiety, and a lot of nerves. Just by looking at her, it was easy to see.
“I came here for help, not for a history lesson on what an anniversary is. That is more Twilight’s thing. So, if you aren’t going to help me. I’ll just go,” Rainbow Dash stated, turning around and heading for the door. She knew in the back of her mind, this was the perfect way to get Pinkie Pie to help her. Sure, it was a bit sneaky, but she was desperate!
“Well, the first thing and the utmost important thing is what does she like, and what will that mean to her? Applejack is a pony that loves the simplistic things in life, so….” Pinkie Pie stopped herself short as she grabbed Rainbow Dash, and pulled her secret lever, taking them down the slide into her secret party planning cave.
Rainbow Dash was caught off guard when Pinkie Pie had grabbed her, and shouted out as they slid down the slide. Then felt like an utter idiot for panicking for no reason, whatsoever.
“Alright, Applejack. Here it is. She likes apples.” Pinkie Pie began with a giggle. “I don’t know why I wrote that down. That’s super obvious. She also loves her family, and really isn’t much of a pony to ask for anything.” she finished and looked over to Rainbow once again. Her big wide eyes beaming, her smile widening with each and every second.
“I already know all of that. That’s why I have to find her the BEST gift, the most epic thing ever. It’s what she deserves for putting up with my...awesome charms,” Rainbow Dash stated, her lips curling upwards into a smug smirk as she leaned onto one of the many filing cabinets.
Pinkie Pie shrugged her shoulders.
“You came here for help, and this is what I have on file. I can’t fix your problem, only you can do that,” Pinkie explained while bouncing around from file to file, looking through the many different creatures of Equestria. The list kept growing and growing, and it was good to have it organized so well. Twilight would be proud.
“I know Pinkie, I know it’s just...I don’t know what to get her. I’ve tried to find something simple and nice. But it’s not good enough,” Rainbow pouted.
“Whelp...sometimes the best gift of all is the one right in front of you.” Pinkie paused, thinking. “You love Applejack right? And she loves you.” Pinkie explained while swaying her head from side to side, giggling as she batted her eyelashes at Rainbow. “While you might not have a gift for her, you can still spend the day, showering her with affection. I think that would be a great gift, and very cute.” Pinkie explained, bouncing up and down.
Rainbow Dash thought about it, and considered what Pinkie Pie had to say. After all she had come here for help, and maybe to give her some idea of what to do about her predicament. She knew Pinkie Pie was right, but it left a sour taste in her mouth to go home with no present. Nothing she could give Applejack. At the very least, her marefriend was sound asleep so she wouldn’t even know she had been gone.
“Thanks Pinkie Pie, you’re a real pal.” Rainbow Dash stated, giving her a pat on her shoulder, before she felt Pinkie Pie pulling her tightly against her pink floof and glomping her.
“PINKIE. Do you mind letting me go now?” Rainbow asked, coughing and startling to breathe after the tight hug.
“Ooomphs.” Pinkie apologized, “Sorry, my bad.”, taking a step back, to give Rainbow space, a big wide grin spreading across her muzzle.
Rainbow Dash spread her wingspan out and flew upstairs and waved to the cakes on her way out. She had to get back. It was getting darker and darker, and the cold brisk of winter was starting to nip at her fur. She shivered as she hurried to fly home, to once again be reunited with the warmth of her marefriend.
She opened the doors to the farm, very slowly. She hated every second of how slow it was. She was calculating, and praying to Celestia, Applejack would still be sound asleep.
The whole interior was lit up by the warmth glow of the fireplace, Applejack wasn’t where she had been when Rainbow Dash had left. Frantically, panicking, Rainbow tilted her head from one side to the other, searching for any signs of the golden blonde mane.
Rainbow Dash looked to the main area of the farm, where the couch, and many many pillows were sprawled out in front of the giant fireplace. She had been here, sound asleep when she had left. Where was she now?
She then felt something being tied around her eyes, it was red, and smelt like lace. A ribbon?
“Who’s there?” Rainbow Dash asked panicking and preparing herself for a fight, putting her forelegs up and ready to attack. Then she heard that soft seductive whisper.
“It’s me, Sugarcube. You were gone so long, I was beginning to think you forgot.”
“Me? Forget our anniversary? Never! Why am I blindfolded?” Rainbow Dash asked, as she wanted to take it off, but played along just this once.
“I have a surprise for you. I didn’t want you peeking. I know how you can be so eager and all.”
“Am not!”
“You know I’m the element of Honesty right, Sugarcube?” Applejack retorted playfully, taking a hold of one of Dash’s forelegs, and leading her away from the fire, and upstairs to her bedroom. She removed the blindfold, and there on the bed was not only signed posters of all her heroes, but a poster of herself as well as a Wonderbolt.
“Happy Anniversary Rainbow Dash.” Applejack announced as she kissed her cheek fondly.
“But I didn’t get you anything.” replied Rainbow Dash pouting. She knew Applejack wouldn’t care, but it was important to her. She couldn’t just let Applejack blow her away like this, and not have some sort of one up on her.
Rainbow Dash wrapped a wing around Applejack, and pulled in closely, as she pressed her snout to hers, before diving into those luscious lips of hers for a deep, sensual kiss between lovers. She knew she was far from perfect, no pony was, but Applejack was the perfect pony for her. She promised to always be there for her, no matter what.
Sure, she could be awkward, and a bit reckless at times, but Applejack had always been able to keep her reigns in line, and give her a swift talking too if she needed it.
Rainbow Dash loved Applejack, and the two snuggled against each other. Rainbow’s wing enveloping Applejack’s barrel, as she kissed the top of her head, before resting her head in front of Applejack.
Applejack leaned her head onto Rainbow Dash’s, the two laid there together, like nothing in the whole wide world could tear them apart. They were in this together.
Rainbow Dash finally realized what Pinkie Pie had been trying to tell her. The best gift to give Applejack was the one thing she already had, love.
