Applejack's sandy blonde mane swished to the side as she threw her head back and gulped down the last of her cider, and then drooped back to it's natural resting position as she leaned forward and placed the mug on the table. Meanwhile, Rarity sat across from her sipping some red wine in much less dramatic fashion.
In fact, Rarity's movements were stilted and unsure. As if a thousand things were running through her mind, preventing her from truly focusing on her actions. Rarity's eyes were no less concerning. They were sunken, tired and downcast, matching her flat ears and straight face.
Even though Applejack was a few ciders deep and more than a little buzzed, Rarity's disheveled appearance did not escape her. In fact, the more she drank and the longer the night went on, the more it stood out. They were two young mares drinking their cares away in a farmhouse miles from the hustle and bustle of Ponyville; They should be laughing and enjoying themselves, not sulking.
"Alright. What's the matter, Rarity?" Applejack said through moderately slurred speech, her numb tongue struggling to form "S" sounds properly.
"Hm?" Rarity looked up from her glass with her eyes, but her face remained downturned. "Nothing, darling. Why do you ask?"
Applejack rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair, a knowing, yet caring grin stretching her flushed cheeks.
"You might be the only pony in town that's worse at lyin' than me, sugarcube. Spill it, I know you got somethin' on your mind."
Rarity pursed her lips and swirled the wine in her glass. She hated that question. She hated it, because there was rarely a simple answer. Life was complex, hectic, and at the worst of times, cruel. If ever she reached a point where she could point out only one thing that was upsetting her, she'd consider herself lucky.
"I suppose I'm just a little stressed, dear. That's all. I do appreciate your concern, though."
"Yeah, but what exactly is it you're stressed about?" Applejack raised her forehoof. "maybe talkin' about it'll help."
"We're having a nice evening, Applejack. I'd hate to ruin it with self-pity and wallowing." Rarity doubled down, punctuating her sentence with another sip from her glass.
"C'mon Rares, don't make me force it out of ya. What kinda friend would I be if I didn't listen to your problems now and again?"
Rarity slid her glass aside and leaned forward. She ran a hoof through her mane and then crossed her forelegs on the table.
"It's just... I've been incredibly busy lately. Running the boutique is hard enough work, but with this terrible weather we've had all summer, Sweetie Belle hasn't been able to get outside all that much. I love her, truly, but..." She trailed off. "I haven't had a moment to myself in weeks! I'm sure you understand how hard it is trying to get work done with a filly running around, what with Apple Bloom and all."
Applejack raised her eyebrows and let them fall back in to place, shrugging slightly.
"I reckon I do. It ain't easy takin' on the role of a parent, not by a long shot."
"The other day, I was sewing a vest for a client and she spilled juice all over the fabric! I had to begin again from scratch! Then, after that debacle, she somehow managed to catch one of my sewing machines one fire! And that's to say nothing of her constant pestering. I swear, it's like she knows when I need to focus and intentionally disturbs me! I'm starting to wonder if I should have let that stupid sewing machine burn the boutique to the ground and ran away with the insurance bits..."
Applejack stared at Rarity, wide eyed and slack-jawed. Rarity noticed this, and offered a weak smile and a forced chuckle; Playing off her rather extreme remark as nothing more than a joke.
"You uh..." Applejack started. "You sure you're okay, Rarity?"
Rarity pouted, allowing her shoulders to droop before taking a large swig of her wine.
"Perhaps not." She answered. "I know, fantasizing about the destruction of the boutique is a bit far. But between that stupid business and taking care of Sweetie, the only free time I have is spent sleeping. The only reason I'm able to be here now is because Sweetie is off at a recital with my parents."
"Sounds like you're just overworked, sugarcube. I know the feelin'. But, you shouldn't let stress get to ya."
"How exactly am I meant to deal with it, darling?"
Applejack stroked her chin, pondering the conundrum.
"Why not just... Make time?" She finally offered.
"Oh yes, Applejack. I'll tell my clients I will no longer be taking their orders, and then I'll inform Sweetie Belle that she is now homeless and to be raised by the timberwolves. What an incredible idea." Rarity said flatly.
Applejack sighed and rubbed her temple. Perhaps she was a bit too inebriated to communicate her point properly, or perhaps Rarity just didn't understand.
"That ain't what I meant, Rarity. There's a difference between takin' some 'me time' and ignorin' your responsibilities all together."
Rarity went in for another sip of her drink, only to be greeted by an empty glass. She glared down at it momentarily, as if it had personally wronged her by being devoid of alcohol. She then shook her head at Applejack's advice.
"And how, Darling, do you suggest I make this 'me time'?"
"Well, any time you want Sweetie Belle out of the house you can always send her over here for a playdate with Bloom. I know the rain storms we've had have sorta kept em' from playin' outside like they normally do, so I'd be happy to let em' have a sleepover or somethin like that."
Rarity's lips curled in to a smile, possibly the first genuine one all night.
"That's very kind of you, Applejack." The smile faded. "I wouldn't want to impose on you, though."
"It ain't imposin'. Everypony needs some time to themselves. I'm happy to help."
"I'll drop her off tomorrow morning?" Rarity smiled pleadingly and batted her eyes.
"Sounds like a plan." Applejack nodded. "Looks like we're both out of the good stuff." She added, motioning towards their empty vessels on the table.
Rarity's horn ignited, levitating a half-full wine bottle from the kitchen counter. It found it's way to her glass and tipped over, filling it nearly to the brim. Then, after replacing the wine bottle, Rarity used her magical aura to refill AJ's cider in much the same way.
"Much obliged." Applejack raised her mug and tipped her Stetson. Then, she took a swig. "So..." She said without swallowing, holding the cider under her tongue. "What are you gonna do tomorrow once you have the boutique all to yourself again?"
Rarity rolled her eyes to the ceiling in thought.
"Well, first I'll finish up this week's commissions. If I work hard and I avoid any hiccups, I may be able to finish before dinner time."
Applejack nodded at the answer, then gave a sly grin.
"What about after you're done with your work?" She asked, mischief in her voice.
"Oh, I can think of a few things." Rarity chuckled and smirked. "A hot bath and a good book come to mind."
"What kinda book?" Applejack pressed, narrowed eyes now accompanying her still-grinning lips.
"Science fiction." Rarity answered, barely containing her own laughter. She raised her glass to her lips, more so to hide her smile than anything else.
"Suuuuuuure." Applejack lingered on the word accusingly.
Rarity, not wishing to elaborate on her "me time" any further, decided a topic change was in order.
"So, a sleepover. I'm sure the girls will be excited. It's been weeks since they've seen each other!"
"They'll be happier than a bee in a flower garden." Applejack agreed. "What's with this weather anyway? Why've the Pegasi been causin' so much rain?"
"Rainbow Dash told me that they were 'behind on the precipitation quota', whatever that means. I suppose they didn't create enough rain when they were supposed to, and now they're playing catch up."
"Yeah, well..." Applejack scoffed. "It's playin' havoc on my crops, and it's got you locked up inside with a filly while you're tryin' to work. It ain't doin' nopony any good."
"You're preaching to the choir, dear. I'm just as tired of it as you are. Besides, all this dreary overcast is awful for my complexion!" Rarity pointed towards her coat as if it had been somehow affected by the lack of sun, but Applejack couldn't see any difference from normal. "Why don't you do us all a favor and ask Rainbow Dash to whip up some sunny weather in the forecast?"
"Wait..." Applejack squinted. "Why should I ask her. You got a mouth too, doncha?"
"Oh, I don't know..." Rarity leaned back and looked to Applejack with a smug, accusing glare. "I just thought Rainbow might listen to her marefriend as opposed to me."
Applejack, who's cheeks were already red on account of the alcohol, blushed an even brighter shade fitting of her namesake. She slammed a hoof on the table and feigned offense.
"Hey! We are not... I am not... It ain't like that! We're just friends, just like you and I are friends!" She barked.
"I'm just teasing, Darling." Rarity waved a hoof dismissively. "Perhaps I've had a bit too much to drink."
"I'd say we both have." Applejack relaxed a bit, backing down from her defensive demeanor. "I'm seein' two of ya, which is usually a pretty good sign I should slow down."
"It is getting late." Rarity looked toward the window. Though the kitchen lights made the sky difficult to make out, Luna's moon was still unmistakable. "My parents will be dropping Sweetie Belle off from her recital soon. I really should get home."
"It is about that time, I s'pose." Applejack lamented. "It was nice gettin' to hang out, Rarity. Been a while since we just had a few drinks and talked about nothin'."
"We shall have to do this more often, whenever I can find the time..." Rarity concurred.
Author's Note
This story is pretty different from what I've written in the past. Typically, I read and write a lot of sadfics, tragedies, and dramas. A friend of mine (you know who you are) says I should do some more lighthearted stuff to balance it out, haha. So, this was a short slice of life story about Rarity and Applejack just talking with a little bit of humor. I won't make any promises, given my commitment issues, but I may write a sequel to this about what exactly Rarity does after dropping off Sweetie Belle for the sleepover. Thanks for reading, and if you have any insight or criticism, I'm always open to it.
ALSO: Yes, there was an allusion to Appledash, though this is far from a shipfic. I know some folks don't like seeing ships they disagree with, so I just want to clarify this; If you ship AJ or Dash with somepony else, that's alright by me. The fun of fan fiction is seeing how each of us fans interprets the source material, even if we don't always agree with each other.
