It was a lovely night on Sweet Apple Acres. A warm, gentle breeze blew through the air, and the soft rustle of leaves completed the picturesque summer night.
A young woman walked delicately along the grass, her sandals brushing through the tall grass that covered the orchard. It tickled her feet, and she couldn’t suppress a little smile. As nice as it would have been to have a paved path, that would defeat the secrecy her destination provided.
It had been an accident the first time. She had been trying to find Sweetie Belle to pick her up, and had stumbled across a secret spring, hidden from view in what looked like a natural formation of rocks, simply too heavy to move. Applejack had promised to give her unlimited access as long as she’d kept it a secret, to which Rarity quickly agreed. A private spa experience? Whenever she wanted? And all she had to do was keep quiet? There was no way she could turn that down.
She approached what looked like a small crack in a boulder that was actually a hidden opening. The path soon opened up into a small grotto, hidden from sight, almost buried underground. A natural spring bubbled up in the middle, and she could feel the heat emanating from the water already. She couldn’t suppress a gleeful giggle. She shrugged her shirt off, revealing the purple top of her swimming suit underneath, and the sarong quickly followed, with both quickly folded neatly and set on a nearby rock. She slipped her sandals off and stepped into the water, on rocks that had been placed to serve as stairs. The water was hot, but not uncomfortably so, and she felt her body relax as she leaned back against the large rocks that had been placed to contain the spring. The water heated these, too, giving her the full experience.
She vaguely wondered what the Apples were doing this night. While she did enjoy coming here and relaxing, she had to admit, she had an ulterior motive for coming so often.
Many years ago, when they were just freshmen, Rarity’s locker door had gotten stuck before class. While she’d been struggling desperately with it (and trying not to cry from the stress of not having her belongings and being late to class on her first day), a nice blonde girl had simply walked up, reached around her, and effortlessly opened it. Ever since then, it seemed that fate had seemingly conspired to bring her and Applejack closer together. Friendship had deepened, and were she to be completely truthful, she’d been wondering if they could possibly be more than just that.
But things just happened to keep popping up, where it didn’t feel appropriate to try and start that conversation.
Her lips tightened. This train of thought wasn’t helping her stress.
And yet the train continued unabated. The current elephant in the room was Granny Smith’s recent slip and fall. From what she’d heard, she was recovering as well as could be hoped; but she was getting on in years, and Applejack had taken it hard. She’d clammed up at school, with barely a word spoken in class or lunch, and thrown herself into her work. Rarity thought she was under the stress of knowing that soon, she would be running the Acres herself; or maybe she was overwhelmed with the thought of losing yet another family member.
But Applejack had never said anything, so this was just conjecture on Rarity’s part.
She shook her head and tried to let that out of her mind, to just let herself be in the moment.
And, for a moment, it worked.
But then she heard the sound of rocks crunching underfoot, and Rarity froze. She had the sudden irrational fear that she was about to be the impromptu host to a very loud Canterlot Movie Club pool party.
But these fears were unfounded. It was Applejack approaching the hideaway. Her hat, then the rest of her, came into view. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, but she visibly relaxed upon recognizing Rarity. She raised her hat and nodded in greeting, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Rarity smiled back and waved. It was good to see her. She was clearly stressed, though. She’d been working hard; sweat plastered her brow and her shirt. Rarity realized that she must have come for some relaxation, too.
Applejack looked down at the pool, as if asking permission.
Rarity let out a demure little sniff and quickly moved aside, away from the rough stairs. She was the visitor, and Applejack was the host. She could do whatever she wanted.
And, hopefully, this would provide an opportunity for her to open up a bit.
Applejack smiled distractedly, and reached for the button on her shirt as she began walking towards the pool.
Rarity assumed that she had her swimsuit on underneath, but as Applejack pulled her shirt open and back, she exposed her bland, workhorse bra and her stomach.
Rarity’s eyes widened. She wouldn’t.
But just as quickly, her expression flattened. She would.
Rarity looked down and bit her lower lip. Brilliant. Now she had to try and get Applejack comfortable without making it awkward (and she was not about to disrobe herself to match the farmgirl). She glanced back up, ostensibly to make sure that Applejack was safe and not about to slip on the rocks.
Applejack’s undergarments may have been nothing special (try as Rarity might to change that), but her body certainly was. Her muscles were defined, but not harshly. Even before she’d gotten her geode, Applejack had been a strong girl, and Rarity subconsciously licked her lips.
Applejack faced away from the pool. Her boots came off next, and her jeans soon followed, and she pulled down her panties along with them. A flash of blond hair underneath confirmed what she’d always suspected about Applejack's personal grooming habits, but Rarity quickly averted her eyes, not wanting to draw any attention to herself staring.
The soft sound of her stepping into the water and then stopping made her glance up. Applejack had paused at the top of the stairs.
Rarity looked up at her, trying to keep her eyes on Applejack’s face, but could see out of her periphery that her freckles did indeed go further down than her cheeks, which was cute. Was she waiting for something?
Should she say something? This was the first time she was seeing her naked, after all.
But Applejack didn’t seem to be treating this as anything out of the ordinary. While Rarity would have considered disrobing in front of someone else for the first time a momentous occasion, Applejack clearly held skinny-dipping nudity as different than regular nudity; she didn’t seem bothered at all at being the only one unclothed.
And then a devious little smile appeared on her face.
Rarity understood what she was going to do a split second before she did it. She crossed her arms over her head and started to call out a warning, but it was too late.
Applejack leaped into the air, tucking her body in as tightly as she could. She cannonballed in, sending a wave of water flowing over the sides and soaking Rarity entirely.
Rarity huffed as she twirled a bit of wet hair around a finger and lifted it out of her face. She scowled under it at Applejack, who was now laughing at her expression, but it was a playful scowl and didn’t last long. Applejack had a lovely laugh. It was full and unbridled, and Rarity hadn’t heard it in a long while. She couldn’t help but join in.
Too soon, though, it faded, and she leaned back against the rocks. The bubbles from the incoming spring preserved her modesty well enough, but Rarity was less interested in Applejack’s body and more concerned with her expression. She looked tired, worn, with the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Rarity reached up, then hesitated, unsure if Applejack’s current state of undress meant she should keep her hands to herself, but her empathy won out. She gently squeezed her shoulder, wordlessly asking if she was alright.
Applejack opened her eyes at the contact, smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and closed them again.
Rarity frowned, and was glad that Applejack couldn’t see her do it. She wanted desperately to help, but wasn’t quite sure how. To buy herself some time, she let her hand slide down a bit to scratch Applejack’s back, right below her shoulder blades.
Applejack let out a soft grunt of appreciation and leaned forward a bit to give her better access.
Rarity continued gently scratching, but she felt like she wasn’t actually helping.
Eventually, Applejack readjusted herself against the rocks, and Rarity removed her hand, just in case that’s what she wanted. She didn’t want to make it awkward if Applejack had had enough.
The two sat in silence for a while, listening to the crickets and nocturnal birds. Fluttershy would know the names of each, just from the sounds they made. If prompted, she would even be able to provide a fun fact for any of them.
Rarity did not, so she wasn’t sure where to go from here. She looked up at the stars, as if hoping there would be an answer written there. She didn’t know what to say, but she loved Applejack, and she wanted to help, and she felt so helpless. This was not a good feeling.
After some time, Applejack let out a heavy sigh and leaned forward to push herself up out of the water.
Rarity had never wanted to not see her breasts so strongly. She grabbed Applejack’s shoulder, keeping her from rising.
Applejack looked back over at her questioningly.
Rarity inhaled, wanting to say something, but she didn’t know what, so she gave what she hoped was a hopeful, encouraging smile.
Applejack returned it with a gentle shake, as if reassuring Rarity that she was fine.
Rarity hesitated, and then decided that she could restrain herself no longer. She kept her hand on her shoulder and raised an eyebrow, maintaining eye contact with Applejack (a feat which was easier said than done).
Applejack shook her head again, firmer this time.
Rarity tried to raise her eyebrow higher. Ironically, Applejack was better at that than she.
Applejack looked at her defiantly, challenging her.
And then her expression cracked ever so slightly: one side of her mouth twitched.
Rarity tried to hide her relief. Progress!
They stayed like that for a moment longer.
And then Applejack wilted. She bowed her head and buried her face in Rarity’s chest and, to Rarity’s shock, began sobbing uncontrollably.
Rarity licked her lips, trying to process this unexpected development. Applejack tended to keep her strong emotions internal. Happy or sad, she kept it inside. To see her fully break like this? The stress she was under must have been immense. She couldn’t suppress a quick grimace, knowing now just how much pain Applejack had been in and suffering alone. This would certainly help, but Rarity did wish she had somehow done something sooner.
Not wanting to just sit there like a rock, she began to stroke Applejack’s hair with one hand, while holding tightly onto her with the other, all while trying to not think about Applejack’s bare breasts so close to her.
After what was likely a few minutes but felt much longer, Applejack sniffled, straightened up, wiped her eye with the heel of her palm, and smiled weakly at Rarity.
Rarity smiled back, hoping she could come up with something comforting yet witty to say-
And then Applejack leaned in and kissed her ever so briefly on the lips.
Applejack retreated instantly, her eyes wide, as if in shock at what she had just done. Her mouth worked wordlessly, clearly trying to find anything she could say to explain her actions or maybe defend herself.
Rarity blinked again, taken aback. While on principle, she was certainly not opposed to kissing Applejack (indeed, she had thought about it quite often), she had expected that she would be the one to make the first move.
And, to be frank, she wasn’t sure she wanted their first kiss story to be ‘she was having a mental breakdown and kissed me’.
But the cat was out of the bag now. And the very last thing she wanted was to scare Applejack away, not after that!
So she grabbed Applejack’s hands, pulled her in close, and kissed her back. Head tilted, she kissed her on the lips, once, twice, then gently brushed the tips of their noses together before backing up ever so slightly, so she could look into her eyes. She’d wanted this for so long, and it was… well, not exactly what she’d expected, but a lady could improvise.
Applejack looked relieved, if a little uncertain. She was aware that they had crossed a line they wouldn’t be able to uncross.
Rarity wanted to reassure her that she didn’t mind, that this line is one she would have gleefully crossed months ago, but no words seemed to fit. She didn’t want to be blasé about this.
So she did what she was wanting to do and kissed her again.
Applejack relaxed into the kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed.
Rarity noticed and smiled again. She wanted to take some of her pain, help her carry her load. She couldn’t, but she wanted to. She was willing to. Applejack wouldn’t be a burden if she did, because you can’t drop burdens, and if you willfully take it, it’s not a burden.
That was a lot to express with just one kiss. She hoped she was doing her feelings justice.
Applejack pulled back. She cocked her head slightly, as if still uncertain what she was doing and where this was going.
Rarity nodded. She wasn’t sure either, but she was invested. And she was really liking kissing Applejack, so she leaned forward and kissed her again.
Applejack pushed back, and Rarity couldn’t suppress a little giggle. Applejack was very strong, and though it was unintentional, it was a little thrilling to have her being so firm with her.
She didn’t seem very experienced. She was keeping her head at the same angle and kissing her lips quickly, nothing else.
Not that Rarity had much herself—multiple romance movies aside, that is.
But one thing was clear: Applejack wanted her, too.
She’d have to scold her for her stubbornness. This could have been solved much earlier if she hadn’t been so obstinate.
But maybe later. Much later. She had a few things she wanted to try first.
The next time Applejack pulled back to take a breath, she leaned in and gently licked Applejack’s lips.
Applejack’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that, but one side of her mouth twitched, and her tongue flicked against her own lips. She had liked it.
With that kind of review, how could she not? Rarity leaned forward and did it again.
Applejack tried it next. She paused, her mouth opening slightly, an inscrutable expression on her face. Maybe she just didn’t like the taste of Rarity’s strawberry lip gloss?
But she clearly liked Rarity, because she moved forward to kiss her again.
Which wouldn’t have been a problem, except Rarity was tilting her head to ask what Applejack’s expression meant, and they bumped noses. Both recoiled, not so much in pain as in surprise. Rarity brought a hand up under her nose, and Applejack reached out, as if to make sure she was alright.
They looked at each other.
Applejack cracked a smile first, and Rarity tittered. Applejack chuckled, and then they were laughing.
Which was good. Rarity felt her tension fade. She didn’t know why she was worried. Applejack was her friend—girlfriend now, you didn’t just do this with anybody—and she’d always been so easygoing.
Applejack sat back against the rocks, leaning back, arms out. She looked at Rarity, head raised slightly, going for a half-lidded ‘come hither’ (or maybe ‘get on over here, sugarcube?’) look.
And oh my, it was working. Rarity crawled over, and it suddenly occurred to her that Applejack was still naked. So on her next deep kiss, she accidentally-on-purpose brushed the back of her hand against Applejack’s breast, and then quickly moved her hand away.
Applejack broke the kiss and squinted at her. She let out a soft, incredulous noise of protest, as if offended that she had only done that once.
Rarity smiled innocently, but inside, she was feeling quite devious. Oh, she liked that, did she? She kissed her again, and as she did, she turned her hand, palm towards her, and this time, did it deliberately.
Applejack clearly tried to suppress it, but she was really liking this. She broke away and tucked her head down, but a little moan escaped her lips anyway.
Rarity loved it. She met Applejack’s eyes and licked her lips as her hand lowered, gently scratching Applejack’s stomach in lower and lower circles. She was just getting started.
Rarity couldn’t keep a smug smile off her face as she finished getting dressed, slipping her sandals back on. She looked over back at Applejack, who was laying back, head on the ground, arms sprawled out against the ground around the spring. Her eyes were still closed, but her mouth was open and her chest still heaved from her experience.
Rarity tittered silently. She walked over, and Applejack slowly opened one eye to look at her.
If she was wanting more, she would be disappointed; legal adults or not, they did still have final projects coming up, and Rarity did need to get home eventually. But even those thoughts faded away as she stared into those deep, green eyes she hoped to be able to see herself in forever. She knelt down and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, a silent thanks and a promise of more to come in the future.
Applejack reached up and pulled her back down, kissing her again.
Rarity gladly reciprocated. She didn’t think this would ever get old.
In a fit of daring, Applejack reached up with her other hand, intending to give Rarity’s breast a little fondle, but Rarity intercepted her hand and interlaced her fingers with Applejack’s, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Applejack gave her a sideways look. She knew Rarity knew what she was actually going for.
Rarity did, but she thought this was funnier. And besides, there was plenty of time for groping in the future (among other things). With a playful wink, she extracted her hand and straightened up and walked away.
As she was about to round the corner to leave sight of the pool, she couldn’t help but look back, briefly wondering if that had been a bit too much teasing.
Applejack was watching her leave, looking at her with none of the stress she’d had before. She was smiling and, if Rarity wasn’t mistaken in the low light, her eyes held a healthy dose of longing.
Rarity smiled, too, and left.
The grass of the acres brushed lightly against her feet, but she barely felt it; she was fairly certain she was floating above the ground entirely.
It really was a lovely night.