Dirt

Chapters

Chapter 1: Busy, busy, busy
Chapter 2: Apple Crumble
Chapter 3: The Evergreen Park
Chapter 4: Perspective
Chapter 5: Closer

Chapter 1: Busy, busy, busy

It was a chilly day in the small town of Ponyville, signaling the end of Autumn. Everypony would miss things like The Running of The Leaves and Nightmare Night, but they couldn’t wait for Hearth’s Warming Eve and Winter Wrap-Up. There weren’t many ponies outside. On a day like this, it was perfectly fine for them to be curled up inside by the fire with hot cocoa instead. Some of these ponies included Carousel Boutique’s owner, Rarity, and her younger sister, Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle was off entertaining herself by playing dress-up with Opal. Celestia knows how that little filly could tame such a beast. Rarity simply sat in the living room on her long, velvet red couch with the latest book from her favorite author, Q.T. Inkwell, and a steaming mug of Trottingham-imported tea. She was very content when she turned the page, finding herself immersed into the story.

“How in Equestria could you do this to me?! Everything I have ever done was for you, always for you. And you repay me with this?” Nightshade looked up at his wife with tear-stricken eyes. His lilac irises flashed with anger and raw emotion. He pointed at her rounding belly with an accusing hoof. Emerald Gust could not bear to look at him. She had never wanted him to hurt like this. She should not have given into the temptations of Orion. But how could she not? He was so much different from Nightshade. With his long, azure mane, his cyan eyes, his comfortable lifestyle, his manners..but it was always Nightshade, with his course indigo mane, his laugh, his long hours at night at the factory, and his seemingly-cold demeanor that truly made her happy.

“My sweet, do allow me to expla-” She was abruptly cut off.

“Whatever your so-called 'explanation’ is, I do NOT wish to hear it. You said that you did not want any foals! And yet, you let somepony have his way with you, and leave you bearing a child? You are a fool if you think I shall tolerate this!” In his rage, he ripped the chain of the necklace around his throat and threw it to the ground, the ring attached to it falling with a resounding clank. “I am DONE, you hear me, Emerald? DONE!” He began galloping away. But she could not lose him. Of all ponies, not him! She ran after him, causing him to quicken his pace. The streets gave way to twigs and grass under their hooves.

“Darling, please!” She was going as fast as she could, and he was running with his eyes closed. They were in the Monarch Woods now, which ended in a cliff that fell a steep fifty feet to the ocean. You could see the remnants of carts and unlucky ponies on the rocks. And they were nearing it now as the path narrowed. She shouted out to him as loud as she could, begging him to stop, and then-

Rarity was snapped out of her trance by a knock at the door. She sighed, marked her page, and rose. She walked up to the door and opened it with her magic. There stood one of Ponyville’s many mailponies, Post Haste. His usually long and curly dark brown mane was now cut very short, and he wore a happy grin on his face.

“Afternoon, ma’am! I’ve got a letter for you.” He reached into the satchel at his side, pulled out an envelope, and hoofed it over to her. She took it in her light blue magic, and nodded at him.

“Thank you, darling. Have a lovely day.” She said.

“You too, ma’am!” He then trotted away, off to deliver to the rest of his route.

Rarity walked back into the living room, pushing her book and her tea aside. She placed the letter down on the table and was shocked at the name she saw. Fancy Pants? He was one of the wealthiest ponies in Canterlot! She began to open and read the letter, but began to frown. It seemed that he wanted a fashion show to be arranged as a Hearth’s Warming gift for his wife, Fleur-de-Lis. He wanted all of the clothing (at least twenty outfits for the models to wear and twenty more of the same ones for Fleur) and arrangements done by Hearth’s Warming Eve. Her head was reeling with all the work to be done, but then she thought about the pay. He promised nothing less than 50 K bits.

“Fi-fifty thousand..” She then proceeded to faint.

When she came to, Sweetie Belle was looking down at her with worrisome green eyes.

“Rarity, are you oka-”

“Heavens! How I am ever going to finish everything by the deadline?! I better go get the others to help!” She jumped up, and ran to the door, grabbing her coat with her magic on the way out. Sweetie Belle could just make out, ‘DINNER IS IN THE FRIDGE!’ as she closed the door shut. The little filly rolled her eyes.

“Sisters..” she mumbled as she went up to her room.

Rarity was trotting through the streets like her tail was on fire. The sounds of her hooves hitting the pavement echoed throughout the near-empty town square. The building that she was heading for was in her sights now, in all of its towering, delicious glory. Sugarcube Corner. If there was one mare with enough energy to help her ten times over, it was Pinkie Pie. She stopped at the door, now out of breath. After a moment of composing herself and making sure that her mane was presentable, she walked in.

Business was doing amazingly well today. Many ponies of all ages were sitting at tables and in booths, enjoy hot chocolate, sweets, and the company of others. Rarity looked around, thinking of the delicious taste of a cup of mint hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, and realized that the pink pony she was looking for was nowhere in sight. She rang the tiny silver bell on the counter and waited.

“You called?” Said a high pitched voice behind her. She turned around and wasn’t startled in the least by the fact that Pinkie was hanging from the ceiling upside down. She had grown accustomed to it.

“Yes, darling. I was hoping that you could help me with some designs. You see, I have a large order to fill. Have you got the time?” Pinkie's smile tuned down only slightly.

“Aw gee, I’m really sorry Rarity! The Cakes are super duper busy this time of year, and they can’t really afford to give me any time off. Sorry again. Hey! Do you want me to throw you an awesome I’m-Really-Sorry-That-I-Couldn’t-Help-You-Out Party? Oh drat, that would take up too much time! I’ll get working on it as soon as I can though! See ya!” And with that, the mystical mare disappeared out of sight. Rarity sighed as she walk out.

“Well, maybe the others will be available.” She tried to stay positive.

“Sorry Rarity, I’m heading out of town to help Princess Celestia with some of my studies on winter here in Ponyville. She may be trying out Winter Wrap-Up in Canterlot this year! Isn’t that exciting?”

“Aw man, I’m real sorry, Rar’, but I’m all tied up at the weather factory. We’ve gotta make a HUGE load of snow. The weather is gonna be at least twenty percent cooler in the next few days.”

“O-oh.. my. I really wish I could help out, but I’ve got to help the bears with hibernation plans, and get the birds ready to fly south for the winter..”

They all meant the same thing to Rarity. Her other three friends were busy. She sighed as she approached her last stop, cringing at how dirty her hooves were getting from the dirt road. A wooden sign hung proudly at the entrance, stating ‘Sweet Apple Acres’ in grand red paint. She knew that Applejack wasn’t really into anything to do with fashion, but she was desperate at this point. The farm looked desolate, but the fashionista could hear the thud of some sort of impact, which she knew to be apple-bucking. Her friend wasn’t too far away.

In the West Orchard, a southern mare with blonde hair, an orange coat, and an old brown Stetson on her head sent a swift kick of her hind legs to the trunk of a towering apple tree. Beautifully plump honey crisp apples fell into the containers below, a few of them falling out of reach of their targets. She picked them up, and tossed them into the cart. It was nice and chill out, with wind whipping at her mane and tail; AJ’s kind of weather.

“Well, I reckon today’s harvest was mighty fine! Ought to be time to head in.” The sun was setting, though it was barely visible behind the clouds. She put all of the remaining apples into the cart, along with the buckets, and attached the saddle onto her waist. She trotted happily, satisfied with a job well done for the day. She decided to sing a bit, which she often did as she worked. She closed her eyes as the words escaped her mouth.

“It’s cold outside, and still getting colder.

We’re both still young, but we’re getting older.

I wonder if she sees when I look at her,

so lov-ing-ly, and I wonder if she knows,

that I’ll shelter her from the cold.”

In her memories, she could hear the chords of her father’s guitar strumming along to the rhythm. She could practically feel her tiny hooves running against the strings on his lap. She smiled and opened her eyes, stopping dead in her tracks. Standing right there was Rarity, looking up at her in awe. She could feel her face heating up like a pot of freshly-brewed cider.

“Why Applejack.. I had no idea that you could sing so beautifully! If you weren’t so good at working the farm, I daresay that you would’ve been excellent in the music business!”

“Why shucks, Rar. T’ain’t nothing. Now what brings you to my neck o’ the woods?”

“Well, first, are you going to be busy for the next few weeks?” Applejack brought a hoof to her chin, thinking of anything that might come up.

“Nothin’ as far as I know. Why do you ask?” She inquired.

“Well, everypony else seems to be a bit busy, and I really do need as much help as I can to get to work on this order. I was wondering if maybe you could help me in coming up with a few designs, maybe even a bit of modeling?”

“Well, I don’t know much about designing or modeling, but I’d be right happy helping you out, Rar!” The farmpony gave a genuine smile to her friend. Rarity jumped up in triumph, shouting out a single word:

“YESSSSSSSS!”

Soon after, Rarity began to walk Applejack back to her home, the skies growing darker. It was getting quite chilly, causing her to shiver a bit. This however did not go unnoticed by her orange coated friend, who walked a bit closer to her. Rarity blushed a bit at the heat of Applejack’s body against hers, but she said nothing. Once the pair arrived at their destination and stepped inside, Rarity noticed just how dirty Applejack was. Her blonde mane was messy and entangled with twigs and leaves, her hooves had dirt and mud all over them, and her coat was full of grass stains.

“Oh no, no, no, my dear! This simply will not do!” Applejack looked at her with a questioning expression on her face. “Applejack, pardon me saying this, but you’re a bit er, filthy.”

“Aw, that’s what all the fuss is about? Shoot, I’ve been a might worse than this in my days.”

“I shan’t have it! I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!” Without another word, she levitated a highly confused Applejack up into the air, and led her up the stairs, around the corner, and inside of a room. When the light turned on, AJ could see that it was a large-scale bathroom. The tub was massive, with jacuzzi settings installed into it. All around, she could see various bottles and sprays and all kinds of brushes and sponges. It was all new to her, considering she was more of a bar of soap and towel kind of mare.

Rarity placed her down, and began to turn the knobs of the bathtub. Semi-hot water began to rapidly fill up the space. Rarity got some red containers, and started to pour the contents of a few into the water. Light pink fluid that resembled glue to Applejack fell in, forming globs of the stuff at the bottom. Salt of the same color was tossed inside.

“Uh, Rarity? Pray tell, what in the sam heck are you do-” The strong smell of apples and cinnamon was enough to shut her up. She inhaled the aroma happily, suddenly feeling extremely calm.

“You, missy, are going to take a bath. I refuse to allow you to get any of my fabrics, or my shop, messy.”

“Beg your pardon sugarcube, but it’s a bit of a mess in the first place.”

“Oh, hush. It’s not a mess. It’s organized chaos. Now, go on. Get in.”

Applejack hadn’t noticed that Rarity had turned off the water. She took off her hat, undid her ponytails,and tried not to look nervous as she stepped in the tub. She felt herself melt in the relaxing feeling of being fully encased in water. She usually showered. It felt like all of the stress and troubles of the day had been washed away, and her usual soreness was gone. She wondered how come this never happened with her at home. Looking over at the bottles Rarity had used, she caught sight of one of the labels. ‘The Working Mare’s Solace: Great For Aches And Pains!’ 'Well shucks. That was a might considerate of her.’ Applejack thought to herself.

She looked around for one of those fancy-schmancy sponges, and found one. She grabbed it, and began to lather it up with some body wash. Once she got it all soapy, she started to scrub all of the dirt and grime off her, making her coat shine and glisten. Cleanliness is next to Celstianess, after all.

Rarity on the other hoof was in a slight trance. She couldn’t help but to notice the way the other mare’s long blonde mane cascaded down her back, or how beads of water dripped down her sleek coat like it was rolling off a diamond. Her friend was quite lovely, even if her rugged exterior didn’t show it very well.

“So Applejack,” she started, “where did you learn to sing like that?”

“Well, I can’t very well answer that. It comes naturally, I guess. My Ma’ had a nice voice. She used to sing Big Mac and I to sleep when we were just youngin’s.” Rarity was a bit intrigued. Applejack seldom spoke of her parents. She decided against investigating further.

After another few minutes of soaking, AJ finally decided it was about time for her to step out. She dried herself off with a towel, and got back to normal. She had to admit, she look a might spiffy. Maybe she’d go out and buy some of that frou-frou stuff that Rarity had.

The pair walked back downstairs, where Rarity started to take measurements of AJ’s body. Measuring tape and sketch papers and pencils flew all around the room as Rarity checked the length and circumference of all of the mare’s legs, her neck, her torso, and her head. It was all a very long and tiring process. By the time she was finally finished, it was half past eleven.

“Well, I best head home, I s’pose.”

“Oh don’t you even dare. I refuse to have my friend walk home at such a late hour. You can spend the night with me, darling! I have a vacant guest room that I’ve been simply dying to put to use.”

“Are you sure ‘bout that? I mean, I don’t wanna impose or nothin’.”

“It is of no imposition, my dear! None at all.” So, it was settled. The Element of Generosity lived up to her name very well.

Applejack awoke with a start. It felt odd to her, how soft this bed was. She was used to her old spring bed back on the farm. It was cold, and she tried her best to get warm under the thick blankets, but to no avail. She decided to start thinking for a moment. How come she started feel weird around Rarity like that? It felt like a bunch of leaves were shoved in her hat. And she knew just how that felt, due to Big Mac pranking her once April Foal's Day. It felt out of place. She couldn't stand this cold bed any longer, and she got up, navigating herself around the small but beautiful house.

It was now the middle of the night, around 2 AM, and Rarity found herself still awake. Her mind was racing with all of the things that had to be done. And more importantly, of the odd fluttering feeling in her stomach when she though of Applejack. It was strange and new to her, and she was confused. She groaned, and turned over on her side, demanding her body to sleep. She closed her eyes. Not long after, she hear a few hoof-steps approaching her bed. She thought it was Sweetie Belle, who often snuck in at night after a nightmare or something of the like. But it wasn’t until she felt strong, shaking hooves slide across her body and a body frame that was larger than hers lay next to her did she know that she was wrong. The realization hit her.

This was Applejack. Applejack was holding her like she had never been held before, probably assuming the she was asleep. She didn’t mind it at all, thinking that it was all simply a dream. So, she turned around and snuggled closer to the stronger mare’s chest. Being lulled to sleep by the scent of apples.

(A/N: Very happy to be writing again! I'll try to make updates at least every 2-3 days if I can! I need a proof-reader or two as well. Anyone who is willing, please comment below or message me! Thank you!)

Chapter 2: Apple Crumble

Rarity awoke as she always did every morning; alone. Light filtered in through her lavender curtains, tickling her eyelids open. She felt an odd sense of disappointment, longing perhaps, that she couldn’t quite pin-point. All she could recall was a queer dream, but who could remember those things, anyway? She rose, and found herself barren of a robe. It was strange that her, somepony who could not go to sleep for the evening without moisturizing her coat with a special aloe scrub, putting on her prescription blueberry-scented facial mask, and having precisely one cup of lemongrass tea with a teaspoon of honey and three lumps of sugar, no more, no less, would forget to put on her robe. The morning chill that she seldom experienced was, to say the least, unnerving.

Applejack has always been an early riser. She awoke at the crack of dawn, sometimes before even that, and got straight down to business. But today was a bit different. Knowing how much that Rarity slept (She could possibly give Dash a run for her money), she decided to laze around for a bit. The white unicorn’s bed was soft. So soft in fact, that she felt as if she was drowning in the comforter. Next to her, a curled up ball of purple and white snoozed silently.

Applejack felt a stab of sudden guilt. She immediately rose from the bed, doing her best not to disturb the sleeping mare, and slipped away to the guest room she resided in the night before. (Albeit for a very short amount of time.) She saw what little of her belongings were in there: her hat, her satchel, and her two red ponytail holders. She pulled the old Stetson on top of her head, deciding that she would leave her mane down for a bit. She made the bed, knowing that Rarity would throw a hissy fit if she didn’t, and stepped outside onto the patio.

She sighed. What Rarity didn’t know was this: Applejack was what is classified as a Category Five Cuddler. It was a dreadful secret that she would prefer to keep under wraps. It was worse when she was younger; sneaking in to Ma and Pa’s room in the middle of the night. (Thankfully she never saw more of her parents than she’d like to.) After Applebloom came along, and her parents.. went along, she started to head down to Big Mac’s room. He never really minded too much. She was never worried about word getting out; her brother was a stallion of very few words.

Applejack looked up at the sunrise, tipping her hat a bit. The princess always does such a mighty fine job with the sun and all. This morning, it looked amazing. Streaks of orange, purple, and yellow danced across the brightening sky like a water color painting. The sunshine made the grass shimmer with sprinkles of morning dew. A mighty fine job indeed. A gust of wind shook her to her bones, making her tremble like an autumn leaf caught in a storm. She decided that this would be a good time to head inside, before she froze her plot off. She opened the door, and the first thing that she saw was her friend leaning across a stove, and smoke gathering very quickly. She chuckled a bit to herself.

“Need a hoof?"

Shortly afterwards, AJ had cleaned up some sort of blackish-brownish mush that could no longer be identified as food, and had prepared a delicious breakfast of apple cinnamon oatmeal. Sweetie Belle had awoken, and ran downstairs at the smell of edible food. The three sat down at the small table, and ate in silence. Rarity decided to pipe up, however.

“So Applejack, how did you sleep last night?” She looked up at her friend with a smile on her face. Her mane wasn’t exactly looking its best, but Applejack thought it wise not to point this out.

“Uh, I slept mighty fine.” That wasn’t technically a lie.

“Did you find your room to your liking? I do hope that it wasn’t too drab for you. Celestia knows how long it has been since I have done a bit of decorating in there.”

“Yes ma’am I did. The bed was real soft.” That wasn’t a lie either. No scrunch face. 'Thank the princesses for loopholes.' She thought.

Sweetie refused to go unnoticed, however. “Sis, do you mind if I go and hang out with Scoots and Apple Bloom today?"

“That would be perfectly fine, dear! I have to work on a few thing today anyway."

“Yay! Thanks, Rarity!" The little filly dashed out the door, off to meet her friends at their tree house hangout. The mares laughed.

With all of the plates cleaned off, and their stomaches full, Rarity looked up and said, “Shall we get down to business?”

What followed was a tartarus of a lot of paper. Papers on the floor, on the windows, on the walls, in the corners, in their manes, paper,paper, paper. The white unicorn was driving herself mad with artist’s block. How dare artist’s block show up at a time like this?

“UGH!” For the eight millionth time in a row, she tossed a ball of paper to some unknown destination, and started over on a fresh sheet. This was simply dreadful, and she needed a break. She had been at this for about an hour now. “I’m going to get some tea..” She said. With that, she slunked off into the kitchen, mumbling something about ink getting her hooves stained.

Applejack sat down in the now adjacent chair and looked at the paper in front of her. It already had the outline of a mares body on it. She thought to herself, ‘What would Rarity wear in the winter?’ She picked up the quill in her mouth, and drew long, thin little lines that ran all the way down the paper mare’s body. By the time she was finished, Rarity had burst in, lacking her tea, and instead holding up a bottle of what looked to be Appaloosa Comfort. She gasped when she saw that Applejack had progressed. She tossed to bottle aside, and rushed over to where the other mare was adding a few touches here and there to what she’d created.

Applejack looked up at her friend sheepishly. “Do you uh, like it?”

“Like it? Do I LIKE it? Of course I don’t.” Her friend began to frown a bit, but before she could feeling anything too horrible, Rarity bursted out, “I LOVE IT! Oh, do stand over there. I have a few colors that would go marvelously with this!”

The ending result was much more different than anything that Applejack could have hoped for. (With much help from Rarity, of course.) Applejack now wore a periwinkle long sleeved shirt. Black stripes outlined every part of it. Over that was a navy coat that fit to Applejack’s slightly muscular form nicely, complimenting her many curves as well. The lapels were short, and they went all the way down to her belt loop. Each side had a small pocket, (AJ complained that she could barely put an apple stem in those things) and five large buttons went down the length of the coat. Around her neck was a light grey scarf, and she had boots of the same color on all of her hooves. To match the outfit and to compliment her eyes, Applejack also wore a pair of teal earrings.

Rarity looked up at her work nicely, and squealed with glee. “Oh, this is simply delightful! Shall we go out and celebrate, Applejack?”

“That’d be a darn good idea, Rar’.” She stepped down from the small stage gingerly, feeling a bit clumsy in the boots she wore. She was much more coordinated in her old work duds. “What do you suggest we do?”

Rarity put a hoof to her chin, her eyes facing something off into the distance as she thought. “Hmm. Well, I suppose there is a decent restaurant around here. What do you say about going to ‘La Fleur’s’?”

“I’ve never been there, myself. Is that one o’ them fancy places?”

“Considering that it’s in Ponyville , I suppose you could call it that.”

“Alrighty. I’ll go ahead and take of these here clothes. Don’t wanna dirty ‘em up and all.” She bit down on her scarf, and began to tug at it.

“Nonononono!” Applejack looked up at her friend, a bit shocked at her sudden objection. “You look simply stunning. It would be a shame, letting all of that beauty go to waste.” Both mares looked at each other for a moment, but quickly turned away, hoping the other hadn’t noticed the signs of a blush forming.

After Rarity had fixed her mane, she threw on a simple mauve sweater and an amethyst necklace. Applejack had looked at her friend quizzically, surprised that she, for once, didn’t go all out with complex and intricate designs sparkling and shimmering about. Rarity had pretended not to notice.

The two stepped outside, the cold quickly catching them both by surprise. Even though the sun was out, the temperature was still in the low fifties. Applejack was thankful for the clothing she wore for once. The warmth was an unusual feeling for her, but she enjoyed it. Rarity on the other hand, wasn’t doing so well. As they walked, her teeth clattered against each other as she shook and shivered.

”Uh, are you okay there, sugarcube?”

“Y-y-y-y-yes. I-i’m a-absolutely f-f-f-f-fine.” Too prove her very poor point, Rarity then attempted to stop her teeth from resembling a jackhammer. It didn’t work. AJ rolled her eyes, pulled of the coat she was wearing, and draped it over her freezing friend.

“Oh n-no, darling. I c-c-couldn’t.” She attempted to remove it, but was quickly stopped by an orange hoof.

“I insist. This here ain’t the coldest weather in the world. I’ll be fine. You, on the other hand, look like you could be helping ‘Shy’s beavers cut logs.” They both shared a good-natured laugh at this.

They arrived at ‘La Fleur’s’ just before lunch time, so the line was inexistent. The place itself was a bit empty, spare three or four groups dining inside. A unicorn stallion with a honey colored coat and a dark brown mane greeted them from behind a podium. He smiled at them.

“Table or booth, ladies?”

“Booth.” They said in unison.

“Alrighty then! Booth for two. Now, if you’ll follow me, I’ll lead you to your seats.” He pulled two menus from the top of the podium. With that, he walked ahead of them, weaving through empty tables with practiced ease. They arrived in the cozy corner of the room, where the lighting was a bit dim, but a vent that blew toasty warm air was located conveniently above them. Nice. Very nice. After the two mares slid into the respective sides, (Rarity on the right, Applejack on the left), their waiter slid the menus in front of them. “I’ll be back shortly to take your orders!” With that, he left the two to themselves.

“Is there anything that’s uh, appetizing? Or written in Equestrian, for that matter?” AJ looked at the menu before her, but didn’t recognize anything familiar. Anything that looked remotely welcoming was drenched in some kind of thick sauce. All the names were way too long to be anything edible. They probably belonged in the kind of books that Twilight read. Frustrated with the words and very unhelpful pictures, Applejack set the menu down. Her friend looked up at her.

“You’re ready to order?”

“Nope. I just have no idea what any of all of this hooey means.” Her friend gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Oh, it’s all much better than you think. I shall l order for you!”

“Whatever floats your boat. Speaking of ordering, here comes our waiter.” On cue, the stallion from before came back. Now, he had on a dusty old apron, and had a quill and notepad grasped in his tan colored magic.

“My name is Crisp, and I’ll be serving you today! What’ll it be?” He said to them, positioning his quill to write.

“We’ll have two bowls of your finest vegetable soup, two salads, one without tomatoes or spinach, the other with extra cucumbers and a dash of vinegar, and two apple crumbles.” The waiter quickly jotted everything down.

“And drinks?”

“Two mugs of hot chocolate, extra marshmallows, and the pitcher to refill them with.” He nodded, and went of to prepare their order. After he left, Applejack turned to Rarity.

“Alrighty, two things. Uno, how in the hay did you know how I take my salads, and B, how in the hay did you translate all that jibber jabber into the Princess’s Equestrian?” Rarity giggled a bit.

“Darling, sometimes a filly just knows.”

They were starving when their food arrived. The rumbling and grumbling in their stomaches were quickly silenced as the smells of delicious spices and ingredients wafted up to their noses. Many more ponies had filled up the once quiet restaurant. Rush hour. Crisp came out of the kitchen with all but one of their plates. He looked up at the mares a bit sheepishly.

“I’m really sorry, but we’re running a bit low on the crumbles.” He motioned to the growing amount of people, the other waiters running about from table to table proving his point. “This was the last one.” He said.

“Oh, that’s quite alright. We’d be perfectly fine sharing it. Besides, I could shed a few pounds.” Rarity poked her tummy for emphasis.

“I’ll check on you both in a bit. Enjoy your meal!” He went of to take somepony else’s order. With no hesitation, the mares began to dig in. Rarity was making use of the utensils, with Applejack stuck to her trusty tongue for her soup.

“How are you enjoying it?” She took a sip of the soup in front of her, savoring the taste of celery and carrots and the like.

“It’s *slurp* mighty *slurp* fine *slurp*, Rar.” She picked her head up to face her friend. She gave her a reassuring smile. “Much better than that other place downtown.” She didn’t notice the broth dripping from her chin, but it was bothering Rarity like an itch. With her magic, she picked up an napkin, and wiped all across Applejack’s face, ridding it of bits of onions.

“Much better.” She said as she took a another sip.

Soon after, the both of them had polished off the majority of their meal, and their bellies were on the verge of bursting. The other plates had been long ago cleared away, and the rest of their hot chocolate was now closer to being lukewarm chocolate. All that remained, sitting there in all of its glorious goodness, was the apple crumble. Even though they were filled to the brim, they knew as any other pony knew: There is always room for dessert.

Without any further adieu, the mares had at it. Rarity had become fed up with AJ getting her mouth dirty, so she decided that it would be much easier (and cleaner) to just feed her. Two forks levitated between them both, each one floating to a different mouth. With the cake clearing up at twice the speed, only one more piece remained. Being the generous mare that she was, Rarity had no problem handing it over to her friend.

“Oh, I simply couldn’t, darling. Here. You have it.” She pushed the plate away from her.Unfortunately, her generosity was no match for AJ’s southern manners and hospitality.

“Naw, you go ‘head and take it. I’m as full an a bucket of apples anyhow.” Applejack pushed it back. Reluctantly, Rarity ate the remainder of the cake.

They called Crisp over, who came with the bill. He left them to sort the matter of paying out. Of course, Applejack was fully prepared to pay in full, but Rarity put up more resistance this time.

“I could never let you pay, my dear Applejack. I’m putting my hoof down. Today’s lunch was my treat.” She levitated a tiny sac of bits onto the table.

”Fine. But I’m paying the tip.” She put five of her own bits on the table. The pair rose, thanked Crisp for his services, and left the restaurant. There were still a few good hours left in the day, but Rarity couldn’t think of anything else to do. Applejack seemed to have an idea, though.

“I heard that there’s a few good movies playing, if you’re up for it.”

“That’d be lovely, darling. Don’t want to waste the day away, of course.”

The two had settled on seeing the latest chick flick. And by settled, I mean that Rarity would’ve hit Applejack over the head with a slushie if it were anything else. To Applejack, it was all the same: Some mare falling for some stallion, a random tragedy, and a magical miracle that ensured that they would be together for however long they’d last. It was nothing new. But to Rarity, however, called it: ‘The, most, wonderful thing!’. Pfft.

When they left the theatre smelling of popcorn and soda, the sun was low in the sky, and it was getting darker by the moment. The two walked down to Sweet Apple Acres in a cheery mood, making conversation about the movie they had just witnessed. When the got there, three little fillies were dispatching for the day. Rainbow Dash had even taken off from work early to pick up Scootaloo. When she saw her two other friends approaching, she waved at them.

“Sup, guys? Nice getup, AJ.” She said. Her multicolored mane swished about in the wind.

“Nothin’ much, Dash. And thank ya kindly. I came home, and Rarity came with me to pick up Sweetie.” All three other mares casted their glances off to the fillies, who were saying their goodbyes and making plans for tomorrow.

“Yeah, I know how it is. I came to get squirt home. Can’t have her staying up all night, ya know? School in the morning and all.” The two nodded. Dash had adopted Scootaloo about two years ago, and she had become a wonderful mother figure since then. Scoots was shaping up nicely under her cloud roof.

The kids went over to their respective family members. Scootaloo hopped on top of Dash’s back. The older mare spread her cyan wings, said her goodbyes, and flew off. That left Applejack, Apple Bloom, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle. The little fillies hugged each other tight.

“Go along inside, kiddo. I’ll be home in a minute.”

“How come, big sis?”

“I’m walking Rar’ and Sweets’ home.”

“Alrighty then! Later, Sweetie Belle! Later Rarity!” She trotted off into their home.

When the three of them reached the inside of the Carousel Boutique, AJ handed Rarity the clothes she wore, and gathered up her stuff. Both of them now stood in the doorway.

“You didn’t have to do that, Applejack. Walk us home and all.”

“Aw shoot, it was nothing. Couldn’t let ya walk home all by your lonesome.”

“Do you mind coming with me to Canterlot tomorrow? I’m running a bit low on supplies.”

“That’d be mighty fine. And Rar?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks. For today, I mean. It was real fun.” She gave a big smile, and it was returned to her. “Night.” She started to walk off, but a white hoof grabbed her and pulled her back. She held her friend in a tight embrace for a few moments, and they both pulled away.

“Night.” Said Rarity to her friend. After closing the door, and hearing Sweetie Belle greeting Opal in the living room, Rarity felt something stir in her stomach. Like she woke up without a robe all over again.

Chapter 3: The Evergreen Park

The next morning, both mares woke up with a highly noticeable pep their step. For once, Applejack offered to clear the table and wash the dishes after breakfast, even though it was Big Mac’s turn to do so. Rarity told Sweetie Belle that she would be more than happy to have her help out with dress designs when she got home from school. After they met up to walk the fillies to school, it seemed like it was going to be a very, very good day.

After dropping off their younger siblings at school into the capable hooves of Cheerilee, the pair headed over to the train station. They arrived at the platform, which had ponies bustling about left and right with briefcases and suitcases and the like. They could hardly see past the ocean of the morning commute. The crowd was large enough to force AJ into a small fit of claustrophobia.

“Uhm, Rar? Which one o’ these trains is ours?” Applejack looked down at the small print on her ticket. She couldn’t tell if the train number was a two or a five, and all of the ponies around her had begun to make her nervous. It was not overlooked by her cool-headed friend. This wasn’t her first trip to the rodeo, so to speak. She took at look at her own ticket and placed a comforting hoof on the small of Applejack’s back.

“Look, it’s that one over there.” Rarity pointed towards a cobalt-colored train with a long yellow stripe running along the side of it. Neither of them had ever ridden it before, and the colors were very different compared to the bright and inviting yellows and pinks of the normal train that they rode. Maybe it was out for repairs.

They trotted over to it, and handed their tickets over to the stallion standing at the entrance. He was a bit older, with a salt and pepper mane and a burgundy coat. He gave them a wide-eyed smile. “Pardon me if this is a bit rude, but aren’t you two part of the elements of harmony?”

“Why yes, yes we are. Generosity and Honesty. I suspect that you’ve heard of us.” Rarity replied.

“Oh, but of course I have, ma’am!” He bowed before them and tipped his hat. “We have a special section just for the both of you! Do follow me.” He walked up the stairs and out of view, deeper into the train. The mares followed behind him, both excited and unsure of what exactly they were about to see. He walked in and out of different cars, and lead them all the way to the very back, where a grand door was shut up tight. He pulled out a rack of keys, opened it, and turned the light on.

The inside was breathtaking. For a train car, anyway. The walls were painted gold with twirling and winding patterns wrapping around each other and breaking apart. A glass chandelier hung from the ceiling with unlit candles resting in holders around it, making the electrical light completely optional. The room was furnished with cashmere carpeting, a sofa, a few chairs, and three princess-sized beds, all in a deep red wine color. Each bed was decorated with two cutie marks of the holders of the elements. One with clouds and butterflies, another with stars and balloons, and the last with apples and diamonds. There were two other doors as well, which held a bathroom and a small closet. Applejack and Rarity were in awe, and their jaws had practically hit the floor by now.

“I really hope you two enjoy your ride! My name is Caboose, by the way. Pleasure to meet you both!” After handing them the key to their VIP suite, he left them to their own devices. Rarity was very, very pleased. She pulled back the curtain on the wall, revealing a large window that let in golden rays of sunlight. They were a bit early, and the train wasn’t due to leave for another thirty minutes. It was the perfect time to catch up on beauty sleep.

“Applejack darling, be a dear and wake me when we’ve arrived.” After putting on a face mask, Rarity plopped down on the bed with her cutie mark on it, and snuggled deep into the thick, warm sheets.

“Will do, Rar.” By the time Applejack had turned around to look at her friend, she was already asleep.

When Rarity awoke, the train was in motion and the room was much, much colder. The sunny sky was now dark and grey, and Applejack was dozing on the couch, shivering like a puppy in the snow. Groggily, Rarity picked up a blanket from one of the other two beds in a grasp of her light blue aura and floated it over to her orange coated friend, draping it over her resting figure. She smiled, seeing that her AJ was obviously warming up. The shivering was slowing, and the sleeping mare unconsciously wrapped the comforter tighter around her body.

Reluctantly, Rarity stepped out of the warm and enticing bed, and walked over to the window. Looking out of it, she saw snowflakes fall down like white raindrops, twirling and dancing about in the wind. No wonder why it was so chilly. Canterlot was quickly approaching in the distance, but she didn’t have the heart to wake Applejack up just yet. She was always working her little flank off; a moment’s rest wouldn’t kill her.

Soon, the train’s steady momentum began to slow to a halt, releasing a high pitched whine that hurt Rarity’s ears and woke the snoozing AJ from her nap.

“Hmm..?” She wiped the sleep from her eyes and yawned, putting a hoof over her mouth as she did so.
.

“We’re here, Applejack.” Rarity put on her lavender coat and her matching satchel, and led her tired friend out of the door, locking it up afterwards. They made sure that they were the last ponies off the train, so they could give Caboose the key to their room. When they got off, they thanked Caboose for his hospitality and handed him the key. After they left the train platform, they were on their merry way into Canterlot.

The city in the winter was beautiful. White blankets of snow covered everything like powdered sugar on one of Pinkie Pie’s strawberry crepes. A good bit of it had made its way on the brim of Applejack’s hat, but she didn’t seem to mind. It snowed peacefully, to the point where somepony would barely notice it otherwise.

“Gosh..” Applejack’s eyes were as wide as saucers as they took in all of the beautiful things around her. Ponies all around them seemed to be doing the same, save for the locals. “What time is it, Rarity? We outta hurry if we wanna get everything done today, right?” Her friend merely laughed and flipped her bangs out of her eyes.

“Time does not exist, my dear. Only clocks do. And besides, don’t you want to see the sights? I know you’ve been here before, but you’ve never truly gotten to view Canterlot in its entirety, have you? And oh, the things I want to show you! Come along.” Without another word, Rarity began to walk east with Applejack trailing behind her in a slightly confused state.

After walking for about twenty minutes or so, Applejack found herself staring at a large, champagne pink colored building. The roof was covered with frost, and icicles hung from the shingles. A sign in elegant lettering read ‘The Mines: Where You Find Your Diamond In The Rut!’ Rarity opened the door and stepped in.

There were two things that Applejack noticed when she stepped inside. For one, the warmth of the place. A fireplace was lit and roaring on the other side of the room. And then there was the pink. Oh Celestia, there was pink everywhere. To make it worse, the lights were as bright as the sun itself. Applejack cringed, suddenly wishing that she was back at the barn hoof-wrestling with Big Mac instead of this frilly wonderland. Mares all around were ooo-ing and ahhh-ing, dragging around bored looking stallions with bags full of bits. One particular mare seemed to stand out from the others. She had a citreous colored coat and a long, curly cerise mane. She was sitting down at a large desk, with her back turned to them. On her flank was a needle and spool of cherry red thread. She had a pair of scissors held in an aura the same color as her cutie mark, snipping a long sheet of gossamer with care.

Without hesitation, Rarity walked over to her and quickly placed her hooves over the mare’s eyes. Applejack could see her concentration break, and the scissors fell to the ground. “Guess who?” Rarity whispered into the blinded mare’s ear with a playful edge in her voice, smiling all the while. The other mare sighed, probably wishing to get back to work.

“I have no idea. Blossomforth? Peachy Cream?” Her voice was silvery, the kind that must have made all the colts swoon back in high school, and the kind that made AJ feel suddenly very, very warm. Rarity unhoofed her, and the mare quickly turned around, exposing her soft cardinal irises. She gave a loud gasp and jumped up from her seat.

“Rarikins!”

“Jezzypoo!”

The two unicorns held each other in a tight embrace, squealing and laughing with glee and mirth. When they broke apart, ‘Jezzypoo’ looked at Rarity with wide eyes.

“Jeez, Rarity! Why in the hay didn’t you call? I could have arranged for you to stay somewhere and ohmygoshwehavesomuchtocatchuponand-” Rarity shushed her.

“Jezzy, calm down. I’d like to introduce you to someone.” She turned her head towards AJ, who had been standing quietly from them a few feet away. “Applejack, this is my old friend Jessamy Fits, who happens to own this beautiful establishment! We went to the Canterlot University of Arts together! And Jessamy, this is Applejack. She’s a good friend of mine that lives back in Ponyville with me.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Ms.Fits.” Applejack tipped her hat down, causing a bit of the slush stuck in the brim to fall on the floor. “Sorry.” She bent down to clean it up, but Jessamy stopped her.

“Oh, don’t mind that, dear. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Applejack. And please, call me Jess.”

“Will do, uh, Jess.” Applejack’s cheeks reddened a bit, so she turned away.

“So, Rarity, what brings you here? I haven’t seen you in a while.” Jessamy turned to her old college buddy.

“Well, I need fabric, and lots of it. Give me a second.” She undid the flap of her satchel and pulled out a thick scroll. She tugged on the small ribbon that held it together, causing a good length of it to fall to the floor. Jessamy’s eyes widened, and she grasped the scroll in her cherry red aura. Her eyes skimmed over the words, a few of them sticking out to her.

“Eighty yards of silk? Fifty yards of satin? Rarikins, all of this stuff is going take me a while to find in the back. I don’t even know if I have all of these in stock at the moment.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Rarity looked at her friend with pleading eyes, hoping that it could be done.

“Probably a good few hours, but I’m sure I can at least check for all of these before sundown. Is that alright?”

Rarity let out a sigh of relief. “It’s perfect.”

“Great! Meet me back here at six-thirty. Now if you ladies will excuse me, I have a few phone calls to make.” With that, Jessamy disappeared behind a door with a red ‘Employees Only’ sign and shut it.

“So, what now?” AJ was curious to see what else was in store for her on this short vacation.

“There are a few other places of interest that I’d like to take you to. We have the whole day ahead of us! Isn’t that splendid?” They began to walk towards the exit.

“Sure is!” The cowgirl gave an ecstatic smile. The reached the doorway, and she held the door open for Rarity, motioning for her to go first with her other hoof. Rarity stopped walking halfway through.

“Oh, and Applejack?”

“Yeah, sugarcube?”

“Your hat is filled with water.” As if on cue, a few drops splattered on the floor. Applejack sighed, and walked out behind Rarity.

Throughout the day, the two mares had gone to a few more places. Rarity showed Applejacke her old elementary school and a few classmates, her old apartment, the jewelery store she was once employed at, her favorite places to shop, and gorgeous skyscrapers and buildings. But after a short stop at a cafe for a bite to eat, Rarity had forced Applejack to put on a blindfold.

“What in tarnation is this for?”

“Oh hush, you’ll see in a moment. Just hold on to me and walk.” Though Rarity had no way of seeing it, Applejack rolled her eyes. She bit down Rarity’s long, curly tail, but did not yank it. Rarity was caught a bit of guard and gave out a small yelp of surprise, making AJ chuckle a bit to herself.

As they started to walk, Applejack could feel the snow under her hooves begin to get thicker and taller. She could no longer feel the reassuring pavement beneath her, which made her a bit wary. After what seemed like an eternity, Rarity’s steady pace was halted, and Applejack let go of her tail. There were skittering sounds, and voices all around. A fit of whispering ensued.

“Haven’t.....in a while....first time.....eleven....surprise....nervous.” Applejack had no clue what any of that meant. There was a soft ‘poof’ to her left.

“Do sit down, dear.” The sound of Rarity’s voice was comforting. She sat down next to her, shivering slightly from the snow touching her skin. Something was being slipped on her hooves. They didn’t feel like socks. Besides, where in the hay would Rarity get socks from? She heard Rarity stand, and felt herself being pulled up as well. All of sudden, she was clumsy, like a newborn foal.

“Just walk really slowly.” Said her friend beside her, holding on to her by her waist. “Be careful here.” The crunch of the snow was replaced by the skittering sounds Applejack had heard before, and the ground was now slick and smooth. “This is one of my favorite places in all of Canterlot.” The blindfold was pulled free from her eyes. “Welcome to the Evergreen Park.”

Applejack was above a frozen lake, with a pair of ice skates on. She looked around, and could see dozens of tall, dark green white pines everywhere. Rarity looked at her friend with a small smile, while Applejack looked down at the apparatuses with a quizzical look about her.

“How do you use these thin-” After taking an experimental glide forward, Applejack lost her footing, but Rarity quickly caught her in her forearms. She helped the slightly embarrassed mare up.

“It’s alright, you know. They can be a bit tricky at first. Look, try walking a bit. Or shuffling, I suppose.” She demonstrated this by waddling around a bit, not unlike a penguin. Applejack, steady and cautious as ever, tried to do the same.

“Like this?"

“Yes, just like that! Good job!" Applejack smiled a bit at her small victory.

“Well, that’s good enough for one eternity.”

“Come now, darling! Just glide side-to-side. Right, left, right left.” Rarity pushed herself forward a few inches, and looked back at her friend eagerly. “Go on, try it out.”

“If it’s all the same, I’d rather not fall down on my flank again.”

“Oh, don’t be so pessimistic. You’ll get the hang of it eventually. Rome wasn’t conquered in a day, you know. But it’s fine if you don’t want to skate, because I would really love to show you around. This place is absolutely gorgeous.” Rarity sat on the ice, pulling the skates off of her hooves one by one.

“Well, what are you waiting for, then’?”

“For you to take yours off.” She stood up, holding up her own pair with her magic and gave her friend a small smirk.

“I knew that.”

Rarity showed Applejack a trail, and they both proceeded to follow it. The smooth path and the walk itself were both hushed, shrouded in adoring silence. Applejack was especially taken, being that she hadn’t seen any of this until now. Rarity was focused on reaching her destination. Not like she would have any trouble, after all. She knew this path better than the back of her own hoof.

The crunch of the leaves and twigs and snow under their hooves were the only sounds that either of them made. It was like being in a trance; beautiful and breath taking, just enough to get one’s mind to wander off. Applejack was especially taken, haven’t ever seen any of it all beforehand. Wait, crunching? Applejack had finally floated back down to Earth and noticed that they were no longer on the path. Rubbish was spread wild and far, and she could feel a few thorns snag at her fur.

“Rarity, I think we took a wrong turn somewhere. We really outta turn around and-”

“Applejack, I know where I’m going.”

“But we could get lost or somethi-” Rarity stopped abruptly, and turned around to face her friend. She held her face in her hooves, baring deep into those grassy green eyes.

“Applejack, trust me, alright? Can’t you just trust me?” When her eyelids drooped down a bit, and she tilted her head towards the ground, Rarity knew that she had her answer.

“Alright. I trust you, Rar’. I’m a might scared, btu I trust you none the less.”

“Thank you.” She began to take the lead once more, her pace quickening to a steady trot. “Oh, we’re almost there! You’re going to like this much better than skating, I guarantee you that.” Up ahead, there where two leaning fir trees were covered with weeds and brambles vines. Rarity gave a small sigh, with a smile tugging at her lips, and approached it. “Oh, this has truly gone to the wild. I kept this much neater.” She manifested a cutting tool out of her magic, and used it to slash her way through. Applejack followed close behind her.

Rarity walked in between the two trees, and was immediately met with a large, warm clearing. A small stream flowed down tall and bumpy rocks, leading to a river of sorts perhaps. Animals all about were at bay. Deer rested and grazed, birds chirped in their nests, squirrels ate away at acorns, and so on and so forth. There were flowers of all colors blooming about. Applejack couldn’t comprehend just what in the luna-heck was going on. In the middle of it all was a medium-sized bench, painted royal blue with orchids growing all around it. Rarity simply looked at it, tok a seat, and sighed with content and nostalgia.

Applejack sat next to her, questions over flooding her mind about this wonderful place. But before she could open her mouth, Rarity began to explain. “My dad always took me here when I was a filly, but I never strayed from the path. I had always, still do, and forever will love this place. When I was just a filly, I got upset over something or other. And I did what silly fillies usually do. I ran away. To the only place I knew where to go to, anyway. It was cold outside with the temperature steadily dropping, and I didn’t even think to take my coat with me I think I took a box of crackers.” She laughed, thinking of the absurdity of it. “So I came to the park, trying to follow the trail. It was getting later ad darker, and I had no idea where I was going. It was by pure dumb luck that I stumbled upon this place. I no doubt would have frozen to death if I hadn’t.” She turned to her friend and smiled.

“Wow. But, how does this place.. work? I’m fairly certain that it’s winter on the other side of this grove.”

“I have no idea. I never questioned it.” Rarity took note of the sun setting behind them, streaking the sky with flecks of gamboge and primrose. “We better head back to the shop. Jessamy should be expecting us.” She rose from the bench. “You really should have brought a coat. It’s cold, you know.”

Author's Note

It's good to be back. Thanks everyone, for being patient with me. <3

~Cy

Chapter 4: Perspective

In all honesty, I really don’t know what to say to her. The walk back to Jessamy’s shop is fairly silent, mostly on my part, I think. Oh my, my head is swimming. It feels like a tiny pony is running laps all around my brain and past my eyes faster than Pinkie Pie could bake me a cake. I simply don’t understand it, can’t comprehend it. Why is my body reacting like- like this around Applejack? I don’t get it; can’t grasp the concept of it. The air is practically freezing off my mane, but I feel like my blood is boiling. My heartbeat is shockingly fast, nothing like the normal rhythmic thumping. My hooves are sweaty, my chest is tightening, and my breaths are sharp. All this, but for what reason? I don’t feel scared, or angry, or anxious. In fact, I feel safe. I feel safe right here with her, with her strong forearms and oh, her deep emerald eyes are calling me and…

Sweet Celestia, have I gone mad?

What’s up with Rar’, I wonder? She’s acting a bit uh.. what’s the word? Twilight taught me this one… Oh yeah! Standoffish. Rar’s bein’ standoffish. I don’t get it. Did I do somethin’ wrong? Do I smell? Nah, I don’t smell. I wonder if she’s alright, though. She’s carrying herself a bit.. different. Poor gal has been workin’ awful hard as of late. Awful… hard... Sweet apple pie, that mare is somethin’ beautiful.. Why she keeps her head stuck in those romance books, I’ll never know. She could probably have any stallion that she wanted, if she wanted to, that is. What’s going on in her head? It’s driving me up a wall, I tell ya.

We’ve finally arrived at the shop, thank Celestia. Jessamy greeted me with a hug, like she always does. I hugged her back, and flashed her a smile.

“So, how was the tour?” she asked as she shut the door behind us, flipping the ‘Open’ sign around to the ‘Closed’ side.

“Oh, it was all great fun. I’ve missed Canterlot, and it’s nice to be here when Equestria isn’t in imminent danger.” The both of us shared a bit of a laugh at that, but it was true for the most part. I hardly have anytime to take a vacation, what with work and Sweetie Belle and the whole saving-Equestria-and-Ponyville thing. Jessamy then turned to where Applejack was, probably realizing that she was there just now. For some reason, that angered me. Without thinking about it, I loathed her and her cardinal irises.

“And how about you, Applejack? Did you find Canterlot to your liking?” The mare in question had been gazing at one of the windows, at what, I couldn’t tell you. There was something that wasn’t quite right about her, something that I couldn’t put my hoof on. I could see it in those beautiful emerald eyes and oh my, I did it again. At the sound of Jessamy’s voice, she turned to face her.

“I’m mighty sorry. I got a bit distracted, I s’pose. Canterlot was gorgeous, and I’m glad I got to see it this time o’ year.” After that, she just went back to looking out the window. What in the-

“Well that’s, uhm, nice. I must say, Canterlot is beautiful in the winter.” Damn Jessamy, interrupting my thoughts. “On to business, then?” Oh, that’s right. I have things to do.

“Yes, of course. I take it you found everything alright? No problems, I’m hoping?”

“Indeed I did, and without the least bit of trouble. But it did take a while to get it properly organized and sorted. I have it all laid out nice and neat for you in the back. Care to help me fetch it?” I gave another longing glance back at Applejack, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was still there, standing and gazing at something that I couldn’t see on my own. I do hope I don’t have worry all over my face. Smile, dear! And change your tone, for Celestia’s sake!

“Why, of course!”

“Come along, then.” Jessamy walked through the door leading to the storage room, and I followed shortly behind her.

I feel.. sad. I feel sad because she’s something that isn’t exactly happy. I can’t even look her in the eye, so the window will do just fine. After a while, Jess and Rar’ finally come out of the back room. Jeez, they’re carrying a big box of heavy-lookin’ stuff and I can see them straining and struggling with it, even though they’re both using their magic. They put it down in the center of the room, huffing and puffing like Granny Smith does when she attempts to plow. I feel bad that I couldn’t be of much help to them. After catching her breath, Rarity pulls out a huuuuuge sack of bits from her satchel and puts it on the counter like it’s nothin’.

“I think this will cover it all, Jezzy.” Jessamy just nods her head, not even bothering to count the money. She just knows. How can anypony just know things? How can you know something without mulling over it and thinkin’ about it all the time? How is that even possible? It must be nice, though.

I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting here, thinking, but I know it must’ve been a while. I heard the two of them yapping their gums, and the sun has gone down, and the street lights are coming on. The change of lighting probably gave the two of ‘em a hint.

“Oh my, look at the time! We really should get going, Jezzy.” Yup. Definitely been a while. Rarity and Jess hug for a while, and let go of each other.

“It’s so good that I got to see you again, Rarikins. Do come back soon, but please, call first!” Jessamy has already opened the door, and Rarity is picking up the box with her magic and levitating outside. I’m right behind her. “And it was nice to meet you too, Applejack.” She gives me a genuine enough looking smile.

“It was nice to meet you too, Ms.Fits. Have a nice night.” I turn to walk away, but she’s grabbing hold of my hoof what in the-
“No hug?” She started to pout jokingly before I pulled her in and wrapped my forearms around her. “We should stay and touch too, you know. Here’s my card.” She slips a small scarlet paper in my hoof with her number on it. “Off you go!” I gave her a wave. The door shut up tight behind me, and we start walking again.

I was worried before, but now I am extremely worried about Applejack. She hasn’t said a word in over an hour. Did I say something I shouldn’t have? What could I have possibly done? And what was that hug with Jessamy about? Did she say something to her? So help me Princess I will end her If she said anything out of line. Happy thoughts, Rarity, happy thoughts.

Canterlot is lit up very nicely, which admittedly is making me a bit homesick. In Ponyville, you can see the stars very clearly on a night like this one. It’s completely different here. It’s like the entire city is a huge night-light. Oh feathers, this box is getting heavy and my magic is running on ‘E’. Applejack must’ve picked up on this.

“I can carry that, if you like. Really, it isn’t much trouble. No use putting yourself in the hospital over it.”

“Oh, that would be most delightful. Thank you.” I put the box down on the ground, and she pulls out a long rope from her satchel. Why she has a rope in the first place, I don’t know, and I chose not to question it at this point in time. I manage to hold the box up long enough to put it on her back and tie the rope over it and around her waist. I feel like I could collapse and just sleep for enternity, but I know I can’t very well do that. That was all the conversation that we managed to have until we arrived at the train station.

Caboose was where we saw him last, standing at the entrance of the train. He noticed the box right away, and being the southern gentleman he is, could stand to see a mare holding something heavy.

“Oh, put that heavy old thing down. I’ll have someone to take it and put it in the luggage cart for you.” Better them than us.

“Thank you kindly, Mr.Caboose.” Feeling a bit more recharged, I was able to untie Applejack and put the box on the ground without collapsing. A proud moment indeed.

“Oh, it’s my pleasure. I’ll be sure to personally make sure it gets safely onboard myself. And here are your keys again. You do remember where your room is, don’t you?”

“Why yes, of course.” I took the small ring of keys from him, bid him a good evening, and entered the train with Applejack following behind me.

We remembered our way fairly easily, for we simply had to continue to go straight until we reached the very last cart with the large doors. We turned the key in the lock and stepped inside. Applejack immediately retreated to the far corner of the room on the sofa, where she had been earlier. I did the same, and hopped on top of the bed I had slept on, which had been made neat and tidy since I had last seen it. As tired as I was, I didn’t feel like sleeping just yet.

The ride back home was very awkward. For me, at least. There was an odd feeling of tension that went hoof n’ hoof with the silence hanging in the air, and I sure as sugar wasn’t going to be the one to break it. It was late by the time we arrived, and we were plum tuckered out. A nice stallion had offered to carry our load back to the boutique for us, but I politely declined. I wanted to do it myself. Besides, it would give me another reason to walk Rarity home. It was a labor of love, believe you me. I’m fairly certain that Applebloom weighs less than the contents of the gosh darn apple-pickin’ box, but I wasn’t about to complain about it in front of Rarity.
We made it into the boutique, so I can finally set this box down. The living room floor should be just fine. I’ll sort it all the stuff in there out in the morn’ when I come back here. Now if I could just relax for a bit..
“Applejack, I’ve just recalled that we have to attend to our younger sisters. They’re in the care of Twilight, after all. Hopefully they haven’t done too much damage ‘crusading’ about the library.”
“Oh, that’s about right, ain’t it?” Twilight is usually our go-to mare for foal-sitting. But I’ll admit it, I’m a bit cross about the matter, considering I’ve been walking for hours on end. But I don’t have much say in the matter, do I? One, I have to get Applebloom before Granny Smith gets mighty cross with me, and two, I am determined to walk Rarity home. Don’t ask me why, because I can’t give you a straight answer. We’ve gone and left again, and we’re on the twenty minute walk to the library, even though it’s getting later. That’s the good thing about Ponyville though, isn’t it? Not being afraid of walking around at night. Ponies scarcely lock their door ‘round these parts. Oh gosh, we’re finally here. I could keel over from walking so much. It’s about ten, I think. Looks about right to me. Rarity knocked on the door, and almost immediately, Twilight poked her purple head out and shushed us.

"Sorry girls. They're already asleep, but come on in." Man, are we glad to be warm again. In the middle of the room, there was a giant pillow fort, and two sleepy fillies were cuddled up next to each other in a mix of white, yellow, pink, purple, and red. I tell ya, I don’t think I have the heart to wake them.

“Twilight, dear, do you mind keeping them until tomorrow?” Neither did Rar’, apparently.

“Oh, of course not!” Twilight must’ve realized that she was a bit loud, because she turned the volume down a notch before she started talkin’ again. “I mean, of course not. It’s a bit late, anyway. Another few hours won’t be much of a bother. I’m sure you two have work that could get done in the meantime. Nothing like a good all-nighter to get things done, as I always say!”

Heck, I can’t very well argue with her. And ah sure ain’t about to.

Author's Note

The next part will be up hopefully sometime this week.

~Cy

Chapter 5: Closer

The two mares were equally exhausted over their tiring day of labor and harbored emotions, and they both wanted nothing more than to sleep. They didn’t even bother with bathing, deciding to leave that up to tomorrow morning. Rarity had taken no time collapsing on the top of her bed (with all of her night-time accessories of course) and Applejack came in a bit later, carrying two glasses of cider. She climbed into bed beside Rarity, and put the other mare’s glass on the bedside table. The room was dimly lit, with only the lamp on.

“Been a long day, huh?” Inquired Applejack. She took off her hat, threw it into a random direction, and took a sip of the glass in her hoof.

“You can say that again.” Rarity levitated her glass to her lips, taking a long swig of the stuff before putting it down again. She had decided that Applejack would spend another night with her. It was nearly midnight by the time they got home.

Applejack had already put her glass aside when Rarity spoke up. “You don’t need the lamp on, do you?”

“Nah, not at all. Feel free to turn it off. It won’t bother me none.” With a click, the small amount of light in the room was extinguished, leaving it completely pitch black. But even so, Applejack’s eyes were wide open. She lied on her back, staring blankly at the shrouded ceiling and thinking. She couldn’t go to sleep, and she knew exactly why. But what if she’d think that it was weird? What if she freaks out, runs away, and says something awful? There was no absolute way of knowing, was there? All this worrying would drive her crazy, and then she’d never get to sleep. Horsefeathers. How long had she been staring at the ceiling?

On the other side of the bed, Rarity had her back turned to Applejack, and her eyes were focused on the wall. She too was thinking. Thinking about the dream she had the other night in this very same scenario. The feeling of being in someone else’s hooves had been blissful to say the least. She couldn’t recall the last time that it had happened in real life, though. Unless you count when Sweetie Belle has nightmares, but she hardly counted that. Was it what happened, or who it happened with, though?

“Hey Rar… you up?” Applejack whispered, hoping not to wake her if she was asleep.

“Mhmm.” Came the quiet response. “Are you alright?”

“I’m uhh, fine. But I was wonderin’…” Applejack turned to her left, and Rarity to her right. Both mares were now facing each other, even though they couldn’t make out the other’s silhouette.

“Yes?” Rarity felt her heartbeat speed up a bit, anticipating what in the hay was about to come out of the mare’s mouth.

“I was wondering if you’d uhh.. be okay with cuddling with me..”

“What was that, dear?”

“I was wondering if you’d be alright with well, uh.. cuddling.. with uhm,… me.” Rarity could feel her face flush. ‘Oh my.’ She thought to herself. Would should she say? She didn’t want to seem desperate or needy or anything like that. Besides; she quite enjoyed cuddling.

“Of course I wouldn’t mind, dear. I wouldn’t mind at all.” She could feel Applejack sigh in relief. The weight in the bed shifted as the other mare came closer. Her fur brushed softly against Rarity’s as she held the slightly smaller mare in a tight embrace. Rarity herself returned the gesture, resting herself against her strong torso. Her head was in the crook of Applejack’s neck, and she breathed in the smell of snow and pine, a winter wonderland in her own bed. The two of them were intertwined in each other, and Rarity could hear the steady beating of Applejack’s heart. The whole affair made her nice and warm, despite the weather outside.

Now would be as good a time as any to air her grievances, right? Besides, she needed to talk to someone about this whole ordeal. “Applejack, are you awake?” The only response that came was the sound of slow, even breaths. ‘I guess not.’ There was a brief moment of hesitation, but it faltered quickly. She placed a small kiss on Applejack’s cheek, and nuzzled back into her warm embrace until she too made the sound of slow, even breaths.

The next morning, both mares were awakened by the sound of somepony knocking sharply at the front door. Despite their usual morning routine, the two of them had both slept in, due to them going to bed a bit late. They looked a haggard and worn, and it was already noon. A brief moment of awkwardness was accompanied with waking up, but both mares wore matching smiles. The knocking grew more insistent, almost impatient.

“Oh, calm yourself, I’m coming!” Rarity groaned as she hopped out of bed in her robe, house slippers and all, and headed for the living room. Applejack followed behind her. Rarity swung the door open.

“Oh, darlings, you all should have called first! I am by no means ready for company.” In the doorway stood Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Twilight. “Pray tell, to what do I owe your visit on this fine day?”

“Well, our schedules have cleared up!” said Twilight. She wore a grin that stretched ear to ear.

“Yeah, and about time too. Do you know how totally boring making snowflakes gets? Because it gets REALLY boring. And don’t even get me started on what happens when someone bucks up and makes two of the same kind.” Rainbow’s spite for snowflake making ensued under her breath in low, muttering tones. Something or other about how absurd it is that they don’t just make them all look alike.

“It’s been a lot of hard work, but everyone is down south all safe and sound. It’s been really quiet without my animals around like they are in spring.”

“And we know you guys are super-duper busy and could use all the help you could get, so here we are! Isn’t that just super great?!”

“As a matter of fact, it is, Pinkie. Do come in, all of you. Just give me a moment to make myself presentable, and we’ll get to work right away!” With that, Rarity disappeared into the bathroom. There was no telling when she’d next emerge, but they weren’t going to hold their breath.

Rainbow turned to Applejack, and gave her a weird look. “What’s with the mane, Blondie?

As the days began to drag on, and the date of the fashion show started to approach, Applejack found herself less and less of use. Fluttershy had been helping Rarity with the designs, Twilight helped with stitching and sewing, Rainbow fetched supplies, and Pinkie was planning for the big day. And on top of that, all four of them modeled. She felt like her work here was pretty much done. If she was honest, she felt a bit jealous that she hadn’t gotten to spend any alone-time with Rarity. But this time, she decided not to be so honest. So she did what any sensible pony would have done; she went back to the farm.

Her routine hadn’t changed, and Big Mac had been picking up the slack on some of her chores, which was fine by her. With Hearth’s Warming Eve just around the corner, there was still a lot to be done. But at that moment, she found herself in the small clearing that Rarity had first found her in. She sat down on a nearby bench. Something had been bugging her ever since she left. By now, she had a pretty good idea of what it was. She was… falling for Rarity. Yup, falling flat on her face. But she wasn’t going down without a fight. She had a bit of things to get done herself, and she refused to sit around and mope when she could be getting down to business. With determination swelling up inside of her, she knew what she had to do.

Meanwhile, back at the shop, Rarity was a high-strung mess. Her deadline was approaching rapidly, and she still had to oversee all of the final arrangements.

“Pinkie, is everything in order for Friday? Oh, please say it is!”

“Yeperooni! I made sure to get everything exactly like you wanted it! I’ve got the music, and the decorations, and oh oh oh the food has lots and looottts of sweets!”

“Ah, good. One less thing to worry about. It’s only three days away, Pinkie. THREE. DAYS.! Oh sweet Celestia.” With a deep breath, Rarity flopped on her favorite coach and groaned.

“But you know what ELSE is in three days??? HEARTH’S WARMING!!! WHOOPIE!” Behind Pinkie, there was an eruption of streamers and confetti.

“Hey Rar, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go out for a quick flight. I gotta stretch the old feather dusters.” Rainbow gave her wings a quick flap. “Cool with you?”

“Of course, of course. Just please be back soon.”

“I’ll be back before you notice I’m gone.” The cyan pegasus took off with a flourish of feathers and bright colors. It felt good to have her mane glide in the cold breeze, to feel weightless again. She hated being stuck on the ground. She dodged out of the way of tall oak tree, nearly getting hit in the face. Speaking of ground, she hadn’t seen AJ around in while, but she knew how it was on the farm this time of year. Baking and harvesting and packing. Like lather, rinse, and repeat. It’s about time that she stopped and paid the applebucker a visit.

Below her, the dark green apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres came into view. Strangely, she couldn’t spot the usual orange speck among the more visited regions of the large farm. So, she flew down to the West orchard to see if she was there. The West orchard never grew much; the tree were a bit older there. The Apple family still tended to it, just not as much. Rainbow landed effortlessly on the path, and her wings folded against her sides. Where are you, Blondie?

Rainbow began to walk around a bit. Snow and dead leaves crunched under her hooves as she did, and her breath came out in white, wispy puffs. After a few minutes, she saw a frozen river. Sitting next to it on an old wooden bench sat her shivering friend, donning her old tan stetson. “Yo, Aj! What are you doin’ out here, man?” She moved to Applejack quickly, and sat down next to her.

“J-just clearing my m-mind.”

“Yeah, but out here? With no jacket or anything? Dude, you’re gonna freeze your flank off like this.” She extended her wing so that it draped over her friend’s back to give her a bit of warmth.

“Y-you’re one t-t-talk. Y-you don’t have a j-jacket either!” Rainbow rolled her eyes at this.

“No duh, genius. I’m used to high altitudes, remember? Now come on—what’s bugging you?” Applejack sighed beside her and turned to look at her friend. The whites of her eyes were rimmed red, and dark circles were forming beneath them. Her emerald irises began to brim with tears.

“I just… oh my Celestia, Dash, it hurts s-so bad!” She fell into Dash’s warm embrace, holding onto her tightly as she sobbed. Rainbow’s face sunk, and she gently ran her hoof through AJ’s blonde mane.

“What is it, Aj? You can tell me. I’m here for you, man. For like, ever.” Aj looked up at her friend. Her tears were beginning to freeze on her cheeks.

“You m-mean it?” She sniffed and wiped her nose. “You promise ya won’t freak out?”

“Aj, I never lose my cool. I’m like ice, man. Except for the melting part. I’m like ice that never ever melts. Smooth and cool, ya know? But seriously, nothing you could possibly tell me could freak me out anymore. Not after all we’ve been through together.” The both of them recalled the numerous times that they’d been given wild news: Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, etc. The works.

“Well…” Aj pulled away from her friend so that they were both gazing into each other eyes. She shuddered a bit, not knowing if it was from the cold or nervousness, and took a deep breath. “I think I’m into mares, Dash.”

There was silence between them.

Which was broken by Dash erupting into obnoxious laughter.

“What the hay?” Applejack looked at her companion who was now rolling around in the snow and holding onto her sides. “Dash, this ain’t funny, ya nimrod!”

“Oh man. Ohhhh man!” She wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye. “Aj, do you really think that would ‘freak me out’? I’ve had my hunches.”

“W-what?”

“Come one, Aj.” Rainbow sat up and looked at her friend. “Applejack, haven’t we been friends a while?”

“Yeah, of course we have.”

“Don’t you think I know you by now? I’m not an egghead, but I sure do notice stuff around here.”

“Like what?”

“Like how whenever we go places together, you’re bold and brash around the stallions, but you start stumbling over your words with mares. Or how you tense up around your family members from way down south. And not to mention how you look at Rarity like she’s an apple pie with a side of cider.” Applejack’s cheeks turned beet read.

“So you uh.. knew?”

“Well kinda, yeah. Takes one to know one I guess.”

“You mean that you’re..?”

“Yup. Kind of obvious. I've been getting shit for it since flight school. But it’s whatever, man. I’d be your friend no matter what. Alright?”

“Alright.” The two sat down in silence for a moment, letting this new revelation of theirs sink in. Their friendship changed a bit. Not dramatically. There was a new understanding between the two. It was nice. Rainbow spoke up, though.

“Why do you, ya know, like her so much?”

“Rar? Oh man, I dunno how to start. She’s real’ pretty and as sharp as a tack. She’s one of the kindest ponies I know, but she’s still got a little spunk to her ya know? She’s never boring and she always makes me smile. And when I’m around her my chest gets all tight and I get all sweaty and I can’t stop looking at her.. Does that make any sense?” Rainbow smiled.

“It makes a whole lot of sense. So what are you doing to win her over?”

“Well about that, I kinda need your help.” As the two of them spoke of their plan, Applejack had stopped shivering. She was warm all over.