Her breath could have obscured her vision had she stood still enough to let it linger; the heat of it was blistering in the cold winter air. However, with each heave and ho, Applejack swung through the chilled air and placed another large barrel or box into the back of her delivery truck. Wiping the sweat or frost from her tired brow, she bent down to retrieve the last of her shipment, hoisting it into the bed once more. As the farmer looked over her haul, she was pleasantly surprised to find it so full, and hopefully anticipated a decent income that weekend.

“That's all of it,” her brother's deep voice broke louder than his heavy boots through the fresh snow, as he approached Applejack and finished the inventory check list.

“Not lookin' like a bad delivery, Mac,” Applejack told the older man, casting him a casual smile.

“It's a start,” he agreed, nodding and adjusting the cap on his thick skull.

“Yea',” Applejack understood the sentiment, as she knew well that one good delivery would hardly put them financially in any favour. Swallowing the guilty and dreadful lump in her throat, she kept her tone light, “Well, we best get goin' on, don't wanna make a reputation o' bein' late.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed, pulling his pipe out of his pocket so he could adequately reach the truck keys.

As her older brother ducked his head and passed her without another word, Applejack frowned and her face settled to the contemplative and worrisome stone it had grown accustomed to setting. The cold air hardly bothered her when she had so much on her mind, and even though her fingers numbed beneath her gloves, she did not get into the truck right away. Glancing down at her clothed hands, she slightly relaxed, imagining how silly she would be had she been wearing the kind of gloves that her lover used to adore. She remembered the time that Rainbow Dash had stuffed her icicle-like fingers into her shirt, and how she used to hold them and rub them warm back in Jubilee's Joint. But that pub was in the past now, that part of her life was over, and she had to focus on her duties at home rather than her juvenile desires.

Applejack paused once more before reaching the vehicle, as she caught sight of her younger sister standing a few paces away from the delivery truck. The young girl looked adorable and small, all bundled up in two jackets and a thick scarf that her grandmother had knitted for her back when she was young enough to have it reach her ears if she wrapped it around her neck right. The two siblings stared at each other for a moment as Apple Bloom tried to think up what to say, and eventually her mittens tugged at the hem of the scarf and pulled it down so her mouth was free to speak.

“Rumble's gettin' some firewood for t'night, s'gonna be a cold one.” Apple Bloom started a casual conversation, something she rarely did.

“Right, Ah heard that too,” Applejack concurred. “Keep inside, al'right? Ah won't be long.”

“You headin' out with Mac?” she asked in a timid voice, or perhaps it was apprehensive, Applejack could hardly tell as the wind bit playfully at her ears.

“Yea', he asked me to. An extra pair o' arms'll make th' trip shorter,” Applejack explained plainly, trying on another false confident smile.

“'Kay,” she said with a nod, and a cute smile crossed her features as her eyes lit up a fraction. “Ah'd say t' drive safe, but he always drives like Granny.”

“Yea', Ah ain't worried.” Her older sister chuckled at the prospect.

“See ya... oh,” Apple Bloom was about to wave her off, but another confusing look flashed in her eyes. “An' have fun, don't rush back 'r nothin'. Y'all deserve some time away from workin' an' all.”

“Uh,” Applejack wasn't sure what she meant by that, but nodded anyway. “Sure.”

With a wave back at her younger sister, Applejack pulled open the truck door and hopped inside, slamming it behind her. The engine was already on as Big Mac heated up the interior, and while she buckled up he switched the gears and pulled away. The wind shield wipers scraped at the few remnants of ice that clung to the window, as Big Mac hadn't quite defrosted all of it. Grabbing at the lever beneath the seat, Applejack adjusted her backrest three times until it was right, the old contraption jerking back and forth with every press.

Applejack always used to love driving into the city, when she was younger. It was so big and bright and open, full of opportunities and potential. And she had loved it again when she knew that Rainbow Dash resided somewhere within it, even though she had rued going back to Jubilee's Joint. In fact, she remembered that the Joint was still right along the delivery route, and dreaded when she would have to look upon it again, which would be much sooner than she would have liked.

For the moment, with her seat shifted back, she was faced nearly directly towards a familiar high rise building. A smile melted across her cool cheeks as she recalled the evening when she had climbed such a structure and met her Rainbow Dash inside for a certainly heated night. If she looked carefully, even from such a distance she could nearly make out the girl's balcony. Even though the two of them had not seen each other since they left Jubilee's Joint, her heart still raced at the thought of her. She missed the little rascal.

A low grumble from the back of Big Mac's throat caught Applejack's attention, and she followed his narrowed and accusatory gaze out the wind shield. Her heart stopped immediately as she recognized the building, and she debated slinking down in her seat so that any wandering eyes creeping from the windows might miss her. However, the nearer they drove towards the establishment, the clearer it became that the whole place was empty. There was a sign hanging on the front door, too, and Applejack read it aloud.

“Closed,” she recited in a confused and disbelieving tone. “Jubilee's Joint ain't never closed at this time. Wonder what's goin' on?”

“Ah bet they couldn't find no one t' replace their ace barmaid,” her brother kept the conversation light, but his spiteful look still lingered on the passing pub.

“Yea', that ain't it,” Applejack murmured with a chuckle, shaking her head and trying not to appear too obvious with the way she stared at the Joint in the rear-view mirror. She couldn't admit aloud that she missed the place, somehow.

There was silence once more, and the two siblings were unusually uncomfortable with it. Often the two went long periods of time without directly speaking, as Big Mac was rarely much for words and Applejack respected that, having a close enough relationship with him to understand him non-verbally. But that afternoon, it was awkward, forced, and stuffed with things unspoken. But though there was much that he wanted to say, Big Mac did open his mouth to utter but one burning question.

“... Are you happy, AJ?” came a deeper inquiry than Big Mac usually intended, and it struck Applejack silent for a moment more. Glancing over at her brother, she pondered the answer carefully before speaking.

“Where'd that come from?” she evaded the question entirely, and the older man noticed it right away.

“Ah'm wonderin', is all,” he told her with a shrug, glancing over at her as the road was disinteresting. “Y'all've been workin' real hard at th' farm, up an' left th' city fer us. Your head ain't with us though, Ah can tell. S' tell me, are y'really happy?”

“Ah...” Applejack had never been good at lying, especially to her family. This was no different, though she smiled a sad smile and dropped her hat over her eyes to reveal it, “Naw, Ah ain't. But we've got bigger problems than whether Ah'm smilin' or not, Mac.”

“There ain't much bigger problems, sis,” he murmured, his narrowed eyes darting between her and the rear-view. “Ah'm glad y'came out t' th' city with me again, then.”

“You are?” she inquired innocently, adjusting her hat as the whistling breeze from the broken slit of the passenger's window had knocked it off centre.

“Y'all need t' be out here, doin' what y'want to. You're too good t' be wastin' your life takin' care of us ol' beans.” Mac joked, but there was a serious message in his speech, there always was. “Ah hope y'find somethin' that works for you, AJ. Ah'm just glad y'got people 'round who care 'bout you s'darn much.”

“Pardon?” his younger sister questioned what he meant by that.

“C'mon, Ah know that Dash girl ain't stickin' 'round for th' free drinks,” Big Mac smirked at his younger sister, who blushed to hear the girl's name mentioned.

“Yea', well,” Applejack murmured uneasily, fidgeting with her fingers and defying her reflex to smile. “Ah don't think she's gonna be doin' much stickin' 'round.”

“Ah wouldn't be s' sure,” he replied ambiguously in a quiet voice, turning the wheel around several times to complete a hard turn.

Perking up at the change of course, Applejack glanced around uncertainly before speaking up, “This ain't the usual route, is it?”

“It's in th' itinerary.” Mac pushed the clipboard across the dash, where it was resting as they drove. Applejack took it casually and scanned it, finding his statement to be true.

“Huh, yup.” Applejack nodded and replaced the clipboard, feeling silly for doubting the driver.

She was, however, rather unfamiliar with the neighbourhood at first, having never really taken much time to peruse the area for leisure. It was pleasant, bright, and rather close to where Rainbow Dash lived, if she thought about it. The snow made the whole area look like an untouched canvas, thick with snow and tucked in tight. Her brother ducked once more to the left, slinking behind a few old shops and getting on to an alleyway.

It took another perhaps ten to thirty seconds before the truck slowed behind a particular building. It was tall, clearly old, and built up of wood and brick. Despite it being somewhat run-down or not taken care of quite properly, there was such potential that it shone like a beacon in the already bright white alley. In Applejack's eyes, it was brilliant and gorgeous in its simplicity and charm.

Both siblings opened their truck doors at the same time, swinging their boot-clad heels into the foot-high snow-bank. Even for the rear doors of a building, through which deliveries like their were almost always carried, it was quiet, and hardly a snowed-over depression was left by the door to tell anyone had been there that day at all. Hesitantly, Applejack reached out and pressed a little silver button, one which alerted any insiders to their presence with a buzzing noise. However, after two or three more presses, the Apple siblings were still left out in the cold.

“Little rude, wouldn't y'say?” Applejack grumbled, kicking at the thinning snow beneath the slight overhang. “Jus' not answerin' 'r nothin'.”

“Why don't you head 'round t' th' front door? Buzzer could be broke.” Mac tried to make sense of it, shrugging as he sent his younger sister around the building with a point of his thumb.

“Ah'm doin' all th' legwork, ain't Ah?” she questioned with a playful smirk, and her brother returned it twofold.

“Trust me, y'all'll wanna do this y'self,” he ushered her along, and though she didn't know what he meant by that, she followed obediently.

“Uh, sure,” she agreed reluctantly, stepping with high knees to avoid kicking the snow all around and into her boots.

Digging her hands into her pockets, Applejack fought off the hissing breeze and walked around the building. It wasn't difficult to find her way towards where the door would be, but as she looked at it, she noticed that all the lights were off. She was about to begin huffing and grumbling with disdain, when she paused to really take a look at the joint. It was clearly under renovations, as some tools were still laying about and such.

Yet, something stalled her to look closer. Perhaps it was the name, perhaps it was the odd chill she got as she looked upon it, one that did not scare her, but excited her. Perhaps, indeed, it was feeling a familiar presence so near.

“It's not much to look at, I admit.” The barmaid froze from more than the cold as she heard that endearingly raspy and nonchalant tone. “But it's a start.”

“A start?” Applejack repeated as she turned around to face the girl who addressed her, and came face to face with her all bundled up in a thick scarf, rosy-nosed as if she had been waiting nearby for a good deal of time.

“Yeah, I mean, you can't expect it to be the most talked-about pub in town on opening day, can you?” the girl teased with a smile, easily moseying over to Applejack and joining her in staring at the structure before them. “Soon enough, everyone will know the name.”

“The name?” Applejack was still somewhat lost, and turned to stare at her dear friend closely.

“The Cider Cellar, exclusively featuring the renowned Apple Family Cider,” Rainbow Dash revealed with a casual shrug, and a smirk crossed her face as the two of them met gazes once more. “Served in hollowed-out apples. Your idea, if I recall correctly.”

“Uh, yea', Ah...” the barmaid wasn't sure what else to say, and her confused expression delighted Rainbow Dash. “Ah'm sorry, what's goin' on, exactly? Ah'm a little confused.”

“This old place was a bargain, no one seems to want to invest in archaic looking pubs these days. But then again, they don't have such infatuating barmaids as I do.” Rainbow closely approached Applejack, holding her hand out with some small book clasped fondly at the bottom. “The job's yours, if you want it.”

Taking the book, Applejack read it over without hesitation, and recognized it instantly. It was her very same worn-out copy of The Bon Vivant's Companion, complete with a fading receipt for a Blue Blazer tucked inside. She could hardly even comprehend how to question the situation, and sort of looked up dumbly at Rainbow Dash.

“Twilight grabbed it, on her way out of the Joint. Things went to hell without you, you know.” came more of an explanation. “And once I explained that Jubilee had been exploiting your hard work—omitting the nitty gritty, I might add—the rest of them followed suit: Spike, Rarity, Pinkie, even Fluttershy, despite her new boyfriend's protests.”

“They all quit? But why?” Applejack wondered with a solemn look, as she would be more than upset if her failings had lost her good friends their jobs.

“Another opportunity came up,” Rainbow vaguely suggested, a grin crossing her face.

“Hey!” a more chipper and loud voice rolled over the fresh snow, and Applejack glanced to the now open window in the side of the old bar house. “We've got lots of work to do before we open, get your butts in here before they freeze!”

“Pinkie Pie?” Applejack named her with some surprise, and the girl briefly waved before ducking back inside.

“Come on, boss, try out your new key.” And with those words, Rainbow easily flung a keyring at the barmaid, complete with front and rear door keys.

“Boss?...” The blonde caught them easily, glancing at the way they fit in her palm before approaching the main doors.

Though the lock was a little charmingly finicky, Applejack had no trouble opening it, and with a great heave, thrust the doors ajar. It was darker inside, since she had been accustomed to the bright white of the fresh snow, but once her eyes adjusted, they lit up. Pinkie Pie immediately set to turning all the lights on, which glowed along the ceiling between arched rafters and tall wooden support beams. Chairs and tables littered the spacious room, pulled together for large parties and lining the walls with booths. Everything looked classic yet restored, comfortable and yet casual. With a look of awe on her face, Applejack took another astounded few steps into the doorway, glancing in each direction with stupor.

Cheering and clapping caught her attention at once, and she glanced over to the large bar-counter to see all of her old friends and co-workers crowding around it. Even Octavia, who was never much for displays of obnoxious affection, smiled at the barmaid and cast her a friendly wave. Applejack gaped at their welcome, and was pushed several paces closer by a bemused Rainbow Dash.

“You're all here?” Applejack asked an obvious question, and her friends seemed pleased to see her so bewildered.

“Of course! Jubilee's Joint was a mess without you,” Vinyl chimed in with a smirk.

“This place will be a hundred times better: no stingy, exploitive boss, no unreliable co-workers,” Rainbow started off, and smirked as another reason crossed her mind. “And no skimpy uniforms, though Rarity is still content with donning the old dress.”

“Hey,” Rarity piped up in an offended tone, crossing her arms over her somewhat revealed bosom.

“How'd y'even afford all o' this?” Applejack asked incredulously.

“I had a little debt with my old man I thought I should call in,” Rainbow vaguely explained, though Applejack knew to what she referred. “It's not hard to convince a businessman of a little investment, and with all his connections in advertising, there's already a hype generating about this place. And about the Apple Family Cider business.”

“Y'did all this... for me?” the barmaid weakly asked, hope brimming in her eyes.

“I told you, when we first met, that you'd be seeing more of me.” Rainbow Dash reminded her, reaching out and gingerly stroking her cold cheek with her gloved fingers, which Applejack recognized as the pair she had made for her a few weeks earlier. “And I meant it. There's no way I'd let some busty old broad keep us apart. Got it?”

“Y-Yea',” Applejack reverently nodded, her loving eyes set on the most wonderful girl she had ever met.

“Of course, you're going to have to teach me how to make those awesome drinks of yours,” Rainbow added with a casual shrug. “I can't let you have all the fun behind the bar all by yourself, can I?”

“You best be ready t' learn then, kiddo,” she teased back, prodding Rainbow in the ribs with a poke. “And you're gonna really hafta work, for once.”

“I know, I know. I need the money, so no slacking,” the younger girl agreed readily, adding, “I have to hold a stable job to keep the bills paid until the Wonderbolts come around in the Spring for their annual recruitment. Me and the brat have to eat, after all.”

“Quit calling me that,” Scootaloo grumbled in false irritability from her spot beside the rest of the group.

“Oh, and there's one more thing, Dolly.” Rainbow took Applejack by the hand and led her behind the bar at once, nearly skipping past her co-workers cheerily.

With an amused smile, Applejack willingly allowed the young girl to guide her around, following close behind until they came right around the bar. Rainbow immediately ducked under the counter, opening some wooden cabinet tucked under the shelves of alcohol. Though Applejack was initially confused, her expression brightened upon catching sight of the object that Rainbow Dash removed from storage. There, clutched in her careful little hands, was Applejack's favourite old banjo.

“My banjo,” she gasped incredulously, taking it into her hands at once and running her hands over the freshly polished neck. “How did you—?!”

“A girl's got her ways, Dolly, though those Flim Flam brothers sure are a hard pair to barter with,” she added in a murmur, but a smirk stayed sprawled across her features as she watched how happy the thing had made her barmaid. “Well? What do you think?”

“It... it's all too much,” Applejack started, shaking her head in disbelief.

“No, Applejack,” Rainbow strode right up to her again, placing a hand on her own as it rested on the body of her banjo. “Everybody knows how hard you've worked, what you've put yourself through to take care of everyone who's important to you. But now? Now it's our turn, to make sure that you get everything you deserve. You deserve loyal friends, a good, stable job, a means to keep your family's farm afloat without regrets or having to sell your most precious things, someone to love you and be there for you, for once. And, baby, I Will Always Love You.”

Touched by both the incredible amount of devotion in Rainbow's voice and by her always charming humour, Applejack chuckled lightly before replying, “Ah'll always love you too, ya crazy thing.”

“Great, now on to the fun stuff,” Rainbow happily clapped, turning to face the rest of the group. “You want to go open the delivery door, squirt? Our newest hostess should be suited for such a job.”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. But you'd better not be thinking about bringing your girlfriend home with us, it's hard enough to sleep on the couch without having to hear you two up all night,” Scootaloo retorted snidely, though her playful smirk betrayed the grouchy tone she tried to use.

“We're moving out like two days, I think you can survive on the couch till then,” Rainbow replied, sticking her tongue out and patting her younger sister on the back until she hurried off. With a fond sigh, she told Applejack, “Cute kid.”

“Reminds me of someone,” the barmaid replied, nudging the younger girl teasingly.

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow repeated what her sister had responded with, and snickered to have heard it. Getting back to the subject at hand, she looked over at Vinyl, “You can finish setting up your equipment now. Everyone else? We still have a lot to do to get this place ready for opening day, so let's get a good groove going, cool?”

“A groove?” Applejack wondered, but by then Rainbow had taken in a large breath and was set on keeping the attention on the barmaid.

“Ol' Applejack was loved by everyone she ever knew,” Rainbow Dash began singing loudly, clapping her hands in time until some others began to join in. “Applejack picked apples, but she picked the banjo too.”

“What?” the barmaid was surprised by the girl’s actually quite soothing voice, but more surprised as Rainbow grabbed her hands and placed them into the playing position of the banjo, ushering her forward.

“Play a song for me, Applejack, Applejack!” She continued, and after a short chuckle, Applejack joined in which a light and playful tune on the instrument, matching Rainbow's rhythm. Several others joined in with clapping or harmony, and Rainbow Dash continued her tune, “Play a song for me, and I'll sing! Everybody! Play a song for me, Applejack, Applejack! Play a song, let your banjo ring!”

Recognizing the song as one of Parton's tunes, Applejack smirked and remarked to the younger girl, “Y'all really love your Dolly, don't you?”

Grinning, Rainbow leaned closer to her barmaid and replied, “Yeah, I really do.”

While Applejack continued to pick at the banjo and their friends hummed or kept the beat, Rainbow shifted closer and managed to plant a kiss on the barmaid's lips. This only spurred the cheers of several of their co-workers, and a few surprised or gleeful gasps. Though it only lasted for a few seconds, Applejack wouldn't hesitate to call it one of the best moment's of her life. For just an instant, everything that she had been through seemed worthwhile. Though there was still so much uncertainty, Applejack and Rainbow Dash for once felt at ease. Without the looming pressures of an employer or a father, the two could finally look to the future and anticipate success or happiness.

“And they lived happily ever after!” Pinkie Pie nearly screamed with bright eyes, a smile beaming on her face and shoving dimples into her chubby cheeks.

“Ah done told you, this ain't a fairy tale, Pinkie,” Applejack replied with a weird look on her face.

“Why not?” Pinkie questioned with big, oblivious eyes. “The prince fights on through various trials, and after saving the princess from the fire-breathing dragon—Miss Jubilee—the two escape to their own castle—The Cider Cellar—and rule the kingdom together!”

“Does that make me the prince?” Rainbow Dash wondered, when a smirk cross her features once more. “I'm cool with that.”

“You're all nuts,” Applejack murmured, shaking her head with a light laugh as she put her banjo down on the back counter carefully.

“Hey, hey, you know what this occasion calls for?” Rainbow rushed out from behind the bar, bouncing up and down with her hands on the counter and an excited look seeping over her features. “A very, very special drink, one reserved for only your lovely prince?”

“Oh? That so?” the barmaid replied casually, but after acting aloof about it and drowning Rainbow in anticipation, she finally agreed, searching around for two perfectly sized metal tankards. “That's a little dangerous, but Ah could make it work. Ah guess Ah could risk a little fire for a happy ending.”

“Oh baby, it'll be a very happy ending.” Rainbow remarked with a devious little grin, and Pinkie burst out laughing immediately and nearly fell right over.

“Yuck. I'm standing right here,” another voice butt in, and Rainbow glanced over her shoulder to see her younger sister standing behind her with an armful of Apple Family Cider, beside the behemoth Big Mac who was carrying the same.

“Hey squirt, cop a squat over here, Dolly's about to show you something really awesome,” Rainbow plopped down on a barstool and patted the one beside her.

“What is it?” Scootaloo asked curiously, coming over and sitting beside her older sister.

“Something she did for me the very first night we met,” the rainbow-haired girl recited like it was scripture, and several of the other workers paused to hear a familiar story that Applejack had told them perhaps months ago. Watching the way Applejack looked at the girl and the way she gathered her ingredients under dim lighting, they already knew, but Rainbow spoke the words anyway, “A Blue Blazer.”

Applejack took hold of a long-nosed lighter she found conveniently placed by the point of sale system, and set to lighting one of the tankards ablaze. As the lights fell dark around her, all she could see was the immediacy of space in front of the bar, where Rainbow Dash had always sat. Over the pouring blue flame that danced over her face, Applejack stared into the eyes of her lover once more, feeling the same infatuation and allure that had captured her attention so many nights ago, on an evening such as that. As ever she did, the barmaid fondly remembered the first time she had met that crazy girl.

Author's Notes:

At last, it's pretty much done! I'm probably going to make a flash-forward epilogue to finish it off, but for now, this is something of an official end. I can't believe I've been working on this since like November of last year... and it was originally supposed to be a little side-project to Hail Mary. Crazy. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading, I hope this ending (and the coming epilogue) is satisfying! Comments on the whole story?
(Also, yes, the cover art was changed. The old one can still be found on my Deviantart, where I am also known as Ezrienel)