Applejack sat across the living room from Rarity, eyes fixed on the unicorn’s body. Her breakfast feast had left her in something of a coma; Rarity hadn’t managed to stay awake for very long once she laid herself out on the couch. Applejack couldn’t pass up the opportunity to steal a glance at her pudgy friend, taking in the sight of Rarity’s widened form. Her gaze wandered all over - belly, flanks, legs... everything.

Applejack sat in place with a dumb look of pure joy on her face: jaw slack, eyes wide with curiosity as she took in all of Rarity sprawled out on her couch. Though disappointed, Applejack had positioned herself so Rarity’s more private areas were obscured by tail and legs - were Rarity to awaken, she could explain away sitting here, but not having her eyes locked on plot.

Applejack’s jaw tightened back up, closing as her mind wandered to fantasy. Her teeth bit at her lower lip as the thought of reaching out and just being able to touch Rarity’s delicious, soft flank rolled through her head. That has got to feel good, Applejack thought, welling up every last bit of self control to keep from pouncing Rarity right then and there.

The thoughts weren’t even anything suggestive wandering through her mind. No, all she wanted was a touch. Just a brush with a hoof, maybe even just half a second of laying her head on Rarity’s flank. It looked so soft, so delicate and so cuddleable - like a cold pillow lying on your bed after a long, hard day of work. She was sure that Rarity’s agonizingly well kept coat only made it softer, as well. By Celestia, it probably even smelled amazing.

She could get away with this. She could totally get away with it. Just a touch. That’s all, then it’s back to chores while she sleeps.

WHUMP.

The loud sound of something colliding against her door snapped Applejack right out of any fantasies she was indulging in, head whipping toward the entrance faster than a her lasso at a rodeo. Her expression soured as she heard Rarity stirring from her sleep just after the abrupt sound, eyes narrowing as a much more reasonable knock echoed from her door.

“What was that?” Rarity asked, eyes still half lidded from her sleep. Her forelegs pawed at the sofa’s cushions, attempting to push herself back over onto her hooves. Eyes fully open, she glanced at Applejack who, in the aftershock of such a sudden sound, was still sitting a little too close to Rarity’s resting place, hoof raised and pointed towards her flank. “And what are you doing?”

Applejack jerked her glance back towards Rarity, realising that this was perhaps a bit too close to be sitting without appearing creepy. “Uh... n-nothin’!” Applejack dodged, mustering up the biggest smile she could manage. “I was just... uh... ya know, Ah should probably go get that.” Applejack immediately rose to her hooves, trotting away before Rarity could prod any further with her questions.

Applejack fiddled with the lock on the door, mouthing and nosing them open before nudging open the top half of the door to peer at whoever had needed their attention so badly - Rainbow Dash’s eyes locked with her own, but flicked to the side and focused on Rarity a moment later.

“I knew she’d be here!” Rainbow Dash yelled, grinning wide with pride as her assumptions were proven correct.

“Well, hello to you too, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack said, tilting her head to the side. “Can Ah help ya with somethin’?”

“Actually, I was looking for Rarity. I stopped by her boutique earlier and she was really not there this time. So, I couldn’t help but wonder where she was.” Rainbow Dash grinned, looking at Rarity again. “And I thought - ‘oh, I know’!” Dash’s forelegs threw themselves into the air, faking surprise. “Probably with Applejack.”

Rarity cocked an eyebrow, glancing between Rainbow Dash and Applejack with mild suspicion. “Why would you think I was here?” Rarity asked, her gaze finally resting on Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, Applejack didn’t tell you?” Rainbow Dash’s smile visibly melted right off of her face as she turned her look toward Applejack. Her eyes narrowed - it was probably subconscious, but it was just enough for Rarity and Applejack to notice, the latter looking none too pleased. “Well, see, Applejack here kind of has a t-”

Rainbow Dash’s speech was cut off - whatever it was she was trying to say would now have to go through Applejack’s hoof first, and all that was coming out was a few very angry, very muffled grunts.

Rainbow Dash swatted the hoof out of her mouth, backing a step away from the door as her wings rose up to the sides. She lowered herself closer to the ground, hind legs bending as her forelegs stretched out, looking ready to pounce. “How long are you going to keep this up, Applejack? This... this isn’t fair!”

“Rainbow Dash, Ah think ya need to take a step back and really think about what yer doin’, here.” Applejack’s expression didn’t budge, her stubbornness not wavering in the least, despite Rainbow’s intimidating stance. “This ain’t the time, nor the place for this. Ah really think ya need to jus’ go home.”

Rainbow Dash snorted, nostrils flaring as her temper rose even higher. The next few moments were tense - nopony moved. Rainbow Dash visibly shook with anger, Applejack stood strong in the doorway and Rarity kept off to the side, eyes wide as she glanced between the two of them. She didn’t dare say anything, lest she anger either of them further.

After what felt to the trio to be an eternity, Rainbow Dash snorted once more and spun around on her hooves, turning away from the door. She kicked off of the ground, wings flaring out to their full span as she took off into the air. Rainbow Dash yelled something back at them - Rarity couldn’t make out what it was.

Applejack let out a massive sigh, dropping down from her leaning position on the door with a clop of her hooves. “By Celestia, that girl has a temper.” She ducked her head, looking up at Rarity as she turned around. “Ah’m mighty sorry ya had to see that, Rares.”

“It’s... all right, Applejack.” Rarity nodded, reassuring her friend. Now that the tension was over, Rarity quickly realized that she was still sporting a rather nasty case of bed-mane. Her face cringed and her horn glowed, eyes focusing onto what she could see of her mane to try and sort the mess out. “Though... I do have a number of questions after your little altercation, there, that I couldn’t help but overhear.”

“Yeah. Kinda expected ya would...” Applejack raised a hoof and rubbed at the back of her head, eyes facing toward the ground.

“She sounded like she was trying to inform me of... something. It looked like you didn’t want her to,” Rarity said, voice friendly despite the accusing nature of the words. “Do you know what she was talking about?”

“Yeah, Ah do. But... don’t, Rares. She’s twistin’ it around and makin’ it into somethin’ it ain’t. She’s... misunderstandin’ a lot of things.” Applejack nodded, glancing up at Rarity. Seeing that she was still focused on cleaning up her mane, Applejack kept her head held high for the moment.

“Well... what was it, then? That she wanted me to know?”

“Rarity... that ain’t... she’s a little crazy right now, that’s all. I thought she was comin’ over to apologize, ‘s why I let her talk at all.” Applejack let out another sigh, pushing the bottom half of the door open. “But, come on. We’ve gotta get started on these trees or we ain’t never gonna finish gettin’ them apples down. We can talk later.”

Rarity grumbled at the answer she was given, but ultimately decided not to prod any further. What happened was likely a personal problem, and she just happened to be there.

But, on the other hand, Rainbow Dash did seem to be specifically talking to her, at some points...

“Rarity! Come on, girl, sun’s burnin’! We gotta get movin.”

“Right!” Rarity snapped herself out of her thoughts, trotting up alongside Applejack next to the door. “Let’s get to it.”

“Atta girl!”

“...I don’t think it’s working.” Rarity glanced up at the tree behind her - what she thought was a mighty buck in reality did not throw even a single apple from the tree.

“‘Cause yer not buckin’ hard enough. Watch, scoot over.” Applejack nudged Rarity’s flank with her own, bumping her aside so she could line her hind legs up with the tree. Rearing up on her forelegs, she released a strong kick, slamming her hooves into the trunk and sending apples tumbling down into the buckets below. A single apple remained in the tree, wondering where everyone else went.

“See? That’s all there is to it!”

Rarity huffed and furrowed her brow. Despite multiple attempts, she’d yet to get even one apple to fall. “Of course that’s all there is to it for you! You are a professional!”

“Hey, hey! Calm down, Rares. It’s alright, yer new to this. You’ll get it. Come on, give it another shot.”

Eyebrows wrinkled, Rarity lined herself up in front of a new tree. She glanced to Applejack for encouragement, who gave a nod of approval in response. With a bit of difficulty, Rarity managed to fully lift her rear legs off the ground - a first - and threw them against the tree’s trunk. Several apples tumbled out of the branches and into the baskets below. It was nothing like an Applejack kick, but it was an improvement.

“Yes!” Rarity cheered, stomping her hooves rapidly out of excitement as soon as she realized that at long last she’d managed to buck an apple tree with some success. “I got a few, at least!”

“Yeah, there ya go!” Applejack cheered right along with her, grinning wide at her pudgy friend. “I’m mighty proud of ya, Rarity. Never thought Ah’d see ya excited about farm work.”

“Oh, me neither, Applejack! But I have to admit, this is exhilarating once it works!” Rarity giggled and turned her head towards the baskets under the tree. “Ha! Take that, apples!” She barked at the fruit.

“Heh... alright. Yer gettin’ the hang of it, Rares. Ah’m gonna let ya have this part of the orchard to yaself, alright?” Applejack said, waving a hoof around the surrounding trees. “Not too many fer a beginner, but enough ta give ya a work out.”

“Alright. Got it!” Rarity nodded enthusiastically. “Will you be somewhere around here?”

“Sure will!” Applejack nodded in response. “Jus’ around the corner. Give me a holler if ya need anything, alright?”

“Of course!”

The sound of a loud bell ringing through the trees startled Rarity awake. She immediately felt her hooves ache something fierce - even faster, she noticed that the sun had almost disappeared behind the trees surrounding her.

Still in a bit of a daze from her rest, she attempted to locate the bell from behind her squinted eyelids. Between rings, she heard a faint version of Applejack’s voice calling from the barn the day had started in.

She winced as she stood and put weight down on her back hooves - so much bucking on such dainty, well-mannered hooves was tough work. After only a few trees she’d elected to simply cheat and harvest the apples with magic; after all, Applejack wasn’t around to stop her from doing it, being in her own section of the orchard.

This left her with plenty of time left over to do as she liked. Time which Rarity had chosen to fill with snacking on apples and - apparently - falling asleep.

She didn’t even remember dozing off, but she sure remembered those amazing, sweet apples. She’d devoured a good number of them (though she’d lost count around eight or so) and that craving hadn’t passed. A quick look of her surroundings alerted her to the fact that all the baskets of apples she’d harvested were gone. A blush teased at her cheeks, knowing that meant she was caught napping.

The bell rang again, and Rarity realized that she was still standing in the orchard just staring at the empty ground. She broke out into a trot, wincing with each step her back hooves took.

Reaching the barn after a short walk, Rarity found the door wide open and, not wanting to keep anypony waiting any longer, she went inside, panting slightly from the jog back to the home.

“Well, howdy, Rarity!” Applejack was more than eager to welcome Rarity back on her return, smiling wide. “‘What’s that bell’, right? It’s the dinner bell!”

“Dinner... bell?” Rarity asked, words parted by panting.

“Well, yeah! When everyone is out in the orchard, how else is little ol’ Granny Smith gonna get all’a us to come back?” Applejack nodded. “Dinner bell, that’s how.”

Rarity scrunched her nose at the idea of being called around by a bell like a wild animal - but it was part of the Apple family’s home and lifestyle, so she suppressed the urge to say exactly that. “So, does that mean d-”

“Hay yeah it means dinner! Come on, Rares, it’s gettin’ cold!” Applejack didn’t even give her a chance to respond - as soon as her sentence was finished, she spun around and trotted back into the kitchen, leaving Rarity alone with no company but her appetite.

Naturally, it did not take Rarity long to come to her senses. The idea of dinner (especially considering she missed lunch due to napping) had Rarity just about galloping into the kitchen right behind Applejack, nose raised to the air as she attempted to catch a whiff of anything she could. She could pick up scents, that was for sure, but exactly what still evaded her.

It did not take long, however, for Rarity to discover exactly what was awaiting the pair. With her rushed step, she poked her head into the kitchen and immediately widened her eyes at the sight waiting for her on the table.

A spread of food far more than the either of them could ever eat was set up in all its glory. From Rarity’s position at the doorway, she could spot all kinds of foods. Potato fries, bowls loaded with leafy greens, all sorts of pastas, and a treat that caught Rarity’s eye in particular - a large plate of several kinds of apple delicacies: fritters, tarts, cupcakes and muffins, each lovingly hoofcrafted and doused with sugar.

Eyes wide and pleading, Rarity turned to glance at Applejack beside her, who was standing in place with a massive smile on her face. She was downright proud of her ability to crank out so much food in such short little time with so few guests. It was enough to give Rarity the slightest twinge of suspicion - there had to be more behind that smile - but the food laid out in front of her was distracting enough to make her disregard it instantly.

Rarity trotted up to the dinner table, a large plate being wrapped in her magic as soon as it was within range. She disregarded the salad, opting instead to begin her meal with much more satisfying food: within seconds, her plate was loaded high with the potato fries and a small mountain of pasta, every inch topped with tomato sauce, cheese and butter.

Scrunching her eyebrows as she concentrated on the somewhat complicated move, her telekinesis gripped a cheese grater and a block of cheese. The grater floated in a circle around Mt. Pasta, raining down heavenly shreds of stringy cheese on top of the already loaded plate, weighing it down even more with delicious country food.

Rarity snapped her head up as soon as she heard a giggle coming from Applejack. Concentration lost, the block of cheese and the metal grater fell to the sides and landed on the table. “What?”

“Wow, Rares, calm down!” Applejack tried to stop the flow of snickers coming from her snout with a hoof, but couldn’t. She was enjoying the show just far too much. “I’m jus’ glad ya like my cookin’ so much. Would have hated ta have you come all this way to help me on the farm, only to not like the food.”

Still defensive, Rarity stuck her nose up in the air as she levitated her plate to her side of the table and set it down with a heavy thump. “I only have such a large plate because I napped through lunch.”

“Did’ja?” Applejack teased with a smirk on her face as she grabbed a plate of her own between her teeth, setting it down to dish herself out some of the dinner. “‘Cause something ate a bunch of apples out of yer baskets, an’, well, left all’a the apple cores sittin’ around ya, so...” Applejack tossed a small wink Rarity’s way, lifting a spoon with her mouth to scoop some of the pasta onto her own plate.

“W-well!” Rarity stuttered as she attempted to tape together a defense in her mind, only for it to fall apart faster than Twilight after missing a Friendship Report. “...Well, I couldn’t help it. They’re absolutely divine apples, Applejack.”

“Well, o’course they are!” Applejack giggled again, dropping the pasta spoon back into the bowl before she nosed a fritter onto her plate. “After all, it is my job ta make good apples. Wouldn’t be in business very long iffin’ they weren’t good!”

“Yes, true!” Rarity nodded, any guilt washed away by her friend’s words. No longer worried, Rarity plunged her utensils into the food, wrapping a large wad of pasta around her fork before she hovered it to her mouth. “I was afraid that you’d be upset by my snacking. Didn’t know if you were trying to reach a quota or anything of the sort.”

“Oh, naw. Jus’ gotta get ‘em down. Besides, that’s what apples are for! Eatin’! Ah don’t mind.” Applejack nodded, then widened her eyes. “Oh, an’ for drinkin’! An’ speakin’ of drinkin’...”

Applejack trotted away from the table and toward the other side of the kitchen. She bit onto a small, visibly perspiring chest and tugged it towards the dinner table, setting it off to the side. With a quick swipe, she knocked the latch open and tossed the top off of its hinges, revealing its contents: a very well stocked ice box, complete with over a dozen long neck cider bottles. With a wide smile, Applejack bit the lid of one of the bottles, sliding it out of the ice and in front of Rarity.

“Special brew cider. This is the strong stuff... had a bit of it lyin’ around the storeroom when I went lookin’ fer stuff ta make fer dinner, figured that I’d share some of it.”

Rarity swallowed the huge mouthful of fries she’d stuffed into her muzzle while Applejack was pulling the chest, wiping the grease off her mouth with a napkin as she eyed the bottle. “Special brew, hm? Well, I very much appreciate it, Applejack. Let’s see, then...” Focusing her magic, she bent and popped the lid off, a small mist of cider spritzing from the open container.

Rarity floated the bottle up into the air and tipped it back, taking a sip from it. The moment it hit her tongue she cringed, but swallowed it nonetheless. She coughed as soon as the bottle pulled back, wiping at her lip with a napkin again. “That... that is strong, Applejack,” Rarity said, wiping a tear from her eye. “...But I do have to admit that it is a fine drink.”

“Aw, shucks! Ah’m glad! Brewed it mahself!” Applejack said, smile widening even farther than it had been all night. “Drink up! Ya deserve it after all the hard work an’ all.”

“Oh! ...Right! Hard work, of course!” Rarity levitates up the bottle. “To hard work and a delectable dinner, then?”

Applejack pulled a bottle out of the ice chest with her teeth, holding the lid against the table edge with a hoof. Her other hoof slammed down on top, popping off the lid as she scrambled to catch the bottle before it hit the ground. Watching all of this, Rarity was suddenly very thankful for her magic - otherwise, there was simply far too much physical labor involved in opening bottles.

Applejack was skilled at bottle opening, however, and caught the bottle before a drop was spilt and any glass was broken. Rarity scooped up another large mouthful of pasta while her friend readied her cider, before clinking the rims of their bottles together and taking long drinks. “To hard work and food, yee haw!”

Applejack downed the entire bottle in one breath - Rarity had to cut herself off after a few good gulps, turning the bottle right side up and panting as she did so. She was far from a heavy drinker, that was clear, and even less experienced with drinking out of a glass bottle.

Applejack, on the other hand, was already pulling out a second bottle for herself. She popped the lid off and sipped at it, before opening a third and sliding it next to Rarity’s still half full bottle.

Rarity cocked an eyebrow, looking at the two bottles as another forkful of pasta was levitated to her mouth. “Another? I really shouldn’t, Applejack. I’ve got to get back to the boutique - there’s still a lot of work to do.”

“An’ there’s a lot of work to do here, too, but yer not gonna see me not drinkin’.” Applejack nodded and clamped the bottle between both hooves, tipping it back and taking a drink. “An’ besides, if ya want, jus’ stay here fer the night and go home in the morning.”

“I’d have to admit that is a bit tempting,” Rarity said, scooping up several fries in her magic. “But I can’t help but think I’d just be in the way.”

“Oh, horseapples! Yer welcome here any day, Rarity.” Applejack took another long swig from her cider bottle, almost finishing the second off. “An’ besides, yer already experienced with nappin’ here on my couch and the orchard.”

Rarity huffed and glared at Applejack. “Those were extenuating circumstances! The couch was because of how early I had to get up to make it all the way out here, and the orchard was because, well, I was working hard!”

Applejack laughed, already reaching for a third bottle out of the ice chest. “Ah’m just teasin’, Rarity! No reason to get all defensive. Farm’s plenty big enough fer a few unicorns to lay around. Besides, the magic kind of comes in handy sometimes.”

“Well, of course it does,” Rarity said, floating another hoofful of fries to her mouth to be devoured like the others. “After all, things like this pasta would be just dreadful if I couldn’t use utensils.”

Applejack’s head tilted to the side as she pulled back from her plate with a mouthful of pasta, snout covered in the red sauce that topped it. She nudged her nose against a napkin on the table, but really only succeeded in smearing it around. “Why’s that?”

“Missed a spot, darling,” Rarity said, pointing at her own unmussed snout, before drawing her hoof in a circle around her face. “Well, several spots. And that’s exactly why.” Rarity chomped down another several bites of her pasta, finally beginning to make a dent in the massive pile sitting in front of her. Forkfuls were interspersed with sips of her cider, first bottle now empty.

“Eh, so it’s a little messy.” Applejack shrugged, going in for another bite. “‘S still good.”

“Can’t argue with that.” The tower of pasta stood absolutely no chance against Rarity’s hunger mounting a full attack. The pair of forks levitated by magic spun one after another, each collecting strands of spaghetti into a neat, tidy ball which was floated into her mouth. A third magical field lifted a napkin into the air, a fourth continued to deliver sips of cider, and a fifth floated fries up several at a time.

Applejack, having no magical powers of her own, found herself somewhat impressed by Rarity’s skill. It was rare to see a unicorn levitating more than one thing at a time - yet here Rarity was with two sharp pieces of metal and a glass bottle, each one hovering directly next to her face, all without injury. Even more impressive was how Rarity managed to keep herself completely free of any debris, coat completely spotless of sauce or cheese.

A bottle of cider inside the ice chest began to glow, finding itself lifted up and out of the collection and floated before the unicorn. Rarity’s now empty second bottle was placed aside, the third opening. As the alcohol dulled her senses, Applejack noticed Rarity taking bigger and bigger drinks of the booze - what were dainty sips before were now full gulps as she became accustomed to the harsh flavor.

“Tell ya what,” Applejack said. “If ya end up not goin’ home, Ah’ll come over to the boutique tomorrow and help ya get yer work done.”

Rarity paused for just a moment, eyes looking up from the plate of pasta. “You... would help me make dresses?” She stuffed another bundle of fries into her mouth before letting out a quiet chuckle. “I thought you didn’t like doing ‘girly’ things, Applejack.”

“And Ah thought you didn’t like doin’ ‘hard labor’, Rarity, but you’ve been hangin’ around the farm buckin’ trees for an entire day.” Applejack grinned at her own comment, grabbing a napkin in her hoof to try and wipe some of the sauce from her face.

Rarity shrugged and made an exaggerated frown as she stuffed another two forkfuls of pasta into her mouth, finishing off her bottle of cider before levitating another out of the ice chest. “Fair enough,” Rarity finally answered. “I suppose you do have a point. Applejack, you are more than welcome to come to the boutique tomorrow and assist me, though I’ll have to find you something to do. Somewhat difficult to run a magic-powered sewing machine with no magic.”

“Aw, shoot, Ah’ll find somethin’ ta do, Ah’m sure.” Applejack’s face was now clear from sauce, except for the slight red stain that latched onto the coat around her muzzle. Face and plate clean, she nosed her empty dish to the side and glanced at what remained on Rarity’s own dinner plate. “Heh, don’t fill up too much on pasta, now. Still plenty of dessert, too!”

“Right, of course! Don’t... fill up too much.” Rarity smiled wide, yet Applejack detected hesitation in the grin. She didn’t push the subject, and Rarity continued her pasta feast, forks revving up and spinning to collect more spaghetti. Little remained on her plate - where the proud pile of pony pasta stood before now sat a decimated hill.

Gulps of cider snuck in between bites of the remaining pasta and fries, and it wasn’t long before a fifth bottle was finding itself levitated in Rarity’s magic fields. The large mixing bowl where the pasta originated remained roughly half full with spaghetti, but Rarity made no motion to refill her portions already in front of her. With a final swirl of a fork and a stifled burp from Rarity, the last piece of pasta disappeared into her distended stomach.

Rarity stared at her empty plate for a long moment, silently remaining still. The utensils she attacked her meal with found themselves returning to the table, the napkin made one last pass over her lips and the now empty bottle of cider floated over to sit with the rest. Applejack caught Rarity’s eyes flick towards the towering dessert tray, but without fail they jerked back to the empty, sauce stained plate.

“Er... somethin’ the matter, Rarity?” Applejack asked, head tilting to the side.

“What? No. Nothing.” Rarity’s speech became short and quick, as if she were trying to avoid answering. She let out a sigh as her horn ignited with magic, a fritter floating from the tray and to her mouth. She ate, taking big bites from the treat, but it was no longer a glee-filled devouring like her feast moments ago - this was slow, sad, almost defeated looking.

“...Somethin’s botherin’ ya, Rares. What’s goin’ on?” Applejack rose to her hooves. There was a short sway in her stance as she caught her balance - she may not have had as much cider, but there was significantly less food in her stomach to absorb the alcohol, and its effects on her were noticeable. Without another misstep, she trotted around to the other side of the table and plopped down next to her puffy friend. “Come on, don’t gotta hide nothin’.”

Applejack caught the slight glare of a tear welling up in Rarity’s eye, but it was whisked away by a hoof before it was able to escape. “I’m fine,” she said, stuffing the rest of the fritter into her muzzle. She swallowed, followed by a short sniffle.

“Are you... yer cryin’, aren’t you?” Applejack leaned in, inching herself closer to Rarity.

“No! No, I am not crying.” The force behind her words squeezed out another tear, this one managing to make a break for it and roll down her cheek before she caught it with a very precisely levitated napkin. The same napkin dabbed at her lips before she telekinetically grabbed onto a particularly large cupcake, topped with cinnamon swirls and a slice of apple. As large as it was, it didn’t stand a chance against Rarity - four bites, and it was gone.

“Fine. Ya aren’t crying.” Applejack frowned, reaching a hoof across the table to drag the dessert tray closer. “But yer still pretty clearly bothered by somethin’.”

Rarity bit her lower lip, turning her head to look at Applejack. As soon as their eyes met, she glanced away for a brief moment before looking back up to her friend. “I’ve just... gone and made a pig out of myself, haven’t I? I’m not even... trying, anymore. I just eat anything you put in front of me.”

“Yeah, and?” Applejack cracked a tiny smile, the corners of her mouth teasing their way up. “Ah told ya this mornin’, Ah like it when people appreciate my cookin’.”

“This is farther than ‘appreciating’, Applejack!” Rarity’s frown deepened and her ears pinned back. Her lip quivered and larger, sincere tears built up in her eyes before tumbling down her cheeks. She sniffled and tried to inhale, finding her breath getting caught in her throat. “I-I’m just a huge... glutton! It’s disgusting!”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Applejack said, immediately reaching out with a foreleg to wrap around Rarity’s shoulders. She tugged her in close, feeling Rarity’s side squish against her own in the hug. There were no complaints. “Now, what has gotten into ya? Ya were havin’ a great day, weren’t ya? Ah was.”

“No, Applejack, I am not having a great day!” Rarity yelled, voice rising as the flow of tears became wider, dripping onto the ground when they met at her chin. The flood gates were fully opened - she was full on bawling. “Just... look at me! I’m not Rarity anymore! I’m just a big... fat... MARSHMALLOW!”

Applejack’s mind reeled, attempting to swim through the alcohol flowing through her and latch onto something to diffuse the situation. Rarity’s condition was rapidly dwindling, and though she was still stuffing treats into her mouth - Applejack noticed a large piece of pie being eaten between sobs - this was not how she had wanted the night to end.

“But... Ah like marshmallows!” Rarity did not even have a chance to respond before Applejack regretted every word. Even tipsy, she was able to realize just how absolutely absurd the line sounded, but only after it had escaped her mouth.

“You... huh?” Rarity blinked, still sniffling loudly as she turned her head to look at Applejack once more. Her face wore more confusion than it did shock or fear, though Applejack was very happy to see it at least temporarily stopped the crying, reverting her back to her on-the-edge state.

“Ah... uh... what Ah mean is, just ‘cuz ya put on a few pounds don’t mean ya aren’t as pretty as ya ever were, sugar cube.” Applejack nodded, impressing even herself with how smooth that came out. “I-In fact, maybe ya look even prettier!” The impressed feeling faded - too far.

Rarity sniffled once more, yet Applejack could see the beginnings of a smile appearing on Rarity’s face. The corners of her mouth teased upwards, though she tried her hardest to suppress her grin. Though the tears were sincere, Applejack knew she was dealing with Rarity and expected the drama. “M...maybe? Maybe I look prettier? W-what is that supposed to mean?”

Applejack huffed loudly, reaching with her other foreleg to knock a cupcake off of the tray and onto the table in front of Rarity. As soon as it entered her line of sight, it was wrapped in a magical glow and floated to her mouth where it was devoured. Rarity was back. “Yer right. There is no maybe.”

“Ya are prettier.”

Rarity nearly squealed with delight at the compliment, a small squeak rising up out of her. Whatever her true feelings about the situation were, she was not about to deny herself the satisfaction of being buttered up with compliments. She couldn’t hold back the smile any longer, and it broke out across her face. “Oh, you are just saying that!”

“No, Rarity! Ah ain’t ‘just sayin’ that,’” Applejack said, attempting to mimic Rarity’s voice with the last few words. She raised a hoof up - swaying slightly as she attempted to balance herself, using Rarity as a support - and nudged a few more treats off of the tray. Another cupcake, the remainder of the apple pie and several apple tarts slid across the table and came to a stop in front of Rarity.

Applejack couldn’t help but smile along with her as she felt Rarity’s back legs inching out to the side. She’d seen this several times, now, and knew it meant that she was making room for more. Much more.

Her guess immediately proved to be correct - as soon as she felt the legs moving, both the cupcake and one of the tarts were floated into the air, wrapped in a magical glow that slowly shrank in size as they were eaten in tandem. She bit at each one after the other, chomping bites off back and forth. The treats were devoured in no time at all. She may have been full of pasta and fries, but there was always room for dessert.

“I think it’s the alcohol talking, personally,” Rarity said. She was teasing at this point - Applejack couldn’t determine whether or not she was actually accepting the compliments or just humoring her, but either way she was happy to see the tears disappear. It stung more than she was willing to admit to see Rarity cry like that. It was true, Rarity was as famous for her dramatic pouty faces as she was for her dresses, but there was more to it than that.

Applejack couldn’t help but giggle as she watched the slices of pie disappear one by one. Still holding Rarity in the hug, she used her other hoof to push the whole pie closer - less time floating meant more time eating. Not a whole lot of it remained as it was, only about half of it was still in the tin, the rest having found its home in Rarity’s belly. “Pft, ain’t the alcohol, sugarcube. It’s true! I ain’t the element of honesty fer nothin’, after all!”

“A convincing argument,” Rarity responded, a little surprised at her ability to still form words that long with as much cider as she’d consumed. “I suppose I have no choice but to take your word for it,” she finished, though Applejack could still notice the smallest waver in her voice.

Applejack only snickered, going as far as leaning her head against Rarity’s shoulder as she continued to plow through the pie in record time. Drunk as she was, she considered reaching down and poking - or even being brave and rubbing - Rarity’s overfed stomach, but decided that might be going a bit too far too soon. She backed off, opting to rest there instead.

The pie was gone, and Rarity sat proud as she floated small chunks of remaining crumbs up and out of the tin and into her mouth. As always, the napkin was not far behind and, though quite sticky and stained from all the smears of sauce and pie filling it had collected, it wiped her lips clean of gluttonous debris.

“Still hungry?”

“No,” Rarity answered with honesty. “But there’s still more to go, isn’t there? After all, it would be just rude to not try a little of everything... wouldn’t it?” Rarity asked, her feeble attempt at justifying eating more being humorous to Applejack.

Applejack smirked and nodded. “Uh... well, Ah wouldn’t call it rude, but at the same time, Ah’m not gonna say no.”

Rarity squeaked with delight at the reassuring words, leaning forward slightly to move her horn within range of her next selected treat - a delicious looking pan of apple cobbler. She felt her stomach nudge against the floor as she leaned, but ignored it. That cobbler was going to be devoured, and she wasn’t going to let something as silly as stomach capacity get in the way.

Rarity’s first attempt to get cobbler into her mouth ended in a mess. Her magic gripped a good lump of it and floated it into the air. Levitation, however, was not so good at keeping something so viscous together and the runny parts of the cobbler dripped along the table and floor as the wad was carried to her mouth. By the time she was able to wrap her lips around it, it was almost all gone.

Rarity was not one to be defeated so easily, however. She opted for a plan B - she scanned the table with her eyes and caught onto a large serving spoon. She assumed it was for the spaghetti, but now it was for cobbler as neither of them had used it previously. The massive spoon quickly found itself submerged into the sticky dessert, lifted up into the air.

Rarity slurped happily, guzzling down the jellified parts of the sugary treat before licking the apple chunks and graham cracker crumbs out of the bottom of the spoon. She didn’t slow down in the least - even as her stomach filled out to accommodate the far too large dessert. Her belly expanded far enough to rub against the ground as she sat, just a hair, but she noticed.

Even still, there was room. She may have been on the verge of stuffed, but she was determined to finish the cobbler. It was taunting her, now - she was not about to leave it half eaten. The spoon buzzed through the air, moving so fast it appeared as a glowing blur to Applejack, though she mostly chalked that up to the alcohol.

Applejack’s eyes followed the spoon as it transported mouthful after mouthful of cobbler from the table to Rarity’s mouth. She bit her lip as she watched - she’d never admit it when sober, but watching Rarity binge like this was really something else. The desire to reach out and nuzzle into that taut stomach was nearly overwhelming, but she just barely managed to keep her cool.

There was a brief struggle, but Rarity had managed to swallow the last bit of cobbler. She was tempted to start scraping the bottom of the tray it was contained in, but she knew her limits - she was stuffed. Her stomach was taut as a drum. Even as she shifted her back legs out farther to accommodate her new girth, her belly remained in place, only squishing slightly against the ground.

“Full?”

Rarity opened her mouth to talk, immediately shutting it to keep from releasing the burp that was threatening to erupt out of her. Raising a hoof up, she paused for a moment before speaking. “Full does not even... begin to cover it.”

“Ah take it yer not gonna go back to the boutique tonight, huh?”

“No. No I am not.” Rarity leaned herself forward, chin resting on the table. Her eyes drooped shut - the combination of being incredibly overfed and the alcohol was making it dangerously hard to stay awake. She felt her head droop to the side and her horn clink against something, but it didn’t matter - she probably just knocked over an empty cider bottle.

“Uh, Rares?” She felt a nudge at her side, strong enough to wake her out of her drowsy state for just a moment.

“Hmm?” Rarity opened her eyes again, looking over at Applejack.

“Yer horn’s ‘bout two apples deep into that pasta, there.”

“It’s what?” Rarity jerked her head off of the table, hooking several strands of spaghetti with her horn and sending them flying across the room. They landed with a wet slap against the walls and floor, and Rarity cringed with her whole body as the sensation of cooling sauce overwhelmed her horn. “Ah! It’s going to stain!” Rarity cried out, frantically looking around for something to wipe it off with.

“Hold on! Ah got this!” Applejack attempted twice to stand up - the first was a miserable failure which resulted in her stumbling over her own forelegs and bumping the ground with her chin. She eventually made it to her hooves and picked herself up on her hind legs, forelegs landing on the tabletop.

She, too, searched for something to use to wipe the sauce off, finally tossing several forks aside to grab at a tablecloth with her hooves. She shoved her left foreleg against Rarity’s shoulder, using her as a support to prop herself up to horn level. With her remaining foreleg she hooked the towel and pressed it against Rarity’s horn, rubbing into it with her hoof.

Pain shot down her horn and jabbed Rarity in the skull, causing her to immediately jerk her head to the side. “Ow! Applejack! No!” She lifted a leg up to paw at Applejack’s chest, softly trying to nudge her away. “Don’t use your hooves! It’s far too sensitive to be ramming those rough things against it!”

Applejack grunted, unsure how to take her hooves being called ‘rough.’ On one hoof, it could have been an insult - on the other, well, she did have a point. “Fine! What else can Ah...” Applejack jerked her head side to side as she searched for something softer to rub Rarity’s horn down with.

“Applejack, please! Quickly! It’s going to staiiiiiin!” Rarity’s front hooves clopped up and down against the wooden floor, the unicorn clearly growing frantic even with the calming effects of alcohol.

“Ah... Ah got it!” Applejack’s face lit up like a spark as an idea popped into her slurred thoughts. Without wasting a moment longer, Applejack opened her mouth and drew her tongue from the bottom of Rarity’s horn to the tip, leaving a wet trail of saliva where the sauce used to be.

“APPLEJACK!” Rarity yelled, shivering under Applejack’s embrace. “What do you think you are doing?!”

“Ah’m cleanin’ off yer horn, Rares! Just hold on, Ah’ll save ya!”

“Yes, but don’t do t- ahhhaha...” Rarity’s voice caught in her throat as Applejack’s tongue wrapped back around her horn, the limb shooting signals of pleasure straight down her spine, arcing out across her entire body. She shuddered, again, her forelegs almost sliding out from under her as the sensation spread.

Rarity shivered, hooves clicking against the ground as they vibrated against the wooden planks beneath her. There wasn’t anywhere for her to go - not that she wanted to move, really. Applejack had quite the grip on her, forelegs wrapped around her neck as her head bobbed up and down, slurping up the tomato sauce from every last inch of her horn.

A brief pause opened itself up as Applejack pulled her head back from Rarity’s, the earth pony giggling to herself. Rarity could feel a drop of saliva roll down the tip of her slick horn, meeting with the rest of the moisture at the top of her soaked horn base. She let out a shuddered breath, still feeling the effects of Applejack’s touch.

“Gosh, Rares, you sure got a lot of sauce on there,” Applejack said, leaning farther against Rarity. Rarity felt Applejack’s hot breath blow across her damp horn as she inspected, the cooling sensation rolling down her shoulders as she kept perfectly still. “Gonna take me some time to get it all off! It’s all in that... spiral thingy.”

“That ‘spiral thingy’ is a f- Ahh! Applejack, come on!” Rarity’s explanation halted right in its tracks as she found her horn engulfed in Applejack’s mouth once more. Rarity couldn’t help but be impressed by Applejack’s drunken dexterity - not once had she felt a tooth or the back of her throat against her horn, something that most experienced ponies couldn’t do sober.

The idea that perhaps Applejack was experienced with this and this was very much intentional briefly popped into her train of thought. It was steamrolled flat by another rolling wave of pure pleasure as Applejack’s tongue ran itself along the spiral ridge that fluted Rarity’s horn. Her horn barred any thoughts about anything but itself from entering her mind.

A low moan escaped Rarity’s chest as her horn activated, the hard shaft beginning to radiate heat as Applejack continued to assault with her mouth. It’s warmth teased along the entire length and across Rarity’s scalp, heating everything as it crawled along. Rarity felt the node responsible for unicorn magic swelling at the base of her horn, pressure inside her head beginning to build.

Applejack pulled back for a brief time and in the heat of the moment, Rarity nearly cried out as she felt her horn be released from the confines of Applejack’s mouth. She bit her bottom lip, sealing in the sound before she embarrassed herself. “Why’s yer horn doin’ that?” Applejack asked, staring at the faint glow surrounding it. Rarity felt her face light up red when she glanced up behind her, accidentally meeting eyes with Applejack.

“Don’ matter, keep doin’ it. It’s bright enough to see the spots Ah missed!” Rarity cringed at the announcement, tensing up as she felt the warm sheath of Applejack’s mouth slide back over her horn once more. Applejack had managed to take the entire length into her mouth - Rarity felt her lips and tongue teasing at the top of her scalp where a build up of pasta sauce still remained.

Rarity felt a pull at her horn. She didn’t know what Applejack was doing up there by actually sucking on her horn, but she was not about to stop her. A small moan escaped her lips, Rarity slumping forward against the table and resting her chin against it. She was about to lose control - she felt the release of a tiny spark of magic escaping her horn. It trickled out and dripped along the shaft for a very short moment before it was caught up somewhere along its path by Applejack’s tongue.

Sparks sputtered from her horn’s tip, sparkling against the back of Applejack’s throat. Rarity expected to feel cold air blowing over her horn as Applejack recoiled in shock or disgust, but was instead pleasantly surprised to feel the moist grip of her mouth remain latched around her horn. Nothing in the world mattered to Rarity in that moment except her horn and the sweet release of magiculation. Her eyes fluttered shut and she stopped attempting to hide her pleasure. Excited moans escaped her own mouth as Applejack’s head bobbed up and down, slathering her scalp in more saliva, drenching her horn and forehead.

One last wave of pleasure rolled through Rarity’s body and she clenched her jaw, biting down hard to prevent herself from screaming out as her horn finally exploded with built up pressure, pure, concentrated magic spewing forth from the tip. It took just a second for Applejack’s mouth to fill with the sticky, brightly glowing goo, which she reflexively swallowed as it slammed against the back of her throat. Given Applejack’s position over Rarity, gravity pulled a good amount of the magiculate downward. Rarity felt large globs of it dripping against the top of her head as Applejack jerked her mouth off of her horn.

Caught completely off guard, Applejack stumbled backward as Rarity’s horn sputtered out. Immediately, she let go of Rarity’s shoulders and landed back on her own hooves, nearly choking on the glittery goo that remained in her mouth before she coughed, spraying the floor with a spattering of magiculate which quickly dissipated into the air, rising and blowing away in flakes.

No longer being held up by Applejack, Rarity’s legs gave out after a brief struggle. Rarity swayed like a small branch in a stiff breeze before toppling over onto her side, overfed stomach spreading out across the floor a small amount as its contents shifted. Every once in awhile a leg would kick out, spasms of pleasure from her horn still shooting through her body. A small spark would fly from her horn intermittently.

Rarity was completely and utterly spent. The combination of alcohol, physical labor, far too much food and the attention that was just slathered onto her horn was overwhelming to her stressed body. She attempted to will her eyes open, to no avail - she was done, asleep right there on the kitchen floor.