For the first time in her life, Rarity regretted not drinking more the night before.

Sure, she had a headache and her mouth was dry - but she remembered everything. Every last detail. The look of shock on Applejack’s face when it was over, the whines of pleasure, the magiculate getting everywhere... it was downright embarrassing, and she felt awful about the whole thing.

And there was no way she was going to be here, taking up all of Applejack’s sofa when she woke up. On the other hoof, she wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to get out of the farmhouse without waking her up. Creaky, wooden floors covered the floor, and she wasn’t exactly the lightest thing on four hooves anymore.

To her delight, on the other hoof, the sounds of rain falling outside covered the home in a soft noise that would be just enough to mask her escape... she hoped.

Rarity winced as she very carefully reached out a hoof, setting it down on wooden plank closest to the sofa. As expected, it whined as weight was applied, causing Rarity to pull her hoof back onto the couch with the rest of her. She shot a look up toward the stairs leading to Applejack’s room, staying quiet - she didn’t hear anything and assumed Applejack hadn’t woken up.

“Alright, I’ve got this,” Rarity whispered to herself. “Slow... and steady.” Drawing in and holding a breath, Rarity planted her hoof onto the floor again. It creaked, but she slowly pulled the rest of her body off of the sofa until all four hooves were planted on the ground. She silently cheered; the first step of her escape was complete.

Rarity trotted over to the door as quietly as an overweight unicorn could - which wasn’t very. Still, it wasn’t loud enough to wake Applejack, and right now that was all Rarity was concerned about. A magic glow wrapped around her saddlebags as they were lifted and dropped onto her flanks. Rarity squirmed under their weight, trying to reposition them so they would stay in place, but they didn’t fit quite as well as the day before.

Rarity cringed as she stepped up to the door, already upset by the concept of stepping out into the rain. She’d been funneling magic into her mane for almost the entirety of the day before, trying to keep it in place - and it was still a ragged mess by her standards. But rain? That would take hours to fix.

She tossed the lock open with a brief flick of magic, nose bumping against the door to swing it open. The humidity of the outside air hit her face like a wet towel, causing her to whine. Oh, she could already just feel her mane’s curls unfolding and the ends of her hair splitting!

She stepped out of the farmhouse, closing the door behind her. A few raindrops pelted her back, the cold water stinging her skin - but she immediately realized that she was not getting rained on nearly as much as the ground around her was. She squinted and looked up into the air, finding a small empty patch in the clouds where she could see into the dawn sky directly above herself. In fact, she noticed the entire path leading away from Sweet Apple Acres was clear from rain, a trail of empty sky snaking through the storm.

She’d never known the pegasus weather ponies to carve intricate patterns in their work to appease grounded ponies before, but she wasn’t about to argue. Glad that she would neither have to get soaking wet or, arguably worse, run home, she set off down the path, able to breathe normally after her escape.

“Rarity, we need to talk.”

She heard the clop of hooves landing on the ground behind her, spotting Rainbow Dash as she turned around. She hadn’t yet made it into Ponyville, still on the outskirts and standing on the road that lead from Sweet Apple Acres. She wondered how Dash had found her out here - the sun hadn’t even risen yet.

Rarity felt her heart speed up and her stomach drop - their last meeting hadn’t been on good terms, and Rainbow Dash looked downright angry. Rarity took a step backwards, frowning at the pegasus in front of her. “What about, Dash?”

“I think you know exactly what about,” Rainbow Dash said as she took a threatening step forward. There was quite the scowl on her face and she made absolutely no effort to hide her anger. Something had ruffled her feathers.

“Rainbow Dash, I haven’t a clue what you’re so upset about, but I can assure you that it was not of my doing,” Rarity said, taking another step backward before she turned on her hooves, back now facing Dash.

Rainbow Dash growled and flared out her wings, giving them one hard pump. She launched forward, head down, butting Rarity in the flank with the top of her head. Rarity yelped as they collided, stumbling forward a few steps before whipping around and shooting a glare of her own at the assaulting pegasus. “Watch it, Dash!” Rarity warned.

“No! I’m not just letting you walk away from me - not now!” Rainbow Dash stood with her wings flared out to the side, only a nose away from Rarity’s face. She was close and angry, and Rarity couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated.

Rarity narrowed her eyes, staring into Dash’s. “All right, fine. What is it then, hm? Just say it, if it’s got you this worked up! What is your problem?”

“You’re my problem, Rarity! You’re... exploiting Applejack! You know exactly what you are doing!” Rainbow Dash’s voice rose. Rarity folded her ears down as she became louder, but stood strong.

“I am doing no such thing! Have you been watching us? Is that what this is?” Rarity snorted, narrowing her eyes farther. “I’ll have you know that what happened between us last night was simply a miscommunication!”

“Not that! This!” Dash yelled, moving a hoof to jab at the air pointing at Rarity’s belly, still slightly swollen from her massive dinner binge the night before. Her saddlebags helped to hide this slightly, but it was still apparent. “You... you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Rarity blinked, turning her head to see what Dash was pointing towards. A small blush teased at her cheeks as she realized it was her stomach that the pegasus was attempting to draw attention to. “W-what do you mean by that? What are you implying, Dash? Just say it.”

“You,” she said, pulling her hoof around to prod Rarity in the chest. “Are doing this,” she said, hoof returning to jabbing at the air towards her belly. “On purpose.”

"You mean... that's absurd!" Rarity turned her head to glance at her rounded stomach, before looking back to Dash. "Why in Tartarus would I intentionally start packing on weight until I looked like a... like a big..." Rarity swallowed hard, unable to squeeze out the word.' "...Like this!"

"Like what? 'Fabulous'?" Dash shouted, making 'air quotes' with the tips of her wings. "Come off it, Rarity! You ALWAYS look great, no matter what, and you know it! You gained every single pound on purpose, and you made sure it went all in the right places. Every curve was planned, wasn't it?"

"B... but why would I ever do that, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity looked astonished by the accusation - eyes widened, mouth just a touch agape.

“To take Applejack away from me!” Dash shouted, stomping a hoof against the ground as her wings flared out again. The source of her agitation was becoming obvious - Rarity took another tentative step backward away from her.

“Now what would ever give you that idea? How would that even help me in that endeavour? Not that I am, of course!” Rarity yelled in return, raising her voice out of sheer frustration. “There was nothing to our meeting. I was just helping on the fa-”

“Oh, cut it out, Rarity!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “I saw the flash from the windows from a thousand feet in the air! I saw the cider bottles, and I saw you sprawled out on the floor, and Applejack’s mouth filled with... you know what. Glitter.” Dash practically spat the last word, saying it as if it were a horrible curse.

Rarity felt her face heating up at the mention of last night’s indiscretions, which her pearly white coat did little to hide. “T-that isn’t fair! You don’t understand!”

“Oh, I understand it all, Rarity!” She stamped a hoof again. “And... and I don’t know how you found out, but you did. And you’re using it! You know Applejack likes bigger mares.”

"She... what?" Rarity's expression went completely blank. Her mind cranked to put together the information it was just fed, and things suddenly fell into place as she worked it over in her thoughts. The mass amounts of food, being left alone in the orchard, the heavy cider. The compliments on her appetite, the praise that was laid on her as she gorged herself. The comments about her beauty, the drunken attention that was lavished onto her... Applejack had been intentionally hitting every one of her buttons.

Rarity didn't notice, but her expression soured as she realised what was going on. Wordlessly, her brow creased and her mouth set into a firm line that tugged at her dimples.

As Rarity's expression became fouler, Rainbow Dash's heart sank lower. She'd realized her mistake a sentence too late.

"She does, does she?" Rarity asked, though her voice came out more as a growl than the posh voice she normally used. She was angry - and even in the pre-sunrise glow, Dash could plainly see.

"T-that's... it's... oh, no." Rainbow Dash's stomach was in a knot as she realized how badly she’d blown it - blown Applejack’s trust, and with it, her chances to win her back. Dash mumbled something to herself as she took a step backwards, her wings dropping to her side.

With a firm beat of her wings, Rainbow Dash rocketed into the air and blazed a path straight up, disappearing behind the stormy clouds above. A small hole punched through the gray, and she was gone, leaving Rarity alone. With an angry stomp in her step, she turned and continued toward her boutique.

Rarity spent most of the morning staring at her door, fixing it with an angry glare despite its inanimate nature.

She had work to do. Lots of work. In fact, there was a half-finished dress currently sitting on the sewing machine, calling to her. Her calendar was marked with red bars, symbolizing late commissions and dresses. She’d made a little progress on a couple of orders, but not enough to catch up - especially with her day off yesterday.

Even still, she knew that Applejack was going to come by. It would be awkward; she knew that Applejack would remember what happened last night, but she was also aware that she was not going to break a promise. It just wasn’t possible.

Sure enough, the door cracked open, pausing before it was pushed open fully. The bell above the door jingled and Rarity was ready, frustrated stare immediately laying itself on Applejack as soon as she came within view.

Applejack blinked a few times, the stare making her feel a little uncomfortable. Her saddlebags bulged with something and she held a basket in her teeth. Standing just inside the boutique, she set the basket down on the ground and tilted her head. “Iffin’ yer riled up about last night...”

“No, that’s not it.” Rarity cleared her throat. “...Well, not entirely, anyway.”

“O... okay,” Applejack said, confusion evident in her voice. “Ah jus’ wanted to say, Ah didn’t know that thing there with yer horn... didn’t know that was a thing.”

Rarity huffed, eyes narrowing as she stared at Applejack. “That isn’t what I meant either.” Her glare tilted downward to the basket, which found itself wrapped in a magical glow as it floated towards her. “I had a talk with Rainbow Dash this morning.”

Applejack sighed, shaking her head as she stepped off to the side of the door, doubling over to bite at and unbuckle her saddlebags, sliding them off of her flanks and onto the ground with a heavy thud. “Ya did, did ya? That mare ain’t thinkin’ straight, Ah told ya that.”

“Mmhmm. Yes, well, after our little chat, I don’t think she’s the only one ‘not thinking straight.’” The napkin set atop the basket was torn off in a flurry of magic, revealing the small pile of apple cinnamon muffins below. Rarity took a very angry bite out of the top treat after magicking it to her mouth. “I don’t like it when a pony takes advantage of me, Applejack.”

“...What?” Applejack sat on the floor of the boutique, a clearly confused look crossing over her face. “Who’s takin’ advantage of ya, Rares?”

“Don’t call me that,” Rarity snapped, taking another bite from the muffin. “And I think you full well know what I am talking about. All the food, ‘helping’ on the farm...? You never actually needed help on the farm, did you, Applejack?”

“Now, hold on jus’ a minute, here...” Applejack paused. “Y’all were a big help on the farm.”

“Oh, yes, I’m sure I was - after all, what would you have ever done with all that pasta if I weren’t there to eat it all, hm?” Rarity grumbled, though neither was sure who her anger was directed towards.

“Rarity, Ah...” Applejack sighed, looking down at the floor. “Alright, maybe Ah haven’t been entirely honest with ya.”

Rarity stuffed the last of the first muffin into her mouth, chewing it roughly as she stared Applejack down. She swallowed before speaking. “I already know that. In fact, I think that’s the first time you’ve actually been honest about this whole situation.”

“T-that ain’t fair!” Applejack said, voice raising a bit higher than she had intended. Her head shot back up, but as soon as she met eyes with Rarity her gaze lowered again. “Ah... wasn’t lyin’ when Ah told ya that yer still beautiful an’ all last night. Maybe Ah was drunk, but that was not a lie. Was bein’ completely honest.”

Rarity’s expression softened at Applejack’s words, but she quickly returned to her angry glare just as fast as it disappeared. “Oh, I am not letting you flatter me to get your way two days in a row.” Another muffin found itself floating in the air, headed straight for her mouth.

“Ah ain’t tryin’ ta flatter you!” Applejack replied, head lifting up and staying up. “Ah was bein’ sincere! Yeah, drunk, but still honest. Maybe even a little forward, yeah, Ah’ll give ya that.”

Applejack let out another heavy sigh, hoof scuffing at the floor before she started talking again. “Rarity, Ah’m the Element of Honesty, but yer right. Ah’ve been all kinds of secretive an’ all... The truth is, Rares,” Applejack said, pausing for a moment to see if she’d be snapped at again. “Ah’ve just always been... scared of talkin’ to ya.”

“Scared...?” Rarity blinked, turning her head to the side. It wasn’t intentional, but her hardened glare fell from her face as Applejack spoke - Applejack’s admission stung. “Why would you ever be scared of talking to me, Applejack? We’re such good friends... In fact, I think how close we are makes this whole situation even harder.”

“Yeah, Ah know.” Applejack chuckled, reaching up to swipe her hat off of her head and set it on the floor. “Ah feel ya on that one. It’s just... Ah dunno, Rares. You’re so... you know... fancy.”

“Sophisticated,” Rarity offered. “And fashionable,” she added.

Applejack nodded quickly. “Yeah, that! An’, ya know, Ah mean... Ah ain’t.” They both chuckled, and a pair of small smiles cut through a little of the tension in the air. “Honestly, it’s always been a little... intimidatin’. Ah kinda figured Ah’d never have a chance with ya.”

“...Chance?” Rarity raised an eyebrow, biting into the muffin again. “As in...?”

“Yeah,” Applejack said. “Yeah, chance as in a date chance.” Applejack swallowed hard as she released that information, keeping her eyes locked on Rarity to gauge her reaction. She only gave a small nod and kept quiet, hiding any further emotion with another bite of muffin.

“An’... well, Ah didn’t really think we had a lot in common.” Applejack shrugged. “An’ opposites attract an’ all, but there’s gotta be somethin’ there. Past couple’a weeks, though, Ah’ve been noticin’ that, well, we kinda do! You an’ me, Rares … we’re the hardest-workin’ mares in Ponyville, and that’s sayin’ somethin’. Shore, you make dresses, Ah grow apples, but that don’t matter. When you’ve got a job to do, you git’er done, no matter how big it is. Shoot, Ah seen you: bigger a job is, the more you’re chompin’ at the bit to tear into it. Ah admire that, Rares; Ah admire the hay outta that.”

Rarity blinked. Despite her protests about being complimented into submission, she had to admit that Applejack was good at it. This was no hollow flattery, though, and now, it wasn’t just hard cider and a late night speaking.

"You jus' seemed so ... unapproachable. So ... carefully-cultivated, like a fancy garden, you know?” Applejack swallowed. “But when ya got so stressed out, an' put on a few pounds..."

Rarity snorted, eyes ice cold again. "... suddenly I was flawed? An acceptable target? Imperfect?" She felt tears welling up, and fought them back with a few solid blinks, wiping a hoof across her eyes.

"No! Stop puttin' words in my mouth!” Applejack wasn’t holding back; her eyes were wet with the tears Rarity wouldn’t show. “That's not what Ah mean at all! You were ... you were ... real. Honest." Applejack took a deep breath. "Sugarcube, don't take this the wrong way ... but before, you were always kinda … artificial, you know? Ah hate to say it, but ... phoney."

Applejack looked like she’d just said the most awful, insulting word in her vocabulary. She rushed on, continuing before Rarity had a chance to argue.

"But you let that slip, an' you thought it made you less than perfect. You thought it made you less than you. An' Ah... Ah wanted to tell you … to show you ... that you were still beautiful. More beautiful, even. That if you pushed past all the fake an' the frou-frou an' the fashion, by gum, an' jus' let yourself be Rarity ... that you'd be more Rarity than ever."

The two sat staring at each other. The half-eaten muffin floated in the air, forgotten.

"Well, I'm certainly more Rarity than ever. Quite a bit more," Rarity said, breaking the silence as she grinned a tender, teary smile. She laughed with a sound that could have been a giggle or could have been a sob - neither was sure, but Applejack giggled along with her anyway.

“Ah wouldn’t put it that way, but... well, yeah.” Applejack chuckled, reaching up with a hoof to dab at the tears still in her eyes, though no more came. “An’ Rares, Ah am just so sorry that Ah didn’t come clean about this all earlier. Ah really should’a.”

“It’s fine,” Rarity said, the muffin floating in the air suddenly catching her attention again as she bit into it between words. “Though, if you’re apologizing, I suppose that I should too.” She rolled a hoof around in the air as she chewed, pointing at her horn. “I... probably should have warned you about... you know.”

“...Would’a appreciated a warnin’, yeah.” Applejack snickered and ducked her head, a blush teasing at her cheeks. “That really caught me by surprise, lemme tell ya.”

“Oh, I’m sure it did,” Rarity said, a red tinge appearing on her cheeks as well. “You know what else was surprising? Getting stopped in the middle of the street by Rainbow Dash - I think I mentioned that to you.”

Applejack swallowed hard - even after coming clean about everything, not knowing exactly what her angry ex had said was still nerve wracking. “Yeah... Ah bet that was a shocker. What exactly did she go on about, anyway?”

“Mm, well,” Rarity said, lifting another muffin into the air as she bit into it. The basket’s population was dwindling already. “Judging by the look on her face when she told me, I think she assumed I already knew... so I have to admit that I feel a bit guilty about knowing. She told me that you’re, well... into bigger mares.”

Applejack bit her lip and retreated slightly, eyes falling towards the ground out of sheer embarrassment before they snapped back up to Rarity. “...Well, Ah mean... yeah.” Applejack rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, snickering to herself once. “Ah’ve only told ya that yer prettier now that you’re bigger like... five times, now, kinda thought ya were catchin’ on. It don’t bother ya, does it?”

Rarity floated the muffin closer, taking another big bite out of it as if for emphasis before speaking. “Well, no. You’re free to like what you like, Applejack, I’m not going to tell you that you can’t. I may not share your... preferences, but I’m not going to be bothered by them.” Rarity shrugged. “If anything, it’s cute.”

“Aw, shucks, Rares,” Applejack said, scuffing a hoof against the floor as she looked away, head turning to the side to attempt to hide her raging blush. “Honestly, Ah always thought it was kinda weird...”

“There’s plenty worse. Besides, the big, strong farmpony falling for a... larger fashionista? Almost something out of a good book, really.” Rarity chuckled, biting into the muffin before levitating the last one out of the basket. “Anyway, how could I hold that against you when you were so gracious with the... horn... problem. Call it even, hm?”

“Sounds fair to me,” Applejack said, blush beginning to fade after Rarity’s reassuring words.

“Now, then, I believe you tossed around the word ‘date’ earlier in this conversation, didn’t you?” Rarity took another bite out of the last muffin before continuing. “You weren’t just saying that to calm me down, were you? Exploiting my hopelessly romantic side?” Though her words were tough, the big grin on her face - at least, what could be seen of it around muffin - betrayed her true emotions: she was just teasing.

“Aw, now, Rares, ya know Ah’d never do that,” Applejack said, swiping her hat onto her hoof and placing it back on her head. “Ah was bein’ serious! Ah mean, if ya wouldn’t mind bein’ seen out in some fancy place with me at yer side an’ all...”

Rarity couldn’t help but giggle, shaking her head as the last bit of muffin disappeared into her mouth. “Oh, darling, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being seen with you. You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit... tell you what,” Rarity said, gesturing with a hoof at her overloaded calendar. “If we knock enough of my overdue things off the list and get them delivered before they are late, I’ve got tonight free. How’s that sound?”

“Aw, shucks, Rares,” Applejack said, looking down at the ground before flicking her gaze back up to Rarity, scuffing the floor with a hoof. “Yer not just sayin’ that ta make me happy, are ya?”

“Now, why ever would I do that?” Rarity asked, chuckling as she did. She stood up, moving to the other side of the room to begin setting up the next dress for stitching, levitating fabric patterns into the air in groups as she looked them over, attempting to determine the correct one. “I’d like a date with someone who understands me as much as you do. Truth be told, it’s been a long while since I’ve been on a date I actually enjoyed. You sound like I’m doing you a favor.”

“Ya sure do know how ta make a mare happy, is all I’m sayin’.” Applejack gave a snicker of her own as she pushed herself up to all four hooves, trotting deeper into the boutique. “Now, then. Ya mentioned deliveries. Let’s get to ‘em.”

The unicorn mare’s eyes widened as soon as the door opened to see Applejack standing on her porch, delivery in mouth.

“By Celestia, what are you doing to it?”

Applejack looked down at the hastily wrapped package in her mouth. She attempted to speak but could only make muffled groans as her mouth was full of wrapping paper and fabric.

“Ah! No, stop doing that!” The mare’s horn began to glow, wrapping the dress in a magical aura which immediately tugged the clothing out of Applejack’s mouth.

Applejack simply stood in place, jaw still slack as she watched the mare pull the dress right up to her eyes, staring daggers at the area where Applejack had bitten it. “‘M sorry, just deliverin’...”

“Well, perhaps you should find a way that isn’t covering my dress in bite marks and drool!” Before Applejack had a chance to respond, the unicorn had taken a step back into her home and slammed the door shut in her face.

With a huff, Applejack turned on her hooves and started back onto the streets. Most of the deliveries had gone the exact same way. As it turns out, Ponyville’s high class - Applejack giggled at the thought of such a thing - was particularly picky about the way their clothing was handled, and very few were alright with the idea of teeth being used as a transport.

There wasn’t any time to wrap the dresses in appropriate packaging - though typically, Rarity had made sure to box, tape, decorate, wrap and tie a bow around each and every individual piece of clothing, time didn’t allow it. Each dress was hastily wrapped in fancy rice paper and tied with a particularly frilly piece of ribbon, and that would have to do.

Her saddle bags were growing very light, and her pre-planned path through Ponyville had led her right across Sugarcube Corner, as she intended. Even from outside, the air was filled with the scents of all kinds of desserts - specifically, Applejack noticed the heavy scent of chocolate hanging in the air this day. She allowed herself a break, veering off her delivery path and nosing open the door to the bakery.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie belted out immediately upon hearing the small chime from her door opening. She was nose deep in an oven, hoofmitts slid over her forelegs as she reached in and grabbed a pan between her hooves. “What can I g- Oh, Applejack!”

Applejack smiled wide as Pinkie turned and recognized her, giving a curt nod. “Howdy, there. How’s things?”

“Oh, we’re doing great!” Pinkie nodded, placing the hot pan down on the counter, allowing it to begin cooling before she started to frost it.

“Er, we?” Applejack questioned, looking around the bakery’s lobby for any other ponies around, only to spot absolutely nobody but them in the area.

“Yeah, we! I’m teaching Fluttershy how to bake! She’s right...” Pinkie said, turning to look around the bakery for Fluttershy, only to come up as empty as Applejack. “...Huh, actually, I don’t know where she ran off to! She was right here...” Pinkie ducked low to begin checking under the countertops, flattening herself onto the floor to peer under the oven. “Fluttershy! Oh, Fluttershy! Where’d you go?”

“Ah’m... sure she’s around here somewhere, just not under the oven,” Applejack said. “Anyway, Pinkie, Ah’m here ta discuss somethin’ with ya, actually.”

“Oh! Okay!” Pinkie immediately shot back up to her hooves, standing straight up. “What’s up?”

“Well, Ah know about how ya’ll rent out Sugarcube Corner fer parties, sometimes, and Ah was wonderin’ if ma-”

Pinkie let out a long, shreiking gasp as she leaned farther across the countertop. Her eyes were wide as dinner plates, jaw slack. Applejack couldn’t help but feel just a little weirded out as she was regarded in such a manner. “Are you...” Pinkie said, voice barely above a whisper before she exploded with the last few words: “having a party?!”

Applejack stumbled backward at Pinkie’s shouting, clamping a hoof down on her head to keep her hat from blowing away in the wake of her voice. “Well, Ah wouldn’t really call it a p-...” Applejack clamped her teeth down on her tounge to keep herself from saying anything else - she knew that if she told Pinkie it was a date rather than a party, she’d never be able to get her to leave them alone over it. Her intentions would have been only the best, of course, but she was not looking for the full-blown invite-all-of-Ponyville-party that Pinkie would have thrown for their date.

“...Uh. Yep. Ah’m throwin’ a party. Fer... Uh...”

“Oh, it’s okay, Applejack! You don’t have to tell me!” Pinkie giggled. “Lots of ponies throw private parties, and I don’t say a word! Now, normally, I have to charge enough to make up for what I’d lose for closing for the evening. But for you,” Pinkie said, an even bigger grin appearing on her face. “Just base cost! So, let’s say... forty bits and we’re even.”

“Jus’ forty? Oh, Ah got that!” Applejack turned in place, reaching the saddlebags at her side with her mouth. She grabbed a small sack inside her bag with her teeth, pulling it out and placing it on the countertop. Slowly, she counted out the golden coins one at a time by mouth, eventually making it to forty as she closed and replaced the bag.

“One, two, three,” Pinkie counted out loud. After getting to “seven” she just became impatient and swiped a foreleg over the counter, spilling the bits into a bag. “Forty. Good enough, I trust you, Applejack!”

Applejack chuckled. “Fair enough. What time ya’ll close, then?”

“Well, now, probably around seven!” Pinkie ducked under the counter, biting onto a key held on a hook, lifting it up and dropping it on the countertop. “Here’s the key! You’ll need it to get in - but the whoooooole place is yours after that! Even the Cakes are out of town, visiting relatives! Okay?”

“Got it!” Applejack latched onto the key with her own mouth, turning around to drop it in her bags along with the few remaining dresses. “Thanks a lot, Pinkie! Sure means a lot to me. Have a good rest of your day!” Applejack turned toward the door, headed out.

“Yeah, you too, AJ!” She tapped her chin with a hoof as Applejack exited. “Hm. I wonder who she’s having a party for... oh well, doesn’t matter. Hey, Fluttershy! Where’d you go?!”

Applejack nosed open the door to Carousel Boutique, letting loose a heavy, but satisfied, sigh as she stepped inside. The bell above the door jingled as she entered. From the plies of neatly folded and wrapped packages stacked around, it looked like Rarity had made a huge dent in her backlog. That wasn’t all Rarity had made a dent in, either - Applejack caught Rarity with her snout in one of the saddlebags she’d left here just out of the corner of her eye, which the unicorn quickly corrected by pulling her nose out, an apple clamped between her jaws.

Rarity glanced between the apple and the saddlebag on the floor, before gripping the fruit in a layer of magic and smiling. “Oh, hello, Applejack! I take it all your deliveries are finished, hm?” She paused, then added, “I hope you don’t mind, but I had a little snack while you were gone. After all, I assume the saddlebags crammed full of treats weren’t all for you...”

“Oh, naw, of course not!” Applejack snickered to herself as she dropped the empty delivery saddlebags to the ground, picking them up with her mouth and hanging them up in the appropriate spot. “Ah mean... if ya want everything in ‘em, it’s yers.”

The bags that Applejack had brought that morning had, as Rarity expected, been full of all manner of treats and desserts. Absolutely no expense was spared, it seems, as there was a little bit of everything in the bags before Rarity decided to start in on it. Cupcakes, fritters, pound cake, tarts, even a few plain apples - as was usual for the Apple family, it was all apple flavored, with a few spatterings of cinnamon and vanilla flavored items.

All that remained now were the apples.

“So! Anyway, I was thinking while you were gone,” Rarity said, turning around and trotting back towards the store’s counter. Applejack’s eyes were latched onto her friend’s engorged middle, swaying much lower than it was when she left. Snacking the entire day had left quite an outward dent on the unicorn’s belly, and Applejack couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret at missing what she was sure was an astounding show of gluttony. After all, those were no small saddlebags. “I had an idea for a location for our date.”

“Yeah,” Applejack answered, but it wasn’t really an answer; she was far too distracted to really mull over a true response. Her eyes remained latched on her friend’s body - that low, swaying belly that rounded out between her back legs. Rarity threw her hips side to side as she walked, teasing her earth pony friend with an agonizingly attractive display. Applejack knew she was being taunted... and she loved it.

“It’s a fairly new place that just opened up very recently, and I wanted to go see what all the rage was about. Everyone is raving about it, you know,” Rarity said, her slow canter finally ending with her behind the front desk of the boutique, breaking Applejack’s line of sight on her rear end. “Would you like to go?”

Applejack’s eyes snapped up to Rarity’s face as soon as her body was out of sight. She’d stopped to find Rarity simply staring at her, head slightly tilted as she waited for an answer, but the question had completely evaded the distracted pony. “Uh... sure!” She replied.

“Great!” Rarity grinned wide, which let Applejack start breathing again, suddenly realizing she was holding her breath in hopes that she wasn’t going to offend her by giving a wrong answer. “That’s... great! Oh, I’ve been so looking forward to this... I haven’t been on a nice date at a fancy restaurant in... MONTHS!” Rarity let out a small squeal as she turned around, purple curls bobbing in the air as she did.

“F...fancy restaurant?” Applejack asked. She already didn’t like the sounds of this, silently kicking herself for being so easily manipulated into distraction to the point of completely forgetting to even mention her reservation at Sugarcube Corner.

“Of course, a fancy restaurant! Oh, I’ve heard just the most amazing things about their Fillydelphian cuisine, Applejack... I think you’re going to love it just as much as I do,” Rarity said, trotting side to side as she urged dress supplies into their respective storage containers with magic.

“Jus’ how fancy are we talkin’?” Applejack inquired, images of her spending the next hour with makeup pads being slapped against her cheeks and hair curlers being lodged into her mane rushing through her mind’s eye.

“Exactly as fancy as you’re hoping it isn’t,” Rarity said with a big smile. “But, come on. It’ll be fun. Us two, all dressed up, looking just fabulous. Out on the town, the two best looking in the room... Trust me on this one, Applejack.” She paused for a moment, gauging Applejack’s reaction. Just as she began to speak, Rarity started again. “And besides. I’ve spent the past two days eating your favorite things. I think one evening we go somewhere I like is more than a fair trade.”

Applejack couldn’t argue with Rarity’s logic - and her comments about them both being the best looking in the room were fairly flattering. Perhaps one night, dressing up wouldn’t be so bad. “Oh... all right.”

“Yes!” Rarity squealed out of pure delight again, front hooves clipping against the ground in an excited trot. “This is going to be an absolute blast!”