This was not cool.

“... and you can see from the high pressure front they lost down in Phillydelphia, if it moves up this way…”

But it was cool, was the thing. It was more cool than Rainbow Dash could even believe was possible.

“... if it goes unchecked, it’s going to mess up the weather for the entire season. So…”

For Dash it was, at least. But there was no way anypony else would see it that way.

“... need to form an organized response team and execute the plan without error…”

What if Applejack found out? Dash could just picture the ribbing she’d get. That stupid apple farmer would never let her hear the end of it!

“... So, if we deploy the bravo team to quadrant 4, and the charlie team to quadrant 6...”

’You let Rarity do what to you!?’ she’d laugh. Oh man Rainbow, you gonna tell me you started playin’ with lil’ dollies next!?’

“... should be enough to stop that first wave of...”

And what about her other friends? They’d never think she was cool again!

“... Rainbow Dash?”

But it was so sexy. Sweet Celestia, Rainbow couldn’t even remember the last time she’d gotten off that hard.

“... Rainbow Dash…?”

Could she even admit it to Rarity? What would she even say? ’Hey Rares, remember that time you pretended to be your Nightmare self, chained me to the bed and had your way with me while I was completely helpless to stop you? That was totally hot. Wanna do it again?’

“Rainbow Dash!”

“Gah!” Rainbow yelped as she snapped her pencil between her hooves and looked up at her surroundings. Cloud Kicker, Blossomforth, Thunderlane, Snowflake, and Ditzy Doo all stared at her.

“What? What is it?” Rainbow asked hurriedly.

“Did you want to say something?” Cloud Kicker asked from the chalkboard.

“Uh… No?” Rainbow said, quirking an eyebrow.

“Oh,” Cloud Kicker said slowly. “Then… why’d you flare your wings?”

Rainbow’s eyes widened as she glanced to her sides. Sure enough, her wings were standing to attention, and she hadn’t even noticed.

“No reason,” She said flatly as she began forcing her wings back down to her sides, hoping that nopony would notice the sudden red glow of her cheeks.

“Are you feeling alright, Rainbow? I mean, I know you said you were a little distracted earlier, which is why you wanted me to give the presentation, but–”

“I’m totally fine!” Rainbow interrupted with indignation. “I’m just… Uh… Hungry. Is it time for lunch yet?”

“Rainbow, it’s only 8:30. We just started the meeting,” Cloud Kicker said flatly.

“Heh… Right. I, uh… Skipped breakfast. Again,” Rainbow said with a sheepish grin.

The other five ponies stared at her for a long moment before Cloud Kicker finally coughed into her hoof. “Okay. Well, I guess you already know what’s going on since you wrote the briefing. If you want to go get some breakfast, I’m not gonna–”

“Kaythanksbye!” Rainbow shouted as she rocketed out of her chair, straight through the open window and into the skies of Ponyville.

“–stop you,” Cloud Kicker finished. She looked quickly at her remaining compatriots with an awkward frown. Thunderlane gave her a shrug, and she sighed.

“Okay, so, moving on…”

“Come on, Rainbow, that was so uncool!” Rainbow chastised herself as she flew towards Carousel Boutique, repeatedly rapping her hooves against her skull.

How many times am I going to let this happen? she thought as she landed at the front door. I just gotta say it, right? Just walk up to Rarity and say, ‘Hey, we should do it again.’ Piece of cake.

The door pushed open easily and Rainbow strode inside.

“Rainbow? Is that you?” Rarity’s voice called from upstairs.

Rainbow swallowed hard. Piece of cake.

Applejack smiled to herself as she stared at the ceiling. It was well past 8am now, judging by the angle of the sunlight flooding her room, but she didn’t care. It was Friday, and she’d worked hard all week, and it wasn’t Apple Buck season anyway; It didn’t exactly matter if the fence got mended at 6:30 or 8:30.

With a contented sigh, Applejack looked to the pony still sleeping beside her. The mess of pink curls atop her head obscured her face from view, so she moved them to the side with a hoof. “Pinkie, I gotta get up now,” she said softly.

“Mmm, five more minutes,” Pinkie whispered back as she wrapped her hooves around AJ’s neck and pulled her into a tight hug.

Applejack chuckled as she attempted to gently wriggle free from her lover’s embrace. “We had five more minutes already, sugarcube. In fact, we’ve had at least 10 ‘five more minutes’es.”

“Well, I want five more,” Pinkie said, her grip tightening all the more Applejack struggled.

“Ya can’t always get what ya want, Pinks.” Applejack placed a small kiss on Pinkie’s forehead. “But I’ll be around later. Anyway, don’t you gotta get back to Sugarcube Corner? I thought you said you were workin’ today.”

Pinkie finally opened her eyes and sat up, withdrawing her hooves abruptly and crossing them in front of her chest. “Fine, fine,” she said with an adorable, exaggerated pout.

Applejack gave her a quick nuzzle before rolling out of the bed and stepping over to her dresser to run a comb through her mane. “I already overslept by two hours.”

“Why do you have to get up so early anyway? Wouldn’t you rather stay here with me?”

“A’course I’d rather stay here with you, but s’part of runnin’ a farm, hun. Didn’t you have to get up early back on the rock farm?”

Pinkie shrugged. “Not really. I mean, they’re rocks; They’re still gonna be there whether you water them in the morning or afternoon.”

Applejack looked back to Pinkie with a raised eyebrow. “You… watered the rocks?”

“Duh!” Pinkie laughed. “How else are they gonna grow up into big, strong boulders full of shiny gems?”

Applejack cocked her head while she tried to decide if Pinkie was messing with her or not. Pinkie giggled when she didn’t say anything and followed her over to the dresser, rearing up to drape her hooves across the other mare’s back.

“You know,” Pinkie whispered into Applejack’s ear, “Sometimes I think I should just tie you to the bed. Then you couldn’t go work, even if you wanted to.”

Applejack felt a shiver run down her spine as Pinkie’s breath played across her neck. What did she just say?

“... And you wouldn’t want to,” Pinkie cooed.

“I, uh, uh, how’sabout I come’n see ya ‘round lunchtime?” Applejack quickly changed the subject, turning her face away to hide the growing blush in her cheeks. “Would that make ya feel better?”

“Aww, alriiiiiight,” Pinkie groaned, tilting her head back and looking exasperated. “I’ll see you then!” she chirped, quickly bouncing out of the room.

Applejack fell to her haunches and wiped her brow with a hoof.

Land’s sake did she not want to go work right now.

“Hey, uh, Rarity?” Rainbow Dash said as she pushed the bedroom door open.

“Just a minute, darling, I’m about to get in the shower,” Rarity called back from behind the closed door of the adjoining bathroom.

Rainbow sucked in air around her teeth. ‘Just a minute,’ when it came from Rarity and involved any sort of beautification ritual, typically meant more like ‘just an hour,’ at least.

Rainbow cleared her throat. “Could I talk to you for a minute first?”

“Can’t it wait?”

“It’s kinda important,” Rainbow said, tapping her hoof lightly on the plush carpet.

“Alright, one moment,” Rarity called back. Rainbow heard Rarity’s hoofsteps cross over to the door and a moment later she appeared in the doorway. Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat as she saw her marefriend’s smile, her beautiful blue eyes fluttering, her soft white coat shimmering in the sunlight...

“Well? Whatever is the matter, dear?” Rarity asked from the doorway.

Rainbow shook her head. Just say it, Dash, she thought as she braced herself.

Her perfectly curved flank just barely concealed by the pink, fluffy bathrobe…

“... How’re the dresses?” she heard herself say.

Dammit!

Rarity gave Rainbow an appraising look for a few moments before rolling her eyes and closing the bathroom door once more.

Dammit dammit dammit! Rainbow tossed her neck back in frustration. The familiar hiss of the shower head sprang to life and she knew the opportunity was lost. It would be at least an hour before she saw Rarity again.

“What is wrong with me?” She asked herself as she turned toward the hallway and headed downstairs.

It took less than a minute to find the box of oats in Rarity’s kitchen. Helping herself to a large bowl, she sat down at the table and pouted as she ate.

”Mao.”

Rainbow sat up abruptly and turned. “Oh, hey Opal.”

”Mao,” Opal said as she hopped up onto the table, purring softly.

“Don’t get your hair in my bowl,” Dash said as she eyed the cat warily.

Opal sat back on her haunches and raised a paw as if to say, ”Who, me?”

Dash turned back to her bowl. Opal immediately slid over to her, rubbing her tail under Dash’s chin as she passed by and leaving her scraping hair off her tongue that should never have been able to get there in the first place.

“Gakk!! Kpphth, gross!” Rainbow coughed. “What’s the big idea, cat?”

”Mao,” Opal replied.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Whatever, I’ve got my own problems to deal with, so… skedaddle, okay?”

”Mao,” Opal said as she sat down.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Rainbow groused as she stabbed at her oats with her spoon.

Opal licked her paw.

“Look, even if I told you, you wouldn’t have any relevant advice anyway, so could we drop it? Please?”

’Mao.”

“I’ve gotta get back to work,” Rainbow held her head in her hooves and sighed.

”Mao.” Opal seemed to shrug as she leapt off the table.

Rainbow watched her walk out of the kitchen and turned back to her oats.

She shook her head. This was going to be a long day.

The bell above the front door of Sugarcube Corner rang as Applejack walked inside, a smattering of friendly smiles greeting her from the ponies getting lunch. She waved politely as she scanned the room for her marefriend, until she was bowled over by a force from behind.

“Hi Applejack!” Pinkie’s bright voice chimed, and Applejack chuckled as she bent her neck up to kiss the other mare on the cheek.

“Hey, Pinkie,” she said.

“Are you hungry?” Pinkie asked as she helped Applejack back to her hooves. “I just finished a batch of apple cinnamon muffins, and they’re really cinnamony and appley and muffiny and–”

“Sounds delicious,” Applejack said with a nod.

To Applejack’s surpise, Pinkie sighed. “Not as delicious as the real thing, though…”

Applejack cocked her head. “Whaddaya mean? Ya didn’t use real apples? Is there even such a thing as fake apples?”

Pinkie giggled and shook her head before leaning in close and whispering, “No silly, not as delicious as you.”

Applejack’s face flushed instantly, eliciting another giggle from Pinkie as she hopped into the kitchen. “Anyway, one apple cinnamon muffin comin’ right up!”

What has gotten into her? Applejack thought as she wobbled her way over to a booth and took a seat. She shook her head, hoping to dispel some of her blushing before anypony noticed.

“Here ya go!” Pinkie chirped as she set the muffin down in front of AJ, taking the seat across from her and smiling brightly.

“Thanks, Pinkie,” Applejack said as she took a bite of the muffin. It was delicious.

“So how was your morning?” Pinkie asked.

“Fine,” Applejack said through a mouthful of muffin. She swallowed and wiped her mouth with a hoof. “Didn’t take too long to get the fence mended, and I was able to get a jump on sortin’ out the baskets, too. I’d say we’re a mite ahead of sched–ULE!” Applejack squeaked as she felt Pinkie’s hoof run along the inside of her thigh. “Pinkie!” She whispered harshly. “We’re in public!”

“So?” Pinkie whispered back, eyes half lidded.

Applejack shifted backwards on her seat as she felt Pinkie’s hoof begin another pass. “Somepony might see us!”

“Duh?” Pinkie giggled. “That’s what makes it so hot.”

Applejack frowned. “Well, I don’t think it is so hot.”

“Really? Because your cheeks tell a different story,” Pinkie mused.

“I–” Applejack whinnied in surprise as she felt Pinkie’s hoof touch her cutiemark. “Pinkie, stop it, or I’m just gonna go!”

Pinkie rolled her eyes and sighed. “I was only teasing.”

“Thank you,” Applejack said as she took another bite of muffin.

“I should get back to work, anyway,” Pinkie said as she got up from the table. “If you’re ahead of schedule, do you wanna come over later and watch a movie? Or maybe write a song, or play a board game? Or we could bake, or plan a party, or invent a language, or–”

“Yeah, sure,” Applejack interrupted. “I think Rainbow wanted to play horseshoes later, but I could come by after.”

“Great! I’ll see you then,” Pinkie said, kissing Applejack’s cheek and swiftly bouncing back to the kitchen.

Applejack sighed and leaned back in her seat.

Rainbow Dash dragged her hoof across the dirt and leaned forward, the metallic tang of the horseshoe spreading through her mouth. She was one with the horseshoe. The horseshoe was an extension of her mouth. Lean and throw. Lean and–

“... and the galas are lookin’ really red this year, which bodes well for–”

Rainbow lost her balance and the horseshoe toppled out of her mouth, falling flat in the dirt in front of her.

“Augh! Come on AJ, I’m trying to throw, here!” Rainbow snapped.

“You’re the one who asked how I was,” Applejack said with a roll of her eyes.

“Well yeah, ‘cause I thought you’d say like, ‘I’m great, thanks,’ or something,” Rainbow said.

Applejack paused. “You feelin’ alright, RD? You seem stressed.”

“I’m fine,” Rainbow grumbled, kicking the horseshoe away and sitting down on the ground.

This was all Rarity’s fault. She couldn’t even throw horseshoes anymore without Rarity messing it all up.

“... Wanna talk about it?” Applejack’s voice came quietly.

Rainbow sighed. “... Nothing’s wrong. Let’s just play.”

Rainbow heard Applejack’s hoofsteps behind her coming closer, and suddenly she was sitting next to her. “You can’t fool me, Rainbow. I know when somethin’s botherin’ ya. I just wanna help.”

Rainbow looked up to see Applejack’s friendly smile. “You’ll make fun of me.”

Applejack shook her head. “No, I won’t.”

Rainbow chewed on her cheek for a moment. “... You promise?”

Applejack waved her hoof around and placed it over her eye. “I Pinkie Promise.”

Rainbow held her breath as she gathered her thoughts.

Stupid, sexy Rarity.

 “Umm… Okay, this is… really awkward. But… Uhh… It has to do with Rarity.”

Applejack chuckled. “Uh oh. What’d she do this time?”

’Say it. Say the name of the mare you can’t resist.’

“You said you wouldn’t make fun,” Rainbow said with a glare.

Applejack straightened her face and coughed into a hoof. “Sorry, RD. Go on.”

“Well… See, on my birthday, she… gave me a present.”

“Ya didn’t like it?”

’Say my name.’

Rainbow shivered. “No, it was great. Really great. I loved it.”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “So… what’s the problem?”

Rainbow tugged at her mane. “It was too good!”

“So, Rarity got you a gift, and you liked it too much?”

“Exactly!” Rainbow said with a satisfied smile.

“I hate ta sound like I’m repeatin’ myself, but why is that a bad thing? Did you lose it or somethin’?”

Rainbow exhaled. “No, it was like… a one time thing.”

“Any chance you could be a little more specific? I’m tryin’ to help here, but you’re not givin’ me much to go on.”

Rainbow rubbed her neck. This wasn’t working. Maybe she should just start with a little truth, and it would flow from there?

“Uh… Sometimes, me and Rarity have sex.”

Applejack leaned back and closed her eyes. “Aww jeez, Rainbow, I don’t wanna know about that.”

“You said you wanted to help!” Rainbow retorted as she shot to her hooves. “Besides, we talk about sex all the time.”

“Sure, as a concept, but I don’t wanna picture, like, you an’ Rares… goin’ at it.” Applejack stuck out her tongue.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Come on, like you and Pinks’ve never done it.”

Applejack pulled the brim of her hat down to hide her reddening cheeks. “I didn’t say that.”

“So, you ready to help me now?”

Applejack sighed and pushed her hat back up. “Fine. Sometimes you and Rarity… hvsx.”

Rainbow snickered.

“So what’s that got to do with your birthday present?”

Rainbow stopped snickering and pawed at the ground. “Well… Uh…”

“Oh, Celestia,” Applejack wretched, “Don’t tell me you two did somethin’ weird.”

“It wasn’t weird, it was awesome!” Rainbow barked before realizing what she’d done. “Uh… I mean… Ah, ponyfeathers…”

“So that was your present? Some freaky sex stuff?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nevermind, this was a mistake. I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

Rainbow was just about to take off and fly away when she felt Applejack’s hoof on her back.

“Wait, RD. It’s okay. I get it.”

Rainbow turned back to look at Applejack again, who started tapping her hooves together. “I can’t say I really wanna know what it is you and Rarity get up to, but… I understand. Sometimes, Pinkie says things that… Well, I think she just says ‘em ‘cos she likes seein’ me flustered, yanno? But… Sometimes, I… I kinda wish she’d follow through.”

Rainbow folded her wings and sat back down, Applejack immediately following suit.

“I know it’s awkward, but you should probably just tell Rarity you wanna do it again. Right? She loves you, and… If she loved you enough to do it before, then why wouldn’t she do it again?”

The two mares stared off into space for several long seconds as the breeze played with their manes.

“This is the most awkward conversation we’ve ever had,” Rainbow mumbled.

“Eeeyup.” Applejack nodded.

“We should never do this again.”

“Eeenope.” Applejack shook her head.

“Good talk,” Rainbow said, and launched herself into the air. Next Chapter: Laughter Estimated time remaining: 38 Minutes