A Romantic Interlude

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Rainbow returned home after her shift to see a line of ponies cresting over and passing the hill waiting for their share of Zap Apple jam. Rainbow hadn’t seen a long line since last cider season and smiled at the thought of her having helped make it happen. She flew in quickly leaving her rainbow contrail behind as she looped over a cloud and descended at high speed to the ground.

Stopping inches from the ground her tail hair smacked the earth and created a small puff of dust and a muffled slap as she landed behind Applejack with a grin. “Heya AJ, how’s sales?”

Applejack turned around quickly and beamed a smile to Rainbow. “Fantastic, c’mere I’ve gotta tell ya something.” Quickly Applejack turned back to Big Mac and whispered something to him, he nodded with a slight smile in reply as he leaned over to Apple Bloom and whispered something to her. A quick look back and beaming smile later she was galloping to the farmhouse as fast as her little legs would take her.

Rainbow hovered in the air with a few gentle downstrokes to keep her aloft as Applejack passed her leading her into the acres. Following slightly behind Applejack, Rainbow couldn’t help but smile at the view she was privy to. A yellow tail swaying with every step, tough muscles movings visibly beneath a warm orange coat, and seeing the top of an apple from Applejack’s cutie marks show for the briefest of moments between paces.

It was almost hypnotic watching, so much so that Rainbow didn’t notice the tree branch Applejack had led the distracted mare into. Laughing goofily Applejack whinnied before covering her mouth with her hooves. “Gotcha peekin again. I said ‘follow’,” Applejack said walking to Rainbow who was on the ground sitting on her right flank rubbing her forehead where the branch had scratched her lightly, “not to plan our next personal time. Ya okay Dashing?”

“Heh,” Rainbow placed her hooves on the ground forcing herself back up to all fours, “ya whinnied. You know what that means?”

“IF we were at Quills then yeah, but we’re not, and let’s hurry. I’ve gotta tell ya something.” Applejack turned to a gallop and ran face first into a low tree branch. Bursting into laughter, Rainbow hovered nearby, holding her sides.

“That’s ironing for ya!”

Applejack sat on the ground groaning holding her forehead for a minute before she adjusted her hat and stood up tall and walked calmly ahead with Rainbow laughing behind her following a safe distance above and behind. Rainbow stopped laughing as they topped a hill near the center of the acres and saw a small picnic setup with a large wicker basket, handle up, and a red and white checkered picnic blanket being held in place under it.

“A picnic? That’s the big deal ya dragged me here for?” Rainbow asked slightly annoyed as she looked at Applejack who still didn’t look back at her. “AJ, ya okay? Ya haven’t said anything to me since that tree slapped ya silly.”

Applejack turned and smiled wearily at Rainbow with a small cut on her cheek.

“AJ!? Oh Celestia I’m SO sorry, I had no idea. Your beautiful freckles,” Rainbow dashed to her side and caressed her face in her hooves looking intently at the light cut that was slowly bleeding on Applejacks cheek.

Applejack jerked back with a look of displeasure on her face as she locked eyes with Rainbow. “Dangit I ain’t a filly Dashing, let’s just go and have our picnic. Ah’ve got something to tell ya.”

Rainbow took to the air again hovering lightly as Applejack fiercely rubbed a postern against her wound clearing it up mostly until it was a light red line barely noticeable across her cheek between her freckles. With a slight temporary wince she was as good as new and began prancing past Rainbow to the top of the hill.

Rainbow flew ahead quickly landing at the top of the lush green grass. The scent of apples in the air was as refreshing as ever. Everything was silent except the wind rustling through the leaves and the light panting of Applejack as she arrived. “Let’s dig in. We got fresh pie, fritters, Berries, bear claws-”

“Okay, I get it. Any real food in here too?”

“Real food? This’ the best apple selection in Equestria-”

“Right, well lets dig in,” Rainbow interjected as she reached for the basket. Applejack slapped Rainbow’s hoof back. “Ow, what the hay?”

“Prayers, ya know how it is.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes as she crossed her legs and said a prayer with AJ. The distance heralded the fast sound of tiny galloping hooves as they finished their prayer and Apple Bloom arrived holding a small box with a pink bow tying it closed. She passed it to Applejack and beamed a smile before galloping away back in the direction of the sales stand.

Rainbow smiled and looked intently at the box. “Ya get it after we eat,” Applejack said with humor in her voice. A very brief scowl came and left Rainbow as she nodded reaching for the basket again. She hesitated for a second glancing at her mate waiting for permission to open it. Smiling when she got the feeling it was safe she opened it and took out a pie and two fritters. Placing one in front of Applejack and one in front of herself she took a blunted pie spatula from the basket and cut the pie into six pieces before laying on her belly with Applejack.

The blanket was firm cloth and the seams, hoof sewn, were ridged high and Rainbow could feel them pressing against her body slightly. Rainbow didn’t mind though, she prefered homemade work to that fancy machining from the big cities.

Celestia’s sun was low on the horizon and if Applejack looked left she was facing the event. The lower sun was signaling the beginning of the colorful display that sang in nearly everyponies’ hearts; sunset.

Rainbow ate her fritter in one bite chewing quickly as she closed her eyes savoring the fresh apple goodness. “It’s still warm AJ. This’ so good,” she said with a slight happy shiver trembling down her flanks. Swallowing slowly as the warm chewed pastry slid down her throat with a slight gulp she exhaled and giggled slightly as the flavor passed her mouth again tickling her tongue.

“Dashing you’re so cute when you eat my food,” Applejack said watching Rainbow exhale. She watched as Rainbow opened her eyes and looked into her own eyes. “You’ve got the prettiest eyes Dashing.”

“No they’re not, stop treating me like a filly,” Rainbow said waving her hoof dismissively, “I’m rough, tough, and don’t take no mess from anypony.”

“No Rainbow Dash, not with me,” Applejack said letting her smile fall, “you act like that to every other pony in Equestria as much as you want or even when we’re in public. With me I want the real you,” she smiled as her foreleg rose and she reached out to boop Rainbow’s nose. “That’s the mare I fell for. The filly who crashed into my trees and cried when I got her down in my forelegs cuz she thought she broke her wing.

“The young mare who raced me to the end of the fence and beat me without breakin’ a sweat. The mare who cried into my chest a dozen times confiding in me the deepest secrets and fears,” Applejack watched as Rainbow blushed lightly and looked at the blanket tracing a seam with her the tip of her hoof, “and fiance that holds me every night like I was the only pony on Earth.”

She leaned in to kiss Rainbow and stopped inches away closing her eyes and waiting.

*

Rainbow leaned back as Applejack finished talking, everything she said was true. From the moment she had laid eyes on Applejack’s freckles when they were fillies she had felt a true bond to her at a level she didn’t know existed in the world.

At first she was sure it was jealousy, then as time passed she thought it was the challenge of the strongest earth pony in the world. Then on rare occasions a member of a sexual fantasy or once a wet dream. Something she had dismissed as a common thing among all ponies at the time, or maybe once in a while? Once at least?

If they had never had that dinner in her cloud house what would have happened to her? Would Applejack have gone on to find another, would she have waited? Could she have been happier with another?

No. This is how powers greater than Celestia had made it happen. There was a reason they were in the same town and had were the each the best at what they did. She was an acrobatic stunt flier and Applejack was a rodeo pony and farmer.

Hesitating no longer Rainbow blinked and took a slight breath in as Applejack paused puckering her lips waiting for Rainbow to kiss her back. The longest three seconds passed as she thought about the rest of her life with Applejack for a brief second before leaning in, closing her eyes and touching her lips to the orange mares.

*

Their hearts fluttered as they kissed lightly for a moment, separating from each other they shuddered lightly and exhaled a breath mixed from each other and gazed into each others eyes for a moment. A cool breeze rustled the leaves again and the sound of a half dozen apples falling to the ground in the distance made Applejack’s ears twitch and turn as she blinked. She leaned and turned her head left.

Reaching for the box she bit it lightly and placed it between her forelegs and rejoined Rainbow gazing into her eyes. Without a word she reached her left foreleg behind the box and slid it forward to Rainbow.

*

Rainbow watched as Applejack leaned and grabbed the box she had been glancing at the whole meal and did her best to hold back the excitement. She couldn’t stop her ears from perking up and facing the box, her tail for swaying lightly in anticipation. The box finally being placed so close she looked at Applejack and tried to ascertain the contents from her expression.

She watched as Applejack’s eyes sparkled as she slowly slid the box to her. Her smile betrayed her as she fidgeted and her eyes watched intently until the box with it’s pink ribbon was between her forelegs. No bigger than an apple she longed to know what was inside and looked to Applejack.

*

Applejack nodded and saw Rainbow beam a smile as she grasped the box in her forehooves firmy and then took the ribbon in her teeth pulling quickly to remove it in one motion. Discarding the ribbon into the breeze it fluttered and landed a few lengths away as she grabbed to top of the box and flipped it aside to see what the gift was.

Her expression turned to one of slight confusion as she peered into the box for three long seconds before blinking and looking to Applejack with wonder.

“What’s this?”

“A key, silly filly.”

“Another key to your heart? Uh, thanks AJ but I’ve already got four of these now and I don’t need another.”

“Rainbow,” Applejack said scooting closer until their forelegs were crossing and Applejack touched the box, “it’s a key to our new house.”

Rainbow sat up straight in surprise. “Wha-what? House, us. A-a house? A HOUSE?!” she shouted, her wings flared and a smile wider than Pinkies crossed her face. With a flap of her wings she tackled Applejack and rolled and tumbled with her down the hill laughing.

*

“Awwwwwe.” A set of voices rang from a tree nearby. Applejack and Rainbow were giggling holding each other as they looked up to see Applebloom and Pinkie sitting on a branch watching.

“AB, Pinkie?! What’re ya doin up there?”

“Well you see-” Pinkie started.

“We’re just watchin’ is all. We knew ya were gonna tell her ‘bout the house but we didn’t know it’d be so-”

“Adorable! That was the cutest thing I’ve seen since the twins learned to bounce a ball between each other using their heads!” Pinkie shouted falling from the tree to the ground landing from almost 20 feet onto her hooves like it was a light bounce.

Holding out her forelegs she caught Apple Bloom and set her on the ground as she and Pinkie galloped the short distance to Applejack and Rainbow. “Congratulations from everypony in Ponyville,” they shouted as Pinkie threw confetti and streamers from her empty hooves across Rainbow and Applejack who were sitting and lying on the ground appropriately.

“So, uh, AJ. Did ya get Davenports place then?”

Applejack rolled to her belly and pushed herself into a sitting position. “Rainbow, not only that but I got all his furniture and the land. It’s gonna cost us 400 bits a month for the next 20 years but it’s ours and Ah’ve paid the first five years down.”

“Wait,” Rainbow said turning and grabbing Applejack by the shoulders, “You spent your life savings on a house?”

“No, our house and it’s totally worth it. I-I have something else to say.”

Rainbow relaxed and prepared herself for more news. She looked at Applejack and felt her forelegs tremble. Applejack was wearing an expression Rainbow hadn’t seen before.

“Rainbow. I had a talk with the doctors at the hospital.”

“Oh no, I hope she’s okay,” Pinkie said covering her mouth.

Applejack cleared her throat and felt her whole body getting hot and her face blushed as she breathing trembled. “We can have a foal, I’m fertile and spring’ll be here ‘fore ya know it so one of us, if you’re willing, can carry it.”

Rainbow sat still as she tried to process the new information flowing through her mind. Slowly she smiled awkwardly and nodded. “Uh, we have a few months to figure it out so let’s just talk it over in private. ‘Kay hun? Ah don’t wanna rush into it but I totally want one with you.”

Applejack exhaled and hugged Rainbow as Pinkie and Apple Bloom ‘awww’d’ again but Rainbow couldn’t stop trying to think about actually starting a family.

Next Chapter: Bed time fun Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 2 Minutes