Chapter 10: Time Alone

Spike&Rarity

Spike crawled along behind Rarity, his claws already filled with bags after going to only one shop so far. He could hear Rarity giggle happily as she found another shop to visit. Forcing his head up Spike saw that it was a dress shop, but when Rarity ran into the doughnut shop next to it Spike's jaw nearly hit the sidewalk.

"Rarity, why are you going in there?" Spike asked as he jogged to catch up to her, stopping her just outside the door.

"I'm hungry, and every girl must eat before going on a shopping spree after all" Rarity said with a flick of her mane. When she looked back Spike was holding the door open for her with a smile on his face. For him a chance to eat alone with Rarity, even though it was a doughnut shop, was a big opportunity, and he was not about to let it pass him by. Once they were inside they were greeted by a familiar face.

"Hey there guys, looking for a table?" Joe asked happily as he trotted over, holding two menus in the air beside him with his magic.

"Pony Joe, this is your place?" Spike asked while looking around, the grand decor surprising him.

"Yup, after the incident on the Friendship Express I was able to move to a new building," Joe said with a smile on his face as he looked around his new establishment, "I may have let things get slightly out of hoof..." Everypony laughed as Joe led them to their table, which was in the VIP section due to their connection to Joe. He set down the menus and then left, leaving Spike and Rarity all alone.

"So, Spike..." Rarity began to say, but trailed off as she thought about what to say. Spike reached out and put a claw around her hoof, holding it tightly.

"Rarity, I..." Spike began to say, choking on his words before getting it out, "I love you"

"I love you too Spike..." Rarity said dreamily, her eyes glossing over as she looked into Spike's eyes. A knock beside them caught their attention, and Joe was standing there with two cupcakes next to him on plates he was holding up.

"For you," Joe said as he handed a gemstone cupcake to Spike, and he handed a parfait to Rarity, "and for you"

"Thank you, how did you know what we wanted?" Rarity asked as she accepted the dessert.

"Just a hunch," Joe said with a smile as before he went to turn around, "Oh, and it's on the house"

"Really?" Spike asked, his mouth already stuffed with his cupcake.

"Yup, it's my treat for helping me get this amazing place" Joe said, winking at Spike.

"Thanks!" Spike said happily as he finished gobbling down his cupcake, making Rarity grown as some of his cupcake ended up on her hoof. Spike quickly apologized and waited for her to finish her parfait. Once she was completely finished and they had said goodbye to Joe they left, heading to a hat shop across the store. Rarity laughed happily for the rest of the night as she loaded Spike up with her shopping bags.

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Big Mac&Rainbow Dash

After climbing into their carriage Big Mac asked for the Pegasi to take them to one of the hills in the orchard, stopping at the farm house for a moment to grab a picnic blanket and some food. Once they were dropped off Big Mac set up their dinner and invited Rainbow to sit next to him.

"So, what do you think about all this?" Big Mac asked as he picked a bottle of cider out of the basket.

"I hated it at first, but now, I don't know..." Rainbow admitted as Mac cracked open the bottle, offering it to her. She turned it down and he caught on that something was really bothering her, she wouldn't refuse a cider otherwise. He shuffled over slightly and put a hoof on her shoulder, which made her tense up but she quickly relaxed.

"Is everything okay Rainbow?" Big Mac asked, putting the cider down as he moved closer, now wrapping a leg around Rainbow's back.

"I'm just worried about all this..." Rainbow said quietly, "I mean, I like you, but to spend my life with you? I just don't know right now..."

"Rainbow, I'm worried too, and it took until now for me to realize it, but..." Big Mac paused to look away, his cheeks glowing a darker shade of red than his coat, "I love you, Dashie"

"What did you just say?" Rainbow asked, her heart racing as she tried to put together what he said, trying to find out if he was lying or not. When he suddenly pulled her into a hug the words clicked, and Rainbow could feel a strange warmth in her chest.

"I love you Rainbow Dash" Big Mac said as he hugged her tighter, making her gasp slightly as her wings stretched out. Big Mac knew what that meant and laughed as he let her go, her red face rivaling his own. She awkwardly laughed as she tried to get her wings to retract again, which made Mac laugh as well. After a few minutes of laughing they both relaxed, looking each other in the eyes happily.

"I love you too Mac" Rainbow said sweetly as she leaned into Mac, making him blush, "You know, I was angry at first when I was told I wouldn't be Soarin"

"Really?" Big Mac asked, wrapping a leg around Rainbow so they could cuddle.

"Yeah, but now..." Rainbow paused to look up at Mac and give him a kiss on the cheek, "I don't mind" The two of them sat there together in silence before Rainbow's stomach growled.

"So, about that cider..." Rainbow said sheepishly, turning around to look into the basket. Mac laughed and pulled the basket around so it was in front of them, and the two of them began to eat what Mac had brought. Four ciders later and an entire pie down and the two of them laid down, Rainbow nuzzling her head into the crook of Mac's neck ever so slightly. They quickly fell asleep staring at the beautiful night sky that was above the orchard all around them.

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Soarin&Applejack

When given a choice of where to go Soairn asked for them to stop off at his place so he could grab something, and then take them to the farmhouse. Applejack asked why but Soarin avoided the question, and hid whatever he had grabbed from his house from her, which annoyed her quiet a bit. After they touched down they heard Applebloom rapidly talking to Granny about Big Mac and Rainbow Dash.

"Are they on a date?!" Applebloom asked loudly, the sound of hoofsteps suggesting that she was hopping around happily.

"Yes, now go back to your room missy" Granny replied wearily, the bombardment of questions having been going on for a while by the sounds of it. Applejack cracked open the door slightly and was about to call out that she was home when Applebloom ran up to her and latched onto her face.

"Big Mac and Rainbow Dash are on a date sis!" Applebloom said happily, a large smile stretching across her face, until she saw Soarin. Soarin knew she wouldn't like to see somepony with her sister, but the face she was giving him was pretty nasty. Eventually Granny called her out and she ran upstairs, obviously still mad that Soarin was with Applejack. Applejack led Soarin towards the kitchen, the sounds of Granny Smith snoring already echoing throughout the house.

"Care for some apple pie Soarin?" Applejack asked, having seen the stallion eyeing the pie that sat on the counter.

"Would I!" Soarin said quickly, barely keeping quiet enough so he wouldn't wake Granny. Applejack quickly divided the pie into sections, giving Soarin a quarter of the pie for himself, while she only took a small slice. The pie she gave Soarin didn't last very long though, and soon after he was dragging Applejack upstairs, hoping to get a different type of Apple pie. He sat her down on her bed and began to nuzzle her, but she pushed him back.

"What are you doing?" Applejack asked, sounding offended that Soarin was even trying.

"Well, I thought this was a date, and usually at the end of my dates me and the mare, well..." Soarin trailed off, his face turning a dark shade of red. Applejack stared him down as she tried to think of someway to punish him for trying for it on the first date, and eventually something came to mind.

"So I'm just another mare to you?" Applejack asked sternly, but inside she was smiling, knowing that he was caught under her hoof now.

"No, no!" Soarin yelped, raising his hooves defensively, "I just thought maybe we had something special, so..."

"So are you saying you love me?" Applejack asked slowly, and when Soarin nodded she kissed him, "I love you too Soarin"

"Really, even after this?" Soarin asked, waving his hoof around to show that he meant what he had tried to start.

"Well, maybe now we can do that..." Applejack said seductively, making Soarin's wings pop out quickly.

"Really, you mean it?" Soarin asked like a kid in a candy shop, and when Applejack nodded he smiled quickly before pushing him down onto her back, "Now I can try this Apple pie!" Applejack gave him a whack to the side of the head for his stupid pun, but let him continue. After he was finished with the foreplay he set himself up to seal the deal and-

"Sis?!"

Both Soarin and Applejack's necks nearly snapped from how fast their heads turned to look at the door. Applebloom had opened the door to figure out what was going on inside Applejack's room and had seen what they were doing. She ran away to her room, and ended up killing the mood entirely.

"I guess I'll go talk to her..." Applejack said sadly, getting up off the bed to make her way to Applebloom's room. Soarin followed after her, hoping that he could apologize to Applebloom for what must have seemed like him attacking Applejack. When they got to her door they found it cracked open, quiet sobs echoing from inside.

"Applebloom?" Applejack asked slowly, getting back a louder sob from the filly.

"I'm sorry about what you saw in there Applebloom..." Soarin said sadly, his head hanging down as he entered the room after Applejack, "No filly should ever have to see that"

"What were you two doin'?" Applebloom asked, the image stuck in her head of Soarin propped up above his sister, with her legs around his, and...

"Well, when two ponies love each other very much..." Applejack began to explain, looking to Soarin for help explaining the birds and the bees to her sister. Nearly an hour later Applebloom was staring at the two of them with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open as Applejack finished explaining pregnancy.

"That's where foals come from?!" Applebloom shouted when Applejack finished talking. The two ponies in front of her nodded slowly and she curled up into a ball on her bed, thinking about everything she had just learned. Her sister and this new stallion were about to go through the process of making a foal, before marriage and everything, and she had just walked in on them...

"We should leave her alone now" Applejack whispered to Soarin, and he happily agreed. They made their way back to Applejack's room and she pushed him down onto his back this time.

"I should probably punish you for putting my sister through that..." Applejack said seductively, Soarin caught the hint let himself relax into her hooves. Before she went down she asked him if he had brought any protection, and he pulled it out of his wing, admitting with a red face that he had grabbed it from his place earlier. Normally Applejack would have gotten made that even back then he had expected this, but right now she didn't care. She was excited, it was his fault, and he was going to help calm her down...