Chapter 17

Several weeks had passed since Rainbow Dash moved into the Apple Family household, and life could not have been any sweeter for the pegasus. She now lived in a house where she was greatly accepted and loved by her first actual family. The Apples treated her like one of their own, even though she was currently dating a member of the same sex, and was a pegasus on top of it. She smiled wryly as the sun hit her eyelids through her new bedroom window. Applejack, who had fallen asleep in Rainbow's embrace, had somehow managed to slip out of the bed without waking her lover up. The bedsheets were noticeably messy and disheveled, making the bed look like a destroyed battlefield.

Rainbow yawned loudly as she stretched, sitting up, and letting the sheets play off her body back onto the mattress. Rainbow sighed as she looked out the window at the Sweet Apple Acres orchard and recognized that she had, in fact, slept in quite late. She stood from the mattress and smacked her lips lazily as she looked around and began walking out of the room. As she exited the hallway and entered the living room, nopony was anywhere to be seen. She stumbled through the living room, still half-asleep, and entered the kitchen, where she poured herself a small mug of cider and downed it quickly before pouring herself some more. The pegasus heard the front door open nearly silently, and looked through the kitchen into the living room, laying her eyes upon Applejack, who wiped her forehead.

"Whew!" Applejack saidto herself. "Harvest season is a tough one this year."

"Do you always talk to yourself like that?" Rainbow Dash said, making Applejack jump and let out a small squeak. Rainbow exited the kitchen, raising an eyebrow and holding her mug of cider.

"Geez, Dash." Applejack said with a small laugh. "Don't do that to me. Darn near gave me a heart attack!" Rainbow smiled at the farm mare.

"What time is it?" Rainbow asked.

"There's a clock right there in the kitchen, sugarcube." Applejack said, smirking. Rainbow looked at the clock slowly, then looked back at Applejack.

"One thirty..." Rainbow said. Applejack raised an eyebrow at Rainbow Dash and smirked. "Huh...I just woke up, okay?" She took a small sip of her cider.

"Ya slept in quite a bit." Applejack said.

"It's my day off, AJ." Rainbow said. "I'm suprised I didn't sleep until three." Applejack chuckled.

"Well, Ah'll tell ya, it took a little while to get outta your grip in the bed without wakin' ya. Ya had me gripped like a vice." Applejack said as she moved into the kitchen to get herself a cup of cider.

"You know you love it." Rainbow Dash said with a smile.

"Oh, Ah ain't denyin' that, darlin'." Applejack said before she quickly downed her cider with three swallows and sighed happily. "Ah've just been out buckin' for a while. Harvest season is hittin' like a train."

"Well, I'll tell you what." Rainbow said. "Let me go ahead and finish my cider here and get a shower, and I'll come outside and help you out." Rainbow Dash moved past Applejack and sat in the living room on the couch, smiling as she took a small sip of her cider.

"Usually ya guzzle the stuff." Applejack said, raising an eyebrow. "Why're ya gettin' all dainty this mornin'?" Rainbow jumped slightly and looked down at her mug.

"I'm not being dainty!" Rainbow Dash said immediately, her eyes widening as she looked at Applejack incredulously. "I'm...just, uh...savoring it. I just woke up." Applejack raised her eyebrows and threw her hooves up.

"Okay, okay..." Applejack said. "It's no big deal." Rainbow frowned as she took yet another sip of her cider.

"I just like the flavor..." Rainbow said, blushing as she put her cider down on the small table next to the couch.

"There ya go again, gettin' all flustered. It's so cute." Applejack said before leaning in close to Rainbow and kissing her on the lips. Rainbow Dash smiled into the kiss before pulling back slowly. The pegasus sighed and placed the mug of cider on the table next to the couch. She pushed Applejack onto her back and layed down, her cheek resting on Applejack's cheek. The farm mare stroked Rainbow Dash's mane slowly and lovingly.

"I'm so happy to be living here." Rainbow Dash said. "It got so lonely up in that house. Celestia knows that playboy is making better use of it than me." Applejack chuckled and kissed the top of Rainbow's mane, making the daredevil's ears splay back.

"Ah love havin' ya here, Dash. Ah actually was considerin' it for a while. Ah just hated seein' ya fly back to that house to sleep alone...well, with the exception of Tank. Speakin' of which, where is the little guy?" Rainbow nodded back toward their bedroom.

"Still sleeping with Winona. He spends about eighty percent of his time in that shell of his." Rainbow said with a small giggle. "I think he's enjoying the change of scenery too. Cloud walls can get pretty boring to look at."

The two mares continued to lay on the couch lazily, holding each other, content to simply lay there and take in the other's presence. Applejack sighed as she slowly got up, earning a small groan of disapproval from Rainbow Dash, who sat up and pouted slightly before taking her mug of cider back from the small table beside the couch.

"Sorry, Rainbow. But Ah have to get ready to head back out." Applejack said. "Those Apples ain't gonna buck themselves." Rainbow nodded and took a solid gulp of her cider before gushing at the perfect flavor.

"So good...You go on ahead. I'll finish up here, grab a shower and join you. That way we can get it done twice as fast," Rainbow Dash said as she stood and walked saucily in front of Applejack and flicked the farm mare's chin with her prismatic tail. "and I can have you all to myself."

"Sounds good to me." Applejack said. "How 'bout the shower this time?"

At that moment, a fast, somewhat frantic knocking came from the front door to the farm house. It was slightly frightening to the two mares as they looked at each other.

"Where's Granny Smith?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising an inquisitorial eyebrow.

"Out runnin' errands." Applejack said. "It's probably just Big Mac with Applebloom." Rainbow Dash nodded, but she was still slightly unsure, as was Applejack. Big Mac never knocked like this.

"Why is the door locked?" Rainbow Dash asked. Applejack sighed as she looked at the door

"Ah sometimes just lock the door behind me. It's just kinda an automatic protective thing that Ah do...Ah can't exactly help it." Applejack jumped slightly as another round of banging came from the door. This time, it was coupled with a voice.

"Applejack, Rainbow! Open up!" They heard Big Macintosh's deep, resonating voice say somewhat frantically, much unlike the way the large stallion usually spoke. Concerned, Applejack quickly opened the door and let her older brother and younger sister into the house. Big Macintosh bounded inside, his eyes widened. The stallion was covered with sweat. His look immediately put Applejack and Rainbow Dash on high alert. Applebloom merely trotted inside and sighed upon looking up to her brother.

"What's wrong, Big Mac?" Applejack asked him.

"It...It's, uh...It....It's Ch-Ch-" He stuttered nervously.

"It's Ms. Cheerilee." Applebloom said with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. Applejack let out a slight gasp.

"Oh! Well, is she okay?" Applejack asked her brother.

"Ch-Chee-Cheerilee-" He tried to say.

"He thinks Cheerilee actually likes him." Applebloom elaborated for her tongue-tied brother. Applejack smiled and looked at her brother.

"Is it true, Mac?" The farm mare asked. Big Mac slowly nodded, trembling slightly. Rainbow jumped up, a huge smile present on her face.

"Oh, no way!" Rainbow said. "That's awesome, Big Mac. You should go for it." Applejack put a hoof up in Rainbow's direction.

"Get ahold of yourself." Applejack said calmly to him. "Then tell us what happened." Big Macintosh nodded, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply and slowly, allowing for him to calm himself efficiently. He nodded gradually as he opened his eyes and spoke.

"Ah w-went down to the schoolhouse to p-pick up Applebloom. Ah got to talkin' to Ms. Cheerilee some s-so Ah was already pretty nervous...We started...crackin' jokes, y'know, the usual stuff...but before Ah left, s-she...l-looked at me in a way that set my pulse racin'." Big Mac explained, still sweating.

"Are you sure she really meant to look at you that way?" Rainbow Dash said. "Maybe something got in her eye or something. Here, show us how it looked." Big Mac looked up at Rainbow slowly and frowned. "Well, we can't really know unless you show us." Big Mac sighed heavily and emulated what was most certainly an affectionate looked from Cheerilee, but looked like something out of a comedy movie coming from Big Mac. Rainbow couldn't help but burst into laughter, making Big Macintosh blush. Applejack stopped Rainbow's laughing by slugging the pegasus in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Rainbow said. "Geez..." Applejack looked at Big Mac.

"So you're absolutely sure that she meant to wink at you?" Applejack asked. Big Macintosh nodded. "Do you feel very confident around her?" Applejack was already sure of the answer, but figured she'd ask her brother anyway. Big Mac shook his head, and looked down at the floor.

"Then we're gonna help you!" Rainbow said with a confident smirk. "We're gonna get you a date with Ms. Cheerilee, and it's gonna go great!"

"B-But how?" Big Macintosh asked. "Ah don't really see how Ah can go about it other than just askin' her without messin' it up." Applejack shook her head and patted Big Macintosh on the shoulder.

"That's what sisters are for, big brother." Applejack said. "Me and Rainbow are gonna teach ya."

"By the time we're finished with you, Cheerilee will be begging you to take her!" Rainbow said excitedly. Applejack quickly nudged Rainbow and gestured toward Applebloom. "On a date! She'll be begging you to take her on a date!" The pegasus added to cover up the rather adult-natured comment she had just made. Big Macintosh gulped.

"Okay..." He said, unsure, as Rainbow and Applejack smiled intimidatingly at him. "So what do we do first?"

"First things first." Rainbow Dash said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Lose the whole 'I'm too nervous to talk to her' thing."

"But Ah am nervous...Ah don't know if she'll say yes or no..." Big Mac said.

"She's right, Big Mac." Applejack said. "If you're nervous, Cheerilee's gonna smell it on ya and lose interest in ya."

"Be confident. Know that you can get her, and you probably will." Rainbow said with a small smile. "Give us your best confident face."

"Oh, come on, girls. Do Ah really have to?" Big Mac asked, apprehensively. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at Big Mac expectantly. He sighed heavily.

"Oh, okay..." He said. He inhaled deeply, puffed out his chest, smirked and raised an eyebrow. For a first try from a stallion who never really cared much for self image, it was impressive.

"Wow, Big Mac." Applejack said. "Nice job." Rainbow nodded, stroking her chin with a forehoof.

"Yeah, not bad, not bad." Rainbow said before zipping up to the stallion and making small adjustments to his posture and placement of his legs. The finished product practically eminated calm, cool and collected. "There! Now it's perfect." Big Mac promptly sighed as he returned to his normal posture.

"Second, act like ya don't care what she says. Make it a suggestion, not a request." Applejack said. "And don't be a jerk about it neither. She'll get hurt if ya insult her." Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Yeah. Be cool about it. Don't giggle and freak out if she says yes, don't get angry and say something mean if she says no." Rainbow Dash said. "Save all that stuff for behind closed doors." Big Mac nodded.

"Ya need to look and smell good too. Ah can't believe ya went to the schoolhouse lookin' like that." Applejack said. "Did ya leave straight from the orchard after buckin'?"

"Ah had to go get Applebloom on time." Big Mac responded.

"Ah really wouldn'ta cared if ya showed up a little late." Applebloom said. "Ah could smell ya when ya walked in."

"But she still looked at ya that way, so at least we know she probably doesn't care about smell too terribly much." Applejack said. "Still, wouldn't hurt to be lookin' your best."

"Yeah, that's true. Anything else?" Big Macintosh asked the two mares advising him.

"Above all, keep it casual." Rainbow Dash said. "This isn't a special thing, or anything. You're just asking her if you could buy her lunch sometime, or something like that. So be normal and calm. Don't get nervous and start stuttering and stuff. Now, I've noticed that Cheerilee sits on her porch a lot in the evening. Usually right at dusk. You'll just be passing by, and if she truly likes you as much as you think she does, she'll call you over!" Rainbow said excitedly. The stallion nodded.

"Ah think you'll do fine." Applejack said. "Ah'm pretty happy you're actin' on it." Big Mac nodded and smiled.

"Thanks, you guys. Ah feel a little better about it now." Big Macintosh said with a small smile. "Do ya really think it'll work?" Rainbow and Applejack nodded, both smiling happily.

"Like a charm." Applejack said.

Big Macintosh, Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked in the direction of Cheerilee's small house. Big Macintosh, who was freshly washed, brushed, and groomed to ook irresistible to any mare in Ponyville, was nervous under the acting facade he currently used. He was certainly garnering the hungry stares of many of the females they passed as they moved through town. Applejack looked over at Rainbow and winked at her. Rainbow smirked, knowing all the attention Big Mac was getting from nearly the entire single female population. Big Macintosh could not focus on this, however, as the nervousness and fear coursing throughout him kept him constantly on edge, and therefore fixated on his goal.

"Okay." Rainbow Dash said suddenly, making the large stallion jump slightly. "You need a story. You're on your way to the market to buy some last minute supplies needed for dinner." Big Macintosh raised an eyebrow and looked at Rainbow.

"But Ah don't have any bits on me." He said with a frown.

"That's a problem." Applejack said with a small sigh.

"You're getting the stuff on credit." Rainbow said with a smirk.

"Ah don't think anypony in the maket does credit..." Big Mac muttered.

"That doesn't matter." Rainbow said quickly. "You just need something that sounds believable for that time."

"And if she asks why Ah'm all gussied up?" Big Mac asked. "Ah see her every weekday when Ah pick up Applebloom."

"Just tell her that you just like to look good sometimes." Applejack said. "But you have to believe it, or she won't."

"We're getting close." Rainbow Dash said. "There she is! On the porch!" Cheerilee indeed sat on her porch, looking out into the sky, colored orange and pink from the setting sun. She looked slightly lonely. Rainbow Dash and Applejack trotted to hide behind a fence.

"We'll be watching you." Applejack said. "You're gonna do great!"

"Remember, keep it cool." Rainbow added before they both hid. Big Macintosh nodded slowly before looking at Cheerilee's house with a gulp. Slowly, steadily, he stepped toward the small quaint house, where the object of his desires sat. She seemed to sigh and rest her head on her left forehoof, a gesture of boredom...and perhaps longing. Big Macintosh's mind raced a mile a minute, searching for the pieces of advice Rainbow Dash and Applejack had given him previously which for some undescernable and maddening reason, were eluding him now.

His heart raced, sweat began to bead on his forehead, which the stallion quickly wiped away. He searched his mind frantically for one of the pieces of advice he recieved, and found one.

'Confidence.' He thought to himself as he puffed out his chest and walked with a grace that was completely manufactured on the spot. Rainbow Dash and Applejack watched him, their eyes barely poking over the fence.

"There ya go, Big Mac." Applejack whispered. "Show some confidence." Rainbow snickered.

"This is either gonna go extremely great or extremely badly." Rainbow whispered to Applejack. "Best to be prepared for both."

"But let's hope it's the first one." Applejack said. "Ah really don't wanna see Big Mac get his heart broken again." Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.

"Again?" Rainbow Dash said. "What broke it the first time?"

"Well, she was a-"

"Hi guys!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, suddenly appearing behind Rainbow and Applejack. Making both their stomachs jump before Rainbow silenced her by putting a forehoof on her mouth.

"Shhh!" Rainbow said slightly frantically. "Be quiet, Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie Pie nodded, looking at Rainbow and Applejack before moving the pegasus' hoof away from her mouth.

"Okay. But why?" Pinkie Pie whispered.

"Look over the fence here, sugarcube." Applejack said. Pinkie Pie did this and saw Big Mac slowly walking towards Cheerilee's house.

"What's Big Macintosh doing?" Pinkie asked.

"Well, he's gonna ask Cheerilee on a date." Applejack explained. Luckily, Applejack had the foresight to silence Pinkie in time to muffle her excited squeal. After removing it, Pinkie giggled nervously.

"Heh heh...sorry." She said.

"Well don't get too excited yet, Pinkie." Rainbow said. "First, Cheerilee there's gotta take the bait."

Big Macintosh continued to slowly approach the house where Cheerilee sat. She hadn't noticed him yet, but it was getting dark, so he continued to walk toward the house. Suddenly, he remembered the set plan. He was supposed to walk by the house, no to it. Rapidly changing course, he began moving again. He gulped for what seemed the one-hundredth time as he got closer and closer to the small, cozy-looking cottage. The moment eventually came when he began to pass by the house.

'Okay...This is it...the moment of truth.' Big Macintosh thought to himself before he slowed his walking speed as he began passing the house. Step after small step he took, with seemingly no inkling of interest from the teacher pony sitting not even ten feet from him. He continued to walk, his heart beat faster with fear and apprehension. She still had not noticed him. It was over. The moment of truth had passed, and Cheerilee could not have cared any less. He sighed, defeated, as began walking at normal speed again.

"Big Macintosh?" Cheerilee called. "Is that you?" The stallion's heart stopped and he supressed a gasp as his eyes widened. He breathed heavily as he turned to the mare that was addressing him.

"Like clockwork." Rainbow Dash said to Applejack and Pinkie Pie behind the wall.

"W-Well, hello, Miss Cheerilee." He said, nodding his head.

'Confidence.' The word reverberated in his head, reprimanding his already poor progress. He cooly looked to the side.

"How you doin' tonight?" He said, the change in his voice noticeable.

"Oh, I'm alright." She said. "What are you up to?"

'Keep it casual." He heard in his head before looking up at her. He smirked knowingly at the mare.

"Oh, nothin' special." He responded. "Granny Smith is just missin' an ingredient for dinner, and Ah'm goin' to the market to pick it up for her." Cheerilee nodded.

"You look like you're going for a night out in Las Pegasus." Cheerilee commented with a small smile. "I must say, the look fits you quite well." Big Macintosh nodded, his confidence-building smirk not leaving his face.

"Well, thank you." He said. "You're lookin' quite nice tonight, as well." Cheerilee blushed.

"Oh, well, I just got a shower." She said. "Well, I won't keep you held up. It was nice talking to you, Big Mac." She said his nickname with a smirk of her own before turning to move back into her house. Big Mac nodded and turned to leave.

'Wait a minute. What the hay am Ah doin'?! She's goin' back inside!' He thought frantically. He turned back quickly to see the door shutting.

"Miss Cheerilee!" He yelled in a voice that suprised him with it's pitch. The teacher came back out, thouroughly confused.

"Yes? What is it?" She said, eyes slightly widened, with a eyebrow raised. Big Macintosh's legs began to tremble as he struggled to get the words out. The lessons he had learned back at the farm house were escaping his mind as he looked back and forth quickly. He cleared his throat.

"Could Ah uh...um...Well, uh...Well, ya see..." He said. "Maybe we could...Ah mean, possibly....maybe get lunch together some time?" He smiled widely, but his eyes were filled with fear and worry. Cheerilee chuckled quietly at the nervous stallion before her.

"Big Mac, are you asking me out on a date?" Cheerilee asked, already knowing the answer, but for some reason delighting in seeing the stallion squirm where he stood. He hung his head with a sigh, defeated, and nodded.

"Yes ma'am. Ah am askin' you to go on a date with me." He braced himself for the hated, "I don't like you like that." excuse.

"I was actually wondering when you were going to ask me since that Hearts and Hooves Day a while back." Cheerilee said with a genuine smile. Big Macintosh looked up at her, eyes filled with hope. "I'd love to." Big Macintosh suppressed a happy cry as he nodded and smiled widely. Both ponies barely registered a muffled, excited scream come from down the street.

"Well, when can Ah pick you up, and where do ya wanna go?" He said excitedly, barely keeping his overflowing happiness bottled up.

"Why don't we go on a picnic? I'm sure we've both been to Cafe Du Mane several times, and that's pretty much the only good dating place to eat in Ponyville." She said. Big Macintosh nodded with a seemingly permanent smile on his face. Cheerilee's words alerted Pinkie Pie, who was still hiding behind the fence with Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Offended that Cheerilee had left Sugarcube Corner out, Pinkie jumped up to climb the fence before Rainbow Dash and Applejack barely managed to pull her back.

"Sounds good." He said.

"I'm free Saturday. Pick me up at three?" She requested, coming down the stairs to her front porch and walking toward him. With every step she took, Big Mac's heart rate increased. He struggled to speak as she approached.

"P-P-Pick ya up at three." He affirmed. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Big Mac wished that the kiss was a little further to the left.

"I'm looking forward to it." She said before moving back up to her front porch and opening her front door. She waved back at him, and he returned the wave before she went back into her house. He turned and began moving down the street toward the spot where Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie where hiding. As they left the hiding spot, Big Mac smiled at all of them, even Pinkie Pie, who he had no idea was there.

"We heard everything!" Applejack said with a large smile. "Congrats, Mac!"

"You killed it!" Rainbow said, slugging Big Macintosh in the shoulder. He was suprised at just how much the blow hurt, and Rainbow wasn't even really trying. "There were a couple slip-ups here and there, but for the most part it was great!"

"I'm sooooooo happy for you!" Pinkie said. "But...Sugarcube Corner is nice...we have little plants and stuff hanging on the walls..."

"Sorry, Pinkie Pie." Big Mac responded. "We'll come over there if we go on a second date."

"Okay! I actually have some stuff to do." Pinkie Pie said as she began moving down the street. She promptly turned and trotted backwards. "Rainbow! Applejack! We need to hang out soon!"

"We'll come and grab some sweets sometime this week." Applejack said. "We'll see ya then!" Pinkie Pie smiled.

"Alright! Bye!" She said before turning back and trotting the regular way.

"When did she show up?" Big Macintosh asked.

"She could have been there the whole time." Rainbow Dash said with a small smile. "You never know with Pinkie Pie. But who cares about that?! You got a date with Cheerilee!"

"Ah'm so proud!" Applejack said.

"Ah honestly probably couldn'ta done it without you two." Big Mac said with a smile as they turned around to return to the farm house for dinner. "Ah owe this to you guys. Thanks."

"Don't mention it, big guy." Rainbow said.

"That's what family is for." Applejack added.

Rainbow Dash yawned as she, Applejack and Big Macintosh returned to the house. Applebloom quickly trotted out of the kitchen and looked up at them with a large, expectant smile.

"So? How did it go? Did ya ask her?" Applebloom asked her older brother. He smirked down at her.

"Don't tell me ya wussed out, Big Mac!" Granny Smith exclaimed from the kitchen as she worked on dinner for the family. "Applebloom told me all about y'all's little exploits, and Ah couldn't help but get excited myself!"

"As a matter of fact, Ah did, ." Big Mac responded, pride echoing through his tone.

"And? What did she say?" Applebloom asked him, the suspense killing her. Big Mac laughed quietly to himself before looking back at Applejack and Rainbow momentarily.

"She said yes, little sis." He said. "Ah'm takin' her out on a date this Saturday." Applebloom squealed happily and did a small jig.

"Ah gotta tell Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo! Ah knew y'all were gonna end up gettin' together!" Applebloom exclaimed. She quickly stopped in her excitement, her eyes widening slightly. "But, uh...wait a minute...If y'all get married...Cheerilee will be my sister-in-law..." Everypony, including Granny Smith, burst into laughter.

"Now, Applebloom..." Applejack said, placing a hoof on the filly's shoulder. "It's way too early for him to be thinkin' about marryin' her."

"What do ya mean?" Applebloom said. "Ah thought ya just fell in love with whoever and married 'em. They looked like they were pretty in love when Big Mac picked me up today."

"It doesn't work like that, Applebloom." Rainbow Dash said. "You gotta get to know whoever you're dating, you eventually go on more dates...and, you know, it just goes from there." Rainbow couldn't stop herself from looking at Applejack for a moment who, as it turned out, had been looking at her as she spoke to Applebloom. Applejack blushed heavily and looked back at Applebloom, as did Rainbow.

"Ah see what you're sayin'." Applebloom said. "That does make a lot of sense..."

"Enough of this talk! She's too young!" Granny Smith said jovially as she entered the living room.

"Granny..." Applebloom said. "Ah can handle it...Ah'm growin' up..."

"Yeah, but not that fast." Granny Smith said simply as she winked at Applejack.

"Granny, this ain't nothin' Ah haven't heard before." Applebloom said.

"Would you like to discuss the somantics of this here subject, little filly, or do ya wanna chow down on some grub? Ah got a heapin' pot of cowpony stew waitin' in the kitchen, so come and get it!" Granny Smith said before turning and heading back into the kitchen.

"Sounds great!" Rainbow Dash said happily, clapping her forehooves and rubbing them together. "I'm starved."

"Don't eat too much, Dash." Applejack said with a sly smile. "Ya might put on more weight than ya already have." Rainbow Dash immediately jumped up on her hind legs and frantically looked her body over, her eyes widened in fear. After noticing no change in her lithe physique, the pegasus looked at Applejack, unimpressed.

"You're awful." Rainbow said simply.

"Just messin' with ya, sugar." Applejack said. "Let's eat."

Dinner, as usual in the Apple Family household, was fantastic in the highest sense of the word. The home-cooked feel of the meal was unmistakable and the flavors were rich and satisfying. Everyone was content to sit with each other at the dining room table and chat merrrily about their days and how things were getting better, thanks to Rainbow's funding of the farm using the leftovers from when she sold her house. They had been living quite comfortably, especially in comparison to the tight ways they used to. They were not restricted to having most of their diet consist of apples, and foods consisting of the fruit. Nopony complained, of course, because even then the food was delicious. But, it was nice to get away from apples sometimes and eat a nice different dinner.

As they polished off nearly half the entire pot of cowpony stew, Big Macintosh stored it for leftovers the next day. After saying their goodnights, everypony headed off for bed, ready for a good night's sleep. Applejack took a short time to get a shower before joining Rainbow Dash in bed. The pegasus marked her place in Daring Do: The Curse of the Blood Sapphire and accepted a kiss on the lips from Applejack before embracing her lover.

"You smell really good." Rainbow Dash said with a small smile. "You should shower more often." Applejack blushed and looked to the side, embarrassed.

"O-Oh...Ah didn't know Ah smell sometimes." Applejack said.

"Just kidding. You always smell nice." Rainbow said. "That was just payback for earlier." Applejack chuckled and nodded slowly.

"Yeah...Ah suppose Ah had that comin'." Applejack said with a small smile. "You know...we did some good work today. We got my brother his first date since...Ah don't know when. Ah haven't seen him this happy in a long time." Rainbow nodded.

"It did feel good to see him turn around with that smile on his face." Rainbow said. "It's gonna turn out good. I can tell."

"Ah sure hope you're right." Applejack said. "He's so head over hooves for her, and Celestia knows he needs somepony."

"He'll be fine." Rainbow said. "He'll follow our instructions on the date, she'll wanna go again, et cetera..." Applejack nodded and snuggled into Rainbow Dash, who nuzzled her lovingly. After sharing a long kiss they laid there, breathing in synchronization, content with the comfortable silence they currently shared. The moon shone through the bedroom window, serving as the only source of light illuminating the room. Time passed and Applejack felt a low, nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey, Rainbow..." Applejack said quietly, testing to see if the Pegasus was awake.

"Hmm?" The cyan mare responded drowsily, half-asleep. Applejack sighed.

"The Harvest Celebration Hoedown is comin' up pretty soon." Applejack said. "It's in Appleloosa this year, so we won't have to travel very far." Rainbow snickered.

"As long as we do that switching-dance, and you end up the last pony I dance with, I'll be absolutely fine." Rainbow Dash said before letting out a small groan. "I don't want to do weather patrol tomorrow..." Applejack snuggled into Rainbow Dash's embrace.

"You know, you could have a full-time job here on the farm if you wanted it." Applejack said. "Ah sure as hay wouldn't be opposed." Rainbow smiled.

"I know. But all the same, I can't leave all the pegasi at weather patrol hanging. They all count on me as the captain." Rainbow said. "But I'll still buck apples part time if you'll have me." Applejack squeezed Rainbow before kissing her on the lips lovingly and nuzzling Rainbow's cheek. They settled down and closed their eyes for a unified slumber.

"You know Ah will."

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: Well, well, well, lookie here. A chapter that isn't completely centered on Rainbow Dash and Applejack! I figured a cutesy little follow-up to my hint at Big Mac/Cheerilee earlier in the story was necessary. I just feel like it provides for a nice, light, comedic break from the main plotline of the story. But I still couldn't write this without putting some AppleDash fluff in there. What can I say? APPLEDASH F*CKING ROCKS Now if you guys'll excuse me, I'm going to play Slender: The Eight Pages and shit myself. See you all next week. Cheers!