"Well, Sugarcube, I gotta say that I'm impressed," Applejack said. The springs of her bed creaked as she flopped down on her back. "I don't think I've ever seen you sweat so much in one day."
Rarity stepped through the door as she fiddled with her r velvet sleeping cap. She had changed out of her messy overalls of the day before, and instead had changed into her pajamas. Admittedly, she felt a bit underdressed in front of her girlfriend of less than a month, but she supposed Applejacks hand-me-down flannel and boxers weren't exactly the height of fashion either.
She placed her hands on her hips and smirked at Applejack as she approached the bed.
"What, you weren't expecting the prettiest girl in Ponyville to match up to your handiwork?" she teased, flexing a soft arm at her partner. Applejack chuckled.
"Hush up and get into bed, Doll," she fired back. Rarity stuck her tongue out at her before sliding under the covers.
Laying together with the lights off, Rarity let out a deep sigh and leaned her head against Applejack's chest, careful not to poke her with her horn. Her partner responded with a barrage of small kisses against the top of her head. Rarity giggled and wrapped another arm around her. Being a bit on the taller side herself, Rarity wasn't used to having a bigger partner, but Applejack's bulky frame and over 6 feet in height were certainly a welcome change of pace.
"Seriously though, you did good work today, Sugarcube. I thought you hated gettin' your hands dirty," Applejack said. The deep vibrations from her chest against her ear sent a shiver down Rarity's spine.
"Well… I do," she said. "But you needed help, dear, with Applebloom and Big Mac out for the day. I couldn't just let my big strong lady do it all by herself!" she rubbed Applejack's cheek like she was a powerful work animal. "And with my magic I hardly have to lift a finger, after all," she added.
"That thing is pretty helpful," Applejack said. She poked the tip of Rarity's horn, sending a small jolt through her body that Applejack didn't seem to notice. "I'll have to put you to work here more often," she teased.
"Let's not make a habit of it," Rarity laughed nervously. "Not that I don't love the company, of course. It takes a lot out of a girl to work like that, you know!"
Applejack chuckled and stretched out her whole body, her joints cracking from top to bottom. "You're tellin' me."
It took the two a bit of tossing and turning to get comfortable, but Applejack was the first of them to fall asleep, quickly falling into a deep snore. Rarity, meanwhile, laid awake but dreary. Applejack laid on her back, but held an arm around Rarity for her to use as a pillow. Her legs hurt from thigh to hoof, her back ached and she had a dull headache from using her magic all day. But she understood why Applejack liked the work; it was nothing like running a boutique, but she was able to appreciate the product of a hard days work. And she especially appreciated the sight of her girlfriend working hard.
More than anything, though, Rarity wanted Applejack to know that she was dependable. Even if they had been dating for less than a month, they had been friends (and something in between, briefly) for much longer. Watching her try to take the weight of the world sometimes hurt.
On the other hand, an afternoon of the ranch life had taken a lot out of her mentally. Dealing with dirt and the smell of animals made her skin itch, and any time she felt the wet pantleg her mud splattered overalls touch her bare skin, she wanted to gag. She was just glad that Applejack seemed to respect her running off to wash her hands every thirty minutes.
Applejack rolled over in her sleep, muttering something under her breath as she spooned Rarity. Warmth enveloped her, both from her bigger partner behind her and from her own blush. She took a deep breath. Somewhere far away, an owl hooted. Wind blew through the apple trees, leaving the sound of rustling leaves in its wake. Crickets sung their songs to each other, a beautiful melody beyond anyone's understanding. Tonight was a good night.
Rarity was awoken suddenly to a stiff hand on her shoulder, shaking her from her dreams.
"Rarity, Sugarcube, wake up," Applejack said in a harsh whisper. Her eyes creeped open to a dark room and her girlfriend's concerned face. A sudden crash of lightning made them both jump, and only then did Rarity recognize the sound of rain pouring down against the roof.
"Applejack, darling, whats going on? It the middle of the night," Rarity protested sleepily.
"Power's out. Without it, the heaters for the animals will go out n' the basement'll flood," she explained. "I need to get those generators runnin', but I can't do it by myself. I need you to come outside with me n' help me get em started," she said.
Rarity sighed and stretched out, rubbing her eyes to try and summon a bit of energy. Her sore joints yelled at her to lie back down, and her brain wanted nothing to do with the storm outside right now. Worse yet, she felt the familiar drain of having overused her magic the day before.
She looked to Applejacks tense brow and anxious posture, feeling an ache in her heart, and gave her the warmest smile she could muster at the moment. "I suppose we don't want Granny Smith to wake up to a foot of water in the house, now would we?" she said. Applejacks face lit up with a much more befitting toothy grin.
As they stepped out into the wind and rain, everything in Rarity's mind screamed about how easy it would be to get hurt, or to catch a cold, or whatever else flew through her thoughts. To drown it out, she tried to focus on the view of her partner in front of her. Despite the harsh wind that felt like it could pick her up and lift her away at any moment, Applejack seemed unphased.
"Okay Doll, I'll get the generator from inside, there should be a thing of gas in the shed 'round back. Think you can grab it for me?" she asked. Rarity nodded and started off towards the shed.
The path to the back of the shed clearly hadn't been used as much as the others at Sweet Apple Acres. The grass was overgrown and brushed past Rarity's ankles as she walked.
You'll get ticks, her brain told her.
The handle to the shed had rusted pretty heavily, and the hinges groaned as she threw the door open and stepped inside.
You'll cut yourself and get tetanus.
Among the dank scent of dust in the shed was a familiar acrid scent of gasoline as Rarity picked up the red jerrycan. Carefully, Rarity made her way back over to where Applejack was hooking the generator up to the side of the barn, the heavy jug offsetting her balance a bit.
If you trip and spill it, Applejack will-
"Thank you kindly, Sugarcube. Just pour it in there," Applejack gestured to the open cap on top of the generator. Rarity noticed the generator was a bit outdated; rust crept up the sides and a cobweb or two dressed the top. Carefully, she tipped the jug, spilling a drop or two off the sides at first.
It'll catch a spark and light you on fire.
"You're sure these things aren't dangerous, Dear?" Rarity asked. Applejack chuckled.
"Naw, if they were gonna blow up on us they would have done that a long while ago," she reassured as she pulled the ripcord with all her strength. Rarity caught her eye for just a moment and hoped she couldn't read how genuinely concerned she was about the possibility.
"Woooooowee!" Applejack said as the machine hummed to life, loud as an engine. "Alright, now we just got the one for the house, n' then we'll get toasty as a fresh apple fritter," she said with a big grin. Rarity plucked at the fuzz in her pockets and stared at her toes and muddy shins. Even her own hands felt alien to her, each drop of rain pushed her further down into her own thoughts.
Applejack elbowed her gently, bringing her out of her own head. "You okay Doll? Need a breather?" she asked. Rarity shook her head, making the decision before she could think. She told herself it would only be a few more minutes, that she could bear it for her girlfriend.
The cold will give you both hypothermia.
The backside of the house was mostly bare of grass, instead being a muddy patch of dirt with a couple of stray stones. Her shoes squelched in the mud and threatened to get left behind in her stride entirely. Applejack crouched down, not fearing the mud or the rain running off the roof.
She'll fall and crack her head on the generator.
You'll spill the gas on her and light her on fire.
"M'kay Sugarcube, come around this side. Just like last time," Applejack said gently. Rarity stepped around Applejack, but missed a particularly slick patch of mud. In an instant, she was down in the mud, barely having caught herself with her knees and free hand. A sharp pain rang through her shin, and she looked down to see a fresh cut.
It'll get infected.
You'll have to cut the leg off.
You'll get a parasite.
"Rarity, darlin, you ok?" Applejack quickly moved to help her girlfriend up with one strong hand.
"Lets just get this done," Rarity croaked.
"Yeehaw!" Applejack howled as she stepped into the kitchen, the lights in the house turning on at last. She shook the rain out of her hat and hung it up to dry on the coatrack. "I don't know about you doll, but I ain't steppin back out even if the house starts burnin' down!"
Rarity stood just inside the house and stared at nothing, shivering in her shoes. Her fists were clenched so hard her nails dug into her palm. Applejack turned to her partner and her posture instantly dropped.
"Rarity, hey, Sugarcube, what's wrong?" she said in a light tone. Rarity's lip quivered and tears slowly dripped down her face, but words didn't leave her mouth. "Are you ok? Can you speak?" Rarity shook her head in an almost unseeable motion.
"Everythin' get too much for ya?" Rarity nodded this time.
"Was it somethin' I said?" Another no.
"Can I take ya upstairs for a bath?" Rarity gave a slightly more enthusiastic yes.
"Can I carry you?" Rarity outstretched her arms in response. Applejack scooped her up off the ground in one motion, holding her bridal style as she carried her up the stairs.
"Wait right there, Sugarcube. The water takes a hot second to get warm. I'll go grab some stuff for ya," Applejack said, leaving Rarity with a quick soft kiss on the head, before shutting the door gently behind her. As soon as the door closed, Rarity sat on the edge of the tub and held her head in her hands, trying to gather her bearings. She hoped the sound of her wild sobbing didn't echo off the walls of the bathroom as she let out everything inside her head in the only form she knew how.
It wasn't pretty; it was a gutural, almost instinctual feeling that washed over her and told her to weep. She sat there for a while, curled at the edge of the tub shaking, letting her breaths fall unevenly in her lungs. Waves of panic rose and fell, slowly leaving her body until eventually the thought of opening her eyes wasn't too much to bear. She took slow, shaky breaths in and out, stabilizing herself in the reality of what surrounded her. There was a fluffy pink rug. The wall paper was sheep printed. There was a sink with a wooden counter, aged and well loved.
After she felt sufficiently cried out, she wiped her face and stripped down to step into the tub. It certainly wouldn't be anything Applejack hadn't seen before, of course, but she still felt a bit vulnerable alone by herself in the tub.
It was a few more minutes of distant cluttering and footsteps when Applejack entered the room again slowly, various supplies and towels piled high in her arms.
"Sorry I took so long, Doll, I didn't know if you'd wanna do your whole routine again, or just use shampoo, so I brought the whole bag. There's also some stuff in here to clean up that nasty gash on your leg… ooh, and look! I borrowed a bath bomb from Apple Bloom! Its…" Applejack turned it over in her hand, looking for a label. "...It smells like apples!"
Rarity giggled as she leaned over the edge of the tub. Applejacks face flushed the slightest bit as she busied herself putting down the stuff for the bath.
"S'ok if you still don't feel like talkin', I can step out a beat if you need me to," Applejack said. She stood awkwardly, unsure of how to hold herself.
"It's okay, thank you darling. I suppose I should explain my… outburst, of sorts."
"Only if you feel like talkin' Sugarcube. I just want you to rest your hooves a minute, m'kay?" Applejack smiled at her, a twinge of concern in her eyes.
"I'd like to wash up a bit… you should probably do the same, Darling," Rarity suggested.
"Of course, I was gonna use the downstairs-"
"But I don't exactly want to be alone right now, Dear," Rarity admitted.
"S'alright! I'll just get in after you."
Rarity raised an eyebrow at Applejack. Applejack pulled at her collar. "Now, Darling, there's no need for modesty! This tub is plenty big, after all…"
"Are… we can't, uh, both fit in there, Rare," Applejack protested, her face flushing. The corners of her mouth curling up into a smile didn't help her case, however.
Rarity sat up a bit, looking over her shoulder. "I don't know about you, but I think there's plenty of room for a handsome, hunky cowgirl right there, hm?" she pointed to the space behind her. "I'm not up for much else, but a big strong lady holding me would certainly improve my mood right about now."
Applejack chuckled. "Darlin' my back feels like it'll snap like a twig if I try to do somethin' more than sit down."
Clumsily, Applejack found her way out of the jeans she had thrown on earlier, hissing a curse under her breath as they got caught around one ankle. Eventually, she was free of her muddy clothes and holding an arm over her chest, as if it would provide any level of modesty to the situation. Rarity lifted herself up out of the water just enough so that Applejack could slide in behind her, the water level rising dangerously high as she got in.
"Great Celestia, that's just what I needed," Applejack sighed as she sank back into the warm water. Rarity settled down in her lap, then leaned back to rest her whole body against her. Applejack threw an arm lazily around her waist and pulled her in closer.
The two laid there for what felt like an hour in the silence. Rarity could have fallen asleep there, her head perfectly against Applejacks chest, the only sound in the world her steady deep breaths. At first Applejack was stiff, a bit anxious about the intimacy of the situation, but eventually she relaxed. Rarity was the one to break the silence.
"You were right, this does smell like apples," Rarity said.
"Good. I wasn't really sure what the label said, but that's usually what Apple Bloom has me buy her," she said. "If it smelled like peaches, I would have looked real silly."
The two laughed together. Rarity cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry about earlier, Darling," she began. "I've always… well, it's no secret I'm not fond of getting my hands dirty, but its not just about vanity."
"What'dya mean, Sugarcube?"
"Well… the entire time we were out there, all I could worry about was 'What if something happened to me? What if the generator explodes, what if I get gasoline in my mouth somehow and die, what if that cut gets infected, what if…'" Rarity's sentence trailed off. Applejack rubbed her waist slowly.
"Darlin' you know I'd never let anything happen to you."
"Well of course," Rarity smiled. "But it doesn't change that those thoughts still come. Normally, I can block them out, but… it was a long day for me."
"Lots of those thoughts?" she asked. Rarity nodded. "I'm sorry I pushed you, Doll, I panicked when I saw the power was out, n' I guess I coulda just done it myself but usually have Big Mac there to help me, and-"
"It's okay, Applejack. Really, it is. I pushed myself, I should have known my own limits and gone inside when I knew it was too much," Rarity said. She sighed deeply and held Applejack's free hand under the water. "I guess… I just didn't want you to feel underappreciated, Darling. You're always the big strong one, and that's fine, but I wanted you to know those strong shoulders of yours don't have to always work on overtime for everybody else. That's all I could think about all day that… that I didn't want you to think I'd sit back and let you do everything yourself," Rarity sighed deeply and squeezed Applejack's hand. Applejack planted a few kisses against Rarity's scalp.
"Darlin'... I appreciate everything you did today, n' I'm really proud of you for working so hard, but… I don't wanna see you like that again. I mean, not that you can't be upset, or feel that way, but I don't want you to push yourself like that for my sake. You're too important to me for me to stand by and watch you push yourself to the brink for me, y'hear?"
"I hear," she replied.
Rarity smiled and looked up into Applejack's soft green eyes. They stayed like that for a long moment, staring at each other, Rarity wrapped up in her arms and never more at home than right this moment.
"Applejack?"
"Mhm?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Rarity," Applejack's smile was a beam of fresh sunlight directly onto Rarity's heart. "God, I love you so fuckin' much, Sugarcube. I think I've been waitin' all day to say that," she said, kissing Rarity wherever was within reach. She laughed and tried however she could to get closer to Applejack, eventually settling to roll over so they were face to face, Rarity up on her knees, looking more directly into each others eyes.
"I do still want to clean up that cut I got earlier. This bath was just what I needed though."
"Well do you wanna do it now?"
"Oh heavens no, I'm not done with you yet," Rarity said, before pulling Applejack into a long kiss.
In the morning, they awoke to the rising sun and the sound of roosters, a bit of an oddity to Rarity. It took them a while to get up, Rarity not being a morning person and Applejack liking the comfort of her girlfriend's arms too much to go downstairs. But they both bolted up once they heard Granny Smith calling from downstairs, figuring it was best not to leave the old woman waiting to make breakfast by herself.
Rarity took a seat at the table, despite insisting she was more than capable of helping out in the kitchen.
"Now now, I will have no guest in my home make their own breakfast!" Granny Smith told her, pulling out a chair at the breakfast table. Rarity eventually gave in, letting the two cook for her.
"Darling, I would die to eat these pancakes again," Rarity said after finishing a mouthful.
"Aw, shucks, it's just the old family recipe, Sugarcube." Applejack scratched the back of her head bashfully.
Rarity leaned in closer to Applejack as Granny Smith stepped out to clean up. "Thank you again for last night, you're such a sweetheart," she said, looking up into Applejack's eyes.
"You don't need to thank me, hun, I woulda done that for you any night. Plus, havin' the prettiest girl in Ponyville on my lap in a warm bath is just about my description of how I wanna die," she said, pulling Rarity closer with a lazy arm.
"Don't think I didn't notice how much you enjoyed that, Darling," Rarity teased.
"The feeling is mutual, Sugarcube." Applejack ran a hand through her partner's hair, intentionally lingering around her horn for a beat. Involuntarily, Rarity let out a high pitched sigh, and quickly covered her mouth. "What, you like that or somethin'?"
"M-maybe," she said bashfully. In response, Applejack grabbed it, her grip firm but tender. Rarity practically melted into her hands, her legs shaking as she tried to keep quiet.
Applejack leaned down, still grabbing her by the horn and planted a rough kiss or two against her neck. She whispered in Rarity's ear, her voice almost a growl. "Darling, if it was just us in this house, you know I'd put you on this table and-"
"Applejack! Get your hindquarters in here and help me clean up!" Granny Smith called. Applejack bolted up like a drill sergeant just called her, and winked at Rarity as she walked off into the kitchen. Rarity sipped her apple juice, crossed her legs and pretended the dining room didn't feel ten degrees warmer.
Later on, Rarity had gathered her things and was on the lawn holding Applejack's hand, strolling down the path towards the town as her girlfriend swung their arms together idly.
"I wish I could stay a bit longer, Darling, but Sweetiebelle needs me to fix up some dresses for her next recital."
"Y'sure you couldn't use a bit of help with, Sugarcube? I'm not the best with a sewing machine, but I'm sure you could find a use for me somewhere," Applejack said. "Maybe if you need to destress?" she added, nudging Rarity a bit.
"That's very sweet of you, Darling, but I need some time to cool off. Last night was a lot for me," she admitted.
"Of course, Doll. Get some rest, y'hear?"
"I will. You certainly helped me calm down last night, though. Thank you again, for everything."
Now it was Applejack's turn to blush, kicking at the dirt sheepishly with a hoof.
"Aw, shucks, it was nothin', really. I'd do that for you anytime, Rarity."
The two stopped in their tracks for a moment, just enjoying the company of each other's eyes. Rarity let out a deep, comfortable sigh. Morning birds chirped in the distance. A fresh breeze blew over the world, letting the leaves on the trees sing a gentle melody. This was a good morning.
"I love you so much, Darling."
"Love you too, Sugarcube."