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As she watched the snowflakes gracefully and slowly fall, Applejack put on her cowboy hat and bundled up with a scarf, which had been sewn specially for her by Rarity. It was embroidered with three apples, representing her cutie mark.
She headed out the door and started heading from Sweet Apple Acres to Rarity’s boutique, she had a special surprise treat planned for Rarity.
It had seemed like since the two had started dating, Rarity had been so good about gift giving, and sharing in general. She was the element of generosity, after all, so it was understandable. But, sometimes all Applejack wanted was to give back to her beloved girlfriend.
She was never sure if anything she picked out was fancy enough for her tastes, she didn’t want to come across as tacky, or even worse, she didn’t want Rarity to think she didn’t even know her well enough to know the kinds of things she would like…
Since it was around the holidays, now was especially a time when Applejack really wanted to give back. And she had found the perfect opportunity from Pinkie Pie, who had let her know that Sugar Cube Corner had a special peppermint chocolate cake available for the holiday season.
One thing Applejack knew, at least, was that Rarity loved chocolate and peppermint desserts, so she hoped that she would enjoy having some cake together. Applejack had only hoped that Pinkie hadn’t shared this idea with anyone else, as she really wanted it to be a surprise.
As she approached the door to Rarity’s boutique, she knocked on the door, as it was closed around this time of year. The door was swiftly opened by Rarity’s magic.
“Oh, AJ! Darling! Hey!” Rarity exclaimed, overjoyed at this unforeseen visit. She wrapped her hoof around Applejack’s neck and pulled her in for a hug.
“Heya, Rare! Happy holidays!” Applejack smiled.
“Aww, I see you're wearing that scarf I made you! Glad you’re getting some good use out of it!” Rarity was grinning from ear to ear.
“Yeah, of course! I love it, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of it!”
“Oh darling, why don’t you come in? I wouldn’t want you to freeze, if you want I can make us some hot cocoa-” Rarity was cut off by Applejack, who covered Rarity’s mouth with her hoof.
“Ah ah ah! Now don’t you go worrying about me! You’ve already done so much for me, it’s my turn! Now put on some winter clothes and follow me!” She asserted.
“Hm, alright…am I allowed to ask where it is that we’re going?” Rarity raised one eyebrow.
“Heh, it’s a surprise. Now, c’mon!” Applejack gestured for Rarity to follow her, giddily.
As the two walked through Ponyville, it began to snow harder, but Applejack was determined to get to Sugar Cube Corner. She began to pick up the pace, and there it was! Rarity caught up to Applejack and they both made their way in.
“Welp, here we are!” Applejack exclaimed.
Immediately, the freezing atmosphere from outside was replaced by a much warmer one. The interior was decorated with lots of warm colors and candy, and the crackling of a fireplace could be heard from not too far away. There was a lovely aroma of sweets and baked goods.
“Ooh, Sugar Cube Corner? What for?” Rarity asked, intrigued.
They were then greeted by Mrs.Cake. “Oh, hello girls! It’s a good thing you came in when you did, it’s getting pretty crazy out there! Anything I can get for you?”
“We’ll take a chocolate peppermint cake, please! And two hot cocoas.” Applejack smiled. She placed a few bits on the countertop.
“Ooh! I had no idea they had peppermint chocolate cake here!” Rarity’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“It’s for a limited time only!” Mrs.Cake said.
“I heard about it from Pinkie, and I remembered how much you love that kind of stuff, so…” Applejack trailed off and looked at the ceiling bashfully.
“Awwww, AJ!” Rarity pulled her in for another hug, and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. “I love you!”
“I love you too, Rare! Now, let’s get to eating! I’m starving-”
“Pfff! Right!” Rarity laughed, and Applejack joined in the laughter too.
They found a table in the corner to eat, and started digging in. Applejack took a huge, messy bite, while Rarity’s was small and quite neat.
“Mmmm! This is absolutely divine! I’m in dessert heaven!” Rarity praised. She looked up from her dish to see Applejack’s face absolutely covered in cake. She tried to stay as polite as possible and said, “Um, dear, I think you might need this!” She held up a cloth napkin with her magic.
“Haha…oops!” She replied as she grabbed the napkin and wiped her face off.
Rarity took a delicate sip of her hot cocoa and looked over to Applejack admiringly. “AJ…thank you so much for this, for thinking of me, I’m so lucky to have someone like you! I don’t think I can ever say this enough, I love you.”
“Aw shucks, Rare, I’m the one who’s lucky, I’m just so glad you liked this,” Applejack paused and looked down at her plate, messily covered in cake and icing. “In all honesty, I was afraid I might not be able to find you a good gift. I know how different our tastes are, but even then, it seems like you always know just the right things to do for me, or just the right things to give me, and I never know what I can do for you, especially since your tastes are so refined! I know next to nothing about those sorts of fancy things…”
“Aw, really? I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit, I’ll always appreciate what you do for me, even if it isn’t something big or glamorous, because I know you’re thinking of me.”
The two looked into each other's eyes lovingly, and gently nuzzled noses.
It may have been a cold winter day, but at least they were there together to keep each other warm until the storm was over.