>"Now what in the hay do you mean 'go out?'"
>Applejack raises her brow as she calls you out
"I just meant we could go out for dinner? Or to the park, or something"
>"Ah don't know, Anon..."
"Oh, why not? You seem to like me, and you know I like you"
>Applejack's eyes widen with surprise learning this
>Her voice seems to soften as she tries to make things clear for you [spoiler]inb4 Bane[/spoiler]
>"Uh, Ah like you as a friend. Ah mean y'all are nice, but Ah ain't interested"
>She places her forehoof on her chest, standing adamant
>Come on Anon, you can do this
"You wouldn't want to go out for a drink, or something like that?"
>You place a hand on your hip and open hand towards her
"Cider's on me..."
>Your lips curl as she makes eye contact with you
>"Ah don't know, Anon..."
>She tries to avoid eye contact with you as she responds
>So, you kneel down next to her and pat her on the withers
"We'll go as friends, nothing to worry about"
>She lifts her head up to face you as you give her a reassuring smile
>"We could stay in and make some cider, y'all know"
>Applejack finally relaxes and sits next to you as she lightly chuckles
“Are you sure you can make cider?”
>You nudge your orange crush as you joke with her
>”Anon, who do you think you’re talkin’ to here?”
>She scrunches her face, looking at you with an eyebrow raised
>”Ah mean Ah am APPLE-jack, after all; one of the best in the cider game!”
“Oh is that so?”
>You’re really close to her face, and you can see a light blush fall upon her cheeks
>Boop out of nowhere, as you bring your finger to her muzzle
>”It is so, thank you very much Anon!”
>You notice her muzzle is scrunched from your stealth attack
“Well, show me this cider you’re “known” for”
>”Oh Ah’ll show you alright!”    
>After sticking her tongue at you, y’all get up and head for the kitchen
 
>Walk through a couple of doors and you arrive at the kitchen, following your friend
>”Y’all ever had some homemade cider before?”
>Applejack turns to face you before searching for some pots and pans
“No?”
>You shrug your shoulders as you lean up against the counters
>The sound of rattling pots and pans from the cabinet makes your ears ring a little as you still sit by
“What’s taking you so long, Applejack?”
>You move from the cabinets and kneel down near her
>She turns to you with a look of frustration in her eyes
>”Well I cain’t find the pot we use for the cider, and it’s startin’ to tick me off”
>She proceeds to drag each pot and pan out onto the floor
>You pat her on the back until she eventually finds the one she needs
>”Ah…knew it was here”
>She let out a huge sigh of relief with this discovery
“I’d hate to see you blow up over some pan, or whate-“
>She sharply turns around to address you
>”This ain’t just some pot or pan, this is one our family has always used for cider making”
“Looks kind of old, doesn’t it?”
>She doesn’t look too thrilled at you and your comment
“Sorry, I was just saying th-“
>”It does the job, Anon. This baby makes some of the sweetest cider y’all have ever tasted!”
“It’s a baby now?”
>You can’t help but grin as she begins to avert her eyes
>”Uh...you know what Ah mean!”
>She cracks a slight smile as she finally looks back at you
“I think I know what you mean, I’m not too sure”
>She playfully slaps you on your chest as she gets up
>”Uh huh, Ah believe it”
>Surprisingly, she grabs the pot and places it on the counter
>Still blows your mind how they can do such a thing
>”You wanna get some apples for me, Anon?”
>Those green eyes of hers look up at you, and you can’t help but be subdued
“Yes chef!”
>As you leave to find the best apples in the orchard, you can hear the clashing of utensils in the kitchen
 
>You manage to bring back some of the finest apples you’ve seen
>Of course, Applejack is waiting eagerly having finished prepping everything else
>”What took ya so long, Anon? Ah’ve been waiting forever now”
>She proceeds to put the pot on the stove as she trots towards you
>”Oh good, you got the good ones”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
>She heads over to prep the apples for the pot, talking as she works
>You pull up a chair and watch her go to work
>”Well, you never know with some ponies…”
“Ahem”
>”Ah cain’t help it, It’s not like we get humans around these parts!”
>You get up and help her with the final touches
“It’s fine, I’m just kidding”
>”Well Ah kinda figured that much”
>She gives you a smug grin as she puts everything in the pot
>Turning the stove on, Applejack gets cooking
“So Applejack, you wanna tell me what you’re doing?”
>As she mixes the batch up, she shakes her head at you
>”Well, you should take some notes, ‘cause it’s about to get mighty busy in here”
“Duly noted”
>You sit at the table as she stands by the stove
>As the two of you wait for the cider to cook, you keep trying to push her buttons
“So Applejack…”
>”Yeah, Anon?”
>She finishes stirring and looks back to you
“You like pears, don’t you?”
>You could have sworn she cringed a little bit at the word ‘pear’
>”Ah don’t /like/ no pears, Anon. I’m all apples”
“Well, how about celery?”
>She still faces the stove as she responds
>”Ah don’t need no celery!”
>You get up and watch her do her work on this
“Is it almost done yet?”
>She turns to you with an annoyed look on her face
>”Gee, some pony is sure impatient~”
“Well, I don’t know about pony, but I mean, why not?”
>Applejack looks at you with her eyes saying “really?”
>”You sure are a smart aleck, aren’t you?”
>She can’t help but roll her eyes at you
>”Keep it up, and Ah may just keep all this cider to myself~”
 
>Ooh, she had you there
>And she calls you the smart aleck
“I just can’t help myself at times, I guess”
>You look around the room, trying to contain yourself
>”Ah can tell”
>Applejack shuts off the stove and grabs a small lid
>”Can y’all git me some matches?”
>You lightly shake your head, wondering what she has planned
“For what?”
>You reach for the matches, bringing them to her
>She pours some of the cider into the lid and grabs the matches from you
>”Well, we have to see if this here cider is good to go, of course”
“How do you suppose we d-“
>She lit the match and threw it onto the cider in the lid
>*woosh*
>You jump back, not anticipating the sudden flare
>”Yep, this here batch is gonna be good, burnt up quick, I tell ya”
>You look upon this equestrian moonshine? and find yourself dumbfounded
>Do you laugh, or do you just kind of take all this in?
“Uh, I guess so.”
>She turns around to you as you shrug your shoulders
>”Trust me Anon, you’re gonna like this.”
>Her face shows you just how eager she is to get you to try it
>”Could y’all get a couple of glasses, sugarcube?”
>You make your way to the cabinet, grabbing some cups resembling mason jars
“Sugarcube?”
>She calls everypony that, but you like to give her a hard time about it
>”Yes, sugarcube.”
>You turn back around with the jars to find Applejack chuckling
>You nod your head up and down, eyes closed
>This pony though…
>Placing the jars on the tabletop, you help her bring the cider to the table
“This stuff is going to burn, isn’t it?”
>As she pours cider into your jar, she makes sure to top you off
>”Not for me…”
>Oh great, this ought to end well
>Before you know it, apple horse finished pouring her glass, and pushed yours towards you
>Somehow, she picks it up and holds it near you
>On cue, you pick yours up and lift it near hers
 
>She has a little smirk on her face as she stares you down
>”Cheers, Anon!”
>The two of you clink glasses and she begins to drink
>Meanwhile, you hold the glass to your nose and sniff
>You think to yourself, well, smells like apples, maybe it’s regular cider?
>You bring the lip of the glass to your own lips and begin to drink
>Taking a reasonable drink, you put the cup down on the table
>Right after that, your tastebuds are hit with the most sensational taste of apples
>Your throat feels the opposite, as though some one made you chug lava
“MMMMhhhhh”
>You groan loudly as the cider burns on its descent to your stomach
>You shut your eyes and shake your head trying to avoid the burning
>A cough escapes your throat as you try to talk, though you sound hoarse
“What did you put in this?”
>You place a hand on your chest and begin to rub
“Burns like hell” you frantically say
>Of course, Applejack is on the floor, crying in laughter
>”Bah ha ha”
>You cross your arms at her, waiting for her to come to
>You look at your wrist at a watch that doesn’t exist
>She finally sits up, looking at you, teary-eyed
>”Oh whee, Anon, you should see the look on yer face! Priceless!”
“You should see yours”
>Applejack begins to wipe her face as she composes herself
“You good now?”
>She giggles softer this time, fixing her hat
>”Yeah, Ah’m fine now, heh heh”
>You reach for a forehoof, helping her up
>”Thanks”
>*sigh*
>You grab your glass and plop down in a chair
>Applejack follows suit sitting next to you, taking a hearty chug of the cider
>”This stuff here puts the coat on your chest”
>She points to her half empty glass, then to herself
“Oh does it now?”
>You take another swig of your cider as you recline on the chair a bit
 
>She begins putting more cider into her now empty cup
>”Explains why y’all don’t have no coat on yours”
>*chug*
“Remember, I don’t have a coat, we have hair”
>You finally finish your first cup, growing used to the burning sensation
>”My hair has a coat, I mean, my coat is made of hair”
>”Oopsie…”
>She begins to laugh obnoxiously, getting hit hard by the cider
“Looks like some pony is a lightw-weight”
>Oh shit, you can tell you’re getting there too
>The room feels a whole lot darker and you can feel your muscles relax
>”Y’all cain’t even talk right, A-anon”
>She scrunches her face back as she tries to sit upright
>Shouldn’t be a surprise, this shit catches fire. No wonder it’s strong…
“And you’re o-one to talk”
>You shakily reach for the ladle in the pot and pour yourself another drink
>”You sure you can handle this stuff?”
“Don’t, you worry about me, Applej-jack. I’m, fine...”
>You manage to fill the glass up, taking another swig
>Time goes by and the two of you finish your glasses
>Trying to make conversation, but failing miserably
>You guys get along, but you’re so drunk, you can’t even
>Applejack hesitantly gets up from her chair, trying to stand on her drunken hooves
>”HEY, ANON, w-watch t-this”
>”Pfft”
>You watch her try to stand up straight, but fail as she tries to walk a straight line
>As she tries to walk towards you, she falls right into your lap
>You catch her, thank god, but all you can do is just hold her awkwardly in your arms
“Oh y-yeah, well, check…this out”
>She closes her eyes as she listens to you talk, or whatever
“Z, Y, X, w…..v………s…….w……..b…..-“
>You didn’t realize it, but you had been petting her mane as she rests her head on your thigh
>”Oh mah Celestia, Anon, yer so drunk”
“N-not as bad…as you”
>She slowly raises her head at you, eyes half open
>”Oh is that so, Anon?”
 
>You reposition yourself as you try to hold on to a drunken apple horse
“That’s w-what, Ah’m sayin’, to…y-y’all”
>You finish by pretending to tip a cowboy hat
>Applejack looks up to you with tired eyes as she tries to snap back
>”Ah…don’t sound, laek…that”
>Her head keeps bobbing as she tries to talk
>Of course, you bust out laughing as she tries to make a sentence
>All she can do is close her eyes and blush
>You give her the most smug look you could possibly give her
>The mute atmosphere makes her try a countryism on you
>”Well, ‘y’all’…sound more, sound more like a, a muh-skeet-er, flahyin ‘round mah ear durin’ the summer sun celebration”
>She gives you a confident look as she tries to insult you?
>You peek at her through your hand that was propping your head up
>Air puffs through your nostrils at her outrageous, whatever that was
“What even?”       
>Applejack looks at you with her brow raised
>”What do y’all mean?”
>Her hoof now rests on your thigh as you try to come up with something
>You inhale deeply, trying not to pass out
“Dude, I don’t even know anymore”
>You roughly run your hand down your face, trying not to pass out
>Looking at Applejack, her eyes keep fighting to stay open as she nuzzles your thigh
>As inebriated as you were, you could still tell time
>Well, you could tell it was time to go lay down
>As you sit in that chair and fight the battle Applejack lost, you try to wake up sleepy pone now
“Ayy”
>You nudge her on her shoulder
“Apple-JACK!”
>Startled, she tries to ramble on about something
>”Ooh, wha-what, Ah’m up”
>Before she can close her eyes, you gently shake her so you can get up
“Hey,” you whisper, “let’s get you to bed”
>Applejack stares off into the void as she fights her inebriation
>Her words almost inaudible as the cider overcomes her
>”can’t, you…light…I’m…..no…”
>You’re faring just a little better than her
 
>But not even you could understand that
“I’ll…tuck you…in”
>She manages to get up to her hooves, definitely shaky
>But at least you can get up from the chair now
>After stretching out, Applejack starts to walk towards the staircase
>But not before falling on the floor
>You jump a little as you hear her hit the floor
>You drunkenly stumble towards the living room and tend to Applejack
“You, you o-okay?”
>Giggling at her, you help her up
>”A-ah’m, good”
>On her fours, she keeps rocking back and forth
>Better just make this easy for her
>You do a surprise pick up, positioning her where her head rests on your shoulder, and her forelegs wrap around your neck
>She doesn’t fight it as you stumble up the stairs
>At least you didn’t fall
>Once you trekked up to the top of the stairs, you had to find which room was hers
>Lucky for you, she…never actually told you about her room
>So it looks like you’ll be kind of finding out for yourself
>You try to walk slowly and quietly as you make your way to the first door
>Cracking the nearby door open to take a peek, you find Apple Bloom and her friends sitting in a circle, talking, you guess
>The look on little Bloom’s face though
>Could you imagine what she was thinking as she saw you carrying her sister?
>”Uh, howdy Ahnon…”
>Your eyes grow buggy as you awkwardly stare her down
“Uhh, hey…Apple Bloom”
>You continue to hang on to a drunkie Applejack as this grows even more awkward
>Scootaloo gives Sweetie Belle a look that says, ‘what the hell is this?’”
“So…where’s y-your, sister’s room?” you try to ask
>”Last door down the hall…”
>She slowly points her hoof towards the wall
“T-thanks, y’all”
>You do a 180, and walk right out the door
>As you make your way to her room, you start to hear those fillies giggling and whatnot
>’Oh ha ha, so funny,’ you think to yourself as you roll your eyes
 
>You were a trooper as you ‘marched’ towards her door, but you made it
>Applejack’s room
>It has become hard for you to hold on to her, so you push her up more on you
>At least now, you can fumble with the doorknob to try and get it open
>Hesitantly, you get it open and walk towards her bed
>Of all things the pillows have on them, its apples
>You really shouldn’t be so surprised, Anon
>You put her down for a little bit, so you can pull out the blanket to tuck her in
>She is awoken as you move the bed and her
>She just looks up at you as you get her bed ready for sleep
>Those glossy green eyes of hers though…
>You take that hat of hers and place it on the dresser and go back to her
>You grab her and place her in the spot where she usually sleeps, placing the blanket on top of her
>You sit at the foot of her bed as you pet her mane a little bit, trying not to ruffle it up
“Good night, drunkie. See you later…”
>You slowly drag your hand off of her, but not before she can grab it
>You look at her as she shakes her head quickly
>”It gets awfully cold in here, Anon…” she hushes to you
“I guess I should stay here then” you wink to her
>As you get ready to hop into bed, she nods her head
>Before getting in, you close the door and shut off the lamp, and get into the bed
>At first, you stay to your side, but you notice that some pony is scooting closer to you
>Fuck it
>You throw your arm around her, and begin playing with tufts of coat on her chest
>She places a hoof on the top of your hand as the two of you cuddle
>As your eyes begin to close, you hear her faintly say something
>”Thanks for staying, Anon”
>With your head against her neck, you’re pretty sure she felt you smirk
“Thanks for the cider, AJ”
>You can hear her chuckle as she snuggles once more
>Before you know it, the sandmare subdued you once again
>Cute little apple pone is the last thing you thought of