Chapter Text
“PAAARTY!” Pinkie shrieked, immediately bursting into an erratic dance fueled by the music blasting from the speaker. Despite not having a drop of alcohol, she always remained the life of the party. Twilight and Fluttershy pried their eyes away from their movie to goggle and laugh at the odd, yet familiar, sight, watching as Pinkie thrashed about and sang through the kitchen.
Each on one side of the kitchen island, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were competing in a heated match of cider pong, which had started out close and slowly devolved in favor of Applejack with each cup of hard cider Rainbow Dash chugged. Red in the face, Rainbow Dash gripped the edge of the counter, staring down Applejack. Applejack smiled and readied her ping-pong ball to hit Rainbow Dash’s last cup.
“You wanna give up?” Applejack taunted with a smug grin and rolled the ball between her fingers. “I don’t know if you can handle another drink.” Rarity, cup of cider in hand, giggled. She’d seen the past two games the pair had played, rooting for Applejack each time, and was surprised that either of them was still standing and able to play. This was only the second drink she’d had all night, and she was already starting to feel her stomach turn, but whether that was the alcohol, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that each look at Applejack left her questioning if she was going to keep her drink from coming back up.
The past few months leading up to graduation, Rarity hadn’t been able to take her eyes off of the girl and her stupid cowgirl hat, this night being no exception. She knew that it wasn’t out of admiration for her country bumpkin fashion taste, but it seemed to be something from within that was drawing her in. Rarity crinkled the cup in her hand, feeling betrayed that it wasn’t helping at all to push these feelings down and only seemed to worsen them.
“J-Just throw it!” Rainbow Dash slurred, banging the counter. Just as Applejack was about to throw the finishing ball, the speaker changed to the next song, causing Pinkie to flail with an uncontrollable excitement that only she could muster.
“I LOOVE THIS SONG!” she exclaimed, dancing, and with a single move, knocked over all of the cups on the island. Cider was flung about the kitchen, puddling at the girls’ feet, and splashed onto Rarity, her blue tank top now stained with a yellow-ish brown blob in the middle of her chest. She let out an undignified shriek as she observed the damage to the outfit she had carefully curated for the party. Pinkie Pie looked around at the messy kitchen and let out a small, “Oops."
"Dammit, Pinkie," Applejack cursed, a smile on her face. "I was gonna win, too."
"Was not," Rainbow Dash shot back.
"Was too."
"Now we can all win at CLEANING!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, gesturing to the cups she had sent flying across the kitchen and the puddles of cider they left behind. The girls laughed and scrambled to help clean up the mess.
Applejack was the first to get her hands on the roll of paper towels from the sink and rushed to Rarity, tearing off some sheets and dabbing the apple cider from her shirt. Rarity felt a rush of heat in her cheeks from the sudden touch. “This outfit is mighty fine, Rarity, but it looks like you were a little underprepared for the night we were going to have,” Applejack said with a chuckle.
“Well, you should know by now that I prefer to look my best no matter the occasion, unlike some people,” Rarity retorted, playfully looking Applejack up and down. She was wearing her usual cowgirl hat with a red flannel and jeans. Truthfully, she didn’t look bad at all. She took the roll from Applejack and continued to dab at the stain, hoping that Applejack would attribute her red cheeks to the alcohol.
“Some people are trying to dress to have a good time,” Applejack remarked. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and bashfully admitted, “Besides, I didn’t think I looked that bad. I’ve been trying to put some of your nagging to good use.” Rarity looked closer at Applejack and noticed little things she had missed. She had donned the golden pendant Rarity gifted her after she begged her to accessorize more, but it was tucked inside of her shirt, so she hadn’t noticed it at first. It also seemed like she was wearing her hair differently, not in the usual pony tail it was tied in but down and free. She had always nagged Applejack to let her hair down because it complemented her green eyes so well. In that moment, the stench of alcohol still stinging her nostrils, Applejack almost looked like a country princess. Rarity felt her heart flutter.
This feeling was stopped by Rainbow Dash who snatched the roll of paper towels from Rarity’s limp grip, asking, “Mind if I borrow this?” With her super speed, she wiped down the entire kitchen in a rainbow blur, leaving it spotless. Triumphantly, she struck a victorious pose with the roll above her head, a moment cut short by a gut churning gag that sent her barreling for the nearest trash can. Fluttershy rushed to her side, patting her back as she frantically scrambled to find the packets of electrolytes she had packed in her purse.
“Guess who’s back!” Sunset Shimmer announced as she burst into the kitchen, a case of cider from Applejack’s truck in hand. She looked at the vomiting Rainbow Dash and the still moping and cider-stained Rarity and asked sheepishly, “You guys up for one more drink?”
The girls each grabbed a drink, except for Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash who opted for soda.
“You know, guys,” Pinkie said, “I’m really happy you guys were able to make it. I mean, I’m obviously going to throw as many parties as I can before the summer is over, but what if this is the last time we’ll all be able to be together in the same place? You know, for a while?” The girls all looked at each other and mumbled in reluctant agreement, thinking of their futures. Most of them were going to college with the exception of Applejack who was staying at home to help with the family business.
Rarity thought of her own future in New York City at the coveted Fashion Institute of Technology. The thought of all of the sparkling dresses and dazzling suits she dreamed of bringing to life made the young girl inside of her jump for joy. But it also created a sense of dread that had already begun to set in a few months prior. She looked at her friends and took in each of their faces, knowing how dearly she would miss seeing them every day.
“Well, sure,” Sunset chimed in. “But just because we might not see each other as often doesn’t mean we’ll stop being friends. We’ll keep in touch, and it’ll just make our friendship stronger because we have to fight for it!”
“Now we just have to make the most of the time we have together!” Applejack added, raising a glass. Rarity and Applejack met eyes, and they both smiled. Applejack toasted, “To us and our friendship!” Each of the girls raised their drinks and joined her toast, shouting, “To us!” into the night.