Applejack sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day as she put up the other sign of a large banner above the barn doors that said in large, bold lettering- 'HAPPY HARVEST'. The painfully obvious banner was quite cumbersome to manage, flying to and fro with the wind. It was drizzling at this point, differentiating itself from the way it rained earlier in the day. Applebloom struggled to keep the ladder her older sister was standing on steady as she hammered the banner in roughly. At this rate, Applejack wouldn't have been suprised if a heavy gust of wind blew her ladder over, causing her to plummet to the ground. Her day had been bad enough.

No gust blew, however, and she was able to descend the steps of the ladder unscathed. She exhaled lightly as she closed the ladder and folded it up into it's space-efficient formation. Most of the apple-themed decorations they had stored away had already been put up in the barn, and Big Macintosh was finishing up clearing out the barn floor.

"Ah sure am tired." Applejack said. "This thing is startin' to look less and less enticing." Big Mac looked at his sister.

"Now, sis, you'll be okay. Ya know that'll change once the hoedown get's 'goin. You have fun every year." He said as he moved the last bale of hay to the back corner of the barn. "Go ahead and plug the lights in, Applebloom. The family's gonna start arrivin' pretty soon." Applebloom nodded as she ran outside the barn, along the long, concealed line of extension cords to the water-protected outlet. She plugged the lights in, and the barn was instantly made to look more inviting. The lights illuminated the barn in a happy, bright hue, contrasting the dark it was starting to take on due to the late hours encroaching.

Applejack smiled in spite of her bad day. It really did look to be a nice night, even without her friends. Her thoughts quickly drifted back to Rainbow Dash and her sweet smile. Applejack thought about how she hadn't seen Rainbow act in such a way, save for a few special occasions. The thought only made Applejack want Rainbow Dash there more. She wilted slightly.

"It'll be okay, Applejack." Applebloom said, surprising Applejack slightly with a small pat on her back. "They'll hang out with ya when they get the chance."

"Ah know that." Applejack said. "Ah just really would've wanted them to be here. Ah have to leave 'em all here in Ponyville every year to come to this derned thing. It's the first time ever this thing's bein' hosted here, and none of 'em can make it." Applebloom nodded silently, looking up at her sister.

"Ah just wish you weren't so sad." She said. Applejack huffed and put on a brave face and gave her little sister a noogie.

"Now who said Ah was sad?" Applejack asked, smiling as her little sister giggled happily.

"No one. You just looked really sad, sittin' here all lonesome." Applebloom responded, breaking free of the affectionate noogie.

"Well, I ain't sad. Just a little disappointed, is all." Applejack said. The statement was a lie, of course, but even Applejack could tell such a small, white lie in order to preserve the happiness of her little sister.

"Alright." Applebloom said before they heard a small knocking at the open barn doors. They looked to behold Braeburn, of all ponies.

"Hey, everypony!" He said happily. "I hope I'm not too early!"

"Maybe just a little." Applejack said, smiling. "But it's good to see ya anyways, Braeburn." He nodded.

"The band should be gettin' here any time now. They left at about the same time as Ah did." He said to her.

"Well, that's good. Ain't much of a shindig without some music." Big Macintosh said. The ponies made small talk for a while, greeting the other members of the family who arrived to partake in the festivities. The band arrived just when Applejack thought the place was getting dull. They began playing lively country music that made even Applejack want to get up and dance for a bit. Granny Smith hobbled into the barn, nodding to the other members of the family and greeting when she was greeted. She took a seat overwatching the barn. Several members of the family had started to dance.

Over time, the rest of the family arrived, bringing their different platters of food for the feast later on that night. The center of the barn was essentially a large dance floor that about half the ponies there occupied. The other half talked and caught up with their family who they hadn't seen in a year. Applejack merely sat on a stool politely, saying hello to her family when they approached her and making small talk, but for the most part, keeping to herself. Very much unlike the mare. Applebloom approached her sister with Scootaloo and their cousin Babs Seed, all three had worried expressions on their faces.

"You okay, sis?" Applebloom asked. "You ain't dancin' or talkin' to nopony." Applejack promptly nodded to her sister.

"Yeah, Ah'm okay, Applebloom. Just a little tired from today, is all." She responded.

"You're usually dancin' at around this time." Applebloom said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin', okay?" Applejack said, slightly irritated. "Y'all just go play." The fillies nodded and ran off to play a game with the other foals. Applejack continued to sit, stewing in her disappointment. She felt lonely, even as she was surrounded by her family, having a fun time listening to the music, dancing, eating and recounting their adventures together. Applejack decided to go get a drink, willing to accept whatever they had, which at the moment was cider. After drinking her cider, Applejack looked among the crowd of ponies occupying her barn. The place was big enough, to be sure, providing enough space for each member of the family to be comfortable. She watched her brother talking to another stallion, one whose name she couldn't place before becoming distracted by her sister, Scootaloo, Babs Seed and several other foals playing a game of what looked to be tag. She smiled as she heard her little sister's sweet giggle above the rest of the hoedown. She felt tired, however, tired from her hard day Applebucking in the cold rain, and tired from her feelings of disappointment not having her friends at the get together with her.

She missed all of her friends, to be sure, but none so much as Rainbow Dash. Out of all of them, she wanted her speedster pegasus friend there the most of all. Applejack found their times together, whether they were squabbling over a trivial topic, competing physically or simply relaxing and talking to be truly great times. She didn't doubt the night would be much better with Rainbow for a second. She sighed as she resolved to go back to her farmhouse and retire for the night. Her eyes surveyed the hoedown once more, looking over the many members of her family and the various colors of their coats and manes. Orange, yellow, red, brown, green, black, cyan.

'Wait a minute...' Applejack thought to herself, looking through the crowd again for that source of cyan. She found it. Rainbow Dash entered the barn, slightly moist from the rain. She looked back and forth among the family, an eyebrow raised and her rose eyes widened slightly. She coughed into her hoof as she began to walk into the barn. Applejack's stomach felt light as she was overcome with joy. She ran through the barn, through and around her various family members until she finally reached Rainbow.

"Hey Apple-UGH!" She said as she was interrupted by Applejack grabbing her up into a large hug. "Hey, Applejack..." She said, slightly strained.

"You came!" She said before realizing how stupid she must of looked to her friend. She put her down, cleared her throat and adjusted her stetson. "Ah mean, glad you could make it." Rainbow nodded.

"I just figured that Weather Patrol could hold their own fine without me. The storms calmed down a lot, so I just left." The rainbow-maned pegasus responded. "Besides, I couldn't just leave the coolest farm pony in Equestria hanging." Applejack smiled happily.

"That's awfully nice of you to say Rainbow..." Applejack said, blushing at the compliment and looking to the side. "Thank you." Rainbow smiled and nodded. Applejack looked at Rainbow, and Rainbow looked at Applejack, making eye contact. They looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like minutes. To their respective horrors, they both realized they were staring at each other. Rainbow looked around at Applejack's large family and cleared her throat. Applejack adjusted her stetson again and nodded.

"So yeah, you have a big family." Rainbow said.

"Yep." Applejack responded simply.

"A lot bigger than I thought."

"Yeah, Ah know." Applejack felt it...the awkwardness of the moment. She had been staring at Rainbow, and Rainbow had been staring right back at her. She felt her stomach sink. One of her friends actually came, and to top it off, it was the one she wanted to come the most. She wasn't going to let the night get thrown away over some stupid little moment. "Hey, come on." Applejack said, offering a hoof to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow put her hoof in Applejack's, allowing her to lead her through the dance.

"Where are we going?" She asked her friend.

"We're going to get you a nice cup of cider." Applejack said, looking back at Rainbow Dash with a confident smile, blushing. "And then we're gonna dance." This caused Rainbow to blush as well as they reached to drink table. Applejack poured a cup for herself and Rainbow Dash.

"I must admit." Rainbow said, taking her cup from Applejack, smiling. "This is a lot cooler than I thought it was going to be." Rainbow took a big swallow.

"That's what most ponies who haven't come to an Apple Family shindig say." Applejack said, drinking hers as well.

"So, Pinkie Pie isn't even here?" Rainbow asked.

"Nope. She had to babysit for the cakes." Applejack said.

"That's really suprising." Rainbow mused.

"Ah know! But Ah'm proud of her, takin' responsibility. Besides..." She said before looking over at Rainbow, who looked back at her. "The pony Ah wanted here most actually is." Rainbow smiled and blushed.

"Wow...thanks, AJ." Rainbow said before she was interrupted by the band ceasing to play and Granny Smith's shrill voice rising above everypony else's.

"Alright now, y'all!" Granny Smith yelled. "How're y'all doin' tonight?!" The Apple Family cheered nearly in unison. "Now alla y'all get ready! The annual switch-'em-up dance is comin' up! Y'all know the music, so be preparin' yourselves!" Applejack and her family cheered. Rainbow's eyes widened.

"Switch-em-up dance?" Rainbow said nervously. "What the hay is that?"

"It's somethin' really fun we Apples do here at the hoedown every year." Applejack responded with a smile.

"But I don't know it!" Rainbow said as the music came on and the family cheered. Applejack grabbed Rainbow's hoof and led her onto the dance floor.

"Don't worry about it! It's easy to learn!" Applejack said, throwing Rainbow into a line of Apple Family members before joining the line opposite. She looked at Rainbow and winked. Rainbow laughed nervously and nodded. She looked to both of her sides to see two large stallions.

"Hey there." She said. He nodded at her. "How're you doing?" She said to the other. He smiled at her. The music began a verse and the two lines began dancing toward each other. The steps seemed simple enough and Rainbow had done her fair share of dancing in her life. She adapted to this part easily. The lines intersected and each pony came out of their lines with a different partner. Rainbow was paired with a well-built handsome stallion. He smiled down at her as they began to dance together.

"Evenin' lil' filly." He said to her politely. Rainbow blushed and giggled slightly.

"Hey." She said. The stallionwas quite attractive.

"You ain't a member of the family, are ya?" He asked her as they stepped in tune jubilantly to the music.

"Gee, what gave me away?" Rainbow said sarcastically. The stallion laughed. "I'm a close friend of Applejack's." The stallion nodded.

"Yeah, I seem to remember her talkin' about you last year...she was sayin' how much she wished you were there...you're Rainbow Dash, right?" He said. Rainbow blushed and nodded at hearing how much Applejack really missed her. "She kept talkin' about how you guys are racin' and fightin' dragons and stuff like that." Rainbow smiled.

"Yeah, we have a lot of fun."

"Oop, the switch is comin' up! Been nice talkin' to ya." The stallion said as he promptly dropped Rainbow Dash in the middle of the dance floor. Her eyes widened as she looked around for any indication of what she should do next. Everypony else had a partner by now and she was just standing there. Suddenly, she was swooped up by another mare.

"How ya doin'?" She said happily. "Havin' fun?" Rainbow Dash nodded, blushing again. The Apple Family was definitely an attractive one.

"Yeah, this is pretty awesome!" Rainbow said happily, continuing to dance with the mare. She looked around the dance floor, searching for Applejack. The song sounded like it was coming to a close, and no matter what, Rainbow Dash wanted to dance with Applejack. She finally laid eyes upon her friend, happily dancing with a stallion. Applejack looked up and met her eyes with Rainbow's and they didn't come away from each other. The longer Rainbow looked at Applejack, the more she wished to dance with her. The more time Applejack spent looking into Rainbow's beautiful rose eyes, the more she wanted to see them closer.

The crescendo in the chorus was arriving, so the two mares both realized that their last chance to dance with each other was coming up. They both moved their partners to where they were in close proximity with each other, ever so slightly to where their partners wouldn't notice. The moment arrived, and the partners all split up. Rainbow disconnected from her current partner, and felt her stomach drop. She had lost sight of Applejack. She had her mind set on dancing with her friend so intently, and she had lost her. Rainbow felt the need to call her friend's name welling up in her throat. This urge dissipated however, as Applejack swept the pegasus up in her arms, as they started to dance. Rainbow was filled with joy as she stepped in synchronization with Applejack.

"Geez, Rainbow, ya sure are light." Applejack said with a smirk, a blush present on her face.

"Yeah, well, I have to be to be as great a flyer as I am." Rainbow responded. She was certain Applejack was looking at her, but she couldn't look Applejack in the eyes for some reason. Something felt like it was keeping her from looking at her friend. She heard Applejack giggle.

"Ya are at that." Rainbow's inhibitions dissipated as she looked Applejack square in the eyes. She took in Applejack's natural beauty. Her freckles, her bright green eyes, her golden mane, all putting the pegasus in a small trance. She blushed as she gazed upon her friend, Applejack gazing right back, blushing as well, her eyes half lidded. She appraised Rainbow's attractive facial features. Her multicolored mane that seemed to be pefectly separated, yet slightly scruffy at the same time, her beautiful rose irises, calling to her, her adorable little smile adorned by the blush she was currently sporting. They held each other and danced, jumping and stepping happily along with the music.

Applejack felt a fire burning in her stomach, blazing whenever she got closer to Rainbow. Rainbow felt as light as a feather, nearly exploding with joy whenever she looked into Applejack's eyes. After a fast, unexpected step in the dance, Applejack's stetson fell from her head. Rainbow, seemingly on instinct, reached down, took the hat and put it on her own head. Applejack smiled at how cute Rainbow looked, Rainbow smiled back.

Awww