Celestia's sun shone brightly upon Ponyville, meaning that anypony who could be outside was outside. Mothers took their foals to the park, many ponies took the chance to go for a pleasant stroll, and some particularly-generous bosses gave their employees a half-day. Even Cheerilee took most of her classes outside. Along with these, many couples were out enjoying the sunshine.
One such couple ambled through the fields of Sweet Apple Acres, smiling in the sunlight.
"So, AJ, where did you say we were going again?" Rainbow asked, nudging her marefriend. Applejack rolled her eyes.
"Ah haven't told ya yet, sugarcube, it's a surprise. Kinda the whole point of a surprise, actually, ta not tell." She nudged Rainbow back, earning herself a mock-glare and grin.
"Could you at least tell me what's in the picnic basket?" Rainbow asked, craning her neck to try and see inside the basket around the top of Applejack's left front leg.
"Nope," Applejack responded. "You'll see when we get to the spot." Rainbow Dash huffed slightly and continued trotting along beside her marefriend. The weather was so beautiful today that she couldn't help but enjoy it.
At long last, the couple reached a hilltop with a few apple trees sparsely populating the place. Applejack laid down the chequered red-and-white blanket before trotting around on it to work it down and finally setting the picnic basket down in the middle of the blanket.
"Finally," Rainbow grinned, and stuck her snout into the basket excitedly. She managed to flip the lid up and could only look in awe at the mouth-wateringly good apple-themed pastries inside. There was even, to her immense delight, a few bottles of apple cider.
"Ah sure hope ya like apples," Applejack giggled.
"Nah, the fact that I'm with the apple pony of Ponyville is just a coincidence. I actually hate apples," Rainbow Dash joked. Applejack laughed along with her, then began to deal out the food.
The food was delicious, as usual. Sweet Apple Acres always produced the best apple products and, a week after the last family reunion, there were leftovers aplenty- perfect for a picnic date.
"That weather team of yours sure pulled out all the stops today," Applejack commented, gazing up at the perfectly blue sky.
"Maybe they knew about our date," Rainbow joked, though part of her did wonder if maybe that was the case.
The two mares lay in silence for a while, reclining on their backs with the sun warming their full bellies. In time, Rainbow turned her head to look at her companion and was instantly awed by the way the sun caused her mane to look like spun gold.
"Y'know, you're actually really pretty in the sunlight. I should come by more often when you're working the orchard," the pegasus commented with a grin.
"Says the rainbow-maned pony with a coat the colour of the sky," Applejack replied. "Yer awful pretty yerself, Rainbow. Ya don't nearly give yerself enough credit." At this, Rainbow blushed and rolled to her hooves. A comment like that deserved a cuddle. Or a snuggle. Or maybe something more, but that could be done indoors where certain gossiping pegasi wouldn't see.
"Is it an Apple family thing to sweet-talk your sweetheart?" Rainbow chuckled, standing over Applejack, and leaned down to nuzzle her.
"Nope," Applejack laughed, returning the nuzzle and turning it into a kiss. The kiss escalated and soon Applejack's hooves wrapped around Rainbow's shoulders and pulled her down so that their chests were touching but Rainbow's rump was still in the air. When she realised this, however, she lowered her whole body down until it was flush against Applejack's.
"Kinda close quarters here, isn't it?" Rainbow remarked. She felt Applejack laugh beneath her.
"It's too nice a day to tarnish with the things we do," Applejack decided, a deep blush burning her cheeks.
"That can always wait until tonight," Rainbow agreed, and kissed her marefriend once more.
They lay there, on the hilltop with only the few trees (and a few peeping pegasi) to witness their gentle cuddle. Rainbow Dash was oddly light for such an athletic pegasus, although Applejack probably wouldn't have noticed the weight anyway. She was more focused on the warmth that Rainbow's close proximity gave off, both internal and external. The normally-boisterous pegasus buried her nose in Applejack's mane, nuzzling her, and then rested against her neck comfortably.
It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. Many couples were out enjoying the sunshine, some trotting around, some on picnic dates, some doing unmentionable things, and others just lying there on a hilltop cuddling.