Applejack was... well, she didn't want to use the word simple because ponies took that the wrong way. No it was more she knew what she wanted and that was that. It didn't do to just fumble around it like Fluttershy did or try to avoid it completely like others tried, she got tended to get right to it when it came to how she felt. "Nope."
That bluntness she could have at times seemed to not take well with her friend Rarity, who's snout scrunched up while Applejack casually sipped at her soda. They'd made a compromise and gone to Hayburger, something that Rarity "begrudgingly" agreed to even as she ordered the chili hayfries and had scarfed them down. "Really darling, what's wrong with that one?" she asked, motioning to the stallion ordering. "He looks handsome enough and I know he's quite nice."
"Rares, would ya' quit tryin' ta' set me up with ponies?" said Applejack, looking well and truly over the matter as she bit into her hayburger. "Ya' can point out all the stallions n' mares ya' want, but Ah'll do the pickin' when Ah'm good n' ready."
"And that seems to be taking forever!" said Rarity, the slightest whine to her voice as one might hear in an impatient child that had been forced to wait in line. "I can't even recall the last time I saw you on a date!"
"Not all o' us gotta' have our Friday nights occupied with a date." said Applejack, rolling her eyes and continuing to be glib about the matter. Which was pretty hard to do since when Rarity had her mind set on something it was like trying to get a dog away from a bone. Just would not give up. "Sides, Ah got work ta' do, can't just drop all that."
"And I think you always use that as an excuse." harrumphed Rarity, crossing her forelegs and eying Applejack as the blonde mare suddenly felt a little uneasy. "Really, I do know the amount of work you have and a last minute date is do-able. So why keep throwing that up, hmm?"
Fishing, she was just fishing. No reason to worry. "Well it's important fer' me to keep on top of mah work." she said smoothly, going for another sip of her soda.
"Or... perhaps you already have somepony you like?"
A small pause before her lips touched the straw. Dangit she caught that! Applejack could see Rarity's eyes widen. "You do!" accused the fashionista.
"... whether Ah do er' not ain't nothin' fer discussion." said Applejack, already knowing she was a damn bad liar and trying for it would just delay the inevitable. Her ears tilted back a bit, the cowpony wincing slightly at her friend's excited squeal.
"Oh! Who? Who darling? I simply must know!" said Rarity, as giddy as a school filly, almost bouncing in her seat as she expected Applejack to gush forth with a name and her unending, burning feelings of passion and love for this pony!
Instead Applejack sighed, gobbled down the last of her burger and swigged what was left of her soda before standing up "Ah gotta' go. Need ta' get some chores done fer' Ah go out ta' Dodge Junction. Talk to ya' later." With swiftness she left Rarity and Hayburger behind, quickly galloping off on the familiar old dusty road out to her family farm. Once she was sure she had put enough distance between them, she slowed to a trot and just took it easy the rest of the trip back. Why did Rarity have to be so gosh dang observant at times? And pry in when she wanted to know something?
Applejack used her work to temporarily forget about it, feeding the animals, tending to things, having a nice supper with her family. And it worked for a time, when sleep rolled around she was all tucked in, hat resting on a bed post and hair bands on the night stand. However as she started to drift off, she began seeing her... the mare with the light, fair coat and cherry red mane and tail. Applejack frowned softly but didn't open her eyes, instead shifting over onto her side as she tried to think about something else. Chores to do tomorrow, fun she'd have with her friends, hanging out with her siblings and granny... those pretty, lime green eyes.
Finally her own green eyes opened once more as she turned onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. These feelings had just been getting stronger ever since she stumbled upon them. She'd always put them off though, having come up with a couple good excuses as to why acting on them would be a bad idea but they just wouldn't go away. She did have somepony she liked. And that somepony was Cherry Jubilee.
Liked was putting it mildly though. Applejack moved her forehooves under her head as she thought about the older mare. She was nice as could be, hard worker, a little bit ditzy at times but it was cute, not to mention she was absolutely gorgeous. They liked a lot of the same things and she had an admiration for Cherry and everything she'd accomplished in her life.
When she finished thinking all those wonderful things, Applejack paused before letting out a small groan, forehooves moving to cover her face. But she was so far away, would the age difference bother Cherry? What would Granny and the rest of her family say about this?
Running her hooves up through her mane, Applejack turned onto her side again, seeing a picture of her family, parents included, on the night stand. At least if there was one thing she learned from her parents, it was that you couldn't help how you felt about somepony, that was for sure. And no matter what, family would come around sooner or later.
... and that if you tried hard enough, you could make it work between you and that special somepony your heart wanted.
These thoughts emboldened Applejack, who gave a silent nod as she finally came to a decision. She had about a week before she was off to Dodge Junction to help on Cherry Jubilee's cherry farm. When she was there, she was going to put her cards on the table and let the mare know how she felt.
Of course even as she smiled and closed her eyes to catch some sleep, content for the moment, it was going to be a long week of going back and forth on whether or not she should actually go through with it...