“What in the hay was that....”
Applejack had spent the rest of her time in the bakery dazed, going through the motions to help Pinkie Pie. She replayed her time with Rarity over in her head, again and again doing her best to sort out the onslaught of thoughts and... emotions?
“Ah've never looked at anypony like that... an certainly not a mare”
Reliving her memories of Rarity's visit forced a red flush across the Earth pony's face.
“Ah don't want things ta be awkward with her.” Applejack chided to her self, “ Not that Ah mind seein' her like that.”
“Don'tmindseein'wholikewhat?” Pinky Pie bounded over to Applejack, pressing her mane against Applejack's head removing all sense of personal space. Pinkie's cyan eyes searching her friend for the slightest hint or clue.
“N-Nopony!” Applejack, the worst liar in all of Equestria, stumbled over her words in surprise.
Pinkie Pie in the midst of a full-blown giggle fit , “ Oh Jackie! You she see the look on your face. I know exactly who you meant!” She ended with a smile.
“What in tar-nation d'ya mean?” A tone of indignation permeating her voice.
“Puh-lease!” The outburst from Pinkie could easily be heard from the library, “Like I wasn't here when you were all blushing and being nervous and being close to Rarity and being cute an..”
“Cute?!” Applejack, flustered again, “What part o' that looked cute t'ya! She probably thinks Ah'm some kinda...”
Looking for the word she wanted to say Applejack quickly became interested in tn her hooves. Tapping nervously on the bakery floor.
“You have nothing to worry about, silly-filly!”
Applejack wasn't as sure as her pink friend. She knew that Rarity expected a certain... posh attitude from ponies. She would never, actually, be interested in some work horse of a mare. Was that even interest? She had been so worked up, still blushing hours later, that she hadn't even thought how Rarity felt about the situation.
“ Ah didn' even think about her...”
Applejack's thoughts raced, pacing back and forth over every little detail, trying to remember the white mare's reaction to all of the events. Every single time she thought back it was to the same exact moment.
“Ah almost kissed her...”
“Applejack!”
The element of honesty spilled over onto her side. Pinkie-Pie waving a hoof in her face frantically, she had a concerned yet sheepish smile plastered on her face. Applejack laid on her side spending a few moments regaining her breath. Looking up at her friend she spoke with an annoyed tone.
“What the hay Pinkie! Why are ya just shovin' yer hoof in mah face?”
“Well, Jackie, you kinda maybe sorta did this thing where you might have...”
The pink party pony was actually blushing a deeper color than her mane and it was obvious that she was nervous. She anxiously looked at the floor. Applejack wasn't a fan of Pinkie's overly drawn out explanation. She walked over to the babbling mare, put a hoof to her shoulder and spoke softly.
“Pinkie, what did I do.”
An emotionless, regulated tone not usually kept by anypony caught the mare off guard. It was plain to see a slight loss of bounce in the pink mare's mane. Pinkie Pie looked as though someone just stole one of the colors of the rainbow from a bright and sunny day. She stared towards Applejack, rather through her, looking much further beyond her as she spoke in a sickeningly sweet yet obviously crossed tone with a hint of callous disregard.
“Applejack, you sat here and made me listen while you moaned her name.”
Pinkie's voice was slightly twisted, instead of sugary it was bitter, cold and uncaring. She looked on waiting for her assistant to reply, waiting to see if she would notice.
“Ah'm sorry sugarcube...”
Wrapping her hooves around her friend,
“Ah didn't even realize I was even sayin' anything.”
Applejack brushed her hoof through her friends mane, reassuring her as Pinkie quickly perked up. She shook her head regaining some of her bounce and her eager attitude.
“I must need another cupcake!” Pinkie bounded over to the counter and quickly inhaled several confectionery treats on the counter.
“Hey Pinkie, what time is it?” Applejack, realizing now that she had lost a large portion of her day to her various thoughts about their mutual friend, had no idea if it even was Hearts and Hooves Day anymore.
“Ohmf, ohhhmm...” Pinkie still scarfing down another cupcake, “Likkeeeeee...” She paused again still catching her breath from her sugar binge, “about time to close down the shop really.”
Applejack ran out of the bakery and Pinkie was left mouth agape. It was entirely unlike her dependable friend to leave her with so much to do.
“Well, at least she might have found somepony special after all.”
Pinkie mused to her self contemplating her next song about Rarity and Applejack as she turned to start cleaning up. The day had left the bakery a complete disaster and had left even more work than the baker had even thought. Brownie mix dripped from the ceiling and flour coated nearly every utensil that had been used.
The front door to the bakery opened and the welcoming bell jingled. Pinkies tail shook twice and coiled into a spring, her eye twitched three times and she sneezed twice. An uncommon combination for her Pinkie Sense.
“Hey Pinks!”
A cyan Pegasus had meandered into the bakery with a tray balanced on her back, balanced between her wings. Covered in her own assortment of flour and other ingredients.
“Is AJ still here? It took me a bit longer to learn how to bake these and I brought her some...”
Pinkie looked at her friend, eyes wide and tears brimming at the edge of her eyes. She had entirely forgotten about Rainbow Dash.
“Oh Dashie... I'm so sorry...” Pinkie said, sniffling as a tear ran down her cheek.
Rainbow stood in shock. The Number one Part Pony of Ponyville was actually crying, in front of her no less.
“Pinks... What are you sorry about.” The cyan mare walked to her friend and set her tray on the counter. Nuzzling her now teary eyed friend's mane.
“I forgot... about you...” She said sobbing to her best friend.
Rainbow looked on quizzically, lost and confused as to why her friends was so upset. She brushed away a tear from her cheek and wrapped her hooves around her saddened friend.
“Pinkie, where did AJ go?” Rainbow said, deducing that the farm mare was no longer in the bakery. Wondering just why this upset the other mare so, Rainbow waited for her response.
“ShewentofftogoseeRaritybecausetheyhadabitofamomentandthenIsawwhathappenedandcouldn'ttellherto...”
Pinkie rambled aimlessly for several minutes, recounting the night in its entirety to her completely aloof friend. Tears and sobs struck through her account as she did her best not to succumb the the saddness she knew would soon engulf her usually confident friend.
Slowly it dawned on Rainbow Dash that her best friend and rival had found something special with another pony. She slumped on to her plot, fluttering her wings trying to wrap her head around the situation. She had spent the whole day making those stupid cookies, much less decorating them and bringing them over to the bakery.
Pinkie had finally finished her ridiculous account of the night and took a look over at the tray that Dash had brought to the bakery.
Little lightning shaped cookies covered the pan. Each perfectly golden brown and decorated with the colors of the rainbow, though the streak of read was a line of bright red apples with single green leaves coming off the stem. Pinkie, admiring the absolute intricacies of the design walked over and took a sniff to see what flavor they were, she could only make out one scent for certain. It was faint, but it was certainly there.
A Dash of Apples.