//------------------------------//
// Looks can be deceiving... 
// Story: Taking a Second Glance 
// by The Autumn Princess 
//------------------------------//

It was a silent morning in Ponyville. 

...Well, mostly silent. The only noise was the bickering that carried all the way from Sweet Apple Acres.

"And Ah'm tellin ya, that's ridiculous! Ain't nopony gonna be interested in golden apples."

"But, darling, they're lovely, and they're still edible, so I don't know why you won't consider letting me take a few and sell them in my shop."

"Because that ain't how things are run around here, Rares!" Applejack snapped. "Ah appreciate yer concern, but we can git along here just fine."

Rarity let out a huff and rolled her sapphire eyes. "Come now, be a responsible businesspony and do take in mind that expansion is always for the greater." she quipped.

And it was this that sparked a flame in Applejack's gaze.

"Are y'all tryna t' tell me howta run mah business?" she spat.

Rarity opened her mouth and shut it several times before she spoke again.

"I see you aren't ready for any expansions. I'll just...put a pin in this little conversation and we'll discuss it at a later time. I'm just going to run along home now and I'll see you at lunch." Rarity pecked Applejack swiftly on the cheek before she took off towards Ponyville and Applejack sighed, turning back towards the apple fields. Big Mac, who'd been working on bucking apples all morning, sighed as he stretched his hooves.

"I reckon you heard all that?" Applejack asked her bother.

"Eeyup," Big Mac said with a nod.

The cowpony let out a light groan and shook her head. "Ah jus' don't und'rstand that mare sometimes," she muttered. "Ah mean, Ah love 'er an' all, but..." Applejack hesitated. "Why's she gotta be so dang frustratin'?"

Mac shrugged and looked to the skies, scanning them for the yellow mare he was expecting.

"Yer no help," Applejack muttered, hitching two baskets to her back. "Mr. Perfect Relationship, I never argue with mah marefriend," she rolled her eyes and slammed her back hooves into the nearest tree, bracing herself as the apples fell into the baskets.

"Pardon?" Mac questioned, with a raised eyebrow.

"Y'know what Ah'm talkin' 'bout," Applejack scoffed. "You an' Flutters? Like Ah cain't see y'all got a thang fer each oth'r."

"We're just friends," Mac said.

"Yeah, and all yer lovey dovey talk is what?"

"Just cuz we don't argue don't mean we're together." The stallion looked up towards the sky again and sighed. "She's just a mare I know. That's all."

"Yeah, and me and Rarity are jus' classmates," Applejack said with a snort. "Everypony in town knows it, Mac. Give up the 'just friends' act already." Applejack bucked another tree and filled her baskets, giving her an excuse to look over into town where she could still see Rarity's purple mane at one of the cafes.

"Y'know," Mac observed. "tell me somethin', AJ, ya love Rarity, don'tcha?"

"What kinda question is that?" Applejack muttered, with a raised eyebrow.

"Jus' answer it." Macintosh replied, getting a huff from his younger sister.

Holding back a light blush, the farm pony nodded. "Course Ah do," she declared, only before she began stammering. "ev'n if sometimes Ah jus' cain't und'rstand her, Ah jus' love ev'rythang 'bout her an' it's such... a weird thang." She snapped herself out of her daze and glared at her brother. "What're ya tryna t' say anyhow?"

"Simple," Mac said simply. "A lotta ponies don't think you an' Rarity love each oth'r, on account y'all argue a lot, but lookit me an' Fluttershy." He gave a nonchalant shrug and kept chewing on his straw of hay. "Ya think we're a couple, don'tcha? On account o' how well we get along?"

"Ah don't think, ah know," Applejack replied.

"Eenope," Mac said, shaking his head. "Ya can ask her yerself," 

And just as he finished speaking, Fluttershy landed beside Applejack.

"Ask me what?" the pegasus asked. "Have I done something wrong? ...I'm sorry."

"Fluttershy, how long have you been datin' mah brother?" Applejack asked her friend. 

Fluttershy looked at Mac, confused. "Dating? Oh, there's some misunderstanding. Big Mac and I aren't together. He's a wonderful friend, but I just don't see him that way. I've actually been trying to get up the confidence to ask out... well, that's not important, but she's the pony for me, not your brother."

Applejack's jaw nearly fell to the ground and she glanced from her brother to her best friend.

"Pardon me, Flutters, but didja jus' say she?" she muttered incoherently.

"Yes?" Fluttershy squeaked. "I..." She cleared her throat and shook her head. "Th-that's not important, um... Macintosh? Should we be going?"

"Course, Flutters," Big Mac smiled. "Go on, start walkin', Ah'll catch up with ya."

The shy pegasus gave a smile back and began trotting off towards the town of Ponyville, leaving Applejack shocked and her brother grinning in a sly manner.

"Toldja," he declared, beginning to trot after Fluttershy.

"Well, Ah'll be damned." Applejack muttered.

She continued with her work, but as she noticed Rarity heading back towards the farm, the smallest of smiles spread across her expression.

'Ah git it now, Mac,' AJ said to herself with a light chuckle as her brother's words echoed inside her head. 'Ah und'rstand whatcha mean now.'


~la fin~