It was a scorching day.
The sun was high on the Equestrian sky; no clouds were in sight, the rich green forest known as Sweet Apple Acers bathed in the strong sunlight glow. The trees were strong, the rich green leaves swayed in the gentle breeze, the strong bark and roots firmly held the earth to keep steady. The trees as well, towered over the emerald green grass below, casting soft shadows.
Within the orchard, was a mare, of orange fur and blond mane and tail, a large stetson firmly planted on her blond mane, sweat rolled down her head. She occasionally whipped her brow from the droplets sliding down.
The mare bucked the strong trees, apples falling down into a large awaiting bucket, apples of green, and red. The mare hoisted the bucket onto her back as she trekked through the apple forest. She didn’t go long, since a large flash of pink and the mare stumbled back as she saw another mare, pink and darker pink with bright sky blue eyes.
“Hiya Applejack!” Pinkie Pie smiled, hopping around the farm-mare, Applejack chuckled at her friend’s antics, “Mornin’ sugarcube.” the farm-mare replied.
“What’cya doing?” Pinkie asked, Applejack smiled and started walking onwards throughout the forest with Pinkie hopping beside her, “Just gettin’ these apples back to Granny Smith fer apple-pie bakin’.” She replied.
“Can I help?” Pinkie asked, Applejack halted and frowned at the Element of Laughter, this was new, “Haven’t yeh got party plannin’ today?” Applejack questioned.
“Nope!”
“Balloon makin’?”
“Nope!”
“Cake makin’ with the Cake Twins?”
“Nu-huh!”
“Prankin’ Rarity?”
“Nope! Rainbow is doing that today!”
“Huh, well then,” Applejack turned back to the little red barn and house on the horizion, “seems that yeh ain’t got work today, yeh can come.”
In return, Pinkie Pie let out a squeal and raced away, leaving a dust-cloud. Applejack coughed and waved the dust aside, before eyes widened as she stared at the now chef dressed Pinkie Pie, a large white top hat on her bright pink mane.
“Like it?” The pink mare asked the blinking farm-mare, “Ah’m yeah sugarcube but-“
“I got it from an exchange with Cheesy; I gave him a large curly moustache” Pinkie cut in, bouncing on the spot in excitement.
“Well then-“Applejack adjusted her stetson hat, “let’s be goin’.”
On the way, Applejack was sort of blessed and cursed with the millions of words from Pinkie’s mouth.
OOOO
Pinkie always knew from the moment Applejack saved Twilight from falling from that cliff many months ago, that Applejack was brave and true.
Call it a silly crush if you like, the mare was beautiful on the inside, she was honest, strong-willed, and a little-teeny-weeny proud, but Pinkie didn’t mind, she liked Applejack that way. But in which way, love or admiring?
Pinkie always thought love came from the heart, not the stomach, so when she thought she was going to die-yes, even she can be afraid of dying without finishing her bucket list,-she stared at the creature of her fears; Tirek.
Twilight never knew, but when the magic from Pinkie was gone, gone, she felt like an empty vessel, locked away in darkness, never to see light. She couldn’t speak, hear or even see proper.
But then she heard Applejack’s voice, and that made the stomach flutter, she heard only that voice, and from that voice, she could hear others. Applejack never knew-of course she wouldn’t! She’s not a mind reader!-but Pinkie never needed her to know.
She’ll always help Applejack, even though it might look a bit suspicious, but she knew everypony shrugs it off like nothing saying ‘It’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie’, but she knew Applejack saw her. Saw through those little barriers, she could detect her stealing of cookies for Celestia’s sake!
And Pinkie admired that mare for that, for being strong, for not backing down at both Tirek and other meanie ponies and creatures! Those green eyes, fogged after the magic was sucked out, never fazed they’re strong-willed emotion to stand for what was right.
And Pinkie, always admired that.
And will forever, and one-day, she’ll tell.
But now? It’s her little secret. A secret of admiring a certain Element of Honesty, a mare of strong-will, a mare of emerald green eyes, the colour of the bright sunset orange of her frosting cakes.
OOOO
The entire kitchen was made in white flour, Pinkie Pie sat down, giggling, and Applejack beside her was chuckling as she grabbed a kitchen cloth and began cleaning the table. The pink mare shot to her hooves and grabbed a mop and bucket, humming a cheerful tune; she skidded across the floor, water whipping the flour away.
Applejack glanced at Pinkie Pie, and the pink mare smiled, before sliding across the floor, sparkles following her as she skidded across like a skateboard, only she was skating on a mop and bucket.
Applejack finally cleaned the table and turned only to face a clean kitchen and a smiling flour coated pink mare.
“Sugarcube yeh got a bit off...Ah’m flour everywhere.” Applejack told Pinkie, gesturing the entire mare, trying to hold in a laugh, Pinkie giggled.
“Wooooo~!” Pinkie mimicked a ghost, waving her flour-white hooves towards the mare, who laughed and batted them away; Pinkie’s smile couldn’t get wider.
“C’mon let’s make an apple pie, but before that,” Applejack encouraged, picking up a sponge from the kitchen cupboards and dunking it in the water bucket, “let’s git yeh cleaned up-“
“NEVER, YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVEEEEEE!” Pinkie yelled, shooting into the Apple Family corridor, white flour specks falling onto the floor.
Applejack gave the chase, “Yeh not runnin’ from meh Pinkiamenia Diane Pie!” Pinkie glanced at the running mare, sponge in mouth, her powerful legs strumming against the wooden floors, Pinkie smiled as she heard the golden laughter from the southern mare, it was a beautiful sound, and the butterflies flew up.
The pink mare entered the living room, she shoved the fluttering butterflies down and focused on her little chase, and launched herself out of the living room window, Apple Bloom, who sat on the couch just below, blinked and turned to her friends, Sweetie Bell frowned and Scootaloo shrugged, the three fillies watched as Applejack turned from the corridor and skidded, running into the living room, the orange mare came in and soared into the window.
The sunlight smashed against Pinkie’s eyes, but she giggled and half-ran, half-hopped across the emerald green grass, but when Applejack leapt and landed just inches from her floured tail, the pink mare broke into a full gallop. Pinkie ran faster and faster, Applejack close on her heels, narrowed emerald green eyes and widened sky blue eyes were on the faces of the two.
Then, the chase was over, as Pinkie tripped and landed face-first into the emerald green grass, Applejack pinned her down and placed the sponge in her hooves, scrubbing the white flour from Pinkie’s coat.
“Yeh lucky this flour didn’t dry up quickly in the house than in the sunlight, otherwise ah’ll be grabbin’ a sand paper, and believe meh, that would hurt.” Applejack joked, Pinkie blinked and snorted in laughter.
The two mares sat in the outskirts of the Sweet Apple Acres and were lucky enough to sit in the weak shadows of the trees that stood. Pinkie hummed a merrily tune to herself as she relaxed in Applejack’s grip.
She said she'll always admire Applejack in secret, and one day, when the time is right, she’ll tell the mare of her warm feelings around her.
But that doesn't mean she can’t secretly court her, after all, she is Pinkie Pie.
“Suppose we better git back to the house and make that pie” Applejack suggested, Pinkie checked her entire figure, her white chef clothing was in perfect shape, a bit wet. But her fur and mane was now her normal pink colours.
“Yup! Adventure Applejack!”
And the two mares walked back, one a secretly courting mare, and one an oblivious courted mare.