Unintended

by Vargras

Not What It Seems

Twilight Sparkle softly yawned and opened her eyes, quickly shutting them once more and placing her hooves over her face. The light was far too bright for her liking, and even her own yawn had sounded much louder than she had anticipated. She felt somepony else's legs wrapped around her, and their gentle breathing on the back of her neck, and she was quite aware that she was in somepony else's bed. The hard part was trying to figure out how she had even gotten there in the first place.

The lavender mare could scarcely remember the night before, and without even realizing it, her own mind had begun to substitute her dreams into places that her memories could not fill. There had been a party with the other girls at Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack had gotten the cider out for the occasion. They had played Truth or Dare, and she had kissed the orange earth pony, asking for another at the end of the night. Instead, Applejack had hauled her off to bed, and the two shared several tender moments together. They hadn't been overly intimate, but it had still been enjoyable, and she had fallen asleep in the earth pony's embrace.

With her eyes still closed tight, Twilight rolled over in bed, facing herself towards the sleeping Applejack. A smile slowly crept across her face as she leaned up towards the earth pony's muzzle. After everything they had done the night before, well...

One more won't hurt...

-----

"I'm glad you could come, AJ. I wouldn't want you to miss this."

Applejack took her place beside her companion, and the unicorn scooted over until their bodies pressed against one another, though the earth pony hardly seemed to notice. She took off her hat and set it aside, slipping off the hair bands as well and grinning as her mane billowed in the breeze. To feel the wind like that, to know that she could share such a wonderful view with someone so close to her... it felt so wonderful, so free. The orange mare turned towards Twilight and gave her a warm smile, leaning over to give the unicorn a playful nudge with her muzzle. "I wouldn' miss this fer th' world, Twi."

"There's another reason why I wanted you to come out here, you know. A reason besides the view." Twilight Sparkle glanced over at Applejack and returned the smile, soon returning her view out towards the waving sea of wheat as it stretched on endlessly. "And, well... I kinda needed us to be alone for it."

"Alone, huh? Got somethin' on yer mind, Twilight?"

The unicorn slowly shook her head, the smile never fading from her face. "I think it'd be more accurate to say I've got somepony on my mind."

"Well, let's hear it then. Jus' th' two of us out here, sugarcube." Applejack turned towards Twilight once more, staring at the lavender mare as she seemed to pause in thought.

"It's... well, it's you, Applejack. It's you." The lavender mare sighed and slowly shook her head, intentionally staring out towards the horizon and avoiding the earth pony's gaze. "Day and night, you're in my thoughts. My dreams. I think about everything we've been through, and how you've made me laugh and smile. I think about how many times you've been there for me in my time of need. I think about how happy I am when I'm around you and with you, and I dream about... well, I don't think I need to say it. You can probably guess by now."

Applejack slowly nodded as she began to process everything she had just been told. Sure, Big Macintosh had just been poking fun at her when he said that she had a crush on Twilight, but... what if that hadn't been entirely false? She was willing to admit that she greatly enjoyed any time she got to spend with the unicorn, but there was still so much uncertainty. As Applejack searched her heart for the right answers, she heard He Who Watches once more, and everything began to fall into place.

You have sacrificed much for the sake of others, and nothing for yourself. You have nurtured the growth of many, yet you remain withered and stunted.

She finally knew what the dreams had meant - she had worked so hard to ensure that her friends and those closest to her were happy, and yet she had done nothing to make sure that she was happy. The earth pony was happy, but she wasn't truly happy, and though she had her friends and family, she had nopony else. Where others had that special somepony they could confide in or go to after a rough day, Applejack had nothing. Where others had that special somepony who looked forward to seeing them or spending time with them, Applejack had nothing.

Except for Twilight Sparkle.

She had told her darkest secrets to the unicorn, and they had always been there for one another through thick and thin. They always seemed to look forward to their next meeting, and every hour they spent together was usually pure bliss.

"Applejack? You're not weirded out, are you?"

The earth pony blinked as she was pulled out of her reverie. "Huh? Oh, no. It's jus'... a lot ta think about."

"Can I ask you something else?" Twilight looked over at Applejack, a pleading look upon her face. "Close your eyes for me?"

Applejack hesitated at first but relented, closing her eyes and remaining still. She patiently waited as the silence seemed to drag on forever, but she soon began to feel the unicorn's own breathing against her muzzle. Being this close, it was almost impossible not to catch Twilight's scent - a bit musty from all the old books she kept herself busy with, and a hint of brimstone from her near constant use of magic, but an overall 'clean' scent.

A few moments longer - the lavender mare was hesitating, nervous even - and the breathing drew a bit closer. Applejack now knew full-well what Twilight intended, yet she made no effort to move. Was it wrong for her to want this? To know that, after all this time, there was somepony who actually cared for her so deeply?

Nah. Not at all.

-----

Twilight had been mildly surprised when Applejack had kissed back, even while she was still asleep, and as nice as it had been, there was something wrong about it.

The unicorn had felt it. She had felt the kiss. She hadn't been dreaming at all.

As the realization of what that entailed came crashing down on her, her 'memories' of last night slipped away just as quickly. She truly didn't know what she had even done the night before, only that she had ended up in Applejack's bed... with Applejack. And she had just willingly kissed the earth pony - not because she thought it was still part of the dream, but because she wanted to.

Okay Twilight, don't panic! Don't panic, there's no reason to panic! It's not like you just kissed your best friend!

Except you did. And you liked it.

Shut up. Just... shut up. Okay, deep breaths... stay calm. If she knows I'm panicking, she'll wake up and ask what's wrong, and then she'll get suspicious, and then she'll know.

So what? Just tell her. She's already told you some very personal secrets. Why should you hide this from her?

This is different! This is... I don't know what it is!

A crush?

"...mornin', Twi."

Twilight froze and slowly opened one eye, only to see Applejack staring back at her with a raised eyebrow. The unicorn quickly thought up something to keep the conversation going, lest the earth pony became overly suspicious. At the very least, it seemed like the orange mare hadn't noticed that she had been kissed. "Oh, uh... good morning, Applejack. Why um... why am I in your bed? With you in it?"

"Oh, that. Lemme jus' say that it's not what it seems like." Applejack snickered and let out a quiet yawn before continuing. "Ya drank an awful lot last night and ended up dozin' off on me an' Macintosh, so I carried ya off an' put ya ta bed. Would've been the end of it, but ya woke me up in th' middle of the night. Looked like ya were havin' a bad dream, so I decided ta keep ya company an' see if that helped any, which it did."

"Right, about that..." Twilight nervously laughed and opened the other eye as she looked back at the earth pony, though it still hurt to keep them open. "Last night may have um... been the first time I've ever been drinking. But... thanks for doing what you did."

"Any time, sugarcube. I assumed as much, though. Didn' take ya long before ya started actin' awful goofy." The earth pony quickly slipped out of bed and walked over to her window, closing it and shutting the blinds. "Better?"

The lavender mare let out a sigh of relief as the bedroom was darkened. "Much better. You're kinda loud, though..."

"Hangover. Happens when ya drink too much. Jus' drink plenty of water an' you'll be fine. If ya don' wanna try ta go back home jus' yet, ya can stay here until yer hangover dies down a bit." Applejack smiled and nodded, though she quickly stomped a hoof as she remembered something. "Oh! Speakin' of water, lemme go get ya some."

Twilight Sparkle out a sigh of relief as the earth pony trotted off, and she sat up and returned to her thoughts, picking up right where she left off.

I don't have a crush on AJ, though... do I? I mean, I really like spending time with her and all, and I'm almost always in a good mood by the time I leave.

That's a crush.

She usually knows just the right things to say to cheer me up, or make me laugh.

Cruuuuuush.

And she saved my life... and she's always been there for me.

You're still going over this, Twilight?

I'd strangle my own conscience if I could.

Before she could argue with herself any further, Applejack returned, gently kicking the door shut and setting a glass of water upon the nightstand for the unicorn. "There ya go, Twi. There was somethin' else I wanted ta talk about, though - think I managed ta figure out mah dreams."

"Did you now?" Twilight had already picked up the glass with her magic and chugged down half of it before she decided to set it down.

"Yyyyep. Been spendin' too much time makin' others happy, an' not enough time makin' myself happy. Truth be told, I've been kinda lonely as of late. Think it's high time I try an' find somepony special again, ya know?"

"Oh, I... think I do. I'm in the same boat, so to speak." The lavender mare laughed nervously and mustered a smile - luckily for her, Applejack bought it. "...er, wait. Again? What do you mean by that?"

At the mention of that, the orange earth pony's cheerful mood quickly disappeared, and Twilight instantly began to regret every mentioning it. "I'd... rather not talk about it, Twi. It's fer th' best."

"I... I didn't know. Sorry, AJ."

"Eh, s'alright, Twilight. It's in th' past. What's done is done. Ya got anypony in particular that ya wanna go after?"

The unicorn nervously tapped her hooves together. "Uh... well... I can't really think of anypony right now, but maybe if you tell me who you have in mind, it'll jog my memory."

The awkward silence that followed may as well have been the stuff of legends. Both mares sat there, staring at one another for minute after minute, and neither one mentioned the choice that was first and foremost in their mind. For Twilight Sparkle, she was still horribly confused by the whole concept of 'love' and 'romance' - she had too many questions and not enough answers, and the idea of her liking Applejack as more than a friend still bothered her somewhat.

For Applejack, she was reluctant and worried - her heart had already been broken once already, and she wasn't quite ready to risk it happening a second time. Her grasp on love was certainly stronger than what Twilight had, and the earth pony knew that it wasn't entirely uncommon for friends to become... well, more than friends. Still, she knew she had liked stallions, but mares were foreign territory for her, and despite her experience with the subject, she was still nervous.

They both knew the silence couldn't last forever, and one of them would have to break it eventually - Twilight Sparkle decided to take the initiative, though her choice was a bit... unwise. "...um... Macintosh, I guess."

"Macin... oh fer th' love of..." Applejack huffed and stared at the unicorn, and it was clear that the earth pony wasn't pleased. "Ya promised me while we were gone that ya weren' gonna hit on mah brother! An' now yer thinkin' that ya wanna go out on a date with him or somethin'?"

"Or a pony like Big Macintosh! I don't know!"

The earth pony sighed and took a seat upon the floor, staring down at the wooden floorboards. "Look, jus'... if that's what ya wanna do, then do it. I won' stop ya. Jus' know that there might be somepony else out there, waitin' for ya."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight peered over at Applejack, an eyebrow raised, and the orange mare huffed and shrugged her shoulders as she attempted to hide a blush.

"I don' know! I'm jus' sayin', is all. Jus' go on an' ask Big Mac like I know ya wanna. He's right downstairs. I'll jus'... wait here."

Twilight Sparkle hesitated momentarily, then slipped out of bed and proceeded downstairs. She couldn't see it as she left, but Applejack had already hung her head in defeat and shame. Minutes passed, then hours, and the unicorn never returned. The earth pony knew that Twilight had already gone back to her library, but she couldn't bring herself to move from her seat on the floor.

Apple Bloom eventually hopped past the open door, peering into the room and grinning from ear to ear. "Hey sis! Did ya hear? Big Macintosh got himself a date with Twilight! But um... why are ya sittin' in th' dark?"

"...go away, Apple Bloom."

The filly had seen this kind of behavior out of her sister before, back when Granny Smith had been ill and Applejack had lost all hope. As Apple Bloom quickly shut herself within her room, Big Macintosh looked up the stairs from his place within the kitchen. Like it or not, he had heard everything, and he had been dreading the day that this would happen once more. The red stallion left the farmhouse as quietly as he could, making his way out towards the barn and locking himself within - this was a sensitive matter, one that he would tell in due time.

Big Macintosh made his way towards a forgotten corner of the barn, brushing back several heaps of hay and revealing what lay beneath, a simple wooden crate. The stallion easily pushed the lid aside and began to rummage through the contents within. Inside were photographs, mementos, diary entries, all of them painful reminders of an event Applejack was all too eager to forget - her first love, and first heartbreak. One photo, in particular, made the normally stoic brother practically seethe with rage. It was a portrait of Applejack and her first love, a handsome earth pony stallion, and the memories were just as bitter for Big Macintosh.

Everything the stallion had promised, everything the stallion had said, everything the stallion had done - lies. All lies.

Big Macintosh was not about to let this happen - not again. He wasn't nearly the simpleton that everypony thought he was. Oh no, he was more perceptive than that. Much more. He had seen the signs. He knew what was going on, even if they didn't. And after everything his dear sister had been through, he wasn't going to sit idly as her heart was broken once more. He was going to set this right and help make it work, even if it meant telling the full story to another.

Like it or not, Applejack was in love.

Comments

[Vargras]

Alternate title for the chapter is "Macintosh Is Best Brother".

If anyone is confused about what's initially happening within the chapter, I'm willing to clarify.

[Silent Storms]

Macintosh truly is best brother. Looking forward to more Vargras, you've told a great story so far.

[Bright Glow]

They are walking around until they bump into eachother. I guess you know what I mean.

[Vargras]

119654
For the most part, yes. They both know what they want, but they don't know what the other wants, and they both have their own reasons for avoiding it.

Twilight is still confused. She's not sure what to do, what's right, or what's wrong - it's her first time dealing with romance in any form. Applejack has had prior experience, but she's still a bit sore over a past event (which will get discussed in an upcoming chapter), and so she's pretty reluctant and nervous.

[RainLight]

So Twilight fills in the blank of the entire night with what she hopes had happened?

Well that is how I see it. And that prior relation ship of Applejack must have ended very bad if she refuses to talk about it.

Also make Twilight strangle her thoughts xD (nah joking) Whenever a fanfic makes Twilight argu with herself it ends up pretty hilarious :P

[Starfall]

Ohhhhh, Twilight you numbskull!

At least Mac has a good head on his shoulders - I suspect some stallion shenanigans when it comes to the day of the date.

[Vargras]

119758
Pretty much. She couldn't remember everything she did the night before, so parts of it were filled in by the dreams she's been having, resulting in a combination of both. Twilight's not dreaming but she thinks it's still part of the dream. AJ is still dreaming, though parts of it were influenced by the actions of a certain pony.

[10000 B_C]

Wow. That last part was intense. And you made me very sad when you said the minutes turned to hours...
Very emotional chapter, well written, and no grammar problems to speak of. I'm enjoying this immensely, one of my favorites. I feel like AJ definitely gets underestimated in this whole fandom, she's practically my favorite character.
Also reminds me of Study Buddies by Samsara in that Twilight is fighting herself in her head- one side rational, one side wanting to go all out and just 'kiss the girl' (sadly no crab emoticon). You ever read it?

[Vargras]

120215
Bits and pieces.

It's the sort of situation in that, although they feel rather strongly for one another, they don't know how the other feels and they both feel conflicted as to how they'd even break that news to one another. It becomes a stalemate, with neither side willing to take the initiative. As I said in an earlier post, they both have their own reasons for being so reluctant about acting on their feelings.

When Twilight left without telling AJ, it wasn't because she was mad at her or anything. In a situation like that, what can you say? What can you do? She's still confused and unsure about what she should even do next, and asking Big Macintosh out was a cheap and easy way out of attempting to explain it. Besides, the conversation between her and Applejack had already become quite awkward.

By no means am I trying to paint Twilight as being the 'bad guy'. She didn't mean to upset Applejack with what she said - she just doesn't know what to do, nor does she know what's 'right' or 'wrong'.

[Fox-Sama]

Twilight you foal!! whats wrong with you! you can kiss a pony in her sleep and then ask out her brother!!

[Lordlyhour]

123331 Yes she can. AND SHE DID. IT IS A PERFECTLY POSSIBLE OUTCOME! /Completly missing the point

[Samusbot]

We need a determined Big Mac Emote now.

[NeonEclipse]

Okay Twilight, don't panic! Don't panic, there's no reason to panic! It's not like you just kissed your best friend!

Except you did. And you liked it.

[Magical Trevor]

119539 I don't know, I think they'd have to be leasing the space behind their eyes if they can't read between the lines in this chapter. XD

[djthomp]

Big Mac is definitely best brother.

[Kapuchu]

I'm glad someone(somepony) gave Macintosh more personality than "Eeyup & Nnnope."
Big Mac is so full of possibilities, but so few people utilize that option.

[Borg]

Nice going, Twi. That was possibly the most hurtful answer you could have given. Didn't you learn anything from your dreams? Fortune favors the bold. And all the best memories start out as stupid ideas.

But it's all going to be okay, Big Mac the matchmaker is on the case!

[Base_Cannon]

Twilight, being a left brained pony with little love experience, will most likely have internal conflict until about halfway through the story. Big Mac was a cool pony, too.