Several hours had passed. Now that Applejack had finished bucking all the apple trees for the day and had time to process things in her head, she thought it fitting to go see Rarity and talk about what happened. She knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again. No answer still. Applejack pressed her ear against the door. Rarity was definitely home, she could hear the busy sounds of her sewing machine along with the clopping of her hooves.
“Rarity! It’s me, Applejack! Open up! We needa talk!”
“Go away please, I’m busy.” Rarity’s muffled voice came through the door.
“Come on Rarity, there’s no use in avoidin’ it!”
Applejack waited for a response. Nothing; and judging by the noises coming from inside it didn’t sound like Rarity was planning on coming anywhere near the door.
“Guess we’ll have to do this the ol’ fashioned way.”
Applejack turned around and shoved her back legs into the door, forcing it open. She walked in to find Rarity working away at her sewing machine, mane completely unkempt, a tape measurer around her neck, and a saddle on her with two small compartments which had fabrics in one side and sewing tools in the other.
“Rarity…we should.”
“Not now, very busy…gotta finish that order.” Rarity ran over to study one of her blank mannequins.
“Rarity, ah know ya’ll don’t have any dresses to be workin’ on, will ya just talk to me?”
“Sure Applejack, what would you like to talk about?” Rarity asked as trotted back over to her sewing machine. “Hmmm, I wonder if I should replace this needle?”
“Ya know…what happened at mah farm?”
“I don’t know what in heaven’s name you’re talking about darling, I helped you pick apples and that was it!” the unicorn said in the best oblivious voice she could pull off.
“Yeah, but… then somethin’ else happe-”
“Blue or Purple?” Rarity asked Applejack using her magic to present two different rolls of fabric. Before the earth pony could even think about answering, Rarity had moved back to her mannequins and threw two oversized sheets of both up, covering the figurine completely. Applejack walked over to the unicorn who then moved to her sewing machine, when the earth pony followed, the white mare had moved to her table, and as the earth pony again tried to get within three feet of her, she moved to look out the window. Applejack growled and pounced on the unicorn.
“Are we gonna have to do this the hard way!? Will ya just talk to me please?”
“There’s NOTHING to talk about Applejack.”
Applejack glared at Rarity for a solid ten seconds. The country equine’s eyes softened.
“Fine…” Applejack got off Rarity and headed to the door.
“Fine?”
“Yup…fine…” Applejack said flatly as she opened the door to exit, “if’in ya’ll won’t talk to me bout it, ah’m sure somepony else will…maybe ah can ask Twilight to see if she can find somethin’ bout it in one a her boo-whoa!” Applejack shouted as Rarity grabbed her before closing and locking all the doors and windows.
“Fine! We’ll talk!”
A loud purr came from Opalescence as she walked up to Rarity. She took the cat and tossed her out the window. There was a loud meow followed by a hiss. Applejack looked at the window then gave a concerned glance to the unicorn as she noticed her left eye twitch a bit.
“Ya’ll alright sugarcube?”
“FineFINE!” Rarity said while laughing nervously. “Youwantedtotalksolet’stalkherewearereadytotalkwe’retalkingtalk!”
“Uhm- alrighty then…Rarity, ah just…well ah…” Applejack realized there was no way to approach this conversation daintily. “Ya kissed me…”
Rarity nodded anxiously, one hoof on her chin.
“Yup, Mmhmm, great! Well now that we’ve gotten that all cleared up I should really be getting back to work!” Rarity said as she started to walk away before being yanked back by the tail.
“Hold on there Rarity, ah…ah wanna know why…”
“Why what?”
“Ya know…why’d ya…kiss me?”
“Oh, that, did I do that? No, darling I think you’re mistaken, I just…tripped…into your mouth…is all.”
“Rarity…” Applejack said flatly.
The unicorn bit her bottom lip and her eyes filled with tears.
“Ok! I did it! I kissed you! I don’t know why I did it! I was just overcome with…with…well I’m not even sure. Oh dear Applejack, I am baffled as to what possessed me to do such a thing!” Rarity said as she held the earth pony’s cheeks in her hooves. Applejack glared.
“Will ya cut the drama queen act Rarity?!” the orange equine yelled.
“Sorry…” Rarity said looking down at the floor. She rubbed her hoof across the ground for a second as she felt an aura of shame entangle her. She looked back up into Applejack’s concerning and inquisitive eyes and searched every crevice of her brain for a reasonable answer but to no avail.
“I…I’m not sure Applejack, I just…I had never seen you without your mane tied up in a ponytail before and…”
“So, that all was it then …just mah hair down is what made you do that? Did ah, look like a colt or somethin’?”
“No, no it’s more than that, it was just…I don’t know, it was like seeing you for the first time; your physical beauty for once. I’ve always seen you as my friend and one of the most honest and hard-working ponies I’ve ever met even if your ways can be a bit brutish at times. But, it was as if, for the first time, I…oh I don’t know!”
“Ah think ah get what yer jivin’ at…ah…ah think ah may have felt it too…that’s why ah didn’t pull away too quickly once it happened.”
“What ever do you mean?” Rarity tried to hide the glimmer of hope in her eyes. There was no doubt that the kiss was definitely something emotional, it was shameful to say the least and yet, it felt right. The smallest amount of comfort would come from at least knowing Applejack felt the same if not something similar.
“Well, seein ya tryna buck those apples, then wrestlin’ with ya fer those few minutes made me realize that, although you are a bit of a snob, ya got some real spunk in ya after all. It was kinda cute.”
Rarity blushed. “I suppose it did look rather silly, me trying to do your job.”
“Hehe, only a lil’” Applejack said.
There was a bit of an awkward silence. Rarity bit her lower lip. Although the conversation went better than expected, the tone in her voice as well as her choice of words made the orange colored mare sound as if she was sparing the over-emotional unicorn’s feelings. In an attempt to make things less awkward and to avoid a wedge in their friendship, Rarity spoke up.
“Applejack…I’m not…that is to say I…I like…colts…”
“Oh no, no…ah…ah do too sugarcube.” Applejack assured.
“I…it’s just that…you and I…it’s nice to have you as a good friend Applejack.” Rarity said spitting out her words gently to avoid saying anything else that might unnerve her earth pony friend.
“Same here Rarity.” the country mare said smiling warmly.
They hugged each other; another short awkward silence followed.
“Welp, ah best be gettin’ out of yer hair then…letcha get back to yer dress makin’ and what not.”
“Right, right…I’ll see you later Applejack.”
As Applejack opened the door to leave, Rarity walked over.
“This…stays between us…right?”
The earth pony gave her a friend a comforting smile.
“ ‘Course it does sugarcube.”
Applejack let herself out. Rarity slumped and sighed watching her walk back to Sweet Apple Acres.