"Rarity? What are you doing here?" Applejack asked intrigued by the presence of her friend designer.
"I had gone to drink some water and noticed that you were not there. Since what we went through today I realized you were clearing your head, and knowing you are two possible things you do: Immerse yourself in work in the fields, or come here in your parents' garden. " Rarity replied as she approached Applejack.
"You guessed right. After all that happened today I needed to refresh the ideas."
"How to blame you? Not every day you experience adventures like this morning." Rarity added as she took a seat next to Applejack without ever looking away from her. Elias noticed something special in the eyes of his friends as they talked, and this detail he had noticed even that morning during the battle against the monsters and doubts had begun to flash in his head. Then the young cadet decided to have a final confirmation on these doubts that had taken place in his mind when he saw Applejack and Rarity together.
"I think I'll go back to the farm, girls." Elias said turning to his pony friends who turned their gaze to the soldier when they heard his voice.
"Is something wrong, Elias?" Asked Rarity worried.
"No problem Rarity. Simply the fatigue accumulated during the day is making itself overwhelmingly right now." The soldier said, feigning a sudden attack of fatigue. "I wish you a good night young ladies." Elias flaunted a very exaggerated gentleman bow that made the two ponies laugh.
"I wish you a good night too, Mr. Schützen." Rarity replied, still laughing at the awkward interpretation of the cadet. The soldier started to go but first turned one last look at the farmer pony.
"Hey Applejack."
"Yes, Elias?"
"Thank you."
"For what?" Applejack asked, confused by the sudden gratitude.
"For sharing all this with me." Elias said pointing to the whole landscape around him. "I guess it's not a light-hearted thing to share, and for that I thank you for confiding in me, even though we've known each other for less than 24 hours." Concluded Elias.
"It's true that we've known Elias for less than a day, but I can't help but consider you a friend of mine after what we've been through this morning, and I'm not the only one who thinks that way." Rarity made a confirmation sign with her head at Applejack's words. "This is why I decided to share all this with you, because together with the others, you are a precious friend. Try to remember this time, since you sometimes seem to forget it, okay?" Applejack said with a wink.
"I will try not to forget it. Thanks again and good night." The soldier said before taking his leave.
"Good night, Elias." The two ponies were said in chorus to their human friend as he walked away. But the latter taking advantage of the moment when Rarity and Applejack were no longer watching him hid behind one of the trees in the clearing. Elias was not the type to spy on people, or ponies in this case, but if there was one thing he had inherited from his biological mother was the passion for, as he called it, "the pink factor".
Elias's mother was a person who loved romance, so much so that the young cadet told his mother that her passion for romance was at titanic levels. Over the years, Elias also developed a passion for romanticism, certainly not at the same level as his mother, but enough to be called a romantic. In fact, since he had seen Applejack and Rarity behaving "suspiciously" when they were together, Elias's instinct began to rattle and began to clink louder when Rarity had joined them and hadn't taken her eyes off her even for a moment from Applejack and they began to shine with a particular light. Which also happened on Applejack's side. So the soldier wanted to have a final confirmation on the suspicions that soon, they would become certainties.
"Do you really think my parents would be proud of me?" Applejack asked Rarity.
"I don't think so, I'm sure your parents would be proud of you. In short, why shouldn't they? You are a wonderful pony both inside and outside, you manage the farm magnificently, you are a holder of an Element of Harmony, you have saved Equestria: if they wouldn't be proud of it. " The stylist answered the peasant's question.
"You're too good, Rarity." Said the blonde-haired pony while her cheeks turned red.
"Nah, that's the job of Fluttershy. I'm just saying the pure truth."
"Shouldn't the role of honesty be mine?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile on his face.
"Usually yes, but this time it's up to me." Rarity replied, lowering her friend's hat to her eyes. The two friends began to laugh after this little exchange and immediately began to admire the stars in the sky, but shortly after Rarity began a speech.
"You know Applejack, since I was a filly who dreamed of finding the prince of my dreams. I imagined him beautiful, blond, with blue eyes and shining armor ready to save me and come whenever I needed help. over time this dream seemed increasingly unattainable until I understood something. " Rarity said without looking away from the starry sky.
"What?" Asked Applejack as she watched the beautiful pony that was at her side.
"That the prince I was waiting for is not a prince. He is beautiful, he is blond, but instead of blue eyes he has them as the color of emeralds, and instead of a shining armor he wears a stetson." Rarity replied, turning her gaze to her "prince". "But one detail of this dream has not changed a bit: I wish it was he who stole my first kiss." Rarity concluded closing her eyes as her cheeks turned red.
Applejack after listening to Rarity's speech found herself admiring the lips of her stylist friend, those same lips that had been invading her thoughts for a long time. Many times the peasant had fantasized about the possible sensations she could have felt if her lips had rested on those of Rarity, on how she would have felt after having tasted the taste of the kiss stolen from the designer who in one way or another had done breach in her heart. The blonde-haired pony closed her eyes and she too, with ruby-colored cheeks, put her lips to those of the pony who had long been the protagonist of her thoughts.
Eventually, with a gentle movement, Applejack sealed her lips with Rarity's. There were no words that could describe the emotions that were inebriating the two ponies at the time. The latter didn't know what words to use to describe what they were feeling, but at the moment they didn't care. It was beautiful, it was gratifying, it was right, but above all, it was magical. The kiss lasted several seconds, Applejack and Rarity opened their eyes, looked at each other and smiled. They said nothing, because there was nothing to say. The kiss that the peasant pony had stolen from the designer amounted to more than a million words, and without saying anything they went back to looking at the stars, with Rarity leaning her head on Applejack's shoulder as she clutched the white-pony pony next to her.
Elias saw the whole scene, and his suspicions turned into certainties. After his doubts were confirmed, the soldier decided to return to the farm, with a smile on his lips. His mother was right: sometimes a little romance as well as helping the heart, also helps to alleviate mind and spirit.