Nightmare Night was still 2 weeks away. To most ponies, they wouldn’t stress over it in the slightest. They’d take their time with the holiday; picking out candy, choosing costumes, and putting up decorations. Besides, not many ponies took Nightmare Night seriously in the first place. It was a day of fun and sweets, nothing serious. So they didn’t need to be serious about it either.
Applejack was not like most ponies.
To her, there was never much time at all to get ready before the holiday. The Apples were a major part of the holiday in Ponyville. They used apples for bobbing, gave out apple treats for the little fillies and colts, and held events in the orchard. And Applejack needed everything to be perfect. She owed it to the town.
Big Mac was busy trimming the corn maze, but he had to promise he wasn’t going to add some random booby trap, no matter how many times anypony, even Fluttershy, politely asked. Apple Bloom should be helping him, but she seemed to be dealing with some personal thing on her own.
Applejack could appreciate Apple Bloom trying to help her out but now wasn’t the time. This was harvest season, and the Apples had a lot of stuff to do. Weekly meetings at Twilight's castle with the rest of her friends were the sole escape from work that she allowed herself.
Besides yesterday, but that was very important, not very relaxing. She’d always be grateful to Apple Bloom for getting her to come out, but she didn’t need any other help. She was her own mare, and she would find her own mare. In her own time. So why did Apple Bloom have to take everything so seriously?
It was these thoughts that kept Applejack company in the orchard, bucking the ripe apples that would soon be turned into fritters for the little ones. She was sure they were the only company she had in the orchard.
’Whoosh’
She was wrong.
Something quick and fast whizzed just over the top of Applejacks head. A very noticeable pocket of air replaced the area of mane where her prized hat used to be not moments before. Quickly patting around the now hatless area, Applejack swung her head around the orchard. Yet she saw no runner who could have taken the hat. So it was a pegasus who took it.
Applejack groaned. “Haha, Rainbow. Very funny! Now give me back mah hat!”
Applejacks keen ears picked up a faint giggle from up above. She barley had time to look up, however, before the Pegasus swooped back down just over the top of Applejacks head, this time, putting the hat back on her yellow mane.
Except this wasn’t her hat. There was something noticeably different about this hat. It wasn’t as comfortable or broken in, and the insides definitely seemed to be of a much higher quality then hers. She brought the hat down in front of her eyes and froze.
Her eyes widened as she took in its features, it’s appearance exactly the same as the hat Apple Bloom described yesterday. She should know, as the filly only repeated its appearance around twenty times.
As she lowered the hat, Applejack saw Rainbow Dash only a few feet away, grinning wildly with Applejack’s hat resting neatly atop her multi-colored mane.
“Heh, you have yourself to thank for that hat.”
When Applejack didn’t say anything or even move, Rainbow decided to go for a much different approach.
She began walking slowly towards the confused earth pony, taking care to wiggle her hips for Applejack to see, and keeping her wings in an upright position. Once in grabbing distance, Rainbow gently picked up the black Oatson and replaced it with Applejack’s old brown one. The black one found residence on Rainbow’s own head, and she smirked. Her muzzle was only inches away from Applejacks.
“No offense, but I think it looks better on me. You should know after all.”
It was at this point Applejack finally snapped out of her confused daze. She stumbled away from Rainbow, her mouth refusing to work.
Now it was Rainbows turn to be confused. “Uh, Applejack? Are you okay? Was I a little too strong?”
“S-sorry,” Applejack finally managed to get out. “Ah-uh, have to go somewhere.”
Okay, seriously. What was going on with Applejack? “Go? Where? You sure didn’t seem to be in a hurry a minute ago.”
Applejack gulped hard. “Yeah, uh, ah-ah’m sorry Rainbow. Ah, have to be, uh, honest here. Ah didn’t get you that hat.”
Rainbow’s wings slowly collapsed back down on her sides, one of her eyebrows raised. “Uh, sorry?”
Another gulp. “Apple Bloom told me yesterday she wanted me to get you that hat. Ah told her no, but obviously, she went ahead and brought it anyway.”
“...oh.”
“Ah’m sorry now Rainbow. I don’t know what was going through that filly’s mind.” Applejack turned to leave, missing Rainbow’s drooping head.
“Applejack, wait…” Rainbow said softly, but Applejack was already beginning to walk the other way. Back towards the barn.
“Ah’ll give her a stern talking to though, that’s for sure. Ah’m jus’ sorry Rainbow. This was a whole misunderstanding.”
“Wait, Applejack.”
“Wonder if her friends had anything to do with this. Ah’ll have a little talk with Rarity, tell ‘er what they’ve been up to.”
“APPLEJACK!”
The shout finally got Applejack to stop dead in her tracks and turn back. Rainbow Dash didn’t move at all since Applejack started moving away. Her flank loosely sat on the grass below, and her teary eyes looked down at the gro- wait. Was Rainbow… crying? Sure, Rainbow cried before, but over something like this?
Shock quickly gave way to concern as Applejack began to slowly trot over to Rainbow. “Easy there, sugar cube. It ain’t your fault. You didn’t know.”
“That’s n-not what I’m yelling about.”
Applejack tilted her head in confusion. “Ah beg your pardon?”
“It’s not about the kids or whatever, don’t you understand?” Rainbow kept her teary eyes staring at the silent orange mare the whole time, refusing to even blink. “It’s the fact that you always have to question and refuse literally anything!”
“Now Rainbow, listen-”
“NO!” Rainbow’s wings suddenly sprang back up, the top feathers pointing at the blue October sky. “No Applejack, just listen to me!
“I really should have known you were going to do this. Who cares if the kids gave me the hat? You have to storm off without telling me anything? I don’t even care if you don’t have any feelings for me. Not anymore. Because you can’t take a chance on anything, especially if it’s something you know nothing about.
“You know why I’m so awesome? Because I always try to do something new. Even if I’m scared of doing something, I’ll still try it at least once. But you can’t do that, can you AJ?”
“Ah-ah...” Applejack struggled for words.
Rainbow’s wings slowly folded themselves back at her sides. Her head leaned forward, waiting for an answer.
Finally, Applejack lowered her head in shame. “Ah’m sorry Rainbow. Ah jus… don’t know what ah’m doin, and ah still don’t know what to do.”
Rainbow blinked. “Wait, are you serious? You still don’t know what to do?” Applejack shook her head, and the pegasus face-hooved.
“Wow, just… you know what? I need to think about this, and when you figure out what you did wrong, then talk to me. Besides that, leave me alone.”
Rainbow turned to take her leave, her wings once again outstretched for the third and final time, and zoomed out of Sweet Apple Acres.
Applejack was silent.
Knock Knock
“Hey Apple Bloom, you in there?”
No response. Either she seriously couldn’t hear her or, more likely, was just ignoring the knocks. Either way, Applejack definitely wasn’t going to get in that room.
She sighed and slumped her back on the door, her flank resting on the floorboards below. “Ah jus’... wanted to tell ya somethin.”
Still, no words came from the other side. The silence seemed almost welcoming to Applejack, and she began to speak after a deep breath.
“Ah jus want to say ah’m sorry for ignoring you so much yesterday. Ah should have talked to you about that more, and not just yelled at you without any discussion like that. I guess you’re right then.
“The way you argued with me at that dinner, and the way you acted all day today, ah can tell what you’ve been thinking. Ah ain’t stupid. Ah’ve never been a fan of tryin’ new stuff out. The girls definitely helped with that type of stuff, but still, it’s not easy. Cause, if ah’m bein’ honest here, ah’m afraid ah’ll mess up. Ah guess that’s why ah did what I did after I lost in that rodeo in Junction Town. Ah was never used to losing like that, an’ ah assumed the worst.
“Ah ain’t proud of those moments, but ah jus’ can’t help it. It’s somethin’ ah need to work on ah guess.”
Apple Bloom remaining silent was probably the smartest thing to do by now. Applejack took a deep breath once again. Now for the hard part.
“Listen Apple Bloom, ah know you got that hat for Rainbow Dash. Or maybe your friends did or somethin’, but ah’m sure you were a part of it somehow. Ah don’t really mind anymore. I had a… run-in with Rainbow a while ago, an’ ah’m starting to think ah’ve been looking at this thing wrong.
“Now keep this between me and you, but Rainbow Dash… is more than jus’ a fine mare. Dare I say, she’s an option. So ah should have taken that whole hat thing in stride, an’ actually done somethin’ about it. But ah didn’t, an’ ah may have jus’ ruined it. Because ah’ve never been in that type of relationship before. Not really.
“...Ah never told ya’ll about how ah found out ah was a fillyfooler, did I? Heh, guess now’s a good time as any. It was a couple of years after ah returned from the big city. Ah was really gettin’ into the groove of the orchard, an’ ah started handling it on my own. Ma and Pa were still around, and you would come in a year, ah think. Anywho, there were these delivery ponies that would come every week or so to give us equipment and such for the harvests.
“There was this pegasus stallion named Heavy Duty that would always give us the deliveries, an’ he always brought along his daughter. Her name was Penny, she was good with money and such. She began joining her pops on his deliveries around the time ah turned sixteen.
“Woo nelly, was she a fine mare! She had this incredible, pure copper hair and a light, yellow coat. She was somethin’ else, ah’ll tell ya what! Ah didn’t know exactly what ah thought of her at the time, but it sure was somethin’ different. An’ she would definitely capture my curiosity, givin’ me winks an’ all. It didn’t take long before we started to hit it off; hidin’ in the orchard, talkin’ about our day.
“She sure was special, an’ ah think she saw somethin in me too. We were like two apples in a turnover during the summer. It helped that Heavy Duty and pops hit it off so well, an’ we would get these regular swimming meets in the lake over yonder. Ah was decent at swimming, but Penny was just incredible. She sure was a talent. Smart, funny, athletic. She told me about her friends an’ all, an’ ah began to envy her. Ah had a couple of friends in school, but nothin too serious. Most of her friends were great ponies; ah met them later on.”
Applejack let loose a dry cough and wiped the newly blossoming tears from her eyes. “Anyways, ah’ suppose ah oughta get to the point. There were a couple of weeks she didn’t show up with her dad, an’ when ah went on over to her house, her father would tell me she wanted to be left alone. So ah did, an finally she showed back up. She seemed like a different mare, more shy an’ all. It sure took a lot of coaxing, but eventually, ah got her to open back up.
“She told me one of her friends found out she was a fillyfooler and ended their friendship, but not without some harsh words. Ah can’t remember exactly which friend, so don’t ask. Anyways, ah wasn’t quite sure what a fillyfooler was at the time, so I asked her. And she… well, she told me. Then ah told her it don’t matter who she dates or not, and that she shouldn’t worry about what others think about that nonsense.
“Ah… might’ve let it slip that ah was pretty sure ah was a fillyfooler, an’ told her ah had some sorta feelings for her. Next thang ah know, we’re kissing all sweet like, and somethin’ jus clicked. It jus felt so amazing and… right.
“Ah guess she was technically a filly friend, but all we really did was talk and kiss in the woods. We never really had a serious relationship or anything, because she ended up moving to Trottingham. Her pa found better business there, and they were goin to move.
“...An ah didn’t do a damn thing.” Applejack didn’t realize she was raising her voice, which was now filled with spite. “Ah just said goodbye, and that’s it. Ah don’t think ah could’ve convinced them to say, but ah could’ve done something. Instead, ah jus said good bye, hugged her a little bit, and that was it. Like she was jus somepony I happened to know. There’s nothing completely wrong with that, but when it’s with Penny… ah think I broke her heart. She saw us as something more, an’ she was terrified of movin’. When ah showed zero interest in her move, she took it hard. Ah never saw her again in her final week here in Ponyville. Ah jus didn’t know what to do. Her friends cut ties with me, told me how ah broke her heart an’ all.”
The soft pitter patter of tears on the floor snapped Applejack from her self loathing monologue, and she chuckled while rubbing a runny muzzle.
“Heh, look at me gettin all emotional. Guess ahm growin up a bit, an so are you. Please Apple Bloom, keep your friends close, and don’t lose the filly you end up loving. You still seem uncertain about this whole thing, an I would usually say wait til you’re sure, but not today. Go out there an you get a fillyfriend or whatever. Because that’s what you deserve. A fillyfriend before it’s too late. Because ah just blew mine.”
Knock knock
“Applejack, git tha door!” Granny Smith hollered from downstairs.
“Ah’ll get it, Granny!” Applejack hollered back. She got back to her hooves, rubbed the remaining tears off her eyes, and straightened her hat. “Ah hope you listened to that whole thing, because ah never know when that’s coming out again.” Applejack began to part for the stairs until she heard a creak behind her. She turned back around to see Apple Bloom’s door wide open, and the titular filly stood in front of it, tears staining her dusty cheeks. It only took a few seconds for Apple Bloom to run up to her big sis and give her a loving hug, which Applejack graciously returned.
Apple Bloom had listened, and she understood.