“2 bits ma’am! Thank ya kindly!” Applejack said as she exchanged an apple for the pieces of currency dropped in the bucket. She smiled at the lengthy line of customers today. She had already been selling apples for at least thirty minutes straight and with every purchase, the line seemed to grow longer. Another pony dropped her two bits in the bucket.
“There are no better apples than the farm fresh ones from sweet apple acres!” she exclaimed forcing Applejack’s cheeks to flush a slight red.
“Aw, shucks, thank ya miss, we do our best!”
Applejack continued to beam her customer friendly smile at people until a familiar face stood in front of her. The elegant white mare Rarity, who wore what looked to be a shameful smirk on her face.
“Hello, darling.”
Applejack felt her eyebrows begin to tilt diagonally. Hateful words boiled in her chest desperately wanting to cascade out of her mouth and swallow the unicorn whole. She recalled her conversation with Big Mac and forced her lips to curve upward.
“Good, afternoon miss. How many apples can I interest ya in?”
Rarity’s smirk titled to a slight frown, the warm welcoming tone she was used to hearing from the country equine was not there.
“Well, I’m not… really here to buy any apples. I jus–”
“Well ma’am if’in ya aint here to buy apples, I’d be much grateful if ya gon ahead and step aside. I have quite a lengthy line of hungry customers buildin’ up behind ya.
Rarity felt her heart sink from Applejack’s tone; the cold apathy of kindness whose only existence is to pretend to be nice and professional stung like dry ice. “Can we at least talk?”
“Sorry ma’am, ah have to give all my customers the proper respect and attention they deserve.”
“But Applejack–”
“Please step aside, miss.”
Rarity let out a low growl and reached in a small satchel around her waist and dropped two bits into the bucket.“There, now can we–”
Applejack shoved the apple in the unicorn’s face almost as instantly as the currency clanked in the bucket.“Thank ya kindly, ya’ll come back now ya hear?”
“Applejack!”
The orange mare looked passed Rarity and to the colt behind her. “How can Ah help you, sir?”
“Ten apples please.” The colt said stepping forward, forcing Rarity to step aside. The unicorn glared.
“That’ll be 20 bits.”
Rarity stormed away from the applecart. “This isn’t over, Applejack.”
Another thirty minutes passed and Applejack was selling her fruit as expediently as ever. The amount of apples slowly dissipated until she was down to about half a cart. Rarity approached her again only this time she holding a giant blue sac encrusted with gems in her teeth. She dropped it and Applejack noticed it was full of bits.
“50 apples please darling!”
A suspicious look shot from the orange mare’s face. She wondered what was the finicky unicorn up to.
“That’ll be 100 bits miss…”
“Certainly…hmm… 1… 2… 3… you know I must say I certainly love your apples… 4… 5… they are the most delectable in all of Equestria… 6… why I positively don’t know what I would do without them 7…”
Applejack glared as Rarity’s objectives became clear. The ponies behind the unicorn started raising eye brows and muttering amongst themselves. The country equine lowered her head and spoke in a harsh whisper.
“What in tarnation do you think y’all are doin’?”
“Trying to talk to you!” the unicorn whispered back.
“Well maybe I ain’t wanna talk to ya right now.”
“That’s too bad, it’s important!”
“Yer really gonna do this? Right here, when Ah’m havin’ one of my best sales days?”
“All you have to do is listen to me, Applejack.”
“Well that ain’t happenin’ anytime soon.”
“Fine, we’ll do it your way then.”
Rarity cleared her throat. “Oh, silly me, I’ve seem to have lost count!” Rarity elicited an annoyingly pretentious laugh, “Guess I have to start all over again 1… 2…” the unicorn glared counting even slower now.
A low growl formed in Applejack’s throat. Rarity having her way was the last thing Applejack was going to let happen. She smirked as a plan formed in her head. She beamed a bright smile toward the unicorn.
“Let me help ya there miss!” said the earth pony as she reached for the bag and started speeding up the count.
“Oh, no no no no! You work so hard for me and all the other ponies, the least I can do is count my own money.” Rarity said moving the bag with her magic.
“I insist!”
Applejack grabbed the bag with her teeth and pulled it towards her. Rarity used her magic to retrieve it. Soon the two ponies were tugging the fabric back and forth like an intense game of tug-o-war, each exchange more forceful than the last. The rest of the ponies’ complaints began to vocalize more prominently.
“Please darling, I’m perfectly capable of counting my own money.”
“I’m aware of that mish, but ah fink fangs will go much smoofer if ah helped.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Ah do.”
“I don’t!”
“Ah do!”
“I don’t
“Ah do times infinity!”
“I don’t times infinity plus one!”
The seams holding the fabric together began to split. With a final tug from each side the fabric ripped right down the middle. Applejack fell back into her cart propelling all her apples into the air. Rarity fell in front of the colt behind her. The ponies scattered around as the apples and bits shot down to the ground like missiles. Some of the ponies did their best to catch the bits and apples in their saddle bags, most just ran for cover squishing the fruit as they ran. When the dust cleared, Applejack and Rarity sat up, their fur riddled with hoof prints and apple stains.
The orange mare growled. Half her fresh apples were completely ruined. She shot a glare at the unicorn who dusted herself off as she stood eyeing her coat disapprovingly.
“Yuck, now my fur is all icky…”
“IT JUST WERN’T ENOUGH FER YA WAS IT?! YA GON AND BREAK MY HEART, NOW YA TRYNA RUN ME OUTTA BUSINESS TOO!?”
“Applejack, darling I–”
“JUST…GO AWAY!”
Applejack sprinted off at full speed. Her frustration peaking with her sorrow screwing up her ability to think straight. She wanted to cry and curse, sob and shout, weep and wail but all she allowed herself to do was just run. Run from the pony who was currently causing her so much pain.
Rarity took off after her doing her best to desperately keep up. “Applejack… please… slow… down!” the white mare exclaimed through staggered pants.
As the two passed by Twilight’s house, Rarity stopped to catch her breath. She knew there was no way she’d be able to keep up with the country equine. The unicorn saw a branch hanging low on a nearby tree. If she timed it right, she could use it to trip Applejack. She closed her eyes and her horn began to glow. The branch wiggled slightly then started to bend backward. Rarity opened her eyes and watched Applejack as she got closer to the tree. The unicorn released the branch and it sliced through the air before making contact with Applejack’s face. The earth pony tumbled backwards before hitting the ground.
Rarity rushed over to Applejack’s side, she gasped and covered her mouth noticing the mark her miscalculation had made on the earth pony’s face. It wasn’t in need of medical attention but it was a small cut that curved down from the bottom of her eye to her chin.
“Applejack! I’m so sorry! I was only trying to trip you.”
Applejack stood up slowly and rubbed her face, taking a few steps away from the unicorn. She wiped away the droplets of blood that seeped from her cut. The earth pony felt her insides grow hot like the time in Rarity’s Boutique. She grit her teeth and closed her eyes tightly but her primal instincts would allow repression no longer as they rampaged inside of her head. Rarity had already caused a great deal of emotional pain, but now she had a physical scar of the unicorn’s egocentricity etched across her face.
“That tears it.”
Applejack turned around swiftly and dug her hooves into the unicorn’s chest knocking her to the grass. The unicorn yelped in pain as she felt the earth pony’s full weight press her into the grass leaving her completely immobilized. Rarity struggled to breathe as Applejack’s hooves dug into her chest and stomach as if trying to puncture through her internal organs. Applejack raised a forehoof and stared into Rarity’s horror-stricken eyes ready to release all of her pent up frustration upon the elegant mare’s beautiful face.
“Applejack stop!” Twilight called.
The purple equine, who had been secretly watching them from her window, sprinted out of her house and up to the two ponies. Her face was flushed with horror and her eyes filled with concern.
“This isn’t the way, you need to-”
“Twi! Yer next if ya quote somethin’ from that dumb book of yers!” Applejack said, her focus still on the unicorn’s misty eyes.
“But Applej–”
“Twilight, no, I deserve this darling.” Rarity interrupted
Twilight looked at Rarity in an attempt to protest but was cut short by the gleam of shame in her eyes.
“I hurt Applejack in a way that she didn’t deserve. I behaved worse than Blueblood did towards me at the Gala last year.” Rarity said before turning her head to look at the fury in Applejack’s eyes. “I made her feel like she was nothing to me, I took advantage of her feelings and that’s not fair.”
Twilight frowned and looked at Applejack who was still shaking violently, hoof ready to attack.
“So go ahead, darling! Strike me! I deserve everything I have coming to me. Just, be gentle please.”
Applejack snorted and her hoof shook with fury. Twilight masked her vision with her hooves and turned away lowering her ears as she did so. Just the thought of her friends fighting was too much of a scene to even contemplate. Applejack screamed as her hoof came down, slamming into the ground next to Rarity’s face leaving a dent in the dirt. She panted for a while looking at the surprised unicorn. She grunted and felt new tears start to form in her eyes. She couldn’t hit Rarity, as much as she deserved it, she just couldn’t. She blinked, stood up and turned to walk away.
Rarity rolled onto her stomach. She allowed herself a silent sigh, thankful that Applejack chose not to beat her face in, but she was still aware of the unsettled pain that she herself had inflicted on the country mare.
“Applejack, I’m so sorry.”
The orange pony stopped in her tracks, but didn’t turn around. The white mare stood.
“I treated you horribly, I said the meanest things and I was being completely selfish. I shouldn’t have lied to you about seeing Blueblood, I should have just told you the truth. Most importantly, I should’ve never called what we had nothing…because honestly Applejack… it was everything… it IS everything.”
Twilight peeked through her hooves and slowly raised her head to look as Rarity moved closer to Applejack. The orange equine sat down and fixated her gaze upon the grass.
“And what ‘bout Blueblood?”
“I was a fool to think he could ever be anything more to me than a friend. I already have a special somepony, and that’s you. Oh, Applejack I’m so sorry, please if anything, won’t you just forgive me?”
Applejack remained silent. The suffocating tension in the air caused Rarity to sigh. It seemed as if she was too late. Her words appeared to fall on ears deafened by her own self-regard.
“I understand.”
Rarity turned and started her walk home. She stopped and walked back over to Applejack whose gaze was currently on the setting sun. The unicorn placed a gentle kiss on the earth mare’s cheek. Her eyes watered and she sniffed as a single tear fell down her left cheek.
“I love you, Applejack.”
She lowered her head, defeated, turned around and began to walk again.
“What do you love ‘bout me?”
Rarity stopped and turned her head towards the earth pony.
“Wh-what?”
Applejack faced the unicorn giving her a stern gaze. She then plopped her rear down onto the grass.
“It’s a simple question; What do ya love about me?”
Rarity cast a glance at Twilight who merely shrugged her shoulders. Was Applejack forgiving her? Or was this merely a test? A sick game to get revenge and play with her feelings perhaps? She walked to her orange friend and sat down in front of her shuffling the grass with one of her hooves as she thought.
“Is there anything specific you want me to say?”
“The truth.”
Rarity looked down at the grass carefully picking her brain for words.
“I really…like your mane?”
Applejack scoffed and began to turn away before the unicorn grabbed her and looked sincerely into her eyes.
“I love the way you scoff when you’re frustrated with me. I love how I can depend on you in a crisis. I love your hoof-made apple turnovers. I love your honesty, your caring heart, your freckles, your dazzling emerald eyes.”
Rarity blushed and leaned in slowly, Applejack moved her head back only slightly, as if unsure whether she decode the amount of honesty in the unicorn’s words. Rarity gently rubbed her cheek against her friend’s.
“I love kissing you, I love feeling your fur against mine; your adorable accent. I love your heart warming smiles and the cute shade of red you turn when I kiss your cheeks.”
Sure enough, against Applejack’s will, her cheeks flushed red after the unicorn planted a gentle kiss on each one. The country equine curled her lips slightly trying to hide a smile.
“I love the feeling I get when you wrap your hooves around me. I love taking in your scent when we cuddle. I love that no matter how I’m bad I’m feeling, I can automatically think of you and find peace in my heart. I love who you are. I love who I am when I’m around you. I love you, Applejack.”
Twilight did her best to sniffle quietly as her eyes filled with tears at the romantic moment her two friends shared. She covered her mouth as a small whimper found its way out.
Applejack stared into the tear filled azure colored eyes of her friend. She felt all ill feeling inside her break; a warm sensation in her heart grew and the gaze of sincerity in the unicorn’s eyes instantly melted away all the anger and frustration she had carried for what seemed like decades. “I… I love you too, Rarity.”
Their mouths shared a soft embrace. The two ponies exchanged emotions of, passion, sorrow, and infatuation, as their lips intertwined, dancing close like lost lovers who were finally reunited after years of disconnection. Twilight was unable to hold her overwhelming emotions and wept to herself softly.
“It’s so beautiful!” Pinkie Pie said handing Twilight a tissue. Eyes full of tears, the purple unicorn looked up at the pink pony.
“Pinkie Pie? What’re you doing here? When did you even get-”
“Shhhhhh!” Pinkie hushed and pointed at the two lovers.
As Rarity and Applejack gently broke the kiss they gazed into each other’s eyes.
“I’m sorry fer getting’ all upset atcha. I know now ya just needed some closure.”
“No darling, it was my fault, if I had just talked to you we could’ve avoided this whole mess.”
“Yeah, yer right. It was all yer fault.”
An innocently smug smile formed onto Applejack’s face in response to Rarity’s offended stare.
“Rude!”
The two ponies exchanged soft smiles as Pinkie Pie and Twilight approached them.
“This will certainly make for an interesting letter to Princess Celestia.” Rarity mentioned.
“SPIKE!” Twilight called.
“Coming!” Spike yelled from inside the house. He ran out with a quill and parchment and prepared to write.
“Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that communication and honesty is the key to the success of any relationship. If you’re too afraid to explain how you feel, you could wind up hurting somepony you really care about…”
“And when ya are that somepony who does get hurt,” Applejack continued, “ it’s mighty important to be patient and let thangs take their course. Sometimes yer friends have to find a sense of closure in certain situations. Instead of bein’ judgemental and angry, ya should be supportive. Holdin’ a grudge in yer heart only makes things worse. Ya gotta trust that things will work out for the best, whether they favor you or not.”
“Is that everything?” Spike inquired.
“Also, sometimes the best way to learn something is from experience, not just from your own life, but from the lives of your friends. This is true when dealing with emotions. Although books are very useful in providing information, they are not always accurate in every situation, for everypony is different. Not everypony applies to the information you may read in a book, and you shouldn’t try to analyze them accordingly, instead you should be supportive and listen with an open mind and an open heart. Your faithful students, Applejack, Rarity and Twilight.” Twilight said completing the letter.
Spike wrapped the letter up and blew it into flames that soared to the sky delivering the letter. Twilight smiled and walked over to Applejack.
“Turns out the more I read that book, the more one-sided I realized it was. Sorry Applejack.”
“No problem Twi.”
The three ponies embraced. Pinkie jumped in the hug bawling loudly as her tears cascaded from her eyes.
“I love you guys so much!!!”
“Pinkie Pie? Where in tarnation did you even come from?”
The pink pony’s tears immediately stopped and a smiled formed on her face.
“What? I never told you that story!? Well, one day my mommy and daddy decided they loved each other a whoooooooole lot! Then, they decided they wanted babies! So my mommy propped herself on the bed, spread her legs reaaaaaaaallly wide, and…”
“OKAAAAAAY PINKIE PIE!” Twilight shouted covering Spike’s ears, “I think we get the point…”
“Wait, what? I don’t get it. Then what happened?” the baby dragon asked inquisitively.
The four ponies burst out into laughter at the baby dragon who scratched his head.
“What’s so funny? Why are you guys laughing?”
Spike folded his arms and frowned as the mares continued to bask in hysteria.
“Hmf, girls…”