//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Making a Difference 
// by gilo 
//------------------------------//

"Wow, I never thought you were into this stuff, Applejack!"

A raspy voice said as soon as Applejack stepped outside of the boutique, making her jump in surprise.

"Ah! R-Rainbow Dash!"

Applejack turned to her rainbow-haired friend, who was leaning against the wall of the boutique with a teasing smirk on her face.

"W-what kind of stuff are ya talkin' about?"

"You know, that fancy-shmancy fashion stuff! I always thought you were an old-fashioned type."

Applejack raised an eyebrow and folded her hands.

"So ya were spyin' on me?"

Rainbow shrugged.

"I was just walking by and saw you through the window, all relaxed on Rarity's chair, so I decided to watch. You dropped out pretty quick!"

She snickered and teasingly bumped AJ's arm. Jackie wasn’t going to get provoked that easily, though.

“You decided to watch, huh? I bet ya wanted to try that out yourself! I wonder how long ya would last in mah place…”

Applejack smirked, watching Rainbow get flustered right in front of her eyes. It looked like AJ hit the spot.

“Wha- pfft, d-don’t make me laugh! I don’t even like this stuff! Like, what’s even the point of getting your hair made all fancy? It's gonna eventually get dirty anyway!”

“Well, for starters, it does feel real nice. But tell me, Rainbow, have ya tried it at least once?”

“W-well, no, but-”

“There ya go! Ya can’t just say ya don’t like somethin’ without even tryin’ it! I say ya should give it a go!”

Rainbow blushed and nervously averted her eyes. The country girl patted Dashie on the shoulder and gave her a little smile.

“Just think about it, awright? I gotta go somewhere now.”

“Alright.. See you later, Jackie…”

This time, being called Jackie didn’t make any impact on Applejack. It only hit her hard when Rarity said it. So she turned around and began to walk towards the Town Square. After a moment, though, she looked back once more, only to see the door to the boutique slamming closed, with no Rainbow Dash in sight. Applejack smiled and chuckled, and then continued walking. 

“There we go. A new customer in exchange for Rarity’s generous service.”

Applejack thought to herself. She was really glad that Rainbow didn’t ask why she was so flustered when being confronted. Now, AJ needed someone to help her express her feelings towards Rarity. Someone kind, gentle and loving. Thankfully, she knew just the person.