It was a beautiful spring afternoon at Canterlot High. The birds were chirping merrily as they flew in front of the camera, the breeze was visible in pleasant waves, the background score was unconquerably bouncy, and love was visibly in the air. Everywhere the camera would trace there were couples arm in arm and a head layed lovingly on every shoulder. As the camera reached the cafeteria the double doors swung boldly open by themselves to reveal a bustling high school full of happy teenagers chatting and enjoying their lunches.
At a table in the far corner sat a few girls we're all familiar with, waiting for the last two of their little circle of friends. Fluttershy rested her head against Sunset Shimmer's shoulder as she sipped her juice, the two having become a couple last school year, Sunset acting as Fluttershy's security girlfriend. The five girls chatted merrily, with conversations crossing and recrossing, starting, stopping, and picking up a thousand thousand times. All conversation ceased suddenly when a tray of food was plopped contemptuously down on the table, its contents spilling out haphazardly, though thankfully not getting any on Rarity's new spring skirt.
Rainbow had a long sour grimace on her face as she fell onto the bench seat. Without a word she started wolfing down her chili dog and glared in annoyance at the big Applejack shaped empty spot at the table. The rest of the girls sighed, knowing without having to be told what the issue was. Rainbow and Applejack were fighting again. They knew it was their duty, but no one wanted to be the one to broach the subject.
Eventually the fervent glances all fell to Sunset who sighed hard. On days like this she wondered to herself why she didn't just stay evil. She spoke in a sarcastic monotone, having had to ask this question every other week for six months. "Rainbow, you look upset. What's wrong?"
The entire table answered as one as the frowning girl growled, "Applejack."
"Um, was it the boots thing again?" Fluttershy asked from under a lock of long pink hair, giving Sunset an extra squeeze to work up the nerve. Sunset smiled to herself and squeezed back.
"NO!" Rainbow barked back, causing the timid girl to squeak in fear and cuddle closer to her girlfriend. "I just wanted a little AFFECTION from my GIRLFRIEND." Her voice dropped into a low growl. "If she even is my girlfriend." She flailed her chili dog holding hand about, slinging delicious sauce about, forcing Rarity to have to duck and weave as the furious girl ranted. Pinkie Pie dutifully intercepted the offending droplets, being a rather devoted fan of Granny Smith's world famous secret chili sauce, snatching them out of the air with her tongue like a chameleon.
"You know what I found out today?!" She shouted, asking no one in particular. "I found out she hasn't told her family about us!" She waited in vain for a shocked gasp that never came.
Twilight took the pause to get a word in edgewise. "Well Dash, you know Granny Smith doesn't approve of dating in high school."
"Yer dern raght ah don't!" Granny Smith said, placing the leftover pot of chili on the table for Pinkie Pie as per their arrangement. "Bunch a youngins runnin around lovin on each other all hopped up on whore moans and end or fins! Runnin headlong inta heartbreak and needless drama." She flashed her most wrinkly maternal glare down at the six girls. "Iffn y'all'r wahse you'll stay'way frum all that nonsense! Hrmph!" She punctuated her wisdom by plopping down her ladle into the pot of chili, causing one single minuscule drop to land on the very edge of Rarity's skirt. She fainted on the spot.
Rainbow made rude faces at the retreating lunch lady. "Whatever!" She growled under her breath. "It's none of her business who her granddaughter's with anyhow!" She groaned hard and popped up from the table. "I'm gonna go practice." She slammed her tray into the trash and stormed off. The remaining girls watched sadly as their friend stomped away towards the soccer fields.
"Poor Rainbow." Pinkie said over a mouthful of delicious chili. "I didn't know Applejack was ashamed of her. Mmmmm." She lifted the pot to her mouth and inhaled a cartoonishly large volume of the spicy red sauce.
"I don't think Applejack's ashamed of Rainbow Pinkie." Twilight said uncertainly. "She's just reluctant to open up. I mean, I am!" She blushed and waved her hands. "I've never even kissed a boy before!" She turned towards her reserved friend, still cowering under the protection of her girlfriend's comforting leather jacket. "Sunset, you had to take it slow with Shy right?"
"Nope." Sunset said casually over a mouthful of sandwich.
"We do it all the time." Fluttershy confirmed as if there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Sunset added. "Twice this morning."
The three girls spit their drinks in unison. Pinkie snorted, "It's always the quiet ones."
"It's barely noon!" Rarity exclaimed while furiously rubbing the detergent stick over the stain on her skirt.
Sunset grinned knowingly. "Oh and I'm sure you know nothing about this sort of thing."
Rarity straightened up suddenly as if stung. She blushed up to the eyes. "A lady does not kiss and tell!" She said firmly.
Sunset nodded, secure in the knowledge of her victory in the debate. "What about you Pinkie?"
A giant pink tongue stretched all the way around the girl's face leaving it sparkling clean. Pinkie giggled as she said. "Oh, my widdle cheesy weesy cream pies me all the time!"
Again drinks shot out of mouths. Sunset almost flopped backwards out of her seat as she howled with laughter. Twilight barked. "Pinkie!"
Before she could continue, a yellow student in a Hawaiian shirt with long kinky hair ran up and smashed a Banana cream pie right into the pink girl's face. Pinkie giggled until she snorted. "Love you too."
Rarity and Twilight heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. That's what you meant."
Pinkie gave a knowing look. "Was it Twilight? Was it?"
The four girls sat in stunned silence for several seconds. "Okay I'm leaving!" Twilight said, quickly popping up from the table and grabbing her bag. "I have free study with Applejack next period. I'll talk to her and see what's going on." She scuttled away from the lewd scene as fast as her legs would carry her.
"And I uh. . . I have a rendezvous to attend to. Farewell ladies." She tried to scuttle away but didn't quite escape in time.
Sunset cooed in a teasing tone, "Oh, you mean with that blonde football player I saw you talking to last week?"
Rarity stopped dead in her tracks. She did an about face, cheeks blazing red. She inhaled and raised a finger to retort, but nothing came to mind. She turned and quickly retreated.
Sunset glanced down at the gentle tugging on her jacket. Fluttershy was finishing putting on a spiked collar around her neck. "Round three?" She pleaded. Sunset lifted her straight off the bench and buried her tongue in the shy girl's mouth. Twilight arrived at study hall and found her rural friend leaned far back from a table on the back legs of her chair, her stetson low on her brow, a scowl on her face, biting violently into a large red delicious apple like a predator biting into its prey.
Twilight sat timidly down in the seat next to her and fished for the most delicate way to broach the conversation. Thankfully her friend started the conversation for her so that she didn't have to. "Ah don't wanna talk about it."
The bookworm sighed. "I know, and I'm not the best to give you advice on the matter. That's cadence's bag." She delicately placed a hand on the farm girl's shoulder. "But you're my friend, and Rainbow's my friend too. I'd like to help if there's any way that I can." For the first time Applejack pushed back the hat far enough for Twilight to see that she'd clearly been crying recently. Twilight's eyes went wide at the sight. Applejack cried on the inside! Not the outside.
The blonde girl sighed and brought the front two legs of her chair down to the floor. She leaned far forward and gathered her thoughts. "It's just." She blushed slightly at having to say such private things out loud. "Ah mean Ah like Rainbow, a whole lot!" She sat up and her face grew hard with annoyance. "It's just Ah'm just not quaht ready to go. . . Quaht that far, just yet. And that hard headed gal just DON'T LISTEN!" Applejack stamped a booted foot on the floor so hard the class shook slightly.
Twilight coaxed the magically super-powered girl into a slightly calmer state. Applejack sighed again. "Ah don't know Twahlaght. . . Maybe Ah'm just bein fussy over nuthin." She pulled her hat low on her brow again and crossed her arms.
"Well, no, not really." Twilight began sheepishly. Applejack glanced sidelong at her from under her hat. Twilight blushed, having no experience with such matters. "I mean, if you don't want to be touched then you don't have to let her, ya know."
The hat slipped slightly further up on the forehead. Applejack smiled slightly at hearing her own words said by someone else. The smile faltered though as the farm girl's honest nature got the best of her. "Well that's just it." She receded further into herself, her voice barely above a whisper. "I mean. I kinda like it. The. . . Things we do. . . When we're alone. It's just sometimes she wants a bit more than I'm willin to give raght this minute, and she gets a bee in er bonnet when I wanna stop."
Twilight, being completely out of her element with such troubles, attempted to approach the issue from a psychological angle. "Well. . . She's more boisterous and adventurous, and you're more level headed and reserved. It makes sense that she would be more comfortable doing. . . That, on a faster time line. But I think, from what you've told me, she feels like that means you don't reciprocate her affection. Does that make sense."
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Naw Twilight, nuthin y'all says makes sense with yer big fancy words."
Twilight smiled bashfully. "Sorry um. She thinks that you not wanting to be touched means you don't like her as much." Her tone grew quieter knowing she was approaching a delicate subject. "Do you. . . Love. . . Her?" Applejack sat in contemplative silence for an uncomfortably long moment. The purple bookworm felt like she'd hit a nerve and tried to backtrack. "I'm sorry. I."
"Yes." Applejack whispered so softly Twilight wasn't sure she actually heard it. Her eyes went wide as she saw tears begin to stream down the usually so stalwart young woman. "Ah do Twahlaght! I love er. Whether we're kissin, er arm wrastlin, er just hangin out, mah heart swells up like it's gonna burst!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "Feels like Ah'm floatin when we're together."
The girl that hadn't even had her first kiss couldn't help but smile at this unexpected outpouring of affection. "Well, have you told her that yet?" Applejack looked at her with a guilty expression and shook her head. Twilight gently layed a purple hand on the farm girl's orange one. "Well maybe that's something she'd like to know."
Applejack looked away. "I know, n Ah been meanin to tell er but. . ."
"Buuuuut. . .?" The book worm prompted.
"But Iffn she ain't gonna quit her grabbin when Ah tell her to stop does she really love me?!" Applejack shouted, tears in her eyes, startling the few other students in the classroom.
Twilight waved sheepishly at the other students and they went back to their studying. "Hrmm, that does make sense. I can see why you're troubled about it." Applejack couldn't respond. She sat, doing her best to keep her little episode to herself. Twilight's heart ached for her friend. She knew She had to do something. "Look A.J., I'll talk to Rainbow Dash about it okay? Maybe she just doesn't realize how much this bothers you?"
Applejack wiped the last tear from her eye and inhaled deeply. "Thanks Twah." She squeezed the meek woman tightly around the neck. "Sorry about the water works." She sniffed away the last of her mood.