Clear

by Drizzle Quill

Two: Her Father

Mixed emotions burst out from all of the gathered ponies in the circle; Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gasped in surprise, pulling their hooves to their mouths to shelter their shock, while Twilight simply smiled and rolled her violet eyes. Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue, but she had a sly smile on her face.

And Applejack? Applejack stared in horror.

That couldn't be right. After the whole Father's Day incident...there simply was no way that Rarity could simply have rebounded and headed straight in another direction instead! After she had realized the feelings AJ had sheltered for so long...

She had just walked away to form a relationship with a dragon instead?

Rarity broke the silence first, with an apprehensive giggle. "I'm very excited about this. I believe that this relationship will be calm and smooth, and will take life very seriously."

It was like a hundred pounds of bricks had just fallen out of the sky and smashed AJ into the ground. Those words...those were the same words she had used while trying to explain why she couldn't have a relationship with her! So Spike, of all creatures, could make her relationship smooth?

Pinkie let out a squeal and began to bounce in a circle around her friends, provoking a reaction from each of them except for one: Applejack, who was staring off into the distance, mind boggled. "Ooh, this is so exciting~! I have to throw a Pinkie Pie Party for Rarity-getting-a-new-special-somepony-except-he's-a-dragon-so-I-guess-that-makes-him-a-special-somedragon!"

The words soared through one of Applejack's ears and right out the other as she pondered the horrid failure she had undergone on this day. Why me? What did Ah do wrong? Apple Bloom has the best idea in all o' Equestria, and Sweet Celestia, something goes wrong?

"We can't do the party, Pinks," Rainbow pointed out, ruffling her wings as she did so.

Pinkie stopped bouncing in midair, blue eyes wide and confused. "Why not?" she whimpered, almost like a little baby that was confused and wanted her mother.

"The trip." After a few seconds, the pegasus added for emphasis, "Duh."

"Oh yeah! Silly dilly Twinkie Pinkie! How could I have forgotten about your big...amazing...wonderful trip...without me?" The last words sounded forced, like Pinkie was lying through her teeth, but Rainbow was clearly so dense to it that she just grinned.

"I need to get Tank home for his mealtime," the pegasus noted, glancing around to see how the sun lined up in the sky. Wings popping out from her sides, she ruffled the feathers. "Come on, Tank!" she called to the tortoise behind her, and then to her friends, "Goodbye!"

As Rainbow Dash soared off, Fluttershy too ducked her head. "I have to hurry on home also. My poor little critters...I promised them we could have a tea party, and if I'm late they'll get very worried." She smiled, a very small smile. "You understand..." Teal eyes flashed with worry. "Right?"

"Of course, darling! We're fine," Rarity assured her. "Go on home to your furry animals and things."

In a similar manner, Twilight left (she had to go work with her new princess duties and truly didn't want to be late) as well as Pinkie, who claimed she had to go and take care of Pound and Pumpkin Cake back at Sugarcube Corner. Just like that they were both gone.

And just like that, it was only Applejack and Rarity left.

The silence was extreme, and it was awkward, and suddenly Applejack had an itch, right on the back of her neck where it was hardest to reach, but she wasn't going to try to scratch up against a tree because that would be just as awkward as if she was the first one to speak and so they both sat there and watched Opalescence taunt Winona from the top branches of a large tree.

To AJ's relief, Rarity was the first one to speak. "Lovely weather we're having, is it not?"

The typical weather conversation. Easy, convenient, and perfect for awkward situations such as this one. Applejack nodded. "Shucks, Ah'd say the pegasi have outdone themselves. They must have worked their tail-feathers off to make the sky this nice lookin'."

The unicorn nodded, sapphire eyes glowing. "Positively gorgeous! Perfect for the walk around Ponyville Spike and I will take later tonight."

A rumbling, bubbling, sick feeling began to appear in the farmpony's stomach; with a cheery grin she pushed it down. "Is that so? Well, I do hope y'all have a mighty fine time."

Rarity blinked and turned to face her, an expression of confusion upon her face, as if that was not what she had expected Applejack to say. "...Thank you, Applejack," she said, forcing out a large smile. "I'm most sure that we will."

That was when AJ realized it: Rarity hadn't forgotten the Father's Day incident - far from it, as a matter of fact. She was just trying to push it out of mind. Somehow that made things both better and worse. It meant that Rarity was just confused. She didn't know who to love - she was on the brink of deciding where to go, and she needed somepony to show her the way, somepony to make her decision clear.

Applejack intended to be that pony.

But she couldn't come up with a plan right there, with Rarity's intense blue gaze staring her down. "Ah-Ah got to go home, Rare," she stuttered, trying to think up an honest excuse. "Gotta do some chores around the farm." That was a truth - she did have the pigs to wash. "Maybe we can talk again sometime soon?"

"Yes." The snowy unicorn dipped her head, eyes sparkling as AJ turned away. "Yes, I think I'd like that."

As Applejack approached the farm, Winona bounded at her heels, every few seconds emitting a happy little yip, before streaking off as she noticed three figures bouncing around the apple farm, squealing and cheering. AJ recognized them before their figures could get clear, and she smiled.

"I'm gonna get my cutie mark in apple-bucking first!"

"Are you crazy? Ah'm the actual apple bucker 'ere!"

"You're both wrong! My awesomeness will cause me to win!"

"Howdy, girls," Applejack called as she trotted past the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who had stopped their current task to bicker and fret among themselves. Noticing the farmpony, however, they leapt up and all chased after her, yelling her name over and over again until AJ reluctantly stopped.

"Hiya, Applejack!" the orange pegasus filly Scootaloo proclaimed, holding up one hoof for a high-hoof, which the farmpony returned, allowing herself a casual grin. "How're you today?"

"Ah'm fine," she returned, as Apple Bloom pushed her friend off to one side to receive the whole of her sister's attention.

"We're tryin' to get our cutie marks in farm-caretakin'!" she announced, tipping her head back and lifting her chin ever so slightly with obvious pride. "Ah think that Ah'll get mine first, because Ah actually live here! Don't you think so, Applejack? Don't you think so?"

Once again, before she could reply, the filly was pushed out of the way, but this time by the white unicorn Applejack recognized as Rarity's sister, Sweetie Belle. "Well, I don't think any of us are going to get out cutie marks at this," she complained in her high, slightly-squeaky voice. "We're all terrible! Look at us!"

It was true; the three were a mess, all covered in bark and tree sap. Applejack smiled. "Ah suppose y'all might want to take a bit of a rest."

"But...! Aw, you're right, sis. Maybe we'll get our cutie marks at the school play tomorrow night!" Apple Bloom remarked, turning first from her sister to her friends, who nodded in agreement before they all burst into their usual, ear-splitting cheer.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER PLAY PERFORMERS, YAY!"

Applejack allowed a small chuckle before all three were talking at once; Apple Bloom snatched onto her sister's leg and begged, "Please, y'all will be coming, right?" with amber eyes as large as Celestia's sun, while Scootaloo chattered about how playing the villain would be the best thing ever.

But what Sweetie Belle was saying caught AJ's attention more than the rest.

"Well, my mom and dad are going to be there! Actually, they're already here! They arrived this morning!"

Magnum was here, in Ponyville? The pony that started this whole mess with Rarity's emotions in the first place?

In an instant, Applejack knew what she had to do. Tipping her hat back, she leaned down so that she was eye-to-eye with Sweetie, who also had green eyes, though they were a much lighter shade than her own. "Sugahcube, do ya think ya could show me where yer dad is?"

After a brief moment's hesitation, Sweetie furrowed her brow and nodded firmly. "Come on! He's probably at the Boutique!"

Maybe it wouldn't take too long to tip Rarity's perspective after all - not if one of the ponies who knew her best was here, now. Maybe it wouldn't take long at all.

"Applejack! Oh, wow, it's been how many days since I saw you last?"

Hastily shaking the white hoof of an over-eager Magnum, AJ smiled, feeling the familiar heat of a blush rising into her cheeks. "About a week," she answered. "It's a mighty pleasure to see you again."

"You too, you too!" Magnum finally stopped shaking her hoof, though it had been shook for so long that Applejack was astounded to find that her orange hoof continued to vibrate up and down in the air. That was annoying! What kind of pony did that to others? "So sorry Rarity couldn't be here to see you drop by - she's off with some other pony. Spike, or something like that?"

"Yup," AJ muttered, not even willing to point out the fact that Spike was nowhere near a pony. "Ah was wondering if Ah could ask you about something."

"My cutie mark?" Magnum asked, sitting down and brandishing the three footballs that made him so proud. "Did I ever tell you the story of this thing? It makes me so proud to this day..." His blue eyes got a dazed look in them as he stared off into space, somewhere beyond Applejack's head. "So proud...Fiery Splash dove at me, you know, looking as big as a table, trying to knock the ball out of my hooves, but did I give up? No! I rolled - yes, you heard me, rolled - out of his way and began to eagerly canter towards the goal, knowing that I was being chased on all sides by ponies bigger than I would ever get..."

"Magnum?" Applejack interrupted as politely as she could. "Can Ah just please talk to you now?"

He stopped talking and looked up at her, blinking blue eyes once. "Sure!"

A deep breath went in and then came out. They were alone - Sweetie Belle was helping her mother cook over in the kitchen - and so it shouldn't have been any problem. Just ask. Just ask 'im, Applejack.

"Well," she started, slowly at first. "Ah was wonderin'...since ya know Rarity real well and all...how could one, say...impress 'er?"

Applejack regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth; in shame, she pulled her hat down over her brown and looked away, a rosy blush heating in her cheeks and ears, causing them to fold backwards almost flat against her head.

Magnum smiled and let out a long, hearty laugh. "Impress her? Why, my little Rare is an easy one to impress! If you do her a favor, any favor that means more than a 'good job' to her, why then she'll be as impressed as anything!"

Any favor that means more than a simple 'good job' will impress her? Just like that? AJ was stunned. Though she had imagined it would be easy, she hadn't thought it would be oh-so-simple. Now she just had to find some way to impress her...

Slowly Magnum stopped smiling and gave her an inquisitive look. "Why?"

Applejack was saved from having to answer by a loud knock on the door and a squeal of "Applejack! Applejack! It's time for ya to do your chores! Granny Smith says!"

"Aw, shoot. Looks like Ah have to go. Bye, Magnum! Nice talkin' to ya!" the farmpony announced loudly as she backed out of the door, trying to avoid any type of conversation whatsoever. With a last grin and a little wave, she whipped open the door, slid out, and slammed it behind her.

All Ah have to do is complete some sorta big favor...but how?