Applejack awoke from yet another dream of a certain rainbow-maned pegasus. They had begun a few days after the incident, and for Applejack they contained answers. They were visions of her friend’s bravery, confidence, and loyalty. Visions of a friend who’d never let down those important to her. Visions of one of the greatest ponies Applejack knew.
Applejack found a happiness in these dreams that she hadn’t expected.A sort of pleasure that was new to her, yet at the same time felt familiar. It brought good memories. Memories of a pony who was there for her before anyone else. Memories of the time spend with the friend she felt closest to.
In this, Applejack found clarity. While she didn’t entirely understand what happened with Rainbow, she knew how she felt about it. The closeness she felt to her friend...That was something special. Perhaps it was mere infatuation, but it was vivid nonetheless.
However, she and Rainbow hadn’t had much communication in the past week. She’d felt too awkward and confused, and clearly Rainbow felt the same.
Suddenly, Applejack remembered something else. It’d been a week since her last appointment with Rarity. Which meant today Rarity would want her to come by for more dress-wearing. Applejack was still not entirely enthused by wearing dresses, but maybe now would be the time to tell Rainbow how she felt.
That’d have to be later, though. Now she had work to do.
A few hours later Applejack and Rainbow arrived at the same time to the Carousel Boutique. The two remained silent as they entered.
Rarity was typically enthusiastic. She’d forgotten to convince them to return last week, and was delighted that they’d returned of their own accord. Just in case this was a mistake, though, Rarity said nothing.
“Applejack, would you come with me to the dressing room?” she asked.
Applejack nodded and went to the room she was now familiar with. Rarity was fitting her a new dress, and she considered what she’d say to Rainbow. Soon, she found herself looking in a mirror, and her jaw dropped. The dress was a sort of brown colour. It was a bit shorter than the previous ones, and ended at Applejack’s ankles. The dress was fastened by a few buttons at the top.
Applejack’s hair was brushed up and tied around the back, not so much in a ponytail as in a series of clips and short braids. This time, Rarity elected to leave her tail alone, instead choosing to simply keep it trimmed above the dress’ bottom.
However, what was the most notable was how Rarity had accessorized her. On Applejack’s hooves were tight, stylized boots. They were fancy, yet seemingly practical. Applejack was also given a stylized stetson with a white strip sewn on around the brim.
“Wow, Rarity, This is amazing,” Applejack said.
“Thank you so much, darling,” Rarity said. “Now, come out when I’ve taken Rainbow in. I want this to be a surprise for both of you.”
Applejack blushed at Rainbow’s name. Rarity raised an eyebrow.
“Alright, Rarity, go deal with Rainbow Dash. I’ll be out in a moment,” Applejack said.
Rarity found Rainbow in the foyer. Rainbow had been thinking about Applejack, as she’d taken to doing rather frequently lately. Fluttershy was right. She did have a crush. But she didn’t know if she should tell anyone, or if AJ felt the same way.
“Rainbow, would you come with me to the change room?” Rarity asked. Rainbow, happy for the distraction, followed Rarity to the room in question. Soon, Rainbow found herself in a breezy white dress, with the occasional splash of sky blue. It looked like Rainbow was wearing a cloudy sky. Her mane had grown back, so Rarity had brushed it down and out of her eyes.
“Wow,” Rainbow said, looking at her reflection. Applejack was going to see her like this. The thought both excited and scared her. Rarity picked up on her nervousness.
“What’s bothering you, darling?” she asked.
“I… I don’t know. This dress thing… it started off as a stupid dare, y’know? But…” Rainbow paused, looking for the right words. “It’s like… I didn’t want to look uncool, especially in front of Applejack, but now it’s like… like I want her to see me. I dunno.”
“Rainbow… do you have feelings for Applejack?”
Rainbow’s face flushed a deep red. She looked away and simply nodded. Rarity raised a hoof to her mouth, eyes wide open. This whole situation had become much more than she had intended.
“So, are you going to tell her?” Rarity asked.
Now, it was Rainbow’s turn to don a shocked expression. “I don’t know. What if she doesn’t feel the same? I don’t want to hurt our friendship.”
“Rainbow, you need to tell her. Applejack would want you to be honest with her.”
“Yeah… I guess she would.” Rainbow paused. “I don’t… I don’t even know where these feelings came from. How did I get a crush…” Rainbow winced slightly. “...on Applejack?”
Rarity smiled. “Darling, you two were always close. After all you’ve done together, this almost doesn’t come as a surprise.”
Rarity was right. Applejack was Rainbow’s closest friend. The two had always brought something out in each other that only surfaced when they were together, and now Rainbow saw how special that was.
“Yeah, you’re right,” she said.
“So, go out there and tell her! I have a feeling it’ll go better than you expect.”
“Thanks, Rarity,” Rainbow said with a smile, before heading out.
Rainbow left the room. Applejack stood right across from her. When the two noticed each other, they both stood with their mouths agape, staring at each other’s dresses. After they had spent a minute admiring each other’s appearance, Applejack spoke.
“Rainbow, I have something I need to tell you.” Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat. Applejack continued. “I think I have feelings for you, Rainbow. This whole dress thing started off as something we were tricked into, but over time I’ve come to care about how I look to you. I…” Applejack paused, seemingly deciding what to do next. Her thoughts were interrupted by Rainbow’s hoof on her mouth. Rainbow had tears streaming down her face, but she was smiling. Applejack soon matched Rainbow’s smile with one of her own, and the two met each other’s lips.
Rarity stood in the entrance to the dressing room, smiling at her friends. Fluttershy owed her 10 bits. It occurred to her that the two might like some privacy, so she slipped quietly into her idea room.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash finally pulled apart and looked into each other’s eyes. “You look great,” Applejack said.
“You do too,” Rainbow replied. To Rainbow, that was an understatement. In that moment, Applejack looked gorgeous.
The two smiled at each other. “So, uh… would you maybe like to go out for dinner sometime?” Rainbow asked.
Applejack grinned. “Sure thing, sugarcube.” Both knew that this was the start of something wonderful.