"Ah honestly don't know why I'm talking to ya. You're nothing but trouble!", Applejack exclaimed as she dodged Discord who had just popped in front of her.
"Me? Trouble?", Discord asked. "I have no idea what in Equestria you're talking about."
Applejack huffed and turned 'round again. "Stealing our elements, taking away our magic, almost ruining Fluttershy..."
"Okay.", Discord admitted. "Maybe I did some things that were a bit troublesome."
Applejack continued. "Tried to take over Equestria multiple times, picked Tirek over Fluttershy..."
"Okay," Discord said shrugging his shoulders and actually looking a little guilty. "I admit I am a troublemaker," he said, summoning a leather jacket and biker gloves onto his mismatched body. He smirked.
"Hardy har har," Applejack laughed dryly, and turning back around to walk away.
Discord should've taken his leave by now if he picked up on social clues. But he didn't. Because why would he? There was plenty of chaos right here!
"Besides, you have a problem of your own.", he said, pointing skyward.
Rainbow Dash was flying overhead.
"Yep, that's Rainbow Dash, what about her?", Applejack said nonchalantly, still walking.
"Oh Applejack, when will you stop lying to yourself and come out to her?", Discord asked.
Applejack's ears turned red.
"Ah, it seems I've struck a nerve. It's seems we've hit a how do you say, impasse."
"You're not funny Discord," Applejack said, stopping and staring resolutely in the other direction from where he was.
"What are you talking about dear Applejack, I'm hiss- sterical!", he said, transforming into a snake.
"Ya turned into a snake didn't ya?", Applejack asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes," Discord said proudly.
"No," Applejack said and continued walking the other way.
"Don't you want to know if she feels the same?", Discord asked, now being serious, genuinely concerned.
"She don't. She don't even like mares.", Applejack said in a firm tone.
"What?!", Discord said laughing.
Applejack's face steamed and she continued walking.
"Sorry!", Discord called out, this time in a more caring tone. "It's just, her mane and tail are rainbow! Of course she likes mares!"
"Color don't mean anything!", Applejack said, huffing to pick up a crate of apples.
"Yeah but she's Rainbow Dash! She feels the same way!", Discord called from behind her.
Applejack had had enough. "So what? She ain't ever gonna feel the same way!", she said, stomping her hooves and turning around.
Discord shrinked back. Quite literally actually, growing smaller until he was only one inch tall.
-----------Later...
Applejack was going to come out one way or another. It wasn't healthy for her to hide her feelings. At least that was what Fluttershy had told him. However, she had also told him that manipulating Applejack wasn't a good idea, so Fluttershy was probably wrong. Nevertheless, he told Rainbow to come to Sweet Apple Acres at 4:00 so that he could have Applejack admit her feelings, and everything would be fine.
----------------Even Later
At 3:00 Rainbow had gotten the message from Derpy saying that Discord had wanted to meet her at Sweet Apple Acres along with Applejack at 4:00. At 3:15 she had napped. At 3:45 she was still napping. And, at 4:00 she was awake. Late, but awake.
As she soared through the air, she wondered if AJ would be ticked that she was late. I mean, Discord wouldn't care, but AJ? She might be the slightest bit perturbed.
When she got there however, she touched down to find a sight that disturbed her. Discord was holding Applejack by the scruff of her neck, up in the air.
"Let me go you bucket a 'turds!", Applejack shouted, thrashing.
"Language, language dear Applejack.", Discord replied, drawing forth some thing from behind his back. It was glinting and shiny, and-
It was a metallic picture frame of Rainbow.
'Huh?', Rainbow thought mentally as she observe the object that was in fact harmless. Well, harmless so far...
"No, don't do that!", Applejack said as Discord began to open his mouth.
And he swallowed it. This is why it's labeled under random, folks.
And then he pulled a beautiful red diary out of his throat.
Applejack let out a muffled groan from her mouth, which was blocked by her hooves.
Discord made a throat clearing noise.
"Wait!", Applejack said. "Don't read that!"
"Why not?", Discord asked.
Rainbow was now intrigued. It was really wrong of her to side with Discord, but she really wanted to know what was in that diary, and...
She shook her head, no matter what would happen, she would stand by Applejack.
"I'll tell her everything!", Applejack said.
Discord considered, but just to be sure, put a lying spell on her.
"Now, let's start with the basics.", Discord said, grinning.
"Discord stop!", Rainbow shouted. She was so sick of Discord ruining everything!
"I don't think you'll want me to stop once you hear the truth.", Discord said, grinning like a cat.
"Now. Let's start from the beginning. Applejack, do you like mares?"
"What? No! I hate them! Going out with one would be just plain gross!", Applejack said, sweating profusely. "We done yet?", she whispered.
"Not even close," Discord rumbled into her ear.
"And do you like one particular mare?", Discord asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"What? Noooooo.", Applejack said, eyes darting back and forth.
Applejack was lying! Rainbow understood now. And Discord was right, she did not want him to stop. This would be interesting...
"Applejack do you like Rainbow Dash?", Discord asked, holding back a chuckle.
"What? No! I hate her! And I'm most certainly not in love with the mare!", Applejack said, her words coming fast and nervous.
"I just asked if you liked her.", Discord deadpanned.
"Well I don't like her either!", Applejack shouted.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
Discord whispered something in Applejack's ear, and it made her cringe.
"What! I most certainly do not want to tie her to my bedpost and-", she said cutting herself off to listen to Discord's warped questions more. "-have ma way with her!? That's just disgusting!"
Rainbow's face grew bright red. In hope and embarrassment.
Applejack's eyes darted back and forth as she listened to Discord's questions.
"No! I would never do that to Rainbow! I would definitely do it on Granny Smith's bed! You're not warping my words at all, why I never!"
Applejack groaned.
"Y'all haven't had your fun! Are you not ready?"
Discord saw how much this was aggravating Applejack, and released her from the spell.
After he let her go, and dropped her gently on the ground, she made eye contact with Rainbow, and took off running.
Because in Rainbow's eyes she had not seen hope or desire, she had seen shock and dismay, and she thought she had seen a little rage, too.
But in A.J's eyes, Rainbow had seen desperation. She needed the pegasus and the pegasus needed her.
But Applejack ran away.
Away from her selfish dirty lesmare desires, and away from the pony she wanted.
She galloped toward the barn, tail shining like spun gold behind her. And when Rainbow chased her, she looked behind and saw something she had always wanted, the mare of her dreams chasing after her, not the other way around.
So she slowed down, and just ran to the barn rather than her room in the house. If Rainbow wanted to talk, she would come to her, and talk the through the barrier for the mare she wanted.
So she slammed the door, and listened to the quiet. It strangled sound. The animals were silent. The wind wouldn't aid in the threat of noise.
More silence.
Even more silence.
Then, all of a sudden, panting came from the other side of the door.
Followed by a voice so raspy yet feminine that it had to be who she wanted.
And who wanted her.
But rather than follow her heart, the farm pony sat inside the barn, wet rivulets silently streaming down her cheeks.
"Applejack.", the voice on the other side said, as not so much a question, but a statement. She wanted confirmation she was doing this for a reason. That the earth pony she had wanted for such a long time was in there. Waiting.
Applejack gave that to her in the form of a wet sniffle, trying to dry her nose from the snot that was pouting down it, and stifled a laugh at the situation she was was in. Here she was, hiding in a barn from the the pony she wanted, and the pony that she knew wanted her, yet she couldn't even bring her self to open up the barn door? She was a silly pony. A silly, silly pony.
But she forced herself to get serious. She couldn't tell if Rainbow had left or not. Then she felt a brief flash of panic, of Rainbow giving up on her.
'Ridiculous,' she told herself. 'The element of loyalty wouldn't abandon any of her friends.'
But what if she had made a mistake? What if Rainbow had gotten spooked and had run off?
Then again, this was Rainbow.
She listened for her desired's breath, her heart pounding beneath her chest.
Lungs pumping, she gathered courage, then closed her eyes and listened closely.
Outside she could hear Rainbow doing the same, listening through the door, hoping against hope, breathing nice and slowly.
They both panicked, sure the other had made a run for it, scared by the prospect of softening up and taking on love and each other in more than just a competition for once.
"Are you still there?", Rainbow asked Applejack in a voice that was barely a whisper. Shaky but hearable.
When Applejack took a minute to respond, Rainbow was about to turn her head from the door, but nonetheless end up waiting for the pony she loved to come out.
She was just about to settle down and work up the courage to lay beside the barn door until Applejack called her.
But then, in the faintest of whispers, a voice that was equally as shaky replied back.
"I'm here Sugarcube."