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If you asked anypony in Ponyville about it the answer would be the same: Applejack was a strong pony.

“She can break a high striker with just one kick,” one of them would say.

“I saw how she bucked those Changelings away when they invaded the wedding. They flew across the ballroom and fell knocked out of the window,” somepony from Canterlot could tell you.

They would point out her performance in the last rodeo when she laced a bull by its horns and pinned it on the ground with only the power of her bare hooves. “She got might in those legs, like a true Apple,” some Appleloosan cousin would add, using the opportunity to brag about how country folks could take a hit, unlike those fancy fellas from up north.

Sturdy, brawny, tough.

“I heard she’s the one really taking care of Sweet Apple Acres, you know?” a unicorn would gossip with her pegasus friend at the comfortable chairs of the Spa while enjoying her hoofcure, “Applejack is the one I always see standing by the applecart in the main square, rain or shine.”

The school teacher would nod and smile: “She never misses Family Day, she’s always there for her sister. Unless she is saving Equestria again with all of her friends, that is.”

Applejack was carrying the world upon her shoulders, but she was doing a good job at it. She made it look so easy to find time for everything and everypony who needed her because she was a strong pony.

Fierce, zealous. 

The apple mare would snort at that conclusion, air escaping through her nostrils in an unflattering manner. 

She did what she had to do, day by day. “Nothing special about that,” she would tell you, but a hint of pride would escape through her smile, “I’m just stubborn. Can’t let the world win against me and my kin and my friends, can I?”

But now, facing Rainbow Dash’s eyes she needed another kind of strength.

A subtle kind that would make a filly still believe in the Great Seedling, even after she spent the day trapped in a hole all alone. The one that would let ponies take care of her for once, instead of her trying to look after everypony she cared about.

Vulnerability. Let others see beyond polite hat waves and watch her cry on the outside.

Shouldn’t be so hard after all, considering Rainbow had seen her in all sorts of situations - her laugh, her tears, her anger and grief, the silly face she made when they first kissed, and stood by her side, no matter how ugly she got. 

She approached the pegasus with her heart threatening to explode inside her chest, knees wobbly.  Applejack was sure. 

She took strength from the decision and there alone with her marefriend in the middle of the orchard in a fair summer sunset she found the courage to ask the question that really mattered and would make her the strongest mare in the world:

“Will you marry me?”

I hope this prompt is not repeated, I haven't read all the entries in this topic yet, but Next one: Silly

It was a stupid idea, and they knew it. At least, Applejack hoped Rainbow Dash knew too, but Rainbow being Rainbow, Applejack really should known better than to put faith of this kind in that spry blue pegasus.

After making sure they weren't breaking any laws that would get the both of them permanently banished from Equestria, they set to work in the dead of night, their hooves padding on the tiled floor of Rainbow's kitchen, mixing bowls clanging and whisks spinning, cracking of delicate eggs and dumping of packed white flour by the scoopful. By the time the oven elicited a melodious chime, Rainbow was done aggressively sniffing her mane for residual sugar crystals to lick and bounded over— Applejack caught her, and slipped a mitten on her first— to retrieve tray after tray baked goods, all hot and golden and smelling absolutely delicious. The fluffy meringue was about ready, too, so Applejack nosed the bowl over and, sighing, let Rainbow lean over and take a dollop of the cream upon her tongue. Oh well, at least she got a peck on the cheek after that.

They finished slathering the cakes with a thick layer of meringue, dusted the tops with sprinkles, and cut it into even-ish blocks that all went into a bulky, but inconspicuous-looking container. Rainbow gathered Applejack and the box up like it was second nature, and flapped those blue wings of hers until they reached a dear friend's house, and into another, and another, and another... When Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Spike woke up and found their beds surrounded by blocks of cake spelling out wishes for the new year, and questioned the scheming duo about it the next day, Applejack flushed in embarrassment and looked away; but soon she was surrounded by giggles and cheer, and she realised then that there was nothing to worry about.

Was sad to see the thread dead after a year so I sat down for a while and wrote this attempt at flash fiction lol.
Next prompt: Window

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Applejack breathed a heavy sigh as she headed back towards the farmhouse. She didn’t want to admit it, but the years were starting to catch up to her. She glanced up at the sky to confirm what she already knew: it was darker than she would have wanted it to be, the changing seasons aside.
She paused at the porch to knock her hooves against it, kicking off some of the dirt that had stuck to them. When she was satisfied that she wouldn’t be tracking in any, she climbed up, but paused for another ritual she always observed. With careful steps, she walked over to the window and peeked inside, hoping she had arrived early enough.
She had.
Rainbow Dash sat on a chair, still wearing her jacket, sunglasses pushed high on her head, telling another one of her stories to the enraptured foals sitting around her. Applejack leaned in against the window to hear.
“So there we were, surrounded by timberwolves! Each one was ten feet tall and had a million teeth! But do you think your mom was afraid?”
“Noooo!” the foals chorused.
“Of course not! Especially not when she was next to the coolest, most awesome mare in all of Equestria!”
“Aunt Pinkie?” one of the foals guessed cheekily.
“You’re on thin ice, kid,” Rainbow said flatly, but she quickly continued. “So I swooped in, and bang! I knocked the head off the biggest one. Then, I turned and kicked the second biggest one into a big pile of sticks!”
Applejack knew her cue when she heard it. She pushed open the door with her head. “Now, now,” she said over the joyous choruses of “Mom!” She gathered the foals into a hug. “I seem to recall that I took the biggest one.”
“Eh,” Rainbow said, darting over and hovering above to give her a ‘welcome home’ kiss on the tip of her muzzle, “it sounds better the way I tell it.”
“Yeah, but if it ain’t how it happened,” Applejack said doggedly. “You gotta set an example for these little ones.”
“I’m not little!” came a voice of protest.
“Fine,” Rainbow said, completely unoffended. “You can tell the story next time.”
“Maybe I will,” Applejack said with a little smile. “But for now, anypony up for apple pie?”

Next prompt: mirror

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This was a bad idea, and she knew it. The sensible part of Applejack's mind knew that this would end in a big mess, but the part that melted like butter when Rainbow Dash pulled out the puppy dog eyes still won out. Twilight's stories about the world on the other side of the mirror were intriguing, and after finding out all their alternate selves had been to Equestria to escape a sinking ship, it put to the rest the fear that going to another dimension would make the world explode, twice. So, Rainbow had been able to convince her to take a quick trip over to check the place out and meet their other selves.

It had been an adjustment for both of them after going through the mirror. Becoming "newmans", or "humanes", or whatever these creatures were called, felt weird. Things were in weird places, limbs bent the wrong way, trying to walk with only their hind legs, the freaky claws where their hooves should be, the lack of fur and tails, and Dash nearly had a heart attack when she saw her wings were gone. If the Rainbow Dash of Canterlot High hadn't been there and said hello, they might have jumped right back through the portal.

The pegasus Dash felt more at ease meeting her counterpart, and having her explain a few things to them. Afterwords, the Dashes ended up challenging each other to a game of "socker" while AJ watched from the sidelines. The farmpony enjoyed the show, especially the moments when her Dash went for pony style moves on instinct. As it went, AJ couldn't help laughing as Rainbow Dash quickly became bitter rivals with... herself.

As she watched her marefriend and her double play, she tried to wrap her head around their new bodies. She wasn't sure exactly what was considered attractive by "hummus" standards, but she assumed Dash would qualify as pretty just by being Dash. She wondered if her Dash would find her attractive as this weird hairless monkey. It was a weird line of thought, but it kept her from more naughty thoughts like what she could do with two Rainbow Dashes.

"Hello, Applejack, darling!"

Applejack jumped at the familiar voice. She looked and saw what could only be this world's Rarity climbing the bleachers towards her.

"Oh my, Applejack, you would not believe the day I've had! The shop declined my credit card, and I had to call up the bank to make sure there was nothing wrong, and my phone was only at 20 percent charge! Turned out it was just the shop's machines, thank Heavens, but of all days for it to happen! That shop is going to get a bad review on Yelp, if I have anything to say about it."

Applejack just sat there, trying to glean any sense from what this Rarity was talking about. She'd have to ask later what a credit card, a phone, and a Yelp was.

"Uh, that's too bad." Applejack ventured.

"Oh yes, Darling, but it still makes my day brighter seeing you again!"

Before Applejack knew what happened, Rarity leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. The farm pony froze in shock. She was being kissed! By Rarity! Why the hay was Rarity kissing her?! Was this a "hummin" thing?! Did they do this as a greeting instead of a hoofbump?! Rarity finally pulled away from the kiss, and winked at the stunned farmgirl.

"Oh my, I haven't seen you blush like that in ages, Jackie darling." Rarity giggled as she ran a hand over her cheek.

"Uh..." Applejack could only stare, her brain going blank as her face got redder.

"HEY!"

A loud voice got their attention. They looked up and Rarity noticed the two Rainbow Dashes on the field for the first time. Before the confused fashionista could form words, one of the Dashes came sprinting off the field towards them, looking ready to kill something. Rarity jumped back as Dash jumped and ran up the bleachers, three steps at a time. The other Dash finally realized something was wrong and zoomed after her pony self with her geode. Rarity and Applejack nearly fell out of the seats as one Rainbow Dash lunged furiously at them, but was caught by the second Rainbow Dash.

"LEMME GO! YOU SAW WHAT SHE DID!" The angry Dash yelled.

"Wait, it's not what you think!" The other Dash said as she tried to hold back her furious double from beating the stuffing out of her friend. "She just thought she was our Applejack! She and AJ are a couple in this world!"

"I DON'T CARE! I'M GONNA TEACH HER TO KEEP HER ALIEN LIPS OFF MY MARE!"

"Uh..." Rarity just stared uncomprehending at the whole strange situation.

Applejack just sighed and pulled her hat down over her face. "Yep, this was a bad idea."

Next prompt: blessing.

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Two mares trotted down the path, having a spirited discussion.
“No way,” Rainbow protested.
“Uh huh,” Applejack replied.
“That can’t be real,” Rainbow said.
“It totally is,” Applejack insisted.
“That’s just ridiculous,” Rainbow said. “That’s, like, way too presumptuous, even for them.”
“Rainbow?”
“Yeah?”
“Your jacket is embroidered with ‘the greatest flying team in Equestria’, Rainbow.”
“Yeah, but that’s true,” Rainbow said sincerely.
Applejack rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t suppress a smile.
“Oh, hey, Rarity?” Rainbow called.
Rarity looked up. “Yes, Rainbow?”
“Is it true that a group of unicorns is called a blessing?”
Rarity coughed demurely. “Well, that... that’s an older term,” she wheedled. “We’re talking pre-unification times, I mean. Back when ‘herd’ meant exclusively earth ponies and ‘flock’ meant only pegasi.”
“But?” Rainbow prompted.
Rarity sighed. “Yes, for many years, the official term for a group of unicorns was a blessing.”
Applejack smirked.
“Ok, fine,” Rainbow said, admitting defeat without explicitly admitting defeat. “Well-”
Applejack jumped and a hind leg raised instinctively at the sudden pressure on one of her flanks.
“I think this is a blessing.”
Applejack sighed.
“You mean for her strength and work ethic, I presume?” Rarity offered.
“Yeah, of course.”
Applejack exhaled, relieved that Rainbow had taken the safe route out-
“But also because you can bounce a silver bit off-”
”Rainbow!!”

Next prompt: dinner

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So I got a little carried away... I cut it short, but I might expand it into a short story if I find the time.

Sooner than they had thought it would, the end to their week-long trip to Canterlot had rolled around, and they found themselves on the bridge by the edge of the central park’s lake. They’d found a spot to sit down together, dangling their hooves over the metal rail that separated them and the water rippling just a foot below, where they could stare out over the calm, dark waters. The sun had already long set, but there were no stars out here; just an inky expanse of black sky and the cloudy white glow of the nearby city.

Rainbow Dash was sitting beside her. The thick woolly red scarf that Applejack had knitted for her so long ago was wrapped snugly around her neck, which was currently craned over at an uncomfortable angle as Rainbow strained to rip the foil off a plastic cup with her teeth.

“Need help?” Applejack chuckled. 

“Rrrrr- no-” Rainbow gritted out between her clamped teeth as she waged war against an aluminium sheet. She brought her hind limb up to push against the cup’s side, too, making Applejack really worried it was going to spill. Finally, after more struggling, the thin covering peeled halfway off the cup’s rim. 

“Hah!” Rainbow huffed and puffed, beaming proudly. “Told ya I got it!”

“Uh huh. After five whole minutes,” Applejack rolled her eyes and looked into the cup. In the dim lighting, it was a little hard to see, but she could see what looked like a dry block of noodles, curled up in rigid squiggles. “Huh. So these are the ‘instant noodles’ ya was talkin’ about. Doesn’t look like much good to me.”

“Says you!” Rainbow retorted, already making quick work of a few square, coloured packets of seasoning and bringing out a hot flask of water from her backpack. “I still can’t believe you’ve never had instant noodles in your life. These babies got me through four years of flight school in Cloudsdale.” She shook the opened packets over the noodles and poured the water from the flask into the cup. A column of steam began to rise from the contents. She licked her lips, closing her eyes as she leaned into the warmed air. “Doesn’t that just smell like heaven.”

Applejack scooted in closer to get some of the warmth too. “How’s it even work, anyway?” 

Rainbow smoothed the peeled seal back over the rim of the cup and shrugged. “I dunno. You just pour hot water in and it cooks? I guess?” Her muzzle scrunched in an adorable way. “It should be done in a minute or so. Sorry it’s getting so late,” she glanced at her apologetically as she rubbed her head. “If I hadn’t spent so long at the Wonderbolts exhibit we wouldn’t have missed that bus.”

“It’s okay, I expected as much the moment we trotted into that section of the museum,” Applejack chuckled and leaned against Rainbow’s side, where the ends of her silky spectral mane tickled her cheek. “Also…it’s purdy nice sitting out here at night, eatin’ dinner like this with nopony else around.”

“Just us two, huh?” Rainbow’s smirked, leaning back against her. “Gosh, AJ, you’re so mushy.”

“As if. Yer even mushier than me, dun act the fool,” Applejack snorted. 

“Yeah, yeah,” A cute pink blush rose to the pegasus’ cheeks. She looked away, visibly searching for a distraction as she continued to flush. Her cerise eyes zeroed on the cup. “Alright, the noodles should be done now. Have at it!” Rainbow peeled the seal off the cup and hoofed it to her, flashing her a wide grin. “I mean, it’s no candlelit dinner, but I promise it’s better.”

As it turned out, the soup was salty, the noodles were slippery, and the ingredients were artificial as all get out. But—Applejack thought to herself, smiling at Rainbow through the steam rising from her cup, as they curled up against each other watching the ripple of the lake's surface at night—it was, indeed, better.

Next prompt: flower