The Sleepover

by Oblivion14

7 Curve Ball

Applejack sat at the edge of her bed staring at the time on her phone in one hand, while her other hand nervously played with the strap of her bass beside her. Today was their last rehearsal before they played at the new club tomorrow. Even with that fact, Applejack knew that it was not their performance that was making her nervous. As promised, Rarity had messaged her, and she was now headed to Rarity's for her fitting after practice tonight.

Due to her parents' consistent absence, Rarity had taken the liberty of getting a job at Carousel Boutique to support her and her sister. After finding her love for fashion, she had turned one of the guest rooms in her house into her workroom. Since then, Rarity found joy in creating outfits and would often make unique designs to generously give to her friends.

Since Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had already left for a sleepover, Applejack knew this would be the first time that she and Rarity would be alone together for an extended period since she shared her feelings. They were going to be in close proximity with no buffer between them, and Applejack had no idea how she would act after trying so hard to put some distance between them. I'm sitting here frettin' for nothing. I already know she doesn't like me that way. As she attempted to convince herself, she stood up and began to pace as she tried to calm her nerves. She couldn't figure out why it was so hard to get over her best friend. She had a crush or two in the past, but this was all new to her; she had never held such intense feelings, let alone those for another girl. She had figured getting over someone was supposed to get easier with time, yet the exact opposite was happening. She stopped her pacing and looked up as she heard a knock, and watched as the door opened, revealing her older brother. "Big Mac? What's up? d'you need somethin'?"

Big Macintosh shook his head before stepping in and closing the door. He gave his little sister a one-sided, knowing smile that caused Applejack to shiver slightly. Oh, I know that look. It was rare, but whenever she saw that look from her brother, she knew he had something to say. Taking a seat on the bed once again, Applejack eyed her brother suspiciously as he opted for leaning against the door.

"So," he began, trying to sound casual. "I can see you've been acting a mite strange lately. You wanna fill me in, or are we going to do this the hard way?"

Applejack scowled slightly. Big Macintosh's 'hard way' was him playing detective, giving the runaround, even though he usually figured out her problems in a fraction of the time. Still, I doubt he'll guess this one. And I don't think I wanna talk 'bout the whole 'feelings for another girl' thing with him just yet. Applejack watched as her brother raised an expectant eyebrow as he waited for an answer.

Seeing no response, Big Macintosh nodded before speaking. "A'right then. Well, like I said you've been actin' weird lately. Somethin's been buggin' ya. I think this has something to do with your friends and that sleepover last month." He was watching Applejack and stopped when she shrank back slightly at the word sleepover. He waited a moment to see if Applejack would start talking. Instead her frown deepened, but she had unconsciously reached for the strap of her bass bag beside her again.

"Well," he continued, "there have only been two instances where I've seen ya like this. The first was when Viridian Fields moved away when you were ten. He left before you got the chance to tell him that you liked him. The other time was when you had that big tiff and stopped talking to your friends last year." Big Macintosh watched as Applejack's fidgeting increased as she tried to keep her defiant look. He sighed as he dropped the casual look on his face. He pretty much knew what, and who, was on Applejack's mind. It had been there since she was in middle school, before she even knew it herself. Moving from his spot against the door, he sat down beside his sister. "Ya know, AJ, life has a way of taking you for a spin. It can throw some of the most unexpected curve balls you thought you'd never see coming. Especially if it has anything to do with affection."

Applejack shut her eyes and let out a long breath. Well damn. O'course he knew. She opened her eyes slowly and kept her gaze on the floor. After a moment, she spoke, and could hear the distress in her own voice as she did. "I really don't know what to think, let alone what to do. I've never…I'm not…" she trailed off as she struggled to voice her thoughts. I don't know why I can't get over her. I was never into girls. Rarity is the only girl I've felt this way about, so what does that make me? As questions swirled, she felt the bed shake as her brother chuckled softly beside her.

"I don't think your need to worry about what to label it. You should probably focus on getting your feelings out."

Applejack gave an exasperated sigh. "Bro, I did. I told her, an' she doesn't feel the same way. The problem is tryin' to keep myself in check. It's getting harder and harder to be near her. What if I do something stupid and ruin our friendship!?"

Big Macintosh frowned slightly as he looked at his sister. He had seen Applejack and Rarity grow up; He found it hard to believe that Rarity didn't share his sister's feelings. "What happened when you told her? What did she say?"

Applejack kept her eyes on the ground, but slowly began to explain what had transpired over the last month. By the time she had finished speaking, Big Macintosh couldn't help the amused look he had on his face. When Applejack looked up at her brother, she saw the half smile on his face, and shoved him angrily. "Big Mac, it ain't funny! You said that life threw this at me. Why would life throw me a ball I can' even hit!?" Big Macintosh dropped his smile when he saw tears beginning to form in his sister's eyes. "I've fallen for a girl who doesn't feel the same. She's rejected me, but I can't stop these feelings. I'm so confused and…and just frustrated! I don't…see other girls, I don't even see guys anymore. I just...see Rarity! I j-just…" Applejack couldn't hold it in anymore; as soon as Rarity's name left her lips, the tears began to fall.

Big Macintosh's heart broke at the sight of his little sister. Even when she was small, he had rarely seen her cry. At most, she would hide her face in her Stetson until she regained her composure. He knew that Applejack held feelings for Rarity. What surprised him was the fact that those feelings were so strong that it had caused her to cry like this. Opening his arms, he enveloped his sister into a hug and allowed her to cry onto his chest. It was a few moments before she began to calm down. It was another few seconds before he spoke again.

"Ya know Applejack, I don't think you really did tell her how ya'll feel."

Sitting up, Applejack looked at her brother quizzically as she wiped away at her stray tears. "What? I just told you that we talked about it."

"No, what you did was tell her how you think she felt. You never told her properly, and that's why it's still bottlin' up inside ya. An' to be fair, she never exactly rejected you either."

Applejack continued to look at her brother. "W-what? What are you tryna say?"

Big Macintosh smiled softly before standing up. "All I'm sayin' is; if it is still botherin' ya like this, I think you should try talkin' ta Rarity again. But this time, just tell her what you feel, and let her tell you what she feels." Ruffling her hair slightly, he gave her a full smile before heading towards the door.

Applejack watched as her brother left her room. Talk to her? But I did…didn't I? She jumped slightly when she felt her phone buzz beside her, followed by a quick guitar tone. Fumbling slightly, she grabbed her phone and looked at the message from Rainbow Dash.

Yo, AJ! Did u get lost or something!? Where r u!? D:

Applejack looked at the top of her phone and realized she was now late for rehearsal. Grabbing her bass, she left her room and headed for the front door, saying a quick goodbye to Granny Smith and Apple Bloom in the living room. Stepping outside, she saw Big Macintosh packing apples into the pick-up truck. Looking up, he saw her rushing through the door, and waved her over, offering to give her a ride.

Placing her bass in the back with the apples, Applejack got in the truck. She stayed silent as her brother drove, passively looking out the window as she thought over the last few weeks. Big Macintosh eventually stopped as he pulled up in front of the studio. Instead of stepping out, Applejack turned to her brother, an apprehensive look on her face. "Big Mac…thanks for, you know…earlier. But, um, are ya okay with…uh…the fact that I like a girl is okay with you?"

Big Macintosh smiled at his sister. "AJ, who you like won't change how I feel about you. You will always be ma sister, and I will always love you." Leaning over, he gave his sister a kiss on the top of her head. He smiled in response to the grateful smile she gave him. Saying a quick goodbye, Applejack stepped out of the van and ran inside the studio.

---

Rarity couldn't stop fidgeting with the ring on her index finger as she looked at the clock inside of the studio room. She had completely forgotten that the sleepover her sister had planned at Diamond Tiara's was tonight when she called Applejack. Rarity wondered if she was going to be okay with being so close to Applejack in order to fit her for her outfit. The 'off' feeling she had was growing stronger by the day; She knew something needed to be said, but she didn't know what it was, or which of the two of them needed to say it. She pulled out of her thoughts when the door to the studio room suddenly flew open, revealing an out of breath Applejack.

"I'm sorry y'all. Something came up and I left a little late, but I'm here." Rarity watched as Applejack stopped for a second to catch her breath before taking her bass out of its bag and setting up beside her. She could tell instantly that she had been crying. For Rarity, she had only seen Applejack cry a handful of times; every year on the anniversary of her parents' death. Applejack would often find herself at Rarity's in a futile attempt to distract herself for the day, only to break down a few hours later. Rarity didn't know what was wrong now, but she wanted to know if Applejack was okay without letting on to the others the she'd been crying. She cleared her throat before she spoke.

"So, Applejack, were you able to figure everything out?" Applejack made a move to turn around and respond, but she stopped. She was afraid to look Rarity in the eyes knowing she didn't quite have her thoughts and feelings in order. Instead, she busied herself with tuning her bass as she responded.

"Ah, more or less. Just some loose ends and stuff. It's no big deal." Rarity frowned slightly when Applejack didn't turn to face her. She was about to question her again, but Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"Okay, that's great. The studio closes in less than two hours and I wanna get as much practice as I can before tomorrow."

"I get what you're saying, Rainbow," Sunset began "But I'm pretty sure we've got this."

Twilight nodded in agreement, before speaking. "Sunset is right. I kinda wanna have fun with this last rehearsal. I think that's when we play our best."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes slightly but couldn't help the smile playing on her face. "I guess you guys have a point. Still, I'll take any chance I can get to shred on my guitar." To emphasise her point, she began to improvise a solo on her guitar. Everyone watched in amazement as she began to pick up speed. I wasn't long before she began to glow, and by the time her last power chord rang out, she had gained her ponytail, wings and pony ears.

"Woah," Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "I completely forgot about the fact that we pony-up when we play. What are we going to do about it tomorrow?"

Everybody thought about it for a second before Applejack spoke up "Well, I think we should try to do what we did at the battle of the bands. We should be good enough to leave an impression, but not so good that we show off our magic. What do y'all think?" Everyone nodded in agreement and after a few moments, practice was underway.

Throughout the evening, Rarity found that Applejack had barely turned to look to her. The few times she did, she kept her eyes down, or occupied herself with her bass. Rarity tried to think of something that happened between them recently that might have made her upset. Coming up empty, she sighed to herself, and tried to focus on rehearsal.

---

Just be cool, just be cool…. Applejack kept chanting in her mind as she walked to Rarity's house. They were having a light conversation and Applejack wondered if Rarity could tell she was nervous. Even though they were alone, Applejack still couldn't bring herself to look at Rarity. I reckon I'm just bein' silly. She kept her eyes in front her, not daring to look up. As Rarity's house came into view, Applejack took in a quick breath. She started to chant in her head again, trying to calm herself. Walking up to the front door she waited for Rarity to unlock it before stepping inside. Standing there, Applejack looked around almost frantically, hoping for some indication that one of Rarity's family members were actually home.

"—plejack? Applejack!? Jacqueline!"

Applejack jumped slightly when she heard her name being called. "Huh? Y-yeah?" Before she could stop herself, she turned to look at Rarity, and saw that the smaller girl had occupied herself with removing her shoes. Despite the lack of eye contact, Applejack still felt her heart pick up its pace.

"I said that you can head up to my work room. I am going to head to my room to change first."

Applejack nodded, even though Rarity couldn't see her. Placing her bass by the door, she quickly kicked off her boots before making her way upstairs. Although she had been to Rarity's house countless times before, she couldn't help but feel a anxious as she walked towards the last room, where Rarity had set up.

Opening the door, she walked in and turned on the light. She sucked in a breath as she took in the outfits Rarity had around the room. Damn! I knew she was good, but this is amazing! Stepping further into the room, her eyes caught several outfits that were grouped together on a rolling rack. There were six of them, each similar, yet still unique. I reckon these are our outfits. I can pretty much match them to each of the girls, but I don't see one for Rarity. She ran her hands across the fabric of each outfit until her hands landed on the one she assumed to be hers. She looked at the slim cut, dark black jeans. The front pockets had been accented with purple beaded jewels, while the back pockets each had an abstract design using white thread and the same purple gems from the front. The purple, black and white fitted flannel shirt had a similar design to the pants on the breast pocket. She made a quick note of the purple accent ribbon she knew was for her stetson before the door opened behind her.

"Do you like it?" Applejack turned to see Rarity at the door. She had changed into a pair of black tights and a simple blue tank top. It was enough to make Applejack's stomach flip. "I tried to make something that was comfortable for you but could still be worn in a club setting." Coming to stand beside Applejack, Rarity looked at the other outfits on the rack. "I also tried using a simple design to make us all match. Actually, the design had more to it, but Rainbow said that it needed to be…ahem…'20% less sparkly' as 'the club will probably have a disco ball, so it won't need seven more.'"

Applejack chuckled slightly before speaking. "Don't worry about her. It looks amazing. Ya really outdid yourself. It must be tirin', having to do all of this all the time though."

Rarity scoffed and began to move towards the fitting platform. "Oh please, Darling. I've said it before; I don't think I could ever get tired from making outfits for my friends." She grinned to herself when she heard Applejack chuckle lightly. "Magic draining notwithstanding." She pulled out a folding screen that was leaning against the wall and set it up beside the platform. "Alright Applejack, you can change behind this screen."

Taking her clothes off the hanger, she moved behind the screen and quickly changed. "Okay," She stepped from behind the folding screen once she finished, and stepped up on to the fitting platform. "How does it look?" She still kept her eyes down as she waited for Rarity to speak.

Instead of calling attention the country girl's odd behaviour, Rarity just focused on trying to be professional. "Hmm… the pants are fine, but I think I want the shirt to be buttoned…" Stepping up onto the platform, Rarity moved up to Applejack and began to add pins to where she wanted buttons to be. Applejack bit her lip and closed her eyes as she felt Rarity's hands move as she fastened each pin. "Actually, I might add some of the gemstones on top of the buttons for some flair, what do you think?"

Applejack just nodded, focusing on keeping her breathing steady and stopping a blush from forming on her cheeks. She stood as still as she could, feeling Rarity's hands on her as she tugged and pulled, putting safety pins to mark the places she wanted to alter. Slowly, she opened her eyes and brought her gaze up to the fashionista's face. Rarity was in her zone, her face scrunched slightly as she worked. She looks mighty cute when she's all focused like that. Applejack smiled softly, letting her mind wander as she watched Rarity. After another moment, Rarity stepped back slightly to take a final look.

"It's pretty much done, but there's something…ah!" Rarity suddenly reached for Applejack's waist, wanting to add pins to the hem the shirt. Applejack was caught off guard by Rarity's sudden actions, and let out a small yelp, jumping back slightly. Startled, Rarity let go of Applejack's shirt and stumbled back. She realized too late that she was out of room on the platform and began to teeter backwards. Applejack saw what was about to happen and grabbed Rarity's wrist, but it was too late, and instead, she found herself being pulled down with Rarity. Applejack had managed to adjust herself in the last second, bringing her right arm behind Rarity's head to break her fall, and shifting enough so that only half of her body weight ended up on top of the smaller girl. After steadying herself, she pushed herself up enough to check if Rarity was hurt.

"Are ya okay, Sugar? I'm so sorry, that spill was my fault and—" Applejack looked down to see Rarity looking back at her with wide eyes. It was the first time they had made eye contact all evening. Immediately, Applejack found herself captivated by the sea of sapphire; She saw a sea of emotions in Rarity's eyes as she continued to hold her gaze.

After hitting the ground, it took Rarity a second to realize that her head hadn't actually hit the hardwood floor. Applejack had protected her; something, she realized, the farm girl had done countless times before. Opening her eyes, she was greeted with Applejack's chest. Rarity was still slightly dazed, but she could hear the familiar heartbeat of her best friend for a brief moment before Applejack began to lift herself up. Instead of getting up, Rarity stayed where she was. Applejack was speaking, but she didn't hear her; Her eyes were focused on the emerald pair that began shining with concern, as well as that other look that was always just behind. Rarity realized that even though it was only a few hours, she missed Applejack's eyes. She missed having her full attention. Even though it was brief, listening to Applejack's heart made her realize she missed that too. She wanted to hug her and lean on her like she used to. She wanted to once again be able to hold on to Applejack, listening to her heart as she felt her chest rise and fall. She wanted all the awkwardness to be over, but if she was being completely honest with herself, she didn't want to go back to just being friends; she had fallen too hard for the girl above her for that.

Applejack continued to stare at Rarity. Despite having just fallen, she could only focus on her. Her eyes are so beautiful…She's so beautiful…I really have fallen for her. As Applejack stared, her storm of thoughts and emotions appeared and they began to take over. Eyes locked with the girl below her, she began to move in slowly.

Rarity saw Applejack moving close but made no effort to move or to stop her. Deep down, she knew what was about to happen. She felt like she was dreaming and didn't want to wake up. Her eyes closed slightly when she felt Applejack's lips brush against hers.

"You called that 'All inclusive'!? I've been on rafts with better service!"

Applejack pulled back at the sound of yelling, followed by the front door slamming. Looking down at Rarity, she blinked as she began to fully process what was happening. She jumped up quickly before looking down at Rarity with wide eyes. "I-I'm so-" At a loss for words, she began to blush as Rarity stood up, running a hand through her hair. "I-I was just…I mean, I-I reckon...uh, should I go?"

Rarity sighed slightly before shaking her head. "No, you don't have to. It's just my parents. I'll go take a look and come back." Turning, Rarity left the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as she did, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and leaned against the door. She recreated the image of Applejack as she brought her face close to hers. She blushed as she began to fully process what was about to take place; Applejack was about to kiss her. Reaching a hand up, she brushed her fingertips lightly across her lips as her blush deepened; If only they had a couple more seconds. Rarity frowned as she stood up straight. "Not even two seconds, and they're already causing me trouble." Sighing once more, she slowly made her way downstairs. She scowled slightly when she entered the kitchen and saw her parents, each typing away furiously on their laptops. She took a second to calm herself before speaking. "Father, Mother. I see you have returned from your trip. How was it?"

Her mother replied without looking up. "If that hotel thinks that they're going to get away with what they did...How dare they limit my drinks!"

Rarity rolled her eyes as she made her way over to the refrigerator. Knowing her Mother, they probably cut her off because she had a tendency to keep a certain level of inebriation at all times while on vacation. Her father looked up to see her grabbing two bottles of water. "Don't you think you should finish one bottle first? Those aren't free."

Resisting the urge to voice the retort that she knew was hot on her tongue, she busied herself with closing the refrigerator. "It's not for me. If you must know, Applejack is here. Not waiting for a response, she began to head back upstairs. She stopped behind her parents for a second, taking a quick glance at their screens. While her mom was on what looked to be a review website, she noticed that her dad was on a travel agency website, in the process of confirming another trip. She sighed to herself as she continued upstairs. Although she and her sister preferred it when her parents where away, it still upset her to know that the people who were supposed to raise them seemed like visitors in their own home.

Reaching her workroom, Rarity's frown deepened as she opened the door. Applejack had changed back into her street clothes and was sitting on the edge of the fitting platform. Walking up to her, she handed Applejack a bottle of water before speaking.

"…Are you heading home?" Rarity wanted to kick herself. She knew that wasn't the question she wanted to ask. She wanted to talk about what almost happened; Applejack had almost kissed her. Rarity wanted to know why. Just thinking about earlier made her feel like there was a small chance that Applejack had developed feelings for her.

Keeping her head down, Applejack nodded before responding. "Uh, yeah. I reckon we have a big day tomorrow, and it's getting kinda late." Applejack stood up, keeping her eyes on the bottle on her hands. It was silent for a moment as Applejack struggled to find something to say. "Look, Rare, I know I said I wasn't gonna bring it up again, but…" She stopped as she began to think about it. Wait, I basically just threw myself on her, and now I'm about to bother her about my feelings again? That ain't fair to her…I can't do it. Sighing, she finally looked up at Rarity. "…I just wanna say I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it."

Rarity flinched mentally as Applejack's words resonated in her head. She didn't mean it? That 'almost kiss' meant nothing? Unable to form a response, Rarity simply nodded. Just like at the sleepover, she stood still, and she watched Applejack awkwardly step around her and head for the door.

Once Applejack closed the door behind her, Rarity felt her legs give in and she sank to the floor in the middle of her room. She thought back to the day of the sleepover when the rollercoaster of emotions started. The past month had shown her just how hard she had fallen for Applejack over the years. The more she thought about it, the more she felt the urge to cry. It was hurting too much, and she wasn't sure how much more she could handle.

After what felt like hours, Rarity stood up. She finished tailoring Applejack's outfit, keeping her mind blank as she focused solely on the task. Once she finished, she cleaned up, and went to her room. Locking her door to keep her parents out, she was momentarily grateful that Sweetie Belle wasn't home to deal with them. Changing into her light blue silk pajamas, she washed up and climbed into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt tears stinging the back of her eyes. It wasn't long before her racing thoughts brought her to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to try and finally let go. Things were getting messy, she wasn't getting anywhere, and she knew she wasn't being fair to herself or to Applejack. Giving in to her heart one last time, she let the tears fall, telling herself that that tomorrow would be different.

Comments

[The Voice in the Water]

Argh! For the love of Gaia you two, talk to each other!

[Oblivion14]

10281584
Haha, I love the frustration in this comment. Ideally, this was what I was aiming for when writing this; I was looking to show something that should be so easy for them, yet they always just barely miss each other. I appreciate your comments and I am glad you are enjoying it!

[Kakashaka001]

I like this! I look forward to continuing

[Kessie_amarra]

Agsgdbanahdvdva! Talk to her!

[Bryan Luna]

Seriously you two? Oh come on!

Of all the thick skulled, pig headed... just damn it!

The drama is real.

[PixiePony]

I swear to Celestia I am so done with them
This is my maybe third or so read through of this story and I absolutely love every moment!! You have such a writerly cadence that is beautiful and thoughtful of each individual character. Thank you so much for this story ❤️

[Vaguely Demented]

Really have to wonder how long its going to take for someone to slap sense into one or both of them.