Parent Trap

by PhantomBulwark

I Love You

The date of Rarity and Crispin’s departure came far more swiftly than anyone was comfortable with. It was the night before their plane was set to leave and Rarity found herself once again sitting on the back steps of Sweet Apple Acres. It was almost strange, how at home she had felt. She was in her ex’s home but she felt more relaxed here that she ever had in Manehatten.

She heard the door creak open and found that she knew exactly who it was just by the sound her feet made on the porch. “Hello, darling,” she greeted softly.

Applejack took a seat next to her, “hey.” There was a long, uneasy silence before she spoke again, “why not me?”

Rarity blinked, “beg pardon?”

Applejack sighed and pulled her hat from her head, forcing herself to look directly at her. “Why not me?” she repeated. “You’ve been all over the world. Sweetie Belle told me once that you haven’t had any more luck with love than I have, so I have to ask… why not me?”

Rarity’s heart thundered in her ears. This was as good as confirmation that Applejack still wanted her… should I respond? What should I even say? She swallowed hard, “I caused you… I caused so much pain, Applejack. I never want to hurt you again. I guess I thought that if I didn’t come back then there was still a chance that I could come back. But, if I did come back and you didn’t want me… I think that might break me.”

She snorted a little and then laughed aloud at Rarity’s offended expression. “Girl you don’t make a lick of sense sometimes. You wouldn’t come back because if you didn’t then you still could? What does that even mean?”

A tear slipped down Rarity’s face, “well obviously I was right to be worried! I finally did come back and you almost married that… that trollop!” The memory alone of Vignette boiled her blood. Realizing she had stolen from the Apples had made Rarity angrier that she could ever remember being.

Applejack’s mouth snapped shut and she scrubbed a hand down her face, “you’re right.” The farmer hated to admit it but she had made a mistake. A mistake that almost cost her family their home. A mistake made out of loneliness and desperation.

“And I’ll have you kno-… what?” Rarity's baffled expression would have been comical in any other circumstance.

She gave Rarity a sad sort of smile and fiddled with her hat anxiously. “You’re right." She repeated, "I did almost marry someone else, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still love you Rarity. I don’t know what I ever did to make you think that I didn’t but I’m sorry.”

Rarity’s mouth hung open. She said it, she thought, she actually said it! “You- you do?”

“Of course I do!” Applejack jerked to her feet and began pacing in front of her, ringing her hat in her hands as she spoke. “Rarity I’ve been in love with you for over half my damn life. I was in love with you in school, I loved you in college, I loved you when you left... and I love you now. Right now, in this moment, I think I probably love you more than ever. And I know... I know people say that you can’t still be in love with someone after a long time because people change. Well, I reckon no matter how old we get we’ll always be who we are on the inside?” She paused to look at the other woman for a moment before resuming her pacing. “Feel free to stop me from makin’ a fool of myself anytime but I just- I reckon you of all people deserve to know, I love you.” She stopped again and looked directly into Rarity’s eyes. “I promise you, Rarity Belle, I’m gonna love you for as long as I draw breath. And I would sooner burn this farm to the ground than go another day trying to hide it.”

Overwhelmed, Rarity let a few tears fall unhindered. When no words would come she did the only other thing she could think of and stood to pull AJ into a fierce hug. They stood like that for a while, holding each other close. When the tightness in her throat loosened enough, Rarity pressed her lips to the shell of her ear and whispered to her. “I could never find anyone who loved me as well as you do Applejack Apple.” She broke their embrace with a half laugh half sob, “You have the heart of a lion. I wish I had appreciated you more when I had you.”

“You still have me.”

She shook her head and gave Applejack a pained smile, “I have to go back to Manehatten. My whole life is there.” She wiped her tears, “I wish it was that easy darling, but it just isn’t.”

“Isn’t it?” When Rarity opened her mouth to object AJ waived her off, “I’ll be here. Whenever you take a notion to come home, there’ll be a light on for you. I’m not going to beg you to stay honey but, you have a choice, you always will.”

The next day, as she stood watching their plane take off, Applejack prayed that Faust might give her just one more miracle.