Chapter 1
Applejack sighed happily as she made her way to Carousel Boutique. It always made her happy to help somepony she cared about, and with this plan, she expected to make not one, but two important ponies happy. She'd had this idea in the back of her head for a while now, ever since Braeburn had mentioned to her in one of his regular letters that he'd been feeling a bit lonely recently. If there was anypony who could help Brae out of this funk, it was Rarity. Rarity loved strong, rugged ponies with a soft side, and that described Brae to a T. It was the perfect match.
Applejack knocked on the boutique door, bouncing a bit on her hind legs out of anticipation. It didn't take long for Rarity to answer, and she gave Applejack a warm smile.
"Applejack, darling!" Rarity said, offering a hug. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"Hay Rares!" AJ responded, happy to hug back. "How do ya feel about going on a date today?"
Rarity blinked a few times. Her cheeks colored, and her entire visage seemed to light up.
"A-Applejack..." Rarity said, swooning. "I'd love to..."
"Great!" AJ said. "Cause my cousin Braeburn's in town, and I'm sure he'd love to go out with a nice mare like yourself!"
Rarity's smile faded slightly. She tried her best to hide her disappointment.
"Oh...um, yes...that could be...fun..." Rarity said, keeping up a bit of a smile.
"Great! Come with me!" Applejack said, Rarity's disappointment seeming to go unnoticed.
"I...haven't exactly put my face on..." Rarity said, smiling awkwardly.
"Oh nonsense, ya look gorgeous," Applejack told her, pulling at her friend. Rarity felt her heart flutter at the compliment, but tried not to let it get to her.
"So I told Braeburn to head to the cafe!" Applejack said as they trotted along. "Figured I'd bring you there! Oddly enough, he said he was going there anyway! Nice coincidence, right?"
"Yes...very much," Rarity said, her tone noncommittal. "You...said this was your cousin Braeburn that I would be seeing, correct?"
"That's right!" Applejack said. "I figure you'll like him just fine! He's a nice, tough pony with that rugged, rustic look, but he's also a real sweetheart! I figure that kinda pony is right up your alley, right?"
"You don't know the half of it..." Rarity said quietly, gazing at the determined farmpony next to her.
"Perfect!" Applejack said, beaming. "Braeburn's never really talked about what kind of ponies he's into, but how could he not be interested in a pony like you?" Rarity bit her lip. Every compliment Applejack paid her was like a strange combination of a soothing stroke of the mane and a sharp dagger to the heart. Still, she kept her cool, trotting along. She was only stymied by a sudden thought that popped into her head.
"...Applejack?" Rarity asked. "Are you positive he would be interested in a pony like me?" She made sure to emphasize the "like me," hoping her friend would pick up on her insinuation.
"Why sure!" Applejack responded. "Like I said, how could he not wanna be with a pretty pony like you?" Rarity smiled lightly; receiving another compliment was not her intent, but it was somewhat acceptable.
"Well..." Rarity said, trying to figure out how to say what was on her mind. "I mean, I tend to have a bit of intuition when it comes to these things...and even though I've only met your cousin Braeburn once..." She smiled awkwardly to Applejack. There was no way that she could miss what was being insinuated now. Applejack looked back at her, a brow raised. Then her eyes lit up with recognition.
"Ohhhhh!" Applejack said, smiling. "I see what you mean."
Rarity let out a relieved sigh. That could have been awkward.
"You think he's got a mare at home, and he's just keeping it from us!" Applejack said. "Well, I can assure you that ain't the case! I would have known if it was!"
It took all of Rarity's willpower to not facehoof. "No, no," she said, her mind once again racing. "I am simply saying that I believe him to be of...a different persuasion."
"Different persuasion?" Applejack asked, looking confused. "...Oh, do you mean that he's a good talker? Yeah, I can see him persuading a nice mare back to his home...but not on the first date! He's better than that!"
Rarity sighed again. There seemed to be no getting through to Applejack without being blunt, and she was running out of time, as they were fast approaching the cafe. She took a deep breath; apparently it was blunt or nothing. She opened her mouth to speak, when Applejack interrupted her.
"There he is!" Applejack said excitedly. "Over at that table, with..." The farmer blinked, then rubbed her eyes with a hoof. She wasn't quite sure if she was seeing things correctly, as she watched her cousin speaking to Soarin the Wonderbolt. She raised a hoof, about to call out to him, but was stopped in her tracks as she watched Brae lean in and engage the Wonderbolt in a tender kiss.
"That...is what I was getting at," Rarity said, unsurprised. "My intuition about these things never fails, you know."
Applejack couldn't believe what she was seeing. She supposed, after a moment, that it might have made sense in retrospect. He had talked about his interest in the Wonderbolts quite a bit in some of his letters. She had found it a bit odd how he referred to a dark blue-maned Wonderbolt quite often, when she couldn't think of a single mare on the team that fit the exact description. Everything seemed to click into place at that moment. She watched the two, then grinned a little.
"Well hay, he's happy!" Applejack said, chuckling. She then turned to Rarity. "Sorry about dragging you all the way out here for a date that ain't happening, Rares."
Rarity found herself relieved by Applejack's reaction. She thought about it, and figured that Applejack could stand another little surprise in the same vein.
"Well...perhaps, if you're so inclined, a date could still happen..." Rarity said, giving Applejack a soft smile.
"But Braeburn's..." Applejack started. Then she looked into Rarity's eyes. For a second time today, she came to a realization about a pony she cared for.
"...Yeah, that could be real nice," Applejack said with a grin.