After tons of consideration, Rarity decides that she's going to let her favorite farm girl know how she feels.
Rarity has found that she's fallen in love with one of her best friends. Well, there a few things that can be done in a situation like this: Try and push the feelings aside for the sake of your friendship, or you just tell them how you feel and hope for the best. In Rarity's case, she decides to go with the latter. After considering the ways AJ could react, or the way it could affect their friendship, she decides she wants to let her feelings be known regardless if they're returned or not.
Rarity re-wrapped her scarf around her neck when the winter air bit at her bare skin. She shivered a little at the cool breeze in the air as she walked down the long dirt road that led to the old farm home. It was a rather long walk to the farm, it was a walk she hardly ever made, but a walk she couldn't say she minded it either. Of course, she could really do without the dirt road ruining her shoes, or the unpleasant smells of the farm, but other than those things, it was a nice walk.
The girl's heart beat was like a drum in her ears. The thought of seeing her favorite blonde always made her heart race, however, this visit was a little different. This visit was a visit that the indigo haired girl had considered for many months, and it was one that could change everything between the two for the better or for the worse. Many outcomes and reactions had played through her mind at least once. At first, when she began her journey towards the farm, the outcomes were delightful. They had all ended with Applejack returning her feelings, and it all worked out. Now, as her journey came to its end, the outcomes were much more painful. They, instead, ended with Applejack not returning her love, or, goddesses forbid, Applejack would become uncomfortable and not want to be around Rarity as much. Or at all. She mentally went over what she wanted to say one more time as she walked up to their home.
There was really no going home now. She had already come all the way out here, she was even at their door step. If anyone had noticed her arrival, she would have looked awfully silly just walking away now. She doubted that anyone did notice her, but she really didn't want to take that chance. Taking one deep breath, she knocked on the door and waited anxiously for it to open. A few muffled voices could be heard from inside, as well as foot steps moving towards the door. The young lady steadied her breath as she watched it open to reveal a short, old lady.
"Well howdy Rarity," the older woman greeted, "did'ja come by for some nice, warm cider?"
"Sorry to say, but I didn't," she gave an apologetic smile before continuing, "Actually, I was hoping I could speak to Applejack for a moment."
Granny Smith nodded and shouted through the house to her granddaughter, letting her know that she had a visitor. The white haired woman's shout had caught Rarity off guard and startled her greatly. She moved her head slightly in hopes to see over or around the woman, in hopes to see AJ a little sooner. Her attempts quickly ended when she heard her friend's voice from inside.
"Now, there ain't no reason to be yellin' like that, granny! I'm right here," Applejack called from the same room before she stood from the couch and made her way over to the door as Granny Smith returned to her chores. "Wouldya like to come in?" she asked.
Rarity shook her head and responded with a smile, "I was thinking we could take a walk." Being inside and warm was a really nice thought, but she didn't want Applejack's family to be there for whatever was going to happen.
Without saying another word, Applejack grabbed her coat from behind the door and slipped it on as she walked out int to the cold afternoon air. The two walked in silence down into the orchard. The paler girl's heart was going faster than it had before as she rehearsed what she was going to say in her mind. Her mouth opened to start her confession but closed again when the farm girl began speaking.
"So, what'd y'all come down to the farm for?" She gave her friend a side long glance, that reminded Rarity of the first time she had noticed her feelings for Aj.
It was the summer after Twilight had come to help them with various events, while also reuniting the old group of friends. One day, the group, plus Sunset Shimmer, agreed to meet at Applejack's and spend the day together at a swimming hole not to far away from the farm. As planned, they all spent the day at the swimming hole catching up, playing, and having a good time.
That evening was an evening Rarity would never forget; as the sun had began to duck below the horizon, it created one of the most beautiful sunsets she'd ever seen. She watched as the sun's lingering light mingled with the rolling clouds and painted the skies first orange, then hot pink, then a mauve fading into a stale blue; everything seemed to be tinted with a golden glow. As the sun continued to fall behind the distant mountains, the sky's beautiful colors faded as did the golden tint.
"I do so wish those happened more often. Did you see the way my skin just absolutely glowed in that lighting?" Rarity said flipping her hair and finishing with a pout. One of her friends spoke and grabbed Rarity's attention.
"But.. Good things are better when they're a rarity," Applejack said with a wink and a warm smile that drew a sentimental approval out of the fashionista.
The comment itself made Rarity happier than it should have, but the smile that lingered left Rarity blushing and giddy for the rest of the evening. When it first happened she didn't think anything of it. That statement meant a lot, but didn't mean anything either at the time. The more the pale girl thought about it, the more she'd miss the friend that said it. Slowly she started to notice little things, like how her gaze lingered on Applejack from time to time, or how the blonde consumed her thoughts more often than she'd like to admit. When she started to crave the farmer's attention, she understood then that her feelings had grown to be much more than that of a best friend.
The thought of the memory brought a smile to Rarity's face, as well as a few butterflies to her stomach. Thinking back like that almost caused her to forget to answer the previously asked question.
"Well, darling, there was something I wanted to talk to you about," she said with more seriousness than she has intended. The two had stopped walking and stood facing each other. The blonde stared at her fashionista friend, with visible concern, waiting for her to continue, but there was nothing but more silence. Rarity found that it was harder to do than she thought it would be. Especially since AJ was looking right at her. She stayed silent as she considered backing out again. After failing to find anything that could be important enough to come down to the farm unannounced, she realized she wouldn't be backing out after all.
"Everything all right, sugarcube?" she was worried and slightly unsettled, but did her best not to let it be heard in her voice.
"No, everything is quite all right," she paused and closed her eyes briefly. Her words were soft, "for sometime now, I've noticed that you are on my mind more often than not."
Something in the way Applejack's eyebrows crinkled let Rarity know that this probably wasn't going to end the way she wanted it to. It caused her heart to pound a little harder and made more doubts rise to her mind.
She continued on regardless, though her voice carried a less confident tone, "I know this might seem rather odd," choosing her words more carefully this time around, "but I wanted to tell you that for some time now I've be--"
"No."
The short, bitter tone in the farm girl's voice was foreign to Rarity. Sure, the two had gotten to tiffs or small quarrels from time to time, but never had she heard anything so cold, so harsh, come from her friend before. It caused a twinge of pain in the fashionista, along with a realization that this definitely wasn't going to end well in any way.
"I.. Uh-um," She stuttered briefly, "n-no..? Wh.. I.. I-" Finding any words was a struggle for the poor girl. She tried forming complete and coherent sentences in her mind, but even that seemed impossible. Her mind raced trying to make sense of the one worded interruption, trying to think of anything to say. She considered playing it off, she considered acting irritated over being interrupted, and make up some other excuse for coming down here. Instead, she didn't have to come up with anything. Before her thoughts could further progress, the tense silence was broken.
"Ah think ah have an idea about where this is headin', so ah'm gonna go ahead and stop you," the coldness never left her voice.
Rarity knew there was no getting out of this or playing it off. It just wasn't an option anymore. "I don't.." Her eyes closed then she huffed and spoke slowly, "I don't want this to change anything between us."
"Maybe it won't, Rarity, but right now it's a lot to take in."
"I understand, but can't we just," her voice trembled but she paused to steady it, "move past it? Perhaps even forget I said anything?"
The blonde remained quiet. Her silence filled Rarity with dread and regret, her silence was more or less hesitation on saying 'no.' She looked up to her friend, looked right into her eyes. Or, at least, she would have if green eyes weren't looking anywhere and everywhere to avoid blue eyes. For some reason, that made the stinging in her chest grow only more. Warm streams began flowing down the pale girl's face, leaving trails of eyeliner and make up streaked down her cheeks. The warm streaks would immediately be hit by cold air, causing her face to sting a little in the winter air. She was on the verge of falling apart right there, falling to the ground and curling over in despair. She hugged herself tightly and dug her fingers into her jacket just desperate to hold on to something.
In the steadiest way she could manage, she began to speak again, nearly whisper really. "Applejack.. Please, I don't want it to ruin anything. I wouldn't have said anything if I th-"
"Well, Ah wish you hadn't!" Her voice had lost the harshness, though it had been replaced with something else now. Something Rarity could only guess to be distress.
"Please," She tried has hard as she could to keep the desperation out of her voice as she spoke, "Just le-"
"A-ah think you've said enough and Ah.." Applejack averted her eyes once more, "well, Ah think it's about time you left."
Her heart sank. She'd gone over this. She had prepared herself for this. She knew it was a possible outcome! Why was it so hard now? She didn't really expect her feelings to be returned, but she at least thought they would be accepted. Surely this wasn't going to ruin their friendship right? They were so close, all of them were. They'd overcome things that were bigger than this before. The tears never stopped, they kept a steady stream down her face.
Applejack waited uncomfortably for Rarity to leave. After what seemed like a few minutes had passed, the blonde turned to make her leave, seeing as Rarity wasn't going to be the first to go. With everything in her, she wanted to call out to the tan girl; she wanted to run up to her and try to work this all out. She wanted to grab her arm and ask her to stay. But she knew it would make things worse, and she knew she would only be ignored or interrupted. Instead, all she did was watch her friend make her way back up to her home without so much as a glance back.
Once Applejack had walked off and into her house, Rarity had found herself alone in the cold. Her crying had become a little more intense as the realization started sinking in.
She's gone.
She hadn't lingered any longer, what would be the point in that? And began walking back down the dirt road. The walk seemed colder and longer than it first had barely 20 minutes ago. The sting of rejection lingered but wasn't as a fierce as it first had been. She had expected to be rejected, it was a long shot to think any feelings would be returned. What she didn't expect was for Applejack to consider their friendship over.
Her long trek home was automatic and rather quiet--aside from a sniffle here and there. Her racing mind didn't slow as her tears did. Instead, her wandering mind nearly distracted her from the rejection. Now she worried more about whether or not Applejack still considered her a friend.
And if not, how would it effect their friend group?
What if the others thought less of her for liking girls?
Would Applejack even tell them?
What would they do at school Monday? Ignore and avoid each other?
What about at lunch? They all shared lunch they all sat together.
Each thought made regret sink into her heart a little further. Sure the rejection hurt, but not only was she rejected, her friend almost made it clear that she didn't want to be friends anymore. Losing her completely wasn't anywhere as a possibility. Applejack was level-headed, Applejack was loyal, why did she react so harshly?
Against her will, her thoughts persisted all the way home. She was relieved to find that Sweetie Belle still hadn't returned home from Scootaloo's house. Dealing with her little sister was the last thing she wanted to do. All she wanted to was to be alone. She wanted to be alone until she felt better. Until her country friend had calmed down.
After greeting Opal briefly and making her way to her room, she glanced at herself in the full length mirror and pitied her appearance for a moment. She considered leaving the ruined make up on and just going straight to bed, but ended up removing it anyway.
The fashionista laid curled up in her bed still unable to get her mind to stop. Something in her didn't want to sleep because she knew she would have to wake up feeling no better than she did now. But the rest of her wanted to sleep and get a small break from her thoughts.
Her crying was a periodic thing that stopped and started again for hours until she finally slipped into a restless sleep.
Unfortunately, Sunday had flown by at a terribly slow pace. It was spent locked in her room 'working on a new line of clothes' as she told her family. Really all she did was lay in her bed unsure of what to do. She considered texting AJ to talk things out, but instead decided against it. It felt like the day had gone by so slow, but before she knew it, it was Monday morning.
The group met at the wondercolt statue, as they did every morning to talk before their classes start. All girls chatted happily among themselves, seemingly unaware of the tension between two friends. Applejack contributed to the conversation but was somewhat tense and hardly acknowledged Rarity. Rarity hid her heartache well and, though slightly distant, her friends didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.
Each class was attended physically and her school routine was followed. Third period was drifting by at an ungodly pace. The indigo haired girl tried hard doing what she could to focus on her work, but she often found herself checking the clock.
Her failed attempts to stay busy only made each minute pass by slower. Either she was glancing to the clock, or worrying over what would happen at lunch. Their morning had gone by without a problem, surely lunch would too.
Finally, the bell signalling lunch rang and the students all filed into the soon to be bustling hallways.
Rarity grabbed her tray and sat between Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy , Rainbow Dash sat directly in front of her with Pinkie Pie to her right and Applejack to her left.
The group all carried out individual conversations, save for two. Sunset, usually sat rather quiet, intently listening to her friends stories, laughing with them, or adding her input to various topics. Today was no different. She sat quietly and looked between her friends. Applejack and Rainbow Dash seemed to be arguing over a new game that had just come out, Pinkie Pie talked away to Fluttershy, who just listened and giggled with her friend, and Rarity was ..talking to no one? Her head rested in one hand and she poked around in her lunch with a complete lack of interest for the rest of the group.
"So, Rarity," Sunset started slowly when she noticed how distant the fashionista was being, "how was your weekend?"
A twinge of pain shot through her chest and she gave the briefest glance at AJ; Sunset's eyes followed the glance, "Oh, it was lovely," she finally answered with a small smile, trying to keep any sarcasm out of her voice.
Sunset's eyes fell back to Rarity then cocked a brow as she gave a knowing smirk, "Yeah? You two finally happened huh?" she chuckled.
Finally happened? You two? "I'm sorry, dear, I'm not sure I understand," the fashionista asked with confusion and a tint of worry. It was clear that Sunset knew about the feelings the fashionista had for the farm girl, and it made her feel some better knowing she didn't care that she felt that way for girls. Her eyebrows furrowed. What was confusing is that Sunset acted like she had been waiting for them to get together.
Sunset's face lost its smirk, and switched to a slight grimace as she mentally cursed herself about making such a big assumption from such a tiny glance. It didn't make sense anyway, considering how distant Rarity was, and how tense AJ had been. The two barely talked today, let alone to each other. . . . . . Click.
Sunset slapped her hand to her face when it finally clicked. How did she not notice sooner? Something did happen between the two friends, and it really didn't take a genius to figure out what that was.
And Sunset might have just made her friend feel worse about it.
"What did happen between you and AJ?" She wasn't trying to pry. She was really just letting Rarity that if she needed toor wanted toshe could talk to her.
Me and AJ.. Rarity stayed silent while her thoughts trailed off and she started thinking about the events that took place. The harshness in Applejack's voice, the way she made sure to avoid her stare, the way she just walked off. Her eyes closed when she felt tears start to build. Even if she felt like talking about it, she didn't want to talk about it in the school's cafeteria.
Or while Applejack was around.
Sunset stayed silent waiting for Rarity to respond but she never did. It wasn't just Sunset waiting quietly anymore, the rest of the table had noticed their friend's distress and all watched with worry. Except Applejack, who had started picking at her salad not wanting to look in the same direction as her friends.
"Um.. Rarity?" a timid voice asked.
Rarity snapped from her thoughts when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder.
"Is everything all right?"
Rarity looked up to meet her friends' eyes looking at her--save for a certain green pair that were suddenly fixated on a salad. Her head shook no before she could even register the question. Her eyes closed, and she mentally screamed at herself. Now her friends would press on the subject relentlesslyin front of Applejack no less. They meant well, but they had a tendency to pry into each other's lives on occasion.
They had the right to this time, it could affect all of them in a way. Still though, any other time would be way better than in the lunch room.
"What's going on?" The girls stared at her with worry and waited expectantly for her to speak, again, save for a blonde that remained awkwardly quiet, glancing to the indigo haired girl periodically.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but no noise came. She glanced to the blonde once more, their glances met and they held each other's gaze briefly before AJ looked away again. Rarity nervously took a bite of her salad trying to find anything to say. Luckily, she didn't have to. Before anymore questions could be asked, the bell rang and she was the first to leave the table.
---
Only then when she sat at her desk did she realize how bad that must have looked.
'Lunch.. could have gone better I suppose,' the fashionista thought to herself as she watched Mrs. Harshwhinny write on the board and lecture the class. She wasn't really paying attention, but even if she wanted to it would be way too difficult. Her mind could barely stay focused on one of her own problems let alone the problems countries faced centuries ago.
'You shouldn't have rushed out like that. It must have left them with even more concern,' she scolded herself, 'they are not going to let this go..'
The girl's eyes widened slightly when she remembered they all had plans to meet at Sugarcube corner after school. Not only would they probably press her with questions about lunch, they would be pressing her for answers right in front of her problem: Applejack.
With a light smack, her forehead landed on her desk in defeat. It's hard enough being ignored and avoided by Applejack, but getting asked about the whole ordeal made it even more difficult. 'Why did I have to say anything? Why did Sunset have to ask about it? Why did Applejack have to be so beautifulso perfectly built, so caring, so-'
"Miss Rarity," a stern voice broke through her thoughts causing her to take her face away from her desk and look up, "keep your head up. There will be no sleeping in my class."
Rarity propped her head up with her hand and glanced at the clock, ignoring the few giggles and murmurs that came from her classmates. Just about 20 minutes were left of her final class of the day. Just 20 minutes until her interrogation.
The final bell rang and the students packed their things and filed out of the classroom. Most of them rushed out, eager to leave the prison also known as school. However, Rarity took a little more time than usual, not exactly thrilled about getting interrogated by her friends.
She followed the rest into the busy halls and made her way through the crowd, careful not to touch or nudge anyone. She took as much time as possible then decided to go to the stair case furthest from her class and locker. Eventually, as the halls began to empty, she made her way to and up the stairs.
As she turned the corner, her stomach dropped and she froze. Not too far away, Applejack stood, staring back at her. They shouldn't be so surprised to see each other. The school might be big, but they would still inevitably run into each other from time to time. Rarity immediately remembered how close Applejack's locker was to this stair well.
'How on Earth could that have slipped my mind?
The country girl stared at Rarity, her expression was nearly unreadable, but it was clear she was a little stunned.
Their eyes stayed in place, keeping contact with the other. The fashionista's expression dropped as her mood did. She couldn't help the pain that appeared on her face at the sight of her friend. She could have sworn she saw Applejack's drop slightly, but she couldn't be sure.
The blonde stepped forward, not taking her eyes away from her friend's blue eyes, and continued walking towards her. This took Rarity off guard, and her expression changed again, to surprise and worry. She wasn't sure to be excited or worried or what. This was the most AJ had paid attention to her all day, was she about to talk to her? It was much too early right?
'She's going to talk to me,' she thought, her heart beating faster with each step AJ took, 'now? Here?' Her stomach flipped with worry, there was so much that could happenthat could be said.
Her eyes lost the attention of her blonde crush's. Green eyes moved to the stair case behind her and Applejack walk right passed her with out talking to her.
The moths in her stomach disappeared and her chest became heavy again. No, she wasn't hurt that Applejack didn't speak to her, but that she had purposely ignored her.
She stood in the same spot, listening to the footsteps of her friend becoming quieter and more distant. They never stopped, they never slowed, they never came back to check on her.
After collecting the things she needed from her locker and fixed her make up some, she made her way out to the Wondercolt statue where her friends were waiting for her. She was greeted by Pinkie Pie pointing at her, shouting "There she is!" and frantically waving at her. The rest of the girls looked back at her, Fluttershy giving her a smile and Sunset offering a small wave. A certain rainbow haired girl had commented "finally" when she walked over to them.
"What took you so long?" The same athletic girl asked irritably. Fluttershy and Sunset shared a glance before returning their attention to the dramatic girl in front of them. The fashionista was obviously already upset,
"Excuse me for having to reapply my make up. 'Some' of us like to look our best," she answered with an eye roll landing her gaze on her country friend out of habit. The comment went unnoticed. The blonde had her focus on something off in the distance.
"It's SugarCube Corner! Not prom! Why would you need to look your best for it?"
Rarity gasped, "we will still be in public Rainbow Dash! I have to look my best!"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "no one in a sweets shop is going to care about how you look, Rarity."
"I care!"
The other girls stood and watched them argue. Sunset had watched the two argue for a short time and immediately was tired of it. She stepped in between the two and interrupted them before they could continue, seemingly drawing AJ's attention back to reality.
"She's here now, that's all that matters. Let's get going," the former she-demon said with the tone of a stern mother.
Sugarcube Corner was filled with students from CHS, like it usually was after school. Students would stop in for a hot chocolate, or a milkshake, or some sort of unhealthy after school snack. The six weren't any different. They sat at a table with hot chocolates and various sweets for Pinkie Pie.
"They aren't so bad anymore, I say we give them a chance," a fiery head girl said trying to persuade her friends into befriending their ex-enemies.
"I'm just saying, Sunset, just because you're dating one of the Dazzlings, doesn't mean we all have to be friends with them," Rainbow dash said.
"What? I'm not dating-" Sunset protested before being cut off by Pinkie.
"I don't know, Dash, since Sunset is with one of them, it's only right to be friends with them. They aren't even evil anymore, Dashie, and if they were evil still, why would Sunset be dating one of them?"
"I guess you make a good point," the athlete agreed, "but I still don't trust them."
"I didn't know Sunset was dating one of the Dazzlings," a softer voice said.
"Yah, she's dating Adagio."
"Ooh, Sunset, darling! Why didn't you tell me? How long have you been together?" Rarity asked with increasing interest, temporarily forgetting her own relationship problems for the excitement of hearing of her friend's.
"I'm not!"
Gossip, relationships, drama, all of it was right up Rarity's alley. Even when she wasn't in the best mood, she couldn't let juicy details and relationship news slip away.
And she made sure not to draw attention to herself like she did in lunch, and contributed to the conversation this time around. 'Applejack is talking a little more now too,' she noted. It was rather uncomfortable being in a group conversation with someone who obviously didn't want to talk to her. No one seemed to notice her discomfort, if they did they didn't mention it. Though, she did notice Sunset clearly paying more attention to her and her blonde friend than usual.
After finishing their cocoas and snacks, the group had left the shop and entered the cold air outside. The sun had just dropped below the horizon still offering the light of dusk. Pinkie skipped along beside the group, happily talking about who knows what to Fluttershy. It was an exceptionally cold evening. Rarity stopped caring about contributing to the conversation, she was tired, and cold, and just wanted to go home by this point. She remained quiet and focused on just keeping warm. To her surprise, none of her friends had asked about lunch, or why she had been so down that day. Perhaps they saw she didn't want to talk about it and left it at that (even if that was highly unlikely,) or perhaps it had slipped their minds. Regardless of the reason, she was just glad that they never mentioned it.
They came to a four-way stop, and started to bid each other farewell. Rarity hugged Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie goodbye and waved to them as they walked down the street together. She did the same to Sunset, reminding her to keep warm and safe before she walked back towards Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash waved back to her remaining friends as she ran off in the direction of the school. Everyone was gone now, all but one.
Applejack.
The older girl stood a couple feet from her and eventually brought her attention to her remaining friend. Neither of them spoke, they stood silently waiting for the other to break the silence.
'Why did she stay?' Rarity wondered while she watched Applejack uncomfortably glance around the area. It didn't make sense, just earlier she had walked passed her without a word, now she was standing with Rarity instead of going to the warmth of her home. She couldn't figure it out, but she wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. She needed talk to Applejack and make everything right again.
The farm girl looked back at Rarity like she was about to say something herself, but Rarity spoke first.
"Look, Applejack.. About what I said Saturday.."
"No," she was cut off immediately, just like she was Saturday. She learned her lesson last time. Letting her eyes fall down as her chest grew heavy again, she knew she wouldn't need to continue. It would more than likely end like last time. 'No? Why only no..?' It wasn't harsh this time, just a plain and simple 'no'. Rarity was grateful for that much at least.
The fashionista winced when her country friend let out an irritated groan and pinched the bridge of her nose. Why did she stay if she didn't want to talk? None of this made sense. Her pain had lightened since Saturday, but it had resurfaced. Of course, it wasn't as intense, but it was there
A light wind blew around them, causing Rarity to be reminded of the cold and hug herself for warmth. She wished she had brought a heavier coat. Usually she was prepared for things like this, however her mind had been stuck somewhere else and the thought to dress warmly didn't occur to her.
"Rarity."
Sapphire eyes lifted to meet green eyes once more when Applejack started to speak. Their eyes locked in place, and Rarity waited expectantly for her friend to continue. Something in the way she said her name just gave her hope and made her feel some warmer.
Silence. Applejack didn't say anything else. Rarity could have sworn she saw a faint blush cross her friend's adorable freckled face, but she dismissed as herself trying to find anything to believe Applejack had some feelings for her.
"Ah.. Ah'll see you later," she said finally with discomfiture. Disappointment shot through her again and the familiar feeling of heaviness in her chest returned. Her eyes fell back to the ground and she nodded. No tears came this time, but she felt like they would later. Unlike last time she was the first to leave, turning back towards Sugarcube Corner and beginning her journey home.
The fashionista listened to the footsteps going in the opposite directionnot coming back after her.
Lunch was as uncomfortable as could be. The girls had started to ask Rarity questions, and she just ran out. That was the dumbest thing Rarity could have done. Now the girls would just ask her more and more questions. Which would lead to Applejack getting asked questions, surely, and then the whole truth would come out about their uncomfortable situation.
It wasn't like Applejack didn't trust her friends with it, she just didn't want them to think she was cold hearted or terrible.
I might have overreacted a tad bit, AJ thought to herself. But girls just ain't meant to be with girls.. It just ain't natural. Now, why'd she have to go and do that?
Do what? Fall in love with you?
Ah don't mean it like that. she argued with herself. Of course, she couldn't be angry with Rarity for liking her, and she shouldn't have been so angry with her Saturdayit's not like falling in love is something a person can control. She didn't know why she was upset over it really, maybe she wished Rarity didn't tell her, maybe the thought of herself being involved in something she thought of as taboo just scared her, or maybe she was terrified the feelings could be mutual. Since Saturday, Rarity was the only thing on her mind most of the time, and it scared her something fierce.
Aj found it as hard to concentrate on her work as Rarity did. Finding out one of your best friends was in love with you was a lot to take in, even more so if the friend is the same sex as you. Hurting her wasn't what she wanted to do, she loved Rarity, and she wasn't going to let this come between their friendship, no matter how galling it was. Saturday was just a panicked overreaction, and she was going to make sure her infatuated friend understood that. And that they could/would be friends and only friends.
As hard as she tried she just couldn't seem to keep her mind off of how Rarity was beautiful even when she cried what happened over the weekend and in lunch. Lucky enough, it was one of those days where the teacher just gave them busy work, so she really didn't need to pay attention to anything important.
The overreaction she had when Rarity confessed her feelings bothered her more than anything.
Why did ya react like that? How do you even react to that? she continued to herself, Surely anyone woulda reacted the same... Maybe not as bad, but.. Ah was just taken off guard is all.. Yeah.
She looked up at the clock, there was only about 30 minutes of last period left, then she'd be off to Sugarcube Corner with everyone. The freckled blonde looked out the window, she wasn't exactly up for hanging out with the girls today, but she couldn't blow them off.
They were already concerned, and they would just ask questions if she didn't go.
And Rares will be there.
With a sigh, she looked back down at her worksheet to give another attempt at completing it. With no avail, she gave up and ended up doodling on the margins and waited for the class to come to an end.
As the final bell rang, everyone packed their things and filed out of the classrooms. The blonde made her way through the crowded halls and upstairs to her locker to grab what was needed or put away what wasn't. With a slam of her locker and a click to ensure the lock was locked, she turned to head back to the stairwell, then she froze. Standing a little ways down the now emptying hall near the stairs was Rarity, who had stopped and looked back towards AJ.
She might have been a good distance away, but Applejack could still see a familiar pain in her eyes.
Maybe I should go talk to her, try an clear this all up.. Aj thought while holding her friend's gaze and taking a step forward, causing Rarity to tense ever so slightly.
Just talk it out and clear it up.. She'll understand.
Just clear it up, she thought over and over to herself as she walked towards Rarity, who still stood in her spot, not moving, simply waiting to see what her friend was doing. She still had her lady like confidence and composure-something Applejack really admired-but she seemed a little unsure about talking to AJ. She'll understand.
Each step filled Applejack with uncertainty and caused her to reconsider her decision. Maybe talking about it right now ain't the best.. We need to meet tha girls anyway. Can't keep 'em waitin'.
With a switch of her gaze from Rarity to the stairs behind and beside her, Applejack made a split decision and walked right passed the fashionista and down the stairs. She didn't hear any movement from the girl up the stairs, which let her know that she was as hurt and confused as she was Saturday.
I'll clear it up later. She'll understand.. The blonde thought to herself as she walked through the now emptied hall and out the front doors.
Her friends had already grouped and waited for her and Rarity at the statue. They lounged around it, talked and lazily laid on it. Pinkie Pie lied on her stomach holding her head in her hands, propped on her elbows. Fluttershy sat at the base with Sunset, chatting with Pinkie while they waited.
"Where's Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked as she stopped bouncing a soccer ball on her knee and held it between her hip and arm.
"Uh.. Ah passed her on my way out here, I'm guessin' she's still at her locker," the blonde answered not meeting her friends' eyes, Not technically a lie.
Pinkie jumped down from the statue and pointed towards the entrance of the school as Fluttershy and Sunset stood up.
"There she is!" she exclaimed and started to wave at her frantically.
This caused the girls, including AJ, to look back up at the school's front doors to see her walking over to them. Her lowered mood didn't go unnoticed to them, save for a certain athlete.
"Finally! What took you so long?" Rainbow asked irritably before anyone could ask how she was.
Applejack had stopped listening to her friends and looked around the school's campus. There was a noticeable area around the entrance of the school from Fall Formal. Fall Formal. That was a night to remember. There was a huge reason to remember that night, but her mind didn't trail off to the raging she-demon, nor their transformations. No, what she remembered was the way Rarity clung to her arm right after Twilight stood up to Sunset. At the time she really didn't pay any mind to it, it was something that the girls did. But now she wasn't so sure what it meant.
How long had Rarity liked her anyways? Was it recent? Or did it stretch to before Fall Formal? Thinkin' back to it though, it was sorta nice.. Her hands were warm and soft, and she looked amazin' after all. That dress made her look even better than usual, too. Wait. No. She shook her head as if trying to rid herself of those thoughts, and seemed to catch just the ending of the argument.
"She's here now, that's all that matters, let's get going," their flame haired friend said in a stern, motherly tone, ending the argument.
As dusk began to fall over Canterlot, the girls decided it was time to start heading home. They finished their hot chocolates and cakes and walked out of the shop and into the cold winter air. Pinkie Pie skipped a long beside Fluttershy as the group of friends made their way down the street, talking to her about various things. The quieter girl would smile and add a few comments. Applejack was talking to Rainbow Dash and Sunset about a game that was going to be released soon. She still paid attention to Rarity though, sending her quick subtle glances, making sure she was okay. The freckled girl noted how quiet Rarity was, she didn't seem to be paying attention to her friend's conversations either. Her beautiful eyes wandered aroundthe blonde would bet her mind did the same and she hugged herself trying to keep warm.
They stopped at a street that they usually said their byes and split up at.
We could talk once tha girls leave. Just ask'er to stay for a bit, she thought as she waved Pinkie and Fluttershy bye as they walked the same direction.
Sunset told the girls bye, then started walking back towards Sugarcube Corner, if she walks off Ah can just catch up to her, then Rainbow dash said her byes and ran off in a direction towards the school.
AJ moved her attention to the last of her friends, who stood quietly looking back at her. The farm girl noticed how flattering the evening light was on her friend. Her eyes were perfectly blue, highlighted with just enough make up to make them stand out further. Her skin was light , flawless of freckles or blemishes. It looked so soft, too. The blonde fought the urge to reach out and caress it. She continued admiring the her friend's features for a short time.
She looked around uncomfortably trying to dismiss the thoughts she had of her indigo haired friend. Applejack didn't like girls in that way. She couldn't, it wasn't natural. Men and women were put on this world to reproduce right? That's what she always heard, and that's what she knew.
All of the stress is just gettin' to ya, she thought to herself, all right AJ, just clear everything up, let'er know you just ain't interested in girls.
She looked back up, meeting blue eyes once more, just as her friend began to speak.
"Look, Applejack.. About what I said Saturday.."
"No," she said immediately. It left her mouth before her brain could process it. The blonde found herself doing the exact same thing she did Saturday, unintentionally interrupting Rarity before she could even start.
The pale girl's gaze fell to the ground, and she didn't say anything else this time. She really didn't mean to hurt her again, but it was relieving for Applejack to see that Rarity wasn't crying this time. She assumed she panicked again and that her immediate reaction was just to stop the conversation from continuing, and became frustrated with herself and brought a hand to her face and let out an irritated groan.
The wind blew around them, pulling a shiver from the older girl. She hadn't realized how cold it was until they had been stuck in another uncomfortable silence. If Applejack was cold, she knew Rarity had to be cold. Looking back up to her friend, who was still looking down, she noticed her arms were wrapped around herself, possibly trying to keep herself warm. Part of her wanted to offer her the jacket she was wearing. But one part of her wanted to hug her and keep her warm herself.
Ignoring that unsettling part of herself, she knew that she needed to clear everything up now.
"Rarity," she started but stopped once the fashionista looked up at her expectantlyhopefully.
Rarity really is beautiful.
The older girl lost her original thoughts as their eyes locked, and a small wave of butterflies flew through her. Her face grew a little warmer while she stared into her eyes, noting how they sparkled in dim light of the day. She didn't understand where these thoughts were coming from, but she desperately wanted them to stop.
There was nothing to say. Anything she had planned to say had abandoned and left her. The new thoughts Applejack had towards Rarity left her uncomfortable, she didn't want to leave her, but she knew she didn't want to be near her. Not if she was going to think like that.
"Ah.. I'll see you later."
Rarity's face dropped slightly again, but she nodded with out saying anything. She turned and walked away, going in the same direction as Sunset had.
Applejack brought a hand to her forehead with a soft 'smack' and quietly scolded and mumbled to herself before walking in the direction of her own home.
Applejack lied awake in her bed, staring into the darkness of her room. There was a faint light coming in through the window that barely illuminated her room. Sleep wasn't going to come easily to her, her brain didn't want to shut off for the night. Her thoughts varied, from her personal views on same-sex relationships to the way Rarity made her feel sometimes.
She thought about Rarity, how eligant and pretty she was. How passionate she was about her work and her fashion. She thought about her voice, how it was just as beautiful as she was. A small smile found its way onto the blonde's mouth; she thought about how Rarity would hum while she worked on her clothes. It was a small thing Applejack noticed once modeling for her friend.
Her brow crinkled and her smile transformed to a frown. The farmer knew why she was having thoughts like this. She knew why she had been stealing more glances and she had an idea of why she couldn't truly bring herself to "clear things up."
And she hated it.
To her, a homosexual relationship was something she wanted to avoid being apart of. If her friends were like that, she would love them regardless. Being gay herself though? That was a very different story. There was something alluring in the fear and resentment of it. Maybe part of her didn't hate it as much as she would care to admit.
She closed her eyes. Why me though? Why'd she hafta fall for me? Why'd she hafta go and tell me? To be honest, Applejack always thought that if any of her friends liked her it would have been Rainbow Dash. Not that she thought about it often, it was just something that crossed her mind once or twice. And she always figured that, if anything, Fluttershy and Rarity had a thing together. They were pretty close, it just made sense.
bzzzt
The sound of her phone vibrating on the side table next to her bed made her eyes shoot open. She leaned over and grabbed it to find that one of her more brash and outspoken friends had texted her.
"Hey i know it's sort of late but i just wanted to see if you were okay. You seemed sort of out of it today"
It's started. The blonde thought to herself when she finished reading the text. She glanced up at the small numbers reading the time at the top of her screen. 11:27
The green eyed girl stared at her phone trying to think of something to reply with. Rainbow Dash clearly knew the answer, and probably wouldn't accept the "everything's fine" bit. And she couldn't just come out and say she wasn't fine because that would just lead to more questions. Ignoring the text was a possibility, she could just explain she was asleep, but the farm girl was honest and hated to lie to her friends.
"Just got a lot goin on," she finally replied. Hopefully it would suffice as a good enough answer and Rainbow would leave it alone.
A few minutes passed and AJ felt her phone vibrate again while lighting up. She unlocked it and opened the new text.
"Rarity?"
Weird how one word-one name-could leave someone with so many different feelings.
Rarity? she thought to herself, how in the world..
"Howd you know about it?" She sent immediately. There wasn't any reason to deny it, if Rainbow Dash knew, she knew.
After thinking it over, she realized there was a really obvious answer: They both acted the same. They both were distant and upset. Anyone could have put two and two together to figure it out.
Another text arrived from Rainbow, and again, Applejack opened it.
"AJ cmon we've been friends for how long? Weve all noticed"
They all know? A familiar feeling swam through AJ's stomach: worry. All of her friends knew, but how much did they know? Did they know what happened over the weekend? or whatever happened earlier that evening?
Before AJ could reply Rainbow sent her another text, "Look its not like its a big deal or anything. I get you don't like gays but that doesnt give you a right to treat one of your best friends like shit"
She re-read the text a few times and let her friend's words set in a little. After reading it a last time, she locked her phone and laid it on the small table beside her. She didn't feel like getting into an emotional conversation with Rainbow Dash, and she didn't know why it made her feel so much worse.
Well, maybe she did. Her rainbow haired friend was right. Letting your beliefs and feelings come before your best friends is wrong, but it was something she was doing involuntarily. Leaving her in the hallway must have looked pretty bad, the farmer thought as she began to reflect on the events of the previous day, and even if Ah didn't mean to, cuttin' her off mid sentence was a little rude..
The blonde turned to her side, and stared out her window. She stared out to the dirt road in front of her house and went over Saturday in her head. The way Rarity's voice quivered and cracked was still so clear in her mind it made her chest hurt.
Maybe if she closed her eyes and pretended she was asleep, she would eventually fall asleep.
Unfortunately, that method didn't work. She lied awake for an hour more before sleep finally greeted her. An alarm broke through her sleep and eventually woke her. Falling asleep so late resulted in her being unusually groggy and irritable. She rolled to her back and rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands before making her way out of bed.
Sure, the moring held less conversations from her and she was a bit more irritable, but she followed her regular routine. Applebloom usually got up on her own, but her older sister always liked to make sure. Their brother needed a little help getting up, so Applejack would need to wake him up a few times while she got ready.
Granny Smith always had a nice warm breakfast for her grandchildren to start their day off right. They didn't always want to sit down to eat, but it really wasn't a choice for them. One by one they finished getting ready and came down stairs to eat. Their plates had been made already and sat neatly on the table.
"Oh! Granny, Scoots and I are gonna go to Sweetie's after school," Applebloom stated as she sat down at the table. Applejack sat down across from her and observed her food, getting lost in her own problems. The plate was hidden by eggs and sausage with a biscuit on the side. In fact, it was one of AJ's favorite breakfasts but she didn't feel like eating. Along with the anxious feeling in her stomach, she was just too tired to eat.
Then again, not eating will just make granny give her a long speech about how they never wasted food when she was a child. Or ask questions. Or both. And Applejack really wasn't in the mood to hear a speech or get asked questions.
She reluctantly ate her breakfast and listened to her family, mainly Applebloom, carry on conversations. It was pretty hard actually. The blonde loved her younger sister to death, but for some reason, she wished she would stop talking for the rest of the day.
"And then ah was wonderin', maybe we could come back here and have a slumber party," Applebloom finally finished.
"Ya can't have friends over on a school night, Applebloom," AJ answered for her.
"Ah wasn't askin' you. Ah was askin' Granny."
"Granny would say the exact same thing."
"How would you know? You ain't granny."
"Wouldja look at the time?" Big Mac butted in before anything could get heated, "we're gonna be late if we don't get movin'."
The sisters dropped their argument and grabbed their things.
"We'll talk about it later, Granny," the youngest Apple said as she went out the door, earning a groan from her older sister.
The walk to school was cold and bitter and quiet. Applejack normally road with her brother and sister to school, today though, she decided to walk. It wasn't easy, her brother held up a brief fight against it. The freckled girl understood why he protested, but she didn't care about being late today or walking through the cold. All she cared about at the time was to be alone for a little bit.
The usually punctual teen was going to be late, and to her surprise, she didn't care all too much.. She was in no hurry to get to school and see her friends-and see Rarity.
Dry and dead leaves crunched under her feet. It was a satisfying sound that gave her some comfort. She tried using the sound as a distraction from her thoughts, as a distraction from the anxious feeling building in her stomach, and, most importantly, as a distraction from her infatuated friend. They hardly did just that, but it was much better to at least try and focus on something else.
She checked her phone for the time. She had received a few messages from her friends, each wondering if she would show up to school. She sent one of them a simple "yup" and pocketed her phone. There was no need to reply to all of them, considering they were probably all together.
The first bell would be ringing any minute now, which meant the girls wouldn't be at the statue. A wave of relief passed over the teenaged girl as she realized she wouldn't be seeing them all at once right away. Her pace quickened slightly. School was just a few more blocks, if she hurried she wouldn't be in too much trouble.
Applejack finally ended her journey to school. She slowed from her quick jog as she neared the wondercolt statue, then stopped completely. Sitting at the base of the statue was a teenage girl with indigo hair that turned to look at the freckled girl.
"Rarity?" Applejack said quietly. They were the only two outside. Everyone else was inside, where Rarity should be. Where Applejack wished she was. The blonde, again, didn't feel like dealing with drama today, and she didn't feel like talking to Rarity one on one right away either.
What in tarnation is she out here? Her anxious feeling was returning along with a few others. Mainly confusion and worry, and surprisingly, solace.
"I was waiting for you," Rarity said with a soft and faint-hearted tone as she stopped in front of her green eyed friend.
"Yo," A rainbow haired athlete greeted her friends as she stopped at the Wondercolt statue, "where's AJ?"
"She's not here yet," her hyperactive, pink haired friend answered and gestured to the parking lot, "which is weird, because Applebloom and Big Mac are already here."
Rainbow Dash and the rest of the girls looked over at Applejack's siblings as she pulled out her phone, "is she coming?"
"It's not like Apple Jack to miss school," a timid girl added.
"It's really not," Sunset agreed as she sent AJ a text asking if she was coming or not, "I wonder what's going on."
"I don't know," Rainbow Dash said as she sent the same text and glancing at the time at the top of her screen, "if she doesn't hurry she'll be late."
Each girl added her input on Apple Jack and the situation. Except Rarity. She figured it had something to do with her, and even though she loved gossip, she didn't want to know if that was the truth. She thought about it. She thought that maybe AJ was just avoiding her and waiting somewhere else, but that wasn't right since the girls would be curious as to why. She thought that maybe she just took a day off, but Grannysmith isn't lenient about skipping school.
She was pulled from her thoughts when Sunset's phone sounded a text tone. She pulled out her phone and read the one worded text, "Apple Jack says she's coming."
"Then where is she?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Do you think she walked?" Rarity asked with concern.
"Ah, AJ's tough, a little cold wouldn't stop her," RD said as she checked the time again, "the bell is going to ring any minute now."
"I'm going to go on in," Fluttershy said as she stood, "I would just hate to be late to Miss Harshwinny's class again."
"Ohmigosh, I had detention once because I was late to her class. It wasn't even my fault, I started talking to Mr. Donkey, the janitor, and totally lost track of time," Pinkie Pie said.
"But Pinkie Pie, wouldn't that mean it was your fault?" Fluttershy asked after she hugged her friends bye.
"Oops," Pinkie Pie snorted and laughed, "I guess it does." She walked along side Fluttershy and talked about other various topics.
"Yeah, I'm gonna head in too," Rainbow said, "what about you two?"
"I think I'll stay out here a little longer," Rarity answered, "I'll see you at lunch."
"Not me, it's way too cold out here," Sunset said stepping forward and pulling her jacking to wrap around her.
The two walked into the building together, leaving Rarity alone at the statue. She sat down at the base of it and watched the other students. They laughed and talked and some went into the school. She wondered if Applejack would ever be comfortable around her again, so that they could go back to talking and laughing normally. Speaking of Applejack, the indigo haired teen wondered if she should even be outside waiting for her. They needed to talk, but how could they if Applejack kept cutting her off?
The sound of quick footsteps stole Rarity's attention causing her to turn to look in the direction they came. The steps stopped as soon as Rarity looked at who they came from. It was none other than Apple Jack, of course. The blonde's mouth moved as if she spoke, but if she did, the fashionista was unable to hear it.
The younger girl stood and gave one last look to her surrounding, everyone had already gone inside. Her eyes fell back to Applejack and she walked towards her. She observed her friend, her nose and cheeks were tinted pink from the cold. Her eyes were open lazily, she must be incredibly tired.
Rarity stopped at least a foot away from her exhausted friend and spoke softly, "I was waiting for you."
Neither of them spoke, Applejack continued looking at her, maybe waiting for her to continue. Rarity, actually was waiting for AJ to say something, and in their silence of waiting, the bell rang.
The fashionista continued, "to tell you that we are going to talk."
The blonde crinkled her eyebrows in confusion, and what seemed to be annoyance, hopefully from her exhausted state. She looked around the school yard as if she was trying to tell Rarity that they needed to be in class because no one else was outside.
"Right now?" she asked in a way that let Rarity know she wasn't up for it.
"No, obviously not right now," Rarity replied with the same irritated tone, "whenever you decide to take a nap and can lose your attitude."
Applejack took in a breath through her nose and exhaled quickly through her mouth sending a cloud of her breath visibly through the cold air.
"All right, Rarity," the farmer spoke in her adorable country accent said, "we'll talk later today."
"Oh," Rarity said with surprise and wide eyes. She didn't expect it to be so simple. She thought she would be interrupted again with a blunt "no". And for once, Applejack wasn't avoiding Rarity's stare, she kept eye contact with her indigo haired friend. Was she just so tired that she didn't care anymore? Why was she being so cooperative this time? Rarity wasn't complaining, she was just confused.
"Is that all?" the taller blonde asked uninterested but generally nicer than any other time.
The fashionista's mouth opened but closed. She nodded.
They stood in another silence, and Applejack moved her eyes to the sky, "Ah guess we should get movin'."
Rarity had completely forgotten about school and the time. She was so focused on Apple Jack and her situation that she was lost in her own world.
"I guess we should," she agreed.
"Well," the green eyed farmer started as she brought her gaze back to her blue eyed friend, "see ya at lunch." The taller girl walked off towards the building's main doors. A wave of relief washed over Rarity as she watched. Finally, hopefully, she would be able to get everything straightened out.
She'd be able to get her best friend back.
Luckily that day, the girls hadn't made plans for anything after school. Which meant that Rarity and Applejack would be able to do their own thing with no questions asked. And that was good for the both of them.
As the final bell rang, Rarity filed out with the rest of the class and went to her locker. Her stomach buzzed with anxiety and worry. She had been lost in thoughts of what she could say to Applejack and what Applejack could say to her. Her worry ran deeper than that though. Applejack seemed to be in a weird mood, considering she was so tired. Would she still be cranky? And react so harshly?
Rarity closed her locker, and clicked her lock in place before heading down the hallway. Her heart skipped as she passed Applejack that glanced at her but walked right passed her. Her heart steadied again only with slight disappointment, until the footsteps behind her stopped.
"Uh, hey, Rarity?" The familiar voice with a southern accent called out, causing butterflies to flow right through Rarity. The fashionista turned and waited for AJ to continue. The blond gestured for Rarity to go with her, to which she did.
The two walked to Applejack's locker and Rarity stood quietly waiting for her to finish or speak or both. The farmer switched out books and closed her locker, then walked towards the stairs with out saying a word. Rarity followed behind her, leaving some distance.
"Ah figured we could walk together," Applejack said without looking back, "Ah don't know where we're goin', but Ah guess we could figure it out on the way. If we're still gonna talk anyway."
Another pleasant but confusing surprise.
"Oh," Rarity replied, "We are still going to talk. I just assumed it would be later."
"Ah just wanna go ahead and get it over with."
That sort of stung. It didn't give her any reassurance that this is going to go better than the last few times either. But she pushed it aside, none the less, and didn't respond. Instead, she continued to follow her friend in silence.
They walked out of the school and down the sidewalk. Usually they met with the group after school, but there were days they all did their own thing. Today, Rainbow Dash had soccer practice, Fluttershy was volunteering at the shelter, Pinkie Pie was helping the Cakes, and Sunset was doing something somewhere. Rarity would bet, if anything, she was with Adagio. Even if she swears there's nothing happening there.
They walked down the side walk in silence.
Sunset always was drawn to the Dazzlings. And it just made sense if she was dating her. It was sort of cute how flushed Sunset's face got and how flustered she'd be when they mentioned it. If anything, everyone would be accepting for the most part, maybe not Rainbow but-
"Oh, um," Applejack interrupted Rarity's thoughts, "Ah wanna say sorry," she said giving a glance back to Rarity who trailed behind her. Rarity's full attention was on AJ now, "for bein' so harsh before."
What was with her today?
The blonde stopped walking and turned to face Rarity, "Ah just wasn't expectin' it, and it scared me." Her feelings weren't being returned, but this was just as good. It meant Applejack still wanted to be friends, and that things would be okay. She stayed quiet, waiting to see if AJ had more to say, "Ah didn't mean to hurt you so badly, sugar cube, Ah just panicked."
Rarity stared into Applejack's eyes. Words failed her. She had no idea how to respond. Luckily she didn't need to, the farmer continued, "Ah've been wantin' to talk to ya about all of it, and straighten things out, but each time Ah tried, somethin' happened, and I would just panic all over again."
Rarity let it sink in. It explained a lot of things. It was understandable too. Learning that one of your best friends, one that happened to be the same gender as you, is in love with you is a lot to take in. Even more so if you aren't entirely for it.
"It's not just your fault," the fashionista said, "I should have considered your feelings more before I said anything."
"No," Applejack said, only this time it didn't stay there, "Ah'm glad ya did."
Rarity's heart started beating faster.
"If ya hadn't, then we wouldn't be where we are now."
And faster.
"If anything, it's for the best that ya told me-"
Her stomach was flipping, and she leaned forward slightly in anticipation.
"Because it just means our friendship is strong enough that you can trust somethin' like that with me."
Whatever little hope she had then was gone, and disappointment filled its place.
"Ah think our friendship will be stronger than ever now," Apple Jack said in conclusion. Rarity gave a false smile and nod in agreement, and hoped it looked true enough.
"Of course, darling."
Another silence fell on them. Rarity wasn't sure how to feel. Of course, she was relieved that she and Apple Jack were still friends, and she was glad everything was okay between them. She just wished they had something more than the friendship. Apple Jack laughed softly, causing Rarity to look up at her.
"Ah guess we didn't have to find anywhere to go."
That was true. Originally, they were going to go somewhere. Rarity had pictured them going to a diner or cafe, and she would have settled everything. She had planned on explaining how she didn't mean to mess things up or make AJ uncomfortable. It was funny how things don't go how you expect them to, but they still turn out okay.
Rarity gave a soft laugh with her, "I guess so."
"All right, now that everything's all okay, Ah'm gonna head home," the farmer said, "and probably take a nap."
The purple haired girl gave a sympathetic smile, "go get some rest, dear."
The blonde nodded and waved before she walked in the opposite direction towards her home. Rarity looked up at the sky. Everything she was worried about didn't happen. She got exactly what she convinced herself she wanted: Applejack's acceptance and friendship. Which was great, but it would never be enough.
