1 Summer

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The rays from the afternoon sun beat down on the orchard of Sweet Apple Acres, hitting the apples that hung in the rows of trees, giving them a luscious red shine. The heat also beat down, warming the jean jacket-clad back of the teenaged farm girl in the orchard who was currently pushing a wheelbarrow of gardening tools towards the big red barn at the edge of the large farm. Straightening up, she lowered the wheelbarrow before letting go. Letting out a breath, she removed her jacket, revealing the fitted plain white t-shirt that clung to her body. Raising her right hand, she wiped the sweat off her brow before adjusting her brown stetson on her head to keep the sun out of her face.

“Damn, it’s hot out here. Glad I got my chores done early.” Placing her jacket on top of the wheelbarrow, she began to push again, walking into the barn. Once inside, she made her way to the back of the barn, relishing in the slightly cooler temperature. Setting the wheelbarrow down in the corner, she moved her jacket onto the handles, and began to unload the tools to their assigned spot along the back wall of the barn. Just as she finished, she heard a call coming from the other side of another door located on the side of the barn leading into her house.

“Applejack!!! Granny Smith says lunch is reeeaaadyyy!!!” Applejack rolled her eyes as she listened to footsteps moving closer to the door. That’s ma sister for ya. That Apple Bloom can never use her inside voice. She smiled slightly at the thought as she made her way towards the door. When she reached the door, she saw the handle turn, and the door fly open, revealing the entrance hall of her house, and a smaller girl, pink bow bouncing in her red hair with her excited movements. Applejack’s smile grew wider as she looked at the flushed face her restless little sister. At least she’s enjoying herself. Apple Bloom began to jump in place as she waited for her sister. “Applejack, hurry! Granny made apple cobbler for dessert!”

Applejack let out a small chuckle as she stepped into the hallway. “Cool your jets little sis, I gotta wash up first. Go find your brother and I’ll be up in a sec.” Giving her sister another quick smile, Applejack turned, heading further down the hallway. She stopped suddenly, startled as Apple Bloom ran off in the other direction, yelling as she made her way upstairs.

“Biiiiiiig Maaaaaaaaaaccc!!!!!”

“Whhhoooeeee Granny, that was the best darn cobbler yet! I can never get mine to come out like that!”

Placing her fork down on the plate in front of her, Applejack let out a satisfied sigh as she leaned back in her chair, placing both hands on her stomach. She watched her grandmother laugh as she rose from her seat and picked up her plate. “Don’t you fret yerself youngin’. Gettin’ a cobbler as fine as that takes years o’ practice.” Giving Applejack a wink, she walked out of the dining room and into the kitchen. Applejack smiled at the response, then gave a nod of thanks as her older brother, Big Macintosh, came in from the kitchen with gloved hands, and collected the plates in front of her and where Apple Bloom used to be.

As her brother walked back into the kitchen, she felt her phone buzz in the left pocket of her jeans, before hearing a bright three bell tone, indicating which friend was trying to contact her. Reaching her left hand into her pocket, she felt the familiar, slim, hard applewood shell case surrounding her phone and pulled it out. Unlocking her phone, She went to her messages.

“We are having a band session in the studio across from the café. Please bring your bass this time, darling ;) –Rarity”

Applejack blushed to herself as she recalled the memory being referred to. She had finished her chores later than expected, and in her rush to get to the studio, had forgotten her bass guitar at home. After being chastised by her best friend, Rarity, she was forced to play the triangle as punishment. Not only did Applejack find it mind-numbingly boring, the entire practice consisted of improvised triangle solos, to the great amusement of her friends. Looking at the text once more she shook her head and smiled slightly before replying.

“ -_- Thanks Rare. You know, you don’t need to put your name at the end of every text. I know it’s you.”

“Well excuuuuse me for adding a little flourish to my messages. ;p –RARITY”

“Silly me. I forgot ‘simple’ and ‘Rarity’ don’t exactly go together. –APPLEJACK”

“I believe you mean JACQULINE ;) Now get a move on. –R A R I T Y”

Applejack read the last message and smiled to herself, half regretting giving her fashionista of a best friend access to that bit of information. As she made her way upstairs, she wondered for the millionth time how she managed to stay friends with Rarity. Their first meeting wasn’t the best. They were randomly paired up in middle school for an English assignment. Apparently, reading Shakespeare with a southern dialect was less than pleasant to the ears. Rarity had tried to correct Applejack’s speech, leading to a huge fight that took up most of the night and left them each with a barely passing grade a few days later. They didn’t talk to each other again until a few weeks later, when Rarity had come to the farm to buy some vegetables in order to make dinner for her and her younger sister, Sweetie Belle. Granny Smith had told Applejack to be ‘a proper Apple’ and keep Rarity company until she and Big Macintosh prepared Rarity’s order. Taking Rarity upstairs to her room, the farm girl watched, slightly annoyed, as Rarity gingerly entered the room first and took a seat at the edge of Applejack’s bed. Following after her, Applejack walked the short distance to her computer table beside the bed. Dragging out the computer chair, she sat backwards, straddling the chair and resting her head on her arms, earning a criticizing look from the girl in front of her.

After several fruitless attempts at maintaining a conversation, Applejack finally asked her why she came without her parents to pick up such a big order. She was watching Rarity and noticed that she tensed at the mention of her parents. At first, it seemed like she was going to avoid the topic, but then her eyes met with Applejack’s. That was the first time Applejack had ever made eye contact with the tiny girl. It was a few seconds, but as Applejack stared into her sapphire eyes, she had felt time stretch on. Finally, Rarity sighed, and Applejack listened intently as she described her frivolous parents, and their dismissive behaviour towards her and her younger sister. By the end, Rarity’s eyes had begun to water,and without thinking, Applejack had jumped up from her seat and sat down beside her. Placing an arm around her, she had comforted Rarity as she began to sob into the green striped shirt Applejack had on. Once Rarity had calmed down, Applejack had told her that she could come to her about anything.

Since then, she had found a friend in Rarity. Aside from the misunderstanding caused by Sunset Shimmer last year, they had grown closer, and Applejack soon found that the fashionista would cross her mind more than she would like to admit. Through the years, there were times when Rarity would call Applejack out to the park by Canterlot High in the middle of the night, furious at the most recent fight with her parents, then quickly breaking down into tears as soon as Applejack arrived with open arms. Applejack felt a growing sense of wanting to protect Rarity, to keep her from crying, and to make her smile. The feeling grew and changed, resulting in...

Applejack stopped herself. She didn’t want to finish the thought. Instead, she entered her room and grabbed the bag holding her bass from beside her bed.

Walking out of her room, she looked across the hall and noticed Apple Bloom’s door was ajar. Taking a quick peek inside, she smiled as she saw Apple Bloom curled up amongst the cushions of her bay window, asleep; a book abandoned on the floor. Aww. Well, after using so much energy, it’s no wonder she gets plum tuckered and needs a nap every day. Stepping back outside, she quietly closed the door before making her way back downstairs. Stepping into the kitchen, she quickly told her brother that she was off to go practice. Opening the front door of her house she smiled, welcoming the warmth from the sun now that she didn’t have to work in it, and adjusted the bag holding her bass on her back before beginning her walk down the path into the city.

Walking through the front doors of the studio, Applejack was greeted to a small entrance area with a front desk, currently unoccupied, and a long hallway with several doors. Walking towards the table, she noticed the sign-in sheet at the corner of the desk. Scanning the sheet, she quickly found ‘Rainbooms’ next to ‘Studio 7,’ and made her way down the hallway. She found the room and turned the knob, opening the door.

"--Worst! Possible! Thing!!” Startled by the sudden outburst, Applejack stopped as she walked into the room, and took in the scene in front of her as the door closed behind her. Directly in front of her stood two of her friends, Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer, both holding their guitars. Rainbow Dash had a hand to her face and was shaking her head. Sunset Shimmer had her eyes to the ceiling. To the right, her newest friend, Twilight Sparkle, was standing against the wall, clumsily holding a keytar, which actually belonged to Rarity, with her left hand, and adjusting her glasses with her right hand. She looked nervous as she looked past Applejack. Her attention was on the girl to the left of Applejack, along the wall by the door. There, Rarity was lying face up across three cushioned chairs. Her left arm dangled off the chairs, while her right arm was across her face. “Why me!? Whyyyy MEEEEEE!?”

Rainbow Dash lifted her head and noticed Applejack standing at the door. Waving a hand and pointing towards Rarity, she spoke, annoyance obvious in her voice. “AJ do something! We've been trying to get her to stop, but she won’t shut up!”

As soon as she heard ‘AJ’, Rarity had moved her arm from over her eyes. Seeing the country girl at the door, she quickly sat up and moved to the chair closest to the entrance. Reaching out an arm, she grabbed and pulled at the bottom of Applejack’s t-shirt. By the time Applejack looked down, Rarity had pulled her closer, and now had her arms around her waist and her face on her stomach. It happened so suddenly; Applejack couldn't help the blush that quickly passed across her face.

Shaking her head to clear it, Applejack took one last look around the room. “What in tarnation is going on!?”Applejack asked over Rarity’s tearless sobs. She turned her attention back to the others and hadn't realized the she had placed one hand on Rarity’s back out of habit. Sunset Shimmer ran a hand down her face and sighed before speaking.

“We were starting to set-up, and Rarity began to complain about the heat. We sent Twilight down to ask the attendant at the front if he could turn on the AC for this studio room. Twilight came back and told us that he left to turn it on, but it would be around 15 minutes before the room begins to cool down. Then Rarity went off.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow and looked at Sunset Shimmer while trying to keep a straight face. Seriously? Well, that’s Rarity for ya. She thought. A small thing like this, and she goes all ‘drama queen’ on us. She turned her attention to Twilight, who was shifting uncomfortably. Twilight looked down at her shoes before speaking.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know she would be so upset, but the guy at the front--”

Shaking her head to cut her off, Applejack smiled at Twilight before speaking. “Don’t worry a thing, Sugarcube.This is just Rarity being…well, Rarity. You’ll get used to it.” Giving one more reassuring smile, she watched Twilight relax slightly, before finally turning her attention to the girl who still had a hold around her waist. “Come on Rarity, why are ya being like this? Twilight did say the AC was comin’ on.”

Without moving off of Applejack, Rarity shook her head. “But it’s sooooo hoooooot! I feel like I am going suffocate in this tiny room!” Tightening her grip, she began to whimper again.

And they say I’m stubborn. Moving her hands to Rarity’s shoulder, Applejack gently pushed Rarity until she reluctantly let go of her waist and was sitting upright. Kneeling so she was eye level with her pouting best friend, Applejack gave her an exasperated look. “Rare, think about it for a sec. The guy at the front said fifteen minutes. I reckon this whole scene of yours took at least ten minutes.” She ignored the glare as she continued.“By the time Pinkie and Fluttershy get here, the fifteen minutes will be up. That’s five minutes, Sugar. Five minutes. Is that really so bad?”

Applejack watched as Rarity opened her mouth and knew that she was about to protest. Right before she began to speak, several clunking sounds came from the ceiling as the fans began to spin. Everyone in the room turned their eyes to the vent located high on the back wall and watched as two blue streamers attached to it began to move, indicating that air was blowing out of the vent. Applejack looked back at Rarity and smiled as Rarity’s face lit up at the sight. Turning back to Applejack, Rarity looked into her eyes and gave a cheeky smile before she spoke. “I guess five minutes isn’t so bad.” Standing up, Applejack gave Rarity a pat on her head before walking towards the others.

‘…we’re better than ever.’

As the last of the notes from the band rang out, Twilight began to clap from one of the chairs that Rarity had previously occupied. Her eyes were lit with wonder and amazement as she watched everyone’s ponytails shorten, their highlights disappear, and their ears form back to normal. Fluttershy began to blush at Twilight’s clapping and attempted to hide her face with her tambourine.

As they began to pack up for the evening, Rarity turned to Twilight. “Twilight, darling, are you absolutely sure you wouldn’t like to join us? The new songs Rainbow and Fluttershy wrote have parts you could sing, and we could definitely use a voice like yours in the band.” Twilight blinked as she looked at Rarity. It took a moment to realize that they had heard ‘her’ singing from the other Twilight who had visited their world. After moving to Canterlot High School, she was abruptly introduced to the other Twilight who seemingly jumped out the Canterlot Statue. Once she had recovered from passing out, the others had given her a quick recap on the adventures they had gone through during the year in addition to the Friendship Games.

Since then, Twilight was warmly welcomed, and she found herself truly enjoying her new life and friends. Just like Sunset Shimmer once had, she still felt like she had a lot to learn and was content with watching the girls interacting with one another. She always found herself picking up on a lot of things. Shaking her head slightly to clear it, she gave Rarity a smile before responding. “Thanks Rarity, but I’m really okay with watching you girls. I love watching you play, especially when you all...um, ‘pony up’.”

Rainbow Dash spoke up as she began to coil her guitar cable. “How do you know you won’t ‘pony up’ too? I mean, you did come in contact with magic, and you are Twilight Sparkle after all.”

Twilight gave a slightly shaken look as she thought back to the Friendship Games. She knew that there was something that was still left in her after she had become Midnight Sparkle, but she felt like she wasn't ready to address it. “Yeah, but I’m not a princess or anything. And I’m definitely no expert in friendship either.”

Fluttershy, who was helping Rainbow Dash disconnect the amps, spoke just loud enough to be heard. “Um, I think you’re a great friend, Twilight. And if you really don’t want to sing, we won’t force you, but we will always have a spot in the band for you.”

Twilight gave her a grateful smile before glancing over at Applejack. She had long since put her bass and other equipment away and was now helping Rarity return the microphones back to their starting position. She noticed one of the mic stands wasn’t completely lowered as Applejack went to pick it up, and it shifted down, pinching the palm of her left hand below her index finger. Applejack pulled away quickly and winced, being careful not to cry out and draw attention to herself. Twilight quickly shifted her eyes, hoping that Applejack didn’t notice her watching.

After stacking the last of the studio drums in to the storage room, Pinkie Pie, who was unusually quiet, stuck her head out of the room and looked around at everyone with a huge smile on her face. “You know what would be perfect after an awesome practice?” Pinkie asked, drawing all eyes toward her. “SLUMBER PARTY AT MY HOUSE!!” As she said this, she came out of the room, threw her hands up, and streamers appeared around the studio, seemingly out of thin air.

“The hell, Pinkie!?” Sunset cried, “We just cleaned the place up!” She blew on a streamer hanging on her head and watched it float to the ground.

“That’s why I used streamers! Duh, confetti would be really messy.” Everyone watched as the party girl looked around at the streamers for a moment, before picking up the end of one and started rolling it. As if by magic, all the other streamers seemed to be connected by the one in her hand as they all moved toward her, forming a baseball sized ball in her hand at the end. Twilight watched in amazement as everyone else just rolled their eyes.

Sunset began to smile absently as she thought about her plans for tonight. She shook her head before speaking. “I’d love to Pinkie, but my neighbours are heading out tonight, and I promised I’d watch their kids. I’m like their big sister; It’s pretty awesome.”

“Same here darling,” Rarity added. “I must get home to Sweetie Belle. I highly doubt that she would be able to survive the night on her own.” Just as she said this, Rarity’s phone buzzed in her pocket. Taking it out, she read the message, and an angry frown, that didn’t go unnoticed by Applejack, flashed across her face. Clearing her throat, she waited a beat before she spoke again. “Well, it seems that Sweetie Belle is having a sleepover of her own.” Looking atApplejack, she continued. “She and Apple Bloom went to Scootaloo’s. That opens up my night, I guess.”

After everyone else confirmed that they could make it, they all picked up their respective belongings and headed for the door. Once outside, Applejack watched as Rarity smiled at the cooler breeze of the evening. After saying goodbye to Sunset Shimmer, the others made their way home to get their things before heading to Pinkie’s house. As Applejack walked home, she made a mental note to pack proper pyjamas instead of the onesie her Aunt Orange had given her for her birthday last year.

2 I Like Her

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“This time, the console stays on ma side, and away from you, Rainbow.”

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash were seated cross-legged on the floor at the foot of Pinkie’s bed. Applejack eyed Rainbow suspiciously and moved the game console away from the centre of the television, and closer to her side. This seemed to not faze the athlete, as she replied confidently.

“That’s fine with me, AJ. That just leaves you with nothing to say when I beat you.”

“Oho! We’ll just see about that!”

Once they started up the game, it wasn’t long before Applejack gained an easy lead. Right before she was about to knock down Rainbow’s character, her left hand shifted awkwardly against the controller and caused her to pinch her hand under the joystick in the same spot as before. Wincing, she let go of the controller long enough for Rainbow Dash to snag the win.

“Yeah! In your face! Who’s awesome? I am!” Rainbow shifted from her seated position to her knees and began to dance in place. Applejack looked at her hand and saw that it was starting to bleed internally. Ah, damn. I don’t wanna seem like a sore loser. I’ll just let her have this one. As she stood up, Pinkie Pie came running into the room stopping in front of the TV, both hands behind her back.

“Girls, you will never guess what I have behind my back. Go on, Guess!” She looked over the faces of everyone in the room, her excitement keeping her from standing completely still. Applejack had raised an eyebrow, and Rainbow Dash had and irritated look, as the excited teenager had unknowingly kicked the console, causing it to freeze. Fluttershy and Twilight had looked up from the board game they had on the bed between them, only slightly curious. Rarity closed the lid of Pinkie’s laptop and turned in the computer chair, a bored look on her face. Unaffected by the lack of enthusiasm, Pinkie continued, taking out a medium sized box from behind her back. The box was decorated with multi-coloured design paper, and a decorative ‘F&F’ logo across the front. “I have, in my hand, the ‘Flim-Flam Ultimate slumber party power box’! Complete with the most epic of games, and the scariest of movies, this box guarantees the best. Sleepover. EVER!”

“That...actually sounds pretty cool. I’m down.” Rainbow replied as she stood up from her spot and stretched slightly before sitting down on the bed next to Fluttershy. “Open up the box and let’s get started.”

Pinkie shook her head and held the box closer to her chest before responding “No, no, no. The epic-ness of this box cannot be contained within this room. We must take this…. to the living room!”

“Oh,” Fluttershy interjected, “um, won’t we be a bother to your family?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, they’re out of town visiting colleges with Geology programs for Maud this week. Now, everyone has fifteen minutes to change into their pyjamas and meet me downstairs, okay!? READYSETGO!” Before anyone could blink, Pinkie had left her room. After another second, Twilight walked towards the door, only to see Pinkie rush by, fully changed into pink, polka dot pyjama bottoms, and a solid pink tank top with blue and yellow balloons on the front. After another moment of silence, Twilight turned and looked at everyone in the room.

“I still can’t believe it when she does that.” Twilight stated, referring to the party girl’s ability to seemingly defy the laws of physics

“Ugh, tell me about it.” Rainbow replied as she got off the bed. Walking towards the door, she grabbed her bag off the floor before speaking again. “AJ, you might need more than fifteen minutes. Onesies can be very difficult to change into.” Laughing loudly, Rainbow Dash walked out of the room and headed for the bathroom down the hall.

“Hey!” Applejack yelled in the direction of the door, “I told y’all it was to make my aunt happy. It was one time, Rainbow!” Applejack turned her head to Pinkie’s computer table when she heard giggling. She watched as Rarity got up and walked up to her, placing a consoling hand on her arm.

“Don’t worry darling, I thought it was quite endearing.” Letting go, Rarity grabbed her bag by the door before she walked back, opting for the larger bathroom in Pinkie’s room. Not sure what to make of Rarity’s comment, Applejack’s mind began to race as she felt her cheeks heat up. Quickly turning away from Twilight and Fluttershy, the blushing farm girl focused her attention on turning off the television and game console.

After changing into lime green pyjamas bottoms, and a matching plain t-shirt, Applejack stepped out of the bathroom in Pinkie’s room. Placing her bag by the head of Pinkie’s bed, she began to walk out of the room, but stopped short when she heard a sound. It was barely audible, and Applejack would have believed she just misheard it, but it happened again, a little louder. It was coming from the floor on the other side of the bed. Walking around cautiously, Applejack looked down and felt her heart drop at the sight in front of her; It was Rarity. She had changed into a purple nightdress, with matching satin shorts, and was sitting cross legged on the floor. Her bedazzled phone between her hands was off as she stared at the screen, tears in her eyes. Stepping closer, Applejack spoke as quietly as she could. “Rarity? Are you alright?”

Even though Applejack was quiet, Rarity still jumped as she became aware of the presence beside her. Looking up, she blinked, realizing the she was staring into the green eyes of her best friend. Quickly looking back down, she took one hand away from her phone, and began to wipe at her eyes before speaking. “Oh, Applejack. I didn't see you there. Um, I'm just texting my sister, telling her that I’m at Pinkie’s.” Rarity made a move to stand but returned to her position when she felt Applejack’s hand on her shoulder. Rarity protested again as Applejack sat down beside her. “Honestly darling, I'm quite alright.”

Applejack didn't say anything. She just looked into Rarity’s watery ceruleans. I might be terrible at lying, but Rarity ain't much better.

It wasn't long before Rarity’s eyes connected with Applejack’s. Try as she might over the years, every time Rarity locked eyes with Applejack, she couldn't keep her thoughts hidden from the girl in front of her. Just like the first time years ago, something within Applejack’s emerald eyes pulled at Rarity’s chest. She found that she now knew the reason for it and had made numerous attempts to squash the feelings every time they surfaced. But now, as she looked into Applejacks eyes, she felt helpless like all the times before. As the tears threatened to flow again, Rarity allowed her body to move closer to her friend, tugging at the bottom of her shirt. Like earlier, she found solace, placing her face into Applejack’s side and letting her tears fall.

Applejack moved her hands automatically. Rubbing small circles on her back, she allowed Rarity to cry. I knew it was something. Based on the look she gave in the studio, I reckon it's her folks. As she thought, she noticed Rarity seemed to tighten her grip around Applejack’s waist and Applejack felt her heart squeeze unpleasantly. Rarity, who normally shined with confidence and radiated beauty, seemed so small and fragile huddled under Applejack’s arms. Although they never laid a hand on their children, Applejack saw the emotional strain their parents put on both Rarity and Sweetie Belle.

After another moment, Rarity loosened her grip. Moving her head to Applejack’s shoulder, she waited a beat before speaking. “I suppose you’ve realized why Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are at Scootaloo’s.” Applejack nodded and waited for her to continue. “I just called Sweetie Belle to make sure she was alright; She was at home when my parents came back. Scootaloo picked up and said that Sweetie Belle had just fallen asleep. Apparently, she was crying the entire evening. She told me Sweetie got yelled at the moment my parents got home until she decided to leave.” She sighed, shaking her head. “It was undeniably something utterly ridiculous, but they’re so…relentless! Knowing them, they should be gone on another imprudent voyage by tomorrow evening. But still, why must they insist on berating her so!? She’s just a child!” Rarity wiped at her eyes, and Applejack could hear the anger in her voice when she spoke again. “Dammit! I should have been there! I wish there was something—I-I wish I wasn’t…” she trailed off, sighing heavily.

“Hey, hey… ya can’t think like that Rare.” Applejack soothed. “I’m positive that Sweetie Belle knows you’re looking out for her. Ya might think you’re not strong enough, but believe me, I see how you stand up for your sister. You are one of the strongest gals I’ve met. Heck, I reckon even Sweetie’ll say the same thing.” Before Applejack continued, she turned on the spot, making Rarity sit up and turn. Sitting cross-legged and face to face, Applejack took Rarity’s left hand in her right and gave a slight squeeze. “All the same Sugar, just as Sweetie Belle has you to lean on, there’s nothing wrong with having someone for you to lean on as well. Everyone’s gotta let it out sometimes. And like I’ve said; you can always come to me.”

It was another second before Rarity gave a sad smile. Hearing the tenderness in Applejack’s voice not only comforted her greatly, but it also caused her heart to leap in her chest. She wasn’t sure if the tall girl realized it herself, but she never called Rarity ‘Sugarcube’. It was either ‘Rare’ or ‘Sugar’. She had never heard Applejack call anyone else ‘Sugar’ and had allowed herself to hope that it was only her, and that there was affection in her voice every time she said it.

Rarity was suddenly pulled from her train of thought; Applejack had placed her free hand on Rarity’s cheek, wiping away her stray tears as she caressed the ivory skin of her cheek. As soon as she did, Applejack seemed to realize what she was doing. Drawing her hand back quickly, Rarity watched the blush run across her freckled face before she let out an awkward cough. Letting go of Rarity’s hand, she stood up abruptly.

“Uh, we should probably get downstairs. Pinkie may call us any second now.” As if on cue, Pinkie’s voice rang out from the bottom of the staircase.

“Two minutes! Rarity, AJ, Twilight, let’s gooo!” Just as Applejack was about to leave the room, she felt two hands latch on to her left arm. Turning around, she looked at Rarity, who seemed to have composed herself and now had a chide look on her face. Applejack was at a loss as the fashionista slowly trailed her hands down her arm, and Applejack could’ve sworn she felt a burning left in the wake. She abruptly felt a real burning as Rarity took her hand and poked her where the mic stand and controller had pinched her. She tried to pull away, but Rarity kept a firm grip.

“Honestly, Jacqueline,” Rarity huffed. “I could say the same for you. What benefit is there to concealing your injury!? You can obviously come to me with something like this. Come on, I’ll help you put some ice on it.” Applejack blushed again as she realized Rarity had seen her get hurt. So much for not causin’ a fuss. Having been called by her real name, Applejack knew better than to argue with the small girl in front of her. Following Rarity, they made their way downstairs.

Once Twilight was sure Applejack and Rarity were gone, she let out a breath of air. Opening the door to the hallway bathroom, she stepped out and adjusted her glasses. She was fairly certain they hadn’t noticed when she walked into the room briefly to drop off her bag. She had seen them on the floor holding hands, and quickly felt she was about to interrupt something private. Without thinking, she had run back into the bathroom to hide. Adjusting her purple t-shirt, she tied the string on her purple and pink striped pants, before joining the others downstairs.

To say the girls were exhausted would be an understatement. Once everyone had gathered downstairs, Pinkie began the evening with a ‘never have I ever/dare or dare’ combo that resulted in Rarity grabbing a pair of bed slippers from neighbours two doors down, Rainbow Dash baking cookies without any help or instructions, and Twilight playing hide and seek without her glasses. Unlike Fluttershy’s five-minute karaoke rock solo, they found it difficult to find something outrageous enough for Pinkie Pie, but still managed to find her Shakespeare soliloquy entertaining. After grabbing their sleeping bags from upstairs, they wound down the night with what Pinkie declared would be the scariest movie ever to be released. Her claim was true, as Applejack found herself reaching up for her stetson to hide her face, only to remember having to have it replaced with a bonnet. By the time midnight rolled around, everyone was out cold.

It was a couple hours later when Applejack awoke. Her hand was burning. As she blinked in the dark, it took her a moment to remember where she was and what the burning sensation was. Feeling around quietly for the bag of ice Rarity had given her, she sighed slightly, finding the bag now only held warm water. Well damn. Sitting up, her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she could roughly identify the other five sleeping bags between her and the kitchen. Looking at the sleeping bag to her immediate left, she smiled slightly, remembering Rarity was beside her. Shaking her head, she let out the thoughts that were starting to form before standing up. Walking around the back of the couch, she entered the kitchen. Reckon I should keep the lights off in case anybody stirs. Moving by the moonlight through the windows, Applejack quickly dumped the water in her bag down the sink before walking to the refrigerator. Opening the freezer, she found the ice tray, took out some ice cubes, and placed them in the bag.

Closing the freezer door, she retied the bag and headed back for the living room. She was half way across the kitchen when she heard a sound. It was a breathy and quiet sound, and Applejack realized it was coming through a door leading to Pinkie’s dining room on the opposite side of the kitchen. Consarnit, that movie must be getting’ to me. Now I’m hearin’ all kinds a’ noises! Applejack shook her head at herself and was about to walk when she heard it again. This time, there was a word mixed in with the sound.

“...Rainbow…”

Applejack’s head started to spin. Rainbow? As in Rainbow Dash!? What in the Sam hell…? I must be so tired, I’m hallucinating! Applejack tried to convince herself, but as she looked in the direction of the door, she saw that it was slightly open. Curiosity winning out, she began to walk up to the door, cursing as she reached up for her stetson, only to be greeted with the soft fabric of the bonnet. Land sakes! I need ta get ma hat from the couch when I go back. Applejack thought, trying to distract herself. It wasn’t much help, and she visibly swallowed as she neared the door. The sounds were getting louder as she got closer, but they were still breathy, and she realized it was breathing. Not daring to open the door any further, Applejack moved her face as close as she could and quickly scanned the room.

It was when she looked over at the dining table that she saw them. There, illuminated by the moonlight, Fluttershy was sitting on the far side of the table, her head thrown back. Between her legs stood Rainbow Dash, her head between Fluttershy’s head and shoulder. Fluttershy had one hand on the table, and the other tangled in Rainbow’s hair. Rainbow had placed one hand under Fluttershy’s shirt, and the other was on the table and on top of Fluttershy’s. As the scene unfolding clicked in Applejack’s mind, she stepped back quietly and moved away from the door. In a daze, Applejack backed out of the kitchen, and into the living room. Her mind was blank, but she still managed to stop at the couch and exchange the bonnet on her head for her stetson. Walking back to her sleeping bag, she stepped in and sat down.

What in the world did I just see? I’m dreaming, right? Trying again to convince herself otherwise, she focused on the other five sleeping bags in the dark. Sure enough, one in the middle and the one at the other end of the room were empty. She moved until she was lying face up in her bag, a tight grip on the ice pack in her hand. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash….? She blushed fiercely as the scene recreated itself in her head. She felt conflicting emotions as she thought about it. They were obviously doing something you would do with someone who was more than a friend. They were both girls, yes, but it didn’t seem like either was bothered by that fact. She couldn't see their faces, but she could probably guess that they were enjoying it. Does that mean…. Applejack stopped short when she heard shuffling beside her. Turning her head, she was met with the sleeping face of Rarity as she turned in her sleep. She had a serene look, and Applejack watched as a small, absent smile formed on her face as she dreamed. That, and the scene she had witnessed just before seemed to be too much, and she felt the thoughts that she had been keeping back for years break free.

Immediately, Applejack was met with every interaction she had ever had with Rarity; From their first fight, to the first time she looked into her eyes. Every late-night rendezvous at Canterlot Public Park, and every hug, tug and touch from Rarity. Applejack was well aware that these were the feelings she had been fighting so hard to keep hidden, not even once allowing herself to explore them. As she looked at Rarity’s serene face, she was brought back to earlier that evening. The feelings she had when she saw Rarity alone on the floor. After talking to her, the smile the fashionista had given her was ingrained in her head, along with countless others. Applejack couldn’t help it; She was more than aware that Rarity was beautiful. She recounted the many times where it felt like she had to tear her eyes away when she realized she was staring.

For the longest time, Applejack thought that if she didn’t admit it to herself, she could act like the feelings weren’t real, but as she watched the sleeping face of the girl beside her, she felt the strong desire to hold her and run her hand through the purple curls that were flowing freely on the pillow behind her. For the first time, she let her feelings and her thoughts run its course, and finally reach the conclusion she so desperately tried to fight back for so long. There’s really no use fighting it, I guess. I…I like this girl in front of me. I like Rarity. As she allowed the thought to resonate, she felt her heart and her mind still for a moment with the self-confession. She had never wanted to admit it, not even to herself, but as she watched Rarity, she felt some sense of hope rise within her. Maybe there was a chance. Maybe Rarity might feel the same. Maybe they could be like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Well, not exactly like them, but…

Applejack blushed again, grateful for the night and that Rarity was sleeping. Tearing her eyes away from the girl beside her, she turned towards the wall and allowed both physical and mental exhaustion to consume her.

3 Mutual?

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"It's quite peculiar. She's usually the first one up out of all of us."

"I guess she was, like, twenty percent more tired than usual."

"Oh dear, maybe the game was too much for her. Poor Applejack, she must be exhausted."

"Hey! She took off the bonnet! The game said all night! Doesn't that mean she loses? So, who won then!?"

"Maybe we should head upstairs to change and let her sleep. Sunset said she'd meet us at the pancake house in an hour, so she has some time."

Applejack slowly opened her eyes and was greeted again with the dark. It took a second to realize that she had her stetson on her face. Groaning slightly, she slowly sat up and adjusted her hat to its rightful place on top of her head. Blinking, she turned and took in her friends who were sitting up in their sleeping bags as well. Twilight looked at her apologetically, and Pinkie looked somewhat irritated. Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow looked at her with amused expressions. Rarity smiled at her before speaking.

"Good morning, Darling. We were just deciding what to do with you. Sunset Shimmer called and we're all going to meet her for brunch in an hour."

Applejack just nodded, sleep still holding on to her. Rainbow noticed Applejack's lack of awareness and began to speak. "And...we've all decided that you're going to pay for everyone." When Applejack nodded again, Rainbow Dash continued. "And we're gonna order you the super massive five course combo...And…whatever you can't finish, you'll take home….in your pockets!"

Unable to contain herself, Rainbow Dash burst into laughter. Rarity shook her head as she rolled her eyes at Rainbow, despite the small smile on her own lips. Turning back, she crawled out of her sleeping bag and towards Applejack. She stopped in front of her and had to remind herself that the others were present before she reached a hand towards Applejack's face. Resisting the urge to caress the freckled cheek of her best friend, Rarity began to lightly pat her instead. "Applejack?"

"H-huh? What?" Coming to her senses, Applejack focused in properly and her eyes immediately met with Rarity's. Rarity began to smirk, her hand still on Applejack's face. "R-Rarity? Wha-"

"My word, Applejack! If I hadn't seen it myself, I would have never believed you work on the farm. You are certainly not a morning person." Applejack was then made aware of the laughter beside her when it multiplied. Turning, she took in the laughing faces of her friends. As her eyes passed over Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, the events of last night came rushing back. Looking at them, her thoughts began to swirl again as she began to think. How long have Rainbow and Fluttershy…been together? Are they even 'together' together? What started it? Who started it?

Looking back to Rarity, Applejack realized her hand on her face and blushed slightly before looking down. Seeing Applejack blush, made Rarity realize she hadn't moved. She leaned back, straightening up so that she was on her knees, and dropped her hand in the process. Looking back up, Applejack's eyes met with Rarity's again. She was brought back to the self-admission she had made last night. She noticed Rarity was gazing back at her with a small smile and she found that her heart began to beat much faster as they looked at each other. It was another second before she broke eye contact, not wanting to reveal anything.

Applejack waited until she could trust her voice before speaking. "I'm sorry y'all. I guess I was more tired than I thought." Sighing, she gave everyone an apologetic look before continuing. "Actually, I think I'm gonna head home. I'm still a mite tired." Not wanting to explain herself anymore, Applejack stood up, walked around the couch, and made her way upstairs.

By the time the others started making their way upstairs, Applejack had changed and finished packing her things. After assuring the others that she was okay, she made her way downstairs. Once she came down, she noticed that Rarity was still in the living room, and was now sitting in the couch, seemingly lost in thought. Applejack bit her lip, looked at the front door, and hesitated for a moment. Sighing, she decided to move to stand in front of the petite fashionista. As long as we don't talk about me, it should be fine. Kneeling down, she placed a hand on Rarity's knee, giving a gentle squeeze before speaking. "Rare? You okay there, Sugar?"

Rarity's train of thought was cut off when she realized she was once again staring into the emerald eyes of her best friend. Applejack had a look of concern as she waited for a reply. Rarity also saw another look along with it; It was a familiar look Rarity had seen countless times before, but this time it seemed more… intense. Rarity felt her heart leap slightly and began to smile as she thought about the girl in front of her.

Rarity had long since established that what she felt for the farm girl was an affection that went beyond friendship. She recalled the first night three years ago when she had called Applejack out to the park after fighting with her parents just to let Sweetie Belle go on a class trip. Rarity was anxious as she waited for Applejack, worried that she was being a bother by calling her out so late. She was about to change her mind and text Applejack not to come, when the farmer appeared under the streetlight by the entrance. Rarity felt a surge go through her body as their eyes connected in the short distance, despite the dark. Poise and grace went out the window, and Rarity found herself running towards Applejack, tears already flowing. Without thinking, Applejack had opened her arms and caught Rarity. They had stayed like that, with Rarity's head on Applejack's chest as Applejack had one hand on Rarity's back, and the other stroking her hair. Even though she was crying, Rarity found herself listening to Applejack's heartbeat. It was fast at first, and then it slowed to a rhythmic lull. She found that the beat of Applejack's heart calmed her, even after she had stopped crying. It was another minute before she reluctantly pulled back, and she found that she missed the sound already. She felt a pleasant tug in her chest as she looked at Applejack once again under the streetlight.

Bringing herself back to the present, Rarity kept her eyes on the kneeling girl in front of her. There was something about Applejack that Rarity found herself drawn to. She was also a girl, yes, but Rarity found that it didn't change the fact that she would always find a way to be close to her when they were with their friends, or to touch her whenever they talked. She now found it harder to keep her feelings in check the more time they spent together.

She gave a smile before speaking. "I'm quite alright, Jacqueline. I would just rather wait to change than maneuver around the others. Despite what Rainbow Dash says, it does not take me forever. Unlike her, I do wake up like this." To emphasize her point, she lifted her hand and flipped her hair over her shoulder before letting out a small giggle.

Applejack chuckled as she watched Rarity's curls fall naturally down her back. "Watch it, Missy." She raised an eyebrow at her in mock warning, referring to the use of her name where it could be heard by the others. She was happy that Rarity was feeling better than the night before. "Still," Applejack continued, keeping with the light mood, "we both know that you're not walking out of this house without considerable accessorizin'." She laughed again as Rarity rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, Applejack. There's nothing wrong with adding earnings to accent an ensemble, and a belt….maybe some rings….oh, and I do have that new bracelet that I packed…."

Applejack watched Rarity with an amused expression as her 'simple list' grew longer. As Rarity continued, Applejack watched her contentedly, her expression easing into a smile. Really now, accessories are nice, but you should know that you are just as beautiful without them. As soon as she finished the thought, she saw that Rarity had abruptly stopped talking and was now staring Applejack with wide eyes.

Applejack wanted to kick herself once she realized what happened. She had thought out loud. And Rarity had heard her. She stared at Rarity, her own eyes widening at her realization. All at once, Applejack was made aware of the silence, of their proximity, and of the fact that she still had her hand on Rarity's knee, her thumb absently rubbing small circles. Neither of them spoke for a moment, as they looked at each other. Finally, Rarity made a move to speak, and that seemed to snap Applejack into action. Before Rarity could say anything, Applejack stood up, blushing as she removed her hand, and quickly stepped back in the direction of the front door.

"Uh, I-I didn't mean…" Applejack stammered as she backed slowly towards the entrance. "I mean ya a-are, but…not…um, I-I ahh, I should probably get going now." Applejack turned and opened the door just as Rarity stood up.

Standing quickly, Rarity reached a hand towards Applejack, trying to stop her. "Applejack, w-wait!" She took a step forward, then stopped suddenly when Applejack seemingly flinched away. A mixture of hurt and confusion at Applejack's reaction coloured her features. "Applejack?" Applejack gave her one last look in response before turning and leaving Pinkie's house, closing the door behind her.

Rarity just stood there, shocked and dazed. That last look she had seen caused her stomach to twist unpleasantly. Everything had happened so quickly, but as Rarity tried to process it, one thing stood out in her mind; Applejack had called her beautiful.

She had been complimented numerous times before. The other girls had always said her accessories were cute, and, although she never reacted, the words, 'hot' and 'sexy' floated in the air at school and on the street. But no one had ever called her beautiful before, not even her own parents. It was so unexpected, that she didn't know what to say. She wanted to stop Applejack before she left. She wanted to say thank you, or something to her, but the look she had given stopped Rarity in her tracks. It was a sad, almost regretful look. Did Applejack regret saying that? Did she not mean it? Rarity felt her head spin as she thought about it. It wasn't long before she heard the sound of her friends making their way downstairs. Dropping her hand, she quickly composed herself as Pinkie Pie entered the living room.

"Rarity?" Pinkie began, "Why haven't you changed yet?"

Turning around, Rarity looked at Pinkie Pie with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Don't worry Pinkie, I'll be ready in no time at all."

Rainbow Dash spoke up as she came down the stairs. "I doubt that. By the time you finish, we'll be heading out for dinner." Rarity just rolled her eyes before heading towards the staircase. As she passed Rainbow Dash, she flipped her hair, purposely letting it fly in Rainbow Dash's face. Rainbow sputtered, and Rarity ran upstairs before the athlete could retaliate.

As she reached the top floor, she heard the hallway bathroom open, and looked to see Twilight walk out, sighing heavily. "Twilight?" Rarity began, "What's the matter?"

Twilight looked up and smiled at Rarity as she made her way towards her. "Oh, I'm fine. I was just thinking that I need to work on my timing." As soon as she spoke, Twilight made her way downstairs before Rarity could question her further. Rarity watched with furrowed eyebrows, as Twilight left, before heading towards Pinkie's room. As she reached the door, she stopped. Fluttershy was standing in the middle of the room, seemingly lost in thought, her face a deep shade of red.

Rarity entered the room and stood in front of Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, darling, are you alright?" Seeing no response, Rarity placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently. "Fluttershy?"

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy said suddenly as she came back from her thoughts. This caused Rarity to step back, startled by her sudden outburst. Realizing that Rarity was standing in front of her, Fluttershy went red again. "O-oh, Rarity. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Rarity replied. "What happened? Did Rainbow Dash do something?" Rarity watched quizzically as a flurry of emotions raced across Fluttershy's face at the mention of Rainbow Dash's name.

"Uh, no...well yes, but….I mean….nothing….really?" Rarity just watched, confused as Fluttershy's voice began to taper off. Taking advantage of the silence, Fluttershy stepped around Rarity, and left the room. Rarity tried for a moment to process her friends' string of strange behaviours. it was hard enough considering she was still trying to figure out what had just happened between her and Applejack. Sighing, she gave up, grabbed her bag by the bed and walked to the bathroom in Pinkie Pie's room.

4 Thinking of You

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Applejack stared at the ceiling fan as she laid on her bed with her hands behind her head. If she focused on the blades hard enough, her mind would clear for a moment before the flurry of thoughts returned again. Her mind kept replaying what had happened at Pinkie Pie's a week ago. Since then, she hadn't left the farm to see her friends; She didn't know how to face Rarity after embarrassing herself like that and before she knew it, one day became a full week and now it was even harder to face her. In the silence of the room, her phone on the bedside table buzzed for the millionth time that week before she heard the short tone of a songbird. A text from Fluttershy this time. She was again reminded of the night scene between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Applejack found that it still caused her to blush, and she shifted her eyes from the fan to her hat on the bedpost at the foot of the bed. She sighed as she realized that even her stetson reminded her of Rarity.

She recalled the time she had volunteered to help the drama club put on a play for the community. She had offered to help clean up and fix the public stage in Canterlot park. By the end of the two weeks, her hat was in tatters as a result of it constantly falling off. Usually, it would fall where she was working, and would take the place of the metal she was cutting, or the wood she was sawing. Rarity had come by often to help with costume and stage design and had seen the progress of damage to her hat. Once the play had finished opening night, Applejack found herself at a picnic bench, her eyes downcast as she tried to hold back tears. She had put down her hat before the show in order to finish last minute stage work that once again required tools deemed a hazard for her hat. When she had gone to retrieve it, it was gone. After asking around for a while, she had figured someone saw the battered headwear and threw it out. She was surprised when Rarity came up to her, hands behind her back. She remembered Rarity's smile as she moved her hands from behind her back, revealing her stetson, repaired and looking like new.

Her reminiscing was put on pause when there was a quiet knock at her door before it opened slightly to reveal her little sister. Apple Bloom had a concerned look on her face as she spoke. "You alright, big sis? Other than to do your chores, you've barely left your room."

Sitting up, Applejack smiled before responding. "Don't worry Apple Bloom, I'm okay. Just enjoying some good ol' relaxin'."

Apple Bloom looked at her doubtfully. "Well, okay. Um, Rainbow Dash is here to see ya." Thinking Rainbow Dash was still outside the house, Applejack was about to tell her sister to tell Rainbow Dash she was sleeping, but Apple Bloom stepped back into the hall and Rainbow Dash walked in immediately. Apple Bloom saw her sister's face and decided to close the door before walking away.

Rainbow Dash stood at the foot of the bed with her arms crossed, and a slightly expectant look on her face. Realizing that Applejack wasn't going to speak, she began instead. "So… You wanna tell me why you disappeared on us?"

Applejack looked at her hands before responding. "I haven't. I just….had a lot of chores to get done lately." Applejack looked back at Rainbow Dash, hoping that she sounded believable.

Rainbow Dash simply raised an eyebrow. "Bzzt! Try again."

Turning in the bed so her feet dangled off the side, she sighed, before she spoke again, "Really, Rainbow, I'm fine, just felt like having some alone time."

Rainbow Dash moved around to the side of the bed and sat down beside Applejack. "Okay. We both know you're terrible at lying. Something is obviously bothering you, and you're trying to keep it to yourself. What's wrong?" Applejack sighed; Her friends knew her well enough to spot her lies before she even said them. As she debated talking to Rainbow Dash about the sleepover, Rainbow Dash spoke up again. "Look, I may not get whatever is bugging you, but I am willing to listen."

Applejack chuckled slightly. "Actually, ya'll might get it very well." Applejack saw the confused look on Rainbow Dash's face and sighed internally. Might as well, I reckon. "Okay, um, I'll be honest with you, but ya have to be honest with me, alright?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes furrowed further. "M-me? Why do I-" she stopped as she saw the pleading look on Applejack's face. "O-okay, I guess?"

Applejack took in a breath before she spoke. "Well, before we went ta Pinkie Pie's last week, I pinched my hand on a mic stand." As if to prove her point, she showed Rainbow Dash her left hand, where the injured area was now a small dark spot with a fading bruise. "Anyway, I had put ice on it that evening, and then later in the night I woke up and went into Pinkie's kitchen ta change it." Applejack stopped for a moment, as Rainbow Dash's face had changed. She was unblinking, and had paled slightly, and Applejack realized she knew where this was going. "When I finished, I was gonna go back ta bed, but I heard some…ah, noises from the dining room. I went to check, and saw, well...you…an' Fluttershy."

It was quiet and for a moment and Applejack felt her ears buzz with the silence. She looked over at Rainbow Dash, and saw her face was now bright red. the athlete cleared her throat and spoke slowly. "Did that…uh, is that why you were avoiding us?" As she asked the question, she couldn't help the look of hurt that began to form. "Look, I know Fluttershy and I are both girls, but I don't think that-"

Seeing her face, Applejack shook her head and spoke up. "No, no! That ain't it! There's more to this." Applejack waited for Rainbow Dash to nod before she continued. "If anything, y'all helped me to be…more honest with myself." Rainbow gave a look of surprise, and Applejack would have thought her string of emotions to be funny, if it was any other situation. Sighing again, she looked down at her hands. "When I went back to the living room I was shocked for a bit, but I started to think about…romantic relationships in general. And then, I began to think about…Rarity."

Applejack stopped, and Rainbow Dash watched as she played with her hands in her lap again. She saw Applejack was hesitant, so she said what she knew was coming next. "You realized you like her, didn't you? Like, more than a friend, right?" Applejack nodded, then proceeded to tell her about the next morning after the sleepover. Rainbow Dash couldn't help a small chuckle before she responded. "Damn, you got it bad, AJ."

Applejack rolled her eyes, before giving Rainbow Dash a light shove. "Shut up. Honestly, I'm so embarrassed, I don't know what to do."

Rainbow Dash gave a small smile before responding. "I know it's hard, but sometimes you gotta follow your heart. And trust me, it can be scary. It was the same with me." Applejack raised a disbelieving eyebrow, and Rainbow Dash's smile grew as she thought back to five months ago.

A few days after the Friendship Games, everything, except Pinkie Pie, had begun to calm down. One Friday, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had been assigned to classroom duty and were cleaning the classroom after school. They moved to either end of the classroom, fixing the last few things as they finished up. As they met in the middle, Fluttershy accidentally bumped into Rainbow Dash. "Ohmigosh," she began, "I am so sorry Rainbow. I-I wasn't really watching where I was going." As she was apologizing, she unknowingly backed up until her back was against the window.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and moved to stand in front of her. "It's fine Fluttershy. You don't need to apologize."

Shaking her head, Fluttershy looked down and her shoes. "But I really am sorry, I should have been more careful. I don't know why I didn't-" She stopped when she saw Rainbow Dash move closer.

"Seriously," Rainbow began, "it's fine, I'm fine. You really don't have to keep apologizing." Not moving, Rainbow Dash waited for Fluttershy to look up at her. Once she did, Rainbow gave her closest friend a smirk before speaking again. "See? Fine."

Rainbow Dash saw Fluttershy relax and give a shy smile of her own. Rainbow stood in place, and her smirk became a smile as violet eyes locked onto teal. She didn't realize she was considering it, but before she knew it, she leaned down, and her lips had met with Fluttershy's. Rainbow was shocked by her own movement but realized that Fluttershy hadn't pulled away. She began to kiss her tentatively, and for a second, Fluttershy responded. As soon as she did, she stopped, and suddenly Rainbow felt herself being pushed back. They stared at each other with wide eyes and flushed faces. Rainbow Dash moved to speak, but Fluttershy quickly stepped around her. Without saying anything, she grabbed her bag, leaving the athlete alone in the empty classroom.

It took a moment for Rainbow Dash to compose herself, but by the time she did, Fluttershy was long gone. After she went home, she had spent the majority of the weekend, trying to contact Fluttershy, but she wouldn't respond, and she was never around when Rainbow went to look for her.

Before she realized it, Rainbow Dash found herself in her room Sunday evening, lying in bed and staring at her phone. Opening her messages, she decided to text Fluttershy one last time:

"Hey Fluttershy, I really am sorry about Friday. I know you must be mad, but I am going to be honest. I was going to tell you this personally, but I haven't seen you all weekend.

Fluttershy, I don't regret what happened. Although I didn't want you to find out like this, I was hoping to explain it or talk to you about it when a better chance arrived, but…

I like you, Fluttershy. More than a friend should. I've liked you since we were 12.

You chose to be my friend out of the kindness of your heart. At that time, I never had friends who were loyal to me. They just hung out with me 'cuz they knew I would take the fall for them if anything happened. They took advantage of my loyalty. They never got to know me. They were never there when my tough times came around.

But you were different. You began to talk to me, even when I tried avoiding everyone around me, your compassion broke through the wall I began to build. You were kind, caring, and liked me for me. And I began to like you. A lot. At first, I didn't think much of it. I just thought it was because you were my first real friend. But then we met the others in high school. I learned quickly that what I feel for you is different than what I feel for them.

I'm sorry for telling you like this, but I don't want to lose you. I promise to never bring it up or mention it again, just…please don't ignore me."

Looking at the sent message on her phone one last time, she sighed before putting it on its docking station, and turning on her playlist. She closed her eyes and engrossed herself in the music. She could probably get a chance to talk to Fluttershy before class on Monday.

She opened her eyes when she heard insistent knocking on her door. Looking at the clock, saw it was 8:00 in the night, and realized she had dozed off for about an hour. The knocking continued and Rainbow Dash turned down the music before getting off the bed. As she walked to the door, she assumed it would be her dad and wondered why he hadn't yet left for work.

She began to speak as she opened the door. "Dad, you know you're going to be late for-" Rainbow Dash was abruptly cut off. As soon as she opened the door, a set of hands grabbed at her blue t-shirt, and began pushing her back into the room. It took Rainbow Dash a second to realize it was Fluttershy, but before she could react or say anything, Fluttershy tugged on her shirt, bringing Rainbow's lips over her own.

Rainbow Dash's head began to spin. As she attempted to process what was happening, she felt her body move on its own; her hands moving to Fluttershy's waist as she returned the kiss. The kiss was fervent and eager, and Fluttershy continued to pull on Rainbow Dash's shirt, trying to bring her closer. It was another moment before Rainbow's brain seemed to catch finally up, and she moved her hands to Fluttershy's shoulder. She managed to pull back, pushing the small girl lightly until she took a step back, but still kept a hold on her shirt.

"Fluttershy, wha—I-I don't….Huh!?"

Fluttershy locked eyes with Rainbow Dash as she caught her breath. When she spoke, it was with a confidence that sent a shiver down Rainbow's spine. "I like you too." Rainbow was about to speak, but Fluttershy shook her head. "I thought it was just me. When you kissed me Friday, it was literally a dream come true. But I panicked and thought that you somehow found out about my feelings, and that kiss was because you felt sorry for me or something. I felt so embarrassed, I just left. I didn't want you to reject me, so I avoided you. But that text earlier, when you said you like me, I was so happy, I couldn't help it. I found myself in front of your house just as your dad was leaving, and he let me in. I wanted to see you. I wanted to hear you say those words in person. I wanted you to know that I like you more than a friend too."

By the time she finished, she was breathless and flustered again. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile at Fluttershy. She had never seen such intensity from the usually quiet girl in front of her. Stepping back closer, Rainbow Dash moved her hands to Fluttershy's side and looked her in the eyes as she spoke. "I like you, Fluttershy. I really, really like you. I know I joke around a lot, and rarely take things seriously, but I want to be serious about you. We may have some tough times, but I don't think I can see myself with anyone else but you. So, I guess, what I'm saying is, if you want, I really would like to be your girlfriend."

Fluttershy smiled widely and nodded before responding. "And I really want to be your girlfriend, too." Rainbow Dash couldn't help the smile as she looked at Fluttershy. Giving a quick nod of her own, Rainbow Dash leaned down and met Fluttershy's lips once more.

Applejack watched as Rainbow Dash told her story. She saw the smile as she talked, and the affection in her voice. Once she had finished, she wore a goofy smile that caused Applejack to chuckle. "Look who's got it bad now. Never pegged you for the smitten type, Rainbow."

Mimicking Applejack's earlier actions, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as she shoved the farmer, but the smile was still on her face. "Shut it. But seriously, I took a chance, and every day since then has been awesome. For all you know, Rarity might like you too." She watched as Applejack moved her eyes past her and to her stetson on the bedpost behind her. For a second, Applejack had a look of hope, but it passed, and she looked back down at her hands.

"I don't know, Rainbow. I'm just a simple farm girl. Someone like Rarity…I don't think she'd like someone like me. Even if she did, I reckon I blew it with the way I ran off last week." She sighed, and Rainbow Dash could hear the conflict in her voice.

"Okay, first, your anything but 'simple'; especially with our magic. And even without magic, I doubt anyone would think that, Rarity or otherwise. Also, I don't think Rarity is the type of person to let something like what happened last week affect her. She'll probably hear you out if you go and talk to her. Just be honest with her, AJ."

Even though Rarity was nowhere in the vicinity, Applejack couldn't stop her nerves from fraying. "What if I tell her how I feel, and she rejects me because I'm…well…" Applejack finally unlaced her hands and wrapped her arms around her torso as she finished the thought in her head.

Rainbow understood where she was going and smiled sympathetically. "You know, I thought the same thing once. I admit, I can be a bit…much sometimes, and it made me think that a kind and sweet girl like Fluttershy would never be into someone like me, let alone another girl. After what happened in the classroom that day, I realized I wasn't doing either of us a favour. Fluttershy is my best friend above all, and I knew I could be honest with her. As long as I did that, whether we ended up together or not, I knew we'd be alright."

Applejack thought about it, and after a moment, she finally let a small smile colour her features. "You're right Rainbow. I reckon I should just be honest with my friend. Whatever happens, we'll be alright." Applejack sighed, feeling herself getting stronger as she became more resolute in her decision to talk to Rarity.

Rainbow Dash nodded at Applejack. "You'll be fine. You both will." She smiled as she continued. "I guess I'll leave you for now, but don't stay here forever. We miss you." As Applejack nodded, Rainbow Dash gave her a quick hug before standing up. As she headed for the door, she stopped and turned back to face Applejack. "You know, you made me realize something else; It's not just Fluttershy or Rarity. Pinkie, Twilight and Sunset are our friends as well. We can be honest with them too."

Applejack was about to question her, but she saw as Rainbow seemingly nodded to herself, as if she decided on something. Catching on, Applejack smiled again. "You're right. If you tell them, I'm sure they'll listen to what you two have to say." Applejack saw the excited look on Rainbow's face as she thought about it. Waving one last goodbye, Rainbow left the room, leaving the door slightly open behind her.

Laying back down after a moment, Applejack let her thoughts run freely like she did a week ago. She knew keeping her feelings hidden wasn't working as well as it used to. She had to tell Rarity how she felt. As the face of her best friend began to circulate in her head, Applejack let out a happy sigh just as Apple Bloom stuck her head through the door. "Sis, are you feeling better? I just saw Rainbow leave in a hurry."

Laughing for the first time in several days Applejack sat up again and motioned for her little sister to come sit beside her. As Apple Bloom sat down, Applejack immediately grabbed her into a bear hug. "I'm just fine sugarcube. Don't you worry a thing about me." Applejack continued to hug her sister, laughing as Apple Bloom began to make mock choking sounds. It wasn't long before the two were tangled in a wrestling match on the bed. Having quickly pinned her little sister below her, she stopped long enough to catch her breath and speak. "A'right Apple Bloom, I'll call a truce, if you help me. We'll see if we can get the jump on Big Mac downstairs." Applejack watched as her sister nodded, out of breath and eyes wild in excitement from seeing her sister in a better mood.

Rolling off of Apple Bloom, Applejack told her the plan before sending Apple Bloom on her way. Following closely behind her sister, Applejack covered her ears as Apple Bloom began to yell.

"Biiiiiiigg Maaaaaaaaaaccc!"

Rarity looked in at her sleeping little sister with a sad smile. She had spent the last week trying to cheer Sweetie Belle up after picking her up from Scootaloo's. Rarity's heart almost broke at the beginning as Sweetie Belle refused to go anywhere or do anything without her sister beside her. This was only the second night that Sweetie Belle was able to fall asleep on her own. Rarity felt her hands clench at her sides as she thought about how little her parents cared. Turning off the light and closing the door, Rarity closed her eyes and sighed, calming herself before walking to her room.

As she walked in, she looked at her phone on her nightstand, and smiled slightly. Her friends had checked in with her throughout the week, making sure she and her sister were okay. Her smile faded as she remembered the fact that Applejack was the only one who hadn't messaged her. Apparently, Applejack hadn't talked to anyone else either, as the others began asking Rarity if she had heard from her since the sleepover.

At that thought, Rarity couldn't help herself; She thought back to last week and kept replaying what had happened in her head; Applejack had called her beautiful. As she thought back, a wave of emotions coursed through her. The look on Applejack's face as she said it was what made Rarity stop and stare at her. She had looked so sincere and open, Rarity had to stop herself from reaching for Applejack, unsure of what she might have done if she had. At the same time, Rarity remembered Applejack's face before she walked out of Pinkie's house; The look of regret and sadness stung every time she thought about it. Rarity wanted to know what it all meant and she had tried sending a couple texts during the week, to no avail; She would reach for her phone to ask, only to put it down again, afraid of the answer.

Leaving the door slightly open, in case her sister woke up, Rarity walked towards her bed. Kicking off her bed slippers, she got into her bed before picking up her phone. Seeing one unread message from Rainbow Dash, Rarity unlocked her phone to read it.

"Hey Rarity. We're all planning to meet at Fluttershy's tomorrow evening. We'd really like for you to come, if you can make it…Applejack will be there."

Rarity looked at Applejack's name and felt her heart give a slight squeeze. She had wanted to talk to her, and now a chance had presented itself. Looking at her phone again, she began to wonder why Rainbow had specifically pointed out that Applejack would be there. As she thought about it, she heard a small knock on her door before it moved, revealing her little sister. Putting her phone away, she sat up in the bed and looked at Sweetie Belle.

"Sweetie, are you alright? Did you have a bad dream?" she watched as Sweetie Belle shook her head slowly, not moving from her spot by the door.

"I, um, I just came to say thank you." Rarity looked at her little sister, confused as Sweetie kept her eyes on the floor.

"'Thank you'? Whatever for Sweetie?"

Looking up at her older sister, Sweetie gave her a small smile before responding. "Just, for always being there when I need you. I am really glad I have you for a big sister."

Rarity watched as Sweetie Belle shuffled in place, a blush colouring her small face. Smiling widely, she motioned for Sweetie Belle to join her in the bed. As soon as Sweetie climbed in, Rarity pulled her into a tight hug. "Aww, Sweetie Belle! You know I love you, and I will always be there for you. I do it because I want to. You don't have to thank me."

"I know, and I love you too Rarity, but I still want to say it. Just knowing you're always here makes me feel better." Snuggling deeper into her sister's hug, she sighed happily before, continuing. "I know you didn't say anything, but I know you never got to see your friends this week. I'm sorry about that."

Rarity simply shook her head. "Oh, you don't need to be sorry. You always come first. And besides, I had a lot of fun with you this week." Pulling back slightly, she looked Sweetie Belle in the eyes. "I mean it."

"I know, but still...if you want, you can go see them."

Rarity gave her sister a concerned look. "What do you mean? I have no problem staying here with you. You don't have to force yourself for my sake."

"I'll be fine Rarity. I…was actually thinking of calling Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to ask them to come over tomorrow. To be honest, I'm starting to miss them, so I figured you must be missing your friends too."

Giving Sweetie a long look, Rarity sighed. "Okay, if you really want to. But, were still going out for brunch first, just the two of us!"

Laughing as she climbed out of her sister's bed, Sweetie Belle nodded as she walked towards the door, "That's fine. Just don't take forever to get ready tomorrow!" Laughing again, Sweetie Belle left, closing the door behind her.

Rarity smiled, happy to hear her sister laughing again. It was another second before she caught on to what her sister had said before she left. "Honestly, why does everybody think I take forever to get dressed!?"

5 Talk to Me

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Rainbow Dash looked up as she turned the corner onto Fluttershy's street. After talking to Applejack a few days ago, she had made a beeline to the local animal shelter, where she knew Fluttershy would be. There, she explained that it would be best to tell their friends that they were dating. Agreeing, Fluttershy decided that they should all come over to her house at the end of the week. Reaching Fluttershy's door, Rainbow Dash lifted her hand to knock, but the door opened before she could.

"Well, well, if it isn't Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash looked up and was greeted with the smug smile of Fluttershy's younger brother, Zephyr Breeze. "I was about to meet some friends, but I can definitely turn that into a movie night for two."

Giving a polite smile, Rainbow shook her head as she fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm good Zephyr. I'm just here to see Fluttershy." She then attempted to step around Zephyr, but he moved with her effectively keeping her from moving forward.

"Aw, come on Rainbow, you know you wanna get caught in this Breeze. You don't have to pretend." He stepped closer to Rainbow, and she saw as his eyes quickly trailed down her body before meeting her own again. "We both know there's a spark here, so why don't we ignite the fire?"

Resisting the urge to push him aside, Rainbow looked at him with a straight face before responding. "Look, Zephyr, I'm really not interested. Actually, I'm….already seeing someone, so…" She trailed off, watching as he began to process what she had just confessed to. She took the chance to step around him and into the house.

She was about to head up the stairs when Zephyr spoke up, a hint of panic in his voice. "W-wait!" Rainbows turned to him, an eyebrow raised. Seeing the look she was giving him, he cleared his throat, regaining his aloof composure. "I-I mean, Rainbow, baby, come on. Who could you find that's better for you than me? You're not gonna find anything better than this Shy charm you know." He gave another smug smile before he continued. "It's how my dad met my mom."

Rainbow Dash felt her patience running out. She made a move towards Zephyr but stopped when she felt two hands on her forearm. Turning around, she was met with the face of her girlfriend, a small smile on her face. "Fluttershy, talk to your brother, please? He-" she stopped as Fluttershy shook her head.

"I was actually thinking that we just let him know now."

Rainbow watched Fluttershy's face for a second before responding "Really, you're okay with telling him?" As soon as Rainbow Dash asked, she saw a mischievous twinkle in Fluttershy's eyes that only appeared whenever they were alone together.

"Well, not really telling him." Before Rainbow could question her, Fluttershy moved her hands from Rainbow's arm to around her neck, bringing her head down. Instinctively, Rainbow placed her hands on Fluttershy's waist as their lips met. It wasn't a long kiss, but once Fluttershy pulled back, Rainbow could already feel her head start to spin. She looked at Fluttershy with a goofy smile, and it took a second before she remembered that Zephyr was still standing by the front door. Turning around, Rainbow Dash dropped one hand, and nervously wrapped the other around Fluttershy's waist as they looked at him.

Zephyr looked at them with wide eyes for a moment. Shaking his head slightly, he tried to speak in a normal tone. "Huh. Ah…...well, I guess…. Fluttershy is... I mean, the Shy charm does runs in the family after all." As he spoke, he seemed to come out of his dazed state. Letting out a breath, he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his usual air of indifference seemingly disappeared as he looked at his sister, not speaking. After a moment, he smiled at her, nodding before walking out the door, closing it behind him.

Rainbow Dash let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She turned her attention to Fluttershy. "Are you sure that was okay? 'Telling' him like that?" As she waited for a response, she saw the smile on Fluttershy's face as she kept her eyes on the door. Immediately, Rainbow felt herself relaxing. She realized that Fluttershy and Zephyr just had a silent conversation before he left.

Fluttershy gave a sly smile. "Well, he was always flirting with you in front of me." She waited a beat, a more serious tone as she continued. "Don't worry about him. He'll be okay. I know it."

Taking Fluttershy in her arms she smiled at her. "Okay, but let's use words when our friends get here."

Rarity paced the length of her bedroom as she looked at the clock; It was nearing seven in the evening. After Brunch with her sister, Sweetie Belle had called Scootaloo and Apple Bloom and invited them over. A few minutes after they agreed, Rarity had received a text from Applejack. She had said that she would drop off Apple Bloom, and then they could walk to Fluttershy's together. Rarity agreed and had wanted to ask questions, but she decided to wait until she saw Applejack in person.

Rarity hadn't realized how nervous she was until later in the day when she began to get ready and began to think back to Pinkie Pie's sleepover. She knew she wanted to talk to Applejack about what had happened. She wanted to tell Applejack that she was happy when she had called her beautiful, and, in the last week, she began to consider telling Applejack the truth about how she felt. Taking a breath to calm herself, Rarity stepped out of her room, and began to make her way downstairs. She was about half-way down when she heard voices coming from the kitchen, remembering that Scootaloo had already arrived. She stopped walking when she heard Applejack's name as Scootaloo spoke.

"…not only that, but Apple Bloom said that Applejack was feeling pretty down this week, but then Rainbow Dash went to talk to her. Apple Bloom said that Rainbow was super excited when she left, and Applejack was in a way better mood! I'm telling you; Rainbow Dash is by far the coolest…"

Rarity's mind began to wander, and she quickly tuned out to the rest of their conversation. She was told Applejack hadn't wanted to talk to anybody. She figured if anything, Applejack would have come to her first. She began to wonder why Applejack had agreed to see Rainbow Dash over her. She wondered what it was that they talked about that had put them both in a good mood, and found her heart drop suddenly as she thought of a reason.

"What am I thinking?" Rarity said to herself. "I really don't think that it was anything like that…right?" Even as she tried to convince herself otherwise, she thought back to the text Rainbow had given her last night: Why had she mentioned Applejack separately? As Rarity continued downstairs, she began to think of instances that found Applejack and Rainbow Dash together. As she sat in her couch, her train of thought continued, and each time she felt she recalled something, the heaviness in her chest grew. A while later the sound of the doorbell rang through the house, bringing Rarity out of her now sea of upsetting thoughts. Standing up, she walked to the door, taking in a shaky breath as she came to a stop in front of it. She began to compose herself as she heard footsteps behind her.

Finally opening the door, she allowed it to swing open as she felt Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle squeeze by her. Keeping her eyes down, she greeted Apple Bloom, who responded with a quick hello before getting swept away with the excitement of her two friends. Within seconds, they had left the front, and Rarity turned and watched as they headed back into the kitchen, leaving her with the other person who had been standing a few feet away from the door. She could feel eyes on her, and she felt happy and nervous; but the train of thoughts she had created came crashing back, effectively overriding any other feelings.

Applejack stood quietly and watched as Apple Bloom reunited with her friends. She let a small smile colour her features before she turned her attention to Rarity. She swallowed visibly as she watched Rarity talk to Apple Bloom. Even though it was only a week, she felt like she hadn't seen Rarity in forever. She began to stare, watching her every movement. Rainbow was right, I do 'got it bad'. Resisting the urge to walk up and embrace her, Applejack stayed where she was, placing her hands in her pockets. Once the girls were gone, she waited for Rarity to turn around. It was a moment, but once she did, Applejack saw a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Trying to act as normal as she could, Applejack gave a one-sided smile as she spoke. "Uh, hey…Rarity, long-time no see, right"

"...Oh, Yes. I suppose it has been a while, Applejack. We can leave in a second, I just want to make sure the girls are settled."

Applejack frowned slightly as Rarity walked back into the house without waiting for a reply. Is she upset? She's actin' a mite strange. After a moment, Rarity came back outside and closed her door, locking it. She walked past Applejack without looking at her and began down the sidewalk. Okay... Something is definitely off. Turning, she followed Rarity, choosing to stay behind her as they walked. After several minutes of silence, Applejack attempted to start a conversation. "So, Rarity, I heard you spent the week with your sister. I'm sure glad to see she's feeling better."

Without turning around or changing her pace, Rarity responded offhandedly. "Well, she was upset, and I am her sister, so…." She trailed off and Applejack concluded she wasn't going to finish.

"Yeah….Well, like I said, it's nice that she has you lookin' out for her. She doesn't have to handle things on her own." Rarity simply shrugged, not saying anything. Applejack realized their conversation was going nowhere. She had wanted to at least talk to Rarity about what happened at the sleepover before they got to Fluttershy's. Speeding up slightly, she reached forward and grabbed Rarity's wrist, causing her to finally stop and turn around "Rare, what's wrong? You seem upset for some reason."

Even though she had turned around, Rarity kept her eyes on the ground. She didn't know why she was being so cold. She had yet to confirm any idea she had given herself before Applejack showed up. Even though her mind knew this, with her current state of emotions, she couldn't help the tight feeling in her chest. She also couldn't keep the irritation out of her voice as she responded.

"I'm fine, Applejack." She tried to turn away and keep walking, but Applejack had a firm grip on her wrist. Turning back around, she couldn't keep her eyes from meeting with Applejack's. For a second, she got lost in the sea of emerald and, for a second, the pain went away. As soon as it did, it came back stronger as she began to think that Applejack didn't like her. Not like Rarity wanted her to. Rarity's eyes began to sting as frustration clouded her mind. "Applejack, I'm fine. Just leave me alone."

Applejack shook her head. She could see that Rarity was upset and wanted to know why. "I can see that you're not fine, Sugar. Just talk to me."

Hearing Applejack call her 'Sugar' triggered something in Rarity. Her mind raced through all of their moments together that she had believed were intimate. All those times where she felt they had made a connection beyond the confines of friendship now seemed one-sided. Her emotions peaked and she responded heatedly."Talk to you? Talk to you!? Like how Rainbow Dash talked to you!?"

Applejack stood there in shock as she heard the anger in Rarity's voice as she spoke. After a second, Rarity felt Applejack's grip loosen and took the chance to pull her arm away.

Applejack stammered as she spoke. "Y-you heard about that?"

Rarity looked at Applejack in disbelief. She couldn't believe that Applejack, of all people, wanted to hide something from her. "Yes, I did. Why? Was I not supposed to hear about that? Was it something I'm not supposed to know about? Jacqueline...why didn't you talk to me? Especially after the way you just...left last week. I haven't seen or heard from you, my best friend, since then. Instead, you go to Rainbow, and I wasn't supposed to hear about it!? Well, I did, and I know, so if you still want somebody to talk to, go talk to her!" Rarity's chest heaved from her anger as they stood there in silence for a second. Feeling tears threatening to fall, Rarity turned and continued down the sidewalk, walking away quickly.

As soon as Rarity turned the corner, Applejack felt her legs give in. Stepping to the side, she leaned against a fence beside her. She knows. Applejack began to feel her heart slam against her chest. Was this why she was so upset? Because she knows I like her? Grabbing her hat off of her head, she held it tightly in her hands as she looked up at the sky. She hates me. She knows I like her, and she's creeped out and she hates me. She kept repeating the thoughts in her mind, as she continued to blink back her tears. It was a few minutes before she calmed down. Sighing, she placed her hat back on her head.

She didn't want to leave things as they were. The more she calmed down, the more she realized that the best option was to be completely honest with Rarity. She deserves that much, after finding out the way she did. She figured that her hopes of starting something with Rarity were completely gone but she wanted to at least attempt to restore their friendship. Straightening up, she began to continue on to Fluttershy's. I…I can tell her that she doesn't need to worry about it. Although she was trying to be rational, she couldn't help feeling like her heart had been yanked out of her chest.

Rarity found herself on Fluttershy's couch, with Sunset Shimmer on her left and Twilight Sparkle on her right. She was half listening as Sunset and Twilight discussed possible experiments they could perform in the school laboratory without getting in trouble. She kept repeating the fight she had just had with Applejack in her head. Why did Applejack want to keep the fact that she and Rainbow Dash were spending time together a secret? It was one thing, thinking that Applejack may like someone else, but the fact that she would keep it from her, really hurt. She was supposed to be her best friend, at the very least.

Her full attention was drawn away when Rainbow Dash entered from the kitchen, a plate of cookies in her hand. Rarity saw the happy look on Rainbow's face, and felt her heart tighten unpleasantly. She began to wonder what Applejack had fallen for. What did Rainbow Dash have, that she didn't? It wasn't like she would be against them being together; she just wished she hadn't found out the way she did. As her thoughts began to snowball once again, Rarity didn't realize she was watching Rainbow until the athlete spoke up.

"I know what it looks like, Rarity, but I swear to you, Fluttershy made them. I'm just bringing them out for you guys." Rarity blinked for a second before giving a half-hearted smile. Before she could say anything, Sunset spoke up.

"Aw, come on Rainbow, I doubt it would be so bad if you made them, right?"

Pinkie Pie, who was sitting in a chair closest to the kitchen, spoke up, a smile on her face, but shaking her head. "Trust me Sunset, if it's one thing I know, it's cookies…and candy, and cake…...mmmm….cake… oh and parties!" After she finished, she looked over at Sunset Shimmer.

It was a second before Sunset realized the hyper girl was not going to continue. "Uh, Pinkie," Sunset began,"What's your point? What does that have to do with Rainbow's cookies?"

Pinkie Pie stared at Sunset Shimmer a second longer before blinking as she realized she didn't finish. "Oh! right. I know cookies, and trust me, what Rainbow makes, are NOT cookies"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash interjected, "I may not be the best baker, but I can crush any of you at cooking!" Crossing her arms, she looked over at Twilight. "You believe me, right? You've tried my food."

Twilight let out a quick laugh before replying. "She's right. She shared her lunch with me when I forgot mine one day. It really was delicious. Though, I have to admit; I do find it interesting how she can do one, but not the other. At all." Twilight laughed again as Rainbow feigned hurt.

Rarity joined in as the others began to laugh, forgetting her situation for a moment, and enjoying the long-missed time together with her friends. She had unconsciously reached for a cookie and took a bite. "Oh my, these cookies are simply divine! Fluttershy made these!?"

It was fleeting, but Rarity caught the proud look that flashed across Rainbow Dash's face before she spoke. "You bet. I dare say they may be better than Pinkie Pie's!"

"Hey! Don't you dare say it!" Everyone looked over at Pinkie. She had sounded upset when she spoke, but everyone watched as she reached for her fifth cookie, her mouth practically watering. She spoke again, after taking a satisfied bite of the cookie. "Speaking of, is Fluttershy still upstairs? What is she doing?"

Rainbow Dash replied, no longer making eye contact with anyone. "Uh, I'll go get her in a bit. Just going to wait until Applejack gets here."

At the mention of Applejack, Rarity's face fell as her earlier thoughts circled back. In that same moment, there was a knock at the front door behind her. Rarity felt the shift in the air and knew right away who was on the other side. She watched, numb, as Rainbow walked towards the door and opened it. She couldn't help but watch them out of the corner of her eye. As Rainbow Dash opened the door, Rarity saw the distressed look on Applejack's face. Even though she knew she was the cause, she put everything she had to stop herself from running up to Applejack and comforting her like Applejack had done so many times for her. Her desire was short lived, as she watched Rainbow pull Applejack to the side after letting her in and began to talk to her. It wasn't long, but by the time they parted, Applejack's distressed look had eased slightly. Rarity didn't know how to feel at this point; All the signs pointed to a conclusion she didn't want to face. No longer able to rationalize other possibilities, she let out a small sigh. As Applejack took a seat in the love-seat across from the couch, Rarity no longer felt agitated or frustrated. She just felt a hollow sadness.

Standing in front of Fluttershy's bedroom, Rainbow Dash knocked twice before opening the door. Stepping in, she saw Fluttershy standing in front of her mirror, a nervous look on her face. She hadn't realized Rainbow Dash had walked in and continued to look at her own reflection. Stepping up behind her, Rainbow Dash waited for Fluttershy to look at her through the mirror before wrapping her arms around her waist. Giving Fluttershy a kiss on her shoulder, she rested her chin on the same spot, and felt Fluttershy relax into her embrace. After a moment, she spoke. "You okay? You seem a little nervous."

Fluttershy gave a soft smile as their eyes connected in the mirror. She felt calmer the moment Rainbow Dash had put her arms around her. "I'm fine, I think. I was just thinking about telling the others about us. I mean, I do want to tell them, but knowing that we're actually about to…" She trailed off and let out a small sigh.

Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a squeeze before replying. "I get it. Nothing like this has happened before. But we know them. They are our best friends, and yeah, they may be surprised at first, but I think everything will be fine. I really do." Rainbow loosened her grip as Fluttershy turned in her arms. They locked eyes and stayed like that, an unspoken conversation between them. After a moment Rainbow Dash gave a reassuring smile, and Fluttershy responded with a nod before reaching up and wrapping her arms around Rainbow Dash's neck, bringing the taller girl's lips over hers. After a moment, they pulled back, resting their foreheads against each other. Giving another smile, Rainbow Dash spoke softly. "We should probably get going, before they start guessing at what we're doing up here."

Pulling back, Fluttershy gave a small laugh as they headed towards the door. "Well, it's not like they would be wrong."

Applejack couldn't keep her eyes off of the lavender-haired girl across the coffee table who was currently engrossed in a conversation with Sunset Shimmer. Rarity had given the smallest response once Applejack walked up and greeted everyone. She was aware that Rarity had stayed in her seat as the other three jumped to talk to her, and it left her without a chance to pull Rarity aside. Well, I reckon she ain't mad anymore, at least. Applejack recalled what Rainbow Dash had told her as soon as she arrived. She also still believed that Applejack should tell Rarity everything she was feeling. Applejack sighed as she dropped her gaze to her hands. She already knew that she was going to talk to her, but she couldn't help the turning in her stomach as she thought about it.

After a moment, Applejack shifted her attention to the top of Fluttershy's staircase. From where she was sitting, she saw as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stopped at the top of the steps and unlace their hands before Rainbow began down the steps, Fluttershy close behind. Wow, those two really look cute together. Applejack gave a smile as she made eye contact with Rainbow Dash, causing the athlete to blush slightly. Gaining her composure again, Rainbow Dash walked up to the coffee table and spoke up as everyone else turned their attention to her.

"Damn, you girls really went at it with the cookies. I brought out, like, 20 of them!"

Sunset Shimmer gave a quick laugh before responding. "If by 'you girls' you mean Pinkie Pie, then you're right. She had at least half of them. I had to force her to put some back for Applejack!"

"Hey!" Pinkie Pie interjected. "All is fair in love of cookies! And besides, it's not like I was really going to eat them all…"

Twilight let out a laugh before looking at Fluttershy. "Seriously though, they were really good. Where'd you learn to bake like that?"

"Oh, my grandmother teaches me when I go to visit. Thanks girls, but they're just some cookies I made, nothing special."

Sunset smiled at Fluttershy as she tried to hide behind Rainbow Dash. "Fluttershy, the cookies were amazing! And I guarantee you have Pinkie's stamp of approval, especially after eating more than half of them."

"Ha ha, very funny Sunset. But mmmm, those cookies..." Everyone watched as Pinkie Pie began to zone out, a hungry look in her eyes.

Rarity allowed a small smile to colour her features. "Honestly, Pinkie!" Rarity breathed out in mock exasperation. "But Fluttershy, darling, they do have a point. And, I heard one way to a person's heart is through their stomach, so you have that going for you."

Without realizing, Rainbow Dash spoke up immediately, her voice full of emotion, "Oh man, that is definitely true..." By the time she caught herself, all eyes were on her and the goofy smile she unknowingly wore across her lips. The smile was replaced with a blush as she began fumbling for words "U-uh, what I meant i-is...Um..." Sighing, Rainbow Dash ran a hand through her bangs it before speaking again. "I guess now is a good a time as any. The thing is, there's a reason everyone is here today." Turning her attention to the girl behind her, Rainbow Dash moved to the side slightly, allowing Fluttershy to move beside her. Taking Fluttershy's hand in hers, Rainbow Dash laced them together, smiling down at their hands before looking back at the rest of her friends.

Before Rainbow Dash could speak again, Twilight Sparkle gasped audibly as realization hit her. She spoke up, excitement clear in her voice "No way! So, that next morning at the sleepover, when I-" she stopped when she noticed Fluttershy turn a bright shade of red. Thinking over what she heard a week ago, Twilight suddenly went red herself as the meaning clicked. Clearing her throat, she looked at Fluttershy apologetically. "I-I didn't mean to listen in. After I changed that morning, I just wanted to get my bag from Pinkie's room. I didn't know you guys were in there."

Fluttershy looked down at the floor, her face hot, as she remembered the morning after the sleepover. After changing out of her pyjamas, she was struggling to zip up the back of her skirt when Rainbow Dash had walked out of Pinkie Pie's bathroom. After asking for help, Rainbow Dash had obliged. Before she walked away, Rainbow Dash commented that she wasn't used to helping Fluttershy into her clothes.

Fluttershy was brought back to the present when she heard a nervous laugh from Rainbow Dash. "Aha… I guess that one was my fault. I should've been more careful with you girls upstairs as well."

Rarity had a thoughtful look on her face as she thought back to last week. "Then, it was Rainbow's fault when I found you standing in the middle of the room all flustered." Rarity watched as Fluttershy shuffled uncomfortably beside Rainbow Dash. It took a moment, but as Rarity took in the bigger picture, she became aware of the current situation and the ground-shaking news that was about to take place.

"Wait, wait, wait." Everyone turned their attention to Sunset Shimmer, who sat up straight in the couch as she tried to process what was happening. "What went on at that sleepover?" she looked at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. "Something happened between you two?"

Rainbow Dash replied slowly "Well, yes and no…technically, something happened about five months ago." Looking around her friends again, she took in the expectant and excited looks. Rainbow Dash inhaled before finally speaking. "You see, Fluttershy and I are dating."

It was silent for a moment as Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack watched the faces of their friends. After another moment, Sunset Shimmer spoke again. "Wow, I can't believe I never noticed. I usually pick up on these things. You two must have been hiding it really well."

Fluttershy shook her head and spoke up, an apologetic look on her face. "It wasn't like we were trying to keep it from you guys. It just…oh, well, it was all kind of new to us. We decided we wanted to figure it out for ourselves first. I'm so sorry if you guys thought we were deceiving you."

Pinkie Pie stood up from her place in the chair and stood in front of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. She had a small smile on her face as she looked at them. "Well, if you think about it," she started, "finding your special someone is like finding friendship. I mean, look at the seven of us. We are all so different, yet we're all the best of friends. We just work together, and I think everyone agrees when I say I think you two work together too." As Pinkie Pie looked around at everyone, one by one, they stood up, circling around Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash as they nodded in agreement.

Rainbow smiled gratefully as she looked at her friends surrounding her. "Thanks, girls. I'm so glad to have you as friends. I don't think we could have asked for better." As she finished speaking, everyone moved in together for a group hug. Once they pulled back, everyone looked at each other before laughing, enjoying the long-missed company of their full group of friends.

6 Feelings

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A few hours later, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash stood at the door as everyone said goodbye, congratulating them one last time. Applejack stood outside as she waited for Rarity to leave. After their group hug, Pinkie Pie had put on some music as Fluttershy brought out some more cookies along with some other snacks, and a small party was underway. Throughout the night, Applejack made numerous attempts to pull Rarity aside. However, each attempt was made futile as Rarity made every effort to avoid the topic before slipping away when Applejack tried to speak up. After a while, Applejack gave up. She figured she could use the walk back to Rarity's house so she could pick up her sister. Hopefully she won't run away.

Looking back at the door, she saw as Rarity stepped out, giving Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash one last hug before turning around. As soon as she did, her eyes met with Applejack's. Applejack swallowed nervously. She forced herself to stand still, once again placing her hands in her pockets to steel herself as Rarity made her way towards her. Applejack felt a small wave of relief wash over as Rarity stopped in front of her instead of walking ahead. She spoke slowly, as Rarity came to a stop. "Uh, ready to go?" Rarity gave a small nod in response, and they began down the road.

Rarity kept her eyes on her sandals, not saying anything. As she thought back to earlier that evening, she couldn't help but feel stupid. She had convinced herself that Rainbow Dash and Applejack were the ones who had the secret to share. She remembered the numb feeling she felt as soon as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy made their announcement. Once the news sank in, she was relieved, but then guilt crashed down on her instantly. She had been mean to Applejack for no reason at all. Realizing she was wrong, she once again began to wonder what it was they had talked about that Applejack couldn't share with her. She had to stop her train of thought as she recalled the last time she let them roam and had let her emotions easily get the best of her. She wanted to apologize, but found she was so embarrassed, she had avoided being alone with Applejack all night. Now, as they walked home, she knew that she should say something, but didn't know what to say or how to begin.

Rarity was abruptly dragged out of her thoughts as she felt herself suddenly being pulled to the left. The move was so sudden, that she lost her balance. She closed her eyes as she waited for the impact as she anticipated the fall to the concrete. Instead, she felt a body behind her, and a pair of arms wrap around her waist, steadying her. Shocked over the sudden turn of events, Rarity stayed like that as she processed what had just happened. Looking to her right, she saw a telephone pole that she had unknowingly veered toward. It took another second to realize that Applejack had moved her out of the way, then caught her as she realized Rarity was about to fall.

"Are you okay, Sugar?" Applejack spoke softly, her lips near Rarity's ear. Rarity felt a pleasant shiver run down her spine as she became increasingly aware of Applejack's presence. She closed her eyes, relaxing slightly, feeling Applejack's arms around her. After a moment she swallowed, calming herself before nodding slowly. It was another second before Applejack reluctantly let go, stepping back as Rarity turned to face her. Applejack looked at her face, trying to read it. "Rare…is…are ya still upset about before? You seem so outta it right now. Been callin' your name, but you wouldn't answer." Applejack watched as Rarity thought for a moment, before shaking her head.

Rarity sighed. She knew that it would be best if she just opened up and explained everything. "Actually, Applejack. I want to apologize about my behaviour earlier. I was upset and took it out on you. You didn't deserve that. To be honest-" she was cut off as Applejack shook her head.

"Ya don't have to." Applejack began. "Actually, I wanted to apologize to you. I'm sorry for not coming to talk to you directly and that you found out about it the way ya did." Rarity was about to respond again, but Applejack shook her head again. "No, I think I should say this. I know that it's not right that I'm not being honest. I guess… Rare, I understand how you feel about me. I know it's not the same way I feel about ya, and I should've talked to you instead of ignoring you. I'm sorry things got so bad, so I promise ta leave it alone. I just..don't want to lose my friend." By the time Applejack was finished, her voice was almost pleading as she looked at Rarity.

Rarity blinked as she took in what Applejack was trying to say. She spoke slowly, her voice unsteady. "Y-you know how I feel?" she watched as Applejack rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly as she nodded.

"After you ran off, I kind of put it together."

Rarity blinked again. Applejack must have realized that Rarity held feelings for her. Rarity felt her stomach tighten as she concluded that Applejack didn't share the same feelings. She wanted to remain friends. Rarity felt her eyes begin to sting and looked down as she tried to keep her eyes from watering. Waiting until she could trust her voice again, she inhaled before speaking. "I understand, Applejack. Still, I am sorry for how I behaved earlier. I should have talked to you instead of storming off."

Applejack nodded as she looked at Rarity. After a moment, she gave a timid one-sided smile as she stepped back closer to Rarity. "So, we're okay?"

Rarity took a second but looked up and found herself smiling as she looked at Applejack. "Yes, Applejack. We're okay." She watched as Applejack opened her arms, and Rarity stepped into the hug, wrapping her arms around Applejack's waist. She placed her head on Applejack's chest and listened to her heart. She had the familiar urge to pull Applejack closer, but stopped herself. Instead, she loosened her grip, and felt cold as they broke apart.

Applejack motioned in the direction of Rarity's house and they continued on down the street. Well, it wasn't what I was hoping for, Applejack thought, but at least we're back to how things were. As they walked, she stole a side glance at the smaller girl beside her. I just gotta work on letting go of these feelings now…

The next three weeks went by quickly. One Monday at the studio, the others were waiting for Applejack and Rarity to arrive so they could begin practice. Sunset Shimmer put her phone in her pocket after reading her messages. "Alright, Applejack and Rarity are on their way, so we should start setting up." Sunset Shimmer stood up and began to take out her guitar, then stopped as she began to think. "Hey, have you guys noticed anything strange going on between those two?" Sunset looked around as everyone thought back.

"To tell you the truth," Twilight began, "they do seem kind of…distant, I guess?" She thought back to the sleepover when she saw them holding hands on the floor. "I mean, they talk to each other, but something just seems off." Although Applejack and Rarity talked and spent time with their friends like before, there seemed to be enough of a physical distance between them that it had become noticeable to the other girls.

Fluttershy was tuning one of the cymbals on her tambourine. "Oh dear, I hope they're not fighting or anything. That would be just awful."

Beside her, Rainbow Dash, who was tuning her guitar, stopped and looked up. She recalled that Applejack had messaged and told her what happened after walking home from Fluttershy's. "I'm sure they're fine. If it was really bad, they would come and talk to us. All we can do for now is be there for them if they need us."

Pinkie Pie looked up from over the bass drum she was placing on the floor. "Hold on, Rainbow; you say that like something is wrong. Is there something you're not telling us?"

Rainbow watched as all eyes turned to her. Shrugging, she looked down at her guitar, trying to seem disinterested, before speaking. "I'm not saying anything is wrong. I'm just saying that we shouldn't jump to any conclusions." She looked up again and saw that Sunset Shimmer was about to challenge her, but before she could speak, the door opened, revealing Applejack and Rarity.

"Hey y'all. Sorry we're late. Rarity couldn't find a belt." Applejack gave a smirk in Rarity's direction, who responded by sticking out her tongue.

"Mock me if you will," Rarity began. "But even you can't say that this outfit isn't absolutely perfect with this belt." To emphasize her point, Rarity did a quick spin as she entered the studio room.

Following behind, Applejack let out a laugh before responding. "True, but I'm sure Sweetie Belle and I would've said the same thing with the other three belts…or five outfits. You're just lucky my brother didn't leave us 'cuz you kept him waiting so long." Placing her case in the corner she began to take her bass out as she turned her attention to Pinkie Pie. "Hey Pinkie, yesterday you messaged us about some exciting news?"

Pinkie looked over from her spot behind the studio kit and smiled as she remembered the news she had to share with her friends. "Oh yeah! I have the most amazing news ever! It is totally gonna freak. Your. Frizz!"

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but be curious. "Well, spill it, Pinkie!"

"You guys won't believe this! I found this new club in the city, and this Friday, is teen night. I know a friend, who knows a friend who knows their uncle, and they said that we could be the opening band before the headlining band."

The girls looked at Pinkie Pie, excitement and disbelief in their faces. After a moment, Rainbow Dash spoke up. "A-are you serious Pinkie?" Rainbow's eyes widened as Pinkie nodded. "Holy crap, no way! That's awesome! This would be our first time playing outside of school events!"

Rarity spoke up excitedly. "Fabulous! Oh, and what a perfect opportunity for us to try the new outfits I've been working on!"

Giving a small laugh, Applejack shook her head, then stopped, with a thoughtful look on her face. "If you think about it," She began, "This is also a great chance for Twilight. I mean, what better time to join us than now, right?" Applejack watched as the others nodded in agreement before turning their attention to Twilight, who was sitting by the door.

Seeing everyone's eyes on her, Twilight raised her hands defensively and began to shake her head. "Guys, seriously. I'm flattered, but, I don't even know if I can sing, let alone if I am good enough to join you guys. I'm okay just watching."

Placing her guitar around her shoulder, Sunset stepped closer to Twilight. "You know, this band started because of a talent show that became a literal battle of the bands. I wasn't a part of it at first. Like you, I just watched them practice, and in the beginning, I was okay with that. It wasn't until the finals when I sang with them for the first time that I realised that this wasn't just any band." Sunset stopped for a moment when she realized that the others had moved to stand beside her, creating a semi-circle around Twilight. "The battle of the bands is over, but the reason we still continue to play, is because it's something we can do together. Together, we are able to see each of our unique talents and abilities come together, and it works. We express our friendship and can create music as a result. Twilight, you are our friend too, and that alone means you're more than good enough to be a part of this band." Sunset looked at the others, then back at Twilight one last time. She gave a small smirk before finishing. "Besides, you definitely look the part."

It wasn't until Sunset finished speaking when Twilight noticed that everyone's ponytails had grown out, and their ears change shape and move higher on their heads. Rainbow began to hover slightly as she allowed her wings to lift her off the ground, and Fluttershy just let her wings move continually behind her. It took another second before Twilight processed the last thing Sunset had said. Slowly, she reached up to feel the tip of her ears as her wings twitched behind her. She blushed slightly as she looked at everyone. "O-okay. You guys make a good point. I guess I could try singing with you guys today, maybe see how it goes." She smiled when everyone cheered and stood up as everyone moved in for a hug.

As they pulled apart, Fluttershy began to hover as well, her excitement becoming obvious. "Omigosh, I'm so excited! Twilight's joining and we get to perform this summer! Oh, I could just scream!" In her excitement, her wings began to beat faster, carrying her higher in the air. "I wonder which songs we are going to play? Maybe we will even get to stay and hear the band after! Oh, and what about—" She stopped suddenly, feeling a familiar pair of arms wrap around her. All at once, she realized how far off the ground she had gone and the fact that Rainbow Dash had flown up to stop her, while the others were trying hard not to laugh.

"Woah, girl! Take it easy!" Rainbow began, "I know that it's exciting, but you are literally getting carried away." She laughed as they descended, watching the blush form on Fluttershy's face. Once they were on the ground Rainbow took a step back, keeping her hands around Fluttershy. "Aww, you don't need to blush like that, I'm sure everyone is just as excited as you are." Rainbow moved one hand up from Fluttershy's waist and began caressing her cheek. "Besides, I thought it was kinda cute." Rainbow smiled as she looked at Fluttershy before leaning in to kiss her. Fluttershy responded immediately, wrapping her arms around Rainbow's neck, pulling her closer. A second later, they pulled apart as they heard Rarity clear her throat.

Rarity looked at them with an amused expression on her face. "Well, I would tell you two to get a room, but we need you guys here for practice. So, if you could kindly wrap this up, that would be great." Everyone laughed as Rainbow and Fluttershy stepped apart, a blush now on both of their faces.

Applejack looked at the set-list of songs that they had put together as she waited for the rest of her friends to finish packing up. "You know, seeing our song list makes this feel so real. I can't believe we have a gig!"

"It is pretty cool," Sunset began, "though I wonder how many people have heard about this club." Zipping up her guitar in its bag, she stood beside Applejack and looked at the set-list. "Will there really be a lot of people?"

"I mean, I would think so." Pinkie replied. She placed the last drum from the kit into the storage room and closed the door before continuing. "On the one hand, it's only ages 15-18, but on the other hand, it's located in a central place downtown, so we'll definitely be seeing students from Canterlot High, Crystal Prep, and Winsome Academy."

Everyone shared looks around the room as they imagined the possible turnout for the new club. Rarity smiled as a thought crossed her mind. "Well, whether we play for ten or one hundred people, I say we should definitely look the part. Expect a call later in the week so I can fit you guys for your outfits."

Applejack watched Rarity's eyes glisten as she spoke and caught herself smiling as she watched her. So much for letting go. Why is this so hard? She sighed to herself as she thought back over the last few weeks.

Things were definitely different between her and Rarity. It was one thing to talk to Rarity, as long as they had their friends, siblings or their phones as a buffer between them. The problem came about whenever they were alone together. Applejack found that there was a distance forming between them that was almost tangible. She had realised as the days went by that it was harder to be near Rarity; any time they brushed fingers or bumped shoulders, Applejack all but sat on her hands as the urge to pull Rarity into an embrace became stronger each time. She soon concluded that if she kept some space between them, her feelings would eventually go away. So much for that plan, I guess. Applejack stood up as the others headed towards her, and they all left the studio.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Rarity began to hang back a bit, watching Applejack, who was talking to Pinkie about the night club. She couldn't explain why she couldn't get Applejack out of her mind. Whenever they were alone together, she found that there were countless times where she just wanted to be near her, and she noticed that it was becoming more diffcult to control herself with Applejack so close. Rarity kept thinking back to the conversation they had when Applejack told her that she didn't feel the same way. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was off. In her head, she knew everything was out on the table, but she just couldn't shake the feelings she had as she thought about it.

Rarity was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked beside her to see Sunset Shimmer with a concerned look on her face. "Hey, you alright, Rarity? You've been pretty quiet since we left the studio." Before Rarity responded, she looked up and noticed that Pinkie pie and Applejack had stopped talking and were now listening to her and Sunset Shimmer.

Rarity knew that Applejack could hear her. She didn't want to let her think that she was unhappy with how things were between them. She remembered the last time her emotions got the best of her and didn't want that to happen again. Instead, she gave Sunset Shimmer a small smile before responding. "I guess I am a little nervous about Friday."

Rarity watched as a comforting smile formed on Sunset Shimmer's face before she responded. "I get it. This is totally going to be a new experience for us. I guess we're all pretty nervous, but I'm also excited. I feel like Friday is going to be one night we'll never forget."

By the time Sunset had finished speaking, they had all stopped at an intersection. Twilight smiled at the others before speaking. "If anyone is nervous it's me, it'll be my first time singing outside of my bathroom. But I'm really looking forward to it as well. I think it'll be fun."

Rarity smiled as she looked at the excited faces of all her friends. She wasn't really nervous; she would take any chance to be on stage with her friends, but she couldn't help but feel grateful for the girls in front of her. "Thanks girls. That really helped." After talking for a couple minutes, they said their goodbyes as they headed their separate ways.

7 Curve Ball

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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.

8 Broken Ends

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Sunset Shimmer looked around in awe at the backstage corridor of the club as she adjusted the bag with her guitar on her back. She could tell immediately that they planned to have many live bands and DJs play at this new club. She looked behind her as her friends entered, their faces alight with amazement as well.

"This. Looks. AMAZING!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she threw her hands up in the air. The others looked at her expectantly as they waited for streamers, confetti or anything decorative to fall.

After having nothing happen for a moment, Applejack broke the small silence. "Uh, that was…something." She watched as Pinkie lowered her hands and shrugged.

"Yeeeaaaahhhh…my streamers and stuff are on backorder." The party girl looked at Applejack for a second before bounding past Sunset, and further down the corridor. She stopped in front of a door in the middle of the hall. "Ooooh, this door says 'Rainbooms' on it!" By the time the others had made their way to her, Pinkie tried the door and found it locked. She frowned for a second as she looked at the door, then perked up as she reached for the backstage pass around her neck. Pulling out her card, she inserted it into the card reader. Hearing a click, she tried the handle again and smiled widely as the door opened. "Our passes are also keys!" she yelled before disappearing into the room.

"She takes 'happy-go-lucky' to a whole new level." Twilight remarked as she watched the scene unfold. She adjusted her grip on the back of Rarity's rolling clothes rack as she and the others made their way towards their temporary band room. She smiled as they all laughed in agreement.

"She has her moments, darling." Rarity looked back at Twilight from the front of her clothes rack with a smile. "But you have to admit...that energy usually helps us find or figure out things in a fraction of the time; like just now." With her free hand, she pointed to the door that Pinkie Pie just went through and watched as Sunset opened the door with ease.

"She could have at least held the door open for us." Rainbow remarked as she entered the room. She gave an overly exaggerated bow of thanks to Sunset, who smirked in response as she held the door.

A few minutes after everyone was settled inside, there was a quick knock before the door opened, revealing a young man in dark blue jeans and a buttoned-up blue and white shirt that was tucked in, revealing a belt adorned with a cross and circle pattern. "Hello girls," He gave a small wave as he introduced himself. "I'm Alan Coda. It's so nice to finally meet the Rainbooms! My niece, Octavia, talks about you girls all the time."

Being the closest to the door, Applejack nodded as she stood up from her spot on a beanbag to shake Alan's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Applejack turned slightly, motioning to her friends as she introduced them. "This is Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer and I'm Applejack." She stepped back as Alan took a second to process their names.

"I'm so glad to have you girls here. I know you're going to love it." After a second, Alan continued "So here is the plan: it's about eight now and we open the doors at eight-thirty, but we won't have you guys start until 9:15, just so we can get a crowd going. Until then, you guys can take your time setting up." After everyone nodded in understanding, Alan smiled one last time before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Okay," Rainbow Dash, who was sitting on another beanbag, spoke up excitedly. "Let me be the first to say; this is so cool! I still can't believe we're about to perform at a club!"

Twilight nodded from her spot on the couch in the centre of the room. She had the setlist in her hand and was looking over it. "You know, I was thinking we set up first, and then we take a look around. I mean, just so we have time to fix anything if we need to."

The girls agreed, and after a moment they began to grab their instruments to take on stage. Grabbing her bass, Applejack moved to stand beside Rarity, watching as she moved her clothes rack near the change rooms at the back. "Ya know, if you think about it, it's almost like a fashion show for ya." Applejack kept a light-hearted tone as she spoke. She was hoping that Rarity wouldn't notice that she had been up most of the night replaying what had almost happened between them. She still felt bad for being careless, but she didn't want to spend today worrying about it. Instead, she gave a nervous one-sided smile as she waited for Rarity to face her.

Without looking at Applejack, Rarity responded. "No, it's not. Tonight's about the band, I would never take attention away from the others like that."

Applejack frowned. Rarity usually picked up and played along with her teasing. "Rare, it was a jo-"

"I know it was." Rarity cut her off sharply. "It just wasn't that funny." Without waiting for a response, she moved past Applejack, and went to grab her keytar from the front of the room before exiting.

Applejack couldn't keep the look of hurt off of her face as she watched Rarity walk off. She didn't think Rarity would be this mad. Lately, it's like we take two steps forward and three steps back. Following after her friends, she left the room, heading for the door that said stage.

Applejack walked out of one of the change rooms in the band room; having just changed into her outfit for the night. Seeing the room empty, she assumed that the others had already made their way to the stage. She couldn't deny the fact that she was excited for tonight, but her mind refused to move too far from Rarity. After they had setup the stage, the girls had begun to wander around the club. As they explored, Applejack became more and more aware that Rarity was acting especially distant towards her, so much so that Applejack would notice the looks from the rest of her friends when Rarity would walk away from her or ignore her in favour of talking to the others.

Reckon she's mad about what I almost did to her last night. She sighed as she grabbed her Stetson from the beanbag closest to the change-room and put it on. I really need to apologize, but now she won't even give me the time of day! She sat in the beanbag and looked up at the ceiling. Its just getting all messed up now. I still wanna tell her how I'm feelin', but I don't wanna sound like I'm tryna force myself on her or somethin'. She ran a hand down her face as she groaned slightly, "Damn, Rarity. What're ya doin' to me?"

Not two seconds later, she heard the doorknob to the other change room rattle as it turned. Startled, Applejack sat up straight, turning towards the source of the noise. Her jaw dropped immediately as she took in the sight in front of her.

Rarity didn't notice Applejack was still in the room until she heard her speak, calling her name as she did. She had assumed everyone was already near the stage and had taken the time to get ready in order to think. Trying to keep her distance from Applejack was taking a toll on her. She hated the look of hurt she had been seeing all evening. It didn't help that the others were catching on to the awkwardness, and she had to try even harder to seem like she was okay. Her heart gave a squeeze after hearing Applejack's question; she didn't like how things were going, but her head was doing its best to tell her heart that it was the best thing to do. She knew the question wasn't really directed at her, but she gave a halfhearted laugh as she looked in the change room mirror. "Haaa…I could as you the same question." She whispered quietly. Taking a breath to calm herself, she stepped out of the change room, immediately catching the attention of her still favourite pair of green eyes.

Having changed into her stage outfit as well, Rarity now had on a fitted black skirt that was several inches above the knee. It was adorned with purple and silver studs along the hemline at her sides. She wore a purple, low v-neck, fitted blouse with the design she had created over the left breast. The cut cropped just above the waistband of her skirt, showing her navel as she moved. On her left hand, she wore a small silver chain watch, and on the right hand were several thin silver and purple bracelets. Her purple stud earrings and necklace completed the ensemble.

Applejack felt like she had the wind knocked out of her. she stood up from the beanbag, and took her Stetson back off, holding it tightly as she stared. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly as she tried to process her thoughts. "W-wow, Rare. You look…y-you're just…so beautiful."

Rarity began to smile, then it dropped. Immediately, she was brought back to the day after the sleepover, when Applejack had first called her beautiful. She had left as soon as she said it, a look of regret on her face. Rarity couldn't deny that she was happy Applejack didn't run off this time, but she knew better, and reminded herself that she didn't mean it.

"…You don't have to do that, Applejack."

It took a second, and Applejack had to blink before her mind restarted and her eyes looked up to meet with Rarity's.

"Don't have ta what? What did I do?"

"Pretend with me. You don't have to say…or do...things if you don't mean them."

Applejack's brow furrowed in confusion. Pretend? She responded cautiously. "Are you talkin' 'bout last night? Listen Rarity, I—" she was cut off as Rarity put a hand up to stop her.

"Please, don't."

Rarity didn't want to hear it. It was one thing to know that Applejack knew about her feelings and was trying to appease her with compliments and sudden advances, but it was another thing entirely to actually hear her bring it out into the open; she didn't think she could handle that.

"Don't what?" Applejack questioned. What Rarity was saying wasn't making any sense. "I just really think I should—"

"Jacquline. It's fine. You don't need to explain yourself. Actually, it's…best if we just leave it alone." Rarity looked at Applejack with pleading eyes. She didn't want to call attention to the feelings she was trying so hard to let go of. RIght now her only conclusion was If they didn't talk about it, it would be easier to get rid of them.

Applejack was about to question her again, but Rarity's pleading look made her stop. Applejack swallowed slightly. I guess she really doesn't want to talk about me like-liking her. She won't even let me apologize for bein' so pushy.She nodded slightly and saw a sad, but grateful smile before the smaller girl walked around Applejack and headed for the door.

Applejack followed her with her eyes, fighting back tears as she did. I really don't like watching her walk away from me. How did this become such a mess? How do I even begin to fix this?…Can I even fix this? She took a couple of seconds to herself before following after Rarity.

The energy was high as the girls made their way back to their dressing room.

"Someone pinch me. I seriously can't believe we just did that!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she entered the room. Placing her guitar along the wall next to the door, she watched the similar adrenaline-filled faces of her friends as they filed in after her. Fluttershy was the last to walk in, and as soon as she did, Rainbow Dash grabbed her in her arms and began to spin her around, moving around the room as she did.

"Woah," Sunset Shimmer looked over at Rainbow Dash after putting her guitar away. "I know you're excited but save your energy for the dance floor."

Rainbow Dash responded by sticking her tongue out at Sunset Shimmer. Placing Fluttershy back down on her feet, she gave her a quick peck on the cheek before moving her eyes over to Applejack and Rarity. She frowned slightly as she watched them stand beside each other in a tense silence. Rainbow had been watching them and saw as they had gone from awkward conversation to complete silence since they entered the club. She remembered the moments before they went on stage, when the others had once again confronted her.

"Rainbow, can we ask you something?"

Rainbow Dash looked up from her guitar, her fingers still moving across the fretboard with practiced ease. Her playing slowed as she looked over at her girlfriend. Her playing stopped when she realized the other three were behind her, and they all had the same look on their faces.

"Uh…" Rainbow gave a confused look as she looked at them. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't do anything." Twilight interjected.

Sunset gave a sympathetic look before speaking. "We were just thinking you might know what's been going on with Rarity and Applejack. It's almost as if they're fighting or something."

Rainbow looked at the concerned faces of her friends. She thought she knew the reason behind what was going on, but seeing them today had surprised her as well. She too had wondered what had happened after rehearsal last night.

"Why do you guys think I know? I'm just as confused as all of you."

Pinkie Pie eyed her suspiciously. "You say that, but I still think your hiding something."

Pinkie began to close in on Rainbow Dash but stopped when Fluttershy stepped between them. "Pinkie, stop it. If Rainbow wants to tell us something, she'll tell us." She turned to look at Rainbow Dash before continuing. "Right Dashie?"

Rainbow Dash knew that she couldn't say anything; It wasn't her secret to tell. "Guys, seriously. I don't know what you want me to say. I honestly don't know why they're acting like this." It wasn't a complete lie, she told herself as she tried her best to hold eye contact with her friends. Averting her eyes was usually her giveaway. Despite her efforts, the moment their eyes connected, she could tell Fluttershy wasn't convinced.

Applejack and Rarity appeared a few seconds later, before anyone had the chance to press Rainbow Dash further on the subject, but the looks on both their faces all but confirmed their suspicions.

Rainbow Dash was brought back to the present when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. A quick look around told her that it was just her and Fluttershy left in the room. Seeing the look on her face, Rainbow guessed at what she was about to say.

"Shy, I really don't know why-"

She was cut off as Fluttershy kissed her. The kiss was slow, and Rainbow Dash could feel that she was comforting her. When they pulled back, Fluttershy had a soft smile on her face as she spoke.

"If you really don't want to say, that's okay; but I can see that it is bothering you a lot."

Rainbow Dash let out a loud sigh, wrapping her arms around Fluttershy as she rested her chin on top of her head. Fluttershy wasn't wrong; aside from keeping what she knew from the others, the biggest problem was seeing two of her friends looking like they were in pain. "I guess it is bothering me a bit. I…I can't say why, but-" She was cut off once again. This time by another voice as someone entered the room.

"It's okay Rainbow. I'm sorry ya had to keep all this inside ya."

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash broke apart to see Applejack standing by the door. They watched as she let out a sigh, removing her Stetson, and walking past them to the couch. Running a hand through her hair as she sat down, she waited a second before looking up at the two girls who were standing in front of her. Her voice cracked as she fought back the urge to cry.

"It's…I think it's over. I mean, nothin' started, but it's clear that she doesn't want anything to."

Fluttershy gave a confused look as she processed Applejack's words. It took a second to click, and when it did, her expression changed to one of slight surprise. Taking a second to compose herself, she walked over, taking a seat next to Applejack.

"Oh, Applejack, I'm so sorry to hear that."

Rainbow Dash stepped closer to Applejack. "So, she said no?" she watched as Applejack shook her head, and Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Huh? I don't get it. Didn't you talk to her?"

Applejack groaned as she leaned back in the couch. "That's the thing; she won't let me. I'm sure y'all've seen what's been goin' on today." She stared at the ceiling before continuing. "I've let my feelings get in the way and I reckon Rarity's doesn't like when that happens. I think she's had enough. She thinks its best that we just leave it."

It was silent as Fluttershy placed a comforting hand on Applejack's shoulder. Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack for a second before turning her attention to Fluttershy. She thought back to when they began dating, and the events that had led up to it.

"No…no, you shouldn't leave it." Both girls looked at Rainbow Dash when she spoke, but her eyes were still focused on Fluttershy. "You need to tell her how you feel." Fluttershy smiled slightly as she looked at Rainbow Dash and understood where she was coming from.

"Dash is right, Applejack." Fluttershy began. "She needs to hear it, and it has to come from you. That's the only way to move forward from this."

Applejack looked between them as they kept their eyes on each other. But…what's left to say? Sitting up once more, her eyes moved to her hands as she thought back to all the times she had talked to Rarity. After a second, her brother's words began to echo in her head.

"I don't think you really did tell her how ya feel… You never told her properly."

Applejack began to speak slowly as her thoughts came together "…properly…I…never told her how I feel…I never told her I like her." She looked back up at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, the answer seeming so clear. "All this back an' forth…I've never told her that I liked her. I just assumed she knew 'cuz of how I've been actin'. But I never told her! "

A sudden mix of panic and hope found her, and Applejack almost sprinted, placing her hat back on her head as she got up and ran out the door, once again leaving Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy by themselves. Rainbow Dash blinked as she watched Applejack leave, then chuckled, taking a seat beside Fluttershy. "Damn, she really does got it bad."

Fluttershy gave a quiet snort in response. "Says the girl who gets turned on every time I touch her."

"I do not… I mean, not every time. I don't thi-"

In one fluid motion, Fluttershy swung a leg over so she was straddling Rainbow Dash and brought her head down, kissing the athlete deeply. It didn't take long for Rainbow Dash to respond, a low moan escaping as she felt Fluttershy bite down softly on her lower lip. Just as quickly as she had started, the usually quiet girl pulled back, her eyes lit with mischief as she gave her flustered girlfriend an amused look.

"Oh yeah, definitely not every time." She smirked as she placed a finger over Rainbow Dash's lips as the taller girl tried for another kiss. "So…Applejack and Rarity, huh?"

Rarity stared absently at the drink in her hand. It was just fruit punch, but the glass had such presentation, that on any other day, Rarity would have gushed over it, admiring is beauty. Instead, she was trying to keep herself from thinking about anything. She was fairly certain Applejack had finally decided to leave her be when she didn't follow her and the others out onto the dance floor. She tried to ignore the fact that her best friend wasn't there, but left the dance floor after a few songs, claiming she was thirsty.

Rarity was at a complete loss. She had told herself that she was going to give up on her feelings, but it was starting to seem like she was giving up on their friendship altogether. She was so into her thoughts, that she didn't hear the presence beside her until they spoke up.

"Hey, I've been trying to talk to you all night."

Rushing into the main hall, Applejack looked around the club for any sign of Rarity or the rest of her friends. From up on stage, she hadn't realized how many people had actually shown up until she stood in front of the sea of bodies covering the dance floor. It took a second, but she caught a familiar pink head of hair, that seemed to be bouncing higher than everyone else, at the other end of the dance floor. She sighed a quick breath of relief as she made her way over, deciding to walk around the mass of teenagers. As she came close, she noticed Rarity was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing Applejack, Sunset Shimmer smiled, waving her over. "Hey! There you are Applejack!" she yelled over the music "We thought you guys weren't going to join us." She looked behind Applejack, quickly, before looking back at her. "Where's Rainbow and Fluttershy?"

"They're still backstage." Applejack quickly replied. "But where's Ra—"

"Guys, LOOK!"

Applejack had to take a step back as Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared between her and Sunset Shimmer. She was pointing towards the middle of the dance floor. Looking over, Applejack saw Twilight dancing with a guy who had on a pair of black jeans, a red tux patterned shirt, and a grey beanie on his head. Applejack had to turn her attention back to the energetic girl beside her when she began squealing.

"Damn, I never knew Twilight had moves like that!" Pinkie cried. "Dash and Fluttershy NEED to see this!" Just as suddenly as she appeared, Pinkie left, making a beeline for backstage.

Sunset and Applejack just looked at each other for a second, before Applejack tried her question a second time. "Sunset, where'd Rarity go?"

Despite the loud music, Sunset Shimmer heard the urgency in Applejack's voice. "She was with us, but she went to get a drink from the bar over there."

Applejack followed Sunset's finger with her eyes and saw the bar towards the back of the building. Giving Sunset Shimmer a quick nod of thanks, she quickly began to make her way over to the bar.

9 Clarity

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Rarity sighed into the cool night air, leaning on the wall next to the entrance as she looked up at the clear sky. At this point, she just wanted to go home. She was tired and annoyed, and was no longer in the mood to celebrate. She then remembered that she also had all her stuff backstage, and didn't want to leave it.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard the sound of the door opening, and her frown turned into a scowl as she looked at the person who had followed her outside.

At the door, stood a young man with black hair, wearing a light blue polo and dark blue fitted jeans; an outfit that was currently covered in fruit punch. He had an angry expression as he looked around him, stopping as his hazel eyes landed on the fashionista against the wall.

"Hey! What the hell is your problem!? Do you know what you just did!?"

Rarity watched cautiously as he began to stalk towards her. Straightening up, she took a small step away from the door. "I told you, Preston, I'm done talking with you." Rarity took another step back as Preston moved closer, his nostrils flaring.

"Well I wasn't done talking to you. Now, I want to talk about the fact that you ruined a three-hundred-dollar outfit!"

Her eyes moved down to look at his attire. The designer in her almost felt bad for throwing her drink in his face. Almost.

"Hey, I've been trying to talk to you all night."

Rarity turned her head to the side and watched as a young man sat down in the bar chair beside her. Despite the fact that she didn't want to deal with anybody, she did her best to put on a polite smile. "Oh, hello there, how-"

Rarity dropped her smile completely when he cut her off with a hand.

"Doesn't matter. What matters is that I am Preston Manor the second, of Manor Suites and Hotels, and I have decided to talk to you. You're welcome."

Rarity looked at Preston incredulously. "I beg your pardon?"

Preston chuckled. "I saw you on stage and I realized someone like you definitely deserves to spend time with me tonight."

Rarity raised an eyebrow at the boy in front of her. "And just what do you mean by 'someone like me'?

Preston didn't speak, but after watching him trail his eyes down her body, she more than got an answer to her question. She shivered slightly, disgust growing as his eyes met hers again.

"We both know what's going on here. We can definitely turn this into a fun night."

Rarity growled internally, rolling her eyes before she turned to fully face Preston. "Look, I...am flattered that you went out of your way to look for me, but I'm not interested."

Her politeness felt forced, and she hoped Preston would take notice and walk away. Instead he chuckled, his eyes roaming her now visible legs. "Aw you don't have to lie to yourself like that. I know I'm hot, you can say it."

She was already in a bad mood and Preston wasn't helping with that. She took a breath to calm herself as best as she could, but her patience was wearing thin. "Preston, I said I am not interested, so could you please leave me alone?"

"Come on, baby. I know you don't want to be alone. And I'm known to be a real good...friend." To emphasize his meaning, he placed a hand on Rarity's thigh, giving her a suggestive look.

Rarity felt a sudden surge of fury the moment Preston touched her. Without warning, she grabbed her drink from the table, throwing it in his face. "Get the hell away from me." She warned. Getting up quickly, Rarity walked away from the bar, towards the hall that led to the entrance at the other end of the dance floor.

Fighting the satisfied smile, she responded. "I would not have done that if you hadn't insisted on being such an ass."

Preston snarled at her. "You're going to pay me back for this shirt." She watched, a look of disdain on her face as she saw him trail his eyes downward once again. "And I'm not talking about money."

Repeating her earlier actions, Rarity rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide it from him this time. "I don't know where you get off thinking you can act like that and get what you want. I have already said no, and I am not changing my mind."

Rarity made a move to walk around him, but he reached for her arm, and pushed her back against the wall. Moving closer, he held Rarity's face with the other hand, forcing her to look up at him. "I'm no longer asking you." To prove his point, Preston tightened his grip on Rarity's face as he leaned in.

A surge of fury and adrenaline hit her as she caught on to what he was about to do. She managed to free her arm, pushing Preston back before slapping him across the face. "You pig!" The slap was hard enough to stun him, and she took the chance to move from under him, towards the door of the club. Again, she barely began to move before she was grabbed again and forced to face him.

Adrenaline gone, Rarity found herself seizing up as Preston's hazel eyes darkened and his face contorted with rage. "You little…!"

Rarity winced as she felt Preston's hands tighten around her arms. "L-let go of me!"

"You're going to make up for ruining my night, whether you want to or not!" Preston moved, pushing Rarity against the wall with more force than before. "And if you want to be difficult, I can do this the hard way!"

Unable to shake free, Rarity watched as he moved his hand back, preparing to slap her. Closing her eyes, she braced herself as much as she could. She flinched when she heard the sound of skin making contact, but opened her eyes when instead of pain, she felt Preston's other hand release her arm.

There were now two people in front of her: The first was Preston. His eyes still burned with anger, but she saw that his face was now twisted in pain. The other person stood between her and Preston; back towards Rarity and a firm hand around Preston's wrist.

Rarity blinked, taking in the person right in front of her. "A-Appleja-"

"What do you think you're doin'?"

Rarity watched in disbelief as Applejack glared at Preston. The smaller girl couldn't see her face, but she recognized the tone in Applejack's voice. It was one she rarely heard; one Applejack only used when she was just barely containing her anger.

Instead of responding, Preston tried to shake his hand free, but Applejack kept her grip, and began to tighten it as she spoke again.

"I said, what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

Despite the increasing pain, Preston regained enough of his composure to respond. "That's none of your damn business! This is between me and her." He made a move to catch Rarity's attention but jerked back when he felt Applejack begin to bend his wrist back.

"Well to me, it looks like you were about to hurt my friend, and I reckon that makes it my business." She bent his wrist back further, causing him enough pain to force him to take a knee. "Now, I don't know where you come from, or who you think ya are, but if I ever catch you tryin' to lay a hand on Rarity, or anyone else, I will not hesitate in knockin' some sense into ya." She let go of his wrist, releasing him with enough force to send him onto his back.

Applejack watched as Preston scrambled back onto his feet, meeting his glare with her own. He gave one last look at Rarity before meeting the country girl's eyes one last time.

"Tch, whatever. I don't need to deal with this shit." Turning around, he walked across the grass in front of the club before disappearing down the sidewalk.

Applejack followed him with her eyes, resisting the urge to go after him and deck him. Her attention shifted instantly when she heard movement behind her. Turning around, her eyes softened before moving towards Rarity who had slumped to her knees. Coming to a stop in front of Rarity, Applejack knelt down, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as she examined her.

"Rarity? Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Rarity simply shook her head as her shock wore off, her thoughts a mess inside her head. Once again, Applejack had saved her. Despite everything that had happened earlier that evening, Applejack had come after her, found her and saved her. Slowly, she looked up to see Applejack watching her, their eyes locking as Rarity searched for something to say. Of all of the things that she wanted to say, Rarity found that only one thing would come out.

"Why?"

Applejack gave a confused look as her eyes returned to Rarity's. "What do you mean 'why'? Rare, you're ma friend and I saw you in trouble. Of course I'd come and help you.

"No, why…did you come after me?"

Applejack hesitated for a second before she spoke. "…I-I don't—"

Rarity shook her head, cutting Applejack off. "Applejack please. After the way I behaved tonight…the way I treated you…Jacqueline, why would you still…"

Applejack held her gaze with Rarity. After a second, she swallowed slightly before responding. "B-because I didn't want to leave things as they are. I feel like if we walk away without talking tonight, we may never fix this. Fix us." She took a breath as she continued. "Rarity, I know why you've been trying to avoid me. I know you don't want me to talk about it, but this…there's no other way to move past this if I don't say my part."

Rarity looked at Applejack as she spoke. Deep down, she had to agree with the words of the farm girl. Leaving everything up in the air and trying to ignore it wasn't as effective as she thought it was going to be. She looked down as she realized that the only way to move on was to be properly let down. Giving herself another second, she nodded, her eyes on the ground in front of her.

"Well…" Applejack began, trying to find the right words. "I know things have been really… different for us this past month…since the sleepover. Since then, we've either tried to ignore what's there, or brush it off, and it's only pushin' us apart. I…don't like that, and I now know that despite all the conversations we've had, we've never addressed these feelings directly…and we both know it's there."

Rarity kept her eyes down as Applejack spoke. She knew what was coming next and fought back the urge to get up and run away.

"Guess I should just say it. Rare, I…I like ya. And it's clear it's not just a crush or a fancy. I care about ya a lot, and you've become really important to me."

Rarity had to look up as Applejack's words began to settle on her ears. It was not what she was expecting her to say; in fact, it was the exact opposite. She could do nothing but stare as Applejack continued to speak.

"…And it's because of that why I have to do this. I know…I've let my feelings take over my judgment many times. I know you think I lied to you, but believe me, I was being honest when I said I never meant to annoy ya so much." She gave a sad smile as she finished. "Since I know how you feel, I tried to avoid this conversation, answering for ya instead of letting you talk. I realized that was the wrong thing to do. I need to hear you say what needs to be said."

Their eyes remained locked as Rarity continued to look at Applejack, unmoving. Applejack felt her nerves fraying as Rarity stayed silent. "R-Rare? Please say—Wait, why are you crying!?" Applejack gave a puzzled look as Rarity began to tear up. She then had to steady herself, catching Rarity as she suddenly threw her arms around her neck. "wha-Woah!"

"…idiot."

Applejack gave a shocked look as Rarity pulled back and returned to her knees. "M-me?"

Rarity wiped at her tears. "Yes, you." She then giggled slightly as she looked up at Applejack. "And me too, I suppose."

"Rarity, you're not makin' a lick o' sense."

Rarity took a second to compose herself, before looking up to meet Applejack's eyes once again. She gave a small smile as Applejack swallowed nervously.

"Jacqueline, I have to be honest with you, too." She watched as Applejack gave a small nod. "I expected this to go differently. I actually thought that you...were going to turn me down." Rarity closed her eyes as she thought back over the last month. Everything seemed to take on a new light after hearing Applejack confess to her. They had been distancing themselves from each other for the same reason. Opening her eyes, her smile grew as she looked at Applejack again. "I like you too, Applejack. A lot. All this time…I wanted to avoid bringing my feelings out into the open, all because I had thought you didn't feel the same way."

It was Applejack's turn to stare. She just…did she just…she likes me? For the millionth time that night, Applejack's mind wandered to the events over the last month.

"Ha…hahaha…" She gave a disbelieving laugh as she grasped the situation. "I-I can't believe it…this whole time…" she shook her head as she let out another laugh. "I am an idiot."

Rarity shook her head. "It was both of us, Darling. We really should have brought this up sooner and save all this trouble."

They looked at each other once more before they both got caught up in a fit of giggles, the relief of their new revelation taking over. After a moment, Applejack looked up, taking in the clear sky as she calmed down again. She sighed softly as she felt a weight lift off her chest. "So," She stood up from her kneeling position, stretching slightly before reaching a hand down to help Rarity to her feet. She took Rarity's other hand as the fashionista steadied herself. "Where does this leave us?"

Rarity smiled as she looked at their hands before looking back up at Applejack. She opened mouth to speak, but another voice cut her off.

"Oh god, are you guys about to kiss?"

Sunset watched as Applejack ran off in the direction of the bar. She could sense there was urgency in the way Applejack had spoken to her. Turning, she sought out Twilight, grabbing her attention away from her dance partner as the song ended.

"Hey, Applejack was looking for Rarity. It seemed pretty serious, so I think we should help her."

Twilight gave a quick look at the boy she was just dancing with. Hearing the conversation, he gave a disheartened look knowing Twilight was about to leave. Just as quickly as his frown came, it left; having been replaced with a smile. Neither girl saw it coming as he leaned in quickly, giving Twilight a kiss on the cheek. Adjusting his green curls away from his face, he gave one last bright smile before disappearing into the crowd.

Both girls looked at each other, the redhead giving Twilight a smirk. "We are so coming back to that."

Twilight took a breath to steady herself before looking at Sunset. Her cheeks warmed as she spoke. "Yeah...uh, we should probably go help Applejack." Without waiting for a response, Twilight began in the direction of the bar, Sunset chuckled as she followed after her.

"They're not here anymore. Did they leave?" Sunset frowned slightly when she saw no sign of Rarity or Applejack at the bar.

Twilight quickly scanned the dance floor. "Maybe they went backstage?"

Before Sunset could suggest they go look, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash came into view. Pinkie's face fell when she saw the two girls; Twilight's dance partner nowhere to be seen.

"Oh Twi, he's gone already? What happened?"

Twilight shrugged slightly, trying to seem disinterested, despite the small tingle in her stomach. "N-nothing. The song ended, I guess." She watched as Pinkie gave her a look. "It's fine, Pinkie. Anyways, Sunset said we should help look for Applejack and Rarity."

Sunset nodded as the conversation circled back. She looked at Rainbow and Fluttershy. "I thought Rarity was at the bar when I last checked, but now I don't see either of them. Did you two see them backstage?"

Seeing them shaking their heads in response, Sunset then began to think. "Hmm…well, I know we left our phones in the safe backstage, so calling is out of the question. I guess we could split up and look for them, but there isn't anywhere else other than the bathroom and…" she looked up, her eyes locking onto the hallway that led to the main exit. She motioned for the others to follow her but stopped when she felt a hand on her wrist. Turning her head, she looked at Rainbow Dash quizzically.

"Honestly Sunset, I think that they're okay. They probably just went for some fresh air. They should be back in a few." Rainbow knew Sunset was going to challenge her. In addition to Applejack and Rarity, she too had been under watch as the others suspected she knew what had been happening. But she also knew that Applejack and Rarity needed this time alone together. Her guess was correct; Sunset turned to face her, her teal eyes narrowing as she examined her closely. She also made a note of Pinkie Pie, who now had a magnifying glass right up to her face as she 'searched' the athlete.

Not one word was spoken before two students from Canterlot High walked by them, taking a seat at the bar as they conversed.

"Seriously Lyra. You should have seen his face as he went after Rarity. He did not look happy. It was almost scary."

"I know Bon-Bon, I hope she's okay. But I think I did see Applejack heading out there too. Hopefully she found them."

Turning their eyes away from the two girls and back to each other, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sunset and Twilight all gave a look that threw any debate or discussion out the window. Nodding in their silent agreement, they all made their way to the front doors.

Both girls turned in the direction of the mocking voice to see Rainbow Dash standing by the entrance, the rest of their friends poking their heads through the half open door. Both Rarity and Applejack shared a startled expression before Rarity turned back to Rainbow Dash.

"So, what if we were? And you're the last person that should be talking." She gave a gave a pointed look at Fluttershy before looking back at the athlete, a pleased smile as Rainbow Dash blushed hard. Applejack let out a chuckle as she let go of one of Rarity's hands to motion the others outside. Sunset Shimmer spoke up as she moved and stood beside Rainbow Dash.

"Damn, I figured something was up when you went looking for Rarity earlier, but I didn't think it was for this." She crossed her arms as she thought to herself. "I swear I usually pick up on these things…"

Twilight gave a small laugh as she gave Sunset a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "It's fine. At least we know they're okay."

Applejack chuckled. "Yeah, don't feel bad, Sunset." She gave Rarity's hand a small squeeze before she continued "We didn't even pick up on it."

Everyone had to turn their attention to Pinkie Pie when her squeal grew to impossibly high frequencies. "Sooooo…" She began, an expectant smile on her face.

Fluttershy interjected before Pinkie could continue. "Pinkie stop it. They'll tell us whatever they need to when they're ready." Despite her admonishing tone, everyone could see her own excitement was clearly winning out over her reasoning.

Pinkie frowned at Fluttershy, before smiling slightly. "Fine, I won't ask."

Rainbow Dash raised her hand as if she was in class. Rarity rolled her eyes, despite her giggling as she pointed to Rainbow. "Yes, Rainbow. Go ahead."

"So, are all the awkward silences over now? Not really a fan of detectives Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer over here."

Applejack let out a quick laugh as she led Rarity towards the entrance and their friends. "Yes. The awkward silences are gone. Sorry for making you go through all of that."

Sunset rubbed her arm, a small blush on her face. "Sorry about that, Rainbow. If I had known, I wouldn't have pushed you."

"I'm sorry too." Pinkie offered her magnifying glass to Rainbow Dash. "I don't deserve this."

Rainbow Dash held up her hands. "Woah girls, chill. It's alright. I wasn't even mad." She smiled when she saw her friends relax.

"Well, Sunset was right about one thing." Twilight took a step forward, and they were now all standing in a circle. "This definitely is a night we won't be forgetting anytime soon." Everyone nodded, laughing as they moved in for a group hug.

Stepping out of the change room, Rarity tied her hair up in a ponytail, leaving her bangs out as she looked over at Applejack. She smiled slightly as she watched the taller girl set the bean bags back to their original positions. Coming up behind her, Rarity poked her side softly causing Applejack to turn around.

"Hey." She kept her voice soft as she spoke and watched Applejack's eyes light up as she gave Rarity a grin.

"Hi." Applejack matched Rarity's tone, not wanting to break the atmosphere.

Rarity smiled back at Applejack as she thought about how different things were between them now compared to a few hours ago. It was almost surreal, and it made her slightly nervous as she stood there. She bit the inside of her lip as she thought about what to say.

"Can…can I have a hug?"

Applejack blinked for a second before letting out a small chuckle. "Sure, Sugar." She opened her arms and Rarity stepped forward, wrapping her own arms around Applejack's waist. They stood there stiffly, not moving. Then, as if given the okay, both relaxed into the embrace; Rarity moved her head against Applejack's chest as Applejack tightened her grip, leaning so her cheek was on Rarity's head. It was another moment before Rarity spoke again.

"I almost can't believe this is happening." She closed her eyes as she let herself go into the moment. She heard Applejack's heart quicken before she spoke.

"I know what you mean. After all we put ourselves through, we're almost there."

Rarity lifted her head at Applejack's words "Almost? What do you-" she stopped as she felt Applejack move one hand to the side of her face. Rarity looked into her eyes and saw how the emeralds shone as they looked at her. The familiar, hidden look Rarity would always see was now front and centre as Applejack smiled at Rarity. The farm girl took a quick breath in before speaking.

"Rare, you are ma best friend and we've experienced so much together over the years. In that time, I found that you are the one I wanna continue experiencing things with." She stopped for a second as she began to move her thumb to caress Rarity's cheek. Her voice was soft, but passionate as she spoke again. "Rarity. I like you. I really, really like you. And after everythin' we've gone through, I now know just how much I do. I…I want you by my side for as long as you'll have me. Do…Will you be my girlfriend?"

Rarity smiled softly. She understood what Applejack meant when she said 'almost'; She wanted to make sure she did it right. She didn't want any more confusion or miscommunication. She wanted to make it official. Rarity nodded up at Applejack, an unbreakable smile as she moved in for another hug. "Oh, Jacqueline. Of course. Yes, yes I'll be your girlfriend." She giggled slightly as she felt the tall girl tighten her hold to lift her off the ground and spin her around.

Placing Rarity back on her feet, Applejack stepped back as she stared at the fashionista intensely. She felt her heart leap in her chest as she continued to look at the smaller girl who she now knew shared her feelings. This is it. This, with her, it feels right. She smiled softly as she saw Rarity begin to blush under her gaze. "Gosh, you really are beautiful you know."

Rarity's blush deepened as Applejack spoke. The farm girl seemed almost mesmerized as she said it; just like earlier that evening and the morning after the sleepover. "You…you really mean that." She concluded. She noticed the red tint forming on Applejack's ears as she nodded. "You are the only person that has ever said that to me." She stepped back towards Applejack, taking the taller girl's hands in hers.

Neither girl said anything more as they continued to look at each other. Moving in close, Applejack gave in to her emotions, this time knowing that she did not have to hold back. Rarity welcomed the moment, leaning up and closing the distance as their lips met. It was a gentle kiss; both melting into each other as the conclusion of a month of hardship, but years of feelings flowed into the kiss. After a moment, they pulled back and their eyes connected once more. Rarity could not keep the smile off her face as she looked at her girlfriend.

"We made it."

Epilogue - Just Wanna Be With You

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"Why we are doing this, again?" Rarity frowned slightly as she tightened the grip on the flashlight in her hand, shining it in front of her as she walked.

Sunset Shimmer laughed as she came up behind her, her own flashlight in her hand. "Twilight said this was our reward for doing well on our term tests." She smiled as she remembered the excitement the girls shared during one of their study sessions after Twilight had encouraged them with a surprise if they stayed focused and did well.

Rarity sighed as she barely missed stepping on a fallen branch. "I know, but I wish I had known the prize was a night trek through the woods in the middle of November." She looked up as she heard Twilight Sparkle giggle from the front.

Stopping, Twilight turned to face the rest of her friends as they caught up. She took note of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie who were a few steps behind her. "Sorry, Rarity. But, the good news is we are almost there, and I promise you wont regret it."

"And where is there?" Rainbow Dash asked as she came to a stop beside Sunset Shimmer. "You still haven't told us yet."

Pinkie frowned slightly. "How long have we been walking?"

Fluttershy took in a quick breath. "I'm all for a walk through the forest. But couldn't we have done it when it's not so…dark?"

Twilight rolled her eyes slightly; The thought of young children on a road trip crossed her mind for a second, and she grinned as she turned back around. "Trust me, girls. You are all going to love it." She started walking again and the rest of them followed.

Rarity sighed to herself once more but continued to walk. She didn't say it, but it wasn't just the long walk that was bothering her. It was the fact that it was only the six of them. At school that morning, she had eagerly sought out Applejack after Twilight had told them that she had something planned for them that evening. Applejack then told her that she had already promised to help out with something and would meet them there. Looking up at the clear night sky, Rarity wished the farmer was beside her. It would have, at the very least, made the walk more bearable. She focused on keeping her footing, while keeping the others in her line of sight. The climb soon became steeper and Rarity felt herself getting slightly winded. Eventually the trees began to clear, and Rarity could see they were nearing the top of the hill.

Sunset Shimmer looked up from beside Rarity as something clicked in her head. "Huh."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow as she looked at the redhead beside her. "You okay there, Sunset?"

Sunset smiled slightly as she looked at Rainbow Dash. "Oh, yeah. I'm good."

Rarity looked over to see that Sunset had a sudden renewed vigour as she walked. She watched her for a second as she put the pieces together. "Wait, did you figure out what we are doing, Sunset?"

The others ahead of them stopped, hearing Rarity's question. Twilight looked at Sunset, a small smile forming as Sunset gave her a knowing look. Twilight adjusted her glasses slightly as she laughed. "No spoilers, Sunset, we're here."

Sunset chuckled as she, Rainbow Dash and Rarity moved closer to where Twilight was standing. Before Sunset could reply, something caught Rarity's attention. It was a scent wafting through the air from the peak of the hill. Immediately she thought of the late summer afternoons she had spent with Applejack, baking fresh apple pastries after the harvest. She seemed entranced as she continued forward, walking past the others as she neared the top of the hill. She gasped audibly as she reached the top, causing the others to quickly follow after her.

At the top of the hill, there were three picnic blankets. Each one had a set of throws, a platter of snacks under saran wrap, a bottle of soda and a pair of binoculars. However, what had held Rarity's attention was the person standing in front of it all, a smirk on her face.

"Took y'all long enough."

Twilight was the first to step forward. "Sorry, Applejack. We lost our pace near the end there. The children were getting restless." She gave the others a joking look, receiving several half-hearted glares as a response.

Applejack chuckled before making eye contact with Rarity. She winked as she motioned the fashionista towards her. Rarity made her way in front of Applejack as the others began to get settled on the blankets. Rainbow Dash took the one on the left, patting the space beside her as she looked at Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle took the one in the middle, the party girl already reaching for the platter of food.

Rarity was still confused, but she couldn't help the smile forming on her face. "How-"

Applejack's emerald eyes softened as she looked into the sapphire pair that took her breath away every time. "We were in science class a few weeks ago when Twilight had the idea. I said I could bring snacks and help set it up. Sorry I couldn't walk up with you guys."

Rarity shook her head. "You don't need to apologize. This looks amazing." Applejack gave a small nod before she offered her hand, and Rarity took it, lacing their fingers together as they made their way to the last blanket.

Pinkie looked up after taking a hearty bite of an apple fritter. "Mmmm...sho gooo...Buf wha aah we dofi heee?"

Sunset blinked as she looked at Pinkie. For a second, she couldn't decide to call attention to the fact that the party girl was talking with her mouth full, or to the fact that she understood her. "If I remember correctly," She began before looking over at Twilight. "tonight is the-"

Fluttershy gasped, cutting Sunset Shimmer off. "Oh my! Look at that!" she took Rainbow's hand in one hand and squeezed it, pointing up to the sky with her other hand. The girls followed her hand, just in time to see a trail of light shoot across the sky. They all gasped in amazement as another one followed a moment later, and then more came with the beginnings of a meteor shower.

After a while, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had adjusted their positions; Rainbow Dash was on her back as Fluttershy settled into her side, her head on the athlete's chest. Fluttershy sighed happily as Rainbow rubbed lazy circles on the sweater over Fluttershy's arm.

"I love this." Fluttershy said quietly enough for only Rainbow Dash to hear.

"Hmm?" Rainbow Dash questioned, indicating the quiet girl to elaborate.

"This. Us. Here with our friends. It's times like this that make me realize how happy I am to have them." She raised herself on her elbow, making eye contact with her partner below her before she continued. "To have you."

Rainbow smiled as she reached a hand to Fluttershy's cheek. "I know, lucky doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. Especially with you."

Fluttershy gave a tender smile of her own as she looked down at Rainbow Dash. Her teal eyes were soft as she took in Rainbow's smile. "I love you." She placed her free hand over Rainbow's heart, gripping the blue jacket tightly.

Rainbow Dash gave a toothy grin. A pleasant shiver she felt every time she heard the girl above her say those words ran down her spine. "I love you too." She moved her hand from Fluttershy's cheek to her chin, guiding the smaller girls face towards her own. Their lips met in a tender kiss, enjoying their moment of bliss.

On the middle blanket, both Twilight and Sunset had their eyes glued to the sky, a similar thoughtful look on both their faces. Sitting in the middle, Pinkie looked at both of them before looking back at the sky. "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked quietly.

Both girls looked at her, and they realized the question was directed at both of them. Sunset was the first to speak. "I guess, sometimes when I'm with you girls like this, I remember what I did—who I used to be. I think about how you girls forgave me and accepted me with open arms...even though I hurt you all the most."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "I was kind of thinking the same thing. I mean, the first impression you girls had was me basically draining the magic out of you without an explanation." She blushed slightly at the memory. "And then Midnight Sparkle…Yet you all became my first group of real friends."

Pinkie looked at them before once again turning her attention to the sky. "I think it was meant to be, the seven of us." Twilight and Sunset both looked at Pinkie, her tone unusually calm and thoughtful for the upbeat girl. "Magic may have sped up the process, but I think the seven of us were meant to come together. The bond we have has allowed each of us to grow. We all gain something from each other that we may have been lacking on our own. In that way, we are all the same. I can definitely say for everyone that we don't think any less of either of you. To me, our magic serves as tangible proof of our friendship."

Neither girl could help the tears forming in their eyes as they looked at Pinkie Pie. She had a serene smile on her face as she kept her eyes on the meteors. Twilight and Sunset both moved in, giving their friend in the middle a tight hug.

"Wow!" Pinkie breathed out feeling the grip of both girls. "Too strong! Okay, okay, okay!"

Applejack sat with Rarity sitting between her legs as they looked up at the sky. She looked down and smiled when she felt Rarity lean back into her, breathing out as she relaxed. After a moment, Applejack went from watching the stars to watching the lavender haired girl in her arms. She felt Rarity move as she let out a silent chuckle. Applejack's smile grew as she adjusted her head to see Rarity better. "What is it, Sugar?"

Rarity smiled. She still felt the butterflies anytime Applejack addressed her with 'Sugar', and it caused her to let out another giggle. "Just thinking. About us. About how we met."

Applejack thought back to their middle school days and let out a chuckle of her own. "Ah...those were the days."

Rarity turned slightly so she could face Applejack better. She gave a sheepish smile as a slight tint coloured her cheeks. "Can I confess something?"

Applejack gave a confused look but nodded for her to continue.

"Actually, and even now I don't know why I did what I did, but…I never hated your accent. It was…quite the opposite actually."

Applejack raised an eyebrow but couldn't help the smirk on her face. "Really? I reckon you had a funny way of showin' it." She laughed as Rarity smacked her on the arm.

"Shut it. I said I don't know why I behaved in such a manner." Rarity turned back around so that she was looking back up at the stars. "I remember…I used to always enjoy hearing you speak in class. I didn't understand why…I felt like I could've listened your voice for days. But I was too nervous to talk to you myself. Being paired up with you for English was so sudden, and I ended up acting quite silly. After we fought and stopped talking, I felt terrible. That's why I went to the farm; I was hoping to apologize. Then, when we were in your room and I looked into your eyes for the first time I…" She smiled as she came to a realization. "I guess I fell for you then and there; I felt that you were someone I could trust and open up to, and I did. I guess it just took me a couple of years before I fully understood those feelings."

Applejack was quiet as she looked up in thought. A flurry of contented emotions filled her, as she grasped that Rarity had indeed liked her for much longer than she had ever thought. She gave a slight smile as a thought crossed her mind. "Kinda makes you think of all that time we could have had together, huh?"

"True," Rarity started before turning once more so she was looking at Applejack. "but I also think that every up and down we went through allowed us get here, knowing what we have is real."

Applejack gave a small chuckle as she leaned down slightly to rub her nose against Rarity's cheek. "You sound like a musical."

Rarity scoffed as she pulled back slightly. "Hey! I'm just saying that we-"

She was cut off as Applejack kissed her. She responded almost instantly, bringing an arm around Applejack's neck as she pulled the farmer closer, deepening the kiss. After a moment, they pulled back, resting their foreheads together as they caught their breath. Opening their eyes, green met blue and they smiled at each other. Rarity turned herself back to see the last of the meteor shower. Feeling Applejack wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close, Rarity gave a happy sigh as she settled into the moment, adding it to one of many she planned to hold on to for a long time.

The Sleepover

by Oblivion14

1 Summer

2 I Like Her

3 Mutual?

4 Thinking of You

5 Talk to Me

6 Feelings

7 Curve Ball

8 Broken Ends

9 Clarity

Epilogue - Just Wanna Be With You