A paralyzed Twilight sparkle stood aghast over the chaotic mess on the table. Beakers lay strewn about, with little droplets and puddles of remaining potions. Among the clutter lay the lone beaker that had once held the last concoction, which in fact was really the remnants of both the hearts' desire brew and the love poison. Zecora came up to the young scholar and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Do not relent just yet, we need only to try another set."

Twilight turned numbly to look at the shaman woman. Seeing her calm eyes and small smile made her nod her head in agreement. Taking in a breath through her nose and letting it out through her mouth, while sweeping her arm from her eye level to over her chest, Twilight was able to calm herself down and think.

Meanwhile, a frazzled and confused Rarity tried to stave off an eager Applejack's advances as his hands pawed at her. His grin never left his face as he cornered her against the wall of Twilight's lab, placing a hand against the wall beside her head and effectively trapping her. She found confidence to be admirable, (not to mention downright enticing) but even she has never been met with such brazen audacity before. Sure, most guys who had approached her had their strengths and weaknesses, but this....he was too sure and so unyielding, and yet at the same time, she had this feeling in the pit of her gut that told her he wouldn't deal harshly with her, nor force her. Still......

"Ah, what iz ze matter, my little love hors d'œuvre? You seem...on edge~."

She let out a small squeak as Applejack brought his hand up to rest along the crook of her neck, his fingertips barely touching her curled tresses as his thumb brushed leisurely along her jaw. Rarity tried to speak, however the smoldering look in his green eyes made her mouth dry and short of breath.

"Oh ho ho ho! Do not be fearing, Mon petit cœur~."

Applejack then dipped his head down so that he could whisper into her ear.

"I will not be doing much of the biting....at least not too hard~."

Rarity felt her legs wobble as she felt his hot breath rush against her ear, the sensation of it making her shudder. When she felt his teeth close over her earlobe (surprisingly missing her earring entirely and getting the flesh on the first go) Rarity jumped with a start, letting out a loud "Waaahahaah!" and pushed him away from her. He was big and as burly as Mac, but her smaller frame made her escape much easier as her little shove opened a window of opportunity.

Applejack watched as a frightened Rarity sloppily scrambled up the stairs, bounding up the steps on all fours, and ran out of the lab.

"Was eet zomezing I said?", he asked in genuine confusion as he scratched his head and looked to his friends.

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were sitting in folding chairs sharing a tub of popcorn. Rainbow Dash, drink in hand, sipped noisily through her straw as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie shrugged their shoulders at his question.

The funny talking farmer turned around and climbed the stairs with a spring in his step, smiling pleasantly.

"Wait for me, my little cœur de mon cœur~! Your darling iz coming to find you~!"

"Oh, my! W-We have to go after them! Um, that is, if you guys want to. We can just stay here if you like."

"Are you kidding me?! It's like watching a car crash, only funnier and without the mortality rate. We gotta follow 'em! This is too priceless to just let it stop here!"

"I agree with Dashie! Until Twilight and Zecora can find the cure, we gotta watch over hunky hunk. Who knows what'll happen if others hear the funny sounding accent?"

Smiling, Pinkie hopped up the stairs to follow Applejack and Rarity. An insistent Rainbow Dash pushed a hesitant Fluttershy towards the stairs as well, grinning behind her friend.

"C'mon Fluttershy! We gotta get a front-row seat for this!"

Fluttershy merely let out a timid squeak and pulled her turtleneck over half of her face, dreading what was to come.

Her heels clicked frantically as Rarity ran down the sidewalk. Finding a bend, she darts past the park and hides behind a newspaper dispenser, panting heavily and peeking out from her hiding spot. She honestly didn't know why she was reacting the way she was, but back there she had felt...suffocated. Being pursued was something she was used to, as others vied for her attention on a somewhat daily basis. This time however.....was entirely different. Was it because it was a friend pursuing her this time? And why now? Why, with everything that was happening? Just....why?!

Her thoughts were disrupted when Rarity felt a presence slide beside her. There, shoulder to shoulder, was a grinning Applejack looking at her with love-struck eyes.

"Hello, ma cherie~!"

Rarity let out a panicked little shout and sprang into a hard run, knocking the farmer onto his backside and accidently striking his chin with her knee. Applejack held his jaw as he felt his teeth clamp onto his lip, the disturbing little crunch sound coming to his ears as teeth pierced through the skin and making him grunt from the little stab of pain that followed.

And yet, his eyes flew to his target, watching her hair fly as she moved swiftly away from his grasp. He chuckled then, ignoring the dull pain in his now bleeding lip and grinning once again.

"Hoo Hoo~! My little sapphire iz into ze rough and tumble. I approve~!"

He then skipped after her, humming a merry sounding tune as his boots noisily hit the sidewalk. His boot hit against something as he went, making him stop to see what it was. Applejack stopped in his skipping and humming and gasped at what he had found.

"Qu'est-ce que c'est?"

Becoming desperate, Rarity dove into a nearby jewelry shop and hid behind one of the counters, ignoring the strange looks she was getting from the tellers. In her frantic state, Rarity unintentionally bumped into something, letting out a slight gasp from the unknown contact and spinning around, squeaking out an apology.

"Well! That was entirely rude!"

Rarity froze at hearing the familiar masculine voice. She'd recognize the snobby accent anywhere.

"B-Blueblood!", she said, aghast.

It was indeed Prince Blueblood standing there before the fashionista, clad in a pinstripe suit with what looked to be like fashion models on each arm, swooning over him in a sickening display, making the pale skinned seamstress cringe inwardly. 'Is that how pathetic I looked back then?', she thought to herself. Blueblood looked down at her and let out an airy laugh.

"Prince Blueblood. Have we met before?"

She didn't know whether to take that as a good thing or an insult, so she chose the former.

"Er, No! N-Not at all, Blu- Prince Blueblood!"

The blonde young man merely shrugged indifferently as Rarity chuckled nervously, wishing he'd be on his way already.

Just then, the front doors opened abruptly, the bells atop the entrance chiming wildly from the force. A winded Applejack burst through, shoving past Blueblood and his company and heading straight for one of the tellers.

"H-Hey!!", groused an irritated Blueblood.

Rarity ducked back into her hiding place, nervously biting her lower lip as she watched through the glass of the display case. She felt a sense of relief to see that Applejack was not aware of her presence.

"Puh-Pardon me, madame! I'am in ze need of assistance, if you please!"

The female teller looked shocked at his polite outburst, but maintained a professional air despite the red on his lip, poor guy looked like he got decked pretty hard.

"W-What can I help you with today, sir?"

Catching his breath, Applejack reached into his shirt front pocket and produced a small thin gold chain-link anklet, with white diamonds lined along its length in a pattern. However, the clasp and a small part of the chain holding one of the slim stones were broken.

"Zis belongs to a Mademoiselle Rarity. She dropped zis not too long ago. Can you repair zis for me s'il vous plaît?"

The young woman nodded and took the thin accessory into her hands, assured him and then disappeared into a back room. He let out a sigh of relief and leaned over the display case, letting his eyes rove over the glass.

"Pardon me!", huffed out an angered Blueblood as he tapped the farmer on his shoulder.

"Ah yes? What iz it I can be of help to you?"

Blueblood grimaced at the funny accent.

"I believe you owe me an apology, peasant."

During the exchange, Rarity peered through the glass of the display case she was hiding behind. She let out a light gasp as she saw Blueblood confront Applejack.

Applejack looked between Blueblood and the ladies hanging on his arms, confused.

"I do not understand, mon ami. What iz it that I have done?"

"What have you done? I'll tell you what you've done!"

Blueblood was becoming livid, releasing his hold on the models on his arms and taking a step towards Applejack.

"You, a lowly country bumpkin, barreled through royalty!", Blueblood shouted.

"Yeah, you freak of nature!"

"So much the uncouth giant!"

It wasn't until the two ladies behind Blueblood chimed in with their jibes that Applejack was beginning to shrink away, suddenly feeling subconscious about being in a fancy looking jeweler shop. He took off his hat and held it over his chest, struggling for words as he wrung the edges of his Stetson. This did not go unnoticed by the hidden fashionista, who saw his discomfort and felt badly for him.

"N-Now now, friends. Let's not make zis more zen it needs to be. I do apologize if I have offended."

Blueblood sneered at the farmer, narrowing his eyes at him.

"You seem...familiar."

"I uh, remember meeting you at the gala-"

"YOU were allowed to be at the gala?!", Blueblood interrupted.

"Were you there with that uncouth carnival fare peddler and that hussy who got cake all over me?"

At that, Rarity let out a growl under her breath, her fingers gripping the edges of the case in an attempt to contain her anger.

"Qu'est-ce que vous avez dit?",Applejack muttered in a harsh undertone.

"You heard me, bumpkin! Now answer your- AAH!!"

In a blur of movements, Applejack had Blueblood by the collar of his expensive suit and slammed him against the wall of the store, making the models shriek out in alarm and run out of the shop, his hat lying on the carpeted ground, forgotten. Rarity dared to peer over the display case, and was shocked to see what she saw. Applejack...was angry. Really angry! Well beyond the point of being livid, the farmer was downright pissed! His green eyes, normally soft and crinkled with a smile, were now narrow and deadly.

"You can say whatever you will of me, mon friend...."

His funny sounding accent was fading in his anger, returning to his usual country drawl.

"Y'all can spit in my face fer all Ah care, the darn lot of ya high end snobs. But let me tell you, friend..."

Applejack surged his arms upward so that he had Blueblood high up against the wall, the spoiled princes' feet dangling in the air as the farmer glared up at him. Rarity watched as the whole exchange escalated, fearing a fight will break out but at the same time feeling something else from Applejack's noble gestures. Hearing a crunch to her left, the fashionista turned to see Rainbow Dash munching away on popcorn, startling her. Without turning her eyes away, Rainbow shushed her and passed the popcorn to Pinkie Pie. To her right was Fluttershy and Pinkie, also munching on snacks. Rarity shrugs and grabs a ball of bubblegum from Fluttershy.

"If you dare to speak badly of Rarity OR anyone else Ah consider my friend, Ah can tell you right here and right now, I will skin yer hide while you're still conscious and dunk yer still twitching carcass into a vat of freshly pressed lemon juice! And if'n yer still alive, We'll take a trip to Appaloosa, with YOU on the end of a rope!"

Blueblood was freaking out at seeing an enraged Applejack, braking into a nervous sweat and hanging onto the farmers' tense arms in an attempt to try and breathe.

"I...I 'am of...r-royal bloo-"

Applejack didn't let him finish as he reared him back and slammed the prince against the wall again, making a few framed pictures clatter noisily against the wall and making him cry out in fright.

"Ah don't care if you're King Sombra himself! You don't treat nobody like that! 'Specially a lady! You may have been born with a silver spoon in yer mouth, but that ain't no excuse for havin' poor manners towards yer subjects! Now git outta my sight and learn chivalry right proper. Or so help me Celestia, you'll be praying for death to take you into its merciful embrace!"

Applejack was practically roaring in the mans' face as he spoke, making the prince in his grip snivel like a blubbering child and nod quickly. With a growl, Applejack released his hold on him, making Blueblood crash onto the floor in a frantic heap and scurry away. Applejack simply stood there, panting heavily from his rant with his fists still clenched. He then took a deep breath and let it out evenly, his adrenaline fading and making him feel as if he had just redone applebuck season all over again.

He turned to see a frightened teller standing at the counter with a felt case containing the newly repaired anklet. Guilt made a frown appear on his face as he approached the teller. She flinched but waited nervously, hand outstretched.

"Ah....Ah apologize for what you just saw there, ma'am. Um....How much i owe ya?"

As Applejack reached for his wallet the teller shook her head vigorously and thrust the box toward him.

"N-No charge, sir! H-Have a nice day!", she exclaimed with a forced smile.

With an inward groan, he left a hundred dollar bill and took the box, not listening to the teller as she tried to give him change back. Applejack turned to leave the shop when he saw Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy and Rarity standing by the entryway. The guilt amplified at seeing their faces.

"Y-Y'all saw that?"

"Every bit of it, Applejack."

He groaned again and turned his face away from his friends.

"Ah-"

"That was WICKED AWESOME!!!", exclaimed an excited Rainbow Dash as she fist-pumped the air.

"What?!"

"Yeah! You took care of that meanie face Blueblood!"

"B-But Ah acted like-"

"You were just defending Rarity, Applejack. It may have been a little...excess, but you did it for a reason."

He nodded at Fluttershy's words, letting them sink into his skull. With hesitant eyes, the farmer looked to the seamstress.

"You feel the same way, Rares?"

He saw her face remain stoic, even as she approached him. With a well manicured hand, Rarity reached for the long felt box he held in his hand and took it from him. She then opened it and let out a soft gasp, hand over her mouth, as she saw her anklet shined and glittering like new! With a confused look, she looked down at her left ankle and saw that it was no longer there. She sighed and closed the case.

"You meant well, darling. I can't fault you for that. In fact, I appreciate the noble act. I can't remember a time anyone else had ever done that for me. Er, with good intentions at least. I'll admit it was a little...intimidating, but you were defending my honor."

She came closer to where he stood and craned her head to look him square in the eye. She saw all she needed, and with a sure look on her lovely face ,Rarity stood on her tiptoes and gave the farmer a soft kiss to his lips. He widened his eyes as the rest of the girls exclaimed excitedly. He got over his initial shock and brought his arms around her slim shoulders and moved his lips against her, reveling the tender contact.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie let out a series of "Awww's!" as Rainbow Dash made gagging noises while pointing a finger at her open mouth.

A few moments passed and the two still hadn't parted. If anything else, the kiss began to intensify, with Applejack leaning more into Rarity as loud, moist smacks could be heard. They moved their heads from side to side as the kiss became heated. Applejack brought up a hand and buried his fingers into Rarity's hair as she looped her arms around his neck.

"Hey hey! Keep it PG-13, you horndogs!", said Rainbow Dash.

With a unison of throaty moans from both the farmer and the fashionista, they parted from their kiss and grinned at each other. Rarity looked into his emerald eyes and saw a shine of magenta flicker through them as he wagged his eyebrows at her. The grin never leaving his rugged features, Applejack sauntered out of the shop while holding onto his fashionista's dainty hand.

As they all walked down the sidewalk, Applejack moved his jaw around and produced a bubble.

Author's Note

I gotta admit, this one came outta left field for me. Not sure whether to change a few things around (concerning the content, tags, etc.), but I think I'll keep things as they are. For now. Maybe. Can anyone tell who's my least favorite character in the franchise~? :)