Apple of my Eye

Applejack's Head: 10:35 AM...

Whelp, behind you is yer so called 'crush' talkin' ta Rarity, it looks like she'll steal 'im fer sure.

Come on, AJ, have faith in him. If he truly likes ya, he'll tell ya in time and not be with Rarity.

But...what if he doesn't truly like me? What will I do then?

You'll move on, seriously. How hard can it be t' forget about one single guy?!? You've never had this much trouble before gettin' a crush outta yer head, so what's the hold up?

...I think I really like him, I really believe I do...

Come on, yer just being naive now, come on, lets leave 'im alone and get to the task at hand...

Applejack sighed as her inner thoughts ended. She was really really trying to avoid the inevitable truth here, but she knew she couldn't hide her infatuation for you long. The thing that bothered her most, besides her liking you, was the fact that she didn't know why. It started with the Apple tree incident, and since then she's longed for you to hold her, to cuddle her, to kiss her. She wanted you to say cheesy romantic pick up lines to her and then cause her to blush in return. She wanted you to nuzzle her into smiling when she was having a rough day. She wanted to cook things with you in the Apple family kitchen, and she especially wanted you to make her feel loved like no other guy has.

Truly, she was completely crazy over you; and in return, it drove her crazy. This was especially true since you two weren't on good terms. She couldn't just ask you to hold her all the sudden, (Although frankly, if she did you'd be happy to oblige) and besides, she really wanted to hear an apology from you today. If you did that, then she would be more than happy to forgive you and then she would be infinitely more confident in expressing her infatuation towards you.

She walked down in the cellar where the barrels of unspiced cider you squeezed were waiting. There were quite a few barrels, so it was best to get started immediately. Rarity, you, and the three little girls followed soon afterwards. You all took seats with Rarity next to you and the three little girls next to Applejack. The latter of which unscrewed a barrel and looked you in the eyes and said in a tone of complete indifference,

"Now looky here, to spice the cider all ya gots to do is add in a few cinnamon sticks, some whole cloves, some nutmeg, and 3 cups of lemon juice per barrel. After that, y'all just put the finished and sealed barrel onto the storage shelf with the rest. Ya clear?"

Everyone nodded eagerly except for you.

"Good, now git to it. Afterwards, we'll hang around the house since today's generally not a busy day. That means that city boy over here can leave if he wants to." She cast a glance in your direction that you ignored.

You opened the barrel and stared at the contents. The barrel contained an elixir that looked a lot like unfiltered apple juice, and essentially that's what it was. You started by placing in a few cinnamon sticks, followed by a handful of cloves, a few tablespoons of nutmeg, and finally you added in the lemon juice. You used a wooden spade to stir it gently and then you re-sealed the barrel and set it on the counter. By the time you finished, Applejack was putting her second one on the shelf. Since you two were relatively close to each other, you decided to try and apologize...

"Hey Applejack?"

She almost drops her barrel upon hearing your voice. "Oh shoot! Uh..I..er... I mean hey." She shows a near expressionless face, but there was one thing you detected from what you saw: Nervousness.
She hadn't ever looked so nervous around you and you didn't know why.

"Look, I think you and I need to talk." You try and put on your best sympathetic face.

"Oh yeah? Well I guess we should." Applejack scooted the barrel to it's proper place on the shelf and grabbed her arm nervously. On the inside, she was practically squealing with joy.

Oh my gosh! Is he actually going to do it? Is he gonna apologize?

Looks like it...Land sakes, I didn't think he was actually gonna do it!

"I-" You begin.

"Oh there you are darling. Come quickly! There's something we must talk about!" Rarity walks in just as you're about to apologize. Oh man, why couldn't she have waited a little longer...

"Rarity, I'm kind of in the middle of som-"

Rarity shot you a death glare which caused you to visibly cringe. What could be so important...

"This cannot wait! Come quickly!" She grabbed your arm and dragged you into the other room where the barrels were, leaving Applejack hanging there. God, the look on her face broke your heart. You figured she wanted you to apologize and you were finally going to! You would just have to wait until next time...

"Alright Rarity, what is it!" You snap at her.

"Oh darling, please don't tell me you were trying to talk to her already!"

"So what if I was? She looked like she was open for conversation." You pull her hand from your arm.

"It's much too soon for that! We have to build the mood first~" She clasped her hands together.

"Do what now?" You cock an eyebrow.

"Oh you know, set the atmosphere, establish the emotions, you know...build the mood for when you finally confess to Applejack."

Your heart did backflips. "Woah woah woah! No, I don't want to confess to her just yet! Right now, I just want to apologize. Then after that, we can discuss dating." You sat down on a bench in the cellar.

Rarity flipped her hair a little before responding, "But if you don't take action right after you apologize then she will think you're friend-zoning her. Since it's very apparent that she likes you, then we need to show her that you are a gentleman suited for a lady such as herself. We need to build a romantic atmosphere, give her the confidence for talking about her feelings, find you a gift to present her, and then you may apologize."

"That sounds....so complicated...man, are all you girls really this hard to impress?" You covered your face with your hands and sighed.

She then sat next to you. "I know how hard this must seem for you, and to be honest, some of this might not be that necessary. I'm simply taking precautions is all. I really want to see her happily together with someone and judging by your genuine affection for her, you will be perfect. It's always been my dream to play matchmaker...I mean, I had a boyfriend who was just as much of a hopeless romantic as I was. I still miss him..."

"Oh really?" Judging by her looks, you weren't surprised that she's had a boyfriend before. "What happened then?"

I think it was the blue hair...

Brain, that was mean. Nobody cares what you think anyway...

Rarity took in a long sigh. "Well, if you must know, he didn't exactly stay that way. He was the sweetest, most romantic gentleman you ever laid eyes on...at least...as long as he got what he wanted in bed. On the occasional nights I didn't gratify him, he would sleep around with other women and drop the "I was at work" excuse." Tears began to form in her eyes. "Ever since then, I've been cold, distant from other men, and reluctant to get close to them. I trust you because you look like you couldn't get any girl you put your mind to. That and your description of how you felt about Applejack was so genuine and so so sweet..." She chuckled, and you decided to let that remark slide.

"But..." She continued, "You would do much more justice for Applejack. I've played the love game plenty of times before, and I've lost. Dear Applejack on the other hand, poor girl hasn't even been given a proper chance at playing it. If you really get to know her at a more personal level, I think you could make her so happy..." The tears in her eyes turned from sorrow to joy in seconds. "And that is why I want to make sure this goes over perfectly. I'm what you would call the 'Spirit of Generosity,' not meaning to brag of course...There's nothing I love more than helping my friends and giving things to them. Applejack on the other hand is quite different from me as you can tell by both our appearances and our lifestyles. She's more of what you would call the 'Spirit of Honesty,' she loves doing her part in society and she hardly ever lies..."

Bullshit... You think as you remember her watching you yesterday morning.

"She's one of the most down-to-earth girls I know...and therefore she's very level headed and reasonable. Her honest view of everything has it's downsides, however, as she can sometimes be too blunt with people...She always means well, but she doesn't understand social etiquette as well as I." Rarity continues.

"So with that being said, you two would compliment each other perfectly. She would keep you in line, and you will provide her with the love I know she yearns for. Whenever I had a significant other, I saw a slight glint of jealousy in her eye." She winked at you.

"Uh huh...and what do I do once you set up this 'atmosphere.'"

"You two sit down, talk about what you wish, you will apologize, she will accept, you two will make up, perhaps you two may even kiss!"

You perked up at that comment.

"And later, if you two feel that it's right..." She nudged you with her elbow. "I believe you and Applejack would do more than just...kiss under the moonlit sky..." She gave another wink for added emphasis. You didn't have to be a genius to get what she was implying...

You felt your heart do several flips in various directions, and your throat drying out faster than a chimpanzee at the slot machines. Was she really encouraging you to knock boots with her friend? Hm, although the idea really did appeal to you, you couldn't really see that happening between you two. You scrapped that idea and would gladly settle on just getting on good terms with her.

"I dunno about that last part. And furthermore, how are you so relaxed about telling me and Applejack to...you know..."

"Bang?"

"Jesus, Rarity! Uh...I mean yes."

"Well as I've mentioned earlier, I've had my share of men in my life and therefore I've had men in my bed before. I guess it's because it's really nothing to be nervous over and definitely should not a taboo subject. We're humans, and humans are sexual beings. As we enter early adulthood, it's important to be sexually healthy and if you start early and stay responsible, your honeymoon won't be nearly as awkward."

Well, she did have a point there. Again, you didn't want to actually consider having sex with Applejack; that would be getting your hopes too high. You should just save her for your late night fantasies.

"Yeah sure, whatever, but let's focus on one thing at a time alright? Are you going to start with this 'building of the atmosphere?"

Rarity beamed, "Of course deary! Let's get started right away! The first part of the plan is for the little girls to talk to Applejack under my supervision of course."

You chuckled. "Oh really? What comes after that?"

"One thing at a time, deary."

You rolled your eyes.

~*-*~

Applejack was doing the cider spicing again with the trio of Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. All was going well, but she wondered where you and Rarity had gone off too...as soon as she finished the thought, Rarity came back into the room with her usual confidence and you sort of moseyed on in with your usual passiveness. Applejack let out a sigh, she was pretty sure Rarity was trying to get you, but she had no proof. There was nothing she could do but mentally glare at Rarity. Still, she had a shred of hope that you were more interested in her, so she kept quiet.

Rarity had told you what was going to happen, so you did as you were supposed to and left the cellar.

"And jus' where do you think yer going?" Applejack eyed you suspiciously.

"Nature's calling." You said simply. Applejack nervously turned red.

"Well uh...go on then, hurry back." Applejack gestures you to shoo. You comply.

You exit the room and wait in the hallway just beyond where you are visible. Meanwhile, the three girls and Rarity start to strike up a conversation with Applejack...

"So Applejack." Sweetie Belle begins. "I hear that new guy is really sweet..." She bats her eyelashes.

Applejack felt a blush burn its way across her face. "Uhh....ya heard wrong." She said simply.

Scootaloo joined the conversation next. "Oh please, what could he have done that was sooo bad?"

"That's...none of yer business..." Applejack couldn't make the blush leave her face.

"Come now Applejack, you're obviously distressed. You don't normally look as tired as you do now...please tell us what has you so bothered?" Rarity asked, pretending not to know.

Applejack remained silent.

"Sister! Someting's wrong an' we're trying to help! Why don't you tell us what's wrong?" Applebloom put her hands to her hips.

"Because y'all don't need to know!" Applejack said a little louder than she should have, which only further piqued the curiosity of those in the room.

"Tell us!" Scootaloo pushed.

"No!" Applejack insisted.

"Come on, tell us!" Sweetie Belle pleaded

"NO!" Applejack insisted again.

"Girls please, let me handle this." Rarity approached Applejack with a sly grin on her face.

...Well shoot... Applejack thought to herself as she felt she knew what Rarity was about to do.

"Applejack, will you please tell me what's troubling you." Rarity asked politely.

"No can do, sugarcube." Applejack tried to brace herself for what Rarity would inevitably do...

"Well then, I have no choice." Rarity gave a wry smile, then she stared at Applejack.

"Consarn it, Rarity, I ain't telling ya nothin'!"

Rarity kept staring.

"Ya ain't as good as my big brother Macintosh!" Applejack adjusted the hat on her head.

Rarity just kept staring.

"This is a waste of our time, Rarity." Applejack was determined to not lose this battle.

Still, the stare kept going.

"Rarity no!"

More staring.

"Cut it out!"

Rarity's stare didn't falter.

"Land sakes, Rarity! I ain't tellin' ya anything!" Applejack's temper was growing shorter...

Rarity gave the stare her all.

"NNNOOOO!" Applejack slammed her boot to the ground, making an audible noise.

"Okay Applejack...you win.." Rarity put her arms up and feigned defeat.

"HA! Y'see? I told ya I wasn't gonna tell ya that I like the city boy!" She stood proudly for a millisecond before immediately cupping a hand over her mouth when she realized what she just said.

"Yep, you sure got me there..." Rarity winked at her friend.

"Horse feathers Rarity, how do you and Big Mac always do that?!" Applejack put her hands over her face.

"Trade secret. Now tell me why your infatuation with him has got you so riled up?"

Applejack hung her head in defeat. She knew there was no use in denying it anymore. "Okay Rarity, you win. I...I honestly don't know why I like him, I know I really shouldn't. Somehow...he just grew on me okay? He's different from the other city boys I knew. He's polite...well fer the most part...he's funny, he's real fun to mess with..." She chuckled. "And the more time I spent with him, the more I cared about him. Now, I doubt he likes me back, but if he did...well...that would be just dandy." Her blush intensified and she nervously bit her lip.

Upon hearing all of this, your heart thudded in your chest. I do like you Applejack! You're the prettiest, strongest, well...maybe not the sweetest but definitely the most endearing girl I've ever met. Oh if only I could come out now I'd show you just how happy this makes me...

Then, Applejack sat down. "Rarity, promise me you won't tell him I like him. I mean, I'm angry at him because of something he said last night...and although I want him to apologize...I just want him now..." Applejack rested her head on her hand.

"You want him to apologize? Well then don't you think it's time you sat down and talked about your feelings anyway?" Rarity placed her hands on her hips.

Applejack let out a long sigh. "I guess yer right, Rarity. I'll have ta, cause if I don't, I'll end up just like my friends. I'll be lonely, full of regret, and I won't stop talking 'bout it."

"That's the spirit, girl! Now let's keep working until our little darling returns." Rarity patted Applejack on the head.

Applejack got to work, then suddenly, she asked the one question that had been bothering her.

"Sooo....what if...you know...he likes you instead?"

Rarity backed up for a bit, then started to laugh. "Ahahaha, oh darling, you should've heard how he referred to you as the prettiest girl he's ever known! He absolutely adores you! He loves the fact that you protected him during the bobcat incident and he told me how happy he wanted to make you..."

Applejack felt a lump in her throat begin to form. "...Did...did he really say all that?" She looked up with teary shakey eyes.

"Applejack, he is definitely infatuated with you. I think it's about time you two discussed a relationship together." Rarity looked with a stern expression.

She paused and thought about it for a moment. "...Yeah, yer right Rarity. I need to talk t' him. But can it wait until later? I have a lot I need t' think about now..."

"Of course darling." Rarity cooed, then she inconspicuously tapped her foot on the floor a few times, your cue to come back.

You pretended to open and shut the cellar door and made your way into the room. "Hey I'm back! What did I miss?"

Rarity looked at you and winked. "Oh, nothing much~" She folded her arms. "But we're behind on the cider spicing. Let's go!"

"Yeah!" The three young girls all said in unison.

Well shoot, yer right, Rarity." Applejack said and got right to the waiting barrels. You followed her example and the rest of the cider spicing went on with little to no more interruptions.

Inside your head, you were thinking about what you just heard...

You heard the lady...she likes you!

Yeah, but I'm not sure what to do now. She's so amazing that I'm pretty sure I'll screw my chances just by talking to her.

Don't think like that, just be yourself and you'll be fine.

If I were to TRULY be myself, then I'd glomp her and get pepper spray to the face.

Oh come now, you have more self control than that.

...Um....no I do not...

*Sigh*...Whatever. But what about her? Can you try...for her?

I'll do anything for her!

...Then do it.

Yessir brain sir!

*SLAP* Quit the formalities...

Okay okay!!! ...Jesus Christ...

~*-*~

After you got all the barrels spiced and stored, the three girls, Applejack, Rarity, and you all went outside for a well deserved break. Big Mac said that they didn't have much going on today, so for the remainder of your shift, you could enjoy the day and perhaps spend some quality time with Applejack. The last line, he winked at you, prompting an eye roll on your part.

For most of the day, you and Applejack made very small talk. She would say something, you would respond with something, wash rinse repeat. You didn't mind the limited dialogue, mainly because she was at least talking to you again. You knew you liked her, you knew it ever since that first day. You didn't know when she started liking you back, but you knew you were going to ask her when the time came. For now though, you couldn't help but notice the three young ones doing something suspicious on a hill overhead...

"Ready Scootaloo?" Applebloom called to her tomboyish friend.

"Ready!" Scootaloo adjusted the helmet on her head.

"Are you sure about this...?" Sweetie Belle cautioned.

Oh boy...

You were 99% sure you knew what they were about to do, and it made your stomach twist into a knot. Scootaloo was inside an empty barrel and was wearing a helmet. You figured she was about to roll down that hill and most likely break something besides the barrel. While the helmet was a nice precaution, it simply wasn't enough. You had to stop them before Scootaloo got any serious injuries.

"Hey! That's a HORRIBLE idea! Get down from there and get out of that barrel!!!" You shouted at the top of your lungs.

"What? I can't hea-OOHHWWOOAH!" Scootaloo accidently sent herself barreling down the hill in the barrel. What's worse? It was barreling straight towards you.

In a movement of desparation, you headed towards the barrel while all the way bracing yourself for the inevitable impact. The barrels were rather small and not that heavy, and Scootaloo didn't look too heavy either...so it couldn't be that bad right?

...Famous last words...

The barrel with Scootaloo in it hit you like an oncoming train. You were flattened, your head hitting the ground with a *WHUMP* That luckily wasn't accompanied by any crunches, cracks, or squishing noises of any kind. However, you did feel a ringing in your ears and falling down so suddenly hurt regardless. It seemed that your body blockade did the trick, actually, as Scootaloo's barrel was slowed down significantly and spun out of it's original trajectory to hit against a tree instead. Scootaloo crawled out, dazed and fatigued. You saw Applebloom and Sweetie Belle coming toward you with concerned faces. After a few seconds of lying face-down, you turned over and looked up...but you didn't see the two girls, but rather someone else...

And it was the most beautiful thing to ever behold...

Applejack had reached you first, and all you could think was ...DAYUM! Sunbeams reflected off of her hair and created a golden sheen that you hadn't really seen before. You knew her hair was pretty but...in this light it was just flawless. Her freckles on her cheeks and dotting her nose were just barely visible, giving her the cute face you knew and loved so much. Her green eyes...those gorgeous emerald green eyes...cast off a captivating glow that caused you to not be able to move your eyes away from them. She put a hand on your chest, apparently feeling for a heartbeat, and she looked relieved to feel one. (You could feel your OWN heart pounding as she was standing so close to you.)

"You okay, sugarcube? Ya took quite the spill there..." Her (attractive) voice showed genuine concern.

You snapped out of your little trance from her. "Uh...yeah! Yeah I fine feel." You don't know why you switched those two words...

"That didn't sound 'fine.' C'mere and I'll get you a glass of water and an ice pack fer that." She grabbed your arm and helped you up. "Consider it...thanks fer the apple pickin' incident." You noticed a blush burned across her face.

"Sure...whatever." You were feeling dizzy now and so you were in no mood to question her. You just let her lead you into wherever she was taking you.

Applejack led you into the house and sat you on the couch. Your clothes weren't as sweaty as they were last time, so you didn't worry about getting their furniture dirty. She got an ice pack from the freezer and handed it to you.

"Put this on yer head." She commanded.

You touched the ice pack to your head. It was freezing! "No, It'll freeze my brain through my skull!" You were exaggerating of course, but you didn't like temperature shocks.

"Please? Do it fer me?" She gave you her sweetest smile and batted her eyelashes. That was a new tactic...

"Aw come on, Applejack..." You pleaded.

"Pleeeaassseee? She gave you puppy eyes for the first time. She had you now...curses.

"Ugh, fine." You pressed it against your forehead and braved the cold.

Applejack mentally thought to herself, Thanks fer teachin' me how to do that, Fluttershy.

"That's a good city boy. Now wait here while I get you a glass of ice water." She cooed.

"I'm a big boy, Applejack. Talk to me like one. 'Sides, it's not like I'm going anywhere anyway..."

"Oh hush yer mouth, I'm bein' nice." She said rather quickly.

"Yes ma'am." You said on reflex. She gave you a smug grin and made her way to the kitchen.

You leaned your head against the back of the couch and tried your best to ignore the increasingly numbing sensation on your forehead.

"Damn, this is cold..."

A few seconds later, Applejack came in with a glass of ice water with a straw going through it. She placed it on the coffee table and sat beside you.

"I ain't leaving until you drink every last drop." She placed her hands in her lap and sat upright, looking expectantly at you.

You looked at the glass, then back at Applejack, then back to the glass, then at Applejack again. "...Okay, what did you do to this." You lowered your eyes at her suspiciously. You knew something was off, the way she was acting towards you. Even now that you knew she had a crush on you, this behavior was sort of off...

Her face quickly developed a blush. "I uhh...I didn't do nothing...honest." She gave you an innocent smile. She really didn't do anything to it, she just enjoyed the novelty of taking care of you. However, she just done made a fool of herself now...

"Okay seriously. What did you do to it." You continued to prod for information from the country cutie.

"No, really. I didn't do anything. Stop stalling and drink it." She got a more serious expression on her face and the smile disappeared.

"Nnnno." You stuck your tongue out at her just to try and look cute for her.

Your little display seemed to work, as you heard her giggle and smile at you. "Heheh...well then I guess I'll have to make ya drink it then." Knowing Applejack as not being the most cryptic type, and considering her well known strength, you suddenly got very scared at what she might do.

"N-no no! It's okay! I'll drink it...see?" You quickly grabbed the water and vigorously gulped it down. It tasted like regular water, looks like she wasn't kidding when she pleaded innocent at supposedly tainting it somehow.

"That's what I thought. Now...earlier today...you were talkin' to me about somethin'. What was it you were gonna say?" She wrapped an arm around you and put her head on your shoulder. Even for Applejack, this was very questionable and ballsy.

"Ermm...what's with all this extra attention Applejack? This morning, you looked like you were fixing to rip my throat out!" You half-joked. Mainly because it was somewhat of an actual concern for you at the time...

"Oh hush, city boy. I've wanted to finish this conversation all day so stop avoidin' the question." She didn't move her head from her shoulder, making you think she was relaxed and comfortable against you. Sadly for you, the same couldn't be said. Gosh, you were so nervous around her. You were far different from her in that way. She was just so....relaxed around you. It sort of drove you crazy, but in a pleasant way. Seeing her this close to you made you crazy...with love. You didn't want to run from it anymore, you were totally falling for her. And nobody was going to stop you.

"Oh fine." You let out a sigh. "Well...we've sort of...stopped hating each other...right?" You cautiously said.

"Eh, I'd call it more of a temporary truce." She joked.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Well you know...after thinking about the things we said last night I-"

"Yes?" She interrupted. It was adorable to hear her so excited to have an apology from you, but at the same time, it had an annoyance value.

"Let me finish." You cleared your throat and continued. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. It's driven me insane, moreso than I already am." You rested your head on your hand.

"I had the same issue, ever since that fight, I haven't been able ta get you off my mind and I haven't the faintest clue why..." she looked off into the distance. "But I reckon you got somethin' ta do with it." She smiled at you.

"I figured the same goes for you." You smiled back at her. You figured you knew where this was leading to, and butterflies started churning in your stomach.

"And with that being said..." You continued, "I have to say that...well...I'm soohhohoh-" You found it harder to say than you think. Darn brain, always trolling.

"Yer a saw?" Applejack cocked an eyebrow at you.

"I'm soorrr...." Your voice trailed off.

Applejack knew what you were trying to say at this point and so she placed her hands on your hips and looked at you with a less than amused expression. "C'mon, city boy. It's really not that hard."

"I can do this, just give me time!" You tried to mentally focus. Applejack just groaned and facepalmed, shaking her head at you.

"City boy, yer being completely ridiculous. Just say you're sorry already and be done with it."

"Alright alright...I'm sorry alright? I was an insensitive idiot who's words hurt the girl I have a massive crush on. There I said it. You happy now?" You let all your emotions loose with that apology. Afterwards, you closed your eyes and waited for her response.

A few seconds went by, nothing happened. You feared that you creeped her out until you felt a hand on the back of your head push you forward, catching you completely by surprise and you soon felt the shock of Applejack's lips pressing firmly into yours.

She pulled away from the kiss for just a second, "Very." Then she went back in for another one. This one was even stronger than the first, and you found yourself unable to escape from her passionate embrace. Not that you wanted to anyway...

A few seconds passed before your passionate connection was broken. Applejack broke it to your dismay, but you were still recovering from the shock of it all. The kiss was amazing...overwhelming even. You had to hand it to her. For a girl who hasn't ever had a significant other before, she sure was an incredible kisser.

“Wow…” You were only able to say that.

She giggled. “I hope you enjoyed it, that was my first kiss ever.”

“Admittedly, it was mine too…” You thought her giggles were adorable.

“Well didja like it?” She looked at you with hopeful eyes.

You knew you had to be completely honest with this… “Oh man, I loved it. Where did you learn to be that good, Applejack?”

Again, she giggled. “Aw, shucks partner. I dunno, really. I just ran on instinct and went for it, y’know? An’ I have to say, I’m glad you stole my first kiss.”

“Stole?” You laughed. “Applejack, you totally wanted it. It’s not stealing. And on top of that, you kissed me!”

She playfully slugged your arm, a blush was visible across her face. “Oh hush, city boy. You made me do it.” She grabbed her arm nervously.

“Ha, you’re cute.” You nuzzled her shoulder. “So are you sorry for the things you said?”

“Not a chance, city boy.”

“…WHAT?”

“Relax, I’m just joking.” She wrapped both of her arms around you. You returned the embrace.

Outside the room, Rarity had just passed by and saw you two cuddling on the couch. She went out of view, took a step forward, and did a double fist-pump silently shouting “YES!” She was satisfied with the fruits of her labors. You two looked adorable together, just as she predicted. Everything was going according to plan…

Now to talk to Big Mac about the next part…

~*-*~

You and Applejack cuddled for who knows how long. (Actually, it was about ten minutes or so) Before you stood up, however, you felt her arm tug you back down into her arms.

"I'm sorry, but we still have one more thing to discuss." She bit her lip nervously. Cute.

"Oh sure, what is it?" You asked.

"Well um..." She started, "do ya think we're...dating now?" She had on the most intense blush right now.

Your heart started to thud in your chest. Did she really want a relationship with you? Applejack, the most beautiful girl you know, actually wants a relationship with you. Your mind didn't want to accept it, but the evidence was right in front of you. However, there was a nagging feeling in the back of your head...

"Well umm...you see...I really don't want to rush this..."

"Oohh..." She hangs her head down. "I'm sorry, city boy, I didn't mean ta force this on ya, I guess...we can wait a little longer if ya want?" She gives you a hopeful smile.

"Uh...yeah! Yeah I'd like that." You grinned back at her. "But don't think it's because you aren't beautiful, because you are."

"Aw shucks, yer just sayin' that just ta flatter me." A blush burns across her adorable and freckled face.

"No Applejack, I mean it. You're beautiful. Nobody should ever tell you oth-" You are unable to finish your sentence since Applejack kisses you, cutting you of...

You sigh in contentment and place a hand on her cheek, savoring the electric feel of your lips to hers, and the warmth her cheeks produce from her intense blush spread across her face right now. Kissing her...it felt so good, and yet the same nagging feeling in the back of your head as before began irritating you. You couldn't explain it, but it was slowly making you less and less comfortable with kissing beautiful Applejack. You decided to break the kiss...slowly...in order to get rid of the feeling.

Once you two had stopped kissing, she looked into your eyes with mild disappointment on her face. "Aw, I was enjoying that. Why didja stop?" She playfully pouted, sticking out her bottom lip. Gosh, that was so cute. Why did you stop anyway? Besides the funny feeling you were getting in the back of your head, you didn't know. You had to tell her something though...

"Oh I uh...just figured we might as well do something fun! I mean, we have the rest of the day ahead of us..."

"Sure, partner. I'd be glad to." She gave you an honest smile. You two walked out of the room, hand in hand.

~*-*~

Applejack suggested that you and her play on their tire swing together. You obliged happily. When Applejack got on, you surprised her by pushing her suddenly. She was scared at first, but soon after you gave her some steady, gentle pushes, she began to really enjoy the romantic scene you two were sharing. She started talking to you, but she only said each word as she passed you by on the swing, making your conversation sound spaced and maybe a bit awkward...

"So.....what thing.....about me.....is the most....attractive?" She inquired.

"Definitely.....your....eyes." You told her as she passed by. Again, you saw her blush.

"Well....shucks....that's about....the nicest thing....anyone's ever....said to....me."

"It's...true." You assured her.

"I...wish...moments....like...these...could...last....forever." Applejack said as she passed by you yet again.

...Awwww...

Bro, just for that, your manliness has just dropped by 20 points.

Fuck you, brain...she's sweet.

Oh what's that? Do I feel you growing a vagina? I'm your brain, so I can make it happen!

My god, you're an ass.

Don't beat yourself up over it.

Oh just piss off!!!

Fine fine...enjoy your moment of excess estrogen.

Alrighty, I will.

And just like that, your brain seemed to go elsewhere...Yay!

"Hey....City....boy?"

You snapped back to reality. "....Yes?"

"Yer....not like....them....other....city boys."

"Thanks Applejack!"

She jumped off the swing and landed perfectly on the ground. "Don't mention it." She then came up to you and gave you a big hug. "An' I have ta say, I'm mighty sorry fer judgin' ya like that on th' first day I metcha. I guess I better tell ya about my school life, huh?"

You noticed Applejack being more open to you than usual. Then again, you two were borderline boyfriend/girlfriend. Again, you didn't understand why you weren't just throwing yourself at her. This...feeling you have in the back of your head...it was incredibly annoying. You couldn't quite know for sure what it was, but you hoped it would go away....

You broke the hug, sat down at the base of the tree, and offered her a seat next to you. She happily obliged and you both rested your heads on one another.

"Well..." Applejack began, "when I was just a little girl, there were these two guys from the city that kept on harassing me about how I was a 'dumb country potato'. At first it was just mildly annoying, but then as we all got older, 'potato' became 'hick' and suddenly the insults became much more colorful. I tried to not let it bother me, but one day them boys crossed the line when they accused me of incest. I mean, that's disguisting! Who in their right mind would even DO that!?" She folded her arms and kicked her boots out.

"Eh, given enough money..." You began.

"Don't ya dare finish that sentence."

"Okay, alright...so you were saying?" You said, attempting to change the subject.

"Oh! Uh...err right. Well anyway, sometime in middle school they just pushed me over the edge with the incest comment so I started wailing on them somethin' fierce. By the end I had them bloodied and beaten on the ground. I was feelin' mighty proud of m'self, and the crowd of other kids watchin' me was hootin' and hollerin' too. It was the greatest day of my life...that is...until the principal came and got me in some serious trouble. I broke various parts of their bodies, both parents sued us, an' we lost a lot of money that way. We had to work extra hard on the farm that summer, and when them city boys got better, they jus' went back to harassing me. This time though, they bragged about how better they were at school than me and they kept on rubbing their A's in my face while I looked at my C's with indifference. I mean, I wanna run this farm when I grow up, and fer that I don't need THAT big of an education. Why in tarnation do they have to make it so hard for me, though? When school finally ended this year, them boys jus' bragged about how much better their grades were than mine. They...jus' don't know when to quit."

"Wanna know why they kept making fun of your lack of academic merit?" You were sure you knew, since you had a good understanding of how the human brain works.

"Why?" She inquired, looking deep into your eyes with her big, teary, emerald ones.

Hnnnnnngggggg....

"Because...they're shallow people who know they can pick on you because they don't want you to feel powerful." You saw Applejack start to form a smile across her lips and that made you as happy as you've ever been. "And they know that you're stronger than them, but they compensate for that by making you feel weak academically. And to be honest, you don't really seem all that dumb. I think you could be smarter, but you never learned how. I can help you with that too. When school starts again, I promise to show you ways you can get better grades and show those boys up. And I mean, if anything else you're the prettiest thing I've ever laid eyes on. If either one of them gives you a hard time, I'd sock them in the jaw and beat them until they swore not to tell. Are we clear, Applejack?" You looked deep into her eyes. They were brimming with happiness now. But not just any happiness, it was happiness that you caused. That was what made it so special.

"City boy?" Applejack looked at you with those now bright and happy emerald eyes.

"Yes Applejack?" You stared back with half-lidded eyes.

"Would...would it be alright If I kissed ya again?" She had the biggest blush on her face ever.

"Hmmm..." You pretended to think about it, even though you already knew the answer. Applejack seemed to wear an expression of fleeting hope before you looked up at her and for the first time you initiated the kiss that would end all others. Her lips on yours, they felt firmly in place yet they gave slightly, meaning they had a soft feel to them. Actually, her lips were obviously stronger than yours, since soon she started to move her lips and take control the kiss. She slipped her tounge in your mouth, and believe me, you graciously let her in, and the kiss deepened. You could have sworn that if it were a cartoon, hearts would be swarming around your head. She was holding you in her arms now, and she was giving you the absolute best tounge action of your life. You were in heaven, just letting Applejack show her love for you just like that. You ran your hands across her tummy and felt her...wow...she had very well developed stomach muscles. That was one of the reasons she captivated you, really. Her incredible strength was truly a sight to behold. Not only that though, but she had a vulnerable side to her as well. You know, the one she was showing to you now. Both sides accentuated each other perfectly, and together, it made the girl that you go wild over. She's truly beautiful, she's completely perfect, she is: The Apple of your Ey-

Stop...

You heard the voice clear as day, but you didn't believe it. It was your own brain crashing this little party.

I will NOT sit idly by while my own self does such a foolish act.

What do you mean? I love her, and I'm showing it by kissing her. What's so foolish about that?

Alright, If I'm going to reason with you, first things first....

...STOP KISSING HER!!!

The direct command from your brain shocked you out of your kissing trance and you ripped yourself from Applejack's lovely grasp, rolling on the floor grabbing your head.

"What's wrong city boy? City boy...what's wrong?" Her voice faded out as your subconcious took over what you heard.

Falling in love with her? Are you SERIOUS!? Do you WANT to hurt yourself?

She loves me, brain. I know that much...

Are you sure?

If I wasn't, would I be kissing her right now?

Remember the whole lust thing?

Applejack's not like that.

There is no evidence for or against that

Quit with your aggressive logos tactics!

Quit with your naive pathos surges.

I am happy with her!

Listen to yourself...you're under the delusion that Applejack loves you, when really there's no possible way that can happen!

Oh really? Give me one good reason why she can't.

You're a smartass lazy out-of-place loser who's more successful with online babes than he is in real life and so when a girl shows ANY interest in him, whether it's real or not, he goes completely crazy over it! Face it, bud. You heard Applejack's description of a perfect guy. There's no way she can love you....

Those words hit your heart like a freight train. Suddenly, you understood it now. Applejack doesn't love you, she only was excited to see a guy finally take interest in her. She would probably break your heart soon after you two would start dating anyway, so when you opened your eyes and saw the teary face of Applejack looking at you with concern, you could only hold back your own tears...

"What's the matter, city boy?"

She didn't even know your name...

"Nothing...just....nothing." You chocked back some sobs. "I dunno, just...leave me alone!" You took off for your house and when you saw Applejack's confused and above all traumatized figure disappear from view, you started crying. You just let it all out. Luckily for you, dad and mom were both out on a date for the evening, so they didn't have to see you like this. You went up to your room, shut the door, and cried your eyes out.

"Stupid brain...why didn't it just let me be happy?"

Someday you'll thank m-

"PISS OFF, BRAIN!" You said out loud accidentally. Luckily nobody was around to hear that.

You look to the floor and let out a sigh. How could you be so blind? There was no chance in hell you and Applejack would work out. You regret even listening to Rarity in the first place. You cursed both sides of your brain. The dark, logical side that was rather aggressive if provoked, and the less logical, nice side that tried to keep you happy. You hated both sides for different reasons. The logical side for it's bluntness, and the nice side for it's near-sightedness. Now you didn't know how you were going to face Applejack now, heck the entire APPLE family for that matter. You just hurt Applejack's feelings, you couldn't imagine that Big Mac would be too happy about that. He'd probably knock your block off. Whelp, it was your fault for falling in love with Applejack in the first place, so you were just going to man up and deal with it. Take it in stride...and try not to think about her...

Later that night, you were watching TV and had just turned it off. It was about time for you to go to bed. Your parents weren't going to be home for another hour, so they left you a hot pocket to heat up for dinner. You didn't eat it though, today completely ruined your appetite. You just left it in the freezer and went back up to your room.

Earlier that day, back at the Apple orchard, Applejack was just sitting against the tree in complete shock at what just happened. You two had just gone from enemies, to friends, to almost-lovers, to who knows what in a matter of days.

"I just...don't know what went wrong!" She hung her head low.

"Oh Applejack! Hey Applejack! Where's the one you call 'City boy?'"

Applejack looks up to her friend. "His name is (Your name here). And he left a while ago, it was the darndest thing I'd ever seen. He suddenly grabbed his head and looked like he was...fighting himself. I dunno what happened specifically, but when he came back to reality, he was sad and blubbering and just ran away from me on the verge of tears. I swear, I wanted to just hug him until he felt better, but I think I did something that must've screwed up my chances with him. I'm such an idiot..." Applejack took off her hat and held it to her chest.

"Don't think that way Applejack! I'm sure he had a good reason for doing so. Maybe you just hit a soft spot with him or something." Rarity frowned as she said this.

No no no! She thought. This isn't how it's supposed to go at all! Now the rest of the plan is ruined...better tell Big Mac...

She was going to have to talk to you again soon, just to see what happened for herself...

Later that evening, when the little girls had all left (save Applebloom) and Rarity drove Sweetie Belle home, you were on her mind constantly. She wouldn't...she couldn't stop thinking about you. She told herself that she wouldn't fall in love with you, yet she kissed you multiple times today, and she loved it. She wanted more. She truly felt that she loved you, and seeing you run today broke her heart. She ate her dinner without much enthusiasm (Or talk from the family) and headed on up to bed about the same time you did. You both curled up in bed, You in your boxers and Applejack in her sleeping top and panties, your boots by your door and Applejack's stetson hat and hair bands on her dresser. You both sighed and drifted off to sleep. You fell on your back and started sleep very soon afterwards. This day had taken a huge emotional toll on you. Applejack on the other hand, grabbed a pillow, held it in her arms, and pretended it was you.

You both went on to dream of each other...

A/N: Whoo! This is the longest chapter I've put out with this story so far. I'm glad to put it out and I hope you all enjoy it :D Also, Pedophiles are fucking immature assholes! *Zing* xD