The best friends sat around a table of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash all sitting in a booth, chatting amiably as they awaited their other two friends. Applejack and Twilight had asked them all there for an important announcement, and were apparently running late to the meeting.

"Ooo! I wonder what they're gonna tell us! I wonder what the big news is!" Pinkie exclaimed, softly bounding about with a tray of cupcakes and cups of lemonade, offering her friends some food and drink 'on the house' while they waited.

"I bet it'll be totally awesome. Oh-mi-gosh, what if they got us all Wonderbolt tickets!? The next race is going to be in Ponyville after all!"

"Oh, I don't know darling, but it sure is nice to see you ladies again. Speaking of, how have you been Fluttershy? Is that bird with the broken wing you told me you were caring for earlier this week alright?" Rarity asked, looking to the named, butter-colored Pegasus.

Fluttershy smiled brightly, as she always did when asked about one of her animal friends. "Oh, um yes. Mr. Tre-beak is doing just fine. Matter of fact, he should be ready to release tomm—"

Fluttershy was interrupted by the door opening, and the two missing friends from the group stood in its threshold. Twilight looked upset over something while Applejack looked somewhat sheepish and rather nervous.

"OH MY GOSH THEY'RE HERE, THEY'RE HERE!" Pinkie exclaimed excitedly, and such was proceeded by a loud Party-Cannon explosion, showering the two mares in streamers and multi-colored bits of confetti as they arrived at the table.

"Yeah, we're here...finally." Twilight said in a low tone, giving Applejack a sideways glance as she shook confetti from her mane, "We just had some...disagreements on the way is all."

Applejack remained silent as the two then approached the table, before sitting down next to Rainbow Dash, Twilight taking the seat next to her.

"So, what is this big news you two wished to disclose to us?" Rarity asked, always one for the local gossip, especially if it was something really juicy – and something told her this definitely would be.

After a moment of silence, having looked over to Applejack and receiving a nod and a sigh from her, Twilight smiled. "Well, girls, Applejack and I wanted to announce that we're engaged!"

The silence of the next moments were palpable as the news was taken in, before another burst of confetti and streamers coated the two mares. As though that party cannon's burst was the cork shooting loose from a bottle of champagne, the excitement of all of the remaining friends came bubbling up and spewing out.

"OH-MI-GOSH-THAT'S-AWESOME-WHAT-COLOR-DRESSES-ARE-YOU-GONNA-HAVE?! OOO THEY SHOULD TOTALLY BE PINK!"

"Aw yeah! Knew you two love-birds would tie the knot eventually once I learned you were dating! Congrats AJ, Twi!"

"Yay! Congratulations!"

"Darlings, I positively could not be happier for you two! Oh, but Pinkie's right; what color dresses shall I make you?! Oh, and your coiffures..."

Twilight simply beamed at their friends' reactions to the happy news while Applejack continued to look nervously to her soon-to-be wife, with Twilight simply placing her hoof comfortingly around her in a hug, holding her close. She could feel her lightly trembling.

The most sensitive among them to other ponies' feelings, Fluttershy noticed instantly something was wrong with her farm-mare friend, getting up and walking over to her, placing a comforting hoof on her shoulder. When Applejack looked up at her, she smiled, Fluttershy's features as always beaming like a miniature sun as they did whenever she smiled. After comforting her for a moment, she sat down beside her, nuzzling comfortingly into Applejack's shoulder as she did. She too noticed Applejack was nearly trembling.

"Applejack, is something wrong?"

That softly-spoken question struck the usually-strong mare like a brick through a Japonies vase, shattering her just-as-thin veil of confidence she was putting on. She quickly turned to her mate, burying her muzzle into the crook of her Twilight's neck and muzzle, hiding her face as well as she could under her fiance's mane as her tears started to flow.

All five ponies simply sat there dumbfounded as Applejack seemingly had an emotional breakdown of sorts; soft, restrained sobs coming from her mostly-obscured face, streams of wetness streaming down Twilight's chest as her and Fluttershy's hooves wrapped around her in a comforting group hug.

After a while, her reserves seemingly dried up, Applejack pulled her muzzle from its temporary cocoon, wiping her wet muzzle with a hoof—something that still, even given the situation, made Rarity cringe in disgust—before looking over all of her friends' concerned faces, her eyes then settling back onto her lifemate's.

"Y-Y'all ain't upset 'bout us gettin' hitched?"

The question came out of seemingly nowhere, the voice emitting the question one that the girls had never heard before; a shadow of their friend Applejack's voice, steeped in self-consciousness and fear.

"Why ever would we be upset at such wonderful news?" Rarity asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, what gives AJ? What's wrong?" Rainbow Dash chimed in, even the rock-hard mare upset seeing her friend like this.

Applejack finally wriggled herself from the comforting embrace of her friend and lover, with both letting go at the prompt. Applejack then took a deep breath, and began;

"It's just...when Ah was a school filly, there were these two fillies who was real, real close friends ever since they'd met in kindergarten. As th' years went on, Ah could see them gettin' closer an' closer e'ry year, seein' that they really loved each other. Finally, in high school, it finally got out the two mares were lovers an' had decided t' get married."

"Long story short, they grew t' be th' laughin' stock of th' class, heck, th' whole school. Everypony hated them from then on; teasin' 'em, callin' 'em 'filly-buckers' er 'cunt-licker', real awful names. Them mares lost everythin' – all their friends, all their respect – jus' fer lovin' each other and both bein' mares."

"Darling, what does that have to do with you?" Rarity asked after a short silence, her eyes wide with concern for her.

"Ah...Ah jus' thought...th' same thing would happen to Twi an' Ah with y'all when we told ya; that ya would hate an' belittle us fer lovin' each other as two mares."

"Applejack..." Twilight said, hugging her fiance close in a hug, nuzzling into her cheek, soon after joined by the other eight arms of their best friends; "I told you...our friends would never hate us because we love each other. Those mares back then in your school lived in a much less understanding time, when mares being together was considered wrong, even evil."

"B-But..."

"Applejack, does it look like our friends hate us for loving each other?" Twilight then asked, nodding circularly to the group-hug surrounding them, all of their friends with concerned looks on their faces.

"Well no, but..."

"Darling, we love you two no matter whether you like stallions, or mares, or even both. We'll love you no matter what."

"We love you Applejack and Twilight, no matter who you take as your special somepony."

"Ditto! Applejack, it's awesome you and Egghea—I-mean-Twilight love each other."

"Yep! We love you Applejack, more than apple fritters! Well, more than apple fritters, but apple brown-betty on the other hoof—no...not your auntie, silly Applejack!— well...you're in a close first..."

After their overwhelmingly positive responses, though slightly less-so from Pinky – the exact opposite of what she'd been expecting, and what she and Twilight were arguing about on the way here – Applejack finally cracked a genuine smile as her friends unwrapped their hooves from around them and settled back into their previous seats—or in Rainbow's case, hovering position beside the table—with only Twilight left still hugging Applejack, nuzzling against her comfortingly.

"Well, this ain't what Ah expected... thank y'all so much..." Applejack said again, her voice cracking as she forced the last part out, once more feeling hot tears running down her cheeks as she nuzzled into her mare's soft coat.

"I told you they'd be happy for us." Applejack heard whispered to her, followed by a lavender-colored muzzle softly kissing the ear it'd just whispered into, "I love you..."

~

With her fear of rejection overcome, the next few hours were a happy blur of celebration for Applejack, Twilight always by her side as much cider was drunk and many cupcakes were eaten as the group talked about plans and dreams for the wedding Twi and Applejack had planned for within a few months. As they'd talked, Applejack had asked Pinkie to help with procuration of the reception's food and their wedding cake, as well as to be one of her brides-maids, and Rainbow Dash to help provide the entertainment and be her second brides maid.

Twilight had meanwhile asked Rarity to provide all of their dresses and be her first brides-maid, then asked Fluttershy to provide music and be her second brides-maid. All mares happily accepted their requested tasks and positions of honor, smiling brightly at the idea of being part of such an important part of their best friends' lives.

Author's Note

Sorry if this got a little over-dramatic. The idea popped into my head and I just had to run with it. I'm such a drama queen sometimes..