Cup of Cute

"Applejack, darling, would you be so kind as to tell me what you're doing?"

Applejack cocked her head to the side, swallowing hard. Her hooves grasped the stick held over the orange flames. "What do ya mean, Rarity?" she asked.

Rarity huffed, flipping her perfectly styled mane out of her eyes. "I mean exactly what it sounds like, darling! You've been sitting here, staring at me for over four minutes straight! And look, your marshmallow's getting all icky. It's practically black!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow, setting down the stick and picking up the dessert in her hoof. "Well, what if Ah happen to like the color black?" she responded, making a face as she chewed it carefully.

Rarity scrunched up her muzzle. "Yes... ah, no. You see, there wasn't really a meaning for that, as my point still stands, Applejack. And you should seriously stop eating that repulsive piece of food; it is quite disturbing."

Applejack, muttering something incoherent, spit the marshmallow out (much to the unicorn's horror). "Fine. Ah was just thinking, that's all."

Rarity tapped her hoof against the log they were sitting on, and gazed around at the shadows and towering trees. "We all think, don't we? I think about what dresses I'm going to create, when Sweetie's next concert is, all the work I need to get done. You think about your apples... the apples, and uh.." she trailed off, ignoring the burning look the farm mare shot her.

She cleared her throat. "Point is, nopony acts quite so strangly from just thinking of regular things. Pray tell, what exactly were you thinking about?"

Applejack shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh come on! I'm going to get it out of you, Miss Element of Honesty!" Rarity teased, jabbing Applejack in the ribs, as she leaned forward. "I came with you on this little camping trip, and now that my curiosity is piqued, I'm not leaving you alone without an answer!" Her diamond eyes shone with mischief.

Applejack sighed. "You're not going to stop asking?"

Rarity waved her hoof in the air. "Heavens, no," she giggled lightly. She seemed to take pleasure in her friend's wince.

"Ya'll are gonna throw a fit," Applejack protested, avoiding her gaze.

Rarity pursed her lips. "Oh, hardly, Applejack. You know how ladylike and controlled I am, do you not?" she said, while fluttering her eyelashes.

Applejack chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Heh. Ah guess it is kinda silly, If Ah think about it."

Rarity nodded. "Well go on," she lilted.

Applejack brought up the stick, and pointed it at Rarity.

"You're a marshmallow."

Rarity didn't speak for a second, with only her mouth hanging open. "What?" she gaped.

Applejack placed her hoof over Rarity's. "A marshmallow. Like this one right here. Those little--"

Rarity slapped her hooves away, a look of shock written on her face. "Yes, I know what they are!" she snapped. "Of course I do! But why the hay am I one?"

Applejack held up a hoof. "Oh, Ah knew you were touchy about this, although it did take a while to figure it out. See, it's so obvious now!  But no need to feel ashamed about it, sugarcube," she reassured. "Ah just wanted to tell you it's okay. But Ah know it's silly, because you already know Ah accept you, right?"

Rarity was flabbergasted. "Oh! Of all the fool-headed, absolutely ridiculous sentiments, you chose that one?!"

Applejack nodded solemnly. "Ah'm sorry, Ah shouldn't have brought it up. Why don't ya go back to roasting those..." her eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks.

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "Applejack, darling--no. No. Just please, explain to me why exactly I am... a marshmallow," she said tensely.

Applejack bit her lip. "Ya see, when Ah first met ya, Ah thought nothing of it. Ya were just a little, regular filly. But then Ah started to notice something. How white and soft your coat was. Ah didn't want to say anything, in fear you were sensitive about it, but well... Ah couldn't wait any longer."

Rarity's face was frozen in a half grimace, half bewilderment. "I'm a certain candy, because my coat is white," she deadpanned.

"Well, not exactl--"

"Applejack, how could you be so biased?! Just because my coat is a particular color, it doesn't mean in the slightest that I correspond with a food!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking in sheer disbelief.

Applejack's ears flattened against her head. "Well, no, not all the time, sugarcube. Ah realized how much ya go to the spa, and Ah know you marshmallow folk don't like to get all dry and crumbly. So, soaking in a nice, hot tub is a great solution!"

Rarity's eye twitched. "And how--" she took a deep breath. "How do you propose this happened?"

Applejack eye's widened. "You're really not kiddin', are you?"

Rarity facehooved. "Just answer the Celestia-darned question," she muttered.

"Ah thought you were just denying it, but you're serious, Rarity?" Applejack asked, who cleared her throat when Rarity gave her a death glare.

"For some reason, Ah wasn't up to date about some of the events in Ponyville. And since most ponies don't talk about it anymore, Ah didn't catch word. So, after Ah was more curious than a cat in a bird's nest, Ah decided to go talk to your parents about ya. They told me that apparently the whole town already knew, but Ah was so far away from the middle of Ponyville that Ah missed it. They said that their oldest daughter was created from a strand of pony DNA... and a strand of marshmallow DNA," Applejack explained, worry creasing her brow. "Ah didn't realize that ya didn't know, Rarity, honestly. Ah'm so sorry, but Ah just wanted to let you know that Ah still love ya as a friend."

Rarity was sure her heart had stopped working for a second. "What? You--you talked to my parents?! They said that?!" she squeaked, fanning her eyes. It was so ridiculously random, but yet....

Rarity was embraced by a pair of warm forelimbs, and a head that nuzzled her neck comfortingly. "Listen sugarcube. It's alright. We'll work through this as good friends," Applejack said softly, as Rarity began to hyperventilate.

"No--no! It's not, it can't be alright! I didn't know! My parents, Sweetie Belle... Am I not even really--" she cut herself off abruptly of when she caught sight of a flash of cyan within the bushes. She squinted her eyes, her lips falling pulling further and further down with each second.

Her body stiffened when she heard the sound of raspy laughter, joined by a deeper, rolling chuckle. Rarity's mouth dropped open as Rainbow Dash, tears of mirth streaming down her face, crawled out of the bushes.

"Oh my gosh! Rarity! You should have seen the look on your face!" Rainbow cried, slapping her hooves on the log as she stumbled over.

Rarity whirled to the side, and saw Applejack holding her hat to her face in laughter.

"Applejack? Rainbow Dash? You mean...?" Rarity found her cheeks alight with an angry blush. "Ooh, ha ha, very funny," she seethed.

Applejack finally managed to collect herself, and slung an arm back over Rarity's shoulder. "Hoo, boy! Ya really fell for that! A marshmallow! Heh! Rainbow Dash, that was priceless!" She covered her mouth.

Rarity gritted her teeth, and turned her nose up in indignance. "I most certainly did not fall for that."

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Alright. If you say so. Marshmallow."

So Rarity returned directly to her house, after greatly snubbing her two pranksters and a good number of proper name calling, and sweared to never be so gullible again. She stayed up in bed all night, muttering words of injustice at Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

And, since this day, Rarity has never eaten another marshmallow.