Author's Note

Due to the shortness of this and the next chapter, I'll just upload the next on Saturday, and a bonus on Sunday. Same time. However, after that, it will be back to the same chapter update schedule.

Spring Vacation Day 4

The girls were out on the beach, enjoying yet another day in paradise, although one of the Rainbooms wasn’t joining in on the fun. Applejack was sitting with her back against a shady tree, from her position, she watched as the twin Sunsets and their respective girlfriends were playing in the ocean, bouncing a ball between the four of them while trying to balance against the waves that came in now and then. In the distance, Rainbow Dash was surfing, while Fluttershy was down below in the depths of the ocean snorkeling, Celestia and Luna were inside today, deciding to just chill out in the luxurious manor.

The farm girl sighed heavily as she continued to watch her four friends, hugging her legs to her ample chest, feeling ashamed of herself for what she was feeling while watching them. So focused was Applejack on her inner thoughts that she didn’t notice when Rarity came sauntering over towards her, calling out her name the whole time.

“Applejack,” she called.

The cowgirl just continued to stare out.

“Applejack?”

Again, her response was met with silence.

Rarity got closer and squatted down to make sure that Applejack was awake, when she saw that her friend’s eyes were open, she gently spoke again, “Applejack, are you alright, darling?”

Applejack snapped out of her thoughts and looked to her right, she blushed a little when she noticed Rarity’s sitting position, squatting in such a way that it, ahem, drew a little attention to the noticeable camel-toe on her bikini. She quickly turned her vision back straight ahead of her and said, “Y-Yeah, Ah’m fine.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Applejack, you’re whole thing is honesty, when it comes to your feelings I can read you like a book. Now I know your minds on something, so tell me. You know, of all of us I can keep a secret if you need me too.”

Applejack knew that was true, but it wasn’t something that she could exactly tell just tell her friend, even though one of them did already figure out her secret, albeit by complete accident. How could she tell Rarity that she was feeling despondent? This feeling hadn’t fully made itself known until she started seeing the Sunsets together with their special someone, it angered her that she was feeling jealous towards her friends for finding someone who cared about them so much, but mostly, she was jealous of their intimacy.

“Ah…Ah, uh…” Applejack sighed, for someone who represented the Element of Honesty, being honest about her feelings came hard to her at this moment. “Ah guess ya could say Ah’m feelin’ a bit a heartache.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide, she had never heard Applejack talk about romance before. This was one of those once in a blue moon kind of events and she planned on listening intently. “Oh my, what about?”

“Ah…Ah was with this guy, a… ‘family friend’. He doesn’t go to the school, he mostly works at one of the nearby farms,” said Applejack as she tried to lie.

“I see, you and he were an item?” Rarity asked.

Applejack rubbed the back of her head as she looked down at the sand. “Not exactly…we were…we were friends with benefits…” The last part she spoke low and soft, her freckled face beginning to redden as the memories of her intimate times with her big brother came to the forefront of her mind.

Rarity’s mouth dropped; this was a bombshell to say the least. Although she’d never say it out loud, out of all her friends she’d suspect of having such a relationship, it would be Rainbow Dash. Which, as it turns out, the rainbow haired athlete did have something like that happening with a one Ms. Cloud Kicker. But that’s beside the point, this was Applejack. Then again, she was a young woman, and like any young woman she had needs, too. Rarity picked her jaw up and tried to compose herself, but it was too late as Applejack had already seen her reaction.

“Guess that’s a bit of a shocker, huh?”

“Uh, well, it’s just…” Rarity sighed in defeat. “I’m sorry, darling, but it is. But rest assured I’m not judging you for having your needs taken care of.”

Applejack tipped her hat to the fashionista. “Much obliged. Anyway, this guy and Ah, we’ve been in that kind of relationship for over two years, but we stopped.”

“Oh, what for? Did he…Did he want something more and you weren’t ready or was it the other way around?” Rarity speculated.

The cowgirl hugged her legs closer to her chest. “Nah, nothin’ like that. Ya know that my family was in a bit of a bind a few months ago, right? We almost lost the farm.”

Rarity nodded. “Ah, yes, Sunset mentioned as much. She and Shining Armor went to see those awful Flim Flam brothers, and as it turned out they were Wendigos.”

“Yep, they had dirt on me and this guy, our relationship wasn’t exactly kosher, and it would’ve put Granny and my lil’ sis in a bad position, thankfully Sunset saved us from somethin’ awful. We’ve stopped it since then, but…” Applejack sighed heavily as she looked upon two couples playing around on the beach. “And Ah guess Ah’m feelin’ a mite jealous…Ah mean, Pinkie and Sunset are together, Sun and Twi, and even Rainbow’s waitin’ for a gal and goes to see her whenever she can.”

“I see.” Rarity replied in a simple manner. There was a minute of silence between them, Rarity looking over her cowgirl, tomboy of a friend, admiring her physique, and then turned her gaze back to their friends. “Applejack, the boy you’re referring to is Macintosh, correct?”

Applejack released a yelp and backed away from the fashionista as if she had the plague. Her eyes went wide with both shock and deep worry, she felt like she wanted to run, she thought she could deny it, but after that reaction there was no way she could play it off. “W-W-What are ya sayin’?! W-W-Who told you?! It was Sunset, wasn’t it! ‘Cause Ah know Apple Bloom wouldn’t say a fuckin’ word about it to anyone!”

Rarity wasn’t offended, or put off by Applejack’s language, she merely turned to her friend and looked her dead in the eye, her expression was soft and not condescending, nor was it judging. “Well, in a sense, you did.” She noted the stunned expression on Applejack’s face and elaborated. “You mentioned that you were in a relationship with a boy that wasn’t ‘kosher’, I know a few things about forbidden romances from some of my more…ahem…trashier novels, but they mostly pertain to instances when one lover is from a rival family, faction, or something of the sort. Then there’s the fact that those horrible Flim Flam brothers tried to use that against you. I don’t see a rival farm romance as something worth blackmailing someone over, so the only other conclusion is that it had to do with something closer to home. And when you said whom this situation would affect, you didn’t mention your brother’s name at all. And lastly your reaction more or less confirms my deduction.”

Applejack was definitely shocked now, Sunset wanted to be a detective, but it seemed Rarity should’ve sought that profession instead. Her eyes began to water a little as Applejack looked down at the sand, feelings of shame filled her as she awaited what else her friend – or possibly ex-friend – was going to say. “Well…aren’t ya goin’ to yell at me or call me a freak?!”

“I don’t see why,” said Rarity nonchalantly. “You clearly aren’t in that kind of relationship with your brother anymore, given what occurred, and what happens in your own home on your property is your business and no one else’s.” Rarity reached out with her left hand and gently placed it atop of Applejack’s knee. “Moreover, you’re my friend, and while what you and your brother did was…shall we say, ‘unorthodox’, it won’t change how I see you. And I will keep your secret, you have my word.”

Applejack looked into Rarity’s, admittedly beautiful, sapphire eyes, trying to find any hint of deceit, but after a long minute of staring her down, she couldn’t find a trace. The normally steadfast and stoic member of their friends couldn’t help but shed a few tears, she felt so lucky to have friends like Rarity and Sunset. “Thanks, Rarity, ya have no idea how much that means to me.”

Rarity lightly squeezed her the hand she had rested on Applejack’s right kneecap and bashfully looked at her. “You mean a lot to me, Applejack…So much so, that, if you wish…” The redness of Rarity’s cheeks intensified as she prepared to speak her next words. “I – we – could, um, engage in such activities…”

Now it was Applejack’s turn to blush, all the way up to her ears. “Uh…R-Rarity, uh, wow…Ah didn’t think you were inta other girls…Ah mean, Ah have thought about it, but…”

Rarity released Applejack’s knee and brushed a stray hair behind her left ear as she allowed herself a sheepish smile. “Truthfully, I have thought of it as well…being a fashion designer, you gain appreciation and find beauty in both the male and female form. I have always been curious, about such relationships…especially given how some our friends have found their potential soulmates in the farer sex.”

“What are ya sayin’ exactly Rares? Do ya…Do ya want to be…girlfriends?” Applejack asked.

“I believe that is what I’m saying. Let’s give it a try, perhaps through graduation? And if we find that this isn’t for either of us, we can stop, no hard feelings, we remain friends.” A sly smile formed on her lips as she added, “with some fringe benefits, possibly.”

Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle as well, nor could she stop the fact that a smile formed on her face and her heart fluttering from the idea. “Then, uh, do ya mind if Ah sat next to ya?”

“I don’t see why not.”

Applejack shuffled closer to Rarity, keeping a couple inches of a gap between them. Her emerald eyes shifted to Rarity, and Rarity’s sapphire eyes shifted to Applejack. “Do ya mind if Ah wrapped my arm around ya?”

Rarity’s smile widened. “I would very much like that.”

Applejack stretched out her right arm and draped it over Rarity’s shoulders, the action brought the marshmallow white teen closer to the apple farmer, making their hips touch. It was a strange sensation, they’d had hugged before, both dressed in this manner, and just regularly at school and out of school, but right now, this had taken on a different context, a different meaning. This wasn’t a hug between friends, this was a hug between two people had just entered into a relationship.

“Ya think we should tell the girls?” Applejack asked.

“In time, yes, but let’s see how comfortable we are with each other first before we do. I don’t want to get their hopes up, or ours,” said Rarity.

“Mighty sensible of ya, Rares.”

“Let’s just say I’m learning from your example.”