In the shade of the tree, an apple struggles to find the light.

Applejack buried himself in his work more than usual ever since learning his best friend, Dusk Shine had been seeing somepony of questionable morality. He did eventually thank the alicorn for finding the confidence to speak with him on the matter as it demonstrated a deep respect for the farm stallion that left him feeling honored. Sure, the alicorn might have disclosed this secret to Applejack knowing of all their friends he was the most level headed of the group, but the fact remained he was the only one of their friend group, or anypony for that matter that knew the the young prince was seeing somepony.

With a practiced pivot, the orange furred stallion spun around, and delivered a massive buck to the tree’s lower trunk, sending the force of the kick up the trunk into the branches that held the Apple Family namesake. The rip, and bright fruit were vigorously shook from their spot on the branch as if they were in the middle of a rogue storm that had rolled in from Everfree Forest, and soon their grip failed, and the apples began plummeting one by one toward the waiting spread of baskets below.

Applejack had taken a step back to watch this whole process even though he knew the apples would make the baskets, and there was no real need to supervise. He’d been distracted, and found the act of watching a process he knew all too well calming for it always delivered the same result with one or two possible deviations that ultimately lead to the same result: he would buck a tree, watch the apples fall into the baskets below, then move to the next tree, and repeat. It was this structure he desperately needed right now as he collected his thoughts on the matter with Dusk.

‘Of all the ponies you had to buck…’

It was this same phrase that vandalized his mind with uncontested fears for his friends, and Equestria as a whole, but Dusk held none of the signs a pony might have if they were under the influence of some trick. In fact, he seemed completely fine besides having a massive knot in his head for ever giving the idea to buck one of their greatest foes without any sort of credence! Dusk even invoked a Pinkie Promise even if it meant risking a party from the mare, and that frustrated the stallion more than he had let on. Applejack was hurt by Dusk’s insistence on the Pinkie Promise, and his reluctance to accept one on his own mortality.

So AJ had turned his buddy down for the time being as he sorted his thoughts to avoid meeting the mad mare of the moon and go spouting something wrong.

With the plan on hold for now, Dusk had left for Canterlot three days ago leaving Applejack alone to boil in his own thoughts, or he had hoped if it wasn’t for his older brother tryin’ to pry. Big Mac is the best brother a pony could ask for, and he has to go and make that claim questionable by trying to ask what’s wrong.

Why couldn’t he just take an ‘alright’ and leave it like that?

Sadly, Big Mac wasn’t the pony to leave things hanging on the clothesline for any length of time, and AJ was forced to partly air out some of his worry. Not enough to pin who it was about, but to his great relief that big oaf (a loving term any little brother would call their older sibling) nodded along and even offered some advice that might work.

Having stewed in his own thoughts all morning, and fast approaching lunch, AJ decided he was done working for the day. Checking the baskets, he left them under the tree and made his way toward the family barn to retrieve the wagon, load up the baskets, and leave them in the barn until tomorrow at the very least.

His task still took another hour to properly accomplish, but in the end he was grateful for a chance to process his mind some more and not worry about trying to perform his chores with a head full of smoke and needless distractions. AJ had finished hooking himself, and had started to turn the wagon around with the last load of apples when he heard heavy hoofsteps softened by the grass off to his right. There was only one pony besides himself that had the weight to make that distinguished THUMP.

Halting in his tracks he watched as Big Mac moved with the speed of a pony with a day off and nothing to do. AJ adjusted his hat, and called out to his brother, who in turn nodded in return.

“Where ya off to?” He asked in that deep, and pondering voice of his. His yoke was missing indicating he had no plans to pull anything today, and most likely sought to catch up around the farm.

“I’m done for da day. There ain't no working when I can’t think straight, and so I thought about heading to town and seeing what the girls are up to. What about cha? You seem more relaxed than a bear in winter.”

“I wish. Not all of us can take a dip in the pound at will, but to answer, I’m going to take Marble back to Rockville for a quick spell. She got a letter from Igneous and Cloudy that some of her cousins are coming over. Marble hadn’t seen them in years, and we thought it would be nice to visit.” He then pointed one of his large hooves toward his yoked sibling. “ You should take a break lil brother, and I don’t mean seeing what your friends are up to either. You need it.”

“I guess so, Mac.” Applejack sighed as he lowered his head in mild shame at the admittance of his own weakness. “ This whole thing on my mind leaves me uncomfortable, and I don’t like it.”

“It should make you uncomfortable, but I respect ya for helping a friend shoulder his burden long enough to help him see through it.”

“You really feel I’m doing the right thing?” Big Mac nodded.

“I’m sure Dusk is relieved knowing somepony out there is, and has listened to his problem without making it too big a deal.”

“Wha..how… what makes you think it's Dusk Shine!?” He stumbled and if that wasn’t an indicator enough, Big Mac smiled and then chuckled.

“It’s because you didn’t correct myself when I said ‘his burden’, and there’s only one stallion you actually like hanging around with.”

“Well, when ya put it like that…” AJ scuffed, but shook his head dejectedly now burdened with the knowledge he’d already failed to keep his friend’s secret. He started moving, and Big Mac followed along the wagon as the brothers made their way toward the barn to finish sorting the apples before taking the rest of the day off.

Applejack wandered around for a small bit after bidding his family farewell, and headed into Ponyville to see what his friends were up to. The young stallion wasn’t used to taking time off, but work needed a clear head and anything less could lead to an accident the family didn’t need. So wandering aimlessly into town with no goal other than to bother his friends was the next best option, and he hated himself for it, but never did he curse his best bud.

It was surreal in a way, for if he wasn’t in the fields working or at the stall selling then he was likely trying to save Equestria from some disaster that suddenly decided they had a hard on for the country. To walk into town with nothing to weigh his back down was a true luxury the stallion never even considered, for why would he worry about a day off when so much needed to be done?

Just strolling into town with no direction other than to Rarity’s store for no reason then to chat left him perplexed, and guilty to interrupt a pony at work just to make him feel better.

Trying to take his mind off his own selfishness, Applejack listened to the the vendors and their patrons barter for more bits or a fairer deal, yet none were against the system then lavishing in the experience. The act of barter itself only fueled a pony’s need for social interaction on some level, and through commerce ponies will become more connected with their neighbors as they begin recognizing them outside of their profession.

Applejack stood off the main road to watch and listen to these ponies far longer than he would on any normal day, but once more this day was strange and felt a little pony-watching wouldn’t hurt. Much to his surprise, he started noticing distinct patterns among the stall owners and their patrons he never picked up on from the other side of his own stall- ponies, both seller and buyer tended to lean toward a deal that favored both parties naturally. Not because of each pony’s ability to barter but by some inherent drive to help the other out, creating this ideal to inflate prices just a bit over to give the illusion the final price would be the lowest price the stall owner was willing to sell at.

Thinking back, he’d been guilty of this because he knew most ponies don’t buy a single apple, and often bought in bulk to reduce the cost of each apple.

“That’s mighty weird.”

“What’s weird?”

AJ is a stallion used to hardships derived from back breaking labor, and a sense of duty imprinted upon apple foals at a young age to create the vibrant fruit that made up the Apple Clan. Maintaining their signature namesake required an understanding passed down from parent to foal to successfully continue growing the bright juicy fruits, and this dependency for stability makes most members of the Apple Clan susceptible to uncertainties- like surprises.

The farm stallion was already springing forward in mid leap when he heard the familiar high-pitched filly laugh of a certain baker coming from behind him. He’d had to calm his bucking heart before he could fix his hat and confront the baker.

“Pinkie!”

“Applejack! That was fun, let's play again sometime!” She declared, and had just started bouncing down the path when the stallion called out to the fleeing mare, but his plea fell on deaf ears as the mare of questionable sanity continued down the path that led away from the Cake’s storefront.

His heart was still racing from the scare, but he had no drive to pursue the departing mare as she bounced quickly to her destination, and wanting to talk to Rarity sooner than later opted to ignore everything else for now. As he walked, he was greeted by more and more ponies that recognized the stallion from the apple stand, and was taken back when a few of them approached with concern for the stallion’s wellbeing. That touched AJ more than anything, and after promising his health was fine, and he’d only taken the day off did the ponies reluctantly leave.

In a way he was happy to see his new observations were being proven true, as he did recognize some of the ponies who had questioned his health as frequent customers of his stall, and one he knew as the owner of local General Store of Ponyville. Their kindness would be felt for the next couple of days, and in the present help alleviate the stallion's fears of harboring such a personal secret. For the first time in nearly two days did Applejack’s mind seem clear, and the weight on his back felt lighter as he followed the road as it curved to the north where much of the town’s main businesses were located.

Seeing Rarity’s store from here, he felt his cheeks heating up as a past memory kept flashing in his mind, bright enough to fill his vision of the unicorn ‘modeling’ garments meant for closed doors. That had made things awkward between both ponies for a spell before the seamstress had enough and forced the embarrassed stallion to sit and talk about it.

Of course, the talk gave way to building tensions after that fateful meeting, and for a short time the ponies grew very close.

All things eventually come to an end in order to give birth to the new experiences of life, and so the farm stallion, and the sophisticated mare ceased their weekly meetings, but still kept the closeness that had been tilled from that one encounter. It’s this closeness, and Rarity’s unique perspective of being a lady that made the stallion seek her out often for matters Applejack found out of his realm of understanding.

He stopped two storefronts away as he gathered his thoughts to question if this matter was even worth a visit, and after greeting a few more passing ponies decided he needed to escape public notice for a bit. The biggest reason AJ was seeking Rarity out was if she had no clients, then it would only be the two of them as their sisters were off on a camping trip organized by the local Filly Scouts.

This made breaching the stoup that marked the boundaries of the boutique all the easier, as the stallion fixed his hat once more to give the illusion some effort was made before knocking three times, each knock firm with a deliberate pause between them to indicate the pony would wait until a response.

Fortunately, his status as an Element bearer made the nature of his visit appear more official than it really was, and had helped to keep rumors in check when the two used to ‘hook up’. Those days were done as their romantic interest in the other faded, but from those ashes did the uniqueness of their current friendship bloom into a closeness the stallion might claim felt more familial in nature.

‘Like brother and sister.’ He thought as he waited.

As per politeness, Rarity would call out to her impending arrival to guests so they wouldn’t depart too hastily, but the knocks were a signal of sorts to alert the seamstress who was wanting to see her. This ‘signal’ held no alternative meaning than to allow the mare a chance to pick up before answering, and if he pressed his ears against the door AJ might have heard hoofsteps as they traveled from room to room. Applejack knew time didn’t matter to him as he now had the day off, but Rarity worked and could be very busy but was still making the effort to accommodate him…

“I really need to make it up to her.”

“That you do, darling.”

Applejack blinked awake from his thoughts as he took in the lack of a door, but a beautiful unicorn mare in its place looking expectantly at him. Even if those days between them were done, he was a stallion looking at a pretty mare, and she knew this. Her favorite way of flaunting her power was lean in close and bash her long eyelashes at him, as if they were being used to throw her scent in his direction, and for the farm stallion the attention had always been a bit much.

“Please stop Rarity.” He pleaded with her for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest one had a love for flight and speed. Rarity didn’t even look ashamed as she smiled, and took a step back to allow the flustered stallion to enter.

“I will apologize in time dear, but you stallions make it too easy for me. Yet, you are a taken stallion so I will go on and give an apology. Applejack, I was having fun, but it's not worth it at the expense of a good friend. I apologize for my behavior.”

Applejack listened to the apology and had just opened his mouth to accept it when her words finally sunk in.

“WHO SAID I TAKEN!?” He yelled, startled and flustered to comprehend there might be more ponies in the shop with them. Luckily for him, it was just the two of them.

“Why if I didn’t know before I certainly do now! Dusk wasn’t the only one struttin as you like to say!” Rarity screeched happily as she turned for the kitchen.

Now Applejack’s mind was racing with a new worry as he knew Rarity thrived on this like a tree does with water and sun. He wouldn't be leaving any time soon without giving the social mare something to work with, and he quickly started trying to figure something that might occupy her long enough for him to make some sort of escape. As if reading his mind, her horn glowed faintly with her mana right before he heard the bolt lock clicking shut.

“Is it just us?” He asked, and after hearing a delightful sounding ‘yes’, took a few calculated steps into the little hall that served more for presentation, then any function.

The hall was no more than maybe five strides, yet displayed pictures of ponies he didn’t know wearing mostly dresses from her early work. If AJ wasn’t too distracted with his promise to Dusk, he might have given these photos more attention as the seven reminded the stallion of potential lines Rarity had pitched some months back. Nothing more had been said once he gave his opinion, but the signs were there if AJ took a step back, and looked at the designs the mare had been producing since that chat.

Ultimately, he pushed that conversation aside and followed his friend into the main showroom where seven ponequins wearing samples of Rarity’s newest lines. The ponequins were arranged to give the impression they were at a gathering socializing, five wearing dresses, with two wearing jackets…

“Why does that one own a hat?” AJ pointed at the one wearing a much fancier looking hat, but in the same style as his. Rarity poked her head out of the room that was her personal kitchen, saw the ponequin in question, and giggled.

“Darling, do you remember those questions from several months back? Well, that is the test product of my new ‘Sophisticated, rough, and tumble’ Country look!”

“It’s just a colorful hat and a jacket, Rares.”

“Don’t be so simple!” She huffed from the kitchen, rattled some glass, and came walking with two sipping cups on little plates. The kind AJ seen in the more ‘upper class’ ponies would drink from, but still took the offered drink as it was his friend who had made it.

Rarity wasn’t known for serving anything subpar, and the drink proved he was right to have taken it.

“I got the idea mostly when we went with you to Appleloosa three years ago, but was inspired when I saw you talking to Trenderhoof. It hit me that there might be an untapped market of ponies looking for nice clothing that don’t leap into high society prices, or would be too nice to wear but once in Luna’s blue moon.”

“And cowpony wear fits that bill?” AJ asked, sounding even more unsure about this venture.

He watched the beautiful mare’s eyes beam at the chance to explain herself, and as he listened to the fashionista describe a process he knew very little about, and even less on how work gear could spawn a fashion revolution for the common pony.

Applejack, like the good friend he was, would stay for a period of time listening, and even agreed to model a few new designs himself until Rarity’s little sister finally returned home. With the filly’s arrival, the stallion took it as his que to head home given Big Mac and Marble would already be on the train. He’d forgotten the reason for his visit, but by strange circumstances managed to achieve the same result- forget about his promise.

For the first time in two days, the stallion felt much like his old self.