Applejack gave the large purple door a few solid knocks. She sighed as she took a step back. If she had to guess, Rarity was upstairs working on a dress until the last possible moment.
She stretched out her legs as she waited. It had been an extremely demanding day over at Sweet Apple Acres. It was that time of year when everyday was another harvesting day, and she was bucking from sunrise to sunset. She learned her limits a long time ago, of course, but while there was no longer any risk of her overexerting herself, it was still extremely intense work. So, business as usual she supposed.
She glanced upwards, noting that the moon was already hanging high above her.
She was late.
Finally, the gentle ring of a bell caught her attention, giving away the fact that the door in front of her had been opened. Sure enough, Rarity was there to greet her.
For the briefest of moments, Applejack could have sworn that she looked a bit upset. However, if she had been upset, she did an excellent job at hiding it almost immediately.
“Applejack, there you are! I was worried you had forgotten!”
“O-of course not, Rarity! It’s just… it was a really busy day over on the farm. I needed to get the second quadrant finished before the end of the day or Granny woulda… well.” Applejack gingerly removed her hat and placed it over her chest. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, pfft! Don’t be! You’re a busy mare, I cannot blame you for that! Come in, come in!” Rarity turned around, allowing Applejack to follow and close the door behind herself. She continued to speak as they made their way upstairs. “Though, if you’d like to make it up to me, I’d appreciate your opinion on my latest gown.”
“Er, Rarity? I think we’ve been over this before.”
“No no, I understand your reservations about fashion. I very specifically want to know how functional it is.”
“Functional?”
“Well, yes! You’ve told me time and time again that you value utility above all else when it comes to your clothes. While this isn’t for you specifically, I was hoping for a second opinion on if it functions as intended.”
“Huh,” Applejack mumbled as they entered Rarity’s workshop. “Er, yeah, I think I can do that.”
“Excellent!” Rarity beamed at her before disappearing behind a screen adorned with a floral pattern. Had that always been there? “Give me just a moment.”
With a slight shrug, Applejack sat down on a nearby stool. She realized almost immediately from the shadows being cast behind the screen that Rarity was going to model the gown herself. She tilted her head just a bit. She had assumed that this gown would be part of a new line, or perhaps a commission. While Rarity did make her own clothes, she didn’t typically need a second opinion on them (besides picking which one to wear).
Applejack took a deep breath. The boutique always smelled… good? It was a very pungent smell, likely one (if not several) of Rarity’s perfumes.
She’d gone through several phases with that smell. At first, she hated how unnatural it seemed. As time passed, she grew a bit more comfortable with it. When she and Rarity decided to start dating, she grew to like the smell, as she associated it with her special somepony. However, as she waited for Rarity to finish putting on whatever ensemble she had prepared, she realized that she was feeling a new, unexpected feeling when it came to that smell.
Dread.
…But why?
“Ah, here we are!”
Applejack looked up just as Rarity emerged from the screen. Her eyes widened almost immediately as she took in the sight.
Rarity wore a deep red gown, clearly made of silk. It was partially see-through, yet it clung tightly to her figure. The gown thickened near her flank, where it was clearly designed to be loose fitting on purpose. Meanwhile, she wore matching socks made of the same color and material, which all clung tightly to her legs. She wasn’t sure how she was able to do so in that span of time, but Applejack also noticed that she had replaced her typical blue eyeshadow with a matching red color.
“Well? What do you think?”
Her voice was low, nearly a purr. Applejack felt blood rush to her cheeks as she realized the situation she was in.
“I… I…”
That was the most forward Rarity had ever been. Granted, she was never the type to be subtle– especially around Applejack– but that was on a whole other level.
“Hmmmmm?” Rarity batted her eyes at her marefriend, knowing it was a surefire way to get a reaction. Her voice remained low and sensual as she sashayed forward. “Is it… functional?”
Rarity did not stop until she was practically on top of Applejack. She leaned forward with a smile on her face, clearly enjoying herself.
She didn’t realize that Applejack’s squirming came from a place of discomfort.
“R-Rarity?”
“Yes~?”
“P-please give me some space.”
Her voice was shaky and quiet enough to be called a whisper. Rarity, suddenly taken out of the moment, opened her eyes fully as the smile disappeared from her face. She slowly backed away, putting a few feet between herself and her marefriend.
“Applejack? Darling, are you okay?”
Applejack was breathing heavily. Her thoughts were cloudy, and not in a good way. She needed a moment, and Rarity was smart enough to recognize that.
Applejack suddenly regained her senses. She immediately reached for her head, rubbing her temple as she tried to rid herself of her newfound headache. She hadn’t fallen unconscious, but she also wasn’t sure what had happened.
As she regained her bearings, she realized that she was no longer on her stool. She was resting on Rarity’s famous “fainting couch,” her head propped up on a small cushion. She quickly sat up, almost immediately locking eyes with Rarity, who sat on the other side of the room with a worried look on her face.
For a few moments, neither said a word. However, Applejack could no longer take the silence.
“Rarity?”
“Y-yes, darling? How are you feeling?”
“To be honest, my head hurts. Wh-what just happened?”
“I believe you started dissociating, dear. And I believe it was my fault.”
As Rarity said those words, Applejack realized that she was no longer wearing the gown. Similarly, she had removed all of her makeup, which was a rare sight for her.
“I don’t really know what that means, but I doubt it had anything to do with you.”
“In this case, I believe it means your mind was protecting you from something you desperately wanted to avoid. And that something was me.” Rarity sighed, unable to maintain eye contact any longer as her gaze fell to the floor. “I shouldn’t have come onto you quite so strongly.”
“N-no! It’s not like we haven’t done worse than that before!”
“Be that as it may, you clearly weren’t comfortable.”
“...”
Applejack wanted to argue, to tell her that she was wrong, that she could never make her uncomfortable. However, being the pony she was, she realized that she couldn’t.
She’d be lying.
“...I suppose we should finally address the elephant in the room, hm?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come now, darling. These past few months, things haven’t exactly been the greatest for us. Our relationship has been changing. And I don’t necessarily think for the better.”
“Wh-what gives you that idea?”
“Well,” Rarity said with a sigh, “we’re both quite busy. No matter how many times we make plans like this, one of us is always late. Either you’re out there helping your family or I’m in here trying to finish an order. We’re working mares, and our schedules just don’t mesh well.”
“But we knew that when we started, didn’t we?”
“Sure, but I believe that leads to our next problem. I think we have different… shall we say, ‘expectations’ when it comes to a relationship.”
“Well, I don’t know about that. I don’t think I ‘expect’ all that much outta you.”
“No, you don’t. You have a very laissez-faire attitude when it comes to relationships. It’s just two individuals doing their own thing while also loving each other, yes?”
“Er, yeah. Exactly. Is that… not what I’m supposed to think?”
“It’s a perfectly healthy outlook to have, if that’s what you truly want. The problem arises when your partner wants something else.”
Applejack fell silent for a moment as she pondered the meaning behind those words.
“So… what do you want? Something more ‘hooves-on?’”
“Frankly? Yes.” Rarity stood from her seat and began to pace around the room, making an effort to never get too close to Applejack. “Mind you, I’m not clingy. I don’t need my partner to hang on my every word, or respond to my every beck and call. But, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a bit more ‘attention’ than you’d like to provide.”
“I-I can do that!”
Rarity turned to lock eyes with Applejack. Her expression was serious, and there was a hint of sadness to it.
“But do you want that?” Applejack blinked. She wasn’t expecting that response. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t find the right words. “I don’t want a short-term commitment, Applejack, and I don’t think you do either. Can you really say, without a hint of doubt, that you want our relationship to continue as-is for the rest of our lives?”
Applejack remained silent for several tense moments. She knew in her heart what she needed to say, but she didn’t want to say it. She didn’t want to feel it. She wanted nothing more than to be mistaken about her own feelings.
But ultimately, she knew better.
“No,” she mumbled. “I don’t.”
“...Then may I ask what you do want?”
In that moment, Applejack felt her respect for Rarity grow more than it ever had. Neither wanted to be having that conversation, but while she had been turned into an anxious, bumbling mess, Rarity was asking the questions that needed to be asked. It was clear from the tone in her voice how much it was hurting her, yet she continued anyway.
She was doing what needed to be done. For both of their sakes.
“Something more casual, I guess.” Applejack found that she, too, was struggling to maintain eye contact. “Er, I mean… something serious, but… argh, I don’t know how to say it! I want to love you, and I want to be loved by you, but I also want that to be… indirect, I guess?” The tone in her voice made it clear that she knew exactly what she wanted, but didn’t know how to word it. “Like, I want to close. I want to be intimate. But… not a lot? Just… sometimes?”
“Quite different from what I want, then.” Rarity turned away, but she didn’t stop speaking. “I would love nothing more than to spend every evening in my partner’s embrace.”
“And I’d rather have my space from time to time. Even while me and my partner still love each other.”
“You didn’t want to come here tonight, did you?”
Rarity’s sudden change in topic caught Applejack by surprise, while the new topic itself felt like a spear through her heart.
“No. I didn’t. N-not that I don’t want to see you, it’s just that I was tired. I wanted to go to bed.”
“Are you tired of coming here?” Rarity turned back around, clearly holding back tears. “I’m very good at reading ponies, you know. You don’t have the same excitement in your eyes when you’re here that you did when we started all of this.”
“...” Applejack took a deep breath. “I was doing my best to ignore that feeling.”
“I suppose that’s all we need to know, then.” Rarity gathered whatever strength she had to lock eyes with Applejack one more time. “This isn’t going to work.”
“Rarity…”
“...”
“...I-I still like you, you know. That hasn’t changed.”
“I like you too, Applejack. But I think we’ve both been feeling this for a while.”
Applejack winced. She was completely right.
“So… what do we do?”
“It’s been a long while since I’ve gone through a breakup. I’ve broken a stallion’s heart once or twice in my day. I know how this goes.”
“Didn’t you cut all contact with them?” Rarity’s eyes widened again as she made a slight squeaking noise. “I don’t want that to happen to us. It’s not like I never want to see you again.”
“R-right!” Rarity, who had resumed her pacing, suddenly swung around to face Applejack again, but once more found herself unable to look her in the eyes. “That would be terrible!”
Applejack took a step towards Rarity. She didn’t back away, but she recoiled a bit into herself. After hesitating for a moment, she took another step. After a few moments, the two were right in front of each other. With a deep breath, Applejack held out her hoof.
“I don’t know a whole lot about romance, but even I know the whole ‘let’s keep being friends’ thing is usually a lie. I don’t want to lie to you.” For the first time since arriving at the boutique, Applejack’s eyes were clear and focused. “I used to like you as a friend. Then, I liked you as more than that. Now…well, now I just kinda like you. I’m not sure as what, but I like you. I feel uncomfortable when I think about cuddling and stuff, but I also feel uncomfortable thinking we won’t be friends anymore.”
Rarity stared at Applejack’s outstretched hoof for a long, uncomfortable moment. Slowly, her gaze shifted upwards, and she saw the clarity in Applejack’s eyes. That clarity was what got her there in the first place.
She finally allowed a smile to reach her face.
“Well, we’re a couple of grown mares able to make our own decisions. Let’s go back to being friends, then.” Rarity took Applejack’s hoof in her own. Neither shook, opting instead to just sit there for a moment. “I’d say ‘let’s put this behind us,’ but that’d be foolish.”
“Hehe, yeah. Let’s remember this. We’re a couple of close friends that tried to be something more, and it just didn’t work out. So, we moved on. On good terms.”
“...On good terms. I like that.”
Finally, they shook on it. With smiles on both of their faces, they found themselves laughing as they left the room and headed for the door once more. There was pain in their voices, of course. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. And yet, more than anything, they just felt relieved.
Their discomfort had been growing beneath the surface for long enough. It’s not always a matter of someone being “bad” for someone else. There isn’t always an inciting incident that causes a relationship to end. Sometimes, things just don’t work out. That evening, they both understood that.
It was okay.
They were okay.
Author's Note
I was asked if I could do an "anti-cuddle" fic, and this idea sprouted from there.
No shade against Rarity/AJ shippers by the way! They just felt like a natural way to tell this type of story. 
As always, I appreciate any and all feedback!
