Applejack cracked one eye open at the sound of the rooster in the yard crowing, announcing the start of a new day. She stretched her limbs, relishing the cracks and pops, then slid out of bed and trotted into the bathroom to have a quick wash. A long list of chores awaited her, and she was determined to get as many done as she could. The water was cold, but it was refreshing; it also had the added effect of completely waking her up.

With her shower complete, she went downstairs and sat at the kitchen table, picking up the newspaper Winona had brought in and placed on the table. She chuckled as she looked through it, the pages full of the usual things from around Ponyville that counted as news: the upcoming apple harvest – which she was looking forward to – messages from the mayor, a list of damage caused by the most recent monster attack, and the price of hay.

She folded the paper and put it to one side, knowing that Big Macintosh would want to read it, and set about making a hearty breakfast of apple fritters with apple juice. She licked her lips as the aroma of apples and cinnamon entered her nostrils, and picked up her fork eagerly; before she could even take a bite, there was a gentle tapping on the front door. Putting the fork down while grumbling under her breath, she stood up and answered it to find Derpy Hooves standing on her porch.

"Good morning, Applejack," she said jovially. "I've got your mail!"

"Mornin', Derpy, thanks a lot." Applejack took the envelopes the mailmare was offering. "So, how are you today? How's Dinky?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Derpy replied. "And my little muffin is doing even better; she got an 'A' on her history test last week."

"Aw, shucks, that's great!" Applejack smiled. "Apple Bloom only managed a B+, but I'm still proud of her."

"That's real swell, Applejack." Derpy adjusted her mail bag, taking out another stack of letters. "Anyway, I'd better finish my round. If I don't see you later, I'll see you tomorrow! Bye!"

Applejack waved to Derpy as she took off, the draft from her wings blowing dust into her face, and shut the door. Returning to the table, she looked through the envelopes to see that there were only three of them.

"Might as well look through these while I have my breakfast," she said, putting two of the envelopes on the table and tearing open the top one. "Hmm, looks like taxes are due. Jeez, has it really been a year already?" She grimaced. "It's mighty scary how time seems to just fly by... anyway, I gotta remember to do 'em."

She put the envelope aside and opened the second one. "'Flu season will soon be here; get your vaccination today!'" She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for that, Haywick, how could I possibly forget? You send a letter out to everypony in town whenever it gets cold."

Putting the letter down, she picked up the third one to find that it only had her name on it. There were no addresses, no stamps and no postmarks; just her name... and a couple of hearts.

"What in the..." she scratched her head. "Either this is the setup for an elaborate prank, or somepony slipped Derpy a few bits." She opened the envelope and began to read the letter.

Dear Applejack,

It has taken me a great deal of courage to write this letter, although I sincerely hope that you will never see it.

"Wait, what?" Applejack screwed her face up in confusion. "If that's the case, then why in tarnation was this delivered to me?"

Her curiosity piqued, she read on.

My innermost feelings are laid bare on these pages; feelings that I would not have the courage to discuss with you face-to-face. If you ever read this, then I can only hope that you do not think any less of me by the time you are finished.

When I first met you, all those years ago, I thought that there was no possible way the two of us could ever be friends. I was a prim and proper little filly, and you were a filly whom I referred to as 'the very ponification of filth.'

"Wait a minute, this is from Rarity," Applejack muttered. "But why in the hay is she talkin' about when we first met? What reason could she have for writin' all this down?"

However, you were nothing but nice to me, and that soon helped me to get over my initial prejudices – which to this day I truly regret and am very sorry for – and I began to see you as a friend. Yes, we had – and still have – our differences, but that's what makes our friendship so special.

Anyway, you are probably wondering what my point is, and why I felt the need to bring all of this up. Well, to tell you the truth, Applejack, I've been having second thoughts about our friendship... and I've decided I don't want to be your friend.

Applejack's eyes widened as she read the last sentence. "WHAT?!" she exclaimed with enough force to make the windows rattle. "She can't be serious? 'Doesn't want to be my friend?' Why? I mean, have I done something to upset her? Have I offended her in some way? I just... I don't..." She grit her teeth and shut her eyes, tears threatening to spill down her face.

"This has to be a joke," she said. "It has to be." Exhaling sharply, she opened her eyes again. "I... I need to keep reading."

I'm sorry if this has come as a bit of a shock to you; goodness knows it wasn't an easy decision for me to make. But before you start reading me the riot act, allow me to explain how I came to the conclusion that I don't want to be your friend any more.

Since the day we met, we have spent a lot of time together. From the early days, when you were showing me around the farm, to just last week, when we had that slumber party. We talked, we argued, we laughed, we cried, we joked, and we bonded.

That last bit, I feel, is the important one. As our friendship grew, we learned a lot from each other: our likes and dislikes, our fears, our hopes and our dreams. There is so much that we know about each other now, each of us probably knows the other better than they know themselves. We bared our souls to each other, shared our secrets, and I like to think that we connected spiritually.

I have spent many a night thinking about this over the last few weeks, Applejack, and that has led me to believe what I said about not wanting to be your friend... because how can I be friends with a mare I am so helplessly in love with?

"L-love?!" Applejack smacked a hoof to her forehead. "Sweet Celestia, this explains everything..."

Now you know why I've been having trouble looking at you as of late, especially when I've come to your house and you've been working on the farm. The sweat gathering on your muscles after a hard day... goodness me, it's rather distracting.

I don't want to spend time with you, talking about our jobs, or sitting in Sugarcube Corner absent-mindedly eating cakes. I want you to hold me close as you run your hooves through my mane, whispering sweet nothings in my ear. I want to sit in a nice restaurant, gazing at you and holding your hoof across the table.

This brings me to the other reason why I wrote this letter. I felt that if I could just get my feelings off my chest, even on paper, I could feel more comfortable around you. But then I had another thought: what if you don't feel the same way?

What if you are reading this, thinking that you couldn't possibly love me the way I love you? Perhaps your heart still belongs to somepony else, or maybe you prefer stallions instead of mares?

I don't know that, but I do know this: I love you. I love you more than anypony I've ever loved in my entire life, and I want to make you happy, much like I tried to do when we first met. Please, Applejack, give me the chance to show you much I care.

All my love, for now until forever,

Rarity.

As Applejack put the letter down, her hooves were shaking and she felt like her heart was going a hundred miles an hour. After taking a few moments to calm down and process what she'd just read, she got up and bolted from the house.

It didn't take Applejack long to cover the distance between Sweet Apple Acres and the Carousel Boutique, although she couldn't help but feel – if the number of ponies who had to jump out of her way was anything to go by – that she could have gone a little bit slower. She rushed up to the door and went inside, the bell above signalling Rarity of a visitor as Applejack took her hat off.

"Good morning," Rarity said as she sauntered into the front of the shop. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where— oh, Applejack, darling. What brings you to see me this early?"

"I need to talk to you, Rarity," Applejack panted. "It's important."

Rarity stepped aside. "Of course," she said. "Come through to the back and tell me all about it." She flipped the sign on the door to 'Closed' and followed Applejack into the back room, whereupon the two of them sat down on the couch.

"So, darling, what can I do for you?" Rarity asked.

Applejack looked her straight in the eyes. "I ain't about to beat around the bush here, Rarity," she said. "I got something in the mail today that I don't think I should have. It was an envelope with just my name on it, in your writing."

Rarity thought for a moment, before her eyes widened. She didn't speak for a moment, instead choosing to tear her gaze away from Applejack's and shift it to the floor. The silence between the two was as thick as treacle; after a few moments, a small and timid voice finally spoke.

"You weren't supposed to see it; I must have accidentally gave it to Derpy when she came to collect my outgoing mail earlier on." she paused. "Did... did you read the letter?"

"I read all of it, Rarity, and I have questions," Applejack said. "For starters, how long have you felt this way about me?"

Rarity sighed. "For a while," she replied. "These feelings first manifested themselves a few months ago, when you were helping me reorganise the Boutique. Do you remember when that large pile of fabric fell off the shelf, and we both tripped over it?"

Applejack nodded. "Course I do," she said. "I also remember that we ended up in hospital as a result of that little accident."

"That we did, but what I remember most about that incident was the fact that you cared more about my well-being than your own." Rarity smiled at the memory. "You were suffering from a really nasty leg fracture, yet you still took the time to make sure that I was comfortable while we waited for help to arrive. The mere fact that you were so good to me was enough to make me realise that I felt something for you; something which went beyond friendship."

"It can't have been that one occasion though," Applejack said. "I've helped you plenty of times in the past, so why would that be enough to make you fall in love with me?"

Rarity took in a breath, then slowly released it. "That's just it, darling, you've 'helped me plenty of times in the past.' Any time I needed you, you were there. Whenever I needed a shoulder to cry on, you were there. Whenever I needed help lifting or carrying something, you were there. Whenever I needed advice, you were there. Put simply, Applejack, you were my rock."

Applejack didn't reply at first, as she replayed the last four words in her mind over and over again, memories of moments past bubbling to the surface. She recalled fond memories of the times Rarity had gone out of her way to help her, the many slumber parties they'd had, and the dangers they had faced as Element Bearers.

"Applejack?" Rarity took hold of one of her forehooves. "You've gone quiet; is everything all right? I'm sorry if I've—"

Applejack gently squeezed Rarity's hoof, interrupting her. She scooted forward on the couch and placed her other forehoof under Rarity's chin, bringing her head up so that the two locked eyes.

"Rarity, I've been a dang fool," she said. "For years, I've been waitin' fer the day I'd go out and find the perfect special somepony." She sighed. "But only now do I finally see it... she has been by my side nearly mah entire life."

She leaned forward, closing the distance; Rarity did the same, and eventually their lips met for the first time. The two entwined themselves in each other, and lost themselves in the moment. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, but the two of them knew that they would be seconds they'd remember for the rest of their lives.

As they separated, they gazed into each other's eyes and smiled. Ultimately, it was Applejack who finally broke the silence.

"So..." she said. "How about we go to that restaurant you wanted?"

Rarity's eyes misted over. "I'd love to, darling," she replied, her voice cracking with emotion. "I'd love to."

With that, they both got up and left, closing the door behind them; as they walked into the middle of town where the restaurants were located, Applejack only had one thought on her mind.

Derpy is getting the mother of all tips tomorrow morning.

Author's Note

Since I've written enough TwiDash lately, I figured I'd write something for my second favourite Mane Six ship.