The sun shined brightly through the un-shuttered window of Applejack's room, bathing the dark wooden floorboards in a golden glow. A shadow dipped lazily across the foreleg of the pony who lay sprawled across the bedsheets, which were as messy as her tousled golden mane.
An eye winked open under the brown hat that lay draped across her head, shading it from the morning rays of sunlight, and Applejack yawned, propping herself and rubbing her eyes. Something outside her door was making a loud and repeated thudding noise and it was starting to frustrate her.
"Aww what in tarnation is that racket all about Applebloom? It's sunrise and ah've barely gotten a wink of sleep!" She threw off the last of the covers just as the door swung open and the young filly bounded in, bouncing up and down beside her bed.
"But Applejack, y'all should be more excited!" said Applebloom, a huge grin on her face. Applejack plonked a hoof down on her head, if not only to stop her from bouncing about but to relieve some of the frustration of being woken up early after a late night.
"And y'all should learn not to just barge in here every which-way in the darn mornin' when ah'm exhausted from a long night, now hustle!" she shooed the little pony toward the door, watching the pink ribbon in her hair bob up and down as she protested against the hoof which forced her further from the bedside.
"But Applejack!" cried Applebloom, huffing as she was exiled from her sister's bedroom.
"No buts, go on now, scoot! Ah gotta get ready" Applejack made her way to the dresser, ignoring the dejected look from her sister and the mumbled "Even on...". Whatever it meant, there was still work to be done, and only a short day to do it.
As she came down stairs, the smell of breakfast wafted up to greet her, filling her nostrils with the sweet tang of the new season's apples.
"Mornin' Everypony" she said, climbing down the last few steps and into the kitchen.
"Mornin" came the response from Big Mac, who was quietly making his way through his meal. Granny was over by the stove cooking, and slid a pancake out of the pan onto a plate for her.
"Well mornin' sweetie, glad ta see yer up and kickin' already thismornin', though ya can't be plannin' on goin' around lookin' like that can ya?" she said, fixing Applejack with her stare. Applejack was a little confused.
"But this is what ah always look like" she said, tossing her hat onto her head and biting into the pancake. Warm apple syrup glided down her throat like honey as she swallowed, savoring the taste of the fresh harvested apples. They were always best when they were picked right before they were used, that's why she felt luckiest of all the ponies to be able to taste such a delicacy.
"Ah think that's the point, Applejack" said Applebloom, jumping down the stairs and sliding to a stop a few feet away. The little pony looked up at her sister, taking in the genuine look of befuddlement that adorned her face and realised.
"Don't tell me y'all forgot!" she said, looking horrified at the prospect of Applejack forgetting something so drastically important.
"What in Celestia's name are you yammerin' about girl? Forgot what?" She said, taking another bite of the pancake. Her family was so confusing sometimes it drove her mad. Talking in riddles and dodging the subject, why did they have to test her like this in the mornings.
"It's hearts and hooves day today, and you still don't have a special pony, so we was thinkin' that you should go out and find somepony!" said Applebloom as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Applejack gagged, coughing repeatedly as a half-chewed chunk of pancake involuntarily launched itself down her throat and got stuck half way down. After managing to regain control of her breathing and fighting down the wayward piece of food, she stared at Applebloom for a few seconds, allowing what she'd just said to sink in. Well, it made sense they'd think that, after all...
Applejack stood up and started walking for the door.
Letting out a light chuckle, she said "Thanks fer remindin' me Applebloom" and exited the doorway as quickly as possible. Even outside, she could hear the conversation inside, and it frustrated her to no end. She grimaced, looking down at the ground and starting off toward the orchard. She needed to think for a while.
Granny walked upstairs to Applejack's room to make her bed. It was a habit to do it for her because she'd never do it herself. Meanwhile Applebloom had turned her attention to Big Mac, who was still slowly making his way through his food.
"So d'ya think she'll find somepony today maybe Big Mac?" she asked inquisitively.
"...Eeyup..." he replied, only half paying attention to what she said. He was focused elsewhere, because he knew what was eating Applejack up inside, even if she didn't know he knew. He stood up and made his way to the door, sighing.
"Well, I'm gonna get to work then" He said slowly as he walked outside. He was slow, there was no doubt about that, whether it was learning something or just thinking through a problem, he was never the fastest, but he was by no means stupid. "Sometimes..." he mused to himself as he walked "Sometimes that pony just tries to think the simplest things through too much". Pausing briefly, he looked around to make sure Applebloom wasn't following him again, then walked off toward the orchard in search of Applejack. He didn't have nopony special to go see today anyway, and it was his job to look after his sister no matter what, right?
Applejack wandered through the trees, lost in thought. It wasn't her fault, she thought to herself, she just didn't think they'd understand even if she DID tell them. She kicked a dead branch that had fallen to the ground and it bounced off into a little pool of water, sending ripples in every direction as it hit the surface. She walked over and stared into the shifting liquid, at her own reflection which wavered like leaves on the wind. "Sometime's ah don't even know where I'd start with everypony" she sighed to herself, wishing that she was somewhere else entirely.
"Well it'd probably be best to start from the start" came the deep voice of Big Mac from behind her. She jumped up, suprised to hear anyone else out this far in the orchard.
"Big Mac, what are you doin' out here?" she asked, trying to keep calm. She was terrified, if he had been able to follow her out here, then maybe he had...
"Don't you think you're overthinkin' things?" he inquired, fixing Applejack with a steady stare and a smile. "Everypony has things they can't tell people, even if they want to, but you kept bottlin' those things up inside, and now the troubles inside are tryin' to get outside" he said slowly and deliberately. Applejack sighed, sliding to the ground at the foot of a tall apple tree.
"Ah know Big Mac, but what if y'all think of me somethin' different when this is all over and out of the way? Ah don't even know what you're gonna think of me, much less Granny or Applebloom" she looked down at the water, now murky where her shocked jump had scattered mud through it. Big Mac was her brother, and he'd been with her through everything, but what if he wasn't after all this? That would just tear her apart. Tears started involuntarily making their way to the corners of her eyes as she thought that, and she threw a foreleg over her eyes to wipe them away.
Big Mac looked at her silently, and after a long period of nothing between them walked over and sat beside his sister.
Applejack looked at Big Mac, and it was just then that she made her decision, she WAS going to tell everypony, even if it cost her everyone she cared about dearly, the pain of being ignored for who she was was just destroying her.
"Big Mac, Ah..." she stumbled a little, feeling a bit embarrassed "Ah don't want you to think less of me for sayin' this, but ah do have a special somepony... And..." she swallowed, this was it "It's Rainbow Dash".
"It's Rainbow Dash" Applejack said quietly, she'd done it, she thought to herself, she'd come out to one, and Big Mac was the biggest one to confront. She looked at him, waiting for a response.
He sat silently beside his sister, then in response to what she'd said, gave a simple "Eeyup" and stood up. Big Mac wasn't one for a lot of words, but he knew what she'd told him already, and he didn't really mind at all, as long as she was happy.
Applejack shot upright, something wasn't quite right, she told herself. These kinds of things were meant to be a lot more emotional, or at least, that's what Dashie had told her.
"Whaddaya mean 'Eeyup'?" Her head was spinning, something wasn't clicking.
Big Mac looked over, it was clear he'd have to tell her outright and that frustrated him a bit, he was supposed to be the slow one, and he'd always thought his little sister was a little quicker than this.
"You can't keep secrets too well A.J, especially not from me. When somepony's feelin' good about another pony, it shows all over 'em. Ah think the only reason the others don't know is 'cause I look out for you more than they do. Seems fairly simple to me" He finished with a hoof resting on Applejack's shoulder. It was clear she wasn't ready for this kind of response.
"So you... You already knew?" She said, flabbergasted. She had thought she had kept the secret fairly well, and didn't think anypony knew about it but her and Rainbow Dash.
"Eeyup" Big Mac replied calmly.
Rainbow Dash soared through the sky, she'd been gone for a while now, and returning to Ponyville filled her heart with joy because she knew that everypony would be waiting for her, and besides, today was a very, very special day indeed. She burst from a cloud and flew up high into the sky, rolling around and letting the sun warm her as she made her way across the green, blooming landscape. The wind blew her mane into a stream behind her as she dived through the clouds and over her home of Ponyville. She landed in the middle of town, just outside of Pinkie's shop, she had to get some stuff, and besides, she owed Pinkie the first visit, being her best friend and all. It was still pretty early, so there weren't many ponies gathered around, but the streets were still bustling with ponies who couldn't wait another minute to see their special somepony. Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on the doorknob, only to find to her suprise the doorknob wasn't there any more, "What th--" the entire door had swung open in the blink of an eye, and before she could even give a start at this fact she was tackled backward by an amorphous pink blob that pinned her to the ground. As her sight stopped blurring, so did the blob take a distinct Pinkie Pie shape, the grin on her face spreading wider as Rainbow's mouth cracked a smile.
"RAINBOW DASH!" Pinkie squealed with joy, helping her friend up and hopping around her. "Where have you been? Did you like your trip? How much did you miss me? And what about my baking? Do you want something to eat? Where's--MMPH" a hoof was pressed to her mouth, silencing the onslaught of questions flying from the inquisitive pony's mouth.
"Yes! Pinkie! It's me." Rainbow said, brushing the dirt off her flank where she'd fallen on the ground. "Look, can we go inside? I need to talk to you about something, you're not open yet, are you?" She looked around at the ponies milling about, many were standing near the entrance to the shop, probably waiting to buy something sweet for somepony.
"Sure thing, I'll put off opening for a little bit just for you!" She bounced back inside and sat down. Rainbow Dash followed her, closing the door and taking a seat across from Pinkie at a small table, which conveniently enough, was covered with an assortment of sugar-filled goods, as was only befitting on such a day. Pinkie would no doubt throw a party afterwards to celebrate both the day, and the fact that she sold every single thing in her shop.
"So watcha wanna talk about? It's so great to have you back in town!" Pinkie told her, grinning so wide that Rainbow could swear there was more smile than face. She snickered a little at the thought, but then got serious again.
"Well, actually... I kinda sorta really need a..." she trailed off, obviously uncomfortable with it and her face went a little red.
"What is it Dashie? Anything you need, just ask away!" Pinkie giggled, clearly enjoying the embarrassed look on her friend's face.
"A Present! I need a present for somepony special, okay?" she said quickly, the words gushing like a waterfall.
Pinkie's eyes lit up, suddenly speechless. However, it was Pinkie, so the speechlessness didn't last long, being replaced by a loud and extensive squeal of delight.
"OHMYGOSH! Who is it, Do I know them?!" Pinkie exclaimed, a huge smile on her face. Rainbow Dash on the other hand had gone very, very red.
"Well, I guess you could say that... But it doesn't matter!" She was getting frustrated, why did she have to know who it was anyway?!
"Anyway! I just need a present, can you help me" She said, standing and looking at all of the treats arranged about the shop. Pinkie looked a bit dejected at having her question left unanswered, but she brightened up again just as quickly, jumping up and bouncing over to the counter.
"We~ell, what kind of pony is he? Is he like, a chocolate or a cupcake or something else?" said Pinkie, ignoring the wince from her friend as she spoke.
"Well, actually..." Rainbow started, but shook her head, she didn't have the guts to admit to Pinkie that she was actually buying Hearts and Hooves day sweets for Applejack, she just couldn't do it.
"I'm not sure" she cleared up quickly "What do you think would be best Pinkie?"
She stopped hopping about the store for a moment and scrunched her face up, thinking.
"Well, how about this then?" She slid over to the counter and held up a small box. It was fairly plain, and by the looks of it, it wasn't anything really too special, but hey, what did she know about giving people chocolate? She trotted over, but as she got closer something else caught her eye. Off to the back, in the corner, it looked like it had been put there as a last minute thing.
"Hey Pinkie?" She said, after walking over and picking it up "Can I get this one?". Pinkie Pie looked quizzically at her best friend, a little confused. She had much nicer looking gifts in here, why that one?
"Are you sure Dashie? I mean, I have tastier treats in here, or ones with a prank in them, or..." she trailed off as the blue pegasus pony simply shook her head, carrying her choice over to the counter.
"No, this one, it definitely has to be this one" she said quietly, a smile forming across her face.
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I apologise for the delay in uploading and/or writing, life has suddenly turned quite hectic indeed. New chapter will be coming ASAP :)
