For Better or For Worse

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 6

Chapter 1

Grabbing the apples on the tray, the country mare inspected the fruits intently which grew a smirk on the Wonderbolt's face. Although it was not the most romantic scene he had in mind, Soarin enjoyed his time with the orange pony. Not use to seeing her as dolled up as she was in the Grand Galloping Gala a few years ago, he appreciated her wholesome look. Her hat tipped slightly which had her push it back up. Soarin soon found himself face to face with two apples that she held out.

"Bruises," she announced, shaking her head, "Bruises all over these apples. What're they doin' with 'em? Playin' baseball and usin' them as balls?" Applejack looked down timidly and set her food down on the table. "My 'pologies. It's the inner farmer in me."

"No worries," Soarin assured, "Cafeteria food is never that good anyway."

"Gosh, Ah hope Rainbow's gonna be fine," Applejack said. The blue Pegasus had gone into labor with her first foal a few hours earlier. Although she tried to not show it in front of her friend, Applejack's nerves were getting to the best of her. For the past ten minutes, she wrung her hat and shifted her eyes around whenever silence came between them.

"I'm sure she will be. You must be excited."

"Yeah, Ah reckon Ah am." Pausing, she placed her hat back onto her hat and straightened out the edges. "Very excited, actually."

"Yeah, this is a big thing!" he enthusiastically concurred, "You're gonna be a…uh, an aunt?"

"Well, Braeburn's the father and he's my blood. Since he's my cousin, Ah think that would make it the second cousin. Ah think." She took a moment to calculate, tapping her hoof on the table occasionally. "Oh forget it. That foal's family and that's good enough fer me!" Another quiet moment occurred which made Applejack squirm in her seat. "Y'know, Ah gotta be honest. Ah'm not sure how to talk to a Wonderbolt such as yerself." Soarin gave a modest shrug.

"Don't think of me as that," he instructed, taking a sip of water, "Think of me as a…colt. A colt that happens to fly really really fast." Unexpectedly, an unfamiliar girlish giggle escaped Applejack's lips. Feeling a hoof on his shoulder, Soarin glanced up to see that it was Spitfire.

"Sorry for interrupting you two, but that was our publicist calling," she notified, "She wants up back at the headquarters for an interview."

"Oh, OK," he muttered, starting to get up and throw away his trash. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer Applejack. Maybe we'll see each other again?"

"Sure thing, stop by the Sweet Apple Acres anytime!" She examined the two athletes saunter off together. Starting to look down to finish her soup, something caught her eye. By the door opening, Spitfire gave him a playful shove and made kissing noises as they glimpsed back at the mare's direction.

…………………………….

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him in the distance. Soarin chatted with her grandmother by the porch and they seemed to be getting along fine. What they were talking about, she wondered, filled her brain. If only she had supersonic hearing she cursed. Bucking the apple tree, she viewed all the apples dropping from above her into the baskets. While she placed the stranded ones into the rest of the piles of apples, she saw her cousin approach her. He leaned against the tree and tipped his head towards the house as he raised his eyebrows. Applejack decided to ignore her younger family member's behavior.

"What's up with that guy?" Braeburn asked with a smirk, "He's been here every day for a week now."

"He's one of RD's teammates. Ah've known him fer a while now," she explained, wiping her forehead, "Ah've invited him over here at the farm for a small picnic during lunch last week and, Ah dunno, Ah guess it's become a tradition now." With the mixture of her slight embarrassment and Braeburn's comical expression on his face, Applejack fought hard to hold back her snickers. Somehow she prevailed and she looked down quickly to continue her work.

"Lookachu, AJ," Braeburn finally commented as he strolled away, "All the stallions are after ya. Ah'll be in the barn."

"Hey," Soarin greeted, holding up a carrier, "I brought some salad. I learned how to make it from my chef so I think you'll really like it."

"Got here just in time," Applejack noted, spreading out the blanket that she got out of a tree trunk, "Ah'm starvin'." Soarin could not help but notice the progression he has made with Applejack. Her laugh was infectious and he saw her showing a new, even friendlier side that he did not even know was possible for any pony to have. He had always felt comfortable around her and he had no more doubts that she felt warm with him as well.

"Ah'd love to just watch the sunrise one morning without that little voice in my head tellin' me to get to work," she admitted as she rested her body on the grass.

"Applejack, why don't you take a break?" he questioned as he bit into an apple.

"We've been over this, Ah can't. There's too much to do 'round here."

"But everypony has a short vacation once in a while. And you're the hardest working pony I know! You definitely deserve a breather."

"Ah'm fine," she declared, waving her arm.

"I still say that I should take you out on the night of the town. Just the two of us for one evening."

"Soarin, ya made me that offer yesterday." She pushed herself up to glimpse into his emerald orbs. "It's not that I don't wanna take it or that it doesn't sound fun. But Ah don't know how that'll fit into my schedule."

"What if I were to tell you that I have your family's best wishes?" Applejack asked was he meant. "I talked to your grandma before I met up with you and she says it's a lovely idea. The rest of them seemed to agree. So what d'ya say?" Applejack stared at him for a moment.

"Ah suppose everypony needs some relaxin' time," Applejack eventually answered, "Sounds like a plan to me."

……………………………

Next evening, after saying her farewells to her relatives, Applejack soon found herself in front of Soarin who held the door open for her on his cart. Even the wagon she took with her friends to the Grand Galloping Gala had no comparison to the colt's vehicle. Coated in a dark, navy blue shade, the rims and bumpers shined a gold luminosity. Normally, Applejack would not favor encrusted jewels onto a wagon since she figured it was tasteless. But the cart used the jewels sparingly, only a small replica of Soarin's cutie mark on both sides of the lower rear doors, which enchanted the wagon's sleek appearance. The cowfilly let out an impressive whistle.

"Quite a ride ya got," she remarked, helping herself into the back seat.

"Thanks," he meekly responded.

"Interior's nice too," she added, rubbing her hooves across the seats, "So, where are we headin'?"

"It's a surprise," he replied with a sly smile. Applejack lightheartedly rolled her eyes. They stroke up small talk as their bodies swayed with the wagon. Then, she saw small colored spots on his face that shook around. Figuring they were reflections from the window, the mare scooted up to the glass behind and dropped her mouth in astonishment. Lights were everywhere and they engrossed her luminous orbs. Lowering her sight from the top of the enormous buildings ahead of her, she observed the bustling ponies and brilliant signs. There were groups of acquaintances that let out rowdy shrieks and boisterous guffaws as street performers entertained the masses.

"Are we in Lost Wages?" she probed excitedly after seeing the welcome sign. Soarin gave a small nod and chuckled when Applejack gave him a gentle punch in the arm. "When ya say you're goin' all out, ya mean it don't ya?"

"I figured this is your night to live it up," he stated as the cart halted. Waiting for his driver to open the door, he moved closer to her as the noise barged in. "I hope this is alright with you…"

"Ah certainly wasn't expectin' this but Ah can't complain," she assured, letting herself out. It was humid but Applejack grew to love the warm weather against her fur. Caught up with the atmosphere, she felt a tap on her shoulder which made her jump a little.

"I've made dinner reservations," he informed with a wink, "I think you might like this place." Keeping his head down, he placed on his glasses and escorted the country filly to the back entrance.

"Ah'm surprised those tourists didn't recognize ya back there," Applejack noticed, "Course, we did park in the back and didn't have to walk that far." Ever since Rainbow Dash became a Wonderbolt, along with meeting other famous ponies in the past, Applejack knew the precautions major celebrity ponies had to take in avoid ecstatic fans. Especially sports stars.

"Most ponies can't recognize me without my sports unicorn on and my hair down," he testified, letting Applejack go ahead of him as he opened the door. "Or in this case, they'd just think I'm an impersonator." They were welcomed by a well-dressed pony in a suit. Applejack could not hear the words he mustered for the music was too loud.

"The menus are on the side of your table over there," the waiter clarified as the couple sat down in their isolated area up stairs, "I will be right back with your waters. I'll give you two a little time to look over what you'll have for dinner."

"Thanks, it was my pa's," Applejack yelled out, grabbing her hat. She furrowed her eyebrows as the waiter walked away in the middle of her sentence. "Guess he didn't hear me."

"Are you OK?" Soarin questioned, watching the orange pony rearranging her hat.

"What?" she shrieked back as the bass of the song got louder.

"I said are you OK?"

"Oh yeah! This place is somethin'!" The florescent lights that surrounded them changed colors continually. Currently Soarin's coat looked purple to her.

"I've been here before; the VIP area is great isn't it?"

"What? Ah can't hear ya!"

"I said-" He cut himself off and gave an irritated groan. He leaned closer to her and spoke in her ear. "Kinda noisy in here, isn't it?" She gave a sympathetic smile and nodded.

"It's a lil' hectic, too," she noted, seeing a pony swallow staffs of fire on one of the tables ahead of them.

"Maybe we can save this for another time. Wanna get outta here?"

"That's fine by me." Leaving the building, Soarin hoped that Applejack did not see how red his cheeks were.

"S-sorry about that," he apologized, "I thought at the time taking you to this place was a good idea. It thought it would be more entertaining than deafening and distracting."

"Nothin' to apologize for, sugarcube," she consoled, "Yer heart was in the right place."

"If you want-and only if you really want to- I can treat you to a restaurant of your choice."

"I'd like that," she agreed to, "Ah really want to spend more time with ya." Searching the streets, Applejack tugged on Soarin's arm and pointed to a building in the distance. "That place looks good." He directed his attention to the structure and smiled.

"'Aunt Susie's Eatery and Tavern'," he read out loud, "Should've known."

………………………………....................

"So what made ya want to join the Wonderbolts, anyhow?" Stuffing the salad lettuce into her mouth, she reclined back in the booth and gave a satisfied 'mmm'.

"Enjoying your salad?" She gave a hearty hum in confirmation as she humorously rubbed her belly. "Wow, and that was just the first bite!" He then looked upward to answer her question. "I know that this will sound cheesy, but I joined because flying is my passion. Whenever I fly, I'm in a new world. It's a reality that I love being in. I know that some ponies joined just to have the fame and money but as hard as this is to believe, that stuff is secondary to me."

"What about our ride over here?" she teased, referring to his well-polished wagon.

"That's the company's. They insisted on me bringing it just in case there's a publicity opportunity with photo-ops." He rolled his eyes and made a gun-shot sound as he took a fork and placed it on his temple. "I'm not really into the flashy-flashy stuff. I'm always afraid I may ruin it. In fact, I may've gotten a scratch on it from just talking about it."

"Gotta keep up with yer image," Applejack proclaimed with a grin.

"I guess. It's just not me at all. I'm more careless. That's why I can dig you; you don't seem to be stuck in a material world." Applejack's eyes lit up and she shyly continued her meal. "You're different, AJ."

"Ah hope y'all are enjoyin' yer meals," a pudgy mare boomed as she approached their table.

"Yes, we like them very much," Soarin confirmed, motioning to his empty plate.

"Ah swear, Ah've never seen a pony eat so fast in my life," Applejack cut in, "And Ah thought my friend Pinkie Pie was the fastest eater in Equestria."

"Are y'all interested in desserts or beverages?"

"Well, maybe we can hold off on the desserts since my dinner guest is still enjoying her entrée." Applejack gave a quick eyebrow flash and beamed.

"A beverage sounds nice," Applejack piped in, "After all, your cider was pretty tasty. What d'ya have again?" The server handed them two small menus.

"Why not live a little?" Soarin finally decided, "I'll have the Wild Western Extreme drink. Extra dry."

"I'll have the same."

"A-are you sure?" Soarin probed as his eyes grew large, "I mean, it looks pretty big in the picture."

"Are ya sayin' I can't hold my alcohol?" she joked, setting the menu aside. Soarin accepted her silent challenge and placed his menu on to of hers.

"We'll take two of those please."

…………………………….

"Ah never, and Ah mean nevah, wear a…a, uh, saddle," Applejack stammered as she pushed her glass away. "A-Ah feel like Ah should at times, but what's the point? Ah m-mean, sure Twilight's little friend Spiiiiike likes tah ride me sometimes. Ah'm one m-mean, kicker. H-he never stays on."

"Who's S-Spike?" Soarin murmured, wiping his perspiring face.

"Oh forget it, stallions never listen tah what mares are a-tryin' tah say." Applejack brought a shot glass up to her eye to look through it. "It's empty!" she exclaimed, smacking down on the table, "Shots!"

"B-boy, they serve f-fast here, don't they?" Soarin remarked after the bartender slapped down two more shot glasses in front of them.

"Alright, back tah our g-game. Ah dare ya tah…try this here brussel sprouts Ah didn't finish on mah salad."

"I h-hate those things. T-they remind me of droppings." Quickly, the colt placed the vegetables into his mouth and grimaced as he chewed.

"Ah can't b…believe-" Applejack let out a guffaw and threw her head back.

"Uh-uh-uh," Soarin interjected, pushing the shot glass towards her. "I did the dare. Now you d-do the deed." Taking a huge swig, the blonde smacked the cup down and banged on her thighs.

"Wow-za!" she yelped, motioning over for more shots.

"OK, OK, I got a good one. I dare y-you to…kiss me."

"Eww, what if ya got c-cooties or somethin'?"

"N-not even a peck on the cheek?"

"Fine, there's no way I'm gonna be more t-tipsy than you."

"I think w-we're both past the tipsy stage," he retorted, feeling her tug him closer to her. Their lips pressed awkwardly and she began to pull away. Staring into each other's eyes, their goofy demeanor vanished momentarily as she took a deep breath. Tenderly, he planted him lips onto hers as she wrapped her arm around him neck. Her hat fell off her head and brushed against her shoulder, causing her to retract.

"There, Ah did yer dare," she announced with a mischievous grin, "Now drink up."

"That was the best dare yet," he kidded.

"Yeah, well, don't expect too much of that," she warned as she watched him drink the alcohol, "A-Ah'm a traditional gal. Ah don't give away myself j-just willy-nilly."

"Aww, I was hoping t-to be your knight in s-shining armor," he joshed, "Your turn." Her gaze became inspired.

"Ah've got the perfect dare."

……………………………….

Shielding her sight from the blinding sunlight, the orange filly rose herself to a sitting position to find her head ringing. Opening her eyes slightly more, panic grew within her chest. She did not recognize the place she resided. Wrapped in white linens, she glared to her left to find a large window that was partially covered by curtains. It seemed as if she was in a bedroom but the arrangement of the place struck odd to her. Something caught her eye on the dresser next to her and she reached to get it. Picking it up, she soon realized it was a hotel key. With her heart beating against her ribcage, she scrambled to get out of bed to find a large, pale blanket on the floor. Grabbing onto it, she caught a glance of a pony and found out that it was a slumbering Soarin. Gasping, she immediately dropped the covers and stepped over him. Everything span. She tried to recollect her memory from the night before but failed.

Suddenly, she saw her reflection from the mirror on the wall across from her. Ignoring the stabbing headache she was experiencing, she galloped to the mirror. Everything seemed fine until she saw a flash from her left ear. Her irises grew small as she tapped her sore ear.

"When did Ah get an ear piercin'?" she whispered frantically. The table underneath her showed a picture with a paper attached to it. The photograph showed her and a recognizable blue stallion smiling in front of a building that read ‘Chapel of Love’. Flipping over the picture, she read the larger paper which was surrounded by gold trim. Setting it down, she tip-toed over to Soarin who was now letting out soft snores. It was just as she feared: he has the same earring on his left ear. Grasping the paper again, she read the title again in utter disbelief.

"Oh sweet Celestia," she panted, "Ah've eloped with a Wonderbolt!"

Chapter 2

With the coin she found on the floor, Applejack placed it into the slot and grabbed the phone. As she dialed, she rested her head on the cool metal cover surrounding it. She could care less about the amount of ponies who touched it, she just wanted to sooth her throbbing head. Letting the phone ring, she let her mind wander until her fearful thoughts caught up with her. How was she going to tell her family? The idea of her relatives being disappointed and angry at her made her squirm. That and the fact that she stayed a whole night without them knowing made her panic, too. When she was finished with this phone call, she promised herself, she would get back to the farm right away. Finally, a familiar voice answered the phone which got her hopes rising a little. She knew that she could always depend on a friend to understand her situation.

Oh who was she kidding?

-What?!- the raspy voice shrieked on the other line. -You've eloped?-

"Ah know, Ah know," she spat out, "It's awful, Rainbow, Ah don't know what to do. Ah drank so much last night and Ah don't remember a thing."

-You got married? Is this legit?-

"Ah got the ring, the license, the photo, the certificate, everythin'," she listed, pulling on her ponytail absent-mindedly, "What am Ah suppose to do? What am Ah suppose to tell the folks back at home now? How do Ah tell them about the weddin' when Ah get back?"

-What are you gonna tell them when you get back period?-, Rainbow countered, -They've been worried sick! They're going to every pony's house looking for you! They are having search parties for you!-

"Really? They've been doin' all that?" Taking a deep breath, Applejack cleared her throat. "Ah feel so bad."

-Well, they love you, AJ. And you need to get back here as soon as possible. I had to cover your flank by saying that fans found Soarin and that it's not that uncommon for stars to stay in hotels until the hysteria dies down.-

"But there were no fans that-"

-Hold up! It just hit me.- Rainbow barked -You and Soarin? You two are married now?-

"Yes."

-So you go on your first official date with the guy and you guys do probably some of the dumbest things you can do in Lost Wages. Stupid. All of this is just stupid. I can't believe you guys! How can both of you be so stupid?-

"RD, you're not makin' me feel any better."

-How do you think I feel when my best friend from foal hood and my closest teammate who I consider to be almost a brother gets wasted and has an impulsive marriage? I'm gonna be just a little bit disappointed I would think. You're lucky you didn't get hurt, walking around like that. And staying overnight without anypony knowing? Both parties for you two have been panicking, they've even called the police to get in on this.-

"Please, Ah feel terrible as it is. Ah didn't want any of this, Ah'm in the worst situation of my life."

-You got that right, sister! All of this is foolish and stupid and dumb and careless and- -

"Can you lower yer voice a smudge? Ah feel like my ear's startin' to bleed."

-Drink some coffee and get home, pronto.-

"Wait, Rainbow?" Applejack called out, twirling the phone line, "Are ya mad at me?" She heard a sigh on the other line.

-No. Well, maybe a little, but that'll die down. I was just scared out of my mind. I didn't want to even think about two ponies who I love to just disappear like that. And when I heard the reason why, I don't know. I just lost it. It's just such a silly reason to get all of us worked up over nothing, you know? Well, not nothing, but something as stupid as what you guys did.-

"Ah do, and Ah can see your point of view. Ah don't know what to do know, though. About the marriage."

-Have you talked to Soarin about it?-

"No, when Ah woke up an hour ago, he was still asleep."

-So…let me get this straight. Right now you're outside of your hotel on the sidewalk by the streets using a payphone and Soarin, who may have woken up by now and is disoriented due to the alcohol the night prior, may or may not still be in the room with evidence of a drunk wedding. You're gone.- Applejack stood for a moment, her eyes growing wide.

"Ah gotta go," she announced, starting to place the phone back on the receiver when she heard Rainbow telling her to wait, "What is it?"

-How was the wedding night?- she suggestively asked before Applejack hung up the phone irritably.

………………………………............

Making her way into the hotel room, the colt caught the corner of her eye. He was still sleeping and she rushed over to him quietly. Normally she was not the type to be star-struck and treat celebrity ponies any different than non-famous ponies but seeing him as he was dawned on her odd. Because she had become so accustomed to all the years of hearing about him and seeing his professional pictures, she reminded herself that he too was an equal to her, a pony that woke up in the mornings looking like everypony else. Rubbing his shoulder, the colt rolled from his side onto his back to face her with his eyes still shut. He looked so vulnerable, so peaceful. As she whispered his name, she shook him slightly hastier. Exposing his green orbs, he knitted his eyebrows while he pushed himself to a sitting position.

"A-are we in a hotel room?" he queried after a long silence while searing the room, "And what are those mirrors doing on the ceiling?" Before she could answer his primary question, he rubbed his temples and groaned. "Oh Luna…"

"Here, Ah've got somethin' important to talk to ya about," she informed him, handing him a cup of coffee, "It's about last night."

"W-w-what happened?" he probed with his eyes growing wide.

"Ah'm unable to determine exactly what happened but Ah've got an idea," she explained, noticing the confused look on his face. She gave him the marriage papers along with the photo and waited for him to finish observing them. "Ah woke up in this room with ya earlier to find an earrin' right in the middle of my ear. At first Ah freaked out, especially after lookin' at the placement of the thing. And then Ah saw these things in yer hooves and, well, Ah put two and two together and-"

"We've eloped?" he blurted out. By the expression on his face, Applejack could tell that he did not believe his own words coming out of his mouth. "Holy…we eloped."

"Yeah. Ah talked to Rainbow a few minutes ago and she said that everypony's lookin' fer us. We should get back to Ponyville as soon as possible."

"What did Rainbow say?" Applejack hesitated.

"We got enough things to worry about right now."

"I-I don't remember a thing," he stammered.

"Neither do Ah. Well, Ah do remember that we had a nice dinner." They exchanged small smiles and quickly broke their glances.

"I may know somepony who can tell us what happened."

……………………………..

"So you two came running into the cart, giggling like maniacs," the driver told them as he secured his harness, "Obviously you two had some drinks. I could smell the alcohol from here. Soarin, you said something about how your date dared you to marry her-"

"So this is all mah fault," she spat out.

"At first I tried to talk you to out of it, but you kept on insisting on it. You even said you were going to fire me if I don't take you. You swore you weren't going to lose the game and break a dare. You always were a competitive one."

"I'm sorry, Phil," Soarin apologized.

"I still refused so you took Applejack and flew her over to the Chapel of Love. It was the nearest place. It was actually a romantic moment between the two of you now that I think about it. Flying over the crowds."

"Ah could've been dropped, are ya crazy?"

"You were the one who made the dare!" Soarin shot back.

"I tried to catch up to you guys but it was extremely crowded. By time I got there, you two were outside with pierced ears and papers. After the two of you barfed up your dinners in the bushes, I took you guys to the nearest hotel. Both of you were completely passed out in the back seats and I didn't want to take you home that way."

"Oh Soarin," Applejack moaned, burying her face in her hooves, "Ah just wanna go home." Soarin nodded to his driver who started the cart.

"Thank you for everything, Phil," he called out, "Seriously, thanks bro."

"No problemo!"

"What are we going to do?" Soarin asked Applejack.

"We can't stay married," she declared, facing him, "My word, in less than two days Ah'm gonna be a wife filin' for divorce."

"Can't we get a…uh…what's it called again?" he wondered out loud, "An…annulment. Yeah, that's what it's called. We can get an annulment."

"What's that?"

"It's like the same thing as a divorce only it's for short-term marriages. So after we get one, we wouldn't be divorced we'd just be single again. I think that sounds less messy. It'd be like it never happened." Applejack studied him for a moment.

"How d'ya know this?"

He gave a shrug. "I'm in the entertainment industry. I hear about this stuff a lot." He let out a nervous chuckle. "Just never thought it'd apply to me."

"Me neither."

"Look, I-I can get my lawyer into this and we can work it out, OK? It'll be smooth sailing."

"Smooth," Applejack mumbled to herself, peering out the window, "Here comes my barn." The driver halted and opened the door for her. As she climbed out, she turned back to Soarin and gave a timid grin.

"I'll talk to you soon, alright?" he promised.

"Ya better," she teased with her face falling, "Take care." Quickly, she took off her earring and rubbed her ear. There was no way her family could find out. After he said his farewell to her, she dragged her hooves towards the farm, dreading the array of reactions from the residents. Suddenly, she remembered Rainbow Dash's words during their phone conversation. Perhaps they believed her friend and they were not so worried about her as she thought they would have been. Opening the door, she let it swing open and was instantly greeted by her family members.

"Oh Applejack, we've been calling everywhere fer ya!" Applebloom cried out, wrapping her arms around her older sister's legs, "Ah'm so happy yer safe!" The young filly stood back and her face turned stern. "Don't ya ever do that again!"

"Ah won't, Ah promise," she told her, turning to Big Macintosh.

"Why didn't ya call?" his low voice grumbled. His tone still had a calmness to it but his eyes blazed fury.

"A-Ah sorry, Ah should have."

"Darn right ya should've. What were ya thinkin'? Stayin' overnight in some other city with some colt without callin' us or anythin'?"

"Ah can't tell ya how sorry Ah-"

"Is that Applejack?" a voice called out. The elderly mare stepped out from the kitchen and found the orange equestrian standing by the door. Applejack could not help but notice her grandmother's deteriorating condition. Gray hairs flew all over the place as her eyes showed red veins that touched her peach irises. She trotted up to her and embraced the country pony. "Ah was so worried 'bout ya."

"Ah know, Granny Smith, Ah know," Applejack said with her voice cracking.

"Yer friend Rainbow Dash told us that fans fled for ya guys and that y'all had to stay in a hotel room," Granny Smith explained into Applejack's hair. Her grip grew tighter. "Ah didn't hear at all from ya." Abruptly, she pulled back and glared at her granddaughter. "Don't you ever pull somethin' as stupid as you did last night, ya hear me? Ah thought Ah raised a responsible filly but Ah've been proven otherwise." Her chin began to quiver and Applejack's body grew weak with guilt.

"Ah'm so sorry," she whispered, "Ah didn't mean to scare everypony."

"Ya had us worried sick!" Granny exclaimed, "And Ah gotta few choice words fer yer date as well! In fact, Ah don't want to see him 'round here again! Ah can't trust him no more. Ah gave him one chance and he blew it."

"Yes ma'am."

"Now, get tah work," she demanded, walking towards the kitchen again. Applebloom let out a small whistle and went upstairs as Big Macintosh escorted Applejack to the backyard.

"Big Mac, Ah'm so sorry. Ah so, so sorry-"

"Y'know, words start to lose their meanin' when they're repeated constantly," her brother interjected as he handed her a basket, "Now, back to the routine."

…………………………..

The next afternoon, when completing the first group of trees to buck, Applejack let herself inside the kitchen. Tension were still high but she hoped that by the end of the week, everything would be normal again. The only thing that occupied her mind now was whether or not she was going to tell them about the marriage she was going to annul. As the phone rang, she reached for it and took it off the receiver to answer it.

-Hey Applejack, baby, how're doing?- the voice on the other line greeted. It sounded foreign to her yet the dispatcher obviously knew who she was.

"Ah think Ah'm gonna hang-up now," she droned, starting to tug it away from her ear.

-Allow me to introduce myself- the voice continued, -I'm Top Boss, the Wonderbolt's manager. I believe we've never met before but I am aware that you have some Wonderbolt friends.-

"Y-yeah, I'm friends with Rainbow Dash," she replied, lowering her voice, "Look, Ah can't talk right now."

-I have a feeling you have another friend here, too.- Applejack's shoulders dropped.

"W-what d'ya mean?"

-I'll get straight to the point: I know about the marriage. Between you and Soarin. I got the info and deets and all that jazz.- Anger swelled in Applejack's chest.

"Who else did Soarin tell?" she snapped.

-No worries, he didn't tell nopony nothing.- Applejack swore that somewhere in Ponyville, Twilight cringed at the poor grammar he was using.

"Then how didja find out?"

-That's what I want us to talk about over lunch someday. You, me, and Soarin at the restaurant of your choice. I'll tell you guys everything and what I have planned.-

"Wait, planned?"

-You got it. What's the time and place?- She paused for a moment to get her thoughts together. It would have to be someplace reliable, someplace that her grandmother would allow her to go to.

"Alright, y'know the little café next to the market place?"

-I know exactly where you're talking about.-

"We'll meet there. In the morning. At nine."

-Nine o'clock AM. Got it. We'll be there on the dot.-

"Now what are we gonna talk about? And what d'ya mean ya got somethin' planned?" The other line was quiet for a moment.

-Well, if I tell you over the phone, I might scare you away.-

Chapter 3

Placing her hoof through the strap, Applejack secured the tote bag and re-tied her ponytail. Apprehension overwhelmed her body so she took a few moments to control her breathing again. Bags circled around her eyes, she noticed, as she glanced through the mirror due to the lack of sleep the night prior. Too many thoughts swirled her head. As she put her hat on top of her head like her usual routine, she twitched her left ear and grimaced. Hoping that it would heal before any of her family members noticed, she brushed her bangs over it to hide the hole from the earring. She pulled out the drawer in front of her and picked up a balled up napkin, soon exposing the marital jewelry. The sun reflected off from the metal and she gently wrapped the ring again to stuff it deeper into the dresser. Finally, she made her way into the kitchen.

"Good mornin', Granny Smith," she called out to the elderly mare. For a minute, the green pony inspected her granddaughter and brought down her newspaper.

"Where're ya goin' with that get up?" she inquired, motioning to Applejack's bag.

"A-Ah'm goin' to the market," she admitted, fidgeting a little. Granny Smith let her gaze linger on a little longer and returned to reading her paper.

"Make sure you get a fresh loaf of bread," she called out, "Ah'll see ya when ya get back."

"Thanks, Ah'll be back soon," Applejack called out as she let herself out of the house. Shutting the door, she leaned against it with her heart beating against her chest. Technically, she was not lying she figured because she really was going to the market. But she still had to fight off the sinking feeling in her chest. Soon, she began her journey to the market place. She traveled the same trail and noticed the same details she always pointed out to herself like usual but it certainly seemed longer than she remembered. Eventually, she strode up to the familiar shopping center and dug through her purse.

"Ah'll take a loaf of bread, please," she announced to the worker behind the stand. She figured may as well get the task over with. Checking her watch, she saw that the time was two minutes till nine so she headed over to the café shop. She never knew the name of it so she just always referred to it as 'the little café shop'. In reality, she would rather not learn the title. Letting herself in, two distinguishable ponies in the back corner caught her attention and she trotted over to them.

"Oh there's our bride," the seated stallion pronounced, getting up from his chair. As he approached her, Applejack could not help but notice his small stature along with his comb over. He grabbed one of her legs and gave a large smooch on her wrist then escorted her to his table. "Here, let me pull a chair out for you."

"Th-thanks," she replied, taken back by his charisma. He flashed her a toothy smile to try to make her comfortable. Peering to her right, she tried to make out the pony next to her. She couldn't figure it out until he quickly swallowed his breakfast and greeted her.

"I hope you made it here OK," Soarin added, "D'ya want anything to eat?"

"No thank you. To tell y'all the truth these nerves in me are makin' me not hungry." She took a moment to observe the Wonderbolt. He seemed polar opposite to the smooth- talking, overly groomed colt he was back in Lost Wages. Now, in what she assumed to be him incognito to avoid intrusive fans, his mane was pulled back into a sleek ponytail along with a cap to accompany his dramatic hairstyle. A large hoodie swallowed his body, causing his to push up his sleeves every so often, and she wondered how distorted his view of the coffee shop was due to the tinted lens of his sunglasses. His posture was completely opposite to his usually proper, athletic stance. His shoulders were now hunched as he made small movements, making him appear almost child-like.

"I see we can't keep our eyes off each other," Soarin's company teased, pointing at the two of them. Applejack had not realized how long she had been staring at the blue colt finishing his sandwich.

"S-sorry, Ah didn't mean to look at ya for so long," she apologized, turning forward. From the corner of her eye, she saw him smirk to himself and continued his breakfast. "Ya must be Top Boss."

"Right indeed!" the manager answered with glee. He slapped out copies of a fax message in front of the newlyweds and held one up for his own. "Look, I'll skip the small talk and get down to the nitty-gritty. You can read along if you want as I explain everything." Placing on his round reading glasses, his cleared his throat. "So basically, there was an insider in the Chapel of Love. They saw everything. They saw that you two were intoxicated and saw the whole ceremony from the walking down the aisle to getting your ears pierced. Now, they say they aren't going to release this information if you two give a little shout out to them."

"Shout out?" Applejack repeated.

"Yeah, like a spokes pony. They want you two to come out with an interview endorsing their place and saying that you got married their. They want the exposure."

"And what if Ah refuse?" she boomed with her emerald orbs growing large.

"Then everything comes out. Every single thing is published." Soarin choked on his bread in response.

"So basically they're blackmailing us?" he cut in angrily.

"I wouldn't call it blackmailing exactly, more like…well yeah, it's blackmailing."

"Ah don't believe this," Applejack commented, shaking her head. "So either we go public about our marriage or they put it out there against our will."

"That's not fair!" Soarin exclaimed.

"Can't y'all sue them for abuse of power or somethin'?"

"I don't think so, baby," Top Boss denied, "We wouldn't want to have a lawsuit on our hooves on top of all of this."

"So then Ah guess we're gonna be put out there either way."

"This isn't a friendly business," Top Boss informed, "And right now you've been hit in one of the most hardest ways. I'm sorry for that." He took off his glasses and placed them on the table. "Now here's where my plan comes in."

"I didn't think it was possible, but I lost my appetite," Soarin sarcastically pointed out, dropping the sandwich onto his plate.

"Now you two will have a small announcement in a magazine saying that you're married. I say, let's have a little fun with this, shall we? We fabricate a story. How you two met, when you guys fell in love, how much you've been planning for this-"

"But we did none of those things," Applejack interrupted.

"The public doesn't have to know that."

"And I was going to talk to my lawyer about an annulment," Soarin retorted.

"No worries, just put on this marriage façade for a little while and then get the annulment after a few months. It'll look worse if that drunk story leaked and you got an annulment a week later."

"Wait, hold up, Ah'd be married to him for a few months?" realized Applejack.

"Yeah, just stretch it out for a little bit longer. That's like lightyears in the entertainment industry. And you're annulment will still apply to you guys. You two would've stayed married for less than a year. Have you guys consummated your marriage?"

"Consummated? What's that?" Top Boss motioned her over closer to him. He whispered something in her ear and she pulled back with a disgusted look. "Well Ah certainly hope we didn't consummate our marriage!"

"Then an annulment is possible. It'll be like it never happened. Technically."

"Yeah, 'cept the whole public will know about it," Soarin snapped.

"We'd be lyin'! Ah'm the Element of Honesty, Ah can't lie! It's not me!"

"Don't think of it as lying, think of it as…"

"Lying," Applejack bluntly remarked, "Ah don't think Ah can pull it off."

"Look, I know ponies who can make you two seem like the happiest couple in the world. They can train the both of you. If this story," he held up the faxes in his hoof, "leaks out, you're done for. It's a hard decision, but you gotta make it." Soarin and Applejack exchanged worried glances and turned back to the manager.

"Fine," she meekly agreed, "I'll go along with this." Top Boss quickly shook their hooves.

"Don't worry, you two and your images will be nice and protected with me. In fact, I may have an announcement done by this afternoon."

"Maybe we should tell the ponies that are very near and dear to us about our 'happy' news," Soarin suggested.

……………………………….........

Applejack saw her relatives stiffen their postures as Applejack approached their home with Soarin by her side. Granny Smith halted her rocking chair as Big Macintosh stood by the stairs, giving them a glare of resentment.

"A-Ah need to tell y'all something'-"

"What's he doin' here?" Granny Smith shouted out. Applejack's aunt, Mother Apple, opened the screen door to see what was occurring on the porch. "He better be here tah 'pologize!"

"O-oh yes," Soarin stammered, quickly looking at his secret bride and back to the elderly pony, "I am truly, deeply sorry what happened the other day. I should have called, that was a completely irresponsible thing to do on my part." Only when Big Macintosh stood in front of him was when Soarin realized how small his stature was compared to the farmer.

"Ah don't like you with my sister like this," he grumbled. "Ya got some nerve."

"Big Mac, is that any way to treat a house guest?" Mother Apple pronounced.

"He ain't a house guest Ah want here," he responded, still not taking his vision off of the Pegasus.

"Well, he's still company," Mother Apple countered.

"Can't we all go in?" Applejack demanded, stepping closer to her brother, "Please? This is important." The robust stallion stepped aside and followed all the ponies into the living room.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Braeburn questioned as he entered through the back door, "Ah saw from the fields everypony go into the house and-" He grew quiet as he looked over to Soarin and caught his mother waving her hoof over to the empty seat next to her.

"Come sit next to me, baby," Mother Applejack cooed, "Applejack says she's got somethin' to say to us."

"Ah don't know how to start this so Ah'm just gonna say it," Applejack began after Braeburn sat down. She closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled. "Soarin and Ah, on our date, eloped." She saw the bewildered expressions on their faces and continued talking. "We've eloped. We're, uh, husband and wife now." Soarin picked up the speed and grabbed her hoof.

"Ever since I first met your daughter, I couldn't keep my eyes off of her," he trailed, "I got to meet her a couple of times due to Rainbow and I being on the same time, and I could already tell she was different. Unique. I asked for her hoof in marriage and she said yes. Isn't that right, dear?" Applejack felt the sweat rolling down her temple. He was good at improvising she noted.

"R-right. I-it was, uh, true love. A-at first sight."

"Congratulations!" Mother Apple popped up and rose her arms to give them both a huge hug, "Another addition to the family!"

"You've done got yerself married?" Granny Smith exploded, "What didja do that for?"

"Oh boy," Applebloom murmured.

"Ya can't mess with true love," Mother Apple pointed out, receiving a dirty stare from Granny Smith.

"Ah don't care about this young love business! Ever since this Soarin character was brought into the picture, everythin' is all scattered! Ya don't know what his intentions are, Applejack. What if he's tryin' tah manipulate ya? Maybe this weddin' is a scam of his or-"

"Ah came up with the idea!" Applejack fought back, jumping out of her chair, "Ah wanted the ceremony, Ah suggested it to him." She turned to grab his hoof in assurance. "Ah got yer back," she whispered to him. Big Macintosh shook his head and excused himself to go upstairs. Granny Smith's eyes became glassy which caused her to look down.

"Mother, maybe we should check on the cows," Braeburn advised, leading the mare out of the house. Applebloom followed, slamming the screen door behind her.

"Ah want ya both outta my house," Granny's voice trembled, "Ah can't look at ya right now."

"Granny, Ah-"

"Now! Ah don't want him to ever step on my property again, ya hear me? The both of ya get out!" Applejack stood for a moment, biting her lip. She lead Soarin out of the door and she heard her grandmother call something out. "Ah want ya back by supper, AJ. Maybe then Ah can stand to talk to ya."

………………………………

"Are you sure your family's OK with this?" Soarin asked, leading Applejack out of his cart the next morning.

"Kinda, my brother and sister are out shoppin' which'll hold them all afternoon, my cousin Braeburn is watchin' the baby while Rainbow works outs with Cardio Carl, and Granny Smith is takin' her nap." A small giggle escaped from her mouth as she saw his face drop. "Don't worry, she never wakes up from her nap. But she does wake up at 3:54 P.M. Exactly. So we should get home before then. Now is there anythin' Ah need t'know?"

"Well, I have a twin sister." Now it was Applejack's face to come to a shock. "What? You thought I was an only child? I may be spoiled, but my other half is worse," he joked, giving a wink, "My father is an architect while my mother is a beautician. Sometimes my grandparents like to visit since they're neighbors and all so they might even be over."

"Great, more tah stress over." He wrapped a reassuring arm around her and gave her a gentle shake.

"Don't worry, you got this is the bag. Just ignore the fact that they're my parents and your in-laws. They're just like any family, living in a little cozy home." Moving toward to what Applejack initially thought was a small hotel, she soon found out that it was a townhouse.

"Little cozy home, alright," she muttered in amazement as Soarin rang the doorbell.

"Soarin! So happy t'see ya, babe!" a plump mare screamed out as she tightly embrace him, "I haven't seen ya in two weeks! Oh it's been so long. Of course I know how busy you celebrities can be." She turned over her shoulder as she let go of him. "GEORGE GET DOWN HERE-UH! YOUR SON'S AT THUH DOOR!" She made eye contact with Applejack behind him and grinned. "Hello, dawlin', what's your name?" The country tried to figure out what region her accent came from.

"Applejack," she replied, "Ah hope ya don't mind me askin', but where are ya from?"

"New Jockey," she proudly answered, fluffing her curly orange hair, "GEORGE! WHAT'S TAKIN' YA SO LONG!"

"I'LL BE DOWN IN A MINUTE!" a voice called from upstairs which made Applejack jump slightly.

"WELL HURRY UP! I'VE HAD HAIR STRANDS THAT TURNED GRAY FASTAH THAN YOU COMIN' TO THE DOORWAY!" She turned to the blonde filly again. "I'm so saw-rry, he can be so rude sometimes."

"Yeah well…"

"Actually," Soarin cut in, "we were wondering if we could come in to-" Before they knew it, the couple were tugged into the living room, being offered an array of cuisine choices.

"Here have a snack," an elderly pony pushed, holding one to Applejack's nose.

"It's OK, really."

"C'mon, you're as thin as uh stick."

"Really, Ah had a heavy breakfast."

"Soarin, what's the matter with her?"

"OK, Grandma, that's enough," he said, giving her an appreciative smile.

"I'm Chitchat," Soarin's mother introduced, "And this is my ma, Kosher Kate. My father's ov-ah there sleepin' in the chair. His name is Old Fart." Applejack nearly choked on her water. "Ha! I get 'em every time! It's actually Jitterbug." A young mare stood in the doorway, fiddling with some sort of electronic device. "Oh Sequin Sparkle, come say hello to Soarin's friend, Applejack."

"How ya doin'?" she greeted as her eyes twinkled.

"She just gawt back from her college classes, isn't that right dear?"

"Ya, I'm studying' t'be a doctah."

"I'm here, Chitchat," a pudgy stallion announced as he entered the room. He adjusted his thin-framed glasses and wiped his mustache.

"Soarin's here! 'N' he brought his lil' friend, Applejack."

"Hi Applejack," he greeted, "I'm George Whatshisname."

"If you guys don't mind," Soarin proclaimed, "I kinda have something to say."

"What is it?" Chitchat shrieked, "Is it serious?"

"Well, kinda, but nothing to get excited about-"

"You’re sick with some kinda disease! I knew, just knew, that this was gonna happen from trainin' too hard and I was right!"

"No, Mom-"

"You committed a crime! Don't worry, I'll bail you out."

"Mom, I'm not even in jail. What I was going to say-"

"You're gay!"

"What?"

"Don't worry, I'll always love you no mah-ttah who you are with!"

"Let me finish, Mom! I am not dying or a criminal or gay or any combination of those. But... I am married."

"I don't get it," George Whatshisname called out.

"I'm married. I've eloped with a very special somepony," he clarified, reaching for Applejack's hoof.

"Ya have a very lovely son," she blurted out awkwardly.

"That's not fair!" Sequin Sparkle barked, "How come he has a wife but I hadn't had a date in a month!"

"You got…married?" Chitchat breathed, "Are you outta ya high flyin' hair-gellin' air flippin' mind? I nevah even met the girl before! Why didn't ya introduce her to us? Why did ya eloped?" A loud gasped excaped her. "Is she pregnant?"

"No Mom!" Soarin denied, turning a bright shade of pink.

"How can I trust her? What if she's aftah ya money? I know the groupie type!"

"Groupie?" Applejack snapped, "Who you callin' a groupie?"

"C'mon, sweetheart, he's handsome, successful, young, and loaded with cash. Don't act like I don't know what you’re doin'!" Applejack felt a soothing rub on her should from Soarin.

"Ah'm not after the money, honest to Celestia Ah'm not. In fact, one of my best friends is Rainbow Dash and she's on the same team as your son. She's always offerin' t'pay fer my meals and other stuff outta kindness but it's her money so Ah refuse it. Ah'll prove anythin' to ya to show that Ah don't want his money. Ah'll open separate bank accounts, Ah'll sign a pre-nup, Ah'll get him a piggy back without the cork on the bottom. Please, don't think Ah'm that girl. Ah see character, not dollar signs."

"I don't-"

"Aw wouldja be quiet?" Kosher Kate told her daughter, "Ya liked her a second ago. Wasn't your first instinct of her a good one?"

"Yeah until I found out they gawt married after one date."

"Big deal! You know how your father and I got married? We eloped after one day of meetin' each other. One day! And we're still happy tah-geth-ah with kids 'n' grandkids. At least ya know that Soarin's been lookin' at this filly for a while now." The older mare leaned closer to Applejack. "He's crazy 'bout ya," she testified with a wink, "Wouldn't stop talkin' 'bout ya whenever he went to the barn." The orange pony turned to the Wonderbolt and gave a timid glance. "At least he's gotten t'know her before the whole Lawst Wages fiasco. What's the point of bein' mad? She's your daw-tah-in-law wheth-ah ya like it or nawt." A silence crept up on the group. Slowly, Applejack reached for a biscuit in from of her and nibbled on it.

"Mmm," she hummed, "Boy, Chitchat, ya make the best biscuits."

……………………………….

Tilting against the door, Applejack felt a swarm of relief within her as she examined her entry way. No place like home she thought to herself. Suddenly she heard a small tap at the door and opened it. She found herself face to face with a newspaper headline shoved at her eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?" Rarity demanded, shaking the paper.

"'Ponyville Chronicles'" she read, "Well, it means that we have a newspaper and-"

"Not that, the article underneath it!" Her eyesight scanned to a large block of text, congratulating a pair of newlyweds on their recent marriage. "It says that you and Soarin are married now fess up!"

"Ah, uh, Ah-"

"Is this just another one of those silly rumors?" Fluttershy asked quietly. Applejack's shoulders went limp and she carelessly swung her arm inward.

"C'mon in," she insisted.

"Are you guys really married?" Pinkie questioned, hopping up and down, "Huh? Huh? Huh-huh-huh?"

"Well-"

"Don't be ridiculous, Pinkie," Twilight cut in, "It's just a rumor."

"Not exactly," Applejack retorted, taking a pause, "It's not a rumor, it's true. Ah married Soarin." A collective gasp came from her group of friends. After the initially shock died down, Pinkie perked up.

"Should I sing you a song?" she proposed, pulling out an accordion from her mane.

"You can't be serious," Rarity droned.

"What is with everypony and hiding their marriages?" Twilight whined.

"So… was it love at first sight like the article says?" Fluttershy probed, "Is that why you two eloped?" Unexpectedly, Applejack let out a large, boisterous guffaw to the point where she was doubled over.

"Ya wanna know why Ah eloped? The real reason why? It wasn't because of 'true love' or 'love at first sight' or whatever other clichés this newspaper claims. Oh no, it was because the both of us were out-of-our-minds drunk!" The fillies gaped their mouths open from the combination of Applejack's flamboyant attitude to her actual words. Pinkie, however, fell over laughing.

"AJ, are you thinking straight?" a concerned Twilight inquired.

"Better than ever! This is great! The best I've felt these past coupla days! Gosh, y'know, Ah'm basically bein' blackmailed by the Chapel of Love because they saw Soarin and Ah drunk and getting' married. They're threatenin' us to endorse them 'cause if we don't they'll leak the story, so of course we have to play along with this happy couple image. Ah had to lie to my family and lie to his family about us wantin' to get married and now the newspaper thing! Oh, that article is icin' on the cake!"

"Did somepony say cake?" Pinkie called out.

"So there ya have it, Ah'm lyin' to the whole world about me lovin' him and wantin' this marriage! The truth is it's complete manure! We were drunk! We were intoxicated! Wasted! Under the influence! Smashed! And that's the truth!" Without realizing it, Applejack stepped backwards after every word until she felt her backside hit another body. She turned around and felt herself go empty.

"Ah'm back early from shoppin' with AB," the low voice growled.

"Oh h-hey Big Mac," she stuttered, giving a meek wave, "H-how long have ya been standin' back there?"

Chapter 4

Quickly, the country mare opened her mouth to say something and then shut it closed. Her brother glared at her as he tightened his mouth. Watching his jaw move slightly, she guessed that he was grinding his teeth. She found her chin almost touching the floor from cowering and decided to straighten her body.

"Ah knew somethin' didn't sound right about this whole marriage thing," he stated, taking a step forward. The group of friends exchanged looks after a long silence and made a visual agreement.

"M-maybe we should leave," Rarity suggested, pointing her head towards the door, "Excuse us." Applejack's eyes had a slight panicky look to them as she viewed her departing friends. The yellow Pegasus gave her a meek smile in hopes of calming her nerves.

"Go easy on her, OK?" Fluttershy whispered to Big Macintosh.

"She's my sister," he reminded, looking at the orange filly.

"Your little sister," she added, turning her way towards the door. Hearing the latch lock after the mare let herself out, the red stallion took a deep breath.

"Ah don't believe it."

"Ah'm s-sorry, Big Mac," she spat out, "Ah didn't mean t'drink, Ah didn't-"

"Not that. Ah can't believe ya lied to me. Tah us." Applejack slowly put her head down, her eyes stinging. "Now don't get me wrong, Ah'm highly disappointed in you drinkin' till yer drunk and marryin' somepony, but Ah can't believe ya lied to yer family and hide the truth like that. How couldja do such a thing? Weren't ya raised better than that?"

"A-Ah'm sorry-"

"Ah want ya t'explain yerself. Stop apologizin' 'cause at this point it's not gonna get ya anywhere." Applejack looked at her brother again, her emerald orbs now glassy.

"Ah don't know what t'say," she murmured, "Ah don't know what to say t'make this right."

"Ah couldn't believe mah ears when Ah heard ya tell yer friends the truth about this sham marriage," he growled. Suddenly, his face grew soft and he stared at his hunching sibling. "But, Ah also couldn't believe it when Ah heard ya sayin' were bein' blackmailed."

"Y-ya heard that part?"

"Everythin' from the door knock till now." Abruptly, the blonde horse collapsed into her brother and he swiftly embraced her then swayed with her. He felt her body jerk with each sob and he furrowed his eyebrows. "Ah know yer not the bad guy, AJ." She continued to cry more, wrapping her arms tighter around him as she buried her face into his chest.

"Ah'm trapped," her muffled voice exclaimed, "And Ah know the worse hasn't even come yet." Big Macintosh wiped her wet cheeks when she pulled back. "Promise not to tell anypony about this. Especially Granny Smith. Got it?"

"Applejack-"

"Ah'm serious," she snapped, her cheeks flushing with fury. He let out a long sigh and hugged her again.

"Ah'll back ya up no matter what."

………………………………........................

Reminiscing the phone conversation she had with Rainbow Dash, Applejack shook her hind leg in anticipation as she tried to ignore the bumps that the cart rolled over. The amount of trees from the outside increased as the dirt roads soon became polished asphalt streets. There ahead was a building in the distance. As she got closer to it, she saw the neon sign titled 'The Wonderbolt Headquarters' and felt her heart skip a beat.

"What is that suppose t'mean?" Applejack questioned her friend on the phone the night prior, "'Evaluate' me? That's what Top told me, he's gonna 'evaluate' me." A chuckle was let out on the other line.

-You'll see.- Rainbow guaranteed.

"Ah mean, what do they do exactly?"

-Well, I don't want to give too much away.-

"Aw, just a little?"

-They want to see what they can do with your image. After all, you are a public figure now. All the talent agencies do this. Don't sweat about it. You'll be fine.-

Applejack gave a small jump of surprise when the driver opened the door for her. Sliding out, she examined her surroundings. Seeing everything from ponies in sharp suits to ponies in sweat-ridden clothes, she trotted towards the foreign entrance. Immediately, she was greeted by a young mare with a tiny white bow in her bun.

"Hello," she greeted in a wispy voice, "Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh yeah," she answered, taking a moment to digest everything and get her thoughts in order, "With Top Boss? My name is Applejack and-"

"Miss Applejack is here to see you, Mr. Boss," the worker noted. At first, Applejack was not sure why she was talking into the air the way she was but she then spotted some kind of device in her ear. There was a long pause as the filly stood and nodded her head. "Alright, Miss Applejack, if you would please take that elevator over there to the ninth floor and go to the third door from the left you will find him waiting for you with the others."

"Elevator, ninth floor, third from left," Applejack noted, "Got it."

"Wait a minute, let me see your wrist," she halted, grabbing her arm. The secretary placed a blue bracelet on and gave a grin. "This is to let us know that you are authorized to be here. Have a nice day!"

"Thanks," she called out as she galloped towards the elevator. The doors slid opened and she speedily walked in to press the specific button ahead of her. There was a thin Pegasus who ran towards her, asking her to keep the doors open. Barely making it in, the winged pony reached for a button and jerked back to see that it was already lit.

"I don't see too many Earth ponies going to the ninth floor around here," she teased, flashing a smile, "You must be pretty important." The combination of her vivid golden coat and her orange locks stunned Applejack, causing her to not reply for a moment. She was not exactly sure what the athletic pony was looking at due to her wearing sunglasses but her guest seemed to be looking ahead at the mirrored doors.

"Really?" she finally retorted, "Well, Ah'm on my way to see Top Boss."

"Wait what?" she blurted out, pulling off her sunglasses to expose her light brown eyes, "What's your name?"

"The name's Applejack, ma'am," she introduced, shaking her hoof energetically.

"S-Spitfire," she stated, trying to control her shaking body from the hoofshake, "You have that Southern hospitality, I see. So why are ya seeing Top Boss, Applejack?"

"To tell ya the truth, Ah'm not exactly sure. My friend Rainbow Dash and Ah talked last night and she said that he's gonna evaluate me fer my image or somethin'. Y'see, Ah got married to Soarin so he wants to tweak our quote-on-quote couple status a little. So he says." Spitfire stared at her with a shocked expression.

"I'm surprised I've never really met you before since you obviously have close relationships with some of the sports ponies here," she commented after the elevator doors opened. The two mares made their ways down the hallway.

"Ah'm a lil' nervous, to tell ya the truth. Ah don't know what's to come."

"Basically their just gonna build a ponysona for you to play by," Spitfire explained, "It's entertainment for the public and protection for us." Applejack wanted to asked her what she meant but something caught her vision. It was a picture frame with a photo on the wall in front of her showing a young pin up laying on a carpet while playing with her goggles.

"Is this you?" Applejack asked, leaning closer to it. The text above the flirtatious pony read 'Join the Wonderbolts' and she soon realized it was an aging advertisement.

"Yup," she confirmed, "That photoshoot seemed like it was yesterday. Crazy how one day I'm a newbie trying to fit in and the next moment I'm retired as an athlete." Her amber orbs scanned Applejack again as she started to close the door. "Anyway, good luck with Boss. And everything else." Scattering to the third room on the left, Applejack found herself welcomed by a huddle of chattering ponies.

"Applejack!" Top Boss proclaimed behind his desk, "My star bride!"

"Here, Applejack, I saved a seat for you," Soarin flippantly pointed out as he patted the only chair next to him. Escaping the group, she slid onto the chair and smiled at the Wonderbolt. Because the setting around her was so unfamiliar, she drew closer to Soarin as a comfort zone.

"Who are they?" she questioned, referring to the strange ponies who were now conversing behind her.

"Manestylists, make-up artists, writers, publicists, the works," Soarin clarified.

"Oh, so they're tweakin' me till Ah can't be tweaked no more," she teased.

"Babe, you don't need t'be changed one bit," he joked with a Southern drawl. They both peered up to find the associates observing while hiding their smirks.

"Oh yes, I can see the chemistry already," Top Boss beamed. The couple pulled away from each other and straightened awkwardly. "You two are crack up! OK, so we've been getting phone calls all morning in the headquarters up in Clouds dale and this one here in Los Pegasus. The newspaper article was a huge success! Everypony can't get enough of you two! They want photos and everything!"

"I can think of the magazine title page already!" one of the horse exclaimed, "Equestria's Bad Boy meets his Little Lady!" Applejack had to hold back an involuntary guffaw. She remembered back before Rainbow was a Wonderbolt's star how the blue Pegasus use to fancy Soarin's 'dangerous' ways and 'aloof' attitude. Now, since getting to know him, she found out about the goofy, loveable colt that he really is, a complete opposite to the fantasy planted in the minds of the average female Soarin fan.

"Stand up, sweetheart," a female horse requested. Following her orders, she pushed back her chair and stood before them. "Hmm, she has nice legs," she noted in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Thanks! Ah get these gams from buckin' apple trees every day."

"Bucking apple trees?"

"Mmm-hmm, it's parta the tasks Ah have to do for the family business down at Sweet Apple Acres." She examined them scribble hastily in their notebooks in confusion.

"Wait a minute, Sweet Apple Acres," another one piped up, "The farm who makes the Zapp Apple products?"

"That's the one!"

"The Zapp Apples that Rainbow Dash endorses?"

"Yup! She's mah best friend so she'll do anythin' fer me."

"Rainbow Dash is your best friend?" Top Boss cut in excitedly, "Man, this girl's got more connections to our team than I thought!"

"Hmm," one of the colts grumbled as he touched her hair, "A little dry. What's your hair regimen?"

"Regimen? Ah don't even know what that is."

"How do you take care of your hair?" Applejack coyly rolled her eyes.

"Psh, Ah don't do anythin' to it. It drives my friend Rarity up the wall that Ah roll in the dirt all day."

"Rarity?" Top Boss interrupted, "You mean, the fashion designer?"

"Yeah, she likes fashion and all that. My sister Ah think is goin' to the dark side and takin' a small likin' to her fashionable ways." Applejack gabbed in a higher pitch to try to imitate Applebloom playfully. "Applejack, she's taught me how to style mah hair with curlers!"

"Stop right there," a mare called out, "Talk again in that voice."

"What voice?"

"That light voice again. And make it cutesy this time." Applejack cleared her throat.

"Like this?" she asked in a girlish tone. It seemed silly to her; she sounded like a young filly again.

"I got it!" the colt who was running his hooves through her locks proclaimed, "We'll make her the Southern belle type! I could cut her bangs like this-"

"Maybe a light pink lipstick, soft eye shadow…"one horse trailed off. Suddenly, they all started to discuss at once and all Applejack could do was stare at the consulting staff members.

"Why do they wanna give me a make-over?" Applejack questioned Soarin.

"'Cause they're gonna have a press conference in our honor at the end of the week and they want us to look our 'best'."

"Y'mean Ah gotta lie to the public about who Ah am as a pony, too?" Soarin took a pause to collect his thoughts.

"Don't think of it as lying," he began, "Think of it as…acting."

"Yeah, well, Ah'm not much of an actress," she declared in a concerned tone.

………………………………......

"…And make sure to take times to pause for the cameras," Top Boss enlightened to the two ponies backstage, "If there's a time where you two lock eyes, pause for the camera ponies. They love that stuff. Applejack, have you been practicing your publicity voice?"

"Yes sir," she verified in her normal tone, "and the speech teacher helped me to not have mah voice crack so much."

"Good. Alright, just stick with your scripts, you guys, and you'll do fine." Soarin surveyed his mumbling partner as he waited for the cue to go onstage.

"Nervous?" he probed.

"A lil'," she honestly replied, fanning herself with her script, "And Ah'm not use to wearin' this much make-up, either."

"You'll be fine, everypony will love ya," he reassured with wink. She was not quite sure if the butterflies grew more rampant from the sound of babbling reporters on the other side of the curtain or the call for places from the stage manager but Applejack's nerves vanished just for a moment at the sight of Soarin. There was something comforting about his gaze. He made her feel important and at ease, like she could do no wrong. Of course, this could be just because he was trying to get into character the voice in the back of her mind thought. Immediately, she felt guilty judging him as a stallion that way and decided for the sake of it that he had to best intentions.

"Ya got my back right?" she piped.

"Of course! And you have mine right?"

"Eeyup."

"Then we've got each other's backs. We'll be fine. Just like with our families, we'll bounce off each other. We work as a team. And we do it pretty well."

"Soarinjack," the backstage manager alerted, using their stage name, "You're up." He quickly nudged her and gave a warm grin as they ventured towards their chairs. Applejack's vision became distorted from all the flashing of the cameras and held on to the sleeve of Soarin's blazer. Pulling a chair out for her, Soarin saw Applejack stumble into it and smile nervously at the crowd. Soarin took a moment to wave towards the press and sat down next to her. He smoothed his hair which shined in the light from the large amount of gel in it.

"Soarin and Applejack are now open to questions," Top Boss notified from the end of the table, giving them an approving nod.

"How did you two meet?" a reporter interviewed. Soarin glanced at Applejack with a calm expression.

"Well," she began as her cleared her throat to bring her voice up an octave and collected her thoughts together, "Ah was invited to the Grand Gallopin' Gala a few years back. Ah brought some of my famous cuisine treats from my farm to sell. A strange fellah came by with a suit and soon realized that it was a Wonderbolt. Later, Ah found out that the name of the Wonderbolt was named Soarin. We locked eyes and the whole world seemed t'stop. He bought one of my pies and the rest is history."

"You know what they say, to make it into a guy's heart you gotta make it into his stomach first," he jested, causing the audience to let out a light laugh.

"Oh, sweetheart, my cookin' isn't that spectacular," she bantered as she fluttered her eyelashes.

"Honey, you are as a good of a cook as you are beautiful," he complimented. They caught eye contact and froze momentarily as they heard the many clicks of cameras go off.

"Isn't he somethin'? That's exactly why Ah accepted his invitation to a date. It was a very lovely dinner place. Even though we were there for a while, the night didn't seem long enough. After courtin' for a while…"

"…I finally popped the question," he continued, "We eloped at the Chapel of Love to avoid any shenanigans and big productions of anything. I just wanted it to be her and me." As she placed her hoof in his, he impulsively lifted it up to press his lips against it and leaned towards her. "Nice touch," he whispered.

"Have you guys met each other families yet?" a paparazzi member yelled from the back, "What did they have to say about it?"

"We have actually," Applejack answered, "And they both were very…energetic about it."

"Soarin, how have the other Wonderbolts taken this news that you are a married stallion now?"

"They are extremely happy for me. They support me in whatever makes me happy and my little lady definitely makes me happy."

"Your lil' lady?" she repeated with raised eyebrows, causing the reporters to let out a collective guffaw, "Look at him, already tryin' to be my cowcolt."

"Anything for you," he concluded coolly. They both tilted towards each other and planted their lips on one another. Applejack swore mentally to herself that she could actually feel the heat of her atmosphere increase due to the bulbs of the cameras going off. Finally drawing away, the newlyweds gazed into each other's eyes as they rehearsed and waited for the cue from the manager to exit the stage.

"As you know, Soarin has to train for the upcoming championships and Applejack has a schedule to keep up for herself as well," Top Boss broadcasted as he got up from his seat, "Thank you all for coming!" Some of the photographers objected, demanding to ask more questions. "I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."

"It was lovely talkin' to all of ya," Applejack publicized, grabbing both hooves of Soarin, "And all of ya gave me the best welcome a girl can ask for." Excusing themselves, the three ponies escorted themselves backstage once more. As she took off her false eyelashes, she felt an arm go around her and pulled her in.

"Great job you two!" Top Boss congratulated, "You two were on fire! And I saw some improving that I really want to keep."

"Keep? What d'ya mean keep?" Applejack probed.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you guys. But you're going to tour with each other and making appearances all over Equestria! Isn't this great?" The couple gazed at each other with open mouths.

"I'm not sure 'great' is the right word…" Soarin retorted.

Chapter 5

"You little liar."

Applejack rolled her eyes as she stacked each suitcase on top of each other. Trying to ignore the smug Pegasus, she attempted to emit as much noise as possible from the luggage to drown out her bantering.

"Here you are, the Element of Honesty, and you lie to the whole world." As she bounced the young infant in her arms, Rainbow dropped her voice to sound like a typical reporter. "'So, uh, Applejack: how's the married life treating you?" she asked jokingly then returned to her normal tone, "I mean, seriously, I didn't know you had it in ya to fib like that yesterday at the conference."

"Ah didn't fib!" she snapped, pulling her bags into the hallway.

"Oh yeah?" she spat back as she followed her country counterpart, "What about all that talk about you and Soarin going out on a big date?"

"In fact you have forgotten, we did go out on a big date, remember? That's how Ah got into this whole mess."

"OK, well how about you two 'courting' each other?"

"Well, he did come by the farm a few times."

"Alright, well what about him popping the question? I certainly don't remember you telling me that."

"Out of his mouth, not mine," Applejack concluded with a smirk.

"I hate all these loopholes you throw out," Rainbow complained, "But what was up with that whole cutesy-wootsey routine you had going on there?" Applejack froze for a second then quickly turned her back to push her luggage to the entry way. Rainbow grew impatient and tapped her foot. "Well?"

"Well…the stylists and publicist figured that Ah should put m-my best hoof forward so-"

"I'm surprised you went through that. It was pretty entertaining I must say."

"A-Ah'm willin' to play dress up fer the right occasions. Just a-ask Rarity." Rainbow inspected Applejack briefly then held her tongue.

"Yeah sure, whatever," she murmured, ruffling with her son's mane, "Ya hear that, Summerfree? Your cousin AJ is a national liar!"

"Ah heard that!" Reaching the front door, she turned to see her family members in the corner of the living room. They all seemed to be whispering intensely about something (although Applejack could take a wild guess) and quickly looked up at the blonde. All she could do was quick a meek shrug as she observed them trotting towards her. Feeling her younger sister wrap her arms around Applejack's front leg, the older sibling placed her free leg around Applebloom.

"Ah'm gonna miss ya, big sis," she told her as she pulled away after a quiet second.

"Ah'm gonna miss ya too, Sugarcube."

"Ya looked so beautiful yesterday at the press conference," Granny Smith complimented as she hugged her, "Ah was braggin' t'everypony about my beautiful granddaughter." Her voice was shaky and weak which caused Applejack to draw back to look at her.

"That means a lot to me, Granny Smith," she replied as she furrowed her eyebrows and headed over to her brother. "Take care."

"Be safe," he whispered, embracing her, "Ah mean it. He messes with ya 'n' Ah'll buck him up." With her eyes wide, she pulled back to face the smiling stallion.

"Ah'll look for mahself, and Soarin's sake for that matter," she jested. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she turned to find her cousin extending out an arm.

"Never knew ya were the hopeless romantic type," Braeburn admitted into her ear, "Have a safe trip."

"Thanks, Brae."

"See ya," Rainbow said, "Don't go too crazy with them."

"I won't," she promised, bending down to the young foal to give him a kiss on the forehead, "Ah'm gonna miss ya, little guy. Don't grow up too fast, m'kay?"

"N-now are ya sure yer gonna be OK?" Granny Smith asked hastily, "Ah wouldn't want ya to…to get hurt or anythin'. This is a tour, fer Pete's sake, yer gonna be gone fer months. Ah don't think ya ever been away from home for half of that time!"

"Oh Momma, she's a grown mare," Mother Apple cut in, stepping to her niece's side, "She's made vows to stay with her husband through anythin'. She's an adult and so is he and they love each other. That's all that counts." The plump mare squeezed her tightly until her hat came off. "Ah remember when ya were just learnin' how to reel in with the lasso. Now look at ya! Yer reelin' in husbands!" A honk was heard outside which had Applejack retract back and gather all her bags.

"That's my ride," she announced opening the door, "Ah'll keep in contact while Ah'm away. Ah promise!"

"Say hey to the Wonderbolts for me," Rainbow requested before closing the door. As she rushed to the cab, she saw the driver getting out to reach for her bags. After saying thank you, she watched him put them in the trunk and began to let herself inside.

"Hey, Applejack," Soarin greeted while she slid next to him.

"There she is!" Top Boss proclaimed, "Did ya have a good's night rest?" Applejack hesitated for a moment.

"Well, my mind was racin' so much that Ah couldn't really get some sleep."

"That's too bad. Maybe once when we get to the hotel in Fillydelphia you can rest for a little while before going to the press conference at four." Her mouth involuntarily dropped.

"Fillydelphia?" she blurted out, "We're goin' that far?"

"Far?" Top Boss spat out, "Babe, we're going across all of Equestria and back!"

"Since its gaming season, the Wonderbolts have to play a lot of different teams in different cities," Soarin explained.

"And, of course, every city that they play in, all the fans will want to see Soarin's 'little lady'," Top Boss clarified with a wink. Applejack could not stand to be called a 'little lady' but accepted the circumstances on why she was referred to that for publicity reasons. She shut her eyes and began to reminisce her meeting at the Wonderbolts Headquarters in Los Pegasus the day prior. Replying the scene in her mind, she fought herself from grimacing and tried to tolerate her decisions and actions, telling herself that her final choice was the most reasonable.

"Y'mean Ah gotta lie to the public about who Ah am as a pony, too?" Soarin took a pause to collect his thoughts.

"Don't think of it as lying," he began, "Think of it as…acting."

"Yeah, well, Ah'm not much of an actress," she declared in a concerned tone. The secretary barged through the door asking for Top Boss.

"Not now, can't ya see I'm busy?" he barked.

"There's a delivery downstairs," she announced, "It says it's from the Amazing Mane Toupee Company or something like-"

"Oh right right!" he spat out, rushing to the door, "If you ponies will excuse me." A sharply-dressed mare approached the couple holding out papers with her assistants behind her.

"I didn't get a chance to introduce myself," she launched, smoothing out her bun, "I'm Hard Hitting and I'm going to be your new publicist. I'm going to get straight to the point. What I have here are contracts for the both of you to sign. Now because there is a pony outside of the Wonderbolts and there are going to be outside parties in the creation of what we'd like to call 'Soarinjack', Top Boss had to call me in."

"What're these contracts for exactly?" Applejack interviewed, raising an eyebrow.

"Basically, your publicity and image are under the protections of us. If, let’s say, somepony wants to sue you guys for wearing something that he felt was stolen or his, then we will provide an attorney for the court case. We can and will also try our best to control what will be published of you two to protect your safety and well-being. And if something does get published that slanders either one of you, we will retaliate and try to clean up your image."

"But wait, why are we getting a whole separate contract?" Soarin interjected.

"Because you two are now a brand name. It's one thing if Applejack and you were caught together somewhere and a paparazzo snapped a picture. Applejack is willingly-"

"Blackmailed," she cut it.

"She is willingly joining this image of a happy, marriage couple. 'Soarinjack' is now copyrighted, you guys are a brand who make money off that name. Therefore, you two must sign these contracts."

"Wait, when ya say control our image, what do ya mean by that?" Applejack asked.

"It means just like how it says."

"Ah don't think Ah like the sound of that. Ya mean ya want me to act and dress like y'all were tellin' me to just now all the time?"

"Just in front of cameras," she clarified.

"And what if Ah don't sign this?"

"Then, your image will go to the sharks. Including that little reason why you two got married in the first place."

"Ya wouldn't!" Applejack shrieked, "Bullies! Everypony in this darned business are bullies!"

"Applejack, we are on your side. We create these ponysonas to hide the real you. If the public sees the real you, you are vulnerable and weak. You may be subjected to harsh criticism of your character. The press world is a heartless world; they'll even go after your family and try to dig up secrets from your past if they have to."

"But Ah don't lie. Ah can't! Ah don't dress in frilly dresses and wear make-up!"

"When you go out to war, what do you usually wear?"

"Well, armor and shields Ah guess."

"Then your image is your shield," she finished, holding out the contract and pen, "Now, do we have a deal?" Applejack opened her mouth to protect but felt Soarin's hoof grab hers.

"I'm here with you," he said, grabbing the pen to sign the contract. "Trust me." The orange mare reluctantly snatched the pen of her own.

A small sense of regret still flashed in the new bride's mind occasionally.

………………………………

Throwing the door open, Applejack dragged her feet until she approached the bed and slammed her body against it. Soarin followed suit then flipped over onto his back to stare at the ceiling. The past two weeks have been rigorous on them emotionally and physically, leaving them exhausted. Due to the photoshoots, press meetings, public outings, appearances, even attending games, the couple's slumber had caught up with them leaving them energy deprived. Soarin reached for the box of chocolates that lay on the counter as a gift for staying in the honeymoon suite that the Wonderbolt's management was paying for.

"I think it's a truffle," Soarin guessed after biting into one. Holding out the box to the filly who was burying her head in the covers, he offered her the candy which she refused. "You're missing out," he notified, popping another one in his mouth, "This place is nicer than the hotel room we stayed at on Wednesday in San Rodeo."

"Oh shoot," Applejack's muffled voice groaned, "It's Friday, isn't it?"

"Yeah, why?" She turned over to face him.

"Ah gotta go to that luncheon today after this conference."

"You mean the one with all those stuffy old mares?" Soarin's unexpected answer made Applejack burst out laughing.

"Yup, that's the one!" she replied, "Hopefully Ah won’t get too much of a whiff of their perfume. Ah wouldn't want to suffocate or anythin'."

"I wonder if they'll have any good food for you," he thought out loud, "You know how they are with their hoity toity taste buds." A group of ponies with large, colorful bags let themselves into the room and started to set up chairs. At first two weeks prior, Applejack found their behavior intrusive but as the trip went along she found it routine.

"What is it today?" Soarin questioned with a huff.

"You have a press conference in a couple of hours and you guys need to get ready," one of the stylists informed as he pulled out curlers.

"Oh can't we just go like this?" Applejack protested as she motioned to her dress and make-up, "We just got back from meetin' back with fans and signin' autographs. We're dressed already!"

"A celebrity can't go to two public events in in the same outfit," a filly balancing a mirror and make-up brushes told her, "It's basically illegal."

"Well do Ah have to be so made up? Ah'd never wear this much make-up in one sittin'. Ever."

"With cameras everywhere, you have to look your best," the hairstylists cut in, "Just think of it as stage make-up. It may seem a lot up close, but from far away and a camera's view, it's perfect. Plus, it's for your-"

"Image, yeah fer my image," she interrupted sarcastically as she plopped into a chair, "Gee, Ah almost forgot about that."

"Frankly, Ms. Applejack, I must say I'm proud of you. Just a few weeks ago, you would've put up a bigger fight about this."

"Yeah, well, you wore me out," she said half-heartedly. Feeling her hat being taken off her head, she quickly turned to the assistant who was holding it. "And what d'ya think yer doin' with that?"

"Look," she began, fanning the hat, "I understand that your cowfilly hat is, like, your trademark or something but it's getting old."

"Ah'm not compromisin' my hat."

"Sheesh, since when are you such a diva? Listen, I'll add a nice headscarf or something-"

"Ah want my hat," she interjected, reaching for it. The young pony quickly retracted back.

"You gotta keep with the times. Be fashion forward. You can't do that with this." Applejack lowered her head and glared at her. "I-I'm not giving this to you."

"Ya wanna bet?"

……………………………….........................

As the orange pony readjusted her hat to fix her neatly styled mane, she watched the interviewers enter the room with the Wonderbolt by her side. At this point, the programmed answers in Applejack's head were incorporated into her thought process so well she did not feel the need to even strain to remember them. Like what everypony has been telling her, she reminded herself to get into character as the cameras flashed off. Automatically knowing to lean in towards Soarin as he wrapped his around her shoulders, they transitioned into what was labeled by them as their 'default pose'.

"Soarinjack! Soarinjack! Ova here!" all the press ponies were yelling out.

"Is it too much to say our names separately?" Soarin murmured to her which had her let out a small giggle.

"Alright, alright, enough photos," Top Boss called out, "Our couple will now start the Q's and A's."

"How are you two enjoying Mane?" one interviewed.

"We love it!" Applejack answered in her cutesy tone of voice she prepared, "Lovely people, lovely food, lovely surroundin', everything about Mane Ah love." She faced her groom affectionately. "What d'you think of Mane, dear?"

"It's a wonderful place to be. Of course, everything is beautiful with my wife around," he recited, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. A collective 'aww' rose from the audience.

"Applejack, who are you wearing?" another reporter yelled out. She began to fumble with her scarf, trying to remember the name of the designer.

"Ah'm wearin' Hotty Trotty."

"Hoity Toity," a stylist hissed from backstage.

"Hoity Toity," she quickly corrected, beaming an apprehensive smile.

"Have you guys purchased a house yet?"

"Not yet," Soarin replied, "We've been traveling so much we haven't gotten the chance."

"What's your favorite position in bed?"

The couple looked at each other and back to the paparazzo with horrified looks.

"You know," he explained, "On your back? Or stomach? Fetus position? How do you two sleep in bed and who hogs the covers?"

"Oh that. Uh," Applejack reacted after a long hesitation, "Uh, Soarin, h-how do we s-share the bed?"

"Well, I…uh, she…uh…."

"That's such an odd question to ask," she cut it causing the group of ponies to guffaw.

"We're so busy that there's no time to sleep!" Soarin exclaimed light-heartedly. "But she is a kicker."

"Oh stop it!" she squeaked, punching him softly.

"So are you excited for the big game tomorrow?"

"I'm pumped!" Soarin responded, "The Wonderbolts are undefeated!"

"And, of course, Ah'll be in the sidelines to support him," Applejack concluded, tilting her head towards him.

………………………………

"You never told me, how was the luncheon?" Applejack viewed Soarin sitting next to her in the backseat and looked out the window again.

"Miss Applejack," one of the luncheon guests pronounced at the dining table, "Would you like to try some of our salad?"

"Yes ma'am!" she eagerly agreed, watching the plump mare spill some of the lettuce onto the plate in front of her. The country mare began to pick up the utensil nearest to her then froze. There was numerous amount of forks and suddenly she felt the deja-vu experience she had sensed when staying with her relatives, the Oranges. Alright, you can do this she thought to herself, contemplating which silverware to pick up. Catching glances around her, she noticed the guests clutching onto the smaller fork and imitated them.

"Are you enjoying it?" the elite member asked after watching the orange filly take a bite.

"Yes, it's very delicious," Applejack decided. Feeling her stomach making noises, the young mare let out a large belch and laughed loudly. "That was a good one!" she excitedly shouted, holding up her hoof to the neighboring pony. "Up top!"

The room was silent for a moment. Observing the shocked looks on their faces, Applejack dropped her hoof and shoulders suddenly and glanced downwards.

"Uh, Ah mean…pardon.”

"Ah don't think Ah'm gettin' invited again," she retorted, playing with her curls that hugged her shoulders. The athletes in front of them were oblivious to the chatting newlyweds. "Speakin' of gettin' invited to places, perhaps we should turn down some of ours we get?"

"But we have to make appearances, especially since this is the after game celebration," Soarin elucidated.

"Ah'm just really tired, Soar, and to tell ya the truth Ah don't feel like Ah belong in this type of crowd. Ah always feel outta place. Ah know ya try to make feel comfortable by introducin' me to yer sports buddies but Ah'm not exactly sure what to talk about with them."

"Sorry you feel that way, AJ." He thought for a moment then gave her a gentle nudge. "Some of the guys on the other teams may be there. Maybe I can introduce you to some of the wives? They may have some interesting things to say." As the driver opened the cab door for the athletes, Soarin and Applejack waited till they were all out before entering the large mansion. As usually, the bass of the genre of music Applejack could never figure out was turned to the maximum point until the ground beneath them shook. Unnecessarily, the DJ of the party broadcasted that 'Soarinjack' had arrived, causing the party guests to greet them. As Soarin threw in some high-fives and hoofshakes to the ponies in the crowd, Applejack spotted a group of fillies laughing noisily.

"Oh yeah, those were the wives I was telling you about," Soarin testified after Applejack pointed them out.

"Well, Ah'm goin' to make myself acquainted with them," she notified with a grin. Heading over to them, the pack of girls faced the blonde with bewildered faces. Applejack cleared her throat after and awkward pause. "Howdy, Ah'm-"

"Oh Applejack!" one of them piped up extending out a hoof to pull her in, "Yes, yes, we hear a lot about you and it's a pleasure to finally meet you!" Slowly, her pals nodded their heads and drew in closer.

"Oh, geez, y'all are so kind!"

"You're so sweet!" another one added, "I always say that although our husbands are on different teams, the wives can still have a good time together." The ponies raised their glasses merrily and clanked them together in cheers.

"Oh, Applejack, do you want a drink?" the tall mare probed.

"Oh, uh, just a glass of water is fine," she allowed, watching her leave. Suddenly, all the mares in the group rolled them eyes and moaned.

"Did you see what she was wearing?" the small wife said, "And she had the nerve to tell me that I had an 'interesting' emsemble."

"She said that?" her friend commented, "Ugh! She's so two-faced."

"Yeah, nopony likes her," the tiny horse concluded. The tall mare returned giving Applejack her glass of water. "Oh I'm so glad your back! I wanted to compliment you on your outfit!"

"You really like it?" she blissfully asked.

"Oh yes, I wish I had it!" Confused with the scene in front of her Applejack glanced at the other ponies to find them smiling and concurring with the fibbing pony. Something caught her peripheral vision which made her tilt her head.

"Is that a camera?" Applejack questioned.

"Yeah, but don't pay any attention to it," one of them instructed, "It's for a T.V. show."

"A T.V. show? But Ah didn't get a script."

"Honey, you don't need a script for this kind of show."

"Ooo giiiirl! Look at 'em legs!" a wife praised, noticing the slit in Applejack's dress. Initially, the cowpony thought that the designer did not finish sewing her gown until the designer explained to her it was meant to be cut that way for the style. "I wish I had legs like this filly!"

"Maybe she would if she put down those bon-bons," one of the wives whispered sardonically.

"Hey I heard that!"

"Yeah? And what're you going to do about it? Sit on me?"

"That's it!" Before Applejack could comprehend their quarrel, the large guest pounced on the snaky mare and quickly moved aside. The residents around them cheer the battle on as the camera crew rushed to the tussling fighters.

"Perhaps Ah should check on Soarin…"

………………………………..........

Peering out the window at the magnificent structure, Applejack was awe-struck by the legendary tower and the lights that illuminated it. In the reflection, she saw, was Soarin opening the door which exposed his teammates.

"C'mon, man, we're in Prance!" an associate publicized, "It's not every day where you can eat at a restaurant in Prance." The blue stallion glimpsed over to the settling earth pony then back to the cluster of ponies.

"I know, I know," he countered, "But I think I'm going to rest for a bit."

"Since when do you sleep?" Rapidfire shouted out, "The Soarin I know doesn't-" Abruptly, a sly smirk came across his face. "Oh, I see. You want to have some alone time with your lady friend." Soarin rolled his eyes when he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Or maybe I'm just tired."

"Sure, bro. Just remember to play it smooth." Soarin playfully pushed them away and shut the door.

"Ya didn't have to do that," Applejack yawned, "Ah don't want to be your ol' ball 'n' chain. Enjoy yerself."

"It’s fine," he assure, picking up the phone, "We'll call in. Isn't that what food service is for?" Once the food arrived by the door after Soarin called in, the roommates sprawled out on the floor with their plates and lively chatted.

"OK, OK," Soarin stated, holding up a grape, "One more." Applejack shoved back her pony tail and dropped her jaw as she extended out her tongue. Eyeing her carefully, he tossed the fruit towards her direction. The grape soon landed in her mouth which made her shoot up her arms in achievement. "Woah! Ten for ten!"

"Told ya Ah could do it," she giggled, taking a moment to swallow, "Y'know, out of this entire month we've spend together on this tour, Ah'm glad that we have some quiet time between us like this. Just the two of us."

"And here's to, hopefully, many more to come," he toasted, bringing up his apple cider. Drinking the beverage, he noticed a magazine by the edge of the bed and picked it up. "'Applejack's Style Secrets'," he read out loud, "Hey, this is a nice picture of you."

"Ya think so? Thanks. Too bad Ah don't have any style secrets." Stopping for a moment, she set her food down onto her dish. "Ah'm still tryin' to get use to see me on the cover of magazines like that. Especially when these pictures don't even seem like me. Ah almost feel guilty, like Ah'm lyin' to the public or somethin'. How d'ya deal with that guilt?"

"Uh, by not having a conscious?" he teased, "All joking aside, I think you have to divide up and know your professional side of yourself and you as a pony. It's like, you should know that the pony on the magazine covers aren't you even though they are, you know? That filly on the cover here isn't you, it's just a character."

"Well, she certainly looks like me…in a costume…" she trailed off in jest.

"I don't know, maybe it'll take a while for you to get used to. I've been trained to think like this since as far as I can remember."

"Why?"

"My mom use to work with the top of the top in the show business. She was highly demanded as a beautician before she retired, so I grew up with knowing about PR's-"

"PR's?"

"Public relations. One day, I was visiting my mom at work when she was making over some celebrity for a photoshoot. I was a young colt at the time. The camera pony said that I had a lot of…what was it? Charisma, he told me. He referred me to some of her photography friends or whatever and I became a young model."

"Really?"

"Mmm-hmm. Just small stuff, you know, like appearing in children's magazines and toy covers. I even had some small parts in movies. My mom was my manager for a while. One day a pony was on set while I was taking photos for an athletic shoot for preteen colts. He 'discovered' me, I guess, and wanted to try me out for a little team you may know as the Wonderbolts. I was a teenager who looked up to the Wonderbolts and I was sure pumped. Long story short, I became one of the youngest members to join this team all thanks to Top Boss being there at that photoshoot." He gave a shrug of the shoulders. "After being famous for as long as I had, since childhood, you see how things work."

"How so?"

"Well, you know Thunder Storm? Potty mouth Thunder Storm? In reality, he's painfully shy."

"Now that ya mention it, he hasn't peeped a word to me. Ah remember seein' a pin-up photo of Spitfire back at the headquarters. Is that part of a…PR or whatever?"

"Yup. She's kinda the eye-candy of the Wonderbolts, if you haven't noticed. We even went out for a while. For publicity purposes, only. It was nothing serious. How could it be when she doesn't exactly…swing my way."

"Swing your…what d'ya-" Quickly, Applejack brought her hooves to her mouth. "You mean, she's-"

"Yup. But, of course, those drooling fan boys can't know that. It'll ruin their fantasies after all. I remember her complaining when she first joined the team that she had to impress a bunch of colts that she wasn't even interested in. She's like you, tired of the façade. And of course, some of the things even outside of the Wonderbolts were more serious. Like affairs, alcohol, drugs…I think you can imagine what goes on; you have an active imagination."

"Ah always thought those were just rumors," Applejack pondered out loud.

"Well, OK, true some of those are just rumors. And rumors are usually just lies. But the reoccurring rumors, the ones that never seem to go away and get louder and louder, usually have some truth behind it."

"Hmm," was all she could reply.

"Trust me, I've seen and done things throughout my youth that some ponies will barely do throughout their whole lifetime."

"Ya mean like gettin' married?"

"Alright, that's one of the craziest things I've done." The phone rang which he reached for. "Hello? Oh hey Top Boss!"

"Oh brother."

"What is it? Why are you speaking so fast? Slower, slower."

"Did he grow an inch?" she joked, causing Soarin to stifle his chuckle.

"Wait, what? What?"

"What?"

"Top, are you crazy? We didn't even plan this is the first place and-" Soarin shook his head while rubbing his temple. "I can't believe this…I'll get back to you tomorrow, I have to tell the missus."

"What's goin' on? Tell me!" she demanded after he hung up.

"The studio is throwing a wedding for us for the whole world can see. And the announcements are already sent out to all the major gossip outlets!"

Chapter 7

"Thanks fer transportin' me," Applejack gratefully told her unicorn counterpart as she wiped away the magenta mist, "Sorry Ah had to cut the lunch date short."

"It's not a big deal, AJ, no need to apologize" Twilight reassured her with a warm grin, "Geesh, it's getting harder and harder for you to hide without anypony recognizing you, isn't it?"

"Ain't that the truth," she mumbled, forcing out a laugh. Waving at her family members ahead of her, she breathed in the fresh country air that she was thankful to have in her own backyard. Her younger sister along with her adolescent cousins played as the adults gathered around the picnic table. As he assisted his grandmother to her bench, Soarin beamed a large smile at Applejack. Nodding her head as a response, she turned to Twilight again and offered her some food.

"Oh I really shouldn't, it's your family time and I don't want to intrude," she replied.

"C'mon, it's the least Ah can do! At least have it to go," Applejack assured, strolling towards the kitchen window were the dishes were. With Rainbow Dash approaching them, Applejack quickly handed Twilight her plate and stepped aside.

"You guys are back early," Rainbow noticed, plopping mash potatoes onto her dish, "What gives?"

"The waiter recognized me and screamed," Applejack informed bluntly, "The rest is history."

"Ha! Those loons…" Rainbow trailed off. A large amount of laughter was soon heard causing the three ponies to view the sporting fillies. They were on piled on something that the chattering mares could not figure out at first. When his head popped out along with a big smile, the body they were on top of was revealed to be Soarin's. The snickering fillies continued to mess with him as his relatives gleefully observed the scene in front of them.

"Gold and Red Delicious y'all better be careful now!" Braeburn called out.

"Aw it's fine!" Soarin promised giving Applebloom a quick tussle of the mane.

"Speaking as their big brother, you'd be very surprised at their strength," he joked.

"So how's it going with you and Soarin," Rainbow asked in a lowered voice. Applejack took a while to revert her vision back to her friend.

"Good," Applejack answered, "It's actually going pretty swell."

"I bet you're pretty excited about planning that wedding," Twilight cut in, raising her eyebrows.

"Uh huh." Rainbow and Twilight exchanged expressions of concern from hearing a small tone of sadness in the earth pony's voice.

"So, did you guys ever talk about the whole nullification thing again?" Rainbow questioned, "I mean, didn't he bring that up like last week or something? I haven't heard you two talk about it since." A sigh blew from her lips.

"Ah don't know. Ah just…don't know what tah do anymore. If Ah don't get the nullification, then we're married. Fer life. And Ah just don't want to put myself in that sort of situation. Ah don't want to be trapped in something Ah'll be in fer the rest of my life. Till death." Applejack paused for a moment and closed her eyes. "Ah'm not sayin' that Ah don't care for him, 'cause Ah do. But Ah don't want to rush things."

"So what you’re saying is along with the time you've spent with him already including the mutual strong bonds and heartaches and support and respect for one another, you can also add on the loads of time planning for the wedding plus other press work and just throw it away like that with an immediate divorce?" Her green orbs shot open.

"Well we wouldn't do it right away-"

"Then when would you do it? Would you do it after months or years?"

"Rainbow, this isn't fair to me. Ah believe that marriage is sacred, not something that should be done to please other ponies!"

"Oh I see, marriage is sacred. So if it doesn't go exactly how you had the timelines planned then it's OK to just throw it away, right? Seems a little hypocritical if you ask me."

"You're oversimplifyin' things! And nopony was askin' ya!" she snapped back. Rainbow took a breath to recollect her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, AJ. I know this is hard," she mumbled, "It's just, he's practically like my brother. I care for him and don't want him to get hurt. I don't want either of you to get hurt."

"That's really sweet," she flatly stated, "But Ah don't know how much more of this lyin' Ah can take. Constantly lyin' 'bout how we met and fell in love and all that. Heck, Ah think Ah've lied so much sayin' Ah'm in love with him that it's becomin' easier and easier for me to say. And Ah don't like the fact that it's becomin' easier for me to lie."

"Maybe, they aren't lies anymore," Twilight gently interjected.

"What're ya sayin'? That only datin' for a lil' over three months that Ah love him? Isn't that a lil' fast, Twi?"

"Who says you have to fall in love slowly?" Twilight wondered out loud.

"Honestly, Ah think to mahself every so often that if Ah didn't have that one drink too many, then Ah wouldn't've had made that dumb dare…"

"Kinda funny you mention that. I was reading one of my psychology books and-" Twilight saw the confused look on Applejack's face. "You know, a book that study's your thinking process? Anyway, I was reading about how when your drunk, for some ponies, can cause one to expose truths in the deepest parts of their subconscious. Maybe there's something to that intoxicated proposal you made." Applejack gave a grunt.

"So what yer sayin' is Ah saw him as an instant husband after knowin' him for a coupla weeks?"

"Not exactly, but maybe you saw some key qualities in him that you liked. And knowing you for a while, you seem have a keen sense on character."

"Applejack! You see things clearer when you're drunk than sober!" Rainbow exclaimed followed by Applejack shushing her. "I mean, you two have great chemistry, both of you two love each other, and both sides of the family get long great with one another. Didn't you just get a hooficure or something with his mom?"

"She dragged me along."

"Right! I mean, look at my quote-on-quote in-laws. One's a crazy romantic that's constantly checking up on Braeburn and I while the other one is a bigot who I am sure hates my guts!"

"…Those ponies are mah aunt and uncle you're talkin' about…"

"Listen to me: you have enough stress already. Put this nullification thought out of your head for a while. Just a while. As far as I'm concerned, I don't even think you want to be separated from him right? I mean, you two are moving in together soon, right? You two can't just stay from hotel to hotel all the time!"

"Ya gotta point. Maybe Ah shouldn't think about somethin' that's not happenin' in the near future," Applejack concurred, viewing her approaching cousin with his infant.

"Your turn," he notified, handing a crying Summerfree to Rainbow.

"C'mon, Brae, you know how to change a diaper," Rainbow retorted.

"He's clean, he jus' hungry that's all-"

"Say no more," Rainbow interrupted, lowering her voice, "This kid sucks me dry every time. He's like my little vampire."

"That's no information than I needed to know, Rainbow," Twilight bluntly added.

"Enjoy your time with him now," Rainbow advised, heading back to the house, "And don't over think everything, Applejack."

"Got it," she blankly replied. After Twilight excused herself and thanked her family for the food to take home, Applejack joined her relatives. Although she was quiet, she could not help but feel content at the chattering ponies ahead of her. While Braeburn and Sequin Sparkle debated about whether or not Apploosa is the best tourist spot in Equestria, Big Macintosh listened intently to Jitterbug's back-story in his military service as Chitchat praised Granny Smith's 'youthful' skin. Soarin made his way next to his bride with a tussled mane and sheepish smile.

"Finally escaped them," he jokingly whispered, looking back at the young horses that were making their way to Applebloom's tree house. Surveying the colt starting to munch on his bread, Applejack unsuccessfully stifled her smirk. It was not a particularly special day-- the surroundings were very familiar-- and yet the country mare felt a warm growth within her. She was at peace; everything seemed perfect. Rainbow's words rang in her head as she slipped her hoof into Soarin's. It was funny, she thought, at how natural it actually felt to rest her head on his shoulder. How natural it felt to do so without any direction or cameras or scripts. Slightly confused at her sudden affection, the Wonderbolt asked why she was in such a loving mood.

"Ah'm just really happy," she mumbled, closing her eyes.

………………

During the process of planning a wedding, couples and their emotions tend to be tested. It can bring out the most ecstatic side of one another and can cause treasuring bonding moments between the pair. However, predictably, the demanding schedule could always make even the simplest decisions stressful.

"No no no no no no NO!" Applejack chanted as she held the plate in front of her, "This is tacky! Tacky tacky tacky!"

"And since when did you get so picky with décor?" Soarin sardonically questioned her.

"Since somepony had the bright idea to plaster all these Wonderbolt decorations on all the plates and silverware!" Applejack shot back, holding up a dish, "This is a weddin' not an advertisin' company!"

"Oh right and having carved apples as art décor by the catering table is appropriate?"

"Yes! Time and effort was spent to make those! Not to mention the money for a professional carver!"

"Yeah, well if you get to have the cut up apples, then we can have Wonderbolt dishes. It's not like the name is plastered on all of them, it's just the theme of it, you know? The colors with the nice pearl wings in the center, isn't it nice?"

"Ah'm not havin' those plates all over for the whole world to see!"

"Newsflash! The whole world is going to see this wedding! Including those stupid apples!"

"Stupid apples? Ah feel like this whole entire wedding process is strippin' away who Ah am and those 'stupid' apples are what's left of me! If those sculpted apples can't be a part of my special day then neither can that Luna-awful silverware!"

"If you guys ask me both sides have tacky tastes," the stylist interjected as he rolled his eyes.

"Applejack, you're married to a Wonderbolt!" Soarin spat out, ignoring the colt's comment, "Of course we have to have some sort of a Wonderbolt theme here."

"And Ah'm the quote-on-quote little lady who captured all the hearts of our fans with my darlin' voice, cutesy look, and delicious cuisine!" she sarcastically fought back.

"You know what? You can be so stubborn sometimes-"

"Oh don't start with that!" she yelled, beginning to storm out of the room, "Why can't ya look at it from my view?"

"Why are you leaving?" he shouted.

"Because Ah can't deal with ya right now!"

"Of course, be the immature one and walk out! Am I your husband or babysitter?"

"Oh hush up!" she shot back entering the back room and slamming the door.

"Mares and gentle colts, the mare who holds my heart!" he quipped loudly to all of his associates, "The bride who's the apple of my eye!" The door swung open as the country filly's head popped out.

"You, sir, can oh so kindly kiss mah flank!" she announced before shutting the door again.

………………….

Swirling the miniscule amount of liquid in his glass, Soarin raised his drink up till the candlelight brought out its burgundy tint. His date on the opposite side of the table followed suit.

"To nine months," he declared, clinking his glass, "Here's to surviving this madness." Applejack raised an eyebrow as she gave a sly smirk.

"So now are we that type of couple?" she questioned coyly, "The kind who celebrates every single lil thing and milestone in our relationship?"

"Well, now, think 'bout it. We started planning the wedding after three months of dating and we've been dating for nine months now. The management says the wedding will take about a year to arrange so that means-"

"That means we've made it to the half-way point!" she lit up, holding out the cup again. "Here here!"

"Exactly!" Soarin concluded, tapping his glass against hers, "It's going by quicker than we initially thought, huh?"

"Kinda. But why does it feel like these past six months have gone by and we've still haven't done or achieved anythin'?"

"Probably because we didn't," he teased, poking his food with his fork.

"Ah gotta say Soarin--and Ah'm sure Ah told ya this a million and one times--Ah'm glad Ah have ya in my life. Sometimes it seems like yer the only sane pony in this whole mess."

"Same here. And if you truly want the carved fruit at the wedding, you can have it. I'm sorry for our fight-"

"No, Soarin, Ah'm sorry. Ah went over the line. If ya want the Wonderbolt colors then go right ahead." Applejack paused to get her thoughts in order. "F'course, Ah'm sure Hard-Hitting will have all of it ran by the wedding coordinators just to have them turned down. Sometimes Ah wonder if this is even our wedding; it seems to be the publicists'."

"I hate to break it to ya, but it kinda is as unfair as it sounds." A waiter approached them, placing a note on the table ahead of him and told the couple that a phone call came in to have him give them a message.

"I've written it on this paper what she told me to tell you," he informed, handing the dinner check over to Soarin, "Is there anything else I can get for you guys?"

"No I think we're good. Thank you," Soarin replied, handing the note to Applejack after he left then pulling out his wallet, "I got the bill covered. What does the note say?"

"'After that little stint you two pulled with important clients and fans, your so-called break up is all over the news'. Boy, the media sure likes to over exaggerate, don't they?" Applejack cleared her throat and continued to read. "'Two words: damage control. Be at the studio at 8 AM tomorrow.'" Applejack folded the paper and plopped onto the table. "Sincerely the devil herself."

"It certainly sounds like Hard-Hitting," Soarin groaned, getting up from his chair, "C'mon, we better get back home. We gotta rough morning tomorrow."

…………………………

The lofty mare paced by the area where the photoshoot had been held. Stopping for a moment to watch the camera pony putting away his camera into his case, she gave a small wave as a thanks and observed him walking out of the room with his crew. As she grunted loudly, the publicist caught her reflection in a nearby window and squinted at it. A lone, blonde strand of hair tickled the air which she quickly tucked into her restrained bun. She asked Top Boss who had been sitting in a chair flipping through papers what time it was.

"11:45?" she screamed out then throwing her head back in annoyance, "We finished the photoshoot twenty minutes ago, where are those two?" Snapping her head towards the dressing room, her eyes darted at the closed door. "Applejack! Soarin! We have things to do!"

"I think this one is a good one," Top Boss noted, holding up a picture, "It's a sweet moment between them. What d'ya think, Hard-Hitting?" Placing one of her hooves on her chest, she made a tiny 'aww' sound.

"Autofocus has a gift. It's no secret why he's the best of the indust-" Both of their attentions reverted to the emerging couple.

"Howdy!" Soarin called out, tipping Applejack's hat and imitating her accent.

"Wassup?" Applejack played along, sliding in Soarin's Wonderbolt suit. She placed his goggles over her eyes and added, "Pretty righteous, huh?"

"Unbelieveable!" Hard-hitting snapped, as the two ponies broke into giggles, "Alright I've had enough of this! You two go back and change into your normal clothes."

"Sure thang, boss!" Soarin mocked, tipping his hat, "Let's go, lil' lady." As he reached for her arm she began to run.

"Way ahead of ya, buddy!" She jeered then stuck her tongue out. Hard-Hitting viewed the racing ponies and groaned.

"Why are they getting harder and harder to maintain?"

"Ah, they're just two kids in love," Top Boss commented, searching through the pictures again.

"Pretending to be in love, Boss. And they need to save that for the fans."

"I don't know," he sighed, letting out a chuckle, "Seems like the real thing to me."

Flower Picking

"Whoa, look at all the flowers!" Soarin exclaimed as he let the door close behind him, "It's like a forest in here or something."

"Lillies, my favorite!" Applejack rejoiced, sticking one into her mouth joyously.

"These flowers would make lovely table decorations, wouldn't they?" Hard-Hitting asked Top Boss, holding up a vase of roses and baby's breath, "And let's not forget to get the bouquet as well."

"Decorafuns?" Applejack asked herself, swallowing the flower she was chewing on, "Whoops."

"Hey, hey!" Soarin yelled, holding up a plant that made the business mare recoil back.

"Dear Celestia what is that?" Hard-Hitting screamed, covering everything on her face but her eyes with her clip board.

"It's a Venus Fly Trap. It actually eats flies. Pretty gnarly, right?" Applejack giggled at his enthusiasm and his complete obliviousness to the petrified pony.

"No! We are not going to have plants from another planet at this wedding! End of!"

"Fine, don't blame me when there are flies everywhere at the reception," he murmured.

Let Them Eat Cake

Later that week, the group of ponies prepared for the cake tasting. While in the cab, Applejack reviewed the checklist she made for the crew the night prior. According to Top Boss, the house she requested them to ensure has its usual resident present. They also accepted Applejack's request on driving to the furthest bakery they could find. Not only did she want the bakery to have a great distance, but also wanted to take the most obscure and unknown pathways to get there.

"And yer sure she's home, right?" she probed.

"Yes, Applejack," Hard-Hitting reassured. "There is absolutely no possible way she'd know where you're going." As the cab driver opened the door for them, Applejack snuck out while adjusting her sunglasses and head scarf. Peering around, she saw no citizens in her sight and straightened up a little. She pushed the door open and immediately gaped her mouth open.

"Wh-wha….how…?"

"Silly filly!" Pinkie Pie proclaimed, stuffing her mouth with cake, "Didja forget to invite me?"

Dressing Up

"Ah can't believe that Ah'm out shoppin' fer my lil' niece's weddin' dress!" Mother Apple celebrated as she sat next to Rainbow Dash, "Who knows, sweetheart, you may be next."

"Uh huh," Rainbow muttered, turning her attention to the empty pedestal in front of the mirrors, "C'mon Applejack you're taking for-ev-ah!" The group of ponies saw what they suspected at first to be a giant pillow was actually Applejack herself in what seemed to be a dress.

"Ah yes, this is from the latest Hoity Toity collection: Modern Bride," a sales pony explained. Applejack grimaced at her reflection and she turned to her friends. Their facial expressions varied from shock to confusion to disgust.

"It looks like you're a swollen marshmallow!" Pinkie Pie shrieked in laughter. The country mare rolled her eyes as she tried to contain the overwhelming amount of material on the gown.

"Even I have to draw the line on design standards of the fashion industry," Rarity retorted.

The following dress had a significant less amount of fabric used. In fact, Applejack noted the large size of the dress and had to hold it up with one hoof.

"Did the designer get the wrong measurements or somethin'?" Applejack questioned as she stepped onto the pedestal again.

"No no, dear, you just didn't finish tying it," the sales pony notified, pulling on the ribbon in the back, "Made by the famous designer Inseam, he tends to favor more of the medieval look when it comes to bridal gowns." As the assistant tied the ribbon, the waist suddenly shrunk drastically causing Applejack to feel an intense pressure on her whole midsection.

"Oh my…" Fluttershy whispered.

"This dress has the strength of five corsets!" the store pony added.

"A-Ah think Ah just…heard a rib snap," Applejack complained as she panted for air.

The final dress had all the pones in the room raise their eyebrows.

"Where's the rest of it?" Granny Smith gasped at her granddaughter's scandalous attire.

"We have Silky Smooth's latest creation," the sales pony publicized, "She believes that every bride must feel sexy not only for her husband but for herself. Especially on her big day."

"I thought the garter belt wasn't supposed to show," Twilight sarcastically pointed out.

"This is one hundred and ten percent no!" Applejack broadcasted as she looked at herself in the mirror, "Ah mean, is this fer the weddin' day or weddin' night?"

………………………………....

"What do you mean you didn't choose any of the dresses?" Applejack mindlessly stared at the jewels in the glasses to try to drown out the sound of Hard-Hitting's voice. "Those designers went out of their way to make those dresses for you and you just turn them all down?"

"Yes," Applejack answered, "Ah turned them all down. None of them were me."

"It doesn't matter if they were 'you' or not, do you know the importance of having a dress with a designer name such as Inseam or Hoity Toity? Especially as a public figure? A muse?"

"Oh Ah see, so my weddin' shouldn't be about the celebration of my and Soarin's love for each other. It should be about how many famous ponies can get on it and how much of a profit the management can make."

"We want you to look your best with the best dresses in the world. Now how are you going to get your dress?"

"Ah'm havin' a friend make it. She's knows me the best and she'll listen to me."

"A friend? A friend? Great…"

"Ah'll have you know my friend Rarity is an excellent designer-" Abruptly, Hard-Hitting's eyes grew large as a smile spread across her face.

"Rarity? Oh this'll make great press! Well why didn't you tell me you were friends with the Rarity?"

"…Because Ah see her as my friend and not another money maker?" Applejack watched the jeweler hand her another earring and listened to him babble about the cut and size of the gem. "And y'know what else? Ah don't want a new weddin' band."

"I know, Applejack, you told me a million times already," she nonchalantly reacted, "Now try it on."

"Did ya just hear…?" she trailed off, "Ah don't want it. Say what ya want about this cheap lil' Lost Wages earrin', it holds significance."

"Alright and this one can hold even more significance."

"Don't ya understand?" Applejack probed, pushing the earring away, "Ah'm not some dress up doll. Ah gotta put my hoof down somewhere! Ah'm losin' myself in all of this! Goodness, it's Uncle and Aunt Orange all over again…"

"You signed a contract, Honey. I protect your image while you let me fix it."

"Ah don't care anymore! My life is bein' run by dictators! My mama told me to think fer myself! And she sure as heck wouldn't approve of me bein' a gold-digger!"

"You're over-reacting like usual-"

"No you listen! Ah've tried bein' nice but you're too bull-headed to hear what Ah am sayin'! Yer a bully! Not only d'ya try to control me too much but ya put me down! Sayin' nonsense and insinuatin' that Ah'm not good enough. Don't think that Ah don't pick up on yer snide remarks-"

"Applejack. Applejack!" Hard-hitting hissed, noticing all eyes in the room were starting to stare at them, "That's enough!"

"No it's not! You think that Ah have no class! You think that Ah'm dirty or too reckless! Ah see the way ya look at me! You try to change me so much but ya can't change me. Ah won't allow it!"

"Ever since Soarin got with you he's been late and his focus hasn't been in check. Who could be responsible for that, hm?"

"Maybe he's not as mind-controlled as ya want him to be anymore. Ever thought of that?"

"Mind-controlled?" she repeated.

"Yes, mind-controlled. He's a lot happier now."

"More like disorganized."

"Well maybe you can help him out by getting off his back." The blonde mare approached the orange pony until their snouts almost touched.

"You know, you have such a pretty little mouth," she quipped, "It's be a lot prettier if you kept it shut." Applejack returned her statement with a smug grin.

"Ah, chauvinism at its finest," she sarcastically fought back, "My only job is to keep quiet and look pretty."

……………………………..

The Southern filly tapped her forelegs on her lap as she kept her eyes closed. Although she could only see black, she loved the familiar feeling of being inside her home back on the farm. Hearing her grandmother rummaging through her closet, Applejack offered her help which Granny Smith quickly turned down. A laugh escaped her lips and she reminded herself that stubbornness ran in the family. A cold feeling was felt in a certain area of her neck which made Applejack shudder. Granny Smith gave her permission to open her eyes.

"Oh Granny," Applejack said, staring at the necklace in her reflection. Setting her hooves on the dresser, Applejack bit her bottom lip to hold back the tears. "Ah remember Mama used to wear this."

"Ah figured this'd be good timin'." Swiftly, Applejack hugged the elder mare and retracted back. It was a simple, lone charm that was on the strand. Filled with a small line of diamonds, the pendant was shaped as a horseshoe. She remembered her mother calling it her favorite necklace, a necklace she wore every anniversary between her and the father. "You can continue its legacy."

Shame and guilt swelled within her as her heart beat against her rib cage. The air grew thick while the candles on the dresser seemed to dim. Ya gotta free yerself, AJ.

"Granny? Ah…Ah haven't been completely honest with ya. About the marriage." She saw the concern in her grandmother's eyes develop and felt a lump in her chest.

"What d'ya ever mean, sugarcube?"

"Soarin and Ah told ya we eloped because it was love at first sight," Applejack began, clearing her throat, "Well, it wasn't love at first sight. We didn't marry fer that reason." She stopped to view her grandmother's reaction. Her forehead creased with her existing wrinkles but she nodded her head to let her continue. "We, uh, had too much to drink at a restaurant for dinner." Slowly, Granny Smith helped herself to a seat on the bed. "Granny Smith, Ah'm so…deeply sorry that Ah've been lyin' to ya, to the world, and Ah feel like Ah need to get this off my chest. Ah'm not a liar. S-Soarin and Ah got married while we were…drunk." Granny searched her face for a long moment.

"Applejack-"

"Ah didn't want ya to be disappointed in me. Fer rushin' into somethin' so important while Ah was intoxicated. A-and Ah take full blame fer this. Fer hidin' this fer so long."

"Ah thought Ah raised better." Applejack quickly glared at the ground with her green orbs stinging. "Ah thought ya had better judgment. Goin' off with some stallion and drinkin' the night away. And to lie to those who are closest to ya? This long? For shame!"

"Granny, Ah feel so bad-"

"Ah see ya in another light, Applejack, and Ah must say it's not a good one." Soft sniffs came from the young mare and she took off the necklace to lie on the dresser. "Now what did ya do that fer?"

"Ah'm not my mother's daughter," she sniffed, "My ma was a good pony. And here Ah am, puttin' up a front to everypony Ah love."

"AJ-"

"Apples don't lie." It hurt Granny to see her young relative to deteriorate emotionally before her. Getting up, she put the necklace back on her neck and gentle rose her chin up to look at herself again.

"Apples are strong with a powerful conscience. Don't ever say yer not worthy enough to be an Apple."

"But-"

"Shh," Granny shushed, wrapping her arms around Applejack. They held still for a while.

"Granny, Ah thought you'd be angrier," she quietly added.

"Ah'm not happy with what ya just told me and it's gonna take a while to build my trust in ya again," Granny reminded, "But Ah'll always love and support ya."

"Thanks, Granny."

"Hmph," she joked as she left the room, "Ah remember back in the day when ponies drank too much, they'd get into bar fights. Not go off marryin' each other."

Chapter 8

"Oh Rarity!" Applejack gasped as she exposed the gown. It was a vintage look: lace wrapped around the neck and shoulder area as the bare white material elegantly draped to the floor. Holding up the hanger, she inspected the dress with her smile growing larger. "Ah love it!" A reminder rang in her head as she hung up the dress in her closet. "Where's the veil?" Rarity emitted a long groan as she took it out from her bag.

"Are you sure you want to wear your cowfilly hat as a veil?" Applejack raised her eyebrow and gave a smirk as a response. "Very well. I trimmed it with pearls and added the sheer fabric just like you asked for. If you were to ask me, darling, I would have gone with a simple tiara but you're the client." Applejack swooped in for a quick hug and reclined back eagerly.

"Thanks a lot! This means so much tah me!" Although she often questioned her friend's taste, Rarity smiled at the static pony. After a year of the planning the wedding, she had heard every complaint, rant, and story from the country mare and was glad that finally she seemed to be genuinely happy.

"Well, I'm glad you like it," Rarity replied, plopping onto the bed behind her. She glanced over at the time and dropped her mouth open. "Applejack! The bachorlette party is going to be in thirty minutes!"

"Yeah? And?"

"Your hair is a mess and you haven't picked out any clothes-"

"Oh c'mon, these are my friends and family we're talkin' about. Now Ah gotta dress up for them, too?"

"Not overly dressed," Rarity pointed out, examining inside her closet, "Maybe just a loose dress with some boots. Oh!" Digging through her bag once more, the unicorn pulled out a campy hat with the word 'bride' stitched on the front.

"Right, because everypony doesn't know who the bride is already," Applejack jeered, "Especially with a highly publicized weddin' comin' up this week."

"It's fun!" Rarity commented, returning to the bed, "It's unbelievable how you're getting married before me!" Applejack halted for a moment to give her a quick dirty look. "No offense, dear." She glanced around the room as she fixed her mane. "Looks like you've finished moving everything in here."

"Eeyup," Applejack called out from the bathroom as she tried on clothes, "Place certainly is nice, isn't it? Soarin's got a way with realtors."

"Yes yes, this house is very roomy. And it's not too too far away from Ponyville." Applejack strolled back into her bedroom with the suggested outfit from Rarity.

"How do Ah look?"

"Precious," Rarity complimented, clasping her hooves together, "Now let’s go to that party!" As they began to leave, Rarity froze in her track and Applejack asked what was wrong. "On second thought, maybe you should arrive fashionably late…"

"Rarity!" Applejack groaned.

Once when the fashionista finished organizing Applejack's closet along with leaving a commentary one each of her pieces, much to Applejack's pleasure, Rarity agreed to finally head over to the barn for the party. Calling for a cab to top by the house, the two ponies decided to converse in small talk for a bit in the kitchen. Eventually, the driver pulled up and announced his arrival.

"Thanks Phillip," Applejack said as she sauntered out of the door with her friend trailing behind, "To the Sweet Apple Acres."

"Sure thing," The Wonderbolt assistant accepted, staring at her hat, "Occasion?" Applejack felt her cheeks blush slightly as she adjusted her headpiece.

"Barchorlette party."

"Ah, gotcha loud and clear" he responded, beginning to pull the cart once when they buckled in, "Yeah, after practice the boys took Soarin to his bachelor party."

"Ah'm sure Ah won't see him till dawn," Applejack snorted, "The Wonderbolts and Friday nights tend to have that effect on him."

Escorting themselves to the barn after Phillip dropped them off, Applejack took in the evening sky and approached the doors. The warm colors in the aerial atmosphere livened her and she pushed the doors open to a festive group of ponies who eagerly invited her in.

"There she is!" Mother Apple exclaimed while holding up a camera, "Smile!" Blinded temporarily from the flash, Applejack soon returned to her beaming expression and chatted with her friends and family. Pinkie Pie, known for her elaborate parties, did not disappoint with her schedule of games and activities. All the ponies were gleefully socializing while taking turns dipping portions of their snacks in the chocolate fountain. Then, a knock at the door was heard.

"This is the police!" the muffled voice on the other side pronounced. The guests quickly exchanged knowing looks and turned to Applejack for her reaction.

"Was the music too loud?" she wondered out loud.

"Come in!" Rainbow Dash yelled, "The doors are unlocked!" Two officers entered in and inspected the room. Their grave expressions intimidated the orange pony, causing her to recoil in her seat.

"I-Is there something wrong, sirs?" she questioned, twiddling with her hooves.

"Well somepony called us to check out the Sweet Apple Acres…" one of them informed. Applejack's tense shoulders dropped quickly as she growled quietly.

"Where is that little…" she murmured then raced just outside of the barn, "APPLEBLOOM? DID Y'ALL AND YER LIL' FILLY FRIENDS PRANK CALL THE COPS AGAIN?" Going back inside she stood by the stallions and gave a sheepishly smile. "Ah'm sorry fer the confusion and fer botherin' y'all-"

"OK, ma'am, just sit down, take a deep breath," one of the officers consoled, directing her to her seat, "And we'll take care of the rest." Bewildered by what he meant, she started to hear giggles from her residents. The cop nearest to the door swiftly pulled out a boom box and pressed the start button. As the thundering music was emitted from the machine, the other police pony took off his jacket began to slowly button down his vest.

"I take it you're the bride?" he asked suggestively. Applejack stayed stationary with a horrified expression.

"Yeah she is!" Sequin Sparkle shouted out, "And she's been bad!"

"Oh, then it looks like somepony needs to be…" Unfastening his vest, he showcased his athletic torso, finishing his statement with "punished!" Screams were heard from all over the barn as he shoved his pelvis towards her. Applejack could have sworn she heard Granny Smith in the back scream to 'take it all off'.

"Oh Celestia," she retorted as she watched him shake his hindquarters at her. The dancer began to take off each accessory one by one, causing the crowd to get louder with each toss.

"Oo oo!" Pinkie Pie chimed in, "Take off the gloves! Now the sunglasses! Alright, now the hat!" The ecstatic filly gave a bubbly laugh. "This is fun! He does whatever I tell him to do! Now do a summersault!"

"Pinkie, did you come up with this idea?" Applejack interviewed, trying to skew her view away from the performer.

"Nah, this was Spike's idea!"

"F'course," she figured, reclining back when she saw his briefs landing on her lap.

……………………

"Where's a thesaurus when ya need one?" Applejack questioned herself as she pulled up the covers a little. Glancing over to her barcholette hat again, she let out a chuckle while shaking her head in spite of herself and returned to her crossword puzzle book. "Alright, a noun: a six letter word for an individual who engages in reckless behavior." Something outside the window caught her eye. It was a taxi which had two ponies sliding out of. They seemed to reach for something in the back, something the struggled to get a grasp of.

"Soarin," she huffed, climbing out of bed to head downstairs.

"Hey AJ," Rapidfire, one of his teammates, greeted when she opened the door, "Just here to drop the 'bachelor' off."

"Hi honey!" Soarin proclaimed when he crossed the threshold. Giving her a slimy kiss, he stumbled upstairs as she wiped the saliva off her cheek.

"He's in a good mood," she joked, "Ah wonder why."

"Dude cannot hold his liquor," Thunderwing informed with a smirk.

"Hmmph, Ah think he can hold his drinks better than my cousin Braeburn," she added, grabbing onto the doorknob, "Thanks fer bringin' him home. And fer Pete's sake, it's 4 in the morning'! Y'all should get some sleep!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Rapidfire obeyed as he and his athletic colleague proceeded to enthusiastically run back to their taxi. She let out a giggle at the scene in front of her before closing the door.

"Goofballs," she told herself before going back to the master bedroom. Pushing the door open, Applejack searched for Soarin until her green orbs shot to the puff of blue hair on the pillow. She tugged the covers back to reveal a slumbering Soarin. A sigh let out of her mouth followed by a yawn so she decided to join him under the covers.

"Are you mad at me?" his muffled voice asked. She thought for a second.

"You know what? It was yer night, so ya derserve a lil' time t'free yerself some."

"Aw," he cooed, patting her on the head, "Y-you're the best wife…a guy can ask for."

"Yeah yeah," Applejack responded, grabbing his hoof and setting it down on the comforter, "Besides, yer not too drunk, my little frat boy."

"Nah, jus' a lil' tipsh-ee."

"Uh-huh. And at least ya didn't wake me up or anythin'."

"Oh? W-why weren't you sleepin'?"

"Insomnia."

"Huh?"

"Insomnia."

"What does that word mean again? I-I feel like I've heard it before…"

"You know, when ya can't sleep well?"

"Oh right," he recalled, "That's like the long way of saying…sleep-deprived or something."

"Soarin, 'sleep-deprived' is two words. How is it longer than 'insomnia' which is only one?"

"Th-think of the syllables. Sleep de-prived," he chanted, clapping his hooves with each stop, "In-som-nee-uh. Three syllables versus four." Applejack could only stare at him before she faced the ceiling again. "Hey, how was your bachelor…ette party?"

"It was real good. Nice to see all the gals again. Promise ya won't get mad, hm?"

"Oh, I promise! I really do promise!"

"The fillies thought it was a grand idea to have strippers there. Trust me, Ah did not enjoy it in the least." Soarin let out a chortle at her grimaced expression.

"Uh, AJ, we don't normally wear clothes."

"Well, yeah, but it's just…the principle of it Ah guess." She seized for a moment to collect her thoughts. "Hey, Ah thought you'd be more upset about it! Or maybe jealous about it or something. What gives?" An idea popped into her head. "Didja have strippers of yer own."

"Puh-leez, if I had strippers at my party, there would've been pictures all over the news by now. Besides, if there were" he continued, reaching over to the dresser to turn off the lamp, "they've got nothing on you."

………………………………...........

"Dude I can't believe you're getting married this Wednesday," Rainbow told the training athlete as she stretched out her own wings, "How does it feel? And save me all this 'exciting' cookie-cutter response nonsense. How do you really feel?" As Soarin made his way through a series of hoops, the male Pegasus lowered himself to his teammate.

"I don't know what to feel," he sadly remarked, noticing Rainbow's bewildered expression.

"What's the matter? Doncha like her?"

"Of course I do! I love her; she's one of the most interesting, fun, reliable, loving, beautiful-"

"Hard working," Rainbow added, "And any other positive adjective that you can think of, right?" Soarin fought off a shy smile as Rainbow gentle punched him in the arm teasingly. "You're a hopeless romantic."

"I just…is it possible for us for our marriage to last when the both of us are so busy? With her running the farm and me training and our press releases…"

"Well, that's when you guys have to make some compromises, you know? I had to give up Wonderbolts for a while after having Summerfree and Brae had to work out him moving out of Apploosa and into Ponyville. On top of all of that, we still had to get used to being parents along with maintaining our relationship. Trust me Soarin, it's not an easy thing having a relationship while balancing our own careers. But we just roll with the punches. Now that we have a good idea what the…flow of how everything is working, we can focus on future chapters of our lives. D'ya kinda get me?"

"Yeah, I do," he muttered as his eyes shifted to the ground. Suddenly, his eyes lit up with his thought racing. "Actually, you make a lot of sense."

"Well duh!"

"And you just gave me an idea…"

………………….

"You're gonna what?" Applejack's voice squeaked. Setting down her sweater she planned on wearing later that night on the chair near her, the country mare sauntered towards the bedroom entrance where her husband stood. "You mean everythin'? Everythin's canceled?"

"Yup. I canceled all the parties and dinners and press releases," he confirmed, entering the room, "I want for the rest of this week till the wedding to be low-key with us. No madness, none of the other ponies telling us what to do-"

"Yer lyin'," Applejack teased, "Ah know ya are. Y'all ain't that insane. What will Top Boss or Hard-Hittin' say or anypony else say?"

"Who cares? Babe it's just gonna be you," he informed, jumping onto the bed then patting the comforter, "and me." He extended out his hoof towards her.

"Soarin," she said, grabbing his hoof. As he pulled onto the bed, the giggling mare held onto a pillow to smack him on the head. "If there's one thing Ah can say about ya, Ah can say yer unpredictable. Maybe even a little erratic."

"I prefer the word 'exciting'," he replied in a mocked arrogant tone.

"Ah prefer ya not to talk," she concluded, leaning in for a kiss.

……………..

"Hey, AJ, guess whose story totally engulfed the entertainment section?" Soarin called out, smoothing out the newspaper in front of him, "'Soarinjack: where are the ponies in love? Famous flyer Soarin and his blushing bride haven't been seen together for days! Many wonder where the famous duo has been hiding. Is there doom in their relationship? Have they separated? With a highly public marriage coming up along with sharing their most intimate and romantic moments in the public eye, Equestia worries about the couple and what is at stake for them. Even their closest sources have admitted they haven't had contact from them since Friday night! Don't worry; safety is assured when Wonderbolt BFF Rainbow Dash reveals that Cloudsdale's Bad Boy and everypony's favorite sweetheart, Applejack, are just laying low. "It's been crazy for them," she told us, "They need a little breathing room for now." Aww! Sounds like the lovers can't wait for their honeymoon to start!'." Applejack slowly shook her head as she held back her giggles.

"My lil' tabloid reader," Appejack joked, "Who would've known."

"Hey, how many messages do we have?" the athletic pony questioned as he plopped onto the couch next to Applejack.

"76 messages and still counting for the past three days," Applejack proudly announced, "Who d'ya think left them all?"

"Hmm, if I had to make an educated guess, maybe 5 percent from relatives from far away we never knew existed wishing us a happy wedding, 35 percent from the press still hounding us down, and the rest from the management?"

"Sounds 'bout right," she concurred, pressing the button to listen to delete them. Getting up from the couch, Applejack reached as far up as she could to stretch her entire body then turned around to ask, "Aren't ya suppose t'be on yer way to practice?"

"Yes," he replied, standing up while reaching for his sweatshirt, "Shouldn't ya get to work?" Searching through the hall closet, Soarin placed her trademark hat on top of her mane.

"Looks like we better get goin'," Applejack pronounced then seizing for a moment, "It's Tuesday right?" Soarin gave a quick nod of the head. "Funny how time flies so fast. Thanks fer an amazin', relaxin' weekend."

"No problem," he assured, beginning to launch off to the aerial city, "See ya in a few."

……………………

Everything around him became a blur as the air brushed against his fur. In his own aerial world, Soarin had felt like he had a grasp on everything in his life. Truthfully, his nerves were nonexistent. His speed accelerated increasingly with his racing thoughts. Every conversation and moment with Applejack popped into his head making him feel even more energized than what he had already felt. Making his way around the poles in the obstacle course, he hummed a small song with each dodge. It was perfect; he knew that he met the girl of his dreams.

"SOARIN!" a voice screeched. Losing his focus, he turned his attention to the distant door in the corner and accidentally crashed into a punching bag.

"Ouch!" he cursed, rubbing his head, "Why do we even have these punching bags anyway?"

"Get your flank down here right now, mister!" The winged pony lowered himself to the ground timidly.

"H-hey, Hard-Hitting," he murmured when he landed, "H-how are you d-"

"Cut the small talk!" she snapped, handing her clipboard to one of her assistants.

His demeanor quickly changed from defeated to exasperated. "Alright, how did you find me?"

"Oh no you don't! Don't start that with me," she fought back, 'I'm the one who should be asking you questions. Why do I need to hunt you down in the first place when you know there's a press conference today? We almost had to send out a search party for you guys!"

"Wouldn't be the first time…wait, press conference? I didn't know there was a press conference today."

"What do you mean…how did you not…" She quickly yelled out her assistant's name.

"Yes ma'am," the small colt responded, saluting her quickly.

"How many messages did I leave for this stallion reminding and alerting him about today's very important interview session?"

"I-I believe you left about 15 or so over the course of three days," he stammered.

"And that was just me. Don't forget about Top Boss and his staff and other news sources. Do you know how significant this conference is? This is the press conference! The one the day prior to your wedding and the whole world wants to hear from you two! Ponies are actually RVSPing for this. How could you just disappear?" Gasping, the businessmare scowled at him. "I bet it was that Applejack. I knew all along that she'd be a bad influence on you, rebelling form the start."

"Now hold it, this is a stallion's wife you're talking about and that's dangerous territory. Say what you want about me, but don't talk about her like that! For your information, I was the one who came up with the idea to cut you all out. Without Applejack's 'influence'. And you know what? Neither of us appreciate your pushy attitude."

"The 'pushy' attitude is the attitude that protects you, kiddo. Do you know how many nasty rumors would've been spread about you two since the start? Just for public amusement? Soarin, you know there are vultures out there in the media. Ready to tear down and ruin your reputation just for the sick idea of entertainment value? And anticipating the downfall of your marriage just like any other famous relationships? I may be pushy and dictating, but I'm out there saving your behind. Look, Soarin, I don't want to be the bad guy here," she informed, putting on her sunglasses, "But we're running on a schedule around you two. All of us: the management, publicity agency, industry insiders, news outlets, journalists, reporters, the whole nine yards. You're under a contract so I suggest you better follow our orders before things can get ugly. Besides, it's common curtsey to keep in touch with those who made you the superstar that you are today." The mare began to exit the gym before turning to face him again. "And I suggest you call your wife and the both of you meet up at the headquarters. The conference starts in an hour and time is money."

……………………….

Applejack felt a playful shove from her cousin and tossed an apple towards him.

"What was that for?" she giggled. "Tryin' to knock me down? Ya crazy?"

"Somepony's gettin' married tomorrow," Braeburn reminded with a wink, "Ready?"

"Not really," she admitted, kicking her legs against the tree behind her.

"Hey, shouldn't ya be spendin' yer weddin' eve with him?"

"As if Ah haven't spent a lot of time with him already," she joked, "But in all seriousness, we just kinda want to do our own lil' thing fer a while before meetin' up back home tonight. He said he's takin' me out to eat tonight."

"That's nice!"

"Yeah it is. Besides, workin' here will get my mind off my nerves fer a while."

"Hey, are ya gonna have a bar in the reception area?" he asked, stifling his guffaws, "Ya better be careful, with all the weddin' decorations you may give some guests ideas."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. FYI, that joke got old months ago. Maybe you and Rainbow should have a drink or two so that y'all can finally tie the knot."

"Might as well, huh? It's only a matter of time before Sums grows old enough to ask why we haven't yet." The colt hauled up his basket to start heading over to the other trees. "By the way, AJ, I'm really proud of you."

"Fer what?"

"Well, I know that this is a lot. I've been in a similar situation before with dating a famous athlete, only it wasn't nearly this…strict. It takes guts to go through with this." As she watched him stroll away, she began to walk over to a nearby lake. Does it take guts or no backbone? she thought to herself while dipping her snout in to drink water. Suddenly, she heard familiar voice calling her name. Perhaps too familiar.

"Did somepony say my name?" she questioned, checking her surrounding areas.

"Down here!" The country mare glanced down at the lake to find what appeared to be her reflection glowering at her.

"What the-"

"You have some evaluatin', girl!" her reflection demanded.

"Ah;ve been workin' too hard…"

"Focus! What are ya doin'?"

"Apparently havin' a conversation with my refection?"

"Listen, if ya let everypony walk over ya like this, yer marriage and life will end in shambles! Ya have to stand up fer yerself!"

"Ah've tried, believe me."

"Well maybe yer goin' at it the wrong way."

"And what d'ya mean by that?"

"Perhaps the problem isn't the publicity machine. Maybe it's Soarin." She furrowed her eyebrows and stayed silent. "Hate to break it to ya, sugarcube, but maybe ya need to let him go. Other than the obvious attention he brings, he doesn't seem to see the same level as you when it comes to protectin' yer privacy."

"Th-that's not true! In fact, he's the one who came up with this lil' vacation or 'stay-cation' idea or whatever ya call it!"

"Yes but he loves the spotlight. He's a born entertainer, d'ya think he'd give that up?"

"M-maybe Ah don't want him to give it up. We can still be together, it's been done before and we can do it."

"But are ya gonna continue to be his quote-on-quote lil' lady? Are ya gonna continue to please to the public with this image?"

"Ah'm not lyin'! Just, Ah don't know, dressin' up."

"It's untruthful. It's not you and yer trying to convince ponies that's how yer really like."

"Well, uh, who cares what other ponies think?"

"Y'know, yer right, who does care? Why are ya catering to ponies who accept yer image and not you? AJ, both you and…well me know that no stallion is worth more than yer principles."

"What d'ay suggest then? Yer tearin' me down and tellin' me to break up with Soarin and Ah don't want to! Ah know this sounds cheesy but Ah don't care: Ah love Soarin. Ah don't even know why exactly, ya wouldn't think he's my type but it's true. And it's more than just bein' in love with him as a mate, he's one of my best friends and a part of my family. Ah can see a future with him. Ah may not know what future yet, but Ah don't see him out of my life. Ah can't see my life without him. But…Ah can't help but think that you are right about my ponysona. Ah mean, you are right, it needs to be stopped."

"Well then, ya know what ya gotta do?"

"Ah'm afraid to ask…"

"Ya gotta do something drastic! Gotta put the truth out there! Yer in control, not the management!"

"Yeah? Yeah? Like how?"

"Ya gotta-"

"Applejack, dear, when yer done talkin' to the water come inside to take a call!" Granny Smith yelled from the kitchen window. She ran up to her grandmother and grasped the phone from her. "It's Soarin," she added with a smile as she left her alone.

"Hey Soar," she greeted as her face beamed, "How're ya?"

"I'm, uh, good. I'm good." Applejack noted the apprehension in his voice and grew concerned.

"Ya certainly don't sound good. What's the matter, sugarcube?"

"AJ, I-I hate to do this to you…." She wrapped the cord around her hoof nervously.

"Out with it," she demanded, "Ah can take it, Ah'm sure."

"You gotta at the headquarters in about ten minutes. There's a press conference today in an hour that I guess we didn't hear about due to the whole…deleting all voicemails thing…"

"P-press conference? In an hour?"

"I'm really, really sorry. Hard found me at the gym in Cloudsdale and she told me about it and now I'm calling you. I guess since it's a day before the wed-"

"But we had plans tonight, remember? Ah thought we weren't gonna do this anymore! Ah thought we weren't gonna do anythin' fer them before the weddin'!"

"I know, I know, but I mean this is a really important and big conference apparently-"

"Oh great! Now Ah can put up my façade in front of the national audience once more. This gets exhaustin'! Did ya do or say anythin' to stop this?" The other side of the line was quiet for a moment.

"She told me that everypony is already lining up at the door. It's one thing if I found out about this yesterday or something but I can't cancel it when it's starting in an hour. I know this is hard but this is a part of fame."

"Soarin!"

"Please Applejack, just come. I don't want you to get in trouble; I already had to defend you with Hard-Hitting." Her blood boiled as her hoof shook with frustration. . Abruptly, a sneeze shot out of her which resulted in her rubbing her nose and sniffing. "What's up? Are you getting sick?"

"No," she sulked, "Just a lot of dust out-" An idea popped into her head in response to thoughts earlier. "Ah'll be there in a few."

………………………

"Sorry, Ms. Hitting, but I don't see Applejack anywhere," an assistant notified the perplexed horse backstage. Opening the curtains slightly, the publicist peered out at the crowded audience who had already begun taking pictures. Grimacing, she turned to Soarin and his manager who were looking out as well.

"You two better get out there," she ordered, "They've been waiting for fifteen minutes now!"

"But Applejack isn't here yet!" Soarin pointed out, fussing with his Wonderbolt suit nervously.

"It don't matter, Soarin!" Top Boss informed, beginning to walk onto the stage, "We'll just make up something when we reach the microphones." The sportspony followed Top Boss reluctantly to his own seat. After the portly stallion greeted the reporters, applause rose until he motioned them to quiet down.

"All of you will have to excuse Applejack, she's fashionably late," Soarin meekly joked, causing the group to let out a collective chuckle.

"Y'all don't need to wait any longer," her voice broadcasted as she sauntered onto stage. The audience gasped at her appearance as Top Boss's mouth dropped open followed by Soarin turning to see her. Brown soil covered her body while traces of twigs and leaves tangled in her mane. There was a small cut on her cheek that was raised by her smirk.

"She's been mugged!" a paparazzo shouted.

"Mugged? This is what a hard day's work looks like!" she explained, scooting over to a seat next to the blue Pegasus.

"H-hard day's work?" an elderly pony commented, "What on Equestria do you mean by that?" The breeze from her fan she was cooling herself with made her strand of pearls sway back and forth delicately.

"She was planting flowers in her pots!" Top Boss answered quickly with a hint of perspiration on his forehead, "That's why she has the dirt on her."

"Nah, Ah don't think so," she rejected, "Ah was buckin' trees!" The spectators let out another gasp with some of the members even fainting. "Yeah, Ah guess Ah look like a mess to y'all but to me this is the way Ah like me. Ah love running my family business!"

"Y-you mean you do this regularly?" a photographer interviewed.

"Yup!" she replied, her voice suddenly dropping low, "Truth is, Ah've been dishonest with y'all. Ah just wanted y'all to…view me as a certain way. Ah don't know, maybe Ah thought y'all wouldn't like the truth. Ah don't like tea parties, Ah like gardenin'! And Ah don't like cachet, Ah like tug-o-war. And Ah don't knit, Ah play with my lasso! Ah'm sorry Ah've put up this disguise with y'all. Ah've felt guilty the whole time and had to get this off my chest." The fans had bewildered looks of their faces, unsure on how to perceive this news. Soarin noted the change of atmosphere and turned to the country horse whose eyes were darting around the room apprehensively.

"Just the way Ah like her," Soarin jested, wrapping his arm around her, "This is the pony Ah fell in love with." Applejack's face lit up again and she gave a quick peck on his cheek gratefully. As all the members clapped rigorously again, Soarin leaned in to whisper something in her ear. "D'ya think they need to know how we really got married?"

"One step at a time, Soarin," she spat out, "Don't want them to turn on us by exposin' everythin'."

"You're crazy, you know that?" he concluded with a grin.

………………………………..

"You're crazy, you know that?" Hard-Hitting screamed at Applejack. With the celebrity couple and their crew, the huddle of ponies galloped as fast as they could from the intruding reporters who were making their way backstage.

"To the offices, hurry!" Top Boss lead. The businessmare commanded to her helpers that they get security on action as once while two guards protected Soarin and Applejack from the manic fans. Once they reached the nearest office, they shut the door and placed a chair underneath the lock with the rest of the horses outside pounding at the door.

"What else have you've been hiding, huh?" one voice yelled from the opposite side.

"Is this whole marriage a fake?"

"You guys make the cutest couple!"

"Applejack, tell us more about yourself!"

"Are there any muffins in there that I can have?"

"Now look what you've done!" Hard-hitting shrieked at the farm filly, "Going at us like wild animals! All because you had to prove something!" Applejack collapsed in a chair while massaging her temples. "What do you have to say for yourself? Your image is now tarnished and now I have to fix it again. Now they'll probably never leave us alone!"

"Ah want you to leave me alone!" she hissed, glaring at her as a silence grew between them, "Since day one ya been on my back about this 'image' nonsense!"

"Sweetheart, you signed a contract that gives me the legal right to have me control your public image!"

"Wrong! To control our image as a married couple!"

"Yeah and you're part of that married couple, remember?"

"W-well, what if Ah break the contract?"

"Puleeze! There's no way."

"Oh yes there is. Th-there's only one way," she declared, her back shooting straight up. Realizing what she was inferring to, Hard-Hitting's cold expression turned into shock while Soarin caught on.

"Applejack," he murmured, "you don't mean…what I think you mean, do you?" She sunk back into the chair as she blankly looked at the air in front of her. Her eyes flickered back to Soarin whose visage showed disappointment. The stillness in the air made anger grow inside of him. "Applejack?"

"A-Ah don't-" She was interrupted by a loud banging on the door which made her hop out of her seat in surprise. "Ah c-can't handle this anymore!"

"Are you saying that you want to end this marriage?" The door shook again from the impact of the hooves outside.

"A-Ah don't want to b-but-" She cut herself off quickly as she blinked hard and stared at the ground. "Ya knew this was comin', Soar. Might as well get it over with before we get ourselves into more of a mess."

"Just like that?" he probed with a shaky voice. "Giving it all up?"

"Ah love ya but maybe we're too different fer each other." Soarin dropped his head and shook it quickly then returned his gaze back to her again. "This marriage was never intended to last forever. I-isn't that what we both wanted and established since the beginning, anyhow?" Biting his lip, he steered his vision to the corner of the room and blew out a sigh.

"You're right," he agreed, starting to head over to the conjoining office, "But maybe what we both wanted fifteen months ago has changed now. Ever given that a thought?" She watched him close the door with Top Boss chasing after. She slowly sat back down in the chair.

"Luna, I hate mixing emotions with business," Hard-Hitting admitted, "Look, perhaps we can both save ourselves anymore stomach ulcers. It's up to you: if you want to go with the marriage let me know. If not then I can tear up the contract right in front of you and you can hit the road, Jack." A ringtone was heard causing her to take her call and walk towards the corner.

"Ah don't know what Ah want anymore…"

Chapter 9

Exposing his green orbs to the bleeding sunlight, Soarin let out a large yawn and turned his head to the empty space next to him on his bed. For many moments he stared at it as his thoughts raced in his head. Anger and betrayal swelled in his chest. Never had he feel so small, so mortified. Somehow, he found the motivation to bring his body upward and slide out of his comforter to head towards the bathroom. A folded piece of paper plopped onto the floor as his blanket was pushed back. Staring at it for a while, he read his name repeatedly on it and reached down for it. There was only a short message inside but it managed to cause a stir of mixed emotions within him.

'I know that I hurt you and I'm sorry,' the letter read, 'I came by last night to find you sleeping and suddenly an idea hit me. It may be hard, but I need you to trust in me.'

"'Love Applejack'," he said out loud. His sight darted across the words on the page again and once more. "What the hay does that mean?" Frustration made him hastily crumble the paper and storm into the bathroom. Mindlessly searching through the drawers, he suddenly felt a certain lightness throughout his body. He glanced in the mirror and grimaced when trying to figure out why he was experience a subtle positive change of mood. Perhaps it was a small twinge of hope from still accessing some sort of communication with her. Still, he felt humiliation swim viciously in his veins. There was a knock at the door that made him snap out of his thoughts.

"Doesn't any pony answer their phone around here?" the towering mare sarcastically quipped. Much to Soarin's revulsion, he began shutting the door until he felt something halt it. Swinging it open again he noted that Top Boss's hoof stood on the threshold.

"What do you guys want?" Soarin questioned in an exasperated tone, "Didn't you hear? The wedding is off."

"I wouldn't say so," Hard Hitting countered with a knowing smirk.

"You can't have a wedding with no bride," Soarin snapped with a shaky voice, "She made it clear enough for me that she doesn't want to be married anymore. And you can count this colt out, too."

"Soar, don't be ridiculous. Of course she wants to be married to you."

"Snap out of it, Hard! Our relationship in the papers is just a fantasy. She never wanted to be married; neither of us did! This was just a mistake that has now been blown way out of proportion. And you know what? This is all…my fault." He let out a long sign as he leaned on the door frame. "I allowed myself to be hurt by this. My imagination and reality just warped together. I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't anymore. Well, that line was drawn real clear yesterday. I should hate her but…I can't. That's the worst part, I have all this anger and hurt, but the more I think about it…the more I realized that it's not towards her but me."

"Look, wanna know something?" the publicist cut in, "I told her that I was willing to tear up the contract yesterday afternoon in the office. She kicked herself and got up out of her chair to catch up with you and Boss but you two were already gone. Then she turned to me and really shocked me: she told me that she wanted not only to continue with the wedding but also move it to a new location. I said 'AJ, I like your enthusiasm kid but that's darn near impossible'. She didn't give a hoot, she told me that she would have to move the whole wedding location herself and only herself if she had to."

"She…she still wants to do the wedding?"

"I gotta phone call from Hard saying that Applejack still wanted proceed with the wedding," Top Boss continued, "I told her that I was willing enough to hire more helpers and movers and have the delivery places move everything to the new location. Being as stubborn as she is, Applejack has been working since early this putting everything together and directing everypony. She left a note for you since she figured she didn't have time to really talk to you about it." Soarin quickly glanced from one pony to the next, stunned.

"She's doing all of that?"

"Soarin, I know that your friends and family and teammates have told you this a thousand times so what I'm gonna say isn't new. You two complement each other well and bring the best out of one another. I know that things are overwhelming, I'm not gonna deny it. Heck, just lookin' over your schedules make me exhausted. It'd pain me to see you two get so far and to not make it to the finish line. And I'm not talking about the wedding; I'm talking about mutual peace. I'm not gonna try to sway ya either way, but you two need to rekindle somehow. Whether it'd be a romantic relationship, a friendship, or even as acquaintances, I know that the two of you can fix and repair this relationship. You two are hard workers and I know the both of ya want to work things out." Abruptly, Soarin trotted towards the stairs, leaving the two ponies in the doorway bewildered.

"Well, I gotta get ready, right?" Soarin reminded before resuming to his room.

………………………………

"I don't how she did it, that Applejack certainly can book a place!" Hard Hitting praised as she reapplied her lipstick, "Who knew she would be that useful? I've been trying to get my calls through to them for months! I guess it has something to do with her being one of the Elements of Harmony or something and knowing Princess Celestia…" Her words were drowned out in Soarin's hearing. Nervously, he peered out of the cart's window once more and held his breath. Feeling a nudge on his shoulder, Soarin faced Top Boss and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Kid, don't hold yer breath all the time," he advised him, making the young stallion exhale through his snout, "You're turning blue."

"Top, I'm always blue, "Soarin noted, glimpsing at his own fur. The wagon pulled up at the front of the castle and the Wonderbolt stared in awe through the window. "We're getting married in the Canterlot Castle?" It had just occurred to Soarin that he had not once asked where the new location had been. "Wow! What a surprise!"

"I know!" Hard-Hitting concurred, watching the driver open the door to let the passengers out. "Oh how romantic! How prestigious! The perfect photo-op moment!"

"This is where we first met," he quietly reminded himself. Glancing at the entrance, his mind pictured her pastry stand assembled like it had been the night of the Gala. In all honesty, he initially had no attraction towards her. The food surrounding her occupied his interest. He did, however, notice how her folksy appearance almost clashed with the rest of the guest's elegant attire. But he figured she must be some sort of waitress despite the fact that the party did not seem to have any country western themes elsewhere. After her infamous incident with her large cake, he noticed that she ran with his admiring fan that he had just met that night, Rainbow Dash.

That's no waitress he thought to himself while the other ponies scrambled around and gossiped about the six crazy mares who just escaped from the party.

It was not until the time after meeting her did he take any interest in her. The Wonderbolts championship took place at the derby stadium in Canterlot. Rainbow Dash had played on their team for a while by then so she had grown a close bond with all of her teammates, especially the aerial stuntspony.

"Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to get dressed," Rainbow persuaded him as she tugged his arm, "I want ya to meet my friends!" Joining them in a hallway backstage to avoid rabid sports fans, Rainbow introduced her four closest friends to her associate.

"Glad to meet Rainbow's best friends," he greeted with a warm as he finished shaking Twilight's hoof. "OK, let’s see if I remember. R-Rarity, Fluttershy, T-Twilight…Sparkle? And Pinkie Pie."

"Hey, where's Applejack?" Rainbow asked in a slightly irritated tone. The country mare was suddenly found galloping towards the group, chortling. Quickly, a small yellow blur brushed past her which caused her to freeze in her tracks.

"Woo!" Applejack exclaimed, fanning herself with her hat, "Applebloom, yer getting' faster and faster every day!" She watched the other two fillies trot towards them as the young dragon wheezed.

"Next time…let’s just…walk back…" Spike requested, balancing his merchandise that he purchased by the front gate.

"Sorry, RD, Ah had to go with these lil' guys to buy stuff," Applejack notified. She began to speak once more while she placed her hat back onto her head but froze for a second when she caught eye contact with Soarin.

"Oh right," Rainbow reminded herself, "And here's my last friend Applejack. This is her little sister Applebloom, Rarity's little sister Sweetie Belle, Twilight's kinda sorta adopted brother and assistant Spike, and my pal Scootaloo."

"Nice to meet all of you," he spat out, peering over his shoulder at the time and then back to them. "Rainbow…?" he murmured in a low tone of voice as he leaned in towards her.

"Sorry guys, but we have to get dressed and finish training and all of that," Rainbow informed. While the group headed back to their seats, a thought popped into Rainbow's head and she pulled Applejack back to them.

"Rainbow, Ah thought-"

"Little did you know that a Wonderbolt's superstar would love your pie, huh?"

"Rainbow, Ah know you like my pies. You've had them a thousand times-"

"No, not me!" Rainbow interrupted, then giving a proud smirk, "But thank you for considering me a superstar. Soarin was the one who bought your pie that night at the Gala, remember?" Applejack inspected Soarin for a while.

"Well it was you!" she exclaimed, stepping closer to him, "Ah almost didn't recognized ya without yer uniform! Y'know, ya were my only sale that night."

"Really?" Soarin probed, trying to recall the memory, "Can't understand why, that was the best pie I've had! You make one mean apple pie Miss…I'm sorry I already forgot your name."

"Applejack, the name's Applejack!" she introduced, shaking his hoof vigorously, "If ya ever want me to make y'all something', jus' say the word!"

"That sounds great! Yeah, I'd love that! A-and I'm sure the team would love it, too!"

"So…uh, Ah better catch up with the rest of 'em before Ah get lost," she noted, starting to back up, "Good luck, you guys!" Soarin watched her for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remember a distinct image of her face when reminiscing at the Grand Galloping Gala. Perhaps it was the mixture of the darkness and festivities. But here he could not stop replaying the scenario he just experienced in his head. She may not have been a classical beauty or have an exotic look but there was a certain attractiveness to her. Her eyes were kind and her nuances made her even more charming in his opinion. And, of course, she had a warm smile and a laugh that made him lift up a little straighter. He wondered if she normally had friendly behavior or if she took to him as a special curiosity.

"Wonder if I could see her after the game," he mumbled to himself.

"C'mon Soarin, let’s go," Rainbow declared. Soarin still glared down the hallway and absently turned to his female counterpart.

"Go where?"

"…And then I was thinking once when the fountain gets going we can take some pictures here," Hard-Hitting rambled as she viewed the place, "And this is only the beginning! We need to plan early! Where would a good honeymoon vacation spot be?" Soarin snapped out of his own memory and let out an exasperated sigh. I gotta do this.

"Hard, thank you for all of your suggestions but…you're fired," he stated nonchalantly. At first, the businessmare's eyes expanded then she let out a relaxed laugh.

"Stop fooling around, dear. Now like I was saying-"

"You're fired."

"Wha…?Why?"

"I realized that I do have something good going for me and we need as little distractions as possible. And you're a big one. Phil?" Behind her, the driver rapidly opened the back door of the cart to escort her in. "I am your client and I am not happy. So I'm letting you go."

"But-"

"That's show business. No worries, you can still have your seat at the wedding. Just expect a pink slip tomorrow morning." Before she could protest, the driver closed the door.

"Good for you, kid," Top Boss congratulated as they both surveyed the wagon driving off, "So, are ya ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," he admitted, heading towards the entrance. With an array of working ponies dart from all sides of the castle, Soarin found himself slightly taken back from the chaos of it all. Employees yelling back and forth from opposites sides of the room, designers barking orders to their assistants, and the sprawling out mess of all the decorations almost overwhelmed Soarin.

"Believe it or not, it was a whole lot messier this morning," the manager pointed out.

"Will we be able to finish on time?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Top reassured with a grin, "The rest of the Wonderbolts are in the third room in the main hall. Go there to get ready."

"But what, do you need any help with-"

"You can help me by getting ready."

"Aye aye, sir!" he saluted. Strolling towards the main hall, something in the corner caught his eye. On the couch, a body was sprawled across it. Realizing it was a slumbering Applejack, Soarin fought the urge to talk to her. She contrasted the bustling bodies with her tranquil composure. He then continued towards his designated spot and reached for the transparent door handle.

……………………………….....

"Oh!"

Fluttershy cringed minutely at the slight discourse of the chorusing birds.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. bird?" she whispered, "The sparrow in the back row?" The bird rose up for her to see. "I-I'm sorry, don't be upset but you're, uh, slightly off-note there. D-don't get me wrong, you carry it beautifully but you need to use you're upper register rather than your lower for this part. Like this." As she cleared her throat, the timid Pegasus emitted an effortless singing melody.

"Ah always thought ya had the prettiest voice." Fluttershy shut her mouth quickly as she hunched her shoulders.

"Oh Big Mac, it's just you," she discovered, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Even after all these years, ya still act a lil' shy around me," he teased, wrapping his arm around her and she leaned her head in.

"Wil you two love birds cut it out!" Applejack yelled as she approached them.

"Oh c'mon Applejack," her brother replied coolly, "We weren't doin' anythin' wrong…"

"Not you two! Ah'm talkin' 'bout those two behind the turtledoves," she corrected brushing past them, "Hey, y'all better stop that foolin' around! Ah want none o' that at mah weddin', y'hear?"

"Oh good Applejack!" Twilight called out, "You're awake. C'mon, we need to get you into that dress."

"But what about-"

"'But what about' nothing, darling!" Rarity proclaimed, trailing behind her unicorn associate, "We don't want an exhausted bride, now do we?" The magic student guided the Applejack to her dressing room as the fashionista stayed with the reserved couple. "How's everything going?"

"Everything's going smoothly actually," Fluttershy mentioned, "All the deliveries have been made, the seating and tables are set up and the entertainment is almost done. The catering being set up as we speak."

"Fabulous! And I hear Soarin arrived an hour ago?"

"Yes. I-in fact, it looks like he's coming towards us…" The athlete drew near the conversing equestrians and asked where the country filly had been.

"You're not thinking about seeing her are you?" Rarity countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I need to-"

"Absolutely not! Now I understand why you are eager to meet up with her but it's bad luck to see your bride before the wedding ceremony!"

"Oh you've got to be-" The pallid designer glared at him until their snouts touched.

"I'm not letting you see her mister and that's that!"

…………………….

Letting out another grumble, the make-up artist turned to the boisterous horse once more.

"I mean if you like this brand of make-up then who's stoppin' ya?" Chitchat commented. "My opinion? The combo is a lil' tacky if ya ask me." The filly gave her a half-lidded stare and faced Applejack again. With the brush barely reaching the country pony's lid, Chitchat let out a shriek. "Ya mean ya aren't gonna apply the foundation first?"

"Miss, I got this, OK?" she retorted back.

"I unduh-stand that, but that still doesn't mean I can trust ya!"

"You can trust me fine, alright? Let me do my job." Chitchat let out another scream.

"Is that gonna be the base coat? Honey, it's too dark! I don't want my daughtah-in-law t'look like a rah-coon!" The large Pegasus pushed the mark-up artist from her path and pulled out her own bag. "No worries, AJ, I'm comin' outta retirement just for you!"

"Ah it feels good to be back to my normal weight again!" Rainbow broadcasted, examining her tiny frame in the mirror with the dress she wore. Grabbing her son, she floated over to the orange filly. "C'mon, say good luck to cousin AJ!" she coaxed, feeling him dig his head into her armpit. "Oh now he's playing quiet. He was just a chatterbox with his father a few minutes ago."

"Did you guys see the cake?" Pinkie Pie chirped, "I saw the cake! It was huge! And had so much frosting! Sometimes I wonder which one do I like more: the cake or the frosting? But I guess it doesn't matter 'cause they're both delicious! And we get to have them at the same time! And did you see how tall it was! It was Princess Celestia tall!" The chatting crew caused Applejack to grow more anxious by the second. The second that Chitchat revealed her work in the mirror, Applejack zoomed to the back to get into her dress.

"How does it look?" Applejack asked when she eventually came out. All of her relatives and friends stood in silence for many moments until they all broke out into smiles. Excited, they all gather around her and complimented her relentlessly with their voices going up an octave by the second. Big Macintosh, who was coming in, halted in his tracks.

"Applejack…." he trailed off. Her green orbs darted to the floor and looked at him again sheepishly.

"So, ready to take me down the aisle?"

"Ya look…l-look…so…" Applejack panicked a little at the sight of her brother tearing up.

"Big Mac, don't…don't cry."

"Ah can't help it, you look b-b-"

"Please, stop. Don't cry or else-" The increaseing size of the lump in her throat took her by surprise. "Or else Ah'm gonna cry too and then Ah won't be able to control myself and my emotions are already crazy and Ah'm such a girl and my make-up will get ruined-"

"No not the make up!" Chitchat bellowed, running up to the bride to fan her. Top Boss gave a gentle knock on the door frame and alerted them to be in their places in fifteen minutes.

"OK let’s get this show on the road!" her aunt celebrated, "Somepony's gettin' married!"

………………………

"What d'ya mean ya can't find her?" Granny Smith questioned, searching the room.

"She said she was going to look at the garden out front and when one of her cousins went to go check up on her, she's gone!" Top Boss explained, blotting his shiny forehead. "Oh man, oh man!"

"Where do you think she could've gone?"

"Now now, I'm sure she's just…giving herself a quick tour," Rarity suggested apprehensively, "She wouldn't just leave."

"We we gotta find her!" Spitfire ordered, "C'mon, let’s split up and meet back here in five minutes." Gazing at the scrambling ponies, Soarin heard a knock on the window and turned to find the orange pony on the other side who was motioning him to join her. Sneaking outside, he spotted her sitting on the grass, closing her eyes as she basked in the sunlight.

"You've been quite the troublemaker these past couple of days," he pronounced as he sauntered to her, "Lift up your dress a little; I want to make sure that there aren't any tennis shoes under there." Applejack lowered her head and exposed her emerald orbs as she let out a soft chuckle.

"Don't worry, Ah'm not goin' anywhere," she assured, "Just need some fresh air. Haven't been outside in days and y'know how that affects a country pony like me…"

"I hope you're aware that they are wondering where you are."

"Ah told them that Ah wanted to be outside for a while. Ah just wondered to the back lawn, Ah guess."

"And you know that we're supposed to be in places in five minutes, right?" Applejack pointed towards the sun then to her own cranium.

"Ah know that when the sun sets right there, it's time for me to get inside. Ah promised them Ah'd be back on time and Ah plan to do so. No worries."

"Aren't you gonna get grass stains all over your dress?"

"Nah. Rarity cast an anti-stain spell on this dress. If ya ask me, it's the best thing she coulda done." Silence engrossed them for a while.

"You know, you surprise me sometimes," he admitted, giving an uneasy laugh, "First, you want a divorce then you practically work your flank off to have a wedding at an even more exclusive location."

"It's more than just the name. The Canterlot castle holds some of my most fond and life-changing memories." She let out a sigh and fiddled with the trim of her dress. "Ah was overwhelmed yesterday. Just all the emotions and busyness just piled up. Ah'll be honest, Ah was seriously considerin' gettin' a divorce. It just seemed to be the most easy, cleanest way out. But then Ah thought even though Ah may not remember the vows Ah initially told ya at the Chapel of Love, Ah still said them. Ah'd be yer wife who will love and support ya through better and worse. If Ah just gave up, Ah'd not only be lying to myself but to you. And that hurt me, it really did. You always had been there for me. That's when Ah changed my mind and left ya that note."

"Yeah well it wasn't exactly like that note was the most comforting thing either," he interjected, "I didn't really know what to make of it." Cringing, Applejack shamefully gave a quick head shake.

"Ah know, Ah really have a bad habit of that," she confessed.

"Applejack, if you don't want to marry me, you don't have to. Don't feel forced to. I'll be hurt for a while, but I'll get over it. I'm a strong stallion."

"But Ah do want to marry ya, really. Ah've felt this fer a while now," she added, laying her head on his shoulder, "But things have to change and Ah mean it. This has to be our marriage, and nopony else's. If we go through with this, Ah want it to be a clean slate. A new beginnin'."

"Does it help that I fired Hard-Hitting this morning?" A large grin formed on her face when she asked if he had been joking. When he told her no, the blonde immediately threw her arms around him joyfully.

"Are we crazy for doin' this?"

"Who ever said we had to be sane?"

"Ah love ya."

"Love you too." Holding their position for a while, Soarin pulled back and peered through the glass-stained window. "Looks like there's something going on today."

She picked up on his bantering tone. "Yeah, Ah heard there's some kind of weddin' or somethin'."

"Wanna check it out?" he proposed as he got up.

"Sure, it may be interestin'," she accepted, grabbing his hoof to pull herself up. Starting to head back, Soarin stopped for a moment.

"By the way, I don't think we've been properly introduced," he said, extending out his hoof again, "I'm Soarin." The anticipating bride placed her hoof into his and gave a firm shake.

"Applejack."

Chapter 6

"I see them outside," the yellow mare noted, peering out the window, "They're coming towards us. They're gonna get on the bus."

"Oh yeah?" Fleetfoot murmured as she played with her bag's zipper mindlessly, "What's the deal?" Spitfire stayed quiet for a moment as she evaluated them. Letting out a groan, she smirked at her teammate sitting next to her and shook her head.

"Doesn't look good. They're not talking or anything, their just looking at the ground."

"It's a crapshoot with them, isn't it?"

The couple made their way to the empty seats wordlessly. Spying a vacant booth that could have easily held two bodies, Soarin and Applejack glared at each other and decided to part ways. Swiftly, Soarin slid into the seat next to one of his teammates as Applejack placed herself on the seat ahead of the two conversing mares. Spitfire silently raised her eyebrows at Fleetfoot and grimaced light-heartedly.

"Howdy," Applejack greeted, slightly turning her head to acknowledge them. Her voice sounded glum and her shoulders hunched forward as she leaned her head against the inside of the bus. It took her a while to realize that she still had her sunglasses on so she took them off to rub her snout.

"What's keepin' ya down, sport?" Fleetfoot inquired, shoving her gently.

"Jus' tired," she responded after a pause.

"We're all tired," Spitfire informed, resting her chin on the back of the booth ahead of her, "But you didn't seem so tired this morning when you and Soarin were pulling pranks on all of us. In fact, you two seemed so happy." Applejack sat still as she glimpsed at her lap. "Something happened. What?"

"Tired."

"Come on, get it off your chest."

"Maybe y'all shouldn't be so nosy," she hissed. An awkward stillness froze the three ponies. "Ah'm sorry, shouldn't've snapped at ya like that."

"So are ya gonna keep it bottled in or what?" Spitfire continued nonchalantly.

"Alright," Applejack agreed, turning to face them, "So, we went tah go meet up with our weddin' manager about the caterin'. Ah suggested that Ah make the food and goods but the weddin' coordinator wasn't havin' it. Said that it was improper fer me to be in charge of the culinary dishes at my own weddin'."

"So, uh, you're upset at Soarin because…?"

"Because he didn't stand by me! Is he not supposed to back me up?"

"Wh-what do you…I don't get it."

"Doncha see? He's my husband and he didn't back me up! If Ah wanted to be in charge of the caterin' services like Ah usally am at big events like this, then he shoulda said somethin' t'support me! He's always sayin' that my pie at the night of the Gala was the first thing he loved about me but he's not even gonna testify fer my cookin'? Ah mean, now Ah gotta hire somepony that Ah never even met before to cook fer my weddin' guests!" As she dropped her head and let out soft sobs, Spitfire turned to Fleetfoot who gave her a bewildered shrug.

"So you're saying that you're mad at Soarin because he didn't object to hiring a professional caterer to do his or her job at your high profile wedding that'll keep you on your hooves and busy for the next following months?"

"…Yes," she replied into her hooves, "Y-y'all just don't understand it! Y'all don't understand the married life!" Fleetfoot sighed as she lightly tapped Applejack on the shoulder.

"AJ, when was the last time you slept?" she asked.

"Ah don't know. About two days ago or so."

"That explains it."

After the bus embarked on its ride, the country mare fell into a deep slumber. The athletes behind her helped lay her down across her booth when they saw her beginning to nod off. Throughout the whole tour, they have watched her being tugged (literally and figuratively) by the management to the point of exhaustion. It was hard being the main focus of the traveling team, they noted, especially when a newbie to the entertainment industry like Applejack had been placed in that position. Catching eye contact with the male Wonderbolt in front of them, he rose from his seat towards them. He had a quizzical expression on his face as he quickly flashed his eyes to the orange pony and back to his associates.

"She's pretty ticked about it, huh?" he questioned as he approached them. His bags under his eyes were more prevalent than ever. "I figured she told you guys when I saw all of you talking."

"Just let her rest, it's been a long day for her," Fleetfoot suggested.

"It's been a long three months," he croaked, slipping off his scarf, "Hopefully we'll be home soon." Lifting her head tenderly, he rested it back down against once when he placed the cloth as support. The mare tussled for a moment, causing her hat to fall off. Before placing it back on her, he gave her a small peck on her mane and revisited his seat. Luckily, the Sweet Apple Acres was the nearest location on their trip so it was the bus's primary stop.

"Hey man, we're here," Rapidfire alerted, nudging the resting Soarin. "We're in front of the farm." Soarin shook his head swiftly and blinked rigorously. Peering out the window, the Wonderbolt stretched upward to waken his bones then pushed himself to a stance. He got out of the bus to reach for the luggage in the back and looked over to the window in front of him. Applejack leisurely straightened up her body and rubbed her eyes. Her hair was ruffled which caused Soarin to emit a chuckle and returned to carrying the bags towards the door. Ringing the doorbell, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find that it was the weary cowfilly. Demurely, she wrapped the scarf around his neck again.

"Thanks," she muttered, playing with the scarf's tassels, "I'm glad you're using it."

"It was nice of Granny Smith to send it over," he proclaimed with a grin. Once the door swung open, the couple found themselves bombarded with family members.

"Three months was way too long tah be away from y'all," Applejack called out over the loud greetings.

"Ah missed ya so much, big Sis!" Applebloom shouted, hugging her legs.

"I hope ya guys had more-uh than jus' a 'good' honeymoon!" Chitchat teased.

"Ma!" Soarin replied with his eyes wide.

"Where're ya gonna stay?" Soarin's sister, Sequin Sparkle, questioned.

"Yeah, y'all haven't even purchased a home yet!" Granny Smith pointed out.

"Well there's a game tomorrow so we're gonna stay at a nearby hotel," Soarin informed.

"Y'all have been so busy with these games and a weddin' comin' up and-" Suddenly, Granny's Smith's eyes popped open. "Well turn me upside down and stick chicken feathers on me! Ah almost completely forgot! Y'all are plannin' a weddin'!"

"That's right!" Mother Apple yelled, embracing them tightly, "For yer family and friends t'see!" Retracting back, she held onto her niece. "Ah can't wait for choosin' yer weddin' dress and cake and music-" Abruptly, all the relatives spoke at once again in excitement.

"Yeah, real fun," Applejack muttered through a tight smile.

……………………………

Cards spreaded across the tabletop as the two playing ponies competed against each other in a familiar game.

"Any queens?" Big Macintosh requested, scanning his cards ahead of him.

"Nope. Gold fish, baby!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Hey, what time is it?"

"9:46 P.M."

"Ah shoot," Rainbow cursed, glimpsing over to her sleeping son, "I should get home soon." The gaming ponies found the front door swinging open, revealing a silhouette that stormed inside. With the light hitting her, the shadow was exposed to be an infuriated Applejack that plopped onto the loveseat next to them. She let out a grunt as she crossed her arms.

"Yer back from the party early," Big Macintosh noted, "And don't ya have a fancy-smancy hotel room you should be stayin' in?"

"Ah just wanted t'stop by here," she murmured.

"Hey how was the game?" Rainbow cut in eagerly. Applejack forced out a laugh.

"The game! Oh y'all wouldn't believe what happened! So here Ah am, sittin' on the sidelines cheerin' fer my husband and all…because really what else am Ah good for? Anyway, he stops by durin' one of the time-out or whatever and says hello. Then his fans and teammates start chantin' fer us to kiss. Ah told him no but he kept pushin' the idea. Ah guess the kiss cam was on us or somethin' and Ah still didn't want to do it yet he forced himself onto me anyway." She reclined back to glare at the ceiling. "What am Ah, some kinda accessory or somethin'? Ah feel like Ah'm an accessory. That's what Ah am. An accessory!"

"Well," Rainbow interjected, "you're normally supposed to kiss when the camera is on-"

"Ah was so mad! And that's not even the worst part! We had to go to that stupid after-party. Y'all already knew that. But Ah've been askin' him fer weeks now, Ah don't want to stay out till the buckin' sun comes up the next mornin'. Is that so hard to do? But he never listens, just never listens. Ah'm not part of that crowd but he still insists that we stay at these parties. Tonight, however, he promised me that we'd leave earlier than usual. Fine Ah told him. He said we'd leave by 8. Well, sir, by time it was 8:30 he was dead set on stayin' at the party like usual. Doncha understand? Ah'm tired-- exhausted-- and all Ah want is a lil rest but Ah don't think he hears me. Especially since we're back in Ponyville and Ah have to work on the farm again, Ah need that sleep."

"Does he know ya left?" her brother asked.

"Ah threatened that Ah'd leave but Ah don't think he believed me. Well Ah'm sure he believes me now."

"Is he still at the after-party?" Rainbow probed.

"Don't know, pretty sure he is. Either way, Ah don't feel like dealin' with him right now." Rising to her hooves, she let out a big yawn. "Gotta terrible headache. If ya don't mind, Big Mac, Ah think Ah'd like to stay here tonight."

"Aren't ya gonna call him?"

"Ah have already with the pay phone but there's no answer. Music's probably too loud."

"Ah feel bad," Big Macintosh admitted after she left the room, "Ah mean, she's my lil sister and Ah don't like seein' her like this."

"I know but she's a grown mare and a married one at that. It's up to her to work on that marriage she got herself into."

"Rainbow, both you and Ah know how she got herself into this marriage. It wasn't one she was askin' fer."

"True, but she still wants the relationship," she pointed out, tossing the cards in front of her, "What d'ya say? Another game before Sums and I hit the road?"

"Eeyup."

"Let’s make it interesting. I win and you foalsit Summerfree for a week. You win and I'll…plough your farm for a week."

"So basically either you'll do my job or Ah'll do yours?"

"Exactly." Several minutes later, they heard a knock on the door and they figured who could be waiting on the other side.

"S'open," the robust stallion called out, stalling for the door to unlatch.

"Is Applejack here?" Soarin asked, leaning on the door frame.

"Yeah, she's in her bedroom," Rainbow informed him, leading him inside, "Might as well take a little rest in here, huh? She told us everything."

"You mean like when she slapped me when I kissed her on the kiss cam?"

"…OK, so she didn't tell us everything…"

"And how she just ditched me at the party?" The orange filly stumbled out from the hallways while scratching her head.

"Would y'all keep it-" Applejack froze in the living room, her emerald orbs meeting Soarin's. "Ah hope ya came to 'pologize."

"Actually I came to find out why you would leave me stranded over there like that," he shot back.

"Oh, ya noticed Ah was gone?" she sardonically countered.

"Of course I noticed you were missing! I was looking everywhere for you! You really embarrassed me, AJ!"

"Oh here we go!" she exclaimed, stomping towards him, "All about ya, isn't it? Ah told ya Ah was leavin'! Remember? Ya promised we'd leave at 8 and that didn't happen!"

"Well I don't want to be rude-"

"Hold it, hold it," Big Macintosh interrupted, stepping forward, "How 'bout y'all talk about this in a calmer manner?" The glaring ponies both huffed and faced the opposite way.

"Ah ain't talkin' t'him," Applejack spat out.

"I can't deal with her," Soarin concurred.

"Now, c'mon don't be this way," Big Macintosh gently pleaded as he escorted them towards the empty bedroom, "Y'all need to talk 'bout this."

"We don't need to talk about anything," Soarin blurted out as he reached the doorframe.

"Yeah, butt out," Applejack ordered. The large stallion shoved them into the bedroom across the hall and reached for the handle.

"Ah ain't lettin' y'all out until the two of ya talk things out." After shutting the door, the country pony strolled into the living again with a reassuring smile.

"Are ya sure that's such a great idea, Big Mac?" Rainbow questioned as she gripped onto the infant, "They seemed pretty ticked at each other."

"Don't worry, Ah'm sure they'll sort things out like adult ponies should."

"YOU CRAZY MARE! WHO ARE YOU TO SLAP ME ON CAMERA IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE WORLD TO SEE AND DITCH ME AT A PARTY WITHOUT ANY NOTICE!"

"THE KIND OF WIFE WHO'S SICK OF YER MANURE!"

"Doesn't sound too good," Rainbow quipped casually.

"WHAT AM I? YER DECORATION? YER PROJECT? YER…YER…"

"Accessory?" Rainbow helped, receiving a dirty glimpse from Big Macintosh. "Outta her mouth, not mine."

Meanwhile, back in the bedroom, Applejack and Soarin found themselves in a verbal stalemate.

"All I'm saying is you're acting very stubborn lately," Soarin hissed, "You're as stubborn as a mule!"

"How would you feel if ya found out the sweet, goofy, lovable pony ya once knew turned out to be a frat colt?"

"Frat colt? Is that what you really think I am?"

"Yes Ah do! Ah feel like Ah gave up so much for ya with livin' in the public life and goin' along with this lie and Ah don't get any appreciation fer it!"

"Of course I do! You know, I'm not having it easy either! Have ya ever thunk of that?"

"What's going on?" a tender voice asked. They turned to find Applebloom standing by the threshold with an untidy mane. "Ah heard y'all from the next room."

"Did uh, did Granny Smith send ya in here?" Applejack questioned, fiddling with her ponytail.

"Nah, she's still asleep. Y'all have to yell louder than that to wake her up."

"Applebloom, ya should really get some rest," Applejack suggested, meeting her up at the door.

"Why were y'all yellin' at each other like that?"

"It's none of yer concern, AB. We didn't mean to yell like that."

"You should get some rest kiddo," Soarin interjected, "Sorry about waking you up." Applebloom examined them for a moment and excused herself out of the room. Once when she closed the door, Applejack sprawled across the bed and covered her face during a long moan. Soarin joined her by sitting on the edge and gave a big sigh.

"Why are we fightin' all the time now?" she wondered out loud.

"I think anypony who's been stuck with me for almost twenty four hours a day every day for months on end would be a little on edge." A warm giggle escaped her lips as she placed her head on his lap.

"Course Ah haven't been the best of ponies either," she guiltily admitted.

"I think it's the stress of it all."

"How d'ya deal with it? And don't give me that whole lecture on how you've been in this business since ya can remember 'cause everypony has to feel some emotion at some time in their life." He shrugged as he ran his hoof through her blonde stands mindlessly.

"You want the honest truth?"

"What d'ya think?"

"The partying scene just helps me get through it all. Just being around the ponies I can relate to and just having that one night of just forgetting it all makes me cope through the craziness of it all. That and well of course exercising and flying. But sometimes I need a little more of an escape though, you now?" He blew out his breath from his mouth. "Only issue is my whole 'escape plan' can cause even more problems and hurt other ponies in my life like you."

"Don't feel too bad, sugarcube," Applejack consoled, "Ah haven't showin' the best side o' me to ya lately either."

"Yeah, no kiddin'," he teased, receiving a light punch from her.

"And now that were back home, we gotta meet up with endless amount of clients for our big ol' weddin'."

"Geesh, it seems like this whole marriage situation will never end." Applejack straightened herself up to look at him.

"So how will this work? The whole nullification thing?" She let out a chuckle. "To tell ya the truth, Ah pretty much forgot about that these past few weeks."

"I don't know. I don't even think we've planned that far ahead yet." They were quiet for a moment and Applejack smoothed out the covers underneath her with her hoof to pass time.

"Maybe we should get to bed," she proposed.

"Yeah, we deserve it," he agreed, "Should I move to the couch or-"

"Why are earth would ya do that? This bed is big enough fer the both of us."

"B-but what would your family say about us sleeping in the same bed in their home?"

"C'mon Soarin, we've been married fer three months now. Ah think it'd be weirder if we didn't share a bed. Plus, you'll want to sleep in my bed; it's even better than some of the hotel beds believe it or not." Scooting over to make room for him, Applejack held up the covers as Soarin slid into the linens. As she reached over for the lamp on her dresser, she heard him speak to her again.

"Can I be frank with you, AJ?"

"Ah prefer ya to be Soarin," she joked.

"With all that's going on, the nullification is just one of the things that I wish I didn't have to worry about." Facing him, Applejack noted that his eyes were shut and decided to not question him further. Yanking on the lamps switch, she wished him a good night and sunk into the covers.

……………………………

With the sunlight's warmth against his fur, Soarin leisurely exposed his green eyes and glanced out the window. Stretching out his limbs, his showed a satisfied grin. Although never a morning pony, living with Applejack had him accustomed to waking up with the sun rise. The colors of the landscape out of the window had him stop for a second; they seemed so pure. Applejack wasn't kidding about the bed he thought to himself as he buried himself again. To wake her up he placed his hooves on her shoulders and peered over her to give her a gentle shake. She let out an annoyed groan and dug her face into her pillow.

"C'mon, sleepy head," he whispered, feeling the pain in his thigh again from last night, "Geesh, you really are a kicker."

"Ah can't…" her voice trailed off.

"Yes you can, you have stuff to do today." She rolled over and pressed her forehead against his chest. "Y'know, I kinda dig this morning look on you."

"Please stop," she begged irritably.

"No really. The swollen face, the crusties in your eyes and messy hair. This is the first time I get to see this up close." Expecting a laugh or some sort of positive response, he only got a strained squeak from her. "Hey, what's up?"

"Ah'm not feelin' too hot," she whined, shutting her eyes tight.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Ah don't know, Ah jus' gotta terrible migraine and bad stomach ache and everythin' is spinnin'…" Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself from the bed and reached for her hat. "Ah well, somepony's gotta buck the apple trees."

"You can't be saying you'll do it!"

"Yes Ah am," she determined, struggling to catch her balance.

"AJ, this is ridiculous," he pronounced, sliding out to stand next to her, "For Pete's sake, you can't even stand straight!"

"Ah'm fine! Besides, the apples are bloomin' and Ah need to get 'em all!"

"Listen, how about I'll do it? In fact, I prefer that I do it, that way you can get some rest."

"Ah don't need any help! Ah-"

"Haven't you ever learned to accept help when it's offered to you?" Applejack reflected for a short time and sat back down on the bed.

"Funny ya mentioned that 'cause Ah'm still workin' on that." Soarin pulled the blankets over her and placed her hat back on her dresser.

"Alright, I'm going to see your brother about this and I want you to just relax. Must be the season changes or something." Soarin paused as his face lit up. "In fact, maybe I can ask Sequin Sparkle about you. Maybe she'll know what's up." Applejack showed a grateful smile.

"Don't work too hard, m'kay?" she requested meekly, "Ah really appreciate this."

…………………………..

"Now, ya gotta plant yer forelegs as ya kick the tree," Big Macintosh instructed as he demonstrated his directions, "Like that. And those apples that don't fall into all the baskets should be picked up and placed into the baskets, y'hear?"

"Got it, loud and clear," Soarin assured. Frankly, the blue Pegasus still found himself trembling with the elongated observations from the large horse.

"Why don't ya give it a shot?" Nodding quickly, Soarin twisted his body so that his flank faced the tree and kept upright on his forelegs as he retracted his hind ones. Thrusting out his back limbs, he felt a sharp pain go throughout his body as his hooves slammed against the bark. Disappointment grew in his chest when he watched only a few apples plop onto the ground. A loud guffaw was heard near him.

"Some athlete," Braeburn retorted, tugging some of the apple carts.

"Y'know how them pegasi are," Big Macintosh called out, "They're petit." As the two stallions humored themselves, the young filly rolled her eyes and joined Soarin's side.

"Ah think y'all should cut it out and give him a break!" she defended, "He's makin' a better earth pony than y'all would a winged pony!" Again, Soarin kicked the tree again with better results. "See? He's improvin' already!"

"Thanks, buck-o," he gratefully reacted.

"No problem! Ah think my new brother-in-law should have a nice welcome into the Apple family." The young horse brushed past her cousin and bother to continue her task. "Ah suggest y'all should to the same," she advised with a subtle tone of voice.

Back in her bedroom, Applejack surveyed the colorful pony dig through her bag. Never in Applejack's life had she seen some many sparkles on a bag.

"OK, open your mouth, honey," Soarin's sister directed, holding up a thermometer.

"Are ya sure ya know what yer doin'?" Applejack questioned before dropping her mouth.

"Of course, babe, Imma doct-ah," Sequin Sparkle confirmed.

"Ah thought yer were still in medical school?"

"Alright so I'm close tah bein' a doct-ah, OK? Now lemme stick this in ya." Applejack bit down on the thermometer and rose her eyebrow at the stethoscope the student pulled out from her sack while placing in her ears. Yanking out the thermometer from Applejack's mouth, the sister-in-law shook it to read the numbers and clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"Does it look bad?"

"Temp's above normal," she notified, leaning her forward, "Alright, so I'm gonna hear your heartbeat." The cool metal caused chills to spread throughout the country pony's body. "Breathe. Again. Once mor-uh."

"What's wrong with me?"

"You're sick." Applejack huffed and laid her head against the pillow again.

"Well Ah knew that. How else would Ah-" She soon found herself with a spoon inside her mouth filled with warm soup. "Blah! What was that?"

"It'll make ya feel bett-ah."

"It tastes terrible!"

"Shaddup and drink it. You'll feel new as a nickel tomorr-ah mornin'," she promised, holding up the spoon with more of the liquid, "Here comes the train, choo choo-"

"Ah'm not a lil filly."

"Well your actin' like one," she replied, shoving the spoon into her throat, "Y'know, my ma and family and I have been thinkin' 'bout ya."

"Oh yeah?" Applejack rejoined, gasping for air, "What have y'all been sayin'?"

"That finally Soarin didn't screw up with this one." The patient was taken back for Sequin's words.

"Pardon?"

"We were just thinkin' 'bout the past fillies he's went out with and we all agreed that your probably the best one his dated. Well, married now."

"Really?"

"Mmm-hmm. The past girls, well, didn't have a lot goin' on in their heads. I'm an intellectual pony, y'see; I like tuh have smart and insightful conversations. I can tell I can have a lot o' those with ya."

"Oh that's really-" Applejack was cut off by another spoonful of soup.

"Yup, he certainly got his head on straight this time. All of his past girlfriends only wanted to be famous and meet celebrities. They nev-ah even tried t'show that they even care for him. Ironically, he told me that your tryin' tah get away from that."

"Oh yeah? What else did he tell ya 'bout us?"

"Jus' the usual lovey-dovey stuff. How ya made him see things clear-uh, how close you two are becomin', blah blah blah…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you the most serious one he's been 'bout," she told her, reaching for the jewelry in Applejack's ear, "And this proves it."

………………………………..........

"Ah hope yer workin' up a sweat," Braeburn jested, inspecting the many baskets filled with the red fruits around him, "Looks like yer workin' hard."

"You bet," Soarin panted, viewing the colt trot off towards the barn. He caught eye contact with Big Macintosh plowing the fields and the scarlet pony decided to saunter towards him.

"Ah don't think we 'xactly got off to a great start," Big Macintosh confessed.

"Yeah, I uh didn't really leave a great first impression. Or the one after that."

"Fer some reason, my sister takes a likin' to ya. To tell ya the truth, Ah'm startin' to see why she does."

"I'm glad you do because I care for her too. That's why I wanted her to be my wife."

"Ya don't have to put up that act in front of me. Ah found out the real reason why y'all married a while ago. She told me that she was trapped with options that she didn't want to take." Soarin reverted his gaze to the ground under him. "So tell me, how long will this shtick be?"

"With all due respect, sir, I believe that's an issue between her and I. Despite her being your little sister, she's an adult and one that plays an important role in my life." Perhaps it was his nerves but Soarin swore he saw a tiny smirk emerge from Big Macintosh's lips that quickly disappeared.

"True, but Ah still have to look out fer her best bein'. How can Ah trust you with her knowin' that this marriage is basically all fer publicity?"

"Because it's so much more than just an image. These past three months have basically just been her and I together. We woke up together, rehearsed and played together, ate together and fought. Even the few times when I wasn't with her for whatever reason, may it be for training or a game, my mind is on her. She's too much of an important pony for me to let go. She just makes sense to me. Have you ever had that feeling?" A friendly chortle fled the farmer's mouth as a verification. "I can't guarantee that I can always protect her, but I am willing to try. And when I don't, I can't help but get angry at myself. I don't know if I'm exactly in love yet, I've never experienced that to be honest so I'm not sure what it's like. But I can safely say this is more than just a crush."

Unexpectedly, Big Macintosh's green orbs began to well up as he brought his hoof to his lips.

"Welcome to the family!" he sniffed as Soarin flashed an awkward smile.

……………………………..

"Boy, you look beat up," the sassy filly commented as she saw her brother emerge into the room, "What's the matt-ah with ya? Don't track mud on the poor girl's carpet!"

"I think I have a new appreciation for your work ethic, AJ," Soarin remarked, shuffling over to give a peck on the sick pony's burning forehead as he ignored his female sibling.

"They didn't harass ya too much, did they?" she jibed, patting the empty space next to her for him.

"Just a little," he declared, plopping himself on the mattress, "But it wasn't too bad. I was more worried what this motor mouth had to tell you."

"For your information, mist-uh, we had a great conversation. Right, Applejack?"

"Well, you were doin' most of the talkin'…"

"I bett-uh head off. I gotta meet a girlfriend for lunch. Feel bett-ah, doll face!"

"Thanks fer everything!" she called out then facing Soarin, "Yer sister's sweet."

"That's one word that isn't associated with her too much."

"Was my brother bein' too overprotective? Ah saw y'all through the window."

"A little, but it's because he loves you. He just asked me what I thought about you and the marriage."

"Oh Celestia," she mumbled, bringing her hoof to her forehead. "Ah'm so sorry."

"It's fine. Really." Applejack suddenly remembered something that Soarin said the night prior.

"About that thing ya said when you told me ya didn't want to worry about the nullification, what did ya mean by that?"

"Dunno," he blurted out, then played with his hooves, "I mean, as if things aren't already crazy enough, I think getting a nullification and go through a public break-up can complicate things."

"Funny how much our plans have changed. 'N' our opinions of those plans." She blew out a deep sigh. "So what are ya sayin'? We don't get the nullification?"

"I-I really don't know what I'm saying."

"If we don't get it, we're married fer good. And Ah don't know yer view of marriage, but it's somethin' that lasts for life and not to be taken advantage of."

"I'm a family stallion myself," he reminded, "Neither my parents nor grandparents have ever divorced…no matter how many times they scream at each other. I'm not like most show-biz ponies where I take it for granted."

"Well then if we don't get the nullification and stay married, Ah expect the result would be fer us to be husband and wife fer life." She dropped her voice for a spooky effect. "Till death! Oooo!"

"Honestly, I think I'm ready to settle down. And now that I got the feel of married life, it's not so bad."

"Three months and now yer some kinda expert?" she teased with slight doubt, "So yer OK growin' old with me and all that?"

"Yeah. I mean, your one of the few ponies that actually makes sense to me."

"Ya already met Granny Smith. That's the future me and yer OK with it?"

"Well, Granny Smith's pretty spry," he kidded, "What d'ya think?"

"Ah can't believe we're talkin' about it like this," she laughed, then turning serious again, "Not sure. Ah mean it's somethin' Ah need to consider. This idea just suddenly popped up outta nowhere, ya gotta give me time. One thing's fer sure, ya definitely gave me one of the craziest rides of my life."

"Babe, this is just a kiddie ride compared to the rollercoaster were gonna face."