"So ya gonna do it or not, Rainbow?"

Rainbow Dash enjoyed many things. If anypony walked up and asked her what she enjoyed, she had a lot of responses ready to go. Flying, first and foremost, but that was obvious. She was, after all, the fastest flyer in Equestria, destined for greatness the likes of which the world had not yet seen. But there was more to her than that. She enjoyed games, particularly those which offered her a chance to show off her many skills. Even more than games, she enjoyed winning those games. She enjoyed the sights and sounds of the crowd cheering for her, the 'ooh's and 'aah's they would inevitably chorus after each time she dazzled them with some new feat of daring and bravery. She enjoyed the many painstaking hours that went into perfecting those amazing feats, as well. But more than all those things, if someone who new her really well was asked what she enjoyed most in life, they would all have the same, perhaps half-joking, answer.

Rainbow Dash really, really liked napping.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Rainbow Dash really, really hated being woken from her naps.

So it was understandable that she was only half paying attention when Applejack woke her from her nap to assault her ears with a series of requests for... What was Applejack talking about again? She'd only been awake for a minute at most, it was utterly unreasonable for Applejack to expect her to be paying attention yet.

Sighing, Rainbow got up onto all fours, pressing a hoof to her head where she'd landed after falling out of her tree. She glanced longingly upward at her blanket and pillow still sitting on the bow, somehow. Applejack's precision was mighty respectable, she had to admit, even if she wished she wasn't so often on the receiving end of it. "Ugh... What are we talking about again?"

She felt a sharp jab in her ribs and leapt into the air. "Ow! There's no need to hit me!" Rainbow huffed indignantly as she crossed her forelegs and hovered a few feet away, looking away from the apple farmer and scowling.

"I'm comin' to you fer help, Rainbow, and yer not even listenin' to me!" Applejack stamped the ground in front of her, sounding more beleaguered than angry, which Rainbow found odd. Usually Applejack got pretty mad at her when she felt she was being ignored or brushed off.

"I'm sorry, but you need to give me a minute to wake up, okay?" Rainbow touched back down on the ground and stretched her legs, and then her neck. She felt a satisfying pop in her vertebrae and let out a soft yawn before shaking her head and looking back at Applejack. "Now... What's going on?"

"THAT's goin' on!" Applejack said, pointing to a lone cloud in the sky, sitting at the very border of the East Orchard and casting a sliver of a shadow on the apple tree furthest from them.

"You woke me up because there's a cloud?" Rainbow rubbed her eyes and sighed.

"Because it's supposed to be clear skies all day, and THAT is not clear skies!." Applejack frowned. Rainbow was, for good reason, skeptical.

"It's one cloud casting a shadow on like, one leaf. Who cares?"

"I care. If Burton-"

Rainbow grimaced. "Burton's the tree, isn't it?"

"If Burton doesn't get his proper sunshine, he won't bear as many apples this season, and that could throw off the profit projections for the entire year!"

Rainbow rubbed her eyes again and yawned. "Fine." Bolting off the ground, Rainbow sped over to the cloud and kicked it, dispersing its vapor into the air and landing back on the ground in front of Applejack in less than five seconds. "Can I get back to my nap now?"

Applejack looked surprised, which Rainbow assumed was due to her impressive display of speed and agility, until she realized Applejack was still staring at her ten seconds later. "Umm... AJ? You alright?"

"Er... Yeah."

"Was there something else? Because, again, I was having a really good nap, which I'd kinda like to get back to..." Rainbow trailed off as she motioned toward the branch.

"Actually, uh, there was something else I wanted to talk about."

"Which is...?"

Applejack fidgeted for a moment, moving from hoof to hoof and scrunching up her nose before planting her feet once more and taking a deep breath. "Which is... How're them Wonderbolts doin'?"

This, more than anything else that had been said so far this afternoon, told Rainbow immediately something was up. Applejack didn't care about the Wonderbolts. Not because she disliked them or anything, but Rainbow talked about them constantly. If Applejack was really curious, she could just think back to the previous night's ramblings Rainbow gave at every opportunity.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "You want to talk... about the Wonderbolts?"

Applejack tapped her forehoof against her chin for a moment as if she was considering something before smiling too widely and nodding. "Yes."

"You don't want to talk about the Wonderbolts." Rainbow deadpanned, giving Applejack a knowing glare.

Applejack gasped, suddenly taken aback. "Are you callin' me a liar? Why, of all the nerve!"

"No, I'm calling you a terrible liar."

Applejack held onto the offended posture for a few more seconds before falling back onto her haunches and grumbling. "Fine, I don't wanna talk about the Wonderbolts."

"Right. You want to talk about..." Rainbow dreaded prompting Applejack further, because she was pretty sure she already knew what the answer was, and it was not a conversation she was super excited to be having again.

That's when Applejack mumbled the three syllables Rainbow had been dreading. "... Pinkie Pie."

Rainbow Dash groaned. She knew where this was going. "This Again? Seriously, Applesnack, just go talk to her." She rolled her eyes as she came to the conclusion that she would not be getting to go back to her nap any time soon. The number of naps that had suffered such an untimely demise due to this had started to become entirely unacceptable. It was starting to become a trend. Or was it a pattern? Rainbow thought for a moment that she should ask Twilight what was the right way to describe it when next she saw her, until she realized that would probably lead to a multi-hour lecture full of references and chalkboards and... Ugh... Documented sources... Rainbow Dash hated documented sources. She hated that she even knew what 'documented sources' meant. That was the price she paid for being friends with a librarian, she mused.

"But I can't!" Applejack's distressed voice brought Rainbow out of her reverie. "What if she don't like me like I like her?"

Rainbow Dash facehoofed. "Oh come on, Applejack, this is Pinkie Pie we're talking about. I guarantee the first thing she does when you tell her is shout 'Hooray!' and summon streamers from Tartarus knows where... Then she'll throw a party and you can make all the mushy smoochy faces at her you want." Rainbow stuck out her tongue and made a face to emphasize her point.

Applejack seemed to consider this for a moment before visually deflating with a sigh, letting her head hang just inches from the ground. "I know, I know, but... It's jes' intimidatin', is all."

Rainbow Dash sighed too. Applejack was scared... And could Rainbow really blame her? While she herself avoided these kinds of situations like the Pony Pox, she knew other ponies put a lot of weight into decisions like these. Resolving herself to the tyranny of consciousness for at least another ten minutes, she sidled up next to Applejack and draped a wing across her back.

"Hey. Come on, Applejack, it's okay. You're, like, the bravest pony I know. Except for me, obviously." Rainbow paused and eyed Applejack for a moment, seeing her chuckle a little and crack the first real, honest smile she'd seen since she'd been woken up. "But seriously, after fighting manticores, dragons, entire changeling armies, and more than one ponification of pure evil, you're scared of Pinkie Pie?"

Applejack smiled a little wider and chuckled a bit more. "It is kinda silly, ain't it?"

"Super silly. There's no way Pinkie Pie wouldn't want to be your marefriend. I mean, just look at you! You're, like, totally beautiful, and stuff."

Applejack finally raised her head up. "That's some pep talk, Rainbow." She laughed before taking a few steps forward, away from Rainbow. "I reckon yer right, though. I can do this. I can just go up to her an' ask her, 'cos that's what a brave pony would do, and I am a brave pony!"

Rainbow Dash felt the corners of her mouth curl up slightly. Maybe she'd only have to be awake for five minutes... But it would be better to shoot for three, right? Three seemed like a good number at this point, and Rainbow knew it was better to set difficult goals so that she'd have to push herself to acheive them. Plus, this was totally attainable, because she knew Applejack. She quickly took stock of the sun's position and then turned back to Applejack.

"So... Go do it!"

"What!?" The conviction behind Applejack's eyes shattered instantly as her pupils shrunk to pinpricks.

"You're a brave pony, so go ask her!" She knew Applejack so well.

"Right, I mean, I will, but... Right now?"

"Yeah, you just said that's what a brave pony would do."

"I know I did, but..."

"Unless... you're not a brave pony?" Rainbow exaggeratedly raised one eyebrow as she regarded her friend.

"I AM a brave pony! I'm the bravest pony yer ever gonna meet!" Applejack huffed indignantly.

"If you say so." Rainbow shrugged as she fluttered back up to her branch and sat on it.

Applejack's eyes narrowed. "Fine, I'll show you! I'm gonna go ask Pinkie Pie right now!" Applejack turned on the spot and dashed off, away from Sweet Apple Acres and towards the path into Ponyville proper.

Rainbow grinned as she watched her friend go. She looked up at the sky, judging the position of the sun compared to when she'd set her goal.

"Two minutes? I really am good." She chuckled to herself as she laid back down on the branch and snuggled up to her pillow.

Sometimes it was almost a burden being so awesome.

Almost.

------

Applejack got about a hundred yards from Sweet Apple Acres before she stopped, having had a sudden realization.

Of all the stupid times she decided she had something to prove to Rainbow Dash, this was definitely the stupidest.

With the fire in her step dead, she began to catch her breath as she thought. She'd let Rainbow work her up and rushed off to go make a fool of herself for no good reason. This didn't have to be done now, did it? Or was that just another excuse to keep hiding her feelings?

Applejack hated hiding her feelings. It felt unnatural and gross, like wearing eye liner or waking up after the sun had already risen. She legitimately wanted to tell Pinkie how she felt; She wanted to tell her how every time she saw her, her heart fluttered a little bit, and her knees shook slightly. She wanted to tell her how her smile was the most radiant thing she'd ever seen, and every time she saw it she could feel her heart smile right along. She wanted to tell her how much she loved to hear her sing. She wanted to tell her how she had more fun with her than with anyone else in the whole world. She wanted to tell her how her constant positive outlook simultaneously infuriated and infatuated her. She wanted to tell her how inspiring her unbreakable, if sometimes misguided, determination was, and how much she admired her unending crusade to make the world just a little bit brighter. She wanted to tell her how there was no pony in all of Equestria even a little bit like her, and what an amazing privilege it was just to know her.

Most of all, she wanted to tell her she was in love with her, and had been for a long time.

She really wanted to tell her all that, but perhaps that should wait until a better time. It was Wednesday, wasn't it? Wednesday was supposed to be Apple Bucking day, so maybe it would be better to wait until tomorrow. Granted, Thursday was also Apple Bucking day, along with Friday, and most Saturdays and Sundays. It was better to miss some Apple Bucking on a Thursday than it was on a Wednesday, though, because reasons that Applejack didn't have to explain to herself, and how dare she question her own judgment. Resolved to finally go take care of this once and for all tomorrow and definitely not today, Applejack turned back towards Sweet Apple Acres and took a step.

And then she froze. "Listen to yerself, Applejack, yer makin' excuses again!" She groaned as she fell onto her stomach and pawed at the ground with a hoof. "How is this so dang hard? I've just gotta do it. No more lyin', no more hidin'."

Applejack slowly got to her hooves and looked back at Ponyville, giving one good snort through her nose before taking off at a gallop once more.

-------

Sugarcube Corner was a bustling hub of activity this Wednesday, like any other Wednesday in recent memory. It was just after noon, and wave after wave of hungry ponies flooded into the store like the relentless tides of the ocean, smashing in and slowly receding as their orders were filled and their hungers sated.

It was at the end of one such wave that Applejack found herself standing outside, looking in through a window at the small group of ponies still inside. She saw a few ponies she knew; Noteworthy was there with Derpy Hooves, apparently engaged in a muffin eating contest which Applejack knew he had no hope of winning; Bon Bon and Lyra sat in a corner sharing a milkshake; And behind the counter, she saw the telltale poofy pink cotton candy tail she was looking for.

Applejack felt her heart skip a beat. Taking a moment to adjust her hat in the reflection of the glass, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Howdy Pinkie!" She said as she took a step inside, putting on what she hoped was a more confident smile than she felt.

"Hi Applejack!"

Applejack felt something slam into her, hard, bowling her over and landing on top of her just outside the doorway. When the world stopped spinning, she saw the unmistakable smile she loved so much looming above her.

"I was hoping you'd come by the shop today! I made a gift for you!" Pinkie radiated exuberance with every syllable, her eyes twinkling and cheeks stretched to the absolute maximum threshold.

Applejack laughed. "Aw shucks, Pinkie, ya'll didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I wanted to, so Nyeh." Pinkie stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry before chuckling and hopping back inside the store. "Come have a seat! I'll go get it for you!"

Applejack got back up and followed her inside, somehow feeling more calm and more frantic at the same time. See, she made me a gift! Of course she likes me! Not that she doesn't give gifts to everypony, all the time, for no reason whatsoever, but...

"Er, Actually Pinkie, I was wonderin' if I couldn't talk to you fer a few minutes." Applejack shifted uncomfortably from hoof to hoof, trying and failing to look calm and collected.

"Well go ahead silly, I'm right here!" Pinkie said from behind the counter, an all too big smile still on her face as she rummaged through a few drawers.

"Heh heh... What I meant to say is, I was wonderin' if I couldn't talk to you fer a few minutes, alone." Applejack glanced at Noteworthy, Derpy, Bon Bon, and Lyra anxiously, even though none of them seemed to even notice her presence. They were still there, and Applejack feared she'd never be able to get out the words she needed to if she had to do it in front of anyone other than Pinkie Pie herself, which was enough of a challenge already.

"Oh! Oh! Is it a secret?" If it was possible for Pinkie to suddenly appear even more excited, she'd apparently found a way, as her face lit up like a lamp. "Don't you worry, Applejack, I'm the best secret keeper in all of Ponyville!" She rushed over to the kitchen door and stuck her head in momentarily. "Mr. and Mrs. Cake, is it okay if I take my break now? Thanks, I'll be back in ten minutes!" She flew over to Applejack and grabbed her by the fetlocks, hauling her upstairs with her and into Pinkie's room.

Applejack's eyes spun for a moment after being transplanted at what could only be described as 'Pinkie-Speed', but she knew that was the price she paid for spending time with the crazy mare. "Thanks, Pinkie," She said as she regained her balance and glanced about the room. Pinkie's room looked pretty much exactly as it always did; Bright yellows and pinks, stuffed animals all over, balloons and streamers lining the walls, and what appeared to be a chess board with four layers set up on her small coffee table, which Applejack decided not to question.

"No problem, Applejack! What's up? Did you find a secret cave under the apple orchards? Did Winona learn a new trick? Oh! Oh! Did you invent a new recipe for apple pie? Me, I like the classic approach, but nothing bad ever comes from experimenting, except for that one time we poisoned half of Ponyville, but hey, that's the price of exploration, I say!" Pinkie struck a dignified pose as she buffed a hoof on her coat.

"No, no, and no. It's nothin' like that." Applejack swallowed hard. She could feel her stomach doing flips, so much that she almost felt like she would vomit.

"Then what is it, huh huh huh?" Pinkie leaned forward, staring deep into Applejack's eyes, as if she could find the answer somewhere inside. Applejack stared back, feeling unable to look away from the beautiful sapphire orbs.

"Er... Well... Y'see..." Applejack finally diverted her gaze and gave a deep sigh. "The truth is, Pinkie..." She looked back into Pinkie's eyes and swallowed one more time. Now or never...

"I fancy ya."

"Awww, that's so sweet! I think you're a pretty fancy lady yourself!" Pinkie giggled and flicked the edge of Applejack's hat, still beaming.

"No, I mean, I like you." Applejack felt her hoof hit her forehead. Of course Pinkie would make her say it more than once.

"I know. That's why we're friends, silly!"

"No," Applejack began, beginning to feel a bizarre mix of regret and exasperation for the whole situation, "I mean I love you."

"Well duh, I love you too!"

"You do?" Applejack felt a sudden wave of relief, but felt an ominous feeling of doom looming above her.

"Of course, I love all my friends, and we're like best friends!"

"NO!" Applejack tried not to shout, but in the face Pinkie's cheer and joyfulness and complete inability to deduce her meaning on her own, she found that a battle she could not win. "I mean I LOVE you, Pinkie! I can't stop thinkin' about you, day and night. I close my eyes and I see you smilin', and it makes me wanna smile too. I hum your silly songs to myself in the orchard when I'm buckin' trees, and I wonder what you're up to every time I realize I've got a free minute. I just wanna be near you, to laugh and smile and be happy with you. I even made out with my pillow once pretending it was you!" In hindsight, Applejack would eventually admit that last revelation may have been better left unsaid, but she said it so she was going to own it. "I am totally, head over hoof in love with you, Pinkie!"

Applejack panted furiously, catching her breath from her outburst. Pinkie Pie was still grinning from ear to ear, but Applejack saw something happen in Pinkie Pie's face. It was like a lightbulb went on in her brain at the same time one went out in her eyes. Applejack knew better than to think for a moment that she knew what to expect from Pinkie Pie at any given time, but she really didn't expect the look she saw right now.

"Umm... Oh." Pinkie stopped smiling for a moment and looked away. Applejack felt her stomach spin 360 degrees and felt for a moment that she really was going to vomit before Pinkie looked back up to her. "Oh! Look! Your gift!" She said, leaping over to her closet and returning with a small box wrapped in red and white striped tissue paper. "It's a bow for your hat! But not just any bow, because I made it out of ICING!"

Applejack was stunned. What was Pinkie talking about? Had she missed the streamers and confetti and joyous celebration of their love? She was pretty sure she'd remained concious through the last minute, which a quick glance at Pinkie's wall clock confirmed. All she'd said was 'Umm... Oh.' "Pinkie...?"

"... See, I know you don't like getting all dressed up, but then I thought about how much you love your hat, so I thought maybe some time you'd wanna just dress up your hat, and I thought I could make you a really nice bow for it, but I figured you probably already had a ribbon bow, so that seemed boring..."

But that didn't make any sense. This was Pinkie Pie; She'd take any excuse to bust out her party cannon and shower the room in confetti and streamers. She wouldn't just brush off a declaration of love. "Pinkie?"

"... But then I thought I have a ton of icing, and icing is yummy, and I realized that if you had a bow made of icing, you could look fancy AND have an emergency snack in case you were feeling hungrier and than you were feeling fancy! So all the bases are covered!"

"Pinkie!" Applejack shouted as the world spun before her. She suddenly had a headache and was now almost certain she was going to vomit.

"Yes, Applejack?" Pinkie fluttered her eyelashes and looked back at her expectantly.

"Did you hear what I said?" Applejack could feel her voice trembling in the worst possible way, and she was getting extremely dizzy.

"Umm... Yes." There it was again; Applejack couldn't even remember the last time she'd heard Pinkie say 'Umm.'

"And all you have to say is 'Umm... oh?'"

Suddenly, Pinkie shifted her gaze to the floor, and the walls, and the balloons and the streamers and every inch of the room but Applejack. This seemed like another first; Applejack never knew Pinkie to avoid eye contact.

"I... It's been like nine minutes, I gotta get back to work before the Cakes start wondering where I am. Could we... talk about this later?"

It was unnatural. Applejack felt like she'd stepped into an alternate dimension with a completely different Pinkie Pie. She didn't know what was going on anymore. Black was white. Up was down. Apples were oranges.  Public speaking was afraid of Fluttershy.

Without any clue as to what else to say, Applejack pushed through the lump in her throat and spoke. "Yeah... Okay. I'll come back later?"

"Actually, how about I come by the farm later?" Pinkie Pie had a pleading look in her eyes that Applejack couldn't figure out in the slightest, but she didn't have the energy or the sense of balance she would've needed to fight it. Sniffling a little, she nodded. Clearly, she thought, she'd done something wrong. Or thought something wrong. This was not how it was supposed to go at all.

Without another word, Applejack turned around and walked out of Pinkie Pie's room, down the stairs, and out of Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie sniffled and wiped a tear from her muzzle as she watched her go, then slowly walked back downstairs and into the kitchen.