Rainbow Dash just looked in awe at the Earth pony. Her face was half way between confused and happy, which just made it look weird at that moment. Applejack gulped and put her right hoof behind her head, grabbed the Stetson and put it over her face. She wanted to mask the embarrassment that came with this. The familiar jitter ran to the bottom of her hooves.

Just run away AJ, the mare thought; just go before she can say anything.

"W-wait," the cyan mare vocalized, "I-I'm ccconfussed. F-feelings?"

"Ya know. A-ah llike ya as m-more t-t-than a f-friend," Applejack garbled back, "A-ah kknow ya pprob'bly ain't gonna h've the sssame f-feelin'ss as me."

Her friend fell silent as her cheeks blushed a scarlet red. At that moment, Applejack could tell that Rainbow just wanted to up and fly away. Feeling the urge to run away, the orange mare gently tapped the ground with her hooves. Feeling the guilt start to swell within her, Applejack began to back away from Rainbow Dash. To the orange mares surprise, Rainbow Dash followed. Looking over at the cyan mare, the two had locked their eyes once more. This time however, Applejack saw something different. It was gentle; but fierce. Compassionate; yet affliction. Something sparked within Rainbow Dash that she had not seen before. The once fierce competitor looked like a helpless filly, it made Applejack feel safe for once in the presence of the pegasus.

For a moment, it felt like the world only consisted of the two mares. Locked in each other's eyes, it felt peaceful and right. Applejack couldn't grasp the depth of emotion that was contained within the magenta-colored orbs, that had love within it. No pony could deny it, not even the slick and confident weather pony.

The mare looked almost defeated at that point; the two had been struggling for many years with their feelings for one another. They had even hated each other at first. The two would feud over little things; which eventually morphed into a constant competition between them. As the two grew up, the friendship between them blossomed. Now, everything was changing. They had feelings for one another and they had no clue as to how the other would react. Finally, Rainbow exhaled and let the truth come out.

"I d-do," declared the Pegasus, "I d-do h've t-t-he sssame f-feelings as ya. I've h-had 'em f-f'r a while."

Applejack's ears perked up as she once again felt her gaze travel over to the blue mare. Applejack’s heart soared when she realized the feeling were mutual. The earth pony felt a wing of the other mare latch onto her side. Soon enough, the blue wing pulled her closer and a soft kiss grazed Applejack's cheek. For a short moment, Applejack sat there in awe of what had just occurred. They were nose to nose as they looked at each other in silence. What could Applejack say that wouldn't ruin this moment? Nevertheless, against all instincts, the orange mare planted a kiss on the other's lips. She felt the other mare melt into the kiss and return it eagerly. The moment felt unreal and unfit for the hardworking pony, but Applejack didn't want it to end. The two finished their first kiss and let out a sigh of relief. Both were smiling; with true love gracing them, their hearts skipped a few beats. Yes, the tension had been there before; yet, now it was perfect. There were no secrets and Applejack felt at peace.

"W-we ain't ggonna tttell mah f-family," the orange mare managed to say.

Rainbow Dash could only nod in response to Applejack. The multicolored Pegasus kept her wing where it was, on the earth pony's withers. The two had finally confessed the one thing that had frightened them the most and it felt amazing. Snuggling closer to the cyan mare, Applejack dug her head into Rainbow Dash’s mane. Being this close felt unsurpassable at that moment. With all the perfect moments, they were always short-lived. Soon enough, the door flew open and Rainbow withdrew her wing from the earth pony. Clearing their throats, the two looked to see who was coming in. The familiar faces of Big Mac and Granny Smith came into view.

"Hello Rainbow," the old, crow-like voice said in the midst of the silence, "AJ. Ah see ya got into the cider."

"Eeyup," the red stallion simply put.

"Save any fer the rest of us," the green elder laughed.

"Ya," Rainbow said calmly, "Tther's pplentty."

Applejack noticed that the older mare had joined Rainbow Dash and Applejack. The orange mare noticed curious look in her granny’s eyes. Perhaps, Granny Smith was unsure why the two were sitting so close and Applejack could feel it boiling under her skin. The farm pony was aware that the green elder was looking at her granddaughter and Rainbow Dash. The two had gotten up and started to stumble towards the door.

Applejack seemed to feel the sensation that came over a pony when they felt like they were being watched. Turning her head around, the mare noticed her older brother looking at her. He actually had a smile on his face. Did he know that Applejack had feelings for Rainbow Dash? Was he aware of all that came with that? She was breaking the family tradition and the status quo that came with being an Apple Family member. And he was just okay with that? He couldn't be. The orange mare shook the feeling from her bones and looked at Rainbow.

There wasn't much to be said between the two mares. They had openly expressed their feelings and that was all there was to it. The friends differed on so many things in life, which made it hard for a relationship to work. Applejack led Dash to the door and stood there with tears in her eyes. All the orange mare could do was look away from the strong Pegasus before her.

"A-ah'll see ya 'round," Applejack stated in a solemn tone, "A-ah guess."

The only thing the rainbow maned mare said was the word, "yeah." That's the only word that she spoke before she was off. Not even taking to the sky, Rainbow Dash slowly walked away from the farm, her head hung low towards ground, not even looking up to dash off. However, for a moment, the cyan mare turned around to look back at where AJ had been standing. The Earth pony could see the tears forming in her magenta eyes. Sometimes things just don’t work out and it had hit them as soon as the interruption came in their cuddle and kiss. The moment between the two had ended just as it had begun. Was that going to be the end of it? The orange mare wasn't too sure about what she was going to do. Would the last few moments the two spent together ruin the friendship they had? Would it ruin the competitions the two would randomly hold? The question kept tumbling in her mind.

Charging up the stairs, the orange mare ran into her room. Closing the door behind her, the brashness of her actions had been surprising even to her. Catching her breath, the tears rolled down her cheeks. They were hotter than her cheeks were at that moment and felt heavier than any tears she had shed in recent history. Was this what heartbreak was like?

The tears were coming in waves. Her breath was becoming shallow and she gasped for air. It was the unpleasant feeling that came with every tear that she had shed. Rainbow Dash hadn't exactly said they wouldn't work, nor did she say anything for that matter. It started with her telling Rainbow that she couldn't tell her family. She guessed Rainbow was put off by that and then her family just happened to walk in. It just seemed that the Princesses were playing Applejack for a fool. Honestly; the earth pony knew never to swear to the Princesses' names, but it seemed to just happen over and over again. The straw blonde maned mare stomped a hoof on the ground as she uttered Celestia's name under her breath.

Damnit Celestia, Applejack said internally, Ah hate this! Why does this hurt so much? What did Ah do to deserve hurt like this? Ah did all Ah could do to keep my promises. Ah even kept the promise after you took my parents from me. Ah told ya Ah would take care of Apple Bloom as if she was mah own and run Sweet Apple Acres. Ah just hate feelin’ this way. Why do Ah have these feelings for her? Why? Make them go away, Ah beg of you!

No matter how much she would plead and beg for these feelings to disappear, they would never go away. The feelings had been unmasked from where they had been festering for so long. This wasn't right, but why had it felt so amazing when it happened? Wiping away the tears, the mare's emerald eyes looked to the sunset that was now painted the sky. It was beautiful, but within mere seconds it was gone. It didn't upset her because she knew it would be there tomorrow. Just like her feelings for Rainbow Dash would still be there. The orange mare suddenly understood. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be a sign, but it was. It was there in front of her. For a moment, it seemed like Applejack's eyes were scanning the ground as she was thinking of what to do. Should she run to Rainbow Dash or just stay put?

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. Turning on her hooves, the mare trotted over to the door. Big Mac was standing there, silent like he normally was. His eyes happened to be full of concern.

"Can we talk sis," the stallion said in a soft tone.

"Yup. C'mon in," she said as she moved away from the door.

"Listen sis," the deep voice of reason rang in the air, "Ah know ya have feelings for Rainbow Dash and Ah've known it for a while."

The familiar inferno rushed to her face as he spoke. Was it that obvious to everypony? No, this wasn't good. Where was he going to go with this? Applejack felt her nerves building up and felt nauseous. All the while, her eyes grew bigger with shock at the fact that he was calm about it. There were so many thoughts whirling around in her mind.

"AJ, Ah wanna let ya know that Ah care 'bout ya," Big Mac continued, "Ah don't care that ya have feelings for Rainbow Dash."

"You don't?" she asked him.

"Nope, Ah don't care that ya do," he responded, "Ah care more 'bout ya gettin' yur heart broken."

"Big Mac, Ah don't know what to feel anymore," the mare retorted, "Ah can't seem to think straight anymore. Ah don't know what Ah'm feeling. She's a mare and Ah'm a mare. It ain't right Big Mac...It just ain’t."

"It happens," the red stallion vocalized, "sometimes others just forget that these things happen. Ah'm not sayin' that Ah don't find it a bit weird, but yur my sister and Ah love ya. Ah just want ya to be happy. Ya know that, right?"

"Ah know Big Mac. Ah just can't. Ah just can't be with her. Ah can't love her. But Ah want to. What do I do?"

The mare felt Big Mac put his hoof of his sister's shoulder and was smiling at her. From what she knew; he was aware that his sister was very conflicted, especially since their whole life they had grown up in a household that didn't look too fondly at the idea. It had been drilled into all their minds that this was wrong, but times were changing. More ponies were hooking up with their same gender and the Apple Family had to accept that. There was no stopping the present. The orange mare was, on the other hand, just trying to debate her feelings and push them aside. Perhaps she was afraid that the family line would end with her, but she would be wrong.

"Ah don't know if this'll help sis," he comforted her, "Ah think that ya should go and talk with some pony 'bout these feelings."

"But-"

"But nothin'," Big Mac cut her off, "Ya need to. Ah don't want what happened to that one mare to happen to ya. Got it?"

"Yeah," she said defeated, "Got it."

Big Mac nodded in satisfaction and started on his way out. The orange mare smiled slightly at her brother as he left. Even though he wasn't fully accepting, she knew that he wanted her to be happy. However; with all these conflicting feelings, she wasn't happy at all. Applejack knew that her brother was right. The orange mare had to talk with someone about these feelings of unrest. But first, she needed some sleep. Taking off her Stetson and hanging it on her closet door, the mare walked over to her bed in defeat. The tears and the struggles had robbed the earth pony of her energy; not to mention the alcohol was still making her a bit woozy. Laying her head down, the mare closed her eyes. It seemed like an hour before she could even fall asleep, but it only had been a few minutes. After struggling and kicking, her brain finally gave up trying to fight this. Pulling her in, sleep came to her. As the darkness faded, a dream came to her.

It started as a normal dream. She was working the fields of Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac and Apple Bloom were helping her clear the trees and harvest the apples that fell from them. However, the apples were rotten. All of them. The orange mare looked over at her siblings and they simply shrugged. Applejack felt frantic. The money that came from their apple sales went towards paying bills. Big Mac knew it, but seemed calm. She was the only one panicking. What was up with that? The mare looked around for some signs of a good apple, but there were none. However, that was before Rainbow Dash came soaring through the sky and landed in front of her. Suddenly, the apples were fresh as a daisy and everything felt right. Looking around, Applejack couldn't help but smile. Moving closer to Rainbow Dash, she planted a kiss on the cyan mare's lips. The two were suspended in the kiss for moment, but soon after, the apples became rotten once again. The mares looked at each other with tears in their eyes. It was like she was reliving that moment in which all had gone wrong. But this time, it was even worse. The weight of the world seemed to be crashing down. Falling into a dark abyss, everything stopped.

"Applejack," a voiced called out into her dream, "Thou needs to be honest with thyself."

"Ah'm bein' honest," she retorted, "Ah'm bein' honest."

"No," said the voice once more, "Thou were not."

"How wasn't Ah honest?!"

"Thou were honest in telling Rainbow Dash thy feelings," the voice said, "But thou dost keep telling thyself they are wrong. Thou knowest with all thy being that it is right, fair Applejack. Thou needs to let things happen as they should. Thy love Rainbow Dash more than thou doth realize."

"Ah know Ah love Rainbow Dash! Ah've loved her for a while! Ah just don't want to be a shame to the family," Applejack cried out.

Just then, the princess of the night came into form in front of the mare's eyes. Bowing, Applejack looked away from Princess Luna. Sure, she wasn't Nightmare Moon anymore. Still the thought of it scared her.

"Thou needst not be afraid," the Alicorn said softly, "I am here to help you."

The darker princess walked slowly towards the bowing pony. Putting a hoof under Applejack's chin, Luna raised the earth pony's head to look at her.

"Thou must face the truth," she said, "No matter what thou shalt love her with all thy being and thy cannot change that. This is thy true self. Thou art thyself and thou are beautiful, let nopony else say otherwise."

Applejack only nodded in response. Big Mac and the princess had told her the same thing. It was okay to have these feelings for Rainbow Dash, but why did it feel so wrong at times? Applejack had to admit she felt dirty because of all that she had felt towards the other mare, which had started soon after the Running of the Leaves. The orange mare felt a disturbance in her dream. A ripple went through the dream as she rubbed her head and let out a small groan. She was going to wake up, but why? She had just started to talk with the princess about her true feelings, yet it was ending just as it began. The princess’ voice echoed as she started to vanish from sight. Of course, the princess couldn’t stay in Applejack’s dream for long. The last rippling effect shot through her mind as it went to darkness.

Applejack shot up as the dream ended. She knew what she had to do at that moment. Hopping out of her bed, the mare rushed down the stairs. Her family happened to be sitting at the table talking. Stopping for a moment, the mare noticed that they were all looking at her. That all-so-familiar heat rushed to her face. Why were they all looking at her?

“Ah’ll be back,” she said as she tried to remain calm, “Ah’ve gotta go and do somethin’.”

She noticed her brother smile and wink at his sister. Applejack nodded and walked towards the door as calmly as she could. With the alcohol out of her system, she was thinking clearly once more. This time, she was going to give a proper confession.

Author's Notes:

So, yeah. This was hard for me to write. No. It wasn't because I had a writer's block. It was really because I got intoxicated a few times while writing this. Yes, I do drink from time to time. Social gatherings, mainly family, means drinks for everyone! Not really, but you get the idea.

Without further adieu, I give you the second chapter.

Don't ask when the third chapter will be out because, even though I am working on it, I don't want to get anybody's hopes up. I'm not that mean...

Editor Note: Hello, mike here! Well this chapter was… difficult to edit. We had a few ‘bumps’ along the way but I present you chapter two! I hope that chapter three won’t take as long but…no promises. And remember as much as I hate to admit it I am NOT perfect so if there is anything that I have missed - spelling or grammar - please point it out in the comments below. Thank you for reading and have a nice day!

Oh and as a shameless self promotion check me out at (Censored due to dutchyness).