Author's Notes:

So...this chapter.

Let me begin by saying that I am truly sorry for the wait and it wasn't fair; however, things came up during the wait and it took precedent over the story. Plus, I lost a lot of muse for Applejack due to the fourth season. She has become a different pony since the beginning of season 4. Yes, I enjoy that she is getting more attention, but I can't deal with her being so terrible to the others. I always saw her as the leader/motherly figure, but she has been rather childish in this season now that I think about it.

Anyways, now this is unedited. My editors have had a lot of their plates and I appreciate what they've done so far; however, I felt the wait was unfair. The next chapter hasn't even been drafted yet. So, it'll be about a month before the next chapter comes around. Just to make you aware of that.

Oh and for those wondering when Discord is going to come into this story...just you wait. It is going to be a rather interesting when he comes into the story.

--Versailles

Once out the door, the mare reared before she cantered off to see Rainbow Dash. Applejack had to go and see the cyan mare. Her hooves hit the ground hard, pushing her forward. The hollow sound echoed in the darkness. It wasn’t the best time to be out, but she had to see her. Applejack’s determination was now driven by the truth. That was her element after all. Princess Luna had sparked that within her dream and Applejack had to thank the princess in person. Something had sparked within her after the talk from both her brother and the Princess of the Night. The thoughts ran through her mind of what she could say that didn’t sound so sappy.

Maybe if Ah tell her, Applejack thought, the truth. Ah mean what can go wrong? A ton of things can go wron’. What if she ain’t gonna feel the same way? Ah know she said it while a bit intoxicated, but anypony can say somethin’ that they don’t mean. Ah’m pretty sure she was honest, but Ah wouldn’t put it past her. What am Ah sayin’? Rainbow is loyal and she can be pretty honest to boot. Ah ain’t sure if it is true, but Ah’m gonna follow mah heart and tell her. Tonight is the night Ah tell the truth. Ah’m the Element of Honesty for Pete’s sake! Ah’m honest in everythin’ else, ain’t Ah? Yep. Ah’m pretty sure that there ain’t a reason for me to be lyin’ to Rainbow like this.

Passing the library, she knew that she was close to Rainbow Dash’s home. Looking up, she saw the cloud house hanging there with Rainbow Dash standing on the outside. Smiling, the earth pony felt her heart race and her stomach flip. At that moment, she realized that she couldn’t go through with this. What if Rainbow didn’t love her back? That was just too much for Applejack to handle. Maybe being friends wasn’t so bad after all.

The orange mare worked her way back to the farm. Tonight was just not the night to tell Rainbow or any pony how she felt. It was the night to just reflect on what had happened and what had occurred within the last twenty-four hours. Once she reached Sweet Apple Acres, she stopped for a moment. Something was keeping her from going inside and getting some rest. Her thoughts were in the sky, thinking of the Pegasus once more. On top of that, she was beginning to think of what Big Mac and Princess Luna had told her.

Be honest they said, the orange mare huffed, Ah can be honest just it ain’t the time to be honest. Rainbow is prob’bly already asleep by now. It ain’t right for me to just run up and say ‘Howdy Rainbow. Ah just wanted to stop by and tell ya that Ah wasn’t jokin’ when Ah had feelings fer ya.’ Psh. If it was that easy, Ah bet that every mare in town would confess their secrets to the world. Plus, there is more than just mah relationship with Rainbow at stake. What if Dash and Ah broke up or somethin’? We wouldn’t be friends. If we weren’t friends, the Elements of Harmony would be useless. So, Ah’m gonna stay away from tellin’ her the truth fer a while. Can’t exactly break up a friendship just fer a relationship, can Ah? Maybe if Ah sleep on it, Ah’ll think clearer. Today was just weird enough already.

Heading inside, the orange mare laid her Stetson down on the kitchen table and went up the stairs. She noticed from the corner of her eye, the older Apple sibling standing in his doorway. Applejack weakly smiled and headed into her room. The Earth pony wasn’t about to just tell her brother that she had chickened out at the last moment. Dragging her hooves along the wooden floor, she removed her gaze from her brother and down to the floor. Finally reaching her room for the second time that day, she stood in the threshold for a moment. Looking at her bed, the very thought of sleeping made her stomach sick. Nothing at that moment would let her sleep, except for a good ol’ round of whiskey shots. Deciding in her mind, she wanted nothing else to do with alcohol because her liver was already suffering enough from today’s endeavours.

Climbing into bed, she let herself drift to sleep in the sweet embrace of the night

_________________________________________________________________

As the sun rose, the rooster crowed and woke Applejack from her slumber. Stretching back, Applejack yawned and jumped off the bed. As soon as she landed, she headed for the restroom to do her morning routine. That happened to include her brother interrupting her while she was on the toilet to get her to hurry it up. Every morning it was the same thing, over and over, which was a good thing in a farmer’s life. To Applejack, it was the most boring thing about her life. The consistent schedule without variation, except for the times when she was kicking flank with the other Elements of Harmony, was just too predictable. Of course, she knew that wouldn’t happen. The Elements would be her only variation.

Stirring herself from her own thoughts, the mare noticed the pang of hunger and started down to the kitchen. Knowing that Granny Smith wasn’t up yet, the mare grabbed some of the oats stored on the top shelf and poured them into a bowl. Eating them dry, the orange mare finished quickly and started towards the harvest for today.

Might as well get started, she thought, Big Mac’ll be out right quick. Ah don’t care doing a few trees by mahself. It ain’t right to depend on Big Mac all the time. Like when Ah’m out with the girls, he’s doin’ all the work for pony’s sake! Maybe we should try ‘n hire some new hooves ‘round these parts. Ah’ve got the girls and mah family to watch after. Dangnabbit! Ah need to focus. Ain’t got time fer just wanderin’ ’bout.

Kick after kick, it came to around noon when she noticed that a certain pony was napping in her trees. The anger that had built up overnight came exploding.

“Dangnabbit, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack shouted, “Ah thought Ah told ya to stop nappin’ in my trees! Next time Ah find ya up there, Ah’m just gonna buck so hard that y’all get whiplash! Getchur flank down from that tree right quick now!”

“Well excuse me,” Rainbow retorted, “This happened to be the only spot free today. The park is filled with a ton of parents and their foals, which I don’t bucking do! So, I chose the best spot.”

“Couldn’t ya just sleep in yer house,” Applejack chided, “It ain’t far from here! You do know where it is don’t ya?”

“I could,” Rainbow spat, “and I know where it is for pony’s sake! I just don’t get a lot of sunshine there and plus I need to keep an eye on the weather.”

“How can ya keep an eye on it when yer nappin’,” the orange mare questioned.

The two of them were about to come to blows when Applejack remembered the shipment of apples that she was supposed to send off to the market up in Canterlot. The two, however, continued their argument as Applejack worked her flank off. She needed to get this shipment out.

“Listen Rainbow,” Applejack warned, “Ain’t nobody got time for that! Ah got a shipment that Ah’ve got to get over to the station for Canterlot. No pony in the Apple Family has been late and Ah AIN’T gonna be the first one. So, either be useful or get off the dang farm!”

Applejack heard a snort or two coming from Rainbow before the cyan mare decided to assist the farmer. Nodding, Applejack told her where she could help out and where to get the supplies. She usually hated asking for help, but she needed it if she wanted to get the shipment to the train station on time. Speeding up, the orange mare ran from tree to tree, bucking them as fast as she could. Applejack, like she had told Rainbow, wasn’t about to be the first Apple to bring a shipment late.
_________________________________________________________

The two mares stood side by side as the watched the train depart from the station. Applejack felt relieved at the fact that they had made it right in time with the Canterlot shipment. Now, she had to focus on the next shipment that would be heading to Cloudsdale. Turning on her hooves, the Earth pony headed back towards Sweet Apple Acres. She couldn’t help but notice that Rainbow Dash was walking by her side.

“Ah guess Ah should thank ya Rainbow,” she said, “Ah was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rockin’ chairs. Gettin’ this shipment done was hard work. Ah guess Ah owe ya. Ya did a good ol’ job with buckin’ ’em trees.”

“Well what do you expect,” the cyan mare responded, “I’m just so awesome at everything---”

Applejack flashed her a warning glare accompanied by a familiar annoyance snort. Sometimes Applejack just wanted to smack her upside her head. It wasn’t right for her to just gloat about every last little thing.

“Yer lucky Ah got work to do or Ah’d smack ya upside yer head,” she growled, “Ah ain’t in the mood fer yer gloatin’.”

“Right,” Rainbow said, clearing her throat, “Sorry. Listen, how about I help you some more? If we work together, you’ll get work done faster which means we can just chill or something. I mean, if you are totally up for it. Maybe a competition to see who is the fastest, since we never finished that competition.”

“Yer on,” Applejack responded, “Let’s get to it then RD. Ain’t got time for just messin’ around. We’ve got apples to buck.”

The two remained silent after that as they walked to the farm, which caused a bit of concern for Applejack. The mare’s companion usually was talking about herself or the Wonderbolts, yet the cyan mare had said nothing. The discomfort pushed Applejack to trot towards the barn.

This ain’t right, the mare thought in her discomfort, Rainbow is usually flappin’ her gums about somethin’. Usually it is what she did this week or somethin’ about those dang Wonderbolts. Somethin’ is up with her and Ah ain’t sure that Ah should ask. What if she gets into somethin’ about a pony she cares fer? Ain’t somethin’ Ah want to know about. Then again, a good friend would ask.

“Erm,” Applejack vocalized, “So, what’s up Rainbow?”

“Oh. Nothing,” the cyan mare responded, clearing lying through her teeth.

“Listen Rainbow,” she said, “Ah know that somethin’ ain’t right. Ya haven’t said a word. So stop lyin’ through yer teeth and tell me what’s wrong, sugarcube.”

“Can we just not talk about it,” Rainbow said, trying to find a way out.

“Fine,” Applejack said, “But when it comes a bites ya in the flank, don’t come cryin’ to me.”

“I won’t,” Rainbow responded, “Don’t worry.”

___________________________________________________________________

Finishing up with the next harvest that was to be sent out in the morning, Applejack and Rainbow sat outside drinking some fresh apple juice. The two laughed over the small mistakes that were made. Setting her juice down, Applejack got to her hooves once more and smiled at Rainbow Dash.

“Wanna race,” the orange mare questioned.

“Bring it on,” the Pegasus responded, smirking, “So what’s the prize?”

“The other pony has to do whatever the other one asks,” Applejack responded, “No ifs, ands, or buts. Got it? Get it? Good. Also, no wings!”

“Fair enough,” Rainbow Dash agreed, “So, let’s do this. What point do I go to?”

Pointing to a tree that was only 50 yards away, Applejack instructed her to loop around that tree and come back at top speed. First, the orange mare had to grab one of the timers that Pinkie had stored in one of her trees a while back. Grabbing it, the Earth pony returned and the Pegasus got ready. As the cyan mare galloped off, the orange mare clicked the timer. 1 second...2 seconds...3 seconds….6 seconds...7 seconds…

“7.45 seconds,” the Earth pony said as Rainbow crossed the finish line.

“Alright,” the cyan mare cheered, “Let’s see you beat that!”

Handing Rainbow the timer, she warned her not to cheat because she would know. Applejack waited for the word that she was dying to hear at that moment. She felt her heart getting ready, the adrenaline coursing through her body, and her hooves itching for the run of her life. As Rainbow said “go,” Applejack took off with a jump-start. Her body bounded forwards as her muscles worked their hardest to get going. She pushed herself harder and harder, trying to get the satisfaction of a good run. Turning the corner after three seconds of running, she sprinted back even faster. The wind in her mane feel like she was flying. Finally, she reached the finish line and slowed herself down. Walking back over to the cyan mare, Applejack smiled.

“So,” Applejack smirked, “How did Ah do?”

“7 seconds flat,” the Pegasus hissed, accompanied by a stomp of her hoof and a scrunched face, “I can’t believe I lost. I hate losing. Even to you. Especially you. So what do you want me to do? Parade around Ponyville saying that you won and that you are more awesome than me?”

Well AJ, the orange mare said in her mind, It’s now or never.

“Ah,” whispered Applejack, “want you to go on a date with me.”

“What was that,” Rainbow Dash asked, trying to clarify what Applejack had said.

“Ahwantyatogoonadatewithme,” Applejack said quickly.

“Finally,” Rainbow said relieved.

“Wait,” the orange mare stated, obviously confused, “What? What do you mean finally?”

“Well,” the Pegasus responded, “I was---”

“Scared,” the Earth pony chuckled as she cut of her companion.

“No,” huffed Rainbow, “I wasn’t scared. I was just waiting for you. I totally am not afraid of anything.”

“Really,” Applejack stated meaning it as a joke, “What about the time in the castle? Ya were shakin’ in yer horseshoes.”

“I wasn’t the only one from what I remember dear Applejack,” Rainbow retorted sourly, “You were doing the same.”

“Okay,” Applejack admitted, “Ah was a might bit scared, but it was Ah worked mahself with that story that Granny used to tell me. That’s all.”

“Keep telling yourself that AJ.” Rainbow snorted, clearly holding back a laugh, “Doesn’t mean it is true.”

Applejack let out a snort of distaste for what Rainbow had just said to her. There was no way Applejack was going to back down from this so-called challenge. The farmer threw her “marefriend”, if that was what Rainbow could be called at that moment, a glare. The fact of the matter was, truth be told, Applejack wanted nothing more than to wear the pants in the relationship; however she knew that Rainbow would fit her for it. Holding her tongue, she turned away from Rainbow and grabbed the bushels of apples. The Earth pony had taken a break long enough and it was high time that she moved her flank towards a bigger goal at the moment, finishing her work.

“How about tomorrow?” Rainbow called after her, “I’m free after 9!”

“Fine,” Applejack responded, “but be on time! Ah’ll meet ya at the old barn. The one with the mural that Pinkie painted.”

“Sounds good.”

Now all Applejack had to do was worry about tomorrow, as usual. With the workload that she had to do and, now, the date. Tomorrow was going to be like facing Cerberus in the burning pit called Tartarus. She wasn’t sure where she was taking Rainbow Dash or what she would wear, but all Applejack knew was that tomorrow was going to be interesting to say the least.