The equinnequin shattered into an uncountable number of pieces as it crashed into the wall of the inspiration room, metal joints snapping as easily as glass. Rarity panted as she ripped the closet door open and pulled the mass of boxes within out onto the floor, their contents spilling over.

Applejack kissed Rainbow Dash. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes she wouldn’t have believed it.

The framed picture of her and Applejack at the Ponyville Fair last Spring; sent flying into the wall.

They didn’t just kiss, either. They straight up made out.

The ornate vase Applejack had given her for Hearth’s Warming last year; sent flying into the wall.

They made out in front of her. They didn’t know she was there, of course, but still; in public? That was so tacky.

The photo album she’d made of their trips together; ripped apart and sent flying into the wall.

Besides, the orchard was their spot! When she and Applejack did it, it was a brief, tender kiss after an elegant, romantic picnic. Yet Applejack and Rainbow Dash had basically given themselves to each other right then and there, for all the world to see! Shameful!

The ceramic pie dish Applejack left in her kitchen 6 months ago and always forgot to take with her; sent flying into the wall.

And what, Rainbow Dash couldn’t even buy her dinner first? Was common decency dead?

The heart shaped locket Applejack had given her on their one year anniversary; sent flying into the–wait.

Rarity grasped the chain in telekinesis before it hit the wall and pulled it back to her. She ran her hooves delicately over the engraved surface, feeling the ridges of their cutie marks superimposed on each other. She lifted it up so that the light caught the words carved around its outer rim; ‘Good things are better when they’re a Rarity.’

Rarity growled as she threw the locket on the ground and raised her right foreleg. With a feral cry she shattered it with her hoof.

Rarity watched the shards dance out across the floor as she caught her breath. This was the most active bout of Spring Cleaning she’d ever engaged in. And yes, while it may have been fall, she was just getting a head start on this year’s tasks. Task number one was to clear all the garbage out of her closets, obviously.

Rarity lifted her hoof and went to turn back to the closet when something caught her eye. There was a small folded up piece of paper sitting amongst the scattered remains of the locket. Curiosity piqued, she picked it up in an aura of magic and unfolded it. Applejack’s horrible penmanship was scrawled all over the paper, and near the bottom were a collection of tear stains.

Dear Rarity,

If you’re reading this, it probably means we aren’t together anymore, since the only way you would be seeing this would be if you smashed the locket, and if you did that it probably means I did something really bad… so, sorry for whatever that wound up being.

I love you, Rarity. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anypony in my whole life. I just wanted you to know, I always will. And whatever I did to make you leave me, if I took you for granted or just made you unhappy, I’m sure I deserved it. I’m still not entirely sure how I was ever good enough for you in the first place.

Gosh, I don’t really know what to write here. I really hope you never have to read this. I don’t even want to imagine my life without you, Rares. Just the thought of screwing it up petrifies me. But let’s face it, I probably will eventually. And when that day comes, and you move on, and you’re standing up at the altar with some beautiful pony that isn’t me… Well, I’ll still be there for you, Rares. I always will be.

I don’t know what I’m writing. Just rambling I guess. This is silly, I should stop now.

I love you, Rarity. Please don’t ever forget that.

~Applejack

Rarity folded the paper back up as she finished reading. Her lungs had frozen in her chest. Her vision blurred. Her hooves trembled. She could feel her stomach churning, its contents threatening to return for vengeance.

How dare Applejack write that note? That cocky cowpony had outsmarted her! To deny her the simple satisfaction of smashing that stupid locket with… with this!

Rarity ripped the note to pieces and threw them in a ball across the room. Her heart hammered in her chest as her lungs started moving again. That wasn’t enough. She grabbed another of the boxes and hurled it with all her might, straight through the inspiration room window. The next box she grabbed was heavier, and a quick peek inside revealed the rest of her framed pictures featuring that horrible orange pony’s stupid, cocky face. One by one she pulled them out and punched as hard as she could, glass dust shimmering in the air around her with each broken frame.

As she finished smashing the last picture frame, Rarity finally noticed a stinging pain in her hoof. She coughed as she moved to the bathroom and inspected her hoof in the mirror. She was bleeding from a few cuts, but nothing major. She ran her hoof under the warm tap as she felt around her cabinet for a roll of gauze.

Rarity took several deep breaths as she wrapped up her hoof with the gauze. That was probably enough cleaning for one day. She walked back into the inspiration room and looked at the window with a frown. She’d been meaning to replace that one anyway. For now a broken down cardboard box taped over the hole would do.

Rarity sighed as she surveyed the wreckage of the inspiration room. Now that she had calmed down, she couldn’t fathom what had come over her. Who cared who Applejack kissed, anyway? Certainly not Rarity, she had no reason to. They were over, as Rarity’d repeatedly told Applejack over the last few weeks.

The fact that the thought made her stomach turn was probably unrelated. And why was she so worried in the first place? So Applejack kissed Rainbow Dash, big deal! It didn’t mean they were together. Rarity’d snogged Octavia at least five times over the last few weeks, but that didn’t mean they were together either, right?

Rarity took a deep breath and walked towards her bedroom. She’d be able to think a lot more clearly about all this in the morning, after some well deserved rest.

The first thing Rarity noticed about the morning was that her hoof hurt. As she rewashed her cuts and applied a new layer of gauze and ointment to them, she scowled at herself in the mirror.

”Mao,” Opal said from the doorway.

“Good morning dear, mommy will get your breakfast in just a minute,” Rarity said with a tired smile.

”Mao,” Opal replied before hopping up onto the countertop.

“Don’t worry dear, this is nothing, just a few scrapes,” she exhaled absentmindedly as she inspected her wounds. Some of them were deeper than she’d first thought, but it still wasn’t anything that needed drastic attention.

”Mao?” Opal asked.

“Nothing happened, darling, what would make you think that?”

”Mao,” Opal replied.

“... That’s just silly. I was simply getting a head start on my spring cleaning, and–”

”Mao,” Opal interrupted.

“What do you mean you don’t believe me? I am absolutely fine, Opal, and that’s the last I want to hear of it.” Rarity scowled at the cat.

Opal gave her an appraising look for several long seconds. ”Mao.”

Rarity sighed in defeat. “Fine, you win. In truth, mommy isn’t feeling so well right now because… well, mommy is a bit a confused. She’s… not entirely sure what she’s feeling right now.”

"Mao?" Opal encouraged her to continue.

"It's just that, last night when I went to Sweet Apple Acres to talk to Applejack about the fashion line, I saw her... kissing Rainbow Dash."

"Mao," Opal said.

"Yes I am fully aware that I'm the one who dumped her, thank you."

"Mao," Opal said, licking her paw.

"We'll... That's the thing, you see. I don't know why it bothered me so much, but it did.  I thought I was done with her, but-"

"Mao," Opal interrupted her.

"Jealous!?" Rarity turned to look wide eyed at her cat. “Don’t be ridiculous, Opal, I’m not jealous!”

”Mao.”

“Well if I knew what the word was for what I am, I wouldn’t be confused, now would I?” Rarity snapped back.

“Mrow!” Opal said as she turned her back and hopped off the counter.

“Some companion you are, you always run away right when we get to the issue!” Rarity called after her retreating cat.

With a frustrated “Hmph,” Rarity turned back to the mirror. She looked like Tartarus. Large, dark circles under her eyes, mane a mess, lips chapped and uneven... She barely even recognized her reflection. It would take her hours to get this all straightened out, and-

The doorbell rang, causing Rarity to jump. She took a moment to catch her breath and heard it ring again. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was barely even 8 o'clock; the boutique was hours from opening, who could possibly need to see her this early?

Rarity had half a mind to just ignore whoever it was and go on with her morning ritual, but the doorbell rang again, and again, with no sign of stopping. There was no way she’d be able to relax enough to properly beautify her mane in the midst of such a racket anyway, so with a resentful sigh she donned her robe and wrapped a towel around her head before making her way downstairs.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she called, her agitation increasing with every chime of the bell. She put on her angriest glare as she opened the door. "You know, Carousel Boutique does not open until noo-"

"Sorry Rarity, but I really needed to see ya."

Rarity blinked. Applejack stood in the doorway. Applejack needed to see her.

Rarity smiled. Of course Applejack needed to see her! She'd been gone for a week, and now that she was back Applejack had come to beg one last time that she take her back. She'd tasted the love of another, and all it did was bring her right back to her true love; Rarity.

Nothing had changed, and that was the greatest possible realization Rarity could have experienced in that moment.

"Oh don't mind that Applejack, I thought you were a customer! You know I always have time for you," Rarity said as she stepped out of the doorway to allow her friend entrance. "Please, do come in."

“Thanks, Rare–uh, Rarity,” Applejack said as she stepped inside, her gaze pointedly straight ahead despite Rarity attempting to make eye contact.

Applejack walked straight to the kitchen table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Rarity followed her.

“I was hoping you’d drop by today,” Rarity said with a small smile. “I actually needed to talk to you about–”

“Rarity, I gotta ask you somethin’,” Applejack sharply interrupted her.

Rarity nodded. “Of course, ask me anything, dear.”

“Would you… Gosh, this is hard,” Applejack grimaced.

Rarity reached her hoof across the table to hold Applejack’s. “It’s okay,” she said. “Would you like something to drink, darling? I was just about to put on a kettle for tea.”

“No, I’m fine,” Applejack said, shaking her head.

“Are you sure? It’s no trouble at all,” Rarity said with a beseeching smile.

“Really, I’m good–”

Rarity shook her head as she got up from the table and turned toward the stove. “Nonsense, give me but a moment to get the kettle started and–”

“No, just listen Rarity, I’ve been thinkin’, and–”

“–I’ll be with you in just a–”

“–I’m gonna date Rainbow Dash,” Applejack shouted.

Rarity froze mid-step.

“... If that’s okay with you,” she added.

Rarity cleared her throat as she stared at the stove. “... What?”

“You said to move on, so… Me an’ RD. We’re datin’.”

Rarity heard her heart thudding in her chest as she tried to get her mouth in working order. “You’re… dating her? Since when?”

“Well,” Applejack fidgeted as she hugged her legs to her torso, “last night we were hangin’ out, and some stuff kinda… Gosh, this is awkward. One thing led to another, I guess, and… we’re together, now. I thought I should tell ya.”

Rarity turned slowly back to Applejack, keeping her face as straight as she could manage. “... Oh.”

Applejack averted her gaze to the floor and Rarity quickly followed suit. “I just… You told me to move on, right? So… I did. Or I’m tryin’ to. I don’t know.”

Rarity closed her eyes and nodded. “I guess I did.”

“You don’t mind, then? I mean… we’re good?”

Rarity blinked a few times. “Yes. Of course we’re good. I’m happy for you.”

Applejack smiled as she lifted her gaze back up to meet Rarity’s. “Great. So,” she began as she stood up from the table, “what did you say you wanted to see me about?”

“Huh?”

“Earlier, when I got here, you said you were hopin’ I’d drop by?” Applejack said delicately.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot,” Rarity nodded blankly. “I wanted to talk to you about the Rustic Romantic line… Class Act of Empire Fashions is interested in it, and I wanted to know if you’d give me your share of it.”

“Er… What do ya mean?” Applejack asked.

“Just sign this form so I can let him showcase it,” Rarity said absentmindedly as she floated the contract and a pen over from her work desk.

“Oh, uh, sure,” Applejack said, taking the pen in her mouth and scrawling a quick signature. “This is pretty excitin’, ain’t it? I’ll admit I don’t know too much about the industry, but exposure’s always good, right?”

“Yes, it is…” Rarity breathed lightly as she picked up the contract and stuffed it in a drawer of her desk.

“So’s, I guess I’ll get outta yer hair then, I got some work to get back to on the farm,” Applejack said with a smile as she stepped toward the door.

“Yes, of course,” Rarity nodded as she put a kettle on the stove.

“I’ll see ya later then, Rarity. And… Thanks. Your approval means a lot to me.”

“Don’t mention it,” Rarity said without turning her head.

“Well… G’Bye, then,” Applejack said as she opened the door and exited the boutique.

Rarity looked down at her bandaged hoof and took a deep breath in through her nose.

Her hoof hurt. Too much for cleaning right now.

Rarity looked up at her clock and knitted her brow. It was approaching what could be justified as brunch time.

Perhaps a visit to Octavia was in order? She couldn’t place it, but she felt a sudden overwhelming urge to be in a committed relationship.