It was 2:58 and Thunderlane had shown up in front of the Spa, wearing his aviator jacket, having nothing nicer for a first date apart from his suits, which were too fancy for the occasion. He'd made sure to preen his feathers, brushed down his coat, and put on just a spritz of stallion's cologne. Truthfully, he never understood the appeal for them but he'd gotten the cologne from Blueblood as a gift a while back and he figured he might as well give it a try.

Thankfully, the scent was subtle and didn't annoy the olfactory sensor, and Thunderlane had to admit (to himself) that although he'd only used a small spritz, it made him feel just a little distinguished, which helped his confidence at the moment. He was still plenty nervous but after he'd prepared and Rumble had given him some brotherly encouragement, Thunderlane felt ready.

I just hope AJ is ready... he thought as he waited. He was just a tad early though he knew Applejack might not be quite so punctual, given her history of attacking her chores to earnestly that sometimes the time got away from her.

"Howdy, Thunderlane."

Thunderlane had to fight the urge to spread his wings when he turned to see Applejack, who had just arrived. For Applejack looked decidedly more beautiful than usual. She wore very light and subtle makeup, a bit of rouge that made her freckles stand out more adorably, a bit of gloss on her lips, her mane was in its usual style, she wore her hat, but she also wore a soft shawl warm brown like healthy soil wrapped snugly around her withers secured with a brooch with an apple green jewel, and she looked uncharacteristically shy.

Overall, Applejack was beautiful the way a gem had been cut and polished to unlock its true and inner beauty.

"So, um... you look quite fetchin'," Applejack smiled nervously, and somehow it set Thunderlane at ease as he smiled gently back.

"Not nearly as fetching as you, Applejack," Thunderlane replied before saying in a voice that was honest and heartfelt, "You look perfect."

"Really? Ah wasn' sure about it muhself," Applejack tilted her hat, "Rarity sorta thawt maybe Ah oughta leave muh hat at home-"

"Nah, I'm glad you brought it," Thunderlane waved off the concern before kindly saying, "You're never more you than when you're wearing your dad's hat."

Applejack blushed, feeling a bit bashful but touched at the same time when she cleared her throat and said, "Well then, uh, Ah s'pose we oughta get started, right? I'm lookin' forward t' tha' steam bath ya mentioned before."

Entering the establishment, Thunderlane and Applejack saw that the Spa was relatively busy today, evident by how many ponies were in their waiting room, including...

"Rainbow Dash?!" Rainbow Dash, who was sitting on the waiting couch, wearing her purple robe and tortoise-shaped slippers while she looked at the Spa's brochure, startled to see Thunderlane and Applejack, the former asking, "What're you doing here?"

"Heheh, yeah, Ah din' think spa treatments were yor thing exactly," chuckled Applejack while Thunderlane just pulled a teasing smirk.

"What?!" Rainbow threw off the robe and slippers and gobbledygooked, "Oh, they're totally not! At least... not the froufrou kind."

Thunderlane and Applejack shared a knowing look before looking at RD again as she gingerly held up her left wing and excused, "Yeah, uh... I think I... tweaked something at Wonderbolts practice the other day. I just came in here for a deep tissue sports massage."

"Oh Miss Dash," said a Spa Pony, coming up to her, "I am so sorry but we are running just a tad behind, and we're not quite ready to start your pampered muzzle massage and indulgent hooficure just yet."

Rainbow froze and peered at her friends from the corner of her eye and their expressions told her she'd been caught fibbing, but she just couldn't resist. With a forceful chuckle, she said, "I- I'm pretty sure that wasn't what I signed up for."

The Spa Pony checked her clipboard, "But, they are your usuals-"

"And it seems like you're really busy today! I'll just come back tomorrow," Rainbow interrupted before looking to her friends, "See you two later, have fun!"

Then she leaned over to the Spa Pony and winked, "But put me down for the same thing!"

And with that, Rainbow Dash zoomed out of the Spa, salvaging any semblance of 'cool' she thought she was safeguarding, much to Applejack's amusement, "Heheh, too bad Rainbow Dash just 'hates' those 'froufrou' spa treatments. She coulda joined us fer a nice steam. Hoo-wee, Ah can't wait!"

Thunderlane found himself a tad bothered that Applejack would have invited Rainbow Dash in on their date, but he mentally brushed it off before saying, "Well, if they couldn't fit in Dash, I hope that won't be a problem for us too. We've only got an hour of R n' R before we have to get to the cinema. Thankfully, we have a reservation."

They allowed the Spa Ponies to take their coat and shawl before Thunderlane led Applejack through the veiled doorwa-

*Bump/"Huh?!"*

Thunderlane stepped back and stifled a GASP to see the line ahead of him! Pony after pony, standing in the hall, wearing towels on their heads, some with bath robes, some with hoof slippers, all of them with impatient looks on their faces, and the line appeared to continue around the first corner. Thunderlane and Applejack shared a troubled look, Thunderlane flabbergasting, "Well, uh- M-maybe not everypony's waiting for the steam room."

"Oh no, no, that's exactly what we're all waiting for," confirmed the last pony in line before them, Caramel. "Hi Thunder, AJ. I hope you guys aren't in a hurry, we've all been standing here for hours!"

"So everypony here wants a steam bath?!" Applejack called out and got numerous annoyed affirmations in response.

Sighing but shrugging, Thunderlane said, "Well, we can always do something else, like a massage-"

"Uh-uh! Nothin' doin', Thunder!" Applejack said stubbornly, "Ah came here t' have a steam, an' by th' Pale One tha's wha' Ah'm gonna get!"

"B-but Applejack, you heard them!" Thunderlane pointed out, "They've been waiting in this line for hours! There's no way we'll-"

He was interrupted by the arrival of Aloe, one of the Spa ponies, who smiled to see, "Thunderlane, Appleyack!"

Appleyack? Wha's wit' her accent? Applejack thought as Aloe gave Thunderlane a kiss on each cheek.

"So wonderful to have you both here for your first date!" Aloe exclaimed, "I hope you both have a lovely time."

"Well, I'm afraid it's not off to a good start," Thunderlane responded, slightly disgruntled as he pointed out the line waiting for the steam bath.

"Yes... the wait time for the steam room certainly has been getting worse lately," Aloe grimaced apologetically. "But we can provide you with all sorts of alternative treatments, with a nice discount in honor of your date!"

"Not without mah steam!" Applejack stubbornly declared, sounding just a bit like a pouty filly.

Sighing, Thunderlane explained, "Apparently, Applejack won't even consider any other treatments unless she gets a steam bath and we only have an hour before we have to get to the movies."

"That... is a problem," Aloe apologized, but then Applejack started going past the line.

"AJ?! Where're you going?" asked Thunderlane in surprise.

Reaching the ponies at the end of the line, just around the corner, Applejack saw they were standing outside the steam room, while also shivering in their towels and bathrobes.
"Uh... why're y'all jus' standin' here?"

Grunting in frustration, a stallion who was second in line, answered, "Just waiting for the steam to build up."

"Without steam, a steam room's just a room," added Spoiled Rich, who was first in line, speaking snobby as always, "and I've got plenty of those at home... because I live in a mansion."

Everypony present all rolled their eyes before Applejack approached the steam room door and noticed the steam temperature gauge next to it hadn't risen in even the slightest! She gave it a slight tap, soft wisps of steam bursting through the piping, but the gauge's dial lifted just slightly before dropping back to zero.

"It has been taking longer for the steam to reach that 'Ponyville Day Spa' quality," Aloe said behind Applejack, "We even had to add a warm towel service."

At Aloe's words did arrive a spa pony unicorn stallion named Birch Bucket, rolling in a cart stacked with folded warm towels, "So sorry for the delay, everypony. Please help yourselves."

They absolutely did, as the stack was gone in seconds and they threw their used towels onto the cart, one landing on Birch's face, to his annoyance, as he levitated it off and pushed the cart down the hall. As everypony enjoyed the warm towels, making their wait just a little more bearable, Applejack looked at the gauge again as she considered something and then said aloud, "So if yer not gettin' enough steam, tha' must mean there's not enough hot water."

Applejajack looked up at the ceiling and noticed a pipe starting from the wall above the steam room door, extending down the hall while Thunderlane sighed, "Applejack, I know you want a steam bath, but why don't we try something else? Like-like a dip in the jacuzzi or something while we still have time to do it before we have to-"

But Applejack was already following the pipe, Aloe in tow, so Thunderlane sighed, putting a light grumble into it, as he followed as well. Applejack hmmm'd as they followed the pipe past the private massage rooms (one with Cup Cake, the second with Carrot Cake, the third with Joe, the fourth with Chili Spice) until Applejack followed the pipe through a door, which led downstairs past some plumbing works, going down another hallway until they came to a corner and Applejack ah-hah'd!

"Now wha' do we have here?"

"Duh, the laundry room?" huffed Thunderlane as they saw Birch Bucket stowing the dirty towels into one of the washing machines, "And I'm starting to think I'm not gonna get my usual wing passage and deluxe preening!"

"The Ponyville Days Spa prides itself on sanitary conditions," explained Aloe with an upbeat look, "and fresh linens are integral part."

"Well, sure, but... have ya always run every single one o' these machines full-bore, all day, every day?" Applejack questioned with a raised brow.

"The answer is no, but ponies sure do love their warm towel service," answered Birch Bucket as levitated out some freshly dried towels and magicked them into neatly folded stacks onto his cart before rolling it off.

Applejack hmmm'd again and followed Birch Bucket back upstairs into the spa hallway, Aloe and Thunderlane following too, and they watched how Birch levitated warm towels into the private massage rooms while he kept going. But just before Birch made it back to the line of ponies waiting for the steam room, he noticed his followers and confusedly asked them, "Eh... you are all wanting towel?"

"Looks t' me tha' you don' have any left," Applejack pointed out and Birch Bucket was dismayed to see his fresh towels were yet again replaced with a pile of dirty ones. Especially when another one was thrown onto his face.

Levitating it off, he gathered his composure and said, "Well, like I said. Warm towels are big hit."

As Birch Bucket took yet another cartfull of dirty towels away, Applejack looked at a pipe with a valve and noticed it was leaking steam on a constant rate of spurts. In that moment it dawned on her, the clues running through her mind, coming together like a puzzle to form the answer as she declared, "Ah think Ah figured out th' problem!

"You've got a small leak," Applejack explained, "an' tha' means th' steam takes a lil' longer t' build up," she pointed to the temperature gauge next to the steam room door, "an' while ponies wait, they get cold. Cold ponies start wrappin' themselves in towels," she said before leading them back to the laundry room to show Birch Bucket doing laundry, "an' all those dirty towels need t' be cleaned, because Ponyville Day Spa prides itself on cleanliness."

When Birch Bucket returned to the hall and saw everypony looking at him and his towels, he was dumbfounded, "Eh, what?"

"Basically, losin' steam makes you use more towels," Applejack went on, "Tha' means ya do more laundry which uses up th' hot water ya need t' make more steam so th' problem jus' keeps gettin' worse!"

Birch Bucket sheepishly took the cart of fresh towels away as the line of ponies waiting for the steam all murmured in realization and nodded at Applejack's explanation, while Aloe exclaimed, "I had no idea!"

"Great! Now that the mystery of the missing steam is solved, we can get back to our..." Thunderlane furrowed his brows as he looked up at a wall clock and his wings sagged at the time, "increasingly limited amount of time for R & R..."

"Thunder, are ya kiddin'? Ah cain't jus' leave things like this," Applejack disagreed as she looked at the steam valve again and declared, "Ah'm gonna need mah tools..."

So, Applejack spent the remainder of the hour fixing the steam problem, sealing up the leaks, checking to make sure everything was as it should be, and testing the steam to make sure the maintenance was successful and talking to Aloe and her employees about the problem and how to avoid it in the future. Meanwhile, Thunderlane had gone ahead and taken a few spa treatments on his own, disgruntled with Applejack.

He could appreciate and understand her desire to help the Spa Ponies and their customers, but this was supposed to be their first date.

Later...

"Whoo! Now tha' th' leak's fixed, "Applejack wiped the sweat from her brow as she explained to Aloe who gave the steam valve a satisfied look, "ponies won' get so cold they use up all those towels an' without all tha' laundry, there'll be plenty o' hot water for all th' steam anypony could want!"

"And I'll only have to be doing wash once a day!" cheered Birch Basket right before he zipped into the steam room for a well-deserved break.

"Wow, Appleyack! Have you ever considered a career in the spa industry?" asked an impressed Aloe. "I'm sure I can find something for you."

"No thanks," chuckled Applejack before taking a deep breath, "Ah'm jus' relieved Ah can fin'ly relax in th' steam."

"Welp, finally came a little late, Applejack," said the voice of Thunderlane as he approached the mares and pointed at the wall clock in the hall, "Unfortunately, you spent so much time fixing the steam room, and now we have to get a move on if we're gonna catch our movie at the cinema!

"Seriously, Aloe!" Thunderlane addressed, "How on earth did it never occur to you to check for leaks in the steam room's plumbing?"

"There's just so many other things to worry about," Aloe shrugged although she did feel a tad down on herself for letting this problem escalate as it did, "I suppose we get used to the way things are and we don't realize there was problem,"

"Well, it always pays to have an outsider's opinion to look a situation over," Thunderlane sighed, "Lucky for you, AJ's too stubborn to relax."

"Eh, Ah'm sorry, Thunder," Applejack apologized, truly feeling bad. "But we still got th' movie an' dinner, right?"

"Which is why we should get a move on," Thunderlane urged before looking to Aloe, "Your coworkers were great as always, and I am glad that your situation has been resolved."

"Have a good day, the both of you," Aloe bade them as Applejack followed Thunderlane out.

They made it to Ponyville Cinema in time to see 'Lone Ranger Silver' with five minutes to spare before the trailers started. They'd agreed to get small sodas and share a small bag of popcorn, so as not to spoil their dinner afterwards.

They softly whispered to each other about the trailers they saw, such as an upcoming sci-fi movie adaptation of the book 'Alien Alicorns vs. Space Pirates', a mystery film based on the literary detective, Shadow Spade, and one depicting a romantic drama period movie taking place in Saddle Arabia. Finally, the movie began to start.

It was about a young earth pony stallion named Silver who lived in a fictional western town and admired the local sheriff. The sheriff claimed that the town was being threatened by a tribe of buffalo and rounded up some stallions as a posse. Silver tried to volunteer too but his mother protested, which led to Silver getting embarrassed in front of the whole town.

"Yknow, Thunder, on one hoof, Ah can see why his ma don' wan' him goin' wit' th' sheriff's posse," whispered Applejack, "but he's a grown stallion."
"Mothers just wanna protect their foals, AJ," Thunderlane shrugged.

Then came an early twist, where they watched as Silver had followed after the posse... only to find them beating up a buffalo brave, who was tied and unable to defend himself. The sheriff then threatened the brave that he was going to confess to a crime he had not committed because as it turned out, the sheriff was corrupt, as were the ponies in his posse, and their plan was to run the buffalo out of the land so they could profit off the natural resources.

"He's a disgrace to tha' star on his vest," harrumphed Applejack.

It got scary when Silver tried to sneak into the posse's camp after dark to free the buffalo... only to get caught in the act! The sheriff "charged" Silver with "aiding & abetting" and "sentenced" him to a one-way ticket to that big green pasture in the sky. Poor Silver was beaten unconscious and then thrown off a cliff into a river... only to be fished out of it by the same buffalo he'd tried to help and nursed back to health!

Seeing the buffalo brave help Silver on the big movie screen somehow reminded Applejack of her first encounter with buffalo back when she and her friends visited Appleloosa. Boy, did that seem like a lifetime ago!

Looking back, Applejack found herself ashamed of her behavior back then. Yes, her cousin and relatives worked themselves to the bone to build their town and their orchard, but the buffalo tribes had lived on that land for far longer than she could even imagine. Perhaps since even before the Founders of Equestria founded the nation. But all Applejack had been (understandably) concerned with, was how the conflict affected the ponies, and she'd been too stubborn and bullheaded to even consider how unfair it was for the buffalo.

She still had trouble with her stubborn streak every now and then...

...But am Ah doin' enough t' manage it? she wondered to herself. She recalled how she'd stubbornly refused to try any other spa treatments and fixing the steam problem the Spa Ponies had been having, and as a result she hadn't gotten to relax or spend time with Thunderlane.
An' am Ah bein' unfair t' Thunder too?

They continued to watch, as the buffalo brave, who was called Storm Horns, commended Silver on his compassion and bravery, and informed the young stallion how the sheriff and his posse he been threatening his tribe for some time. Silver was horrified and disgusted the stallion he'd admired was in fact a lowdown, dirty outlaw, and Storm Horns led the young earth pony to his tribe, assuring his brothers and sisters that Silver was a friend and brought him to meet with the shaman, an elderly buffalo female, who sensed a pure and valiant heart beating within Silver's breast.

She then kindly requested Silver to help stop the corrupt sheriff and bring peace between the buffalo tribe and his town, a request Silver gladly accepted. She then offered him a large lump of silver, saying it was blessed by the spirits and could be forged into a tool for justice and peace. Unsure of what to do with the gift, Silver was invited to rest before going back home and it was while he slept he had a dream of flying horseshoes and the corrupt sheriff. Waking up, Silver was inspired and motivated to see justice done and had a good idea of what to do with the gift he had been given. Storm horns led Silver back to the town, making sure to sneak in (since Silver was supposed to be dead) and Silver met with his friend, the local blacksmith, who was relieved Silver was alive but baffled by what the Sheriff had told the whole town. Silver cleared it up that the Sheriff was two-faced son of a rattler and asked his friend to help him with the lump of silver, telling him what he needed. While the blacksmith worked on Silver's request, Storm Horns told the young earth pony that his advantage was that the Sheriff and his thugs thought him to be dead and until the task at hoof was complete it had to remain that way before the buffalo brought out a simple black eyemask as well as some sharp duds (a cowboy hat, dapper blue vest, a red bandana, batwing chaps, and a belt), adding a simple request that Silver not ask where he got them.

The movie started to get more exciting, but Thunderlane wasn't paying attention. He kept looking over at Applejack out the corners of his eyes, noticing how she smiled and was relieved that at least she was enjoying the movie. But now, he felt compelled to do something! He didn't want to do that 'yawn and place his foreleg around his date's shoulders' cliché because it felt lame and he was too nervous to even consider how Applejack might perceive the gesture. She'd know that it was a ploy.

But... her hoof? Thunderlane considered as he subtly peered down at Applejack's hoof on the armrest. Quietly as he could, he took a deep breath, and very slowly, very carefully did he reach with his own hoof towards AJ's.
Don't rush it, be gentle, be subtle...!

But at the barest of touches when his hoof made contact with Applejack's, she quickly pulled it away and Thunderlane clenched in his seat, fearing he'd offended her-

"Oh, sorry, Thunder. Didja want th' popcorn?" whispered Applejack as she offered the little bag of it to him, "Ah've only had a few bites, don' wanna spoil dinner!"

"Uh... sure, thanks, AJ," Thunderlane responded softly as he took a small hooful and crunched on the popcorn with a morose sigh and slumped into his seat.

Later, Thunderlane and Applejack exited the cinema, the latter saying, "Hoo-dandy! Ah can still see th' look on tha' dirty sheriff when Ranger Silver's silver horseshoes flew offa his hooves an' smacked him th' kisser! Heheh, least th' tooth pony'll give tha' varmint a visit in jail! Thank ya kindly fer th' show, Thunder!"

Applejack bumped her rump to Thunderlane's, which made him blush but a tad confused on whether it had been affectionate or more of a buddy gesture. Clearing his throat (and smoothing his plumage), Thunderlane said, "Well, then, hope you've got your appetite, AJ, `cuz we still got dinner to go to. There's this-"

"Oh don' Ah know it, sugarcube?" Applejack agreed when she felt her tummy grumble a bit, "Belly's askin' fer a hayburger, so let's go t' tha' place Twilight likes!"

"The Hayburger fast food joint? But, AJ, there's this other place-" Thunderlane tried to say, only to yelp as Applejack grabbed him by the foreleg and pulled him down Stirrup Street.

"Less yappin, more stampin' our way t' some good eatin'," she insisted.

The Hayburger fast food restaurant was a favorite casual eatery in Ponyville, but sitting down at one of their booths, Thunderlane found himself deeply disappointed but he kept it inward. He'd wanted to treat Applejack to a nice dinner at a high end restaurant and order a fine bottle of nectar to propose a toast to their first date. And yet, here they were, looking at the menus of a burger joint. Hardly what Thunderlane would call romantic.

The more this date went on, the more it didn't feel like a date to Thunderlane.

The waitress took their orders and left them to chat.

...

Sitting there, neither of them attempted conversation...

...

...and they were so uncomfortable and distracted with themselves that they didn't notice Spike wave at them while he got takeout.

...

Finally, Applejack could bear it no longer.

"So, uh... nice weather wer' havin' lately?" Applejack's awkward attempt to break the ice just made it even more awkward.

"Eeyeah... Soarin's doing great over at the weather office," Thunderlane responded stiffly and he could tell Applejack was nervous too. He didn't want her to be, despite being annoyed with how she'd steered this date in the direction it was still going. Sighing, Thunderlane asked, "So then, how's business and stuff over at Sweet Apple Acres?"

Almost instantly, Applejack;s demeanor brightened up... and she rambled. Talked about this chore, that apple tree, how Granny Smith had offered to teach her how to knit, how Faerie Tail seemed different lately, how good Twinken was doing in school and as Princess Luna's apprentice, how much of a hooful Apple Bloom was in her Crusading, how Big Mac and Fluttershy often visited and brought their foals, sometimes asking AJ or Faerie Tail to foalsit for them so Big Mac could concentrate on chores around the orchard or Fluttershy could fly back to her cottage to take care of her animals.

Yes, Applejack talked and talked and talked about everything except for just one subject.

Herself.

The waitress returned with their burgers, fries, milkshakes, and ketchup packets. Hardly what one would consider a romantic dinner for two. Thunderlane liked an occasional bite of fast food, but this time it was extremely disappointing, given the occasion.

"Welp, no sense lettin' this grub go cold," Applejack unwrapped her burger and held it in her hooves, "Let's dig in!"

Silence resumed as the both of them ate, Thunderlane less than enthusiastic while Applejack seemed content. But beneath that content, Applejack could notice the dispirited look on Thunderlane's face, and it set her at unease.

This whole date thing... she thought guiltily, it shor ain't gone as well as Thunderlane had hoped. An' it's cuzza me. But why? ...Why can't Ah...?

Revisiting her feelings, reconsidering the implications of it all, it left Applejack confused and concerned. She liked Thunderlane, potentially as more than a friend. Yet she was reluctant, hesitant to engage further and see what more of could become of their relationship. She knew, deep down, that someday she did indeed hope to find the right stallion, to have his foals, to have her own branch of the Apple Family as her father before her had done. She'd known Thunderlane for a long time, but it wasn't until after Midnight and Twilight came into her life that she began to be around him more, get to know him better.

She respected him. She cared about him. She admired him. A young pegasus who'd lost his parents from an accident and had basically moved heaven and earth to keep what remained of his family, his little brother Rumble, close, to prove himself a worthy caregiver and a stallion well before he should have had to. She related to that, and respected him for it. Faust knows he'd had a far tougher time growing up sooner than he had to than she had when her own parents died.

So why can't Ah open mahself...? she thought, a sadness welling up inside her that she almost couldn't help shedding a tear, but she caught herself just in time. However, she saw that Thunderlane was noticing her demeanor and, on impulse, bit so hard into her burger that a splotch of ketchup and mustard squirted out onto her cheek.

"Oop! uh- Pardon me," Applejack said as she picked up a paper napkin and wiped off most of the condiment splot. "Ah'm jus' gonna... head into th' restroom, don' wan' this t' stain. Be right back, sugarcube."

"Sure," Thunderlane responded softly as he watched Applejack head for the restroom, and he sighed.

Cleaning the stain didn't take along, but now Applejack stood uncertain and indecisive. She clutched the sides of the sink as she glared at her reflection, "C'mon, Applejack! Snap out of it, girl! Wha's so scary n' hard tha' ya cain't get through a dang date?!"

Her angry expression bore into her for a long moment as the thoughts and feelings took time to disentangle with each other... before it all fell into place as her expression softened with a sigh. Now that she was alone and could be more open with herself, the pieces to this jigsaw slowly but surely came together in Applejack's mind.

"Be... because Ah'm afraid," Applejack finally admitted to herself. Yes, it was obvious but it was the why, "Ah'm afraid of givin' mah heart t' somepony an' not enough t' muh fam'ly an' farm. If Ah gave more time to a special somepony, Ah'd get distracted from mah responsibilities. Ah promised Mom an' Dad Ah'd take care of Sweet Apple Acres, an' mah brother an' mah sister an' Granny Smith!

"Mom an' Dad..."

Applejack closed her eyes, a tear running down her face as a heartache as familiar as an old friend returned as she wondered, What would y'all do...?

The bittersweet memories, all the good times and bad, of her Daddy playing with her and Mac, of her Momma tucking her into bed and singing the sweetest lullabies. Of the first time Bright Mac let Applejack wear his hat and they laughed at how it was too big and he assured her she'd grow into it. When Buttercup first taught her how to play guitar. When she'd accidentally broken her mother's hoofmade suncatcher because she'd wanted to play with it and instead of being angry her Mom had been sad and said how disappointed she was in Applejack, which had hurt more than any spanking her Dad had ever given her for being a bad filly.

What she wouldn't give to hear their voices in this moment, to have some advice on what she should do or think or say. Looking back, Applejack could recall how her mom used to say, if she was ever at a loss she should listen to her heart. Being a full-grown mare now, that sort of advice seemed a little corny and not very helpful.

But is it? Applejack thought as she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, cleared away all the thoughts and feelings and worries cluttering up her mind, and she gave it a good think.

She didn't want to stay single forever and be lonely into her winter years. She wanted a stallion to be with her, to love her, to hold her in his warm and strong forelegs. Or wings.

But she wanted a stallion who was strong, dependable, faithful, moral, and would make her feel so loved as to feel blessed. Her thoughts returned to Thunderlane and she considered:

Thunderlane was absolutely strong. Maybe not strong like an earth pony, but strong in spirit, will, and devotion. He might be a pegasus, but he's got th' heart of an earth pony.
He was certainly dependable. She'd easily put her trust in him and had no doubts he'd come through. He had to, for his lil' brother.
He was faithful, despite his aggravations with their friends' downsides and idiosyncrasies. He must be, t' put up wit' how bullheaded an' insensitive Ah've been tonight.
He was truly moral, and had more than once displayed integrity and honor, as well as helped others make the right choices. He certainly helped me do jus' that when those Flim Flam Brothers made tha' phony tonic.

But then Applejack came to the last quality she'd listed in her mind, and found herself at a loss for words as she felt her heart swell, her face warm up, and butterflies in her stomach. Thunderlane more than met all of the qualities she sought for in a potential partner, and her respect and care for him, along with the realization that he clearly expressed a hope to be more than just her friend, it dawned upon Applejack that she truly did feel so strongly enough for him that she wondered, Could Ah care about him as more than just a friend?

She took a moment, did the calming technique she'd seen Twilight and midnight do so many times, and looked herself in the mirror again. This time, instead of seeing an hesitant and nervous fool, she saw a mare strong and certain and warm, not unlike how she once saw her mother as a long time ago.

"A'ight, Applejack. Time t' go an' do right by tha' good stallion," she whispered to herself. She made sure her mane was fine before stepping out of the restroom and walking back towards hers and Thunderlane's table...

...only to find it empty!

Applejack felt her heart jump into her throat, but she held the reins of her composure and looked around, Maybe he went to the restroom too?

She didn't see Thunderlane around in the restaurant, so she decided to sit back at her table when she noticed something on the table. It was a folded piece of paper with her name on it.

Next Chapter: 374. Applejack's "Night" Out - Part 3 Estimated time remaining: 18 Hours, 43 Minutes