As I worked on the farm for a solid month, I started growing closer to Apple Bloom, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and of course, Applejack. Everyday was just as hard as the last; ten full hours of hard labor, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything in the world. I often worked in the same area as Applejack, which allowed us to do a lot of conversing and playing together while we worked. Turns out that Applejack, not Pinkie Pie, was the best cook in all the land, so much that the Princess wanted her to cook for the Royal Wedding between her niece and Twilight’s brother. One day she invited me to eat dinner with her family, and I found out why she had the title. I had always loved apple treats back home, but when I bit into one of Applejack’s apple fritters, it was though as I was eating goodness itself. Not only was she a determined worker, she was a great cook. The best of Applejack’s qualities, however, was here love for her friends and family. She went above and beyond her responsibilities to them, and it was her pleasure.

But after the first few weeks, Pinkie Pie came by and asked Applejack if I could help down at Sugarcube Corner, since they were having intense business and could use an extra. Applejack of course agreed, and so I was sent to work at Sugarcube Corner to help them deliver food and take orders. Pinkie Pie was a delight to work with; she always running in and out, almost inconceivably fast at times. She was so fun and easy going that you couldn’t help but laugh at everything she did. But there was something about Sweet Apple Acres that made me miss it while I was working there. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it; maybe it was the gorgeous countryside, or the sight of the puffy white clouds in the blue sky. I thought about Applejack a lot when I was away. I thought about her country charm, her work ethic, her lovable friendliness. I definitely did miss her, even though I enjoyed working with Pinkie Pie. As a matter of fact, I missed her a lot.

One thing was certain; I wanted to at least see Applejack. I got my chance one day when the Cake’s foals had an evening doctor’s appointment leading to an early closing. I walked over to Sweet Apple Acres at around three, hoping she would be done with work. I walked up and saw Granny Smith doing some minor work on the fence around the farm. I tipped my invisible hat to her.

“Hello there, Granny Smith, how are you today? I was wondering if I might have a word with your granddaughter?” I said, trying to be as polite as possible. She looked at me for a moment as if she was confused, then she put her hoof on her chin and looked up as though in thought, then looked back down at me.

“Right. Now, eh, what did you wanna have a word with her about?” she said. Applejack walked up behind her with that big smile that she almost always had, I figured she must’ve seen me from the barn.

“Applejack! I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me on this fine afternoon?” I said. To my great delight, my friend ran forward in excitement, her smiling face answering for her.

“Wait now, eh, Applejack, do you have any more chores to do?” called Granny Smith to her granddaughter.

“They're all done, Granny Smith!” said Applejack over her shoulder, as we both took off running.

We playfully ran through the streets of Ponyville, waving at everypony in town, going all the way past Fluttershy’s house. Fluttershy was outside tending to her animals and saw us and smiled. We waved at her, and continued running even into the Everfree Forest. Instead of me being the guide, Applejack signaled me to follow her. It’s not like I had a plan for our time together at that moment anyway, I just wanted to see her. So we just kept on running, laughing and playing all the way, like two little children... er, foals, I guess. Either way, it was delightful running alongside her, and I wasn’t sure where she was taking me.

After running through the trees for a while, she took me to a stunning scene. In the middle of the forest was a beautiful waterfall that emptied into the clearest pool of water I had ever seen.  The pool’s bank was decorated all around with beautiful flowers. To my delight, the blue sky and puffy white clouds were visible over the pool. We were both breathing heavily, and Applejack caught her breath and spoke.

“Ah’ found this here a while back with Big Mac. Ah’ ain’t told no one about it or been here ever since, but ah’ been wantin’ to come back. Whatcha think?” she said.

“I think it’s absolutely gorgeous!” I said, inhaling between words because I was so winded. Applejack walked up right beside me while I was bent over gasping for air, and looked down at me.

“Ya wanna know what ah’ want to do now that we’re here?” she said. I looked up at her, eager for her answer. Instead of talking, she swung around her flank and booted me right into the pool, soaking me from head to toe. She looked down at me and laughed, and I couldn’t help but laugh too. I wasn’t about to let her off the hook though.

“Apple Bloom, what are you doing here?” I said, looking in the direction that Applejack was. She spun around to see where her sister was, who of course was not there, and I leaped up and grabbed her two legs and pulled them as hard as I could. Her body slid right on top of me and we slid into the pool together. She thrashed her head out of the water, her hat and mane both soaked.

“Take that you whipper snapper!” she said, splashing water at me with her hooves. We both started splashing and each other, laughing and swimming all across the pool and even sticking our heads under the falls. I was having so much fun I could hardly stand it.

When the sun started to set, we made our way up to the top of the waterfall. We could see Ponyville, Canterlot, and much of the Everfree Forest.  The sun setting allowed for a beautiful purple/pink/orange sky. Truthfully, it was the prettiest landscape I had ever seen, and happened to have the most majestic sunset to go along with it. Applejack and I sat down right next to each other (I was sitting, she was laying on her stomach) on the side of the cliff overlooking the land, with the little stream falling down into the pool just to our right. Applejack let out a happy sigh, looking out over the country. Instead of looking at the country, I found myself looking at her. She was so cute the way she was laying and smiling, the setting sun shining brightly off her blonde mane. She had this wonderful orange glossy coat as well, and a smile friendly enough to hammer sorrow into oblivion.

“What a wonderful way to end a wonderful day. Ain’t that beautiful?” she said, looking out at the magnificent country. Not nearly as beautiful as you.

“How ya’ll like workin’ with Pinkie? We miss ya on the farm.” I leaned back on my hands and continued staring at her, pondering her question. I was rather delighted that they missed me there.  

“You know Pinkie Pie better then me. She’s a bundle of fun,” I said, switching my focus to the country. “But to be honest, think I prefer working at Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe it’s the labor; maybe it’s being outside and just seeing your orchard. Or maybe it’s something else. I don’t know, but I love it,” I said, turning my head back to her and smiling. I suddenly had a good idea. “Pinkie Pie and the Cakes said that my whistling attracts customers because it’s so good, but I just don’t see it,” I said, slightly off-topic. I knew darn well that I was a great whistler, but I preferred not to show it. Applejack turned her head and faced me eagerly.

“You can whistle? Can ah’ hear some?” she said. I turned a little bit red in the cheeks and turned my head toward the setting sun. I curled my lips and began to whistle one of my favorites tunes I had learned from my homeland; a fast, happy tune that was more like a jig. To my surprise, I was nervous when I was whistling for Applejack. It was as if I were whistling for Princess Celestia herself. Despite this, I nailed every note with great vibrato, and at the end of the song, I turned my head back at Applejack, who was watching me with awe. When I finished, she looked at me as though I was some kind of celebrity musician. I won’t lie; this was making my heart  explode having her look at me like that.

“Ah’ had no idea you had such a knack for music!” she said.

“So are you impressed yet?” I said jokingly with a grin. She hesitated, smiling and looking at me from head to toe.

“Do that standing on yer head and ah’ll be impressed.”  I looked down at myself and shrugged.

“Well, my clothes will fly down, but I’ll try,” I said, laughing. She let out a playful, harmless squeal of disgust.

“An' Rarity says ah’m bad mannered!” she said, giggling.  

“Oh, believe me, my own kind’s manners are far worse than mine," I said in a much more serious tone, and the smile faded on Applejack's face as she looked interested. " They don’t care what you are on the inside, only what you look like for their purposes with you.”  Applejack pulled her head back in shock.

“Yer kiddin’. Ah’ don’t know what that is, but it sure as sugar ain’t love or friendship. Real friends don’t care what yer cover is. You jus’ love bein’ with em’, and ya care about em’ more then yerself. Do anything to help em’ even if it ain’t gonna help you. That’s love in mah’ opinion.”

That was the most beautiful definition of love and friendship I've ever heard. This is why I came here, because of ponies like her! What a great friend to have. Heart-warmed by her simple yet gorgeous answer, I turned and faced her, looking into her big, beautiful green eyes. I wasn't exactly planning on saying what came to my mind next, nor was I fully expecting it to be there in the first place.

“They’re not like you. You’re so pure, and innocent, and kind. Even though you are quite pretty...  um, I-I mean, for a pony that is. You know what I meant,” I said, laughing nervously at the end of my sentence in an attempt to cover up my words. Applejack blushed deeply. Wait... did I really just say that? There's nothing wrong with complimenting your friends, and her and me were seemingly becoming great friends rather quickly. But that may have been a little stronger then I thought (or intended), and I didn't even realize that until after I said it.

“Aww shucks sugarcube," she said with a rather adorable smile if I must say so myself. Apparently she was deeply flattered and thankfully not taken back by my unexpectedly upfront remark. Oh thank goodness! It felt great for me to make her feel good. "Ya'll are super nice yerself, honey!  Yer a darn tootin' good time to be around, ya know that? Oh by the way, ya’ll got a real cute mane yerself,” she said, giving my thick, dark hair a little rub with her hoof that suddenly made me blush just as deeply as she had a few moments ago. I couldn’t believe how good it felt to get a compliment like that from her. Is this what pony friendship feels like? This was the warmest feeling of overwhelming delight I'd ever experienced, and I didn't even realize it. Who knew friendship with a pony could be this nice? I just sat there and started giggling to myself. Deeply but delightedly embarrassed, I smiled and looked from the ground back up at her, and when she saw me smiling, she smiled back, and the feeling got even warmer.

By the time we made it back to Ponyville, night had overtaken the land, and the stars were twinkling overhead. I walked Applejack all the way back to Sweet Apple Acres. I tried to walk slower, because I didn’t want the night with her to end. When we arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, and she turned to say goodbye at the bottom steps of her porch. I was very disappointed that the day was over, it was so much fun, with so many wonderful moments to it. It was all because of her; she was already the best friend I'd ever had, and I really, really liked her as a friend. More so then I had ever liked anyone in my entire life.

"Um... so! I will see you, this week maybe?" I said, rubbing the back of my neck and smiling at her. She gave me a very friendly smile and hesitated before speaking.

"Ah' hope so! Ah' had a wonderful day today, sugarcube." I hesitated, as a gentle smile came over me and I found myself laughing with strong delight as I stared right at her with bright eyes.  

"Are you kidding? That was like... the best day ever," I said, enthusiastically, and she seemed really flattered by remark yet again, and suddenly the same warm feeling of making this sweet, strong, admirable farm mare feel good was making me turn red.  

The conversation ended right there. I should've, or rather I would expect myself to smile and head home following her last remark. But something else happened instead. The smiles on our faces faded as we continued staring at each other, right in the eyes. A really deep stare. More then that, I was actually losing myself in them. It was a feeling I'd never felt before, looking into the eyes of this Earth pony. I saw so much love and friendliness underneath, on a level that I've never known before.

I don't know what she was thinking; I couldn't even tell you exactly what I was thinking. All I can say is that I was suddenly finding the warmest solace and strongest comfort looking into her pretty green eyes that seemed to reflect her loving personality. The eyes themselves were radiantly beautiful, with so much honesty and strength in them. This staring continued for almost a whole minute, with no words in between. Suddenly, we heard Apple Bloom’s voice from inside the house.

"Huh? What?" said Applejack as she flipped around startled. When she realized that Apple Bloom was not outside or anything and it was only her voice, she let out a strong sigh of relief, and turned her head back to me and gave me a really big smile, that I couldn't help but return.

“See ya later, sugarcube,” she said sweetly. Then she trotted inside with joy and grace, and the day with her was officially over. I stood there for a second, smiling like an idiot at her as she galloped inside. Then I walked backwards slowly, not losing my smile and still staring at their front door before turning around and breaking into a run.

That was like... the best... day... ever. Walking home, my mind was swimming in heavenly bliss as I relived the whole day we just spent. I could hear her sweet voice in my head. Aww shucks... ya'll are super nice, honey! ... and ya'll got a real cute mane. Rethinking when Applejack had rubbed my hair was overwhelmingly delightful to me; I blushed again and laughed out loud. It was embarrassing, but it felt so good at the same time. And then there was that whole moment at the end... those are some of the prettiest eyes I have ever seen. What an adorable pony she is. I don't think there was the smallest speck of selfishness in those eyes. I was already going over in my mind when I'd be seeing her again. Truth was, I was quite sad that I was parted from her. I wanted to walk back to her farm and spend more time with her.

As my happiness was elevating to heights I've never known, I turned the corner onto my street, and I pictured Applejack in a wedding veil, looking at me with that friendly, loving smile. I stopped where I was, my mouth gaping open, and staring intently into space. I couldn't believe what I just thought. I shook my head violently. Ok, hold on:  did I really just picture Applejack - the Earth pony- in a wedding veil? I slapped myself across the face and started laughing to myself despite not being amused in the slightest. I came to Ponyville to surround myself with the best friends in the land; ponies. I never had romantic feelings for anyone before, and I certainly didn't intend on developing any. Besides... Marrying Applejack?!? The Earth pony?? I laughed out loud yet again, but it wasn't really a real laugh. I kind of forced it. Maybe that it was an attempt to make up for such a ridiculous thought.

But then I started thinking about how Applejack compared to all the girls (humans, nonetheless) back where I was raised. There was no denying spending time with Applejack was a blessing and a wonder. There was never any girl my age back home I would ever think of marrying, goodness no. None of them compare to Applejack; she has a heart purer than gold. I could spend the rest of my life with her. This was an especially alarming thought. Another violent shake of the head. Alright, slow down, I'm not honestly thinking this right now am I? Oh come on, it'll pass! I'll be laughing about before I go to bed. Ha!

Either way, it was the best day I ever had in my entire life, and I was perfectly fine with admitting that to myself as I walked up to my front door, where I entered my house and went straight to bed. Putting aside the fight I just had with myself, I closed my eyes, and there was Applejack's smiling face again in my imagination. She's just so nice and so much fun to be around, not to mention adorable in everything she did, from working to talking in her country accent. I thought about when she pushed me into the pool and started laughing so hard that my bed began to shake. Applejack... you are amazing. Thank you for that day. I opened my eyes and turned over in my bed so I was staring up at the ceiling. I wish everyday could be like that, Applejack. The sweetest, most charming creature I've ever met, with the cutest country draw. Applejack... I .... Suddenly, fear overtook me, my heart started beating off the chart, and my eyes went wide with a terrible realization. Oh no. The feelings were only intensifying. I had never felt feelings like this before, so it was difficult for me to realize just what kind of feelings they were until now. And now that I realized what kind of feelings they were, they shocked me.

I involuntarily pictured her in the wedding veil again, looking at me like she had just a few moments ago. I sat up in my bed and looked in front of me with horror. I took deep breath after deep breath, beginning to fight with myself, but there was no point. I knew exactly what was going on, as I thought about just how much I liked Applejack. I bit my thumb. Applejack.... I don't like you... I love you.