In the cozy, dimly lit bedroom of the Apple family farmhouse, young six-year-old Applejack sat on her bed, wearing her favorite pajamas with little apples printed on them. Her mother Pear Butter, a kind and loving woman, stood nearby, gently brushing Applejack's golden hair. "There we go, all ready for bed. Now, hop into bed, and I'll tuck you in." Her mom said as Applejack climbed under the soft covers, her big green eyes filled with curiosity. "Mama, can I ask you something?" A young Applejack asked. "Of course, darlin'. What's on your mind? Pear Butter asked. "How did you meet Daddy?"Applejack asked.
Her mom looked at her softly as she smiled. "Your father and I met when we were just little kids. Both your father's family and my side of the family disliked each other but that didn't stop your father and I from getting along with each other," Aj's mom said. "How'd you know Dad was the one?" Applejack asked. "Well, sweetheart, when we were both 16, something magical happened. A little red string appeared on our pinky fingers." Her mom said. "A red string? What does that mean?" Applejack asked intrigued. "It means we were soulmates. Everybody has one, and when you follow it the string leads you to your special someone. That's how your father and I met." Pear Butter said.
Applejack snuggled deeper into her blankets, feeling comforted by her mother's words before asking a question. "Will I ever find my soulmate?" She asked her mother. "You will and whoever your soulmate is will make you happy and will always be there for you." Pear Butter replied before kissing her daughter on the forehead. "Sweet dreams Applejack." She said softly, heading towards the bedroom door and turning off the lights as she watched Applejack close her eyes before softly closing the door. That day Applejack dreamed about possibly finding her soulmate.
Time Skip 10 years
Ever since that day her mother told her about soulmates Applejack has been waiting for her 16th birthday now She was a High Schooler and was excited as her birthday was tomorrow. "Hey, Applejack excited for tomorrow?!?!" Pinkie one of her six friends asked. "Sure am can't wait to see who my soulmate is and if they attend Canterlot like us," Applejack said going through her locker.
"Well, whoever it is they'll be lucky to have you," Sunset said as she came walking hand in hand with Twilight. "I know I was lucky to have Sunset as mine," Twilight said kissing her on the cheek. Applejack smiled at the two before noticing her other friends Rarity and Fluttershy walking hand in hand toward them. "Hello Darlings," Rarity greeted as Fluttershy waved. "So Applejack excited for your big day tomorrow know that you'll finally be 16." Rarity said.
You see Applejack was the youngest in the group so that means her friends found their soulmates before her, Fluttershy was the oldest by a couple of months, and once Rarity had turned 16 a red string appeared on both their pinky fingers and they found out they were each other's soulmates. Then Twilight turned 16 and her red string immediately appeared on her pinky finger she then found out her soulmate was Sunset who was the third oldest in the friend group. Even Pinkie who was the second youngest in the group had found her soulmate which was Cheese Sandwich. "Yeah and as I was just telling the others that I'm excited to know who my soulmate is," Applejack said.
"Yeah, but that means I'll probably be the only one in our group who hasn't found their soulmate yet," A raspy voice said as Applejack turned to see it was her best and closest friend Rainbow Dash. Despite being the second oldest in the friend group, Dash hadn't found her soulmate. That was one of the things Applejack and Dash bonded over being the only two in the friend group to not find their soulmates they grew close with each other so close that some people assumed that they were soulmates.
"Don't feel bad Dashie I'm sure you'll find them," Pinkie said trying to cheer Rainbow up. "Thanks, Pinkie," Dash said softly. "Who knows maybe it's Applejack," Pinkie said causing the two to blush. "Wh-I highly doubt that," Applejack said. "Y-yeah the chances are very low," Rainbow said. "Ooh, but you guys aren't denying it and the blushing says otherwise," Sunset said joking. Suddenly the warning bell rang signifying the last class of the day. "Wow, would you look at the time I gotta go to gym class...bye," Rainbow said running to class. "Y-yeah and I got history," Applejack said as leaving as the rest of their friends watched them leave. "Do they not realize their classes are in the opposite direction," Sunset asked her girlfriend. "Leave them be they'll find out soon," Twilight said as they all headed to their last class of the day.
The next day
Applejack woke up with a yawn, stretching her limbs as the morning sunlight streamed through her window. She rubbed the sleepiness off her eyes before noticing that the pinky on one of her hands had a red string. "Well, what do you know." She said softly before getting up and getting dressed and headed downstairs to see her sister Applebloom and her brother Big Mac eating breakfast.
"Hey sis Happy Birthday," Applebloom said as Big Mac nodded in agreement. "Thanks, y'all," Applejack said. "So did your red string appear?" Applebloom asked. "Yeah, whoever they are must be older than me since it immediately appeared," Applejack said as she and her siblings started eating before heading to school.
As she entered the school she saw Sunset and Pinkie by one of their lockers. "Hey, Applejack Happy Birthday!" Sunset said as Pinkie hugged her tightly. "Thanks, guys," Applejack said as Pinkie let go of her and produced a cupcake from her bag to give to AJ. "So have you found your soulmate yet?" Sunset asked causing Applejack to shake her head. "Nope, but I did notice that the string isn't long so that means they live here," Applejack said taking the cupcake from Pinkie. "Oh, Applejack, guess what? I'm planning the most amazing birthday party for you at the sweet shoppe! It's gonna be epic!" Pinkie excitedly said. "Well thanks, Pinkie, I can't wait," Applejack said appreciably. "Now let's start figuring out who is Applejack's soulmate," Sunset said.
The three then began to discuss the possibility of who could it be. "Hello darlings, Happy Birthday Applejack," Rarity said walking hand in hand with Fluttershy before pulling away and hugging Applejack. "Thanks, Rarity," Aj said reciprocating the hug before pulling away. "What were you guys discussing?" Twilight asked who was walking beside Rarity and Fluttershy. "Guessing who Applejack's mysterious soulmate could be," Pinkie said excitedly. The group then started talking about who her soulmate was or could be when suddenly the bell rang. "Oh looks like we got to go class," Fluttershy said softly as the group made their way for the first class of the day which was English. "Hey has anyone seen Rainbow Dash?" Aj asked. "Probably running late." Rarity said. "Like always." Sunset joked causing Twilight to lightly elbow her.
The teacher then began their lecture when five minutes later the door opened to reveal Rainbow Dash who was out of breath. "Sorry I'm late my alarm didn't wake me up," Dash said entering the class. However, something that caught the attention of Applejack was that the other end of her red string was tied to Dash's pinkie finger. "No there's no way." She said softly. "What do you mean there's no way?" Twilight asked as Rainbow went to sit next to Sunset. Pinkie however put two and two together and figured it out. 'I think she found out who her soulmate is!' Pinkie thought excitedly,
The class continued as usual as everyone paid their attention back to the teacher we'll almost everyone. Applejack was still shocked when she saw the end of her red string tied to Dash's pinky finger, sure Aj was expecting to find her soulmate but she didn't expect it to be soon. Suddenly the bell rang signifying the first period ended, Applejack quickly got her things together as she wanted to approach and talk to Rainbow Dash about them being each other's soulmates but noticed the girl wasn't in the class anymore.
"Hey Rarity, did you see Rainbow leave already?" Applejack asked. "I did, darling she seemed to have been in a rush and she needed to talk to Fluttershy regarding something. Why is something wrong?" Rarity asked. "Uh n-no I was just hoping I could talk to her regarding something I had just found out," AJ said before leaving and heading to her next two classes which were science and gym two classes that she didn't have with Rainbow Dash. 'It's fine you'll talk to her later or during lunch no big deal,' Aj thought.
Turns out it was a big deal as Applejack's classes went by slowly as she kept checking the time wondering when the classes were gonna end so that she could talk to her regarding their situation. Once the bell rang she grabbed her stuff and left the gymnasium heading to the lunch room so that she could run into Dash. She entered the lunchroom grabbed her lunch from the cafeteria and then made her way to her and her friends' table and sat down as Sunset, Twilight, and Pinkie soon arrived holding their lunch trays and sitting down to join her.
A couple of minutes later Fluttershy and Rarity join them. The group started talking but Applejack noticed that a certain someone hadn't arrived yet or stepped foot in the cafeteria. "Has anyone seen Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked as everyone but Pinkie shook their heads. "I did she said she wasn't gonna eat lunch with us because she had scheduled practice with her soccer team today," Pinkie said. "That's weird she never schedules practice during lunch that's only if they're facing Crystal Prep which isn't happening any time soon," Sunset said. "Maybe it's another opponent that's more challenging than Crystal Prep," Fluttershy said softly as Rarity rested her head against her shoulder. "I highly doubt that based on my observations and keeping track of the schools around here there are no other schools aside from Crystal Prep who are the best and always put up a fight against us when it comes to sports," Twilight said before the group started talking about why Rainbow Dash wasn't eating lunch with them.
But a certain cowgirl was lost in her thoughts as she had an important question on her mind. 'Is she purposely trying to avoid me?' Applejack thought as she slightly frowned. "Applejack, darling it's your birthday why do you look sad?" Rarity said noticing Aj's expression. Applejack sighed softly before deciding to tell her friends the truth. "It has to do with Rainbow Dash," She said. "Why did something happen between you two? Was it the teasing we did of you two if it is we're sorry," Fluttershy said softly but Applejack shook her head no. "It's not that it's...I think she might be my soulmate. When she came in late during the first period I saw her hand which had the end of my red string tied to her pinky finger."
She explained as Sunset, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy looked at her in shock meanwhile Pinkie smiled excitedly before shouting.
"Yes! I knew it! Pay up!" Pinkie said to Sunset who grumbled as she handed her the five dollars. "Wait is that why you whispered there's no way when Rainbow entered the class?" Twilight asked Applejack ignoring the fact that her soulmate had made a bet with Pinkie. "Y-yeah, I wasn't expecting Dash to be my soulmate n-not t-that I'm upset about it but it's just I wanna talk to her about it but she's either doing something else or leaves class early and I'm starting to think maybe...she doesn't like that I'm her soulmate," Applejack said before Rarity placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Applejack, just because Rainbow Dash is avoiding you doesn't mean she doesn't like you being her soulmate, maybe she needs time to comprehend that you and her are destined to be together, after all finding out your soulmate is a lot to process especially if it's your best friend. We've all been there before but once you and her talk all that worry will disappear all it takes is communication," Rarity said as Applejack smiled. "She's right you and Dash just need to talk and I think I know when is the perfect time to talk," Pinkie said confusing the others before realizing when the two could talk and that would be during Aj's birthday celebration at the sweet shoppe.
As the day went on, Applejack became more anxious about her birthday party at the sweet shoppe because that's when she planned to talk to Dash. Finally, the school day ended, and she headed home to prepare before going to the sweet shop.
"Hey Applejack, perfect timing!" Pinkie said as she let her in, seeing that only she, Pinkie, and Sunset were present. "Thanks again for doing this, Pinkie," Applejack said. "Aww, it was nothing," Pinkie replied. "Where are the others?" She asked. "Twilight's walking Spike, but she said she'll come after she's done. Fluttershy and Rarity are on their way, and Dash said she might come a little late because she's taking care of something," Sunset explained. "In the meantime, have some snacks while we wait for them," Pinkie said, leading them to the snack table. Ten minutes later, Fluttershy and Rarity arrived hand in hand at the party, while Twilight arrived five minutes later.
The only person who hadn't arrived was Rainbow Dash who didn't get there till an hour and a half later. "Sorry I'm late had to take care of something," Dash said as Pinkie held the door for her as she walked in. "It's fine Dashie, we understand that you had to take care of something," She said before greeting her friends but when it came to Applejack she awkwardly waved at her and once again saw the end of her red string tied to her pinky finger. Sunset noticed the awkward moment before coming up with a plan.
"Hey Dash can I talk to you for a second," Sunset said giving Applejack a look saying after I talk to her take it as a chance to talk to her. "Oh sure," Rainbow said as the two went near the snack table and started talking. As Sunset was talking to Dash, she could see how Rainbow looked like was explaining something important to Sunset while the other girl nodded and occasionally spoke a few words. The talk only lasted a few minutes as Sunset walked away before motioning her head to Dash telling Applejack to talk to her now.
Seeing that Sunset had finished talking to Rainbow, she took this as a chance to talk to her once and for all. "Hey Dash," Applejack said her heart pounding in her chest. "Can we talk?" She asked. Rainbow hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Sure Aj," She spoke as the two went to a quiet corner of the sweet shoppe away from the party. Applejack took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "I noticed something earlier," she started, her voice soft. "You have the end of my red string tied to your pinky." Dash glanced down at her hand, her expression unreadable. "Yeah, I do." She said softly. "Why have you been avoiding me, Rainbow?" Applejack asked, her tone gentle but firm. A flicker of guilt crossed Dash's face before she sighed, her shoulders slumping.
"I-I'll explain after but first I wanna give you your gift could you maybe close your eyes?"Rainbow asked causing Applejack to raise her eyebrow. "Please?" Dash asked softly as Aj sighed before doing what Rainbow had asked her. Applejack heard footsteps walking away before what sounded like whispering and movement before footsteps could be heard returning. "Okay open them," Rainbow said as Aj just did that but instead of being greeted by Dash's face she was greeted by the face of a border collie puppy eagerly looking at her. "Surprise," Dash said as she was holding Applejack's gift.
"Oh, Rainbow..." Applejack's voice caught in her throat as tears welled up in her eyes. "This is the best gift ever." She said gently taking the puppy from Dash's hands. The collie puppy responded by nuzzling into her chest excited about meeting her new owner. Rainbow smiled shyly, scratching the border collie pup behind its ears. "I remember when we were little you always wanted a pet dog so with the help from Fluttershy she helped me pick out the perfect puppy for you and it was this bundle of joy," Dash said as Applejack cuddled with her new pet.
"Happy birthday, Applejack...I'm sorry for avoiding you...the reason why is...well..." Dash said stuttering as Applejack nodded, her heart racing with anticipation before Rainbow took a deep breath and continued. "I...I didn't know how'd you feel about me being your soulmate. I guess I was just scared that you didn't want me to be your soulmate," Rainbow Dash admitted looking down and closing her eyes. Applejack reached out, gently cupping Rainbow's cheek with one of her hands as the other was still holding her new puppy. "Dash, listen to me. I ain't never been more sure of anythin' in my life. I'm glad you're my soulmate... wouldn't want it any other way. Let's take it one step at a time." She said softly as Dash smiled gently resting her hand on top of Aj's hand.
"Yeah, one step at a time," Rainbow said opening her eyes as the two stared at one another emerald eyes meeting magenta eyes before the two leaned in as their lips met in a soft tender kiss, closing their eyes as they enjoyed the moment unbeknownst to them a snap of a camera could be heard but they paid no mind. A couple of seconds go by before the two pull away, "Wow." Rainbow said softly smiling as she opened her eyes. "Heh, I'll say," Applejack said softly opening hers as the two looked at each other before blushing as they looked away in other directions not looking at each other but their smiles betrayed them before Dash focused on the animal companion in her soulmate's arms.
"So what are you going to name her?" Rainbow asked gently scratching behind the border collie's ears. "Hmm, I was thinking maybe Winona," Applejack said. Right one cue the small collie looked up at Aj causing Dash to chuckle fondly. "Winona it is," Rainbow said wrapping an arm around Aj's waist as Applejack rested her head against Dash's shoulder. "I'm glad you're my soulmate, Dash," Aj whispered gently kissing her on the neck. "I'm glad that you're my soulmate too Applejack," Rainbow said gently pressing a kiss on her forehead.
"Hey lovebirds come on we're gonna get the cake ready so we can sing happy birthday to Applejack," Sunset said as Dash and Applejack lightly chuckled since their moment was kinda ruined but they'll be able to create more memories together in the coming future now that they are together and will be happy together.