On October 10, Applejack and Fluttershy set out to go to the Kirin Village to attend Autumn Blaze's wedding.
The kirin and her two new friends had kept in constant contact by letter, so the ponies had discovered that the auburn-haired girl was going to marry the same village chief, Rain Shine.
"I'm so happy for them!" Fluttershy had exclaimed on the train ride.
Applejack appeared absorbed and as much as she tried to smile and answer her friend's questions, her mind was elsewhere, beyond the beautiful white clouds that dotted a blue sky that recalled more summer than autumn.
Once they alighted at the Peaks of Peril station, the two girls found Autumn Blaze waiting for them, beaming in her gold celebratory suit and the pendant jewelry on her horn.
"Thanks for coming! I am so happy!"
The kirin had teary eyes and this made the two ponies move a little.
When the three of them arrived at the Village, Rain Shine met them, gorgeous in her purple formal dress tinged from light to dark and decorated with golden curlicues.
"Welcome, dear guests. I am glad to have you present at the most important day." the tall kirin said to them, wrapping her paw around the bride-to-be's shoulders.
"The pleasure is all ours!" Applejack replied, bowing and doffing her hat.
However… the orange pony felt like a lump in her throat, as well as a strange boulder constricting her heart.
She tried not to think about it, and to enjoy that day of preparation for the following day's wedding: in fact, it was the customary tradition among the kirins to have wedding guests participate in a series of purifications, small rituals that chased away negative energies so as to avoid transformation into niriks during the wedding ceremony.
Of course, Fluttershy and Applejack wouldn't risk that, but they gladly agreed to undergo the rites.
The cowgirl found herself in difficulty when it was her turn to take the first of them: to confess her troubles, as poison of the soul.
Fern Flare, the kirin in charge of this, noticed her profuse perspiration and decided not to investigate her further. She wouldn't turn into a nirik.
The next day, the ceremony was performed by Sparkling Brook, a confidante of Rain Shine.
Magnolia petals were scattered everywhere all the time, with the help of magic.
Everypony had gathered around the main source of water, and the bells, attached to the precious red and white dresses of the two brides, tinkled with every movement, attracting the attention of those present.
It was a captivating wedding ritual, different yet similar to ponies', and when the two brides kissed, Applejack felt a pang in her heart.
Only then did she realize it.
The sunset came. While everypony was still at the mercy of the celebration, Applejack had decided to go and observe the half-dormant sun from one of the hills.
That wonderful vision restored a vague serenity in her, but she knew it wouldn't last long.
A little later, Fluttershy came up from behind her, carrying two slices of Dragonfruit cake. She hoofed one to her friend.
"It's delicious! I might propose it to Pinkie!" the pegasus said.
Aj smiled weakly, then made up her mind.
It was time.
"Fluttershy… Can I confess somethin' to ya?"
"Mh?"
"I…"
She adjusted the cowgirl hat over her eyes, an inevitable piece of her look despite the lack of accordance with the elegant dress she wore on that occasion.
"… I reckon I fell in love with Autumn Blaze. I realized it too late..."
Fluttershy stopped eating. She didn't expect it. For a pony incapable of deceit, she'd been surprisingly good at hiding her true feelings.
"How stupid, huh? One day I thought I would find a great love, like my father 'n mother, 'n like Big Mac… Instead it faded between my hooves because I was too slow to understand…"
Tears had slowly started to flow from Applejack's beautiful eyes. Fluttershy stroked her cheek.
"Applejack… I know how you feel… I feel stalled with Discord too… I have no idea what he would think if I were to convey my feelings to him, he is always so flippant about that topic… I fear to feel rejected, I am afraid to move in that direction…"
Fluttershy had embraced her and Applejack was letting herself be rocked.
"It's different for ya, Flutters… Discord is not married or engaged to another person, but I could never confess what I told ya to Autumn… That would be selfish of me. And dishonest."
Fluttershy was silent; she knew she was right.
There was nothing left but to sit, both watching the sun which, unaware of everything, bade goodnight to their hemisphere.