It's a simple agreement: Rarity will take Applejack to a proper gallery opening, and in turn, Applejack gets to take Rarity to something called a 'hootenanny.' What could possibly go wrong?

(apologies to René Magritte for the shameless appropriation of his work for a cover image)

Applejack reached up with a fore hoof to touch the brim of her hat. It was habitual, almost unconscious. She could feel, nestled safely underneath the hat, her two most precious treasures--a single blue feather and a small snippet of purple mane.

They were precious, more precious than anything besides her family and her farm, because they were only pieces of them she'd ever have.

Applejack was happy for Rarity, she really was. Moving to Canterlot to pursue a rather unique oppurtunity made sense... but it didn't help her feel any less homesick. As Rarity works on special dresses for the biggest fashion show of the season, Applejack dreams of where the fields are, where the summers are wet and the winters clear.

Happy is she who knows the causes of things--and as Rarity begins to understand the underlying problems with Applejack's discontent, perhaps she can find the right words to say.

Some secrets need to be kept, and others need to be set free; but sometimes, not even the Element of Honesty can tell the difference. How do you tell your family the truth about something that you can't even admit to yourself? When Applejack begins to realize that she may have feelings for a friend, she needs to find the courage to accept who she really is before she can truly be happy.

Featured on Equestria Daily, December 28, 2013!

What could a smug, arrogant, disrespectful, inconsiderate, country-town farmpony possibly have to offer a seamstress down on her luck? Migraines, premature wrinkles, a revolutionary new fashion line, and a burning attraction that they'd both deny until the moon crashed into Equestria. That's what.

Rated "Teen" for suggestive themes, crude humor, innuendo, and shameless drama written by yours truly.

(Many thanks to the ever-helpful Pearple Prose for his generous proofreading and suggestions. And an extra-special thanks to the fiction and fanfiction authors that have helped push my writing skills to new heights.)

Enjoy!