//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: A New Chapter // by RibaBian //------------------------------// “Come on, Rarity! If you don’t hurry we’re going to be late!” Sweetie Belle complained, loudly. "Give me a moment more, Sweetie!” Rarity shouted back through the door of her bedroom. “I think I’ve almost got it!” “No way! I’m not waiting a second longer!” Sweetie Belle burst into the room, her cute face twisted into an angry frown. “Leave me be! I’m not decent!” Rarity covered herself by pressing her hind legs together and crossing her fore hooves over her bare chest. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and pranced to the other side of the room, where her sister was sitting in her closet. She looked around at the dozens of outfits hung up, nearly blinding her as they shone. Each ensemble came with its own hat, bag and shoes to accompany it, usually more than not covered in glittering jewels and made of delicate fabrics, like they might rip or stain at the slightest touch. Sweetie Belle giggled. “I don’t think you’re going to want to wear any of these for what we have planned today.” The young pony had left early that morning to meet Applebloom and set up whatever activities they had planned for the day. She had come back two hours later covered in dirt and other debris that had Rarity worried for what was to come. “And what exactly do you propose I wear that would be appropriate for these…goings-on?” Rarity inquired her. “Nothing!” Sweetie Belle cried, half-amused, half-irritated. “You don’t need to wear anything!” Rarity glowered at her sister, reminded of when she had been dragged, unclothed, from her home the day before. This wasn’t the first time, and she figured it wouldn’t be the last time she would be forced to go out undressed. She loathed it. In Canterlot it was all but presumed for a pony to strut about dressed to the nines. Without her clothes she felt positively nude – and was literally so. “I suppose you’re right.” Rarity sighed, resigned. Sweetie Belle grinned in triumph and hopped from the room, turning around to face her sister once she reached the doorway. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Rarity hung up the clothing she had thrown out, that was now strewn across her bed, on their proper hangers. Then placed them delicately back onto the rack. Sweetie Belle was tapping a hoof impatiently on the ground as she watched her sister from the doorway. It didn’t help that they were both still frustrated from the previous night together. After an awkward visit to their parents’ house they had come back to Rarity’s with plans of making a nice meal together. Unfortunately, Rarity’s neurotic nature made the experience much less about bonding and much more about making sure that each dish was completed with the precision of an iron chef. The rest of the night hadn’t gone any better. The girls headed out of the house a few minutes later, Sweetie Belle galloping ahead, leading the way to Sweet Apple Acres with Rarity begrudgingly in tow. As they weaved their way through Ponyville Rarity got the occasional wave or smile from a few of the ponies she recognized from her welcome party yesterday, as well as a few shy stares from some of the stallions. She waved back, wondering how many of these ponies had been witness to falling out with Applejack just two days ago. The whole event had been something of a blur, so she couldn’t remember who had been there. As they climbed the hill towards the orchard the ponies grew scarcer, until they reached their destination. “We’re here!” Sweetie Belle announced with a flourish then raced through the archway of the gate. Rarity cautiously followed her, looking around as she went. She was astounded to say the least. Growing up and living in the city all her life she had never seen this many trees before. She briefly wondered if they went on forever, but quickly dismissed the notion for its ridiculousness. It did, however, give her an idea for a dress design, something that hadn’t happened in a while, and she gratefully accepted the distraction. Fresh natural colors, lush and bright, a large, ample skirt, like the shape of an apple. “There ya are!” Speaking of apples… Applebloom ran up to the sisters, her own sister trailing behind. “What took y’all so long?” “We would have been here sooner if somepony – ” Sweetie Belle shot a pointed look towards her older sister. “ – hadn’t decided to hole herself up in her room for nearly an hour looking for something to wear.” “Sweetie Belle!” Rarity flushed, stomping a hoof. “You should never divulge what a mare does in the privacy of her bedroom. Besides, there’s not a thing wrong with wanting to look presentable from time to time!” “More like all the time.” Sweetie Belle murmured. I’m beginning to wonder about the so-called ‘good influence’ of the Apples. She had never remembered her sister being so uncouth before she had come here, not that she had much to go on. Rarity glanced at Applejack, but the other mare was poking at the ground with her hoof, looking rather like she was ignoring the whole situation. When the two fillies began whispering to each other for a few minutes before she stopped and looked sideways at them. “Ah’m not waitin’ around all day, sugarcubes, if you’ve got something planned ya’ll better get on to it.” Applejack sounded annoyed as she spoke, but not angry. Rarity thought that if there was anything they could agree on it was that they didn’t want to participate in whatever activities their troublesome sisters had planned for them. The foreboding sense that this wasn’t going to end well didn’t help. Especially when the younger siblings giggled, pulling out two badly painted apples from a saddlebag Rarity hadn’t noticed was situated on Applebloom’s back. One was painted blue with purple polka dots and the other looked to be painted green with orange stripes. It looked as though they hadn’t waited long enough for the first colors to dry and the solid colors and the patterns were mixed a bit; the paint had already begun to chip. “Y’all ‘ad better have a good reason ta be wastin’ perfectly good food.” Applejack warned, jokingly. “O’ course we do!” Applebloom gestured to Sweetie Belle who plucked a set of white cloths from the sack, thankfully unpainted. “Rules ‘r easy: there ‘r two sister teams.” Applebloom explained. “Each team gets one o’ these here apples, an’ can hide it anywhere in the orchard. Firs’ sister team tah find th’ other team’s apple wins.” “But!” Sweetie Belle continued. “We’ve hidden a bunch of other apples all over the orchard, too. So you have to be careful not to pick the wrong one!” “And! Th’ teams have ta have their back hooves tied together with these.” Applebloom added, lifting the cloths to show the older two. Rarity stifled a groan as she looked out into the expansive orchard. As beautiful as it was she had no idea how she was to find a singular apple in a field full of them. Especially with Sweetie Belle tied to her leg, it would be difficult to even walk with their differing leg lengths. The filly had grown quite a bit, but she was still only about half her size. “Alright, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity floated one of the cloths from Applebloom to herself in an aura of her magic. “Come. We might as well get this over with.” Sweetie Belle bit her lip and exchanged a look with Applebloom. “About that…you see, Applebloom and I were talking and we thought that it wouldn’t really be fair in two ponies who know the orchard really well were paired together.” She looked sheepish as she dug at the ground with a hoof. “It’s not that I don’t want to be paired with you, sis. It’s just…you’re not really…athletic.” Rarity frowned, feeling a slight jab in her heart. The singular benefit of coming to this surely muddy farmland was the prospect of spending time with her sister, and Sweetie Belle wasn’t even interested in that. “We was thinkin’ that since ya two seem to be getting’ along so well – ” Applejack and Rarity shared an appalled look at this, but both quickly schooled their features. “ – we could do big sisters versus li’l sisters this time ‘round.” “It’ll be fun!” Applebloom had already begun tying Sweetie Belle’s hind leg to her own using a combination of her hooves and her mouth. Rarity assumed that Sweetie Belle’s magic wasn’t far enough along yet to do it herself. “Ya’ll ‘d better hurry it up!” Applebloom nudged the polka dotted apple between the mares and picked up the striped one. “Ya only have five minutes.” The fillies began to trot away, giggling as they weaved their way into the trees. “Good luck!” They disappeared a moment later, leaving their estranged older sisters to stand in silence, avoiding each other’s gaze. At least that’s what Rarity supposed was happening. She was doing her very best not to look as Applejack; somehow it seemed like a competition, and she didn’t want to be the first one to crack. Rarity nearly jumped from her skin when she felt a flank plop heavily down beside her. “Ah’m sure she didn’ mean ta offend ya ‘r nuthin’. She really is excited ta have ya here. I can tell.” Rarity was surprised at Applejack’s kind words, to say the least, but somehow the reassurance only made her feel more bitter. “I-I know.” Rarity’s face reddened. “I don’t need you to tell me what I already know. Let’s just go!” Rarity sat back on her haunches to knot their hind hooves together with her magic, yanking the fabric taut. Perhaps more than necessary. She thought as she felt the fabric chafe her delicate hide. Applejack didn’t seem to mind though, as she got to her hooves, forcing Rarity to stand with her. “Let’s get this over with.” / / / The mares spent the next five minutes in silence, Rarity allowing Applejack to lead the way, apple in mouth, as she looked for a place to hide it. Rarity thought that it might be better if she chose the place to hide it, only because Applebloom and Sweetie Belle would have a harder time figuring out what she was thinking as opposed to Applejack, but she kept these thoughts to herself. Applejack probably knew the orchard like a back of her hoof, and Rarity couldn’t bring herself to start a fight over something so trivial. Applejack carefully placed the apple in a hollow at the bottom of a tree, in the right side of the field. Then they met back up with the fillies at the barn about five minutes later to confirm that everypony’s apple had been hidden, where the girls established a few more rules: “No magic, no leavin’ the farm, and no cheatin’.” And then the teams split to opposing sides of the orchard in search of the other teams apple. The mares spent what felt like hours – at least to a pony as social and delicate as a butterfly, like Rarity – wandering through the trees picking up apple after apple, not a single word being exchanged between the two. They were painted all colors and patterns, none of which were the right one. Rarity briefly wondered how the young girls had accomplished all this in such a short period of time. Rarity stopped walking for a moment and sat back onto her haunches, forcing Applejack to stop. “I can’t go on. I simply can’t! Let’s just give up.” Applejack snorted. “We ‘ave barely been lookin’ fur a quarter hour now. Them silly fillies went through all the trouble ta set this li’l game up, th’ least ya could do is play along.” “My legs are sore, it’s hot, and my mane is getting matted from the sweat.” Rarity complained. “It’s hardly civilized.” She breathed deeply, feeling like she might pass out, and doing her best to hide it. It felt as though the apples were trying to swallow her up and make her disappear. She really needed to get in shape. Sitting in her shop sowing and designing all day had seriously begun to take its toll. “Civilized?” Applejack scoffed. “Ah’m sorry if playin’ games with yur sister isn’t soph-is-ticated ‘nuff fur ya.” Rarity gaped. “Don’t twist my words! I love Sweetie Belle; I just don’t see why we can’t all do something more…dignified.” Applejack eyed Rarity for a long moment, tugging on the fabric binding them together. She stamped her hoof and sat back in irritation when it didn’t get any looser. “Why did ya decide ta come ta Ponyville anyhow? It’s obvious ya dun wanna be here, so why not just stay in th’ city. Ya couldn’t ‘ve come here just ta hang with yur li’l sister.” Rarity’s felt choked at the other pony’s words. The snickering faces of the ponies that had betrayed her appeared fresh in her mind. The disgusted faces of the Canterlot elite as they swirled around her, leering down at her as she cowered from their prying eyes. In her mind’s eye the faces warped and changed to look like the faces of those she’d seen since coming to Ponyville, the most damning of all her sister. Some were clear, others blurry, all of whom were twisted in abhorrence and chanting: “Why don’t you just leave?” “Why are you even here?” “Nopony wants you here.” “Nopony want you anywhere!” Rarity closed her now watering eyes tightly, trying to block out the voices and the faces, all telling her to flee. She knew the heat and the stress was making her delusional. Still she couldn’t bring herself to snap out of it. Each face was another reminder of the failure she had become. Of how she had been built up so high just to get knocked down. “Hey!” A hoof was on her shoulder, shaking her gently. “Ya alright, sugarcube? You dun look so good.” She opened her eyes to a pair of green ones hovered in front of her, looking full of worry…but that wasn’t right. Nopony should look at her with pity, it felt worse to her than all of those glaring faces combined. She didn’t want pity; she was strong and independent. Or at least she was. The tears burning behind her eyes and threatening to spill over spoke another story. Rarity tried to run only to find herself held back by something. “Ow!” She continued tugging for a moment before she remembered, through her haziness, the cloth tying her to her reluctant counterpart. She quickly snapped the fabric with her the sharp part of her horn and ran free, sprinting between the trees. Rarity finally burst through, her vision blurry and her face wet as she ran past a pair of forms, trying to speak to her, but she couldn’t hear them. All of her thoughts were consumed by escape. She just wanted to leave. She just wanted to go home.