//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Diamond At Sunrise // Story: Crowns and Cowboy Hats // by The Masked Mare //------------------------------// Chapter One: Diamond At Sunrise The rooster’s graceful, soothing call shook Applejack’s mind pleasantly as she stood, absorbed in her own thoughts, on the dirt path leading out of her adored Sweet Apple Acres. An aged, shabby saddlebag was perched on her back, embellished with two shining, crimson apples, as satisfying as a sunrise on a spring morning. Crisp, fresh air wafted gently over her hay-colored mane, slightly ruffling her ragged braids, tied clumsily with the red, worn ribbon she always used. She closed her eyes, letting the cool, refreshing air seep into her coat and intwine with her anxious, excited soul. Her blooming apple trees surrounded her, whispering her name into the wind as their evergreen leaves waved in the light breeze of the morning. Ah’m gonna miss you, she thought, pleading to the sky that her thoughts would be carried into the sweet dreams of her sleeping family. Tears crept uninvitedly to her closed eyelids. Ah’m gonna miss you. The achingly saccharine, aesthetically pleasing smell of ripe apples swirled around her tilted muzzle, causing her saliva glands to secrete liquid. Her stomach clenched at the melancholy thought of not smelling the sweet scent again for nine moons. Applejack opened her eyes thoughtfully and glanced in the direction of the sunrise, hanging above Ponyville like a ravishing star in the wide void of the night sky. Tangerine orange, lilac purple, and light blue shafts of light gleamed like crystals as they protruded from their brilliant creator, the sun. Colors weaved, twisted, and collided with one another; a quilt, stitched together by Mother Nature’s extravagant fingers. Applejack’s eyes traveled down the hill she stood upon, carefully following the earth-made path that stretched across many hills, rocky slopes, and thick clumps of trees. Ponyville, a small formation in the distance hunched, blissfully asleep. In the outline of the white horizon, the quiet town was tying thick, glittering ribbons of memories across Applejack’s heart. If she was going to make it to the train station in time, she would have to escape the clutches of her mourning and leave fairly soon. She rotated her head away from the direction of Ponyville and faced her precious farm, bathed in the slim light of the lovely sunrise, yet lightly shaded with surviving shadow. Her delicate, blooming little sister, her strong-hearted, unfathomable brother, and her experienced grandmother lay in their beds, breathing deeply, as she exhaled in the wind, her affection swirling through the sweet, apple-scented air. An eloquent grin spread across Applejack’s face as she absorbed and engraved the image of her home into her mind. She mentally promised herself that she would never forget. Never. Her eyes twinkling with knowledge, Applejack reared into the air, a strong gust of wind blowing her mane to the side of her face. She whinnied, the sound causing the pigs and the chickens to pause their feasting and stare towards the entrance of the barn and the chicken coop, wondering where the sound came from. Then Applejack galloped down the road, her rumbling hoofsteps becoming fainter and fainter until they were only faint heartbeats in the horizon’s wide mouth. “Alllll aboard!” Applejack’s lungs heaved as the conductor propped open the door of the slick, ebony steam engine, with cursive, shimmering silver letters engraved near the edge, bearing, The Sunrise Express. Her heart fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird as sweat dripped onto her eyelashes, creating dusty trails in their wake. The beads of sweat littered the space under the brow of her cowboy hat, clear evidence that she had galloped the entire way from Sweet Apple Acres to the Ponyville Train Station. Applejack wiped a sore hoof across her forehead, ridding her mane of a small fraction of the thick moisture. Her ears darted and twisted as humid, choking steam poured effortlessly from the smokestack atop the long, metal barrel, that stretched backward, farther than her jade eyes could see. Her ears rotated constantly, straining and flicking as their sensitivity was breeched by countless sounds, generating from the train and the muffled conversations between other ponies. The sunrise had risen a fraction higher since she had seen her home, its glory gallantly beaming across the platform of the train station, dowsing half the ponies in a golden aura and the other half in solemn shadow. Countless luggage trolleys, abandoned suitcases, and fallen items littered the weak wood of the Ponyville Train Station; Applejack’s eyes weaved their way through impatient ponies, tapping their hooves anxiously as they waited for the train to begin taking passengers. Her gaze watched a family of six near the left edge of the platform; a stallion, a mare, and four foals, as they fussed and spoke to each other in short, sharpened tones, the younger children complaining about the wait and the older children moaning about forgotten items. Applejack stood, her posture slumped and forgotten, a few feet diagonal from the entrance of The Sunrise Express. The conductor was fiddling frustratedly with his rusted, golden pocket watch and straightening his formal, navy-blue tweed jacket as he wrinkled his eyebrows; Applejack sensed that he wasn’t exactly ready for her, yet. Or anypony else on the platform, she added to her own thought, blinking rapidly. But it was no trouble. Applejack was perfectly content waiting until he was comfortable. Saving the farm could wait just a few more minutes. Applejack’s eyebrows upturned as she tilted her Stetson forward, readjusting her position so she could keep the conductor in one jade eye and the crowd that was ever-growing in the other. Hot, prickling anticipation stung the back of her neck like needles that were shoved in boiling lava as she modestly observed the exceeding amount of ponies around her; talking, clipping straps on suitcases, and unwinding with steaming cups of hot chocolate or specially brewed coffee with tense expressions on their faces. Come to think of it, Applejack’s eyes slid quickly around the train station, to the crowded ticket booth, the rusted luggage extract, and the mobbed main information building in a perfect row behind her. It’s pretty darn weird that so many ponies showed up for the early morning train. Usually, the station was practically deserted until rush hour, which was 7:45 a.m in the summer time; rarely anypony ever boarded the early morning trains...the most passengers The Sunrise Express usually saw every day, at maximum, was five. Applejack leaned backwards as a disheveled stallion collided briefly with her front with his side, rumbling a gruff, “Cuse me,” and continued his trek. Without even glancing in her direction, he trotted down the steps that flanked the side of the wooden platform, his hoofsteps heavy thuds against the wood. “No problem!” Applejack called after him, irritated, yet sympathetic of his rush. She sure knew what it felt like to be pressed by the intimidating ticks of time; shaky, distant, and breathless. Ah wonder why they’re all in such a hurry, she inquired in her mind, reaching a hoof to her forehead yet again to modify the position of her sliding Stetson. She shrugged lightly, assuring her mental self, and her migrating heart, that it wouldn’t interfere with her plans (in fact, it might boost the costumer rate), and she leaned absentmindedly on the metal of an empty luggage trolley positioned conveniently behind her, the cool material cutting into her shoulder blades uncomfortably. She perked her ears and tilted them towards the wind, the distant mumbles of conversation becoming more distinguished in her drowsy, yet excited, mind. She scanned the barren landscape of rolling hills and dead, gnarled trees scattered across the itchy, thin grass, willing herself not to barge in on other ponies’ privacy by eavesdropping. Wisps of sentences, empty and meaningless to her, floated and flowed around her ears, intruding on her solitude. A rumbling voice, similar to her big brother’s, carried across the slight breeze and wove itself around her ears without her permission. It reminded her, like a sharp wasp sting on her coat, of Sweet Apple Acres. She grimaced, shooing away the mental wasp with a slight twist of her hoof. She ignored the pang in her stomach and squinted, locking herself in a cobblestone dungeon and swallowing the key in her mind. She wouldn’t disrespect her grandmother’s teaching. She wouldn’t listen. She just wouldn’t! “-but miss, I really don’t think that we can get all this luggage on the train,” the voice was saying, sounding perturbed and significantly frazzled, coming from the opposite side of the platform from where she rested, judging by the speed and velocity of the polluted wind blowing across Applejack’s muzzle. She fairly decreed it a stallion’s voice; the only mare that could have a voice as resonant as this one was Fluttershy...when she stepped in Poison Joke, that is. “Oh, but it’s all necessary! I need these things so my uncle will be determined to get me that meeting with top-of-the-top fashion designers! Oh, woe is me!” The voice that replied was shrill and spiced with displeasure and upheaval; an emotional apple-cinnamon salad. A mare if Ah’ve ever heard one, Applejack thought, chuckling, entertained by the dramatic reaction. “Er...we can mail the extra bags to you from here, and they’ll reach you in a week. Which ones can you bear to lose for a little while?” the stallion questioned accommodatingly. Applejack vividly imagined a towering stallion, leaning forward slightly, open to suggestion. The poor chap is just trying to be helpful, she thought, admiring his supportive nature. A small foal passed her, his head tilted at a strange angle, and Applejack quickly smiled, pretending to check a watch that wasn’t there. The foal, concern and confusion set deep in his aquamarine eyes, turned away. “Oh, no, no, no! This can’t be! I’ve spent so much time packing and planning, checking and rechecking! I can’t afford to lose ANY of these bags!” The mare-who-has-too-much-luggage contradicted. Applejack’s squinted as she looked at the rotting wood planks that the platform was made of. She felt her eye twitch. She knew that voice. An annoying mental mosquito droned near the back of her mind as she hurriedly tried to place it. The mare had begun to wail, a vexatious gurgling noise that reminded Applejack of a crying foal, freshly born, except much more distasteful. This, too, along with the mare’s clear voice, was familiar. Applejack puckered her lips as she struggled to ignore the sound and focus on the helpful stallion’s reply. “I’m sorry, miss, but no can do,” the stallion stomped his hoof on the ground assertively in Applejack’s imagination. Apparently, he wasn’t going to stand for any more of the mare’s antics. “I apologize for any inconvenience, but this is simply too much luggage, along with the other passenger’s, for the train to handle. There is another option, however. We can send your luggage on the next train, so you’ll get it in a matter of hours. Does that satisfy, miss, er...Rarity?” It hit Applejack squarely in the face, as shocking and as unexpected as a slap across the jaw. She twisted around like an irked snake, her hair flying askew in her jade eyes, and her theory was immediately confirmed when she saw the scene before her. On the opposite side of the platform, parallel to the train, a remarkable, snow-colored unicorn with an expertly curled violet mane was levitating a lace-lined, lilac colored handkerchief to her muzzle, muffling the horrible, distressing sounds of her unhappiness. A substantial dark-grey stallion stood in front of her, his white, ruffled mane drifting lightly in the breeze, with a sympathetic, yet authoritative expression engraved into his deep-set eyes. The two of them stood next to a teetering tower of luggage, all adorned with the same symbol; three mystic-blue diamonds. “RARITY?!?” Applejack exclaimed in amazement. She began to gingerly trot over to where the two ponies stood, her head tilted as if she didn’t dare to believe it. “Oh, well, I guess that will d-APPLEJACK?!?” Rarity ejaculated in wonder, her now-widened azure eyes shifting from the stallion standing with his back to the cowpony and the latter’s intricate, jade eyes. Rarity’s astounding, seemingly flawless features appeared to be cast in a brilliant beam of sunlight as she observed Applejack, her dear friend, gradually approaching. The stallion turned, alarmed, and sidestepped politely out of the way as the two mares met in a full-hearted hug that seemed to radiate a bright aura of friendship. He stood there uncomfortably, fidgeting, as the two of them broke off, connected their fronthooves, and balanced prudently on their back legs. Rarity dropped, Applejack following suit, and they smiled at one another warmly. The snow-colored unicorn flipped her mane, glanced at the largest star in space, and looked down again, her hoof bouncing her flourishing curls. Her eyes scanned Applejack’s face, searching for an answer that was lost. “It’s delightful to see you, Applejack! Yet...why are you here?” Rarity inquired breathlessly, raising her eyebrow keenly in interest. Applejack’s soul grew wings and flew into the brilliant blue sky as she evaluated her friend’s interest. It stroked Applejack’s heartstrings that Rarity cared enough to wonder about Applejack’s presence. Applejack dismissed the concern with her hoof humbly, glancing towards the unbalanced pile of luggage, mainly for something for her eyes to focus on. “Oh. Erm...Ah’m just headin’ ta Neigh Orleans ta get some extra bits. Sweet Apple Acres is runnin’ low on profit,” she chuckled halfheartedly and smiled weakly; falsely assuring her friend that it wasn’t a problem to be concerned about, “why are ya’ll here?” Back before the crowning of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and one of Applejack’s closest friends, Applejack would’ve been completely honest with Rarity and would’ve told her the entire truth; about the rude bank-stallion, the farm going into bankruptcy, and her going to Neigh Orleans for nine moons to not earn a little bit of cash, but a lot. Nevertheless, nowadays, Applejack and her friends were pursuing different paths; Rarity was traveling all across Equestria, presenting her fashion opinion to popular ponies...such as Sapphire Shores; Fluttershy was using her Element of Harmony to turn herself into unique creatures, such as Breezies, and study their habits; Pinkie Pie had started a party business with Cheese Sandwich; RainbowDash was at a three-year excursion to the Wonderbolts’ Reserve for her training regime; Princess Twilight Sparkle was protecting Equestria and learning to control magic. The six friends wrote each other often, and gathered on the weekends and holidays at Princess Twilight Sparkle’s palace; but they were all extremely busy and couldn’t be bothered for extremely long periods of time. So, Applejack felt it were best if she kept these problems to herself for the time being. She didn’t need to place the burden on anypony else’s shoulders, so she kept her troubles hugged closely to her chest, preventing the repulsive aroma of stubbornness from reaching her friends’ supportive muzzles. It was her situation, and it was her responsibility to right it, not her friends’; even if the magic of friendship demanded it. It didn’t settle right with Applejack, making her friends fix her mess. They had their destinies to follow, and she had hers. They may cross, they may entwine; branches on the tree of life, but Applejack had no right to force the future. Rarity blinked, placing her hoof on her chin, caught in the raging current of her creative, perfectionist mind. “Well, you see, Applejack, I am going to visit my uncle in Neigh Orleans so he can get me a meeting of a lifetime!” Her eyes replicated the invisible stars that jeweled the cobalt sky as she dwelled in a land of her dreams; glittering ribbons, one-of-a-kind fabrics, and attire that shone as brightly as heaven’s light. Applejack cleared her throat deferentially to regain Rarity’s attention and crossed her front hooves, vaguely, but respectfully, interested. Fashion was Rarity’s specialty, and even though Applejack didn’t favor it particularly, she was more than delighted to talk about it with Rarity if it pleased her. “What kinda meetin’ are we talkin’ ‘bout here? Business? Social?” Applejack wondered aloud, baiting Rarity. Rarity’s facial expression appeared to replicate that of a cat’s when they were presented with a heavily scented catnip-yarn toy, and her ears perked up. Applejack tilted her head slightly, causing her Stetson to slide down her forehead an inch. “Darn hat,” she muttered, disgruntled. She bit her tongue, causing a sharp, yet muffled pain, and propped it back up behind her ears. Rarity squealed, responding, “Oh, Applejack, we are talking about a meeting that could change my life forever! It is literally the most important meeting of my entire career!” She gestured wholeheartedly to Celestia’s Sun, her breath turning into mist as her eyes sparkled and shined; diamonds in sunrise. “Ah can’t wait ta hear all about it,” Applejack smiled genially and uncrossed her legs that were still brutally aching from her gallop across town. She leaned backwards and tightened the strap on her saddle bags. She licked her cracked lips as the steam engine’s smokestacks puffed a cluster of smoke into the atmosphere, growing smaller and smaller until it was only white wisps forgotten by the air. “And I can’t wait to tell you! Oh Applejack, what are the chances that you’d be coming to Neigh Orleans the same day that I was! I’m just so happy I could-” Rarity was halted by a screeching whistle, cutting through the air like a bird hurdling through drafts of wind. Rarity’s eyes widened as she clutched her hoof to her chest in trepidation.“ALLL ABBOOOARDDD!” A heavy voice boomed across the platform, rumbling like black thunder across the Red Sea, jolting the roots of Applejack’s hazy mind, and causing several impatient ponies to snap up with alacrity. “Um, I’m sorry to interrupt, ladies,” a voice said sincerely, causing Applejack to jump, “but if you don’t leave now, you’ll miss the train.” Applejack, her heart racing uncomfortably, turned slowly, to find the stallion who had been arguing with Rarity about her luggage, his white hair covering his eyes like a blizzard, blinding and merciless. She had completely forgotten he was there. He gestured to the crowd that was surging forward, a rushed gleam in his eyes. Applejack gulped and nodded, a crimson glow that was beyond the science of red flowing through the atoms of her cheeks, and glanced at the pile of luggage. From behind, Rarity’s eyes dimmed and followed Applejack’s gaze with a inky discomposed feeling clutching her heart. She tut-tutted at her own overdramatic ambience, smiling sheepishly and honestly at the stallion, her impossibly white teeth stealing the sun’s glare. “I do apologize for the trouble, darling. I’m simply so ecstatic that I can’t think straight. Whatever you can do for my bags is perfect, as long as you take the bags from the top, not the bottom. Here,” Rarity fluttered her eyelashes, as long and as fast as crows’ wings, at the stallion and searched through her saddle bag, mumbling concentratedly, until she gave a satisfied “Ah-ha!” and pulled out an insignificant shimmering viridescent object, “have this for your troubles.” She tilted her head and grinned in a fond way, then tipped the emerald-colored jewel into the stallion’s extended hoof. The stallion stared at the object, aghast, as ponies galloped past Applejack to the door of The Sunrise Express, their loose luggage bumping the front of her hooves. The train’s whistle blew again, cutting through Applejack’s energy waves of consciousness, causing her to gasp apprehensively and cover her ears. Her Stetson slid down a few inches as she yelled to Rarity, “We’d better go, or we’ll miss the train!” Rarity nodded determinedly, her eyebrows furrowed, and she tightened the strap on her saddle bag. Applejack tilted her hat to the surprised stallion and winked understandingly before she rotated back to Rarity. The two mares breeched across the crowd with the agility of cats, linked hooves, and began to briskly trot to the train’s opening, crisply avoiding ponies that shoved them aside, reaching for a superior spot in the crowd. Through the commotion, Rarity glanced at Applejack with a repugnant expression on her face, reminding Applejack of an aggravated feline. She wrinkled her muzzle and leaned towards her friend’s ear, her hot breath tickling the hairs on her neck. “You know, I really don’t see why ponies need to be so,” Rarity had to lean away from Applejack as a ruffled mare shoved past her, “aggressive.” Rarity’s eyes followed the disgruntled mare as she gave her ticket to the conductor. Applejack bit her tongue and nodded cynically. “Yeah, it don’t make much sense, do it? Ah mean, do they really haveta get in front of everypony else?” She growled furiously as a stallion’s wavering baggage nicked her in the ear, creating a small, bleeding gash across the skin; a red ribbon of fabric against an orange quilt. As the two mares stepped off of the platform and onto the creaky lavender landing where the conductor was perched, the train’s whistle blew again, signaling that the passenger boarding should be complete. The conductor glared down at the two mares with a black look. The conductor was a gruff stallion, larger than the stallion who had helped with Rarity’s bags, with a permanent sneer on his face, and a carrot-orange mane with a reddish coat. He had sharp, piercing green eyes, a lighter shade than Applejack’s that seemed to send thousands of minuscule shark fangs hurtling into your skin. He strongly disliked when passengers were incompetent and arrived late. If you’re going to take the train, you have to be on time! he always thought. He frowned at the two mares before him, his eyes a never-ending void of guilt that was swallowing them whole. Applejack and Rarity smiled remorsefully at the stallion, Applejack clearing her throat and tipping her hat to him. Rarity awkwardly shuffled through her saddle bag, keeping her eyes trained on the stallion, surfacing with a gold-colored slip of parchment and a radiant diamond the color of her cutiemark. Applejack shook her left hoof nervously as she dug through her saddle bag, filled with her ticket, pocket change, a journal, a picture, and a quilt. She shoved the picture aside with her hoof and her muscles loosened when she grasped a slim piece of paper...her ticket. Rarity handed hers to the stallion in a quick movement, turning her glance to the ground as she blushed crimson; the color rising to her cheek like a time-defying sunrise. The stallion grunted, annoyed, and used the hole-puncher in his left hoof to create a hole in the bottom of Rarity’s ticket with a bone-rattling click! Rarity mumbled an almost inaudible, yet polite “Thank you” and took her ticket, placing it gently in the outer pocket of her saddle bag. Applejack stepped forward, handed hers to the stallion, her eyes shifting from the hole-puncher to Rarity’s eyes. They shrugged uncomfortably to each other as Applejack’s ticket was returned to her and the conductor stepped to the side, gesturing to the open door he had been blocking. Applejack cleared her throat, smiled gratefully, and trotted inside, her neck hairs prickling from the invisible shark fangs that had pierced her skin. Rarity lingered, compromisingly placing the crystalized gem into the stallion’s outstretched hoof. The stallion furrowed his eyebrows and stuck out his lower lip, confused, and turned his attention to the other late mare. Rarity breathed deeply and smiled genuinely at him, causing his metal, unsocial heart to swirl in a tornado of emotion. “I am so extremely sorry for my friend and I being overdue. Time is the killer of us all, isn’t it?” she muttered, amused, and she shrugged halfheartedly and trotted past the stallion, calling, “Have a charming da-ay!” in a sing-song voice, entering the train and trotting after her friend. The stallion sighed happily, dreamily observing the diamond as he closed the door with his back hoof. He placed it in the moth-eaten breast pocket of his tweed coat, keeping it close to the small, newly opened door of his heart. “So, what about this meetin’ of yours?” Applejack threw another piece of catnip at Rarity’s self-absorbed, yet generous spirit as they sat on the carmine leathered benches in the interior of the train. The two mares adjusted themselves to comfort and placed their pinching shoulder blades, utterly sore from standing on the unleveled wood, against the chilling glass window behind them. Through the frozen barrier of the glass, a small exception of sunlight flowed through, lapping the heat waves over the frigid waves on their backs. Rarity’s glistening snow-colored coat stood out presumably against the somber, maroon wallpaper of the train. She shoved her saddle bag into the compartment under the seat, bordered by two light wooden planks, and thrusted her body backwards, fussing with her tail, until she felt satisfied with her position. Applejack rolled her eyes and poked a section of her lower lip out; it wasn’t a hurtful gesture, it was just a common sign of annoyance that always causes her and her dearest friends laugh. Rarity was just as predictable as a main character in a gothic novel. Rarity swooned, pulling a hoof towards her chest and, by accident, lightly slapping Applejack across the jaw. Applejack raised her eyebrow, expecting Rarity to continue with her theatrical demonstration. Rarity always acted as if she was a damsel in distress on a high-paying Bridleway Musical; Applejack didn’t think she’d mind portraying that character on a brightly lit stage in front of thousands, shining like the crystal prism she was. In fact, she’d probably enjoy it; being payed to be herself. “Like I said, darling, it’s simply the most important meeting of my career! I’d be glad to tell you all about it, if you’re willing to listen. I know that my fashion pursuits aren’t really your...” Rarity fumbled with her hooves cumbersomely, as if untangling a knot, searching for the appropriate description, “area of expertise.” Applejack chuckled, dismissing Rarity’s concern with a wave of a hoof. “Aw, it’s nothin’. You go ahead and talk yurself ta death, ‘cuz we’ve got nothin’ but time.” Applejack whipped her askew mane out of her face and looked, enthusiastically, at Rarity’s disbelieving, yet thrilled expression. Applejack guffawed, clutching a hoof to her aching stomach, sore from laughing so unbreakably. “Go on, Sugarcube, Ah’m listenin’.” Rarity inhaled, sucking her stomach in so the outlines of her ribs were visible. Applejack raised her eyebrow, confused yet familiar to Rarity’s overused gestures. Crossing her arms, Applejack waited patiently, yet suspiciously, for Rarity’s outlandish introduction. The snow-white unicorn turned to the window and placed her hooves on the frigid glass, her eyes opening to reveal two crystalline gems, clouded and screaming with the desperate desire of her dreams. Applejack bit her lip and tilted her head slightly, following Rarity’s gaze to the barren that surrounded the train tracks endlessly; a dying, yellowing ocean, stretching in every direction. “As you know, my dear Applejack, I have always dreamed of becoming popular in high society,” Rarity began, her voice breathless yet calm. Applejack opened her mouth, about to interject that Rarity’s dream has already begun to solve itself, but then thought better of it and shut her mouth again. She nodded, showing Rarity that she was attentively listening. “Well, you see,” Rarity continued as the train began to rumble underneath them; a monster, awakening from a thousand year slumber, “as a young filly, I was born in Ponyville. I didn’t appreciate the small town chic of the place when I was younger, but I gradually began to love it, and I still live there today.” Applejack sucked on her tongue, readjusted her Stetson, and flicked her eyes to the other side of the train cart. Yes, of course, she knew this; she knew all of her friend’s triumphs, failures, and stories like the back of her cracked hoof. But with Rarity, if you wanted to get to the revelation quickly, you had to be patient and let her explain herself. The train began to depart from the station as Applejack turned her head to the unicorn beside her. “While my parents were the type of ponies that would spend their time with sports and...erm, camping,” Rarity said the last word as if it were a disgusting swear word, “my father’s brother, Uncle Marble Symphony-my favorite uncle in the entire universe-grew up in Neigh Orleans with a life that I’ve always dreamed of; divine parties, extraordinary mansions, and amazing, important ponies. You see, darling, Uncle Marble Symphony, or...Big Daddy, as I call him,” Rarity giggled sheepishly, obviously embarrassed at the rather crude nickname, “is an amazing waltzer. Oh my, darling, when I was a little filly, Uncle Marble taught me beauty and grace whenever my family and I stayed with him in his crystal mansion; he would take me into his shining ballroom, order his violinist, Octavia, to play, and the two of us would waltz across the dance floor, under the beautiful chandelier, for hours on end. My uncle taught me to be the belle of the ball.” Applejack could imagine it vividly; a small, blooming Rarity without a cutiemark, dancing in a grand ballroom with a welcoming, tall stallion, beaming at her as she leaped and twirled across the glistening floor, shining like a diamond in the starlight. Applejack was so absorbed in her vision that she almost forgot to acknowledge that she was listening. “Mm hmm,” she nodded hastily, soothing Rarity’s anxious soul. “But, after I earned my cutiemark, our family’s visits grew less frequent,” Rarity sighed regretfully, lying her head on the crook of her elbow. “So, as I grew older, I began to write to Uncle Marble Symphony to inform him of the many hills and valleys of my life after my cutiemark appeared. Why, I still write to him now. I wrote to him about the Elements of Harmony, oh, and you, of course. I’ve told Uncle Marble Symphony so much about you, RainbowDash, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, that he could probably recognize you all from a distance!” Rarity shot up and clapped her hooves together ebulliently, her delight causing Applejack a grateful smile. She adjusted her Stetson. To see a friend so gleeful is equivalent to seeing a successful, healthy apple tree. “Two nights ago, I received a letter from Uncle Marble, stating that he had exciting news! It turns out, at the news of my cutiemark, he had begun researching business opportunities for me. Isn’t that so thoughtful? Oh, darling, I practically squealed with delight. Anyway, he explained that this year he had been voted King of Mardi Gra-such an honor, I know!-and one of his assignments was to collect the most experienced, glamorous ponies in Equestria to assist in planning the awe-spiring soiree before the event, Soleil Balle,” Rarity exclaimed the name in a beautiful, misty voice. “Soleil Balle is one of the most meaningful events, next to the Canterlot Garden Party and the Grand Galloping Gala. It is the celebration of the very first time Princess Celestia raised the sun; a gathering that cannot be missed.” A realization struck Applejack like a lightning bolt. That’s right, she thought, narrowing her eyes at the leather seat beneath her, it’s near Mardi Gra! Heck, that’s probably there were so many ponies at the train station...more customers fur me! “Oh, Applejack, you won’t believe it...in the letter, Uncle Marble told me that he could think of nopony more qualified that me to...to...be the palatial overseer of all the music, food, dancing, and decorations!” Rarity squealed, earning suspicious glares from the ponies across from them. Applejack cleared her throat impatiently, gesturing insignificantly towards them, catching Rarity’s unfocused attention. She grinned at them and chuckled apologetically; the short-tempered ponies returned to looking out of the window, reading the newspaper, or staring expressionless at the ground. “Well, Ah’m plum-grateful for ya, Rarity,” Applejack whispered, her measured grin reassuring Rarity and re-igniting the candle that was the snow-white unicorn’s fervor for life. “Yur uncle sounds like a real great guy, keepin’ ya’ll in his heart and grantin’ ya this once in a lifetime opportunity. Why, if ya’ll don’t get more clients at the end of this trip, Ah’m an apple with no seeds.” She set an encouraging hoof on Rarity’s, causing the unicorns eyes to sparkle questioningly, as if asking, Do you really mean it? “Ya’ll know that Ah’m honest. Would Ah lie ta ya’ll?” Applejack placed her friend’s hoof on her pulsing, affectionate heart, as if promising that her heart was golden and pure. Rarity sighed and chuckled lightly, inclining her head thoughtfully. “Darling, I never doubted you.” The two friends sat there, dwelling in each other’s caring gazes, waiting for the next significant moment of time, the next leaf of their lives. Applejack put a hoof to her chin, considering the explanation Rarity had provided. Where the meeting came into play was still unclear to her. “But, uh...what about the meetin’ ya’ll were talkin’ about?” The unicorn suddenly gasped, obviously remembering something that was imperative. Applejack jumped back, alarmed by the sudden burst of movement. Rarity slapped a hoof to her cheek, a look of dismay etched clearly on her face. “Oh, darling, I almost forgot! I only get the chance to be the grand overseer if I win the approval of the ten other luxurious ponies chosen to plan the event, including Photo Finish, Hoity Toity, Sapphire Shores, Fancy Paints, and my uncle! Of course, I’ve already earned my uncle’s approval, but earning those other ponies’ approval will be next to impossible if I can’t make a decent impression at the dinner party at my uncle’s mansion tonight! That’s the meeting I’ve been talking about; the atmosphere of this dinner party is going to feel acutely like a meeting, I can assume.” Applejack adjusted her Stetson, leaning over and pulling Rarity into a tight, believing hug. “Sugarcube, the job’s as good as yours. Ah know in my heart that you’ll make it, and yur career will blossom just like a little apple tree, ready ta grow. Believe you me, if there’s anypony who can do it, it’s you.” She squeezed the mare, causing a groan of discomfort, and she quickly resumed her position against the window. The train was effortlessly churning across a crimson bridge, a thousand feet above a rocky cavern filled with crystal-colored water. “Thank you, Applejack,” Rarity whispered, smiling warmly at her friend, “it truly means a lot to me...oh! I almost forgot the best part!” Her voice raised shockingly; Applejack raised her eyebrow and banged her head against the class, once again startled by one of Rarity’s predictable outbursts. Rarity threw her hooves dramaturgically into the air, as if gesturing to the entire, radiant land of Equestria. Her eyes replicated her cutiemark; gallant blue, shining, and illuminated. Applejack rolled her eyes playfully and adjusted her hat, crossing her arms and rubbing her shoulder blades against the uncomfortable glass. She’s always full of surprises, she laughed in her mind. “If I win the approvals of those ponies, I’ll be hosting an event that all royals, from all parts of Equestria are attending! And that includes...the charming, handsome, amazingly-talented...Prince Naveen!” Rarity swooned as she uttered the name, fluttering her eyelashes closed and falling backwards, as if waiting for an invisible knight to catch her. Thank Celestia we’re alone on this bench, Applejack winced as Rarity’s back collided with the expensive letter, Luna knows what would happen if Rarity landed on some poor, unsuspecting stallion. She imagined, biting her lip, a crude scene in which Rarity landed in a stallion’s lap, her eyes closed. “Yur kiddin’, right?” Applejack questioned, raising her eyebrow accusingly. “Don’t ya’ll remember the fiasco with Blueblood? Gosh darnet, that stallion was a royal pain.” She leaned back, the annoyingly posh stallion flickering like a dangerous candle in her mind. Rarity wheezed, horrified at Applejack’s accusations. “Darling, I assure you that Prince Naveen is nothing like that selfish, pampered Prince. Why, he’s...he’s...he’s practically the stallion of my dreams! Oh, and you should see him play ukelele...his voice is so...so...dreamy....” Applejack facehooved, feeling a headache clawing her brain, as sharp as eagle talons. Gosh darnet, this mare changes stallions every other week.“Well, Ah hope ya’ll hit off with this...er...Prince Na-what’s-his-hoof and are married happily ever after,” her temples throbbed as she smiled weakly at Rarity’s splayed figure. Rarity giggled, oblivious to Applejack’s last sentence, lost in her dreamland; no doubt filled with images of the so called Prince and her taking moonlit strolls, kissing, and proposing. “He’ll sweep me away, write me a song or two,” he mumbled unawarely, her hooves clutching her heart as if it were a precious object she wouldn’t dare let out of her sight until it could be placed against the pony of her affections. “Oh, and by the way, darling, won’t you attend the dinner party with me?” Rarity suddenly surfaced from the waves of desire and snapped up to face Applejack’s puzzled expression. “It would mean so much to me, be a confidence booster, if you will, if I have a friend by my side while I try to win their approval. Besides, you would look most pleasing in an evening gown.” The unicorn’s chest filled with air as she eagerly awaited Applejack’s response. Applejack blushed, flattening her ears as she looked modestly at the ground. “Aw, shucks, Rarity. Ah mean, Ah don’t do frilly dresses, and my shifts don't start till tomorrow...so Ah guess...Ah guess if it means so much ta ya, then Ah’ll do it. But ya haveta promise me that it WON’T. BE. FRILLY,” on the last three words, Applejack jabbed a dubious hoof at Rarity’s chest, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Rarity giggled. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, darling,” she executed the movements of the promise, her movements carrying a sarcastic edge, “I’ll give you the most drab, yet beautiful dress I have.” She stifled an inappropriate burst of laughter by stuffing a hoof hastily into her mouth as Applejack looked away, scowling jokingly. “Fine. But ya’ll owe me twenty bits if Prince Na-what’s-his-hoof is a jerk.”