Chapter 4
“Found it!” Applebloom shouted as she dug into the hollow of an apple tree, yanking a blue and purple, polka dotted apple out between her teeth. “Ah knew mah sis would hide it in one of her favorite trees.”
“She’s so predictable.” Sweetie Belle snickered.
“Let’s git goin’ then. We can’t have ‘em gettin’ ta th’ barn a’fore us!”
The two fillies took off at breakneck speed, but had to slow down when they tripped over each other’s hooves, nearly tumbled head first into a tree. They paced themselves the rest of the way there, only speeding up slightly when the red rafter of the barn peeked into view.
The girls stopped once they reached a place shady enough and fell back heavily onto their haunches.
“It’s…so…hot!” Sweetie Belle whined.
“Eeyup.” Applebloom bent between them and used her mouth to untie the fabric connecting them. “Ah sure hope they git here soon! I could really go fur some apple juice ‘bout now.”
“Look!” Sweetie Belle jabbed a hoof out towards the left field.
Applebloom squinted and spotted a fast-moving white dot approaching them in the distance.
“Is tha – ?”
“Rarity! We found it! We found the apple!” Sweetie Belle began to leap towards her sister, but stopped abruptly in her tracks when she noticed something missing. “Where’s Appleja – ?” She shut up quick when she saw her sibling’s pained expression and the wetness gathered in her eyes, staining the fur of her cheeks as she sprinted past her.
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle made a motion to run after her, but Applebloom stomped on her tail, halting her in her tracks.
“What are you doing?” Sweetie Belle shrieked. “I need to go after her!”
Applebloom gave her an apologetic look and gestured out toward the left field, from where Rarity had just come running. Another figure approached from the distance, struggling to speed up. Applejack had followed suit and was galloping hurriedly after Rarity, but she slowed to a trot as she saw that the other mare was already gone.
The orange pony looked about, examining the area until finally noticing her little sister desperately gesturing to her. She approached the little ponies, panting and plopping down in the shade before them.
“That pony runs quicker’n a fox from a hound. Din’t think she had it in ‘er!” Applejack wiped her forehead on the back of her hoof, taking a moment to regain her barrings and recover from the sweltering heat.
Applebloom crossed her forelegs, her gaze sharp. “What in tarnation did ya do ta make Rarity run off like that?”
“Ah didn't do nothin' worth runnin' off like – ” Applejack held her tongue when she saw Sweetie Belle, slumped behind her sister, worried and tearful. The filly stared off in the direction her older sister had just run, ready to bolt at any moment.
“Ah-ah…” Applejack swallowed. “Ah may have said somethin’ jus’ a tad insensitive, but ah didn’ mean ta hurt ‘er. Ah was jus’… ”
Applebloom shook her head. “We went through all the trouble ta set this up an’ ya went an’ messed it all up! And ya’ve gone an’ upset Sweetie Belle! Now ya’d better go an’ apologize ‘r else ah’m tellin’ Big Mac an’ Granny Smith on you!”
Applejack sighed, and then nodded. She didn’t think she had said anything to out-of-line, but she knew better than anypony not to judge a book by its cover. She felt stupid for not noticing anything was wrong, being so caught up in their differences. Even if she didn't underatand her she should have done her best to get along, if not for Rarity's sake, then for the young'uns. Even if it wasn’t on purpose, she knew Applebloom was right.
That filly could be awfully wise when she wanted to be for such a silly little filly.
“When did ya get so smart, Applebloom?”
“Ah learn from the best.” Applebloom gave her sister a curt grin, but quickly put back on her serious face. “Now let’s git goin’!”
Applebloom began sprinting towards the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, not waiting for a reply.
Applejack turned to Sweetie Belle and ruffled her mane with a hoof. “Dun worry, Sweetie Belle. Ah’ll make ev’rythin’ alright. Ah promise.”
The filly tilted her head up to peek at the mare, looking very much like her sister as she decided between being angry with Applejack and trusting her. The expressions warred across her little face, making Applejack’s heart ache and her remorse deepen.
She was shocked when she felt a little nuzzle against her chest, and she looked down the see a light purple mane. A second later, a pair of wide, light green eyes peeked up at her, making her heart melt.
“I know you will.”
The tender moment was interrupted by an irritated Applebloom, tapping her hoof and waiting impatiently by the gate. “C’mon! We’ll never catch up to 'er like this!”
Sweetie Belle rubbed her eyes and smiled, cantering over to her friend, as Applejack followed the pair, closely behind. Applebloom whispered something to Sweetie Belle and bumped their flanks together. They laughed and began to race each other into Ponyville.
Applejack hurried to follow them, her chest swelling with pride for her sister. Even if the little pony was a troublemaker, the way she supported Sweetie Belle reminded her of herself. She was always willing to do anything to help a friend in need. But now? She felt as though she had failed herself and the Apple family, always prided for their kindness and hospitality. Even if she didn’t consider Rarity a friend, she was still a part of the Ponyville community, no matter how short of a time it had been.
Applejack recalled her short time as a filly in Manehattan. How out of place she had felt. Even surrounded by family, she just couldn’t fit in, try as hard as she might. All she wanted to do was go home to the apples she new and the ponies she loved.
The three ponies walked the rest of the way, the younger chatting and giggling to dispel any anxiety, and Applejack mentally kicking herself. When they reached the door Applejack’s stomach groaned, feeling as though a dozen carnivorous fruit bats were gnawing away at her insides like they were her Auntie Applesauce’s fruit hat.
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle knocked on the door.
There was a long silence as they all waited for an answer, but none came. Sweetie Belle tapped on the door and it creaked open. She walked into the silent house, flicking on a light as she went.
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle continued to the kitchen, and finding nothing there, began up the stairs.
Applebloom made a move to help her, but Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder and shook her head. “No point invadin’ a pony’s privacy. Ah’m sure Sweetie Belle will find ‘er.”
The Apple sisters waited outside, and Applebloom began to fidget after a while. Applejack threw a foreleg around her shoulders and pulled her close to settle her.
Not too much later, Sweetie Belle came running from the house in a panic. “She-she…”
The Apples waited with bated breath for Sweetie Belle to calm down and speak.
“She’s gone! She’s not here!”
Applejack felt relieved and anxious in the same breath. She wasn’t sure what exactly she had expected to find here, but she had certainly expected to find Rarity. It made her more apprehensive not knowing.
“What if she decided to go back to Canterlot?” Sweetie Belle moaned, looking ready to cry. “What if she never wants to see me again?” Her shrill voice cracked.
Applebloom moved out from under her sister’s arm and trotted up to nuzzle her fellow Crusader.
“Come now, yur sister loves you. Even ah can see that. Ah’m sure she just…went out for a walk, y’know, to clear her head.” Applejack lied.
She had no idea where Rarity had gone. The way she was acting she wouldn’t be too surprised if she had left Ponyville far behind her, but her gut told her she hadn’t, and she trusted it. It’d never let her down before.
Applebloom had her foreleg wrapped around Sweetie Belle and was saying something to her that Applejack couldn’t hear. She admired their young, yet enduring friendship, reminiscing on her own persevering friendships. She wondered if Rarity had ever had any such relationships, then quickly pushed the thought from her head.
“Why don’t ya girls go on home. Ah’m the one who needs to be apologizin’, an’ ah’ll take responsibility.” Applejack assured.
“But I – ”
“Ah’m sure yur parents will start ta worry if ah keep ya too long anyhow, Sweetie Belle. Ah promise ta let ya know when Rarity gets back from ‘er little walk. Ah’m sure she’ll be back soon enuff.” Applejack ushered the two girls off.
“You promise?” Sweetie Belle fretted as Applebloom nudged her flank to hurry her along.
“Ah Pinkie promise. Cross mah heart.”
/ / /
Rarity sat down to examine her map of Ponyville again. She was relieved to find she was close to her destination, worn down by the running and the heat. The sweat was beginning to make her mane clump and her hide sticky.
She had gone home first, if you could call it that, only to leave again. The sight of the domicile had only made her anxieties worse instead of better. As cliché as it was, the place was more of a house than a home for her. What was worse was having to face Sweetie Belle. She was positive the little pony would come after her, and she would surely be livid with her for ruining their game with the Apples.
“Why do you always have to ruin everything? Why do you have to be so dramatic?”
Rarity closed her eyes and shook her head, rounding the last corner to her destination. She smiled as it came into view. The one place she knew could calm her nerves: the spa.
Even if it wouldn’t be as elegant as the spas in Canterlot, it would still help to escape to a familiar comfort.
As she approached the door, she nearly stepped on a little, hunched-over form. She placed a hoof on the shivering pony’s head, and the pitiful thing leapt in fright, slowly tilting her head up to glimpse at Rarity.
Rarity gasped. “Oh darling! Aren’t you just the most striking creature? Has anypony ever told you that you would make the most remarkable model?”
The delicate mare blushed, and hid her reddening face behind her light pink mane. “G-goodness…I-I don’t think so. I mean, I c-couldn’t p-p-possi…bly…” Her sentence diminished into high-pitched stuttering.
“But of course you could!” Rarity gushed. “I just had the best idea for a dress today. Something organic, like the light coming through a tree, and you could be that light!”
“A t-tree?” the pony muttered, her ears perking up a bit.
“I’m sorry, where are my manners? I am Rarity.”
Fluttershy got to her hooves, staring nervously at the ground. “I know. I s-saw you at P-Pinkie’s welcome party.” She panicked. “I-i-its not like I d-didn’t want to m-meet you then. You just seemed so busy.”
Rarity shook her head, still amazed by the timidity of this pony, so different from herself. “Now is as good a time as any. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
The mare shrunk back behind her mane, and mumbled something inaudible.
Rarity strained to hear her. “What was that, darling?”
She spoke again, but that sound got muffled by the wall her long hair made around her.
“Once more?”
“F-F-Fluttershy.” She finally answered, so lightly it could have gotten caught up in the breeze.
“Fluttershy?”
The pony, now known as Fluttershy, nodded.
“What a lovely name. It suits you.” Rarity observed, and Fluttershy managed a small, but genuine smile. “May I ask what you’re doing just sitting out here?”
Fluttershy looked embarrassed as she glanced back at the establishment behind her. “Oh…well, I was thinking about going in…but I wouldn’t want to bother them. I think I’ll just go home now.
She made a move to trudge away, but Rarity redirected her towards the spa with a hoof on her shoulder. She got the feeling this wasn’t the first time Fluttershy had sat out here, working up the nerve to enter. She wondered how many times the mare had tried and failed.
“Well, I’m going in, and I would just love to have somepony to keep me company.” Rarity smiled as charmingly as she could manage for her mood. Though she had to say she was feeling much better now.
“Oh my, I don’t know…”
Rarity trotted behind Fluttershy and began to nudge her into the building. The pony resisted a bit, stuck between her anxieties about entering the spa, and not wanting to displease her new acquaintance. In the end she chose the latter.
A blue mare with glossy, pink hair came to greet them, a polite smile on her face. “Welcome to – Fluttershy?” She giggled. “I never thought I’d see you in here!”
Fluttershy squeaked again and would have probably bolted if Rarity weren’t blocking the exit.
“I’m glad you finally decided to drop by, and with a friend!” She nodded towards Rarity. “You must be that new pony Rarity I’ve been hearing about all over town. I’m Lotus Blossom and this is Aloe.” She gestured towards another similar looking mare. “It’s nice to meet you!”
“Likewise.” Rarity replied. “I hope this will be the first of many…satisfying encounters?”
Aloe grinned, smugly. “Of course. We may not be as extravagant as some of the spas in Canterlot, but we can have anypony glowing from the inside out in just one session.”
“Hm. I’ll take your word for it. We’ll have the full treatment. Both of us.” Rarity lead Fluttershy further into the room, the other pony sputtering as they went.
“Oh, n-no, I can’t…I shouldn’t…I n-need my bits f-for feeding Angel, he’s so picky and – ”
“It’s no problem, darling. I’ll cover it. I do still have some bits left to my name.” Rarity waved her off.
“I couldn’t possibly…that’s asking too much.” Fluttershy resisted, shyly.
“Not at all. I’m being selfish, really. I could really use the company…”
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Sweetie belle made me change my dentist appointment....