While on a fashion trip to Manehattan, a busted train leaves Rarity and Applejack with nowhere to go. Friendships shall be tested, plumbing shall be tampered with, and intense FRIENDshipping shall take place!
Rarity has been chosen to design the costumes for the latest play to hit Manehattan, Apple of my Eye. Having little knowledge on the fruity matter, she takes the only mare she knows who can tell her Granny Smiths from her Honeycrisps on a fashion business trip to Manehattan to get started on the designing. While there, an unfortunate mishap leaves the train to Ponyville down, and the two friends find themselves stuck in the city.
"I just can't wait!" Applejack could barely keep still as she spotted the faded view of buildings on the horizon.
"We are not here to have fun, Applejack. The reason we're here is because I, out of all the fashion designers in Equestria, have been chosen to design the costumes for Manehattan's newest musical, 'Apple of my Eye'!" Rarity felt a small tinge of excitement in her chest. It wasn't everyday that she got to design costumes for Manehattan. This truly was an exciting opportunity.
"Attention all passengers, we will be arriving in Manehattan in 5 minutes."
"Quick, Applejack, get your bags!" Rarity's horn glittered as she used her magic to gain her bags from the overhead compartment. Applejack got up on her hind hooves and grabbed the handle of her bag with her teeth.
"Rarity, if we're only gonna be gone for two days, whyd'ya bring so much stuff?" Rarity lowered her eyelids and sighed. "Dearest AJ, when you're a jetsetting travel pony such as myself, you know that anything can happen. Being prepared for the unexpected is the first rule of travel."
"Pfft, everypony knows that you only gotta pack the bare essentials: snacks, and cowpony hats."
"Let's just say that my bare essentials differ from your bare essentials."
The sun seemed brighter than ever as the train entered the station. Applejack and Rarity hopped out of their seats and through the open doors of the train. As the ponies tried to gather their sense of direction, they spotted a cream-colored mare with aqua-striped mane and a purple collar holding a piece of cardboard with the names Rarity and Applejack scrawled on it with purple ink.
"Coco! Why in Equestria are you meeting us at the train station?" Rarity dropped her bags and gave the mare a hug.
"A little bird told me you two were coming, so I'm here to show you the way to your hotel."
"Nice to see ya again, Miss Pommel," Applejack said whilst gathering Rarity's bags. Rarity seemed to altogether forget about them as she and Coco trotted forward, unaware that they left Applejack dragging behind with her own bag in her mouth and Rarity's luggage on her back. Luckily, she had the strength for it, and she was able to gain speed. Of course Rarity would leave her behind to handle the heavy lifting. It's not like she didn't have her own things to take care of. While walking, Applejack was able to gawk at the magnificent scenery: The buildings were tall and almost translucent, and the streets shone in the light. Ponies could be seen rushing through the streets and chattering, and yellow taxi carriages were being lugged about by stallions everywhere you looked. Her mouth watered as she saw the street carts with warm pretzels and oatburgers, and she managed to pull an apple out of her bag to combat her afternoon munchies.
Coco stopped the mares in front of a monumental white building with golden pony statues on either side of the door. A red carpet led the way to the entrance, and was blocked with velvet rope on both sides. A large stallion stood near the glass door, and was opening it for everypony that needed to walk through.
"This...this is absolutely to die for!" Rarity moved about her hooves excitedly.
"Yep, this is the Grand Hoofington Palace Hotel. It's one of the fanciest hotels in Equestria, and there's only one right here in Manehattan. You should consider yourselves lucky, not many ponies get to stay here for free." Coco Pommel waved at the stallion near the door and mouthed something to him. Instantly, he perked up and smiled widely.
"I'm just too lucky to have such a generous employer, am I not, Applejack?" Applejack shifted about, trying to find a comfortable placement for all of her luggage. "Uh...yeah Rarity. Sure." Rarity immediately noticed Applejack's discomfort and used her magic to grab her bags.
"Oh my goodness, look at the time. Sorry girls, I've got to get moving. I have an important show tonight that I need to prepare for!" Coco waved goodbye, hollered a cab and rode away.
"See you!" Rarity waved back.
"You do realize I had to carry yer things all the way here?" Applejack squinted menacingly.
"I'm terribly sorry, Applejack. It won't happen again. Here, let me carry everything to the room." Rarity smiled kindly and took Applejack's bag with hers. Applejack gave her a forgiving glance and trotted forward to the door.
"Welcome Miss Rarity, glad to have you here. Enjoy your stay!" Applejack grumbled under her breath as Rarity gave a melodic 'thank you' and walked through the door.
"Sweet mother of cowbells, wouldya look at this fancy getup?" Applejack stared at the large crystal chandelier and gold decorations everywhere. The wallpaper was red with gold trim, the cushioned seats had gold legs, the front desk was made entirely of gold encrusted diamond.
"Yes, darling. Gold is the most in style thing right now." Rarity went straight to the front desk where a neat mare with her mane in a tight bun was standing.
"Welcome to the Grand Hoofington Palace Hotel. Rarity, I presume?" Rarity presented herself,
"In the flesh." Applejack rolled her eyes.
"We've got some stuff we gotta do, can we skip the introductions and get to our room, please?" The mare grimaced.
"Well then. Your room is on the 7th floor, number 38. Turned right out of the elevator and you'll see it." She gave the ponies a key for each of them and Applejack grabbed Rarity and galloped to the elevator.
Once they arrived at the front of their room, Rarity lifted her key and inserted it into the lock. The door didn't budge.
"Whoa there, let me handle it. You've probably just got a faulty key." Applejack tried with her key, but nothing happened.
"Applejack, would you be a dear and go downstair-" Applejack had already bucked the door down.
"Yes, well...that should suffice." Rarity used her horn to place the door back on its hinges.
The room looked spectacular. It had a panoramic view of Manehattan, a king sized bed, a couch, a small kitchen, a large bathroom with a hot tub and a bookshelf.
"Wow. This is definitively gonna be an amazing trip." Applejack jumped on the bed and began to fall asleep. Rarity placed her under the sheets and gave her a little forehead nuzzle. "You may take a nap, we'll start work a bit later." The marshmallow mare went to the bathroom and drew herself a bath when there was a knock at the door.
"Oh, it's just the newspaper." Rarity picked up the paper and brought it to the bathroom. As she poured the bubbles into the tub, she glanced at some of the articles in the paper. She turned the page and got to a section titled 'Closures and Delays'. One part of it caught her attention: "All ponies en route to Ponyville, we regret to inform you that there has been technical problems with the train. The repair will take about a week, and then passengers will be welcome aboard. Our apologies."
"WHAT?!" Rarity tipped over and fell in the tub. The sound of the aggressive splashing woke Applejack up, and she rushed to Rarity's side. "What's wrong sugarcube?"
"The train back home won't be running for a week!" It was hard for Applejack to take her seriously with her mascara dripping all over her face, but she held in her giggles.
"Well, that won't be our only problem. I found this little guy wanting some cuddles, and I think he came from one of your bags."
"THE FABRIC!" Rarity jumped out of the tub, shook herself furiously and galloped to her bag of fabrics, which was shaking. The unicorn opened the bag to find a swarm of parasprites fly out and all over the room. She let out a bloodcurdling scream and ran around in despair.
"I'll get my lasso." Applejack let out a sigh. This was gonna be one long week.
Rarity collapsed into the plush comfort of her hotel bed after a long day of searching the city for new fabrics. Applejack had not woken up from her chair since the day before, when she was herding parasprites, and snored with a kind of force that made the floor vibrate. Rarity snuggled into her pillow and closed her eyes, just about ready to slip off into dreams of endless bowls of ice cream and silk, when Applejack jerked herself upright and galloped like a buffalo into the bathroom. Rarity shrugged it off and tried to get back into her relaxed mindset. Stallions, desserts, dresses...and then a flush. This flush wasn't just your ordinary, run of the mill everyday toilet flush. This flush was accompanied by a symphony of flushes. One after the other they sounded, and Rarity wondered what kind of business Applejack was getting done that she needed to push down that lever so many times.
Rarity slowly lowered herself out of bed and trotted to the bathroom. Carefully opening the door, she spotted Applejack sitting on the toilet bowl.
"Oh, Applejack, pardon me, I didn't know the toilet was still...occupied."
"Rarity, wait! I need yer help."
And with that Applejack stood up and got off the seat. slowly, she lifted the cover and, like a tornado of hydraulic power, water shot out of the toilet and spewed all over the bathroom. The power of it propelled both ponies straight against the wall, their entire bodies soaking wet. In a moment, the entire bathroom was completely filled with water, which reached up about 10 meters below the ceiling. Rarity, not being too well-trained in the art of moving in the midst of any liquid, flailed around like a helpless worm while Applejack tried to open the door, which for some reason had found the perfect time to lock itself. She pushed and tried to buck as well as she could, but the door wouldn't move so much as a millimeter. Out of panic, she developed the sheer adrenaline to pull the curtain rod out of the bathtub and use it to beat down the door.
Water flooded into the room and seeped into the carpet. It drained out soon after, and Rarity,looking like a wet mop, trotted out and took some well-needed breaths.
"APPLEJACK!WHAT KIND OF COLOSSAL SH-"
"Rarity, it's 6 in the mornin'. Ponies are sleepin', and I just saved yer life. I think you better watch yerself before you say something stupid."
"Applejack, that was absolutely horrifying. There would have been no need for anypony's life to be saved if you hadn't broken the toilet."
"Well excuse me for having a very active digestive system."
The ponies were so busy arguing that they couldn't hear the sound of a knock at the door. Applejack opened it.
The same mare from the lobby was standing in front of her, with her eyes producing an expression that can only be described as a mixture of surprise and annoyance. Applejack and Rarity were unaware that in the time that they had gotten in and out of the bathroom she had received 8 calls to complain about loud banging and yelling noises coming from their room, 5 ponies who have addressed her about the same affairs face to face, 2 who have been so appalled that they left, and 3 that have needed medical attention from falling in a puddle of water in the hall. Apparently the crack in the bottom of the door was a lot wider than Applejack had presumed when she first arrived. She explained all of this to the two of them followed by a "It is with the utmost urgency that I request your vacation of the building. Thank you.", and a closing of the door.
Rarity paused for a moment and then fell into a pit of utter despair. Tears flooded her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. She almost had the same effect as the toilet. Luckily, Applejack was in stable enough condition to pack their bags and push her tearful friend out of the room. After much difficulty, she was able to check out and drag Rarity out of the hotel.
"Now what are we going to do?! This is an absolute travesty! I spent everything on the new fabrics!" Rarity choked as she tried to stand up.
"Don't worry sugarcube, we'll find a way. We always do!" Applejack wondered at her own optimism.
"You can't expect us to sleep on the street, Applejack! I refuse to dirty my mane."
And then, the miracle they needed arrived in the form of a taxi carriage. Coco smiled sympathetically as she whistled for the stallion to stop.
"In a bit of trouble, girls? Don't worry, I'll give you a hoof."
"Coco? W-what are you doing here? How did you know?" Rarity wiped her tears and ascended into the carriage.
"Here in Manehattan, the press is very...quick." She showed a magazine article titled 'Ponyville Fashion Designer Kicked Out of Grand Hoofington' with a picture of Applejack dragging a messy Rarity out of the hotel door. Rarity gasped at the horrible picture while Applejack beamed from being shown in a magazine article.
"Never mind that, I've got a place in my apartment just for you two!"
"That's mighty kind of ya." Applejack smiled at the cream earth pony, who smiled right back.
And so, the ponies were driven to a small gray building and led up to the 2nd floor and into Coco Pommel's home. The interior was not a very large space, just enough for one pony and perhaps a roommate. The walls were cracked and the paint was peeling off. The furniture was old and dusty, and seemed to come from the Victorian era.
"Sorry, it's a bit of a downgrade from your hotel but I hope it's okay for you two."
"Coco, your generosity makes up for any...design boo boo's this apartment may have. It's more than we could ask for." Rarity avoided the gaze of the vermilion and chartreuse striped chair that was clearly clashing with the chestnut wall color.
***
A raven colored pony trotted through the streets of Manehattan, cloaked in a red cape. She spotted a magazine showing an interested article and took one. Her horn glittered as she flipped through the pages.
"What's this?" She stopped, staring at the picture of Rarity and Applejack.
She broke into a sudden gallop, leaving the magazine on the street, with a single page missing.
"Alright you two, pizza's here!" Coco brought the pizza to the coffee table in the living room.
After only 3 days in her abode the two ponies had already started to feel right at home.
"Oh my stars, a real tomato hay pizza! I've only ever tasted frozen!" Rarity was almost too consumed with food-induced pleasure as she nibbled at the corner of her slice. Applejack gave her a smile as she enjoyed her portion of food.
"You ponies should know that Manehattan has some of the best pizza around!" Coco, unlike the other ponies, was stuffing her mouth with the tomato-y triangle food.
"Coco, you just have no idea how helpful you've been in designing Rarity's fashions." Applejack took a glance at Coco's sketch table, which was covered in fashion scribbles and drawings.
"Thanks from me as well, Coco. I just never thought designing these costumes would be so time consuming and difficult. My employer's specifications have been extremely vague, and I haven't an idea about what the play is like. It's all a very hush-hush process." Rarity gulped down her tea.
"Yeah, I'm getting kinda worried. Yer employer seems to have no communications at all. They didn't even talk to ya about the whole hotel mishap." Worry crept through the cavities of AJ's mind.
"Rarity?"
"Yes, Applejack?"
"Do ya even know who this pony is?"
Rarity almost choked on her pizza. She had received a letter from her employer's assistant, but that seemed to be it. She giggled nervously, paused for a moment, then answered.
"Of course I do! What kind of fashion designer do you think I am? Pffft...not knowing my own boss. Very funny Applejack."
"Well then good. I underestimated you. I'm sorry." Applejack gave Rarity a nudge.
***
"ASSISTANT! WILL YOU GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!"
"Miss Blackheart....for the tenth time: My name is Hoofgiver, Ma'am."
"I don't give two bits what your name is, you will answer to what I call you."
"Yes, Onyx."
"What are you, my brother? Address me as Miss Blackheart or you can sleep on the street tonight."
"Yes, Miss Blackheart." Hoofgiver's Navy coat and chocolate mane trickled with nervous sweat. He was trembling.
"It seems that our costume designer has taken a detour." Onyx showed the magazine article to Hoofgiver.
"I'm sure the costumes are finished by now ma'am. You never did give her a deadline."
"I have a deadline,and it was a whole 24 hours ago!"
Onyx trotted to a corner of her office. She stood near a window. Using her magic, she closed the curtain and locked the door. This made Hoofgiver extremely uncomfortable. Onyx took a deep breath as she uncloaked herself. The darkness of her body seemed to blend with the darkness of the room, making her almost invisible. She trotted to her desk and motioned for Hoofgiver to come closer. He trotted towards her. She lit a single candle and began to speak.
"Assistant, how long have you worked for me?"
"3 years, Miss Blackheart." Hoofgiver gulped.
"In those 3 years, have I ever told you the story of my background?"
"No ma'am." Onyx smiled.
"Would you like to hear it?"
"Right now Miss Blackheart, I'm afraid to say no."
"My parents lived a wonderful life in Fillydelphia. They weren't very rich, but were content being in each other's company. Naturally, this happiness was extinguished when a third pony invaded their love. That pony was me. My mother was so unhappy that she cried herself to sleep every night that she was pregnant with me. My father was the same way, filled with disdain and regret. After I was born, my mother wished that she had never met my father. Their love transformed into hate, and they split up almost immediately after my birth. For about 5 years I lived between the 2 ponies, not finding any glimmer of love or compassion in either one of them. My mother would go out on shopping sprees with rich friends, never saying a word to me other than 'Morning, you putrid mistake.', or 'Hey Useless, go play with sticks or something.' My father, on the other hoof, talked to me about everything but myself. He somehow thought I was a therapist rather than a daughter. " Onyx paused and shook her dark bangs out of her face. "Then, one dark night in October, my mum pulled me out of bed and into a cardboard box. I was awake the entire time, but too scared to say anything. The last thing I heard was a thud as I was thrown into a taxi carriage and the mumbled, raspy voice of my mom telling the driver where to go. Then, I heard hoofsteps nearing me. My mom opened the box and said 'Good luck filly. You deserve more than this messed up life.'" Onyx wiped a tear as it fell across her cheek.
"I'm so so-" Onyx made a motion for Hoofgiver to shush.
"Next think I knew, I was on a street corner in Manehattan. I had nowhere to go. I ended up sleeping in the street until a mare found me. She was from an orphanage and picked me up. She took me there and gave me a name. I spent endless nights crying and trying to make friends, but nopony liked me. One day, I came to a revelation: I couldn't stop thinking about the past, so why didn't I just erase my memories? I repressed my worst realities and put new, better ones in their place. I changed my orphanage name to Onyx Blackheart, and told everypony that my parents were only leaving me at the orphanage temporarily, while they traveled across Equestria. I told them that my mother was a famous actress, and my father a director. As I got older, I turned into somewhat of a grifter, a con artist. I was able to fool the caretaker mares at the orphanage in letting me out. Imagine that! And at that moment, I got my cutie mark." Onyx laughed a full, deep chortle as she showed her cutie mark: A black heart with a lock on it. "I got into a film school when I was older, and was able to trick my way through life. I told lie after lie after lie and suppressed the guilt." Onyx trotted right in front of Hoofgiver. "And here I am now. Onyx Blackheart. Prestigious theatrical producer." She smiled.
Hoofgiver was in absolute shock. He felt a mix of sympathy and sadness, as well as some disgust, but he didn't let any of it show.
"But anyway enough about me. I have something for you to do." Onyx brushed off the entire speech she just gave as if it was a fly.
"Y-yes ma'am?"
"We need to coax that pretty Ponyville fashion guru into coming here. She needs a push in the right direction. I think I'll host a gala for the staff." Onyx pulled out a notebook and used her horn to levitate a pen. She wrote feverishly. "Assistant, I want you to make an invitation for this mare, and rent the gala space on 8th avenue. The one with the basement." Hoofgiver ran out of the office.
***
"Applejack, you believe what I received in the mail today!" Rarity's voice was as melodic as a nightingale.
"Another pizza?" Applejack deadpanned.
"An invite to a gala hosted by my boss! It's tonight!"
Applejack eyed the invitation. It was written by hoof on pink paper, and was decorated in pink lace and ribbon.
"'Come alone'? This sounds fishy, Rarity."
"Oh AJ, of course I would have to come alone! Haven't I been telling you about how exclusive this job is?"
"I guess."
"You'll have an awesome time. My employer does this all the time. It's probably to make you feel more comfortable working in a different city." Coco smiled.
"Oh my! I barely have any time to get ready!" Rarity rushed out of the room.
"Coco? She does know that the gala is 9 hours away, right?"
Coco giggled. "She's a fashion designer, let her have her fun."
Applejack stood in the doorway of the bathroom as Rarity carefully applied eye shadow and mascara. Never in her life had she seen anypony take so long to get ready for an event. It was astonishing how much effort she put into looking presentable. Usually all Applejack needed was a bath and a brush.
"Hey Rarity, you done yet? I can't believe I'm saying this but, yer takin' too much time. You gotta go soon."
"Yes Applejack, I'm aware. Beauty is an extremely lengthy process, you know. I can't just take two minutes and be done with it." Rarity groomed her mane while applying hairspray.
"Kay, just remember, If you don't leave in the next twenty minutes yer gonna have to deal with being late to your own welcome party." Applejack turned around and exited into the living space, where Coco was in her own panic.
"Applejack, don't forget that there's left over pizza in the fridge in case you get hungry, and plates are in the bottom cupboard. I'm so sorry that I have to leave you here alone, it's just that I have a meeting that I can't afford to miss."
"Don't you worry yer head about me, I'll find my way around."
"I knew I could count on you!" Coco smiled and galloped out the door.
Applejack tried to help Rarity prepare faster. She laid out possible outfits that she thought were in Rarity's taste and sorted out different perfumes so that she could pick one without the clutter. Just as Applejack was getting ready to showcase her organized work, Rarity rushed out of the apartment in a flash of white.
"GoodbyeApplejackIloveyou!"
Applejack gazed upon the dresses as the door slammed shut.
"Sure, just leave. It's not like I was tryin' to help or anything." Applejack began to put the dresses away.
***
Rarity trotted through the streets of Manehattan. She gazed at the address on the paper and hailed a cab.
"Where to, Miss?" The stallion gazed with wonder at the marshmallow unicorn, with her velvet lilac gown with intricate lace sleeves and a heart bodice.
"This address, please." Rarity lifted the invitation and got into the carriage.
The excitement was unbearable. She was prepared for all the glamour of a Manehattan Gala: Sparkling cider, delicious desserts, possibly an apple theme, important theater ponies eager to meet the fashion designer behind their costumes. And then, standing at the top of a beautiful staircase, her employer, a distinguished stallion in a suit, with a look of pure admiration. He would greet her with a "Rarity, Darling!" and offer her refreshments, and then she would show him her designs. He would fall in love with them and give her a time extension, seeing as she had already been through so much.
"We're almost there, Lady."
Rarity looked around. Just the surroundings she expected. Beautiful buildings and clean streets, and well-dressed ponies everywhere. A couple of ponies with cameras spotted her and started taking photos.
"Miss Rarity, how are you liking Manehattan?"
"Very much, thank you."
"Are the rumors that you've been living on the street true?"
"Goodness no! A friend of mine has been kind enough to provide myself and Applejack with a place to stay."
"Is Applejack the mare who took you out of the Grand Hoofington?"
"Excuse me, I have to go. Can we go a little faster, please?"
"Are you kiddin'? This is Manehattan! You can't just stop traffic."
Rarity let out an annoyed sigh and sat back in her seat. Ignoring the questions and camera flashes of the press ponies, she fell asleep.
fifteen minutes later, she was awoken by the jolting halt of the taxi.
"This is your stop!"
Rarity exited the carriage, tossed a few bits to the stallion and entered the large bright building. A receptionist was standing behind the front desk.
"Rarity, I presume?" He lifted his sunglasses and examined her.
"Yes, I'm here for the theater gala."
"Mm, yes. That'll be in the back. It's the fifth door."
"Thank you!"
Rarity trotted to the back of the room. She found a wooden door. The faint sound of orchestral music could be heard on the other side, but no chatting at all. Rarity presumed that they were waiting for her to arrive, and she pushed through the door.
A large room is what she found herself in. The theme was not very much of apples, but more like a rainstorm. The walls were a dark gray, and a large candle-lit onyx chandelier hung in the very center of the room. A small oak table was in the corner, and it was covered by a black lace tablecloth. On it was yet another candle and a tray with blackberry muffins. The music was coming from a small speaker attached to the wall, and the only light entering the room was from the candles. There was a staircase, but it seemed to be leading below ground. Just as Rarity motioned towards the table, she noticed a cloaked figure standing near the staircase.
"Oh, hello there! Uh, you must be..." Rarity felt an air of uncomfortable nervousness overtake her. Something was off.
"Onyx Blackheart, theatrical producer." The mare removed her hood and approached Rarity.
"Charmed, I am Rarity, the costume designer. You must be my employer!"
"Yes. So, how have you been getting along with the fashions?" Onyx used her magic to grab a muffin and took a small bite.
"Ah, yes. I've been wanting to show you my sketches. Um, am I the only one here?" Rarity scanned the darkly lit space, unable to see anypony else.
"No no, you're just early. Come, let's discuss the designs in my...office."
Onyx led Rarity down the steps to yet another door, this time one with a large padlock on it. She unlocked it and entered.
This room was significantly less space-y and with no light. There was a desk in a corner of the room.
Rarity walked to the desk along with Onyx.
"Okay, Miss Rarity, let's see them."
"Right away." Rarity looked into her satchel and found...nothing. Absolutely nothing. She had prepared a folder with the sketches, but they were missing.
"Oh...just give me one more moment."
***
Applejack lay on the couch, bored out of her mind. What was she doing here? Everypony else was at some meeting or gala, and she was lying on a couch. She got up and went to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she grabbed a slice of pizza and put in in the toaster. Pacing around waiting, a paper caught her eye. What was she not remembering?
Ding! The pizza popped out of the toaster. That was it! Rarity had forgotten to take the sketches in her panic. She had to get them to her, and fast. Grabbing the pizza and the sketches, Applejack galloped out the door.
***
"Do you...not have them with you?" Onyx seemed calm, but a hidden aggression revealed itself in her brow as it began to narrow.
"I'm so sorry. I'll just go back to my apartment and-"
"No. That won't be necessary. " Onyx moved in front of the door.
"P-pardon me?" Rarity slowly backed away.
"Do you realize how much time I gave you?! I stopped a train for you!'
"Excuse me?"
"You came to Manehattan on business. You were only supposed to stay for two days, but seeing as you weren't getting anything done, I had to delay your stay."
"You've been..watching me?"
" I had to! I needed those costumes days ago, and I am not letting anything distract you now."
The door opened as Hoofgiver pushed a sewing machine into the space. He promptly exited, mouthing the words "I'm so sorry."
"Y-you're not serious?!"
"Yes, I am. You're going to work here all night if you have to. I want all the costumes by morning, and you're not getting out until then."
With a flash of light, Onyx was gone.
Rarity pushed back tears of pure fear as she tried to push and buck the door down. Alas, it was locked shut. She tried with all her might, but nothing was moving.
"Applejack, I need you!" She turned on the sewing machine and began aimlessly stitching the given fabrics. She hadn't even been given any paper to sketch on, so she tried to come up with something on the spot, to no prevail. A tear streaked down her cheek, leaving a trail of mascara.
***
Applejack was losing patience with the carriage she was in.
"I'm in a really big hurry, can ya'll speed up a bit?"
"You're not the only pony in that situation, Miss."
"Fine then, forget it!"
Applejack jumped off the taxi and galloped across the street to the sidewalk. She pushed forward, stopping only to ask for directions. It's lucky she remembered the address. Finally, she came to the building. She trotted inside and to the front desk.
"Can I...help you?"
"Yeah, I'm here for the theater gala thing."
"You're sweating."
"You ain't never seen a pony in a rush before?"
"Well, you just don't look like you're going to a gala."
"Listen here. My friend, Rarity came in here earlier. She has one of the most important opportunities of her life in that room. I need to get in there. Now."
"Sorry, no can do."
Completely ignoring the receptionist, Applejack rushed past him. She got to the back of the ground floor when she heard the faint sound of screaming. She approached the door closest to the sounds and opened it. There was nopony inside, but the cries persisted. Applejack galloped down the stairs.
"Somepony help me! I'm trapped and my gown has ripped!"
Rarity.
"Rarity, why are you locked in there?"
"Applejack, dear! My employer is absolutely mad! She's forcing me to sew her costumes in this dingy closet space, and I can't get out!"
"This is a thick wooden door, I can't get in!"
"You have to try, Applejack!"
Applejack tried to buck the door, but it was no use. She needed something strong. She tried using the table to bust the door down, but that was no use either.
Suddenly, it came to her. She took off her hat and used her teeth to pull out some of the straw to make kindling. She placed the straw in the crack under the door and told Rarity to stand back. She grabbed the candles in the room and lit the kindling. It worked. The door went ablaze, and soon burnt down enough for her to be able to get inside. She ran in the hallway, grabbed the fire extinguisher and put out the flames.
"Oh Applejack, you were right! There was most definitely something strange here."
"Rarity, you have no idea how worried I got."
"I know. I'm so sorry."
Applejack teared up and hugged her friend.
"I'm so glad yer okay!"
"I wouldn't have been if you hadn't come to rescue me!"
"Okay, we can have our tearful reunion later, now we gotta get outta here!"
"Yeah, that's not going to happen."
Onyx appeared in the room. Luckily, so did security.
"Which pony came here uninvited?"
"I did." Applejack came forward. "My friend came here because she though it was a welcome gala. She was working for this pony here." Applejack pointed her hoof to Onyx.
"This mare trapped my friend in the basement, forcing her to design clothes for her musical."
Onyx laughed. "What proof do you have?"
"They have me." Hoofgiver galloped into the room. "I worked for her. I saw it happen. I'll tell you everything."
"Ma'am, you're gonna have to come with us." The security ponies put a steel cap on Onyx's horn and took her away. Hoofgiver apologized to both ponies and followed security.
Applejack and Rarity trotted out of the building, with Applejack chuckling over the look of disbelief of the receptionist.
"I can't wait to tell the girls at home about this."
"Coco will also want to hear about this, I presume."
"What's this?"
Rarity picked up a magazine from a stand outside. On the front page was a picture of a daring and brave Applejack dragging Rarity out of the building. Rarity was looking disheveled, with her ripped dress and messy mane. The article was titled "Brave Country Mare Applejack Saves Fashion Designer Rarity From Clutches of Evil Theatrical Producer."
"Applejack, just look at how horrible I look!"
Rarity turned to see Applejack, purchasing the three large boxes of the magazine.
"What? This way we won't have to explain nuthin' to nopony. They can just read about it."
Rarity sighed. "You really are an honest pony, but I can't speak the same for your modesty."