//------------------------------// // 105. The Midsummer Theatre Revival // Story: My Little Pony - The Legend of Friendship // by Danieru //------------------------------// After another day of work for Star Twinkle was over, he decided to walk home. He wanted to relax and take it easy for the rest of the day. Maybe he would spend the day with his friends if the opportunity would present itself. It didn't take long until said opportunity showed up in the form of Applejack. "Star Twinkle!" She said as she came running towards the stallion in a hurry. "Hey, Applejack," the stallion greeted. The mare was panting heavily. She must have run a whole lot and fast from how much she was panting. "Are you in a hurry or something?" The stallion asked. "Sure am. Look," the mare said before she showed the stallion her Cutie Mark. It was glowing just like back then when Star Twinkle's friends were summoned by the map in Twilight's castle. The map was summoning Applejack to somewhere and she was on her way to the map to find out where she had to go. "I see..." Star Twinkle replied before he looked at his Cutie Mark for a moment. There was no glowing as expected. The stallion sighed. "Well, good luck then," Star Twinkle said with a frown on his face. But Applejack had other plans. "I was actually on my way to fetch you so that we could get to Twilight's castle," she said. "Ahem," Star Twinkle responded before he presented his flank to the mare. "No glowing. The map isn't summoning me," he explained. Applejack put a hoof on the stallion's shoulder. "Come on now. I know the map is a little stingy, or maybe even a little bit broken when it comes to you and your Cutie Mark but that is only more than enough reason for you to come with us," she explained. "How?" Star Twinkle asked back. "That doesn't make any sense!" He pointed out. Before he realized though, Applejack was pushing him towards the direction of the castle. "Hey!" "Let's just skip your usual "I'm feeling left out" and just do something against it. Let's go to the castle," Applejack said as she kept pushing the stallion from behind. "Okay, okay, I'll go! Stop pushing me now!" Star Twinkle replied. Applejack did as he demanded and smiled before she was walking next to him. She seemed to be happy that Star Twinkle was changing his mind. All it needed was just a little push...literally. Star Twinkle had to admit that one sentence, that she said before, was making him think. "Doing something against getting left out, huh?" He thought. One of his most common problems was that he was feeling left out. Whether it came to the Elements of Harmony, or this Cutie Mark map, it was something that seemed to pop up a lot. And every time it happened, he was feeling bad and helpless. Maybe Applejack was right and he just needed to take things in his own hooves. For once, Star Twinkle was getting hyped to go with Applejack. "Let's go!" He then said, to the surprise of the mare. She saw the stallion charging towards the castle at full speed and didn't know how to react to it. She eventually smiled and grabbed her hat tight. "That's the spirit!" She said before she followed the stallion at full speed and getting even more excited about this trip than before. Later... The two Earth Ponies just stepped into the room with the map-table. When they arrived, Twilight and Spike were there, and on top of that, Rarity was as well. The later one also having a glowing Cutie Mark. "Whew! Got here as fast as we could," Applejack said while panting a little bit. "Oh! You two are summoned too?" Rarity asked. But before anyone could even reply, the Cutie Marks of Applejack and Rarity started to glow more intensely. The two Cutie Marks started to appear up in the air and then flew towards the map, circling around a certain spot. "Yes! Finally!" Twilight said highly excited. "We've been summoned! I wonder where the map wants us to go!?" She said. She must have not realized that her own Cutie Mark wasn't glowing. It was Spike who then pointed out this very fact. "Uh, Twilight?" The little dragon pointed at her flank. No glowing in sight, much to the mare's dislike. A huge groan was released as soon as she was aware of that. For some reason, Star Twinkle liked seeing someone else being upset about being left out. He made sure to not let anyone see that though. On contrast, Rarity was more than happy right now. She took a look at where the two Cutie Marks were hovering above and got really excited. "Where is it sending you-" Star Twinkle asked before he was cut off by Rarity immediately. "Manehattan!" Rarity said after an excited squeal. "We've been called to Manehattan! Oh, I've simply been dying to go back for a visit! And now I return... with a purpose!" She said. In the meantime, Star Twinkle walked over to Twilight, showing her some support. While the mare did sigh in frustration, she did focus on the map as well. "Hmmm. It looks like you've been summoned to this particular neighborhood here," she figured out. But pointing that out only got her more excited. She was grabbing both Star Twinkle and Applejack and hugged them in her excitement. "We're off to solve a friendship problem in one of the busiest and most vibrant cities in all of Equestria! Isn't this exciting?!" She said in, squealing in excitement and grinning in an almost manic manner. Star Twinkle couldn't help but feel nervous about this. "Yes! Sure!" He said while still being in her grasp. Applejack though was not feeling it quite like Rarity. "Seems a hair odd, though, don't it? Map callin' me to a big city like Manehattan?" She pointed out. While it was maybe the perfect choice for Rarity to be there, it was true that Applejack would not be the best choice for this city. As a filly, she tried living there after all and ended up being quite unhappy. Star Twinkle was about to point out that the map may not have an exact idea about its job, being still the only one of his friends to not being summoned by it yet but he didn't want to ruin the moment for Rarity. Luckily, Twilight knew the right words to convince the mare. "You may be more of a country pony at heart, Applejack, but the map picked you two because you're the best ponies to tackle this particular mission," she explained. "But how will we even know what our mission's supposed to be?" Applejack replied before she gazed at the map one more time and taking a look at how big Manehattan was. "That neighborhood probably has twice as many ponies as all of Ponyville," she said. "Pff. More like three times!" Rarity added. "Why, it's not only home to the Haypacking District – it's also home to the Fashion District!" She said, her face starting to beam in excitement just thinking about it. Star Twinkle shook his head, with a smile on his face though. "But don't forget your mission while you are shopping there," he said amused. Rarity simply waved her hoof in response. "I'm sure there is enough time for both," she said. Seeing how Rarity was looking forward to this trip did lighten the mood and removed all the concerns that Applejack had before. Even Star Twinkle was looking forward to going there now. But there was one pony whose mood was lowering the happier those three ponies became. Twilight was sitting in her throne and seemed to be a little envious about them going there. It was the same with Griffonstone, a place that she really wanted to visit, not to mention helping to fix a problem there. Star Twinkle noticed the frown on Twilight's face and walked up to her. "You know, you can still come with us," he said. "I mean, I go there, even though the map didn't summon me. There is no reason for you to not come as well," he explained. The mare did appreciate what the stallion was doing for her but she had to decline. I'll be fine," she returned softly. "I think it's much more important that you go, considering how the map seems to refuse to call you at all," she said. Star Twinkle felt as if he was called out right now. What she said was true but hearing it only made him feel bad. It was as if he was just accompanying Applejack and Rarity because everyone felt sorry for him. He knew that his friends wouldn't think something like that but, like many times before, that didn't stop him from still thinking that. "Shame you weren't called as well, though, darling," Rarity expressed in comfort. "You did end up quite a fan of the hustle and bustle of Manehattan on our last visit." Twilight was getting a little nostalgic thinking back about that. "It's such an exciting city, and there's still so much I'd like to do there. So many museums and historical landmarks to visit. Not to mention all the libraries!" She said with stars showing up in her eyes and beaming just thinking about this. "But this is your mission," she then said while regaining composure again. "Don't worry about me," she said before she levitated a comic book over to her side, one that Spike was reading at this very moment. He didn't appreciate being interrupted like this and crossed his arms. "I've got plenty of... books... to keep me... busy," Twilight then said as she pretended to be interested in this comic. Her friends saw right through her behavior of course. Twilight was really bad when it came to fooling her friends like this. Star Twinkle, Applejack, and Rarity just pretended to believe her at this moment so that Twilight would not have to worry them. But then Rarity gasped in shock, all of a sudden, much to everyone's surprise. "I just remembered something! The Sisterhooves Social!" She said. "The what?" Star Twinkle asked confused. Applejack explained. "The Sisterhooves Social is held every year. It's an event where a team of two sisters can partake in various events. Apple Bloom and I take part of it for years," she said. "Sweetie Belle and I tried it last year as well!" Rarity added. "It was so much fun!" But just remembering that only made her feel sad again. Of course, Star Twinkle didn't have any siblings so he didn't know how it must feel to skip something where you have a chance to bond with them. Looking at the faces of his two friends, he could tell that they were looking forward to it. "We'll have to miss it," Applejack figured. "No tellin' how long we'll be in Manehattan." Having said that, the mare still felt bad, just like Rarity. "I sure hope Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle aren't too upset," she then added with a frown on her face. While an event like this was of course, important, being summoned by a magical map still had more priority. This left them with no choice but to go to their mission, whether they wanted to or not. Who knows what would happen if something similar as in Starlight Glimmer's village was happening somewhere else in Equestria after all. Later... Having just stepped out of the train station, the three ponies were instantly greeted with busy ponies, walking all around the place. It only reminded everyone who busy Manehattan was compared to Ponyville. Star Twinkle and Applejack were a little nervous seeing all this in front of them. The same could not be said about Rarity, however. The mare was beaming. "Oh, Manehattan, what you do to me!" She said in excitement as she looked at the high buildings in front of her. Star Twinkle expected Rarity to start singing any minute now but she refrained from doing so. His attention swiftly turned towards Applejack who was visibly shaking at this very moment. She was simply overwhelmed by this town. If there was one pony in the world who knew how the mare was feeling right now, then it was Star Twinkle. He just had to look at the street to understand. Everypony was busy, in a rush, and annoyed because of it. It was certainly not a town where he would feel well. It didn't take long until Rarity took notice of Applejack's state. "Darling, are you all right?" She asked in worry. Applejack composed herself a little. "Ponies move so fast here. Not at all like back home," she said nervously. "Yeah..." Star Twinkle said. "But we were aware of what would await us, right?" The stallion was clearly nervous as well and wanted to let her know that. The mare was aware of this too and took a deep breath before she followed Star Twinkle and Rarity. "Remember, you two, you're in the big city now. No moseying. You've gotta walk with speed and confidence!" Rarity explained before she led the way. Even something as easy as crossing the street seemed to be something difficult for the two Earth Ponies. Applejack resorted to talking to herself in order to calm down. "Eyes peeled, ears open. Eyes peeled, ears open," she repeated to herself. Then the street needed to be crossed. The ponies living in this town were, of course, all used to the behavior of each other. In order to get forward, they simply asserted dominance. If somepony was in the way, then just complain and get annoyed until they move aside. Rarity's advise to show confidence was taken by Star Twinkle and Applejack but considering their character, it was easier said as done for them. "Move it!" One pony said as Applejack was in the way. "Sorry 'bout that," the mare apologized. "Get outta my way!" Another pony said towards Star Twinkle. "I'm sorry," the stallion replied nervously. "Watch it!" Two more ponies said annoyed as soon as Star Twinkle and Applejack came their way. This time both of them just made way without replying to them. They felt almost stupid for having such a hard time crossing one street. The ponies here were not as considered as the ones in Ponyville, at least not at first sight. There were a lot of ponies here, and every single one of them was busy. The last thing they wanted were two country ponies crossing their path. Once the two arrived next to Rarity, on the other side of the street, they were hugely relieved. "I did not expect this to be this hard..." Star Twinkle said. "Me neither," Applejack replied. This only gave her the realization that she already was aware of before. "Butter my biscuits. I can barely cross the street in this town. How am I supposed to help solve a—" But then she was interrupted by Rarity. "There!" She said after gasping in shock. Rarity was pointing at something and Star Twinkle and Applejack were not sure at what or why. She pointed at a mare buying a hat from what it looked like. The mare seemed happy and was probably the last pony that they would suspect to have a problem. She was just paying for the hat, which she put on her head. "No!" Rarity exclaimed in a panic before she rushed towards the mare. Star Twinkle just looked over to Applejack, hoping that she knew what was happening but he quickly found out that she seemed just a lost as him. "No," said Rarity once more, this time right next to the surprised mare while she slapped a coin out of her hoof. "Excuse me?" The mare replied confused, an understandable reaction to this. Rarity explained herself. "That hat clashes with your mane, not to mention it's far too large and will undoubtedly obstruct your vision," she said before the mare went to the merchant stand to find a more fitting hat for the pony. "Oh, dear, none of these will do," she figured after taking a closer look at every hat in there. By now, Star Twinkle and Applejack arrived at the scene. "What are you doing, Rarity?" Star Twinkle asked. Rarity turned towards the stallion. Oh, Star Twinkle! What good timing!" She said happily. "Why?" Star Twinkle replied confused. Rarity then used her magic to open a box on the stallion's back, which he had the honor of carrying throughout this trip for her. In her excitement, the mare opened the box rather quickly bonking the stallion on the head in the process. "Ow!" He expressed annoyed. Rarity took out another hat and put it on the mare's head. "Here. This will do splendidly," she said. "Wait!" Star Twinkle said. "This is what I have been carrying this whole time!?" He asked. "You can never be too prepared, darling," Rarity simply replied. The stallion should have not been surprised in the least. It was Rarity after all. He took a closer look inside the box to find out that it was filled with clothes only. He decided to not comment on that though, Rarity was too focused on the other mare anyway. The mare did seem to like her new hat. The new purple hat that Rarity pulled out from the box was fitting the lavender-colored coat and mane of her. "Oh, it's lovely! How much would you like for it?" She asked. "Oh, no-no, please, please, keep it. I can always make another," Rarity humbly replied. "Thank you!" The mare replied happily before she walked away with a nice new hat, which she didn't even have to pay for. Rarity seemed happy as well, proud even. "And you thought we wouldn't discover our purpose here!" She said. Those words seemed to have been directed towards Applejack. "What?" Star Twinkle said. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that wasn't it," Applejack added. "What?" Rarity replied indignantly. "We just saved that poor pony from committing a terrible crime of fashion," she explained. She seemed to truly believe that this was their reason to be summoned here by the map. Star Twinkle then pointed out the obvious. "That didn't really look like a friendship problem though," he said, which was only further supported by how Applejack raised her eyebrow in disbelieve. But Rarity still insisted. "Well, she could've been meeting a friend who would've laughed at her new hat, and then their friendship could've been ruined forever! And... mmm... it's possible," she explained, even though it more looked like as if she was picking for straws now. "Did your cutie mark glow signifyin' a job well done?" Applejack then further asked. And like that, reality struck the mare as soon as she looked to her own flank. "No. I suppose it didn't," she admitted. "Still, a disaster was averted!" She added proudly. "Averted?" Another stallion asked in a rather displeased tone. It was the owner of the merchant cart who was selling the hat that Rarity talked the other mare out of. Needless to say, the stallion was not happy because of this. "You just lost me a paying customer!" He exclaimed angrily. Rarity got nervous and backed away a little. "Oh, my! Oh, I-I-I-I-I'm s-so sorry. I never meant to—" She said but the damage was already done and the angry stallion was not gonna listen to her. "Beat it!" The stallion shouted at Rarity. While the mare tried to calm him down with some friendly words, Applejack figured that it was a good idea to get her away from the stallion. She slowly pulled her away from him but Rarity insisted to apology. "Uh, please accept my sincerest apologies for the misunderstanding, and might I add, what a lovely establishment you have here!" Applejack then looked over to Star Twinkle, causing him to get a really bad feeling. "Can you pay for the hat please, Sugarcube?" The merchant instantly looked towards Star Twinkle, waiting for his payment. "Of course..." Star Twinkle said bothered before he took care of it by paying one bit to the merchant. Given the mood he was in, the merchant didn't even thank Star Twinkle for the money. After taking care of that one angry merchant, the three ponies could recollect themselves again. Now it was obvious to Rarity as well that the friendship problem was not dealt with. "You two were right," she said followed by a sigh. "The search continues," she added determinedly. "More like, the search begins," Star Twinkle figured. "Where do we even start to find out what we have to do?" He asked. The girls didn't know how to answer that at first. Applejack could only come to one conclusion. "Guess we have to do it the old fashioned way." And by old-Fashioned, Applejack meant going around the streets and asking ponies if they had a friendship-problem. Manehattan was a pretty big city so of course, that was a lot easier than said. A little later... Star Twinkle's, Applejack's, and Rarity's attempts to find somepony with a friendship-problem proved to be unsuccessful, as expected. Most ponies didn't even bother to listen and ignored the three. "Mind your own business!" Another pony replied after Star Twinkle asked of a friendship-problem. "Sorry," he apologized. Of course, no one would listen to him. If somepony was bothering Star Twinkle in the middle of the street, then he would ignore them as well. Being aware of that fact did not help him though. Star Twinkle eventually decided to give up and meet his friends. It didn't take long until he found Applejack not too far away, having to go through the same trouble. She simply tried to get everyone's attention but nopony would listen to her. "Uh, 'scuse me, I was just wonderin'... Uh, friendship problem, anypony? See, we've been sent here to... A-A map summoned us and, uh... If you could just take a moment to..." It was almost sad watching how desperately she tried to get the attention of anyone. Soon, even Applejack came to the conclusion that this isn't working and gave up. "Looks like you had no luck either," Star Twinkle said as he walked up to the mare. "Nope," Applejack replied. "Let's see if Rarity was more successful," she suggested. The stallion shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. He then pointed at Rarity who was just on the other side of the street. Unlike, Applejack and him, she was standing there behind a little wooden counter as if she was selling something. Of course, Star Twinkle was the one who had to build it for her. The two could already hear her from the other side of the street. "Friendship advice! Anypony looking for friendship advice!" She was shouting in the street in the hope that somepony would be interested. But just like with Star Twinkle and Applejack, the ponies around her decided to ignore her. Star Twinkle sighed. "How about a change of plans?" He suggested. "Sound good to me," Applejack added. The two ponies joined Rarity, who was looking as if she started to give up now as well. "Good grief. This isn't working," she said with a frown on her face. She didn't even attempt to stay optimistic anymore. Now Applejack was sighing. "I'm not sure what we're supposed to do. To be honest, I'm still not even sure what the map called me here for," she added frustrated. This sentence was just begging for Star Twinkle to say something. "At least you were called" is something he wanted to tell her but that would not help the situation right now. "Oh, try not to worry, Applejack," Rarity said confidently. "The map picked us for a reason. Although how we're supposed to uncover that reason, I haven't a clue. We can't possibly approach every single pony in town until we find out what we're meant to d—" But the mare was interrupted by a flyer that just happened to fly right into her face in the middle of the sentence. "Oh, wait!" Star Twinkle said before he took the piece of paper off from the mare's face. "Thank you, darling," Rarity replied before she made sure that her mane was still in top condition after this. Star Twinkle was about to throw the paper away again but he decided to just read it out loud while he was at it. "Please help us restore our long-lost but beloved tradition, the Midsummer Theater Revival. There's a guest performance by a local theater troupe, the Method Mares, as well as games, food, and much, much more. This event promises to bring our Bronclyn neighbors together and restore our sense of community, but there's so much to do and we need your help." The two mares next to him listened to him as well, and Rarity quickly gasped in her realization. "Darling, this is it!" She said before she grabbed the flyer and gave it a quick read as well. "What is what?" The confused stallion asked. Rarity then pointed at one spot of the paper. "There, look! The contact on the flyer is Coco Pommel!" She pointed out. That name was ringing a bell for Star Twinkle but Applejack eventually helped him remember. "Oh, right! She's the one you got a job makin' costumes for that designer friend o' yours," she said. "Oh, yes!" Star Twinkle then said once he fully remembered. "The one who gave you the trophy and that yarn before we left Manehattan the last time. Right?" But unlike Star Twinkle and Applejack, Rarity seemed to be the only one who saw a huge opportunity. "Don't you see?! This must be why the map called us here!" She explained, thinking of this flyer as some kind of a sign. "Oh, and you were so worried!" She then added, completely forgetting that she was worried a second ago as well. Whether it was a sign or not, it was the only thing they had to go off from now on. "Maybe?" Star Twinkle figured. Applejack simply shook her shoulders. "Well, I suppose it's at least worth lookin' into... that is, if we can ever get off this street corner," she said. It was true that the three ponies did not make too much progress to leave the street next to the train station. This might have been the reason why they were not successful in finding a problem. But now they had something that almost resembled a clue so they had no choice but to follow it. If they are lucky, Coco Pommel's problem was the reason for them being here. Later... When they arrived at Coco Pommel's place, it already got dark. This only proved how big Manehattan was. Coco Pommel lived in a small apartment, something that was common in this city. The three already knocked on her door, and it only took a few moments until the Light Amber gray coated Earth Pony mare opened it. "It's you!" The mare said in a positive surprise after she saw three familiar faces. "Hello, Miss Pommel," Rarity greeted happily. "We are here because of your flyer," she explained. "You are!?" Coco Pommel said almost in shock as if she never suspected anyone to ever show up because of that. She immediately stepped aside and let the three in. "Make yourself comfortable, I prepare some tea and snacks," she offered. Since they were invited, the three did take on her offer and sat down on a couch in the middle of the room. Her place was really nice looking and actually mirrored the mare's personality perfectly. From mannequin ponies, clothes scattered all over the place, and design ideas, the place almost looked like the inside of Carousel Boutique Coco Pommel came back from her kitchen and place tea and some snacks on a table in front of the three before she then sat down a stool across them. "I can't believe you found my flyer. Quite a coincidence, don't you think?" She said. But Rarity disagreed after taking a sip from her tea. "We were specifically summoned here to be of service, and you, my dear friend, are in need of help. It's no coincidence, darling. It's fate!" She said determinedly before taking another sip from the tea. Star Twinkle didn't know if Rarity purposely left out the fact that he wasn't called by the map or if she actually was convinced that he was supposed to be here as well. Applejack quickly got to the point of their visit. "This Midsummer Theater Revival – what is it, exactly?" She said before she took a bit from her little snack. Coco Pommel pulled out a little book. Inside were some pictures. Star Twinkle quickly noticed something about them. "Is that you?" He asked pointing at a little filly which had a striking resemblance to Coco, next to some little ponies. All of them were wearing costumes. "Yes," The mare replied. "When I was younger," she added. Coco then showed some more pictures to the three ponies. All of them showed either her or some other ponies attending the Midsummer Theater Revival. According to her, it is an outdoor play held at the community park. It sounded a lot like a festival. Ponies would prepare food, make costumes and design set pieces for the stage, and local theater troupes would perform for them. Applejack was happy to see how on each picture everypony seemed to have a lot of fun helping to set everything up. "Y'all do look like you're enjoyin' each others' company. Kinda reminds me of Ponyville," she said, thinking about all the events that Ponyville had. "It sounds lovely, darling," Rarity only had to add. But Coco Pommel was frowning. "It was, up until several moons ago," she said. "What do you mean?" Star Twinkle asked confused. Coco Pommel then further browsed through the pages and pointed at a specif mare in one of them. " That's Charity Kindheart. She was a well-known costume designer on Bridleway. She started the Midsummer Theater Revival as a way to share her passion for theater with the neighborhood. No matter how busy she was, she always made time for the Revival," she explained. On a lot of the pictures, a young Coco Pommel could be seen with this Charity Kindheart pony. Even back then she seemed to like the mare for what she did during the Revival. One of the pictures even showed how Charity gave Coco a red brooch, which seemed to be the exact one that she is still wearing to this day. Star Twinkle quickly put one and one together. "But she can't take care of it this time, right?" He guessed. "No," Coco replied before she shut the book and walked over to her balcony. "She moved away to be closer to her grandfillies. And with her gone, the neighborhood lost the special tradition she had started, and worse, the sense of community it fostered," she explained as she looked down at the street. It was almost scary how on cue, one could hear two ponies arguing right after she said that. This was something that Star Twinkle, Applejack, and Rarity already experienced only minutes after their arrival in this city. "I...couldn't tell," Star Twinkle said in a sarcastic tone after he literally heard two ponies outside loudly arguing a second ago. "Nopony else stepped up to take over for Charity?" Applejack asked. "I've been trying to," Coco replied before she closed the doors to her balcony. "But I've just gotten a last-minute request to alter costumes for the cast of My Fair Filly, and I'm afraid I haven't made much progress. Oh... There's just so much to do to bring back the Midsummer Revival, and my flyers haven't attracted a single volunteer!" She said in a panic after just remembering all of this. That was an obvious sign for the three ponies to step in. "Say no more!" Rarity said, taking the words out of Star Twinkle and Applejack. "You finish up your work, and by this time tomorrow, you'll be up to your mane in ponies who want to lend a hoof. Star Twinkle, Applejack, and I will make sure of it!" She assured. "You will?" Coco asked with an excited grin on her face. "You bet your boots we will!" Applejack replied confidently and ready to take action. "Oh, I don't wear boots," Coco Pommel replied, taking Applejack out of it for a moment. "I find they chafe my calves when I walk," she added. The three ponies were a little confused to hear her say that. Coco did not seem to understand Applejack's saying. "It's just an expression," Applejack then said. Coco Pommel was confused at first but then she put on a grin and blushed in embarrassment. Star Twinkle, Applejack, and Rarity just chuckled at that adorable reaction from the mare. The three ponies were just happy to have somewhere to go from now on. Whether this was the Friendship-Problem, the map summoned them here for or not, a friend needed help, and they were all too willing to help out. Rarity also raised Coco's hoped up and they didn't want to disappoint her. Coco Pommel was letting the three stay for the night and the first thing they planned to do in the morning was to ask some ponies to help with the Midsummer Revival. The next day... Star Twinkle, Applejack, and Rarity had no choice but to walk around the city and just plain out ask ponies if they were ready to lend some help to set everything up for later. But given how busy everyone in this city was, this proved to be pretty difficult. "So you see, the Method Mares are only available on this one day, and we need all the help we can get with preparation." Rarity explained to a newspaper seller on the street while he started placing some newspapers on his counter. The stallion did not seem to bother about Rarity's offer too much though. "Yeah, not a good time right now," he said before he accepted a bitcoin from a pony buying one of his newspapers already. "Heh. What am I saying? It's never a good time!" He added. With the help of this pony denied, they had to go somewhere else for help. Rarity once again did the talking, this time she asked a mare selling some popcorn at the entrance of a park. "Well? What do you think?" She said after she cleared her throat. The mare did not seem to appreciate how Rarity was bothering her while she did her work. "I got my own problems. You think I've got hours to dedicate to somepony else's?" She replied annoyed before she attended her costumers again. With this failed attempt, the three ponies walked further inside the park and near a lake, where they found some really wealthy-looking pony, wearing a top hat and a suit. The three figured it would be worth a try to just ask this stallion for help. "Ah, yes, Charity's Midsummer Theater Revival. Such wonderful memories," the stallion said. He seemed to like to hear how it will be held later this day. "So you'll help us?" Applejack said, her voice finally being filled with some hope again. But then the stallion released an amused laugh after hearing her say that. "Don't be ridiculous. I run a very important oat and hay import/export business. Why, I can't spare even a moment for such things!" He explained. The ironic thing about his words was that he seemed to have a lot of time at hoof, judging how he laid down on a pool mat and took a nap right in front of them. It was visible on Star Twinkle's face that he was not amused. Clearly this pony had enough time to relax right now. Of course, the search went on some longer but every single time the result was the same. Star Twinkle, Applejack, and Rarity had to return to Coco Pommel to bring her the bad news. Needless to say, the mare was not too happy about it. "This is a nightmare," is all she could say to sum this situation up. "I finished the alterations for My Fair Filly, but I've barely started the costumes for the Revival, and the Method Mares are coming to the park tomorrow for a costume fitting and rehearsal!" She explained in frustration. But Rarity was there. "Well, I could help you with the costumes," she offered. If it came to costumes, then she would be of great assistance after all. "But what are we going to do about the rest?" Coco added. "The park is in desperate need of repairs, and the sets still need to be built!" She explained. Applejack quickly picked up on that and looked over to Star Twinkle with a smile on her face. "Now this sounds like a job for us!" She said confidently, much to Coco's surprise. "Yes," Star Twinkle added. "If there is one thing I'm good at, then it's building and repairing things," he said confidently for once. "And I know a thing or two about buildin' and fixin' things too. Could be the reason the map called me here!" Applejack figured with a grin on her face. Now she finally had a reason to show some more motivation towards the whole thing again. Rarity also seemed happy to see her friend motivated like this. "You see, dear? We went out looking for volunteers when all the help you need is right here," she said towards Coco Pommel, who started to feel better too after realizing how much of a help her friends were in this time of need. "The map wouldn't have chosen just Applejack and me if it was more than we could handle," Rarity pointed out. "Everything is going to be just fine!" She claimed. "Yes," Star Twinkle agreed. "There are two of us after all. We should be able to take care of it in time," he added. Of course, Star Twinkle had to take a look at the place first to get a good opinion on that but as he said before, it was two of them, one of them being a someone who builds and repairs as a living and another one being the most hardworking pony in Ponyville. It will probably be a pretty hard day for the two Earth Ponies but he still was confident that they would have everything ready before the revival. Later, at the park... As it turns out, none of them were prepared. What they saw left them completely stunned. "Okay...this is a little more then I expected..." Star Twinkle said in a defeated tone. Repairs were not the only things that needed to be done at the park. Plants were growing wild and were probably not taken care of for a long time from what it looked like. The pony statues in the park had plants all over themselves, and the old stage was in desperate need of fixing. To put it short, it was all a complete mess and far too much for Star Twinkle and Applejack to take care of alone. They needed at least eight more of them to properly get everything fixed by the end of the day. Coco Pommel was o expert at gardening or building but even she could see that this was a lot of work. "Are you sure you two can manage this by yourself?" She then asked with some worry in her voice. Being the element of honesty, Applejack was giving her an honest answer. "Well, there's a lot to do, but Rarity's right. The map wouldn't have called us here if we weren't up for the challenge. Right, Star Twinkle?" The stallion looked over to Coco Pommel. He certainly didn't want to disappoint her either. "Yeah! I'm sure we can get everything fixed in time," he said, his voice not sounding too confident though. "You two go on and take care of the costumes. We'll see you at the dress rehearsal," Applejack said. And just like that, Rarity and Coco left the two to take care of the park. The two Earth Ponies just looked over this forest that was supposed to be a park and they both realized that this would be very difficult. "Oh boy..." Star Twinkle just said. "I know," Applejack said. "It may look bad but the two of us will be able to get this place into a...presentable state," the mare assured, although it was pretty obvious that she was having doubts as well. "Let's get started right away!" She suggested. If they wanted to get everything done, then starting early was the best thing to do. From pulling out some plants and mowing the grass to repairing some of the things in the park, this whole task was bound to get both of them really exhausted in a few hours. It really didn't help that this park had way too much to do and was way too big for just the two of them. Applejack was pulling out some withered flowers while Star Twinkle was mowing the grass with a lawnmower. Both of those tasks would take quite a while given the size of this park but there was no time to complain about work, time was of the essence. Luckily, Applejack was still in highs spirits throughout the whole thing. "Okay, I'm done pulling out those guys from the ground!" She said victoriously. Her coat and mane were a complete mess but knowing that she was done, was making her really happy about it. Star Twinkle stopped working for a moment. "Um, Applejack?" He said as he pointed towards another field with withered plants stick out of them in a nearby area. Needless to say, Applejack was not happy at all to see how she wasn't even remotely done with her work. She just had to continue her work, there was no time to complain now. ... Applejack managed to get a majority of the plants out of the ground but she needed to do something else to get a little bit less frustrated by pulling out some plants. Doing all this work already took a toll on the two of them. They both were really exhausted already and looked completely tired out. Both of them were mowing the ground now, and both of them were too tired to keep their eyes focused on everything. Applejack for exampled didn't notice how her hat got stuck on a low hanging branch as she walked past it, causing it to drop to the ground and right in the path of an unsuspecting Star Twinkle who was unable to react in time and just mowed down the poor stetson. "Oh no! I'm sorry," Star Twinkle apologized nervously. The mare picked up the hat, which strangely survived the lawnmower attack but got several holes in it now. "Don't worry about it, we got bigger things to worry about now," she said before she put her hat on again and continued working. ... After getting most of the grass cut, the two Earth Ponies decided to get rid of some vines in the ground, and there were a lot, meaning that they had to spend quite some time doing that as well. Star Twinkle was just about to pull out another vine, a very stubborn one on top of it. "Come on!" The stallion said while having still this single vine in his mouth who he desperately tried to pull out. Eventually, he managed to get it out finally out of the ground but since he put so much force into it to pull it out, he accidentally fell backward and against a pony statue. It hurt a little bit and the stallion grabbed his head for a moment. He was about to say something to express his annoyance right about now but he was taken by surprise after hearing Applejack's voice. "Look out!" She said in a panic. It was only then when the stallion noticed that the statue behind him was shaking and about to bury him beneath it. Star Twinkle was unable to move out of the way fast enough but luckily Applejack was there to push him out of the way in time before the statue fell down with a huge crash. It was quite a shock for the stallion. He had to take a few breathes to calm down again. "T-thank you, Applejack," he said in gratitude. The mare stood up next to him and offered a hoof to help the stallion up again. "I'm just glad nothing happened to you," she replied. As the stallion got up on his hooves again, he immediately noticed how Applejack's hat was not on her head anymore. It didn't take long until he noticed how the stetson was right under the statue now, exactly where he would be if Applejack didn't push him out of the way. Applejack notice how the stallion looked at her hat. She only just now noticed that she was missing it in fact. She managed to get her hat back again and put it on her head and just acted as if nothing happened. "Perhaps we should take a little bit of a break. We're working for quite some hours after all," she suggested. "S-sure..." Star Twinkle replied. This little accident was for him a sign that he probably needed a little rest. The two walked towards the stage to take a little break. Applejack placed her hat on a bench to whip away some sweat from her forehead but to her surprise, the bench collapsed by just the weight of her stetson. "This place really is a mess..." Star Twinkle expressed in frustration. "Maybe," Applejack replied. "But if we work really hard, I'm sure we can get everything done in time...I hope..." she explained. It was still obvious that the mare was having trouble being optimistic anymore. "Yes," Star Twinkle replied. "We are working like crazy but it feels as if we almost accomplished nothing. It's a wonder if we managed to complete our work here," he figured. Applejack noticed how Star Twinkle was breathing heavily. He was exhausted, of course, he was, even she was tired by now. And seeing how they might not end up finishing everything in time certainly made his motivation drop a little bit. He was also not enjoying working this hard at all, that much she knew already about him. "Hey, I got an idea," Applejack then said out of the blue. "What?" Star Twinkle replied. "Let's give up," she simply said. "...What!?" Star Twinkle asked in surprise. "We can't do that," he added. Applejack just grinned back at him. "Why not?" She asked. "You said it just now. There is no way that we can do this in time, even if we try," she pointed out. "Yes, but..." Star Twinkle replied, trying to figure out what was going on now. This was still Applejack in front of him, and Applejack would never leave things unfinished. It completely caught him off-guard that she would even suggest such a thing. "Well?" Applejack said, further trying to get the stallion's approval. Star Twinkle still believed that what he said before was true. They couldn't finish their work on time. He also was really tired and his body felt really heavy from all this work. But still... "No! We still have to try! We can't just leave Coco hanging! She is trusting in us!" He said in defense, his voice sounding surprisingly serious over this matter. But Applejack didn't say a thing. She just stood there with a smug smile on her face. "What?" Star Twinkle asked confused. The mare then explained why she was smiling like this. "Wouldn't have expected anything else from you," she said. It now clicked in Star Twinkle's mind. "Did she trick me just now? Did she want me to say this?" He wondered. The stallion felt really stupid if that was the truth. "I was just kidding," Applejack then said, confirming Star Twinkle's thoughts almost instantly. The mare quickly noticed how the stallion must have groaned in annoyance in his mind and laughed. "Sorry," she said amused. Star Twinkle simply glared at the mare. "And what if I said that I wanted to give up?" He asked. "That would have ruined your joke," he pointed out. "Maybe," Applejack casually replied. "But I knew you wouldn't say that," she said with confidence and no signs of doubts in her voice. "I know you always complain about working so hard but deep down, you like to help ponies in need. There was no way that you would have given up," she added. "Was there?" Star Twinkle thought. "There was no way that I would have given up? Of course, there was. I'm lazy, I know when I should quit avoiding work and frustration. Surely I had in mind to give up at some point...right?" The more he thought about this the more he got unsure about it. Was he making this kind of impression on her? On everyone? He would not describe himself like this. Applejack did not seem to notice how Star Twinkle was thinking about all this and walked away again. "Well, let's go back to work!" She said. Star Twinkle's ears popped up in surprise. "What!? Already!? I thought we're on a break?" He asked. "We were on a break," Applejack corrected. "We can't lose too much time anymore, so let's go," she explained before she went back to work. Of course, Star Twinkle followed her without any word added from him. Later... After spending some more time working at the park, the two finally had some time to start working on the stage. First, they painted some parts of it. They figured that they should start with painting first so that it could dry in time. Rarity and Coco Pommel also returned by now and they brought some fine clothes for the actors that would play later at the Revival. When they arrived, they instantly noticed how there was still a lot of work that needed to be done but they remained silent about it to not offend the two hardworking ponies. Star Twinkle and Applejack both noticed the arrival of the two mares. "I know it looks bad, but we are movin' as fast as we can," Applejack said exhausted before she accidentally walked into a paint bucket. But neither Rarity or Coco Pommel said anything to indicate that they were unhappy about the current state of the park. "Don't worry, we've still got plenty of time," Rarity said in high spirits. "Everything's going to be—" "Um, excuse me?" A male voice then asked which came from a pony who was in the company of three more ponies. Judging from how they were dressed, they seemed to be the theater group. "Is this where the Midsummer Theater Revival is supposed to be, perchance?" The same pony asked. "We're here for the dress rehearsal?" A mare from the group then asked. "Oh, yes!" Coco Pommel replied after finally seeing how something seemed to go well. "We've just put the finishing touches on the costumes," she explained. The theater ponies noticed how the park looked so far. Even after all the work that Star Twinkle and Applejack put into fixing it, the park was still a huge mess. They didn't seem to like performing in a place like this but they quickly changed their mind once they took a look at Rarity and Coco Pommels costumes. "At least those look professional," one of the theater ponies said towards his other crew members. Star Twinkle sighed. "At least Rarity's help was of success," the stallion thought. It was good to see that something went well in some kind of way. "We'll do a dry run of the play first, and then the fitting," one of the theater mares explained before she walked up to the stage. It took some time until it clicked in Star Twinkle's and Applejack's mind, probably because they were both exhausted, but they soon remembered that they had no time to reinforce the stage yet. But it was already too late, the mare stepped up at the stage and the whole thing started shaking. It was about to collapse. Luckily, Applejack was there in time to push the mare out of the way, just like before when she saved Star Twinkle. Of course, the theater ponies were not too happy that one of them was about to get crushed a minute ago. Things became awkward and the theater group was really worried that something like that would happen again. They told Coco Pommel that they needed to think about playing in the Revival, which of course was just a way of them saying that they didn't quite believe in her. After getting almost crushed, and being asked to play in a messy park like this, no one could really blame them for that. Unfortunately, this was bad news for Coco Pommel and the others... Later, inside Coco Pommel's apartment... The mood of Coco Pommel dropped to the floor after all the things that happened. It certainly was not the most successful day so far. She had all the reasons to be upset now. She simply let her head hanging on her balcony and had a big frown on her face. "I just wanted to live up to Charity's example, to bring my neighborhood together again. But the park is still a mess, we haven't even thought about what refreshments to serve during the performance, and even if we had, we don't have a stage for the Method Mares to perform on! It's hopeless... Just hopeless!" It didn't help Star Twinkle, Applejack, and Rarity to see one of their friends in this state either. They quickly got upset as well. "I don't understand," Rarity then whispered to her two friends. "The map summoned us here to solve a friendship problem. We've clearly found it, but why did it send the three of us? Why not Twilight? I'm sure she could have used her magic to transform this park in an instant!" She figured. "I've been thinkin' the same thing," Applejack added. "I mean, I can at least see why you're here – Coco's your friend, and you have an eye for costumes and all – but me? I was never gonna be able to finish a project this big," she pointed out. Star Twinkle groaned annoyed. "Applejack, I am getting a little tired of hearing that," he said boldly. "How do you think I feel about all this? At least you were called. I wasn't called by the map once. Who knows, maybe me being here interfered with your mission," he explained before now a smile formed on his face. "I mean, I am not too bad at building and repairing and it still wasn't enough to help out," he added. Applejack looked away for a moment. She felt as if she wasn't very considerate of the stallion's feelings at all so far. "I'm sorry," she said. Now it was Rarity's turn to feel bad. She fell over, right into Star Twinkle's hooves, who happened to catch her in time. "We'll return to Ponyville as failures! Why must this be? Why? Why?!" She said in her best drama queen voice. But Applejack put a quick stop to this. "Now hold on there. Just because we are blaming ourselves about the whole thing doesn't mean that we have to pack up and go home," she explained. Rarity quickly snapped out of her drama mood. "Then what are you suggesting?" She asked. "I'm suggestin' we stop worryin' about what we can't do and start doing what we can," Applejack returned. Her eyes wandered over to Star Twinkle. She must have thought back about their little conversation from before. "Applejack is right," Star Twinkle agreed. "Remember what you said to me before we left Ponyville? If I feel left out, then I should do something against it. I don't know if I am supposed to be here or not but since I am here, I will try everything that I can do now," he said in determination. The two mares liked to hear Star Twinkle speaking like this. They couldn't help but smile. "I think I've got a plan," Applejack announced as she walked up to Coco Pommel, who seemed to have overheard the mare's words and turned around. "It won't be anythin' big or fancy, but it'll be somethin'. And somethin's gotta be better than nothin', right?" Coco Pommel had no choice but to take that. "I suppose so..." She said, still having a big frown on her face. "That's the spirit! Sorta..." Applejack said after hearing that response. Applejack made sure to share her plan with everyone and the group agreed to do everything she said. There was still a lot that had to be done for her plan to work but it was certainly easier than taking care of the whole park. Now it just had to be enough to work out in the end... Later, that evening... It still took quite some time until everything was ready for the Revival. Applejack's plan involved building a completely new stage at one of the entrances of the park. With the stage now outside of the park, there was no more reason to take care of it anymore, and no more ponies would get scared away by the state of it. After Star Twinkle and Applejack just hammered down the last nails on the stage the work was finally done and the play could begin. "Alright, y'all, it's ready!" Applejack announced. The stage was smaller but still nice to look at. The two Earth Ponies did put a lot of work and time into it after all. It was enough to put a smile at Coco Pommel's face at least. Once Star Twinkle and Applejack left the stage, one of the theater ponies looked through the curtain. "Should we go ahead and start?" He asked. It was a blessing that the four theater ponies still wanted to play after what happened before. When the group asked about why they still wanted to play, their response was just "The show must go on". It was admirable to hear that, and on top of that, it was a good help. Coco Pommel nodded after the question of the theater stallion, giving him a signal to start. Star Twinkle and Applejack sat down in front of the stage to watch the play. "I guess all we can do now is wait?" The stallion asked. "Yes," Applejack quietly replied. And just like that, the curtain opened and the play started. The plan was to set up the stage here in plain sight so that more ponies would notice it by simply walking by. Applejack figured that it was a better idea than to invite everyone in a messy park. The four ponies had to rely on the actors now to draw a crowd in with the play. The curtain started to open and the first scene started. Two of the actors could be seen, a stallion wearing a gray business suit and a mare who was playing the part of Charity Kindheart. The background of the stage consisted of some hoof painted backgrounds that depicted an office. Applejack poked Star Twinkle softly. "Nice job on the backgrounds," she complimented him, causing him to grin awkwardly in response before concentrating on the play again. "Excuse me. I'm Charity Kindheart. I'm here about the open design position. I brought some samples of my work," she said as she pointed at some drawn requisites showing a line of clothes next to her. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had the hardest time finding my way here," she said before she started tearing up. "I just moved here, and I keep getting mixed up by the street names! I had a map, but I dropped it in a puddle, which only made the street names harder to read!" She said in a dramatic tone that could easily rival Rarity in her worst moments. "I see," the male actor on stage replied. In the meantime, one mare walked by the stage and decided to stay after only a few words were spoken on stage. And shortly after, a little colt and his mother started to sit down not too far away from Star Twinkle and the others. Judging from how happy the little colt was, they had to thank him for them to stay. "Excuse me, but your next appointment is here," another stallion from the theater group said. "Alright. Send him in," the other stallion replied. "I'm sorry, but based on these samples, I just don't think this is the place for you," he explained. The actor who played Charity Kindheart gasped overly dramatically in response. "Don't get me wrong. These clothes are all exquisite and well-made, but more theatrical than avant-garde. Have you considered costume design? I have a contact on Bridleway! If you're interested, I can put you in touch with him," he further explained. "...And scene," the male actor on stage said before the curtains closed again. Star Twinkle, Applejack, Rarity, and Coco Pommel now had the time to look behind them to see if there were some ponies watching the play and to their surprise, a small crowd gathered behind them. The four smiled at each other and left it at that. The play was not over yet, meaning that more ponies could possibly show up. For now, they decided to keep watching the play like everypony else. The next scene started. Charity Kindheart and another female actor playing an elderly mare showed up. The background was depicting the outdoors, with trees and birds. "Charity, dear, is that you?" The elderly mare asked. "Hello, Mrs. Pearblossom!" Charity replied as she walked up to her with a cart filled with clothes. Again, those were just drawn requisites. "I didn't see— oops!" She then said before she "accidentally" dropped some fabric to the ground. "Oh, let me help you, dear. Are these the costumes you've been working on?" The elder mare asked. "Yes, I was supposed to be finished by now, but there's just so much to do, and I still have a few last-minute alterations to make before opening night! I'm sorry I couldn't get enough tickets for everypony in the neighborhood. I hope Mr. Pearblossom wasn't too disappointed. I know Trotter on the Roof is one of his favorites," Charity explained. "Oh, my dear filly, don't worry about that," Mrs. Pearblossom said in an understanding tone. "We're so proud of you. We shall be with you in spirit!" "Thank you! You've all made me feel so welcome here and have become like family to me! I just wish I could share this experience with you and the others!" Charity replied in gratitude. As Star Twinkle was focused on the play, a construction worker stallion walked over next to him. "Eh, what's goin' on?" He asked curiously. Star Twinkle explained. "It's the Midsummer Theater Revival." "Starring the Method Mares," Rarity added. The construction pony sighed. "The Revival. Mhm, yeah. My pop used to bring me," he said in a nostalgic tone before he removed his hat and sat down as well. After Star Twinkle saw the stallion sitting down, he took one more look behind him and saw a big crowd whose eyes were glued to the stage. It actually looked as if the Revival was a success. And it wasn't over yet. Later... The sun was already setting down by the time where the play was about to end. The last lines were spoken by the actors and a bunch of ponies watched them. "So nice of you to put on this play for the neighborhood," Mrs. Pearblossom said in gratitude. "I couldn't have done it without everypony's help! I know it's not Bridleway, but—" Charity replied before she was interrupted by Mrs. Pearblossom. "Oh, pish-tosh! It's perfect, dear!" And only a few moments later, the play ended and the actors bowed down to a rather big crowd who all cheered for this wonderful play. Star Twinkle and his friends smiled at each other because of the great success of this Revival. Of course, Coco Pommel was the happiest of them all after seeing how everyone enjoyed the play. Never would she have dreamed that it actually would end up this successfully. "Thank you, fillies and gentlecolts," one of the stallions in the theater group said happily. "Please give a warm welcome to the one who made this entire event possible – our neighbor Coco Pommel!" He said before he called her up to the stage. Cheers started to surround the mare. She was about to go up to the stage but the crowd literally lifted her up and carried her towards it as thanks for this wonderful play. Once she was up at the stage, the mare cleared her throat to say some things to the crowd. "Thank you all so much for coming. The Midsummer Theater Revival was always something that meant so much to me, and it seems it means quite a lot to all of you as well. I really can't take all the credit, though. My dear friends Rarity and Applejack helped me ever so much," she said before she asked the three join her on stage to get some of the applause as well. "Oh! Let's go!" Rarity said excitedly. What she didn't realize though was how Star Twinkle and Applejack were a little nervous to go up there and having everypony stare at them. In the end, Rarity managed to convince them and the three were now up at the stage and next to Coco Pommel. While Rarity enjoyed the attention and bowed down gracefully, Star Twinkle and Applejack could only smile nervously. "I'm a little nervous..." Star Twinkle whispered to Applejack. "Just smile and wave," she said as she did exactly that with a nervous expression on her face. The crowd was clapping and cheering for them. It felt good that all those ponies enjoyed the play and appreciated the work of the four. "Oh, darling, please, it was just a few costumes," Rarity said in a modest tone towards Coco Pommel. "I just helped to build the stage," added said nervously. Despite being nervous herself, there was one thing Applejack still wanted to share with everyone. "To be honest, we had much bigger plans to start. When those fell through, we decided to simplify. This here was the result," she explained. "Oh, don't be so modest. Coco and I were lost," Rarity responded. "You bet your boots we were!" Coco added amused while winking at her friends. Later... It goes without saying that the Revival was a great success. After the play, many ponies still stayed in front of the stage talking with each other. This Revival surely brought everyone closer together. It was the complete opposite of what Star Twinkle and his friends saw when they arrived in this town. Star Twinkle, Applejack, and Rarity were also exchanging some words with some ponies who watched the play. Eventually, a familiar pony showed up to them. It was the wealthy pony who claimed to had no time before. His company, an Earth Pony mare, couldn't help but express her joy about the play. "We just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the Midsummer Theater Revival and how much it inspired us!" "Oh, yeah?" Applejack asked. The stallion seemed to agree with her. "I used to think that to help my community I had to do something big. Heh-heh. And let's face it – in this day and age, who has the time for such a commitment? But here, you did something as simple as building a stage and putting on a play and, heh, look at how it's brought everypony together," he said. All it took to come to this conclusion was to take a quick look at all the ponies around him. The mare couldn't agree anymore. "I saw Coco's flyers for volunteers but didn't think anything I'd have time to do would be that useful. Now I wish I'd offered to help, even if it was just pulling a few weeds or planting a few flowers," she said. This is where Applejack pointed to the park next to them. "Not sure if you noticed, but the park is far from bein' fixed up. I imagine if you look around, you'll find there's lots of little ways for you to get involved in changin' this place for the better," she advised. The two ponies agreed to do exactly that and walked away again. They were also sure that they would not be the only ones who would do some work in this park after this event. Then, suddenly, Applejack and Rarity's Cutie Marks began to glow. They both instantly notice and felt tingly because of it. But more than anything, they were happy now. "Yee-hoo! We did it!" Applejack said excitedly. "Yes, looks like it," Star Twinkle figured. Before the stallion knew it, he was caught in a group hug between the two mares, which quickly broke once Rarity gasped in realization. "I understand now! It all makes perfect sense!" She said in enlightenment. "What?" Star Twinkle asked confused. Rarity then took off Applejack's hat and threw it away. It was still completely ruined by her work in the park after all. As it happened, the hat seller pony from yesterday was here as well and he also happened to have the same kind of hat that Applejack usually wears. The mare bought the hat and put it on Applejack's head. "I know why the map called you here," she said. "You do?" Applejack replied. Rarity explained. "If Twilight had used her magic to fix the park, it wouldn't have fixed the real problem, which is that these Manehattan ponies didn't think they had time to do something for their community! But by building that stage and making sure the play went on, you showed them that just by doing something small, you can make a big difference!" Applejack got behind what Rarity was saying. "Well, I'll be!" She replied. "Makes sense to me," Star Twinkle figured once more. "Seems you have more in common with the Manehattan ponies than you thought!" Rarity added with a huge grin on her face. She probably liked how another one of her friends seemed to enjoy this town as much as she did. Applejack laughed in response. "But all the same, I'd sure like to head back to Ponyville on the next train," she said. "Yes, me too," Star Twinkle added. As much as he liked seeing the ponies in Manehattan growing closer together, he still wanted to head home again to get some good sleep. "I also want to check in with Apple Bloom and find out how the Sisterhooves Social turned out," Applejack added. "Oh, absolutely, my dear," Rarity said before her eyes widened in shock all of a sudden. "Just as soon as I stop that pony in the shop over there from purchasing that dreadfully hideous scarf!" She said, similar to what happened when they arrived in this town."Stop! You're making a terrible mistake!" She said before she ran off to focus on this matter now. Star Twinkle and Applejack just sighed and smiled at this. But then Applejack's smile looked over to Star Twinkle and smiled at him. "Looks like your visit was not for nothing after all," she said. "I guess that's thanks to you," Star Twinkle replied. "I think I really took your "doing something" advise to heart," he figured. "Now, come on," Applejack replied. "I just took something out of that already was inside of you all along," she said in all modesty. "Still, thank you," Star Twinkle said with a smile on his face. Applejack chuckled after seeing the stallion's smile. "No problem, Sugarcube," she replied with a smile on her face as well. The only thing that was left now to return to Ponyville. But that is only if they managed to keep Rarity from giving every single pony in Manehattan fashion advise...