When Applejack got to Carousel Boutique, Rarity was taking a break from work. She jerked up at the rapping on the door and was about to put together a welcome, but relaxed when she saw who it was.
"Applejack darling!" She trotted over, delighted. "Why hello there. It's a pleasure to see you."
"Mighty glad to see you as well, Rarity." Applejack bowed her head in return. "I was wonderin' if you could lend me a hoof with something."
Rarity straightened. "Of course, dear. Though- you see- I was just about to go get lunch. Perhaps you could join me and discuss it there. "
"That's a great offer, but I had something else in mind." Applejack swooped her hat off her head to reveal the pie underneath. Rarity gasped.
"My, my," she said as Applejack gingerly took off the pie and placed it on the table. "Wherever did you learn to balance like that?"
Applejack smiled. It was always funny watching ponies' reactions when she did tricks like that. "While I was in Manehatten, my Aunt Orange made me take classes on balancin' stuff on my head. It was to train for those heavy princess crowns and such, all prissy-like. I found it to be a pretty useful skill later."
"That's simply marvellous." Rarity clapped her hooves together, then glanced uneasily at the pie. "So you would like my help...in eating this pie of yours?"
"Right," Applejack said, leaning down to peel off the foil with her teeth. The "pie" was in fact made of two half-pies, split by a rough line down the centre.
"This half is my regular pie, and this other is the pie I brought to Pinkie's potluck. I need ya to taste them and tell me the difference."
"Hmm," Rarity levitated a fork over with blue telekinesis and poked daintily at it.
"I was thinking of asking Pinkie, y'know- from one baker to another." Applejack paced about. "But I was afraid she wouldn't give me a straight answer. I can't be making pies all day! Nopony's been able to tell the difference- not even me- and it's driving me nuts!"
"And I suppose you felt I would be able to give such an answer." Rarity mused, nibbling both sides of the pie. "Well, I might just have what you are looking for. However..."
"However what?" Surprised, Applejack stopped pacing. She’d expected her to take far longer to figure it out.
"However... I'm going to need some more information to pinpoint exactly what it is," Rarity said coyly. Applejack had a bad feeling about this, but she had to know what was in that pie.
"Ask away."
"You say that nopony's been able to tell the difference between these two pies, including yourself." She paused to take another bite, chewing while regarding Applejack. "What makes you so sure that they are, in fact, different?"
"A customer told me that they tasted better than usual."
"Uh-huh. And why would you stress so much over this miniscule difference if only a select few ponies could tell it apart?"
"Umm…"
"I'm guessing that this customer is perhaps somepony very important to you."
Applejack shifted nervously under her gaze. "...Does it matter?"
“Why yes darling. I may not bake often, but I do know that there are certain tastes that are incredibly specific to the individual pony, of which others may not be able to discern without sensitive tastebuds,” Rarity had a pretty intense detective stare on now, but it was also... kind.
“I shan’t press you to disclose information that you are comfortable with sharing. Still, it would be helpful if you knew who this particular pony was.”
Then I’m holding you to that, AJ!
“I...” Applejack’s throat felt dry. She wanted to back out and say that she didn’t want to share, or that she didn’t know what Rarity was even talking about. Yet, her heart ached under the burden of a long-kept secret, and she couldn’t bear to lie.
She exhaled slowly. “It’s Rainbow.”
Rarity smiled at her, then retreated into a room- her kitchen, probably- giving Applejack space to sit there in silence. She later re-emerged with a fancy blue vial, topped with some shiny stone.
“Cloudsdalian mist,” Rarity placed the vial down with a clink. “A very subtle, sweet taste similar to cotton candy. A common, natural ingredient there that might’ve reminded Rainbow of her old home. I wouldn’t be surprised if some floated over Ponyville and landed on your pies. ”
“Thanks,” Applejack took the vial and slipped it below her hat. She was getting ready to leave when she felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder.
“I have reason to believe that this mist may not be the only ingredient you seek.” Rarity’s eyes twinkled. “If you wish to make that pie perfect, then I suggest that you go talk things out with Rainbow Dash herself.”
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As per Apple family tradition- and maybe some part of her own- Applejack filled her heart with colours and feathers, and prepared one last pie that day. She dusted the surface with the sweetened mist like an afterthought, before stowing away the vial to return later. The pie went securely under her hat and she trotted out of the farmhouse.
Along the way, she noticed an odd shadow inside the wagon parked outside. Curious, she peeked in and saw a dirt-stained white satchel- the one she had helped Rainbow carry back at the potluck.
Applejack snorted quietly. Of course no one had bothered to eat those processed sweets when they could be eating freshly-baked pastries. Well, she couldn’t just let them sit there and rot, so she hopped in the wagon and started chomping on the cereal-sugar mix.
She was reaching the bottom of the bag when her muzzle brushed against a scrap of paper. She stopped and scooped it out. Unfolding the note, she read it quizzically:
Hey, AJ. This is for in case I chicken out. If you’re reading this, I probably chickened out. Anyway pls come to my house or something so I can try to not chicken again k ok enjoy the froot loop & sweets
Applejack stared. She rubbed her eyes, but the words were still there. Her heart fluttered strangely upon reading the familiar hoofwriting. It might be nothing, but she dared to hope.
And so- apple pie perfectly balanced on her head- Applejack bucking ran to Rainbow’s house.
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