//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Making a Difference // by gilo //------------------------------//     “Phew! That’s the last picket done!” Applejack sighed and put her paintbrush into a bucket filled with water. She had been painting the fences on the Sweet Apple Acres all morning, and now she had finally finished. She wiped the sweat off her forehead, accidentally getting some of the white paint on her mane. Her mane wasn’t the only thing that got dirty with paint, though.. It was all over her fur! She didn’t pay too much attention to it, though. Getting dirty was naturally a part of working on a farm.  Applejack stepped back a bit and leaned against a tree to admire her work.     “Hmm… I don’t suppose I got any more business ‘round the farm for today… Might as well go to town and check on the folks…” She thought to herself, adjusted her cowboy hat and set off towards Ponyville. Without thinking about it and without any particular reason, she visited Rarity’s boutique first. She was always subconsciously drawn to that place, for some reason.. Applejack knocked on the door, opened it and stepped inside. It looked like Rarity didn’t have any customers at that time. “Good mornin’, Rarity!” Applejack called out to Rarity, who was arranging some of her products on the shelves. She quickly turned around, but instead of greeting her, like Applejack expected her to, she let out an audible gasp. She put the merchandise aside and quickly walked over to the country girl. “Good heavens, darling! What in the world happened to your fur?! And your hair?!” Rarity panically walked in circles around Applejack, inspecting her dirty fur. Applejack, confused for a moment, looked over herself and chuckled. “Wha..? Ah! This, uh, I guess I must’ve splattered some paint on mah fur while I was paintin’ the fence…” “Darling, this is a hygiene emergency, we must get to work right away!” Rarity exclaimed anxiously, quickly walking over to the entrance door to lock it and flip the “Open” plate so it says “Closed”. “Whoa, whoa, why the rush, Rarity? It ain’t that much of a deal! I’ll just wash it off later!” Applejack insisted, but Rarity grabbed her hand and started leading her towards the bathroom. “Oh, Applejack, your mane is far too beautiful to get dirty like that! I simply cannot stand for this!” Rarity’s words made Applejack’s face light up with a faint blush. She never thought that her mane was beautiful or anything, she didn’t really care for beauty or fashion, and she definitely didn’t understand the latter. Unlike Rarity, she was just a simple country girl. She didn’t take care of her hair, since she kept it covered with her hat all the time. She rarely even brushed it. “W-well, uh.. Alright, I guess…” Applejack murmured and just let Rarity lead her to the bathroom. The white-furred fashionista smiled at her with a caring look in her eyes. “Thank you for your cooperation, darling.” After a brief moment they found themselves in the bathroom. Rarity quickly turned on the water to fill the bathtub and grabbed what looked like a shampoo bottle off a shelf. "Here, darling." She handed Applejack the bottle. "Add a few drops of this shampoo to the water and thoroughly wash your body. It will get rid of the paint on your fur, and will also make it soft and shiny. But don't use this on your mane! Once you're sure your fur is spotless clean, come out of the bathroom and I will take care of your hair. Understood?" "Uh… I s'pose…" Rarity smiled and patted her shoulder. "I'll go prepare everything, then. See you soon, Jackie~" She said and walked out the bathroom. That last word made Applejack feel.. something. She wasn't sure what it was. Her friends called her "Jackie" all the time, but this time it hit different…  Soon she snapped out of the thoughtfulness as she remembered about the bathtub getting filled up. She walked over to it and turned off the water, since the tub was almost full. Then, as Rarity instructed, she opened the bottle of shampoo and added a few drops into the water. She then undressed, took off her cowboy hat and put her clothes on a nearby cupboard, and then got into the bathtub.  Applejack carefully sat down, submerging her body in warm water and sighing in relief. This pleasant warmth was just what she needed after a whole morning of working on her farm. She grabbed a sponge and began to wash her body, carefully scrubbing the dried up white paint off her fur and watching it magically disappear in a matter of seconds. She thoroughly washed her body twice to make sure it was completely clean. After all, Rarity said it should be spotless. And for some reason, Applejack really felt like she should listen to her. 20 minutes passed and Applejack was certain that her body couldn't get any cleaner. She reached down for the plug and pulled it to make the water drain down, and then she stood up, stepping out of the bathtub. She reached for a towel, dried her body, and then wrapped it around herself. Then, she walked out of the bathroom. "All done, Rarity.." Jackie noticed that Rarity was standing by a washbasin with everything already prepared. She looked excited. "Lovely! Now come, Jackie, sit down on this chair and let me take care of your beautiful mane…" Rarity gestured for AJ to sit down. Applejack blushed bashfully and sat down, just like Rarity told her to. Rarity gave her a warm smile and carefully tilted Jackie's head so she could get to work. "Now just relax, darling… Let me do all the work for you…" Rarity whispered to her. Applejack could feel her cheeks getting warmer as her blush intensified at Rarity's whispers. Rarity, humming quietly to herself, dipped Applejack's hair in the washbasin, making her hair all nice and wet. Then, she squirted some of her special shampoo on Applejack's hair and began tenderly massaging her scalp. The touch of her soft, delicate hands, combined with her soft humming immediately made Applejack's heart pound. And to Applejack’s dismay, Rarity noticed that something was up with her. “Is everything okay, Jackie? You seem… anxious…” Rarity paused washing AJ’s hair. Applejack swallowed nervously, but tried to play it cool. “Ah, uh, n-no, it’s nothin’!” She lied. She knew that this was against her element, but she couldn’t get herself to tell Rarity what she was feeling. The purple-haired fashionista, though, didn’t seem to realize that AJ lied. Everypony knew that Applejack’s element was honesty, so they wouldn’t ever suspect her of lying. “Oh well, if you say so…” Rarity shrugged and continued to work on Applejack’s hair. But even though the country girl couldn’t express her feelings, she just had to admit something… “Y-ya know, Rarity… This feels real nice… Yer hands, they- m-mmm…” Applejack couldn’t help but to melt, relaxing her strong muscles and feeling more sleepy with each rub, each stroke Rarity gave to her scalp. Rarity giggled at this unusual view. “It’s rather unusual to see you so relaxed, Jackie.. I always told you that you should spend more time relaxing… Working so hard every day can’t be good for you… You have to take care of yourself…” Rarity said with a gentle, caring tone. ‘Jackie’... This word echoed in Applejack’s mind and, combined with Rarity’s caring words, made AJ blush again. “Mmmm… I… I s’pose you’re right… I shoulda followed yer advice long ago…” Applejack admitted and sighed calmly. Rarity giggled and smiled at her. "I'm glad you finally changed your mind, darling… But no more words now. Just relax and let me take care of you…" She continued massaging the shampoo into Applejack's scalp. AJ sighed deeply and finally gave into the sensation, feeling sleepiness slowly taking over. She couldn't help but to melt more and more at Rarity's delicate, yet tender touch. She was more than grateful for her caring about AJ's hygiene so much. If only she could find a way to repay her generosity…