Sweetie charged into the Boutique only a minute or two ahead of a rising dustcloud stampeding toward Ponyville. Inside Rarity looked up from her work and saw the look of fear in her younger sister’s eyes.
“She’s coming then?” Rarity asked.
“Coming? She’s going to kill you Rarity. I can’t believe you would do that to Applejack!” Sweetie exclaimed, looking out the window at the approaching dust trail, “I can’t believe you convinced me to HELP! What have we done Rarity?”
“Only what needs must, Sweetie,” Rarity declared proudly, “We couldn’t allow Applejack to go on suffering like that. Thank you for helping me. I’ll be honest I’m surprised she didn’t catch on as soon as we started.”
“Did you at least hide the evidence?” Sweetie asked shriekly, looking around as if expecting to find a body.
“Of course not, I’ve just barely finished the job, it’s sitting in the back room waiting to be taken care of.”
The door to the Boutique suddenly flew off its hinges and across the room, the loud bang inciting the panicky filly in the room to dive for cover under a pile of fabrics while Rarity stared at the intruder.
“Rarity,” Applejack glared at the white unicorn, murder in her eyes, “Where’s. Mah. Hat.”
“It’s in the backroom drying, darling,” Rarity replied glibly, “I can’t believe you’re making such a big fuss. I mean how could you wear that dusty old thing your entire life and never once wash it?”
Applejack missed most of this as she dashed back to Rarity’s laundry room. Moments later a scream echoed out. Rarity, entering at a pace more befitting a lady who isn’t panicking over a silly old hat, entered to find Applejack holding her hat, that had shrunk down to half the size it had been.
Rarity stared. “But… But, it’s not the right material to shrink it’s a normal Stetson it should be washable without that much shrinking!” Rarity gasped picking up the hat and examining it.
“It’s a family heirloom Rarity,” Applejack explained flatly, “It’s enchanted to clean itself and we’re only supposed to wash it when the former owner dies and we pass it on to the next young’n.” Applejack looked at her hat forlornly and sighed. “I guess it’s Apple Bloom’s hat now.”