//------------------------------// // The Jewel // Story: Multi-mental in Manehatten // by CTVulpin //------------------------------// “Details and the big picture, propriety and pragmatism, the esoteric and the physical.” “You couldn’t ask for a more mismatched team, could you? How long do you think it will take before they immobilize themselves with bickering?” ‘Applejack,’ Rarity said, ‘Might I suggest that the two of us pursue the second item on Discord’s list?’ Applejack mulled the suggestion over as she chewed her breakfast. Trixie had, with a little help from Flutterpie, who seemed to be doing better with something to occupy their attention, prepared freshly-baked bran muffins for everypony. The recently-created unicorn swallowed her food and said, “Remind me again which one that was.” “Which one was what?” Twilight asked. “I was talkin’ ta Rarity,” AJ told the lavender pegasus, “but, the second item Discord wants. Rarity thinks the two of us should go fer that one.” “You don’t have to speak to communicate with Rarity,” Twilight said in a tone of reminder, “In body-sharing cases, the two minds can read each other’s thoughts. Now, the second item…” She rubbed her chin as she thought, “I should have had somepony write the riddle down.” “Excuse me,” Fluttershy said quietly, “But, Pinkie says she remembers it. I could repeat it if you want.” ‘That would be just lovely,’ Rarity said. “Rare says go fer it Fluttershy,” AJ reported. What? she added mentally when she felt Rarity sigh. ‘Oh, never mind,’ the fashionista said, ‘it just struck me again that I’m entirely dependent on your… manner of speaking to convey my thoughts to the others.’ “R-right,” Fluttershy said, “It’s…” she trailed off and closed her eyes in concentration, evidently trying to keep up with Pinkie Pie’s thoughts. “First was ‘the spice of life that rolls and twists, but only in its purest form’,” she said at last, “and, uh, Pinkie says she’s got lots of ideas for that one. The second one was ‘A living jewel, no, make it ten, in irritation born.’ Finally, ‘excitement distilled, the element that can make rain go boom.’ I guess Twilight and Rainbow are doing that one?” Twilight tilted her head back and closed her eyes while conferring with her body-mate. “That sounds like a plan,” she said at last, “I’ve got no idea what the last one could be, but if you... four have the other two figured out, Rainbow and I will have to fetch the last.” “All righty then,” Applejack said, scarfing down the rest of her muffin, “Ain’t no time like the present ta get started. See y’all at the theater when we’re done!” “Applejack, wait a-” Twilight’s cry was cut off by the door closing behind Applejack as she trotted out of the apartment and headed for the stairs. ‘Applejack,’ Rarity said calmly, ‘While I certainly approve of your desire to get this over with, don’t you think it’s a bad idea to go running of without knowing where you’re going?’ “I was counting on you tellin’ me what you think we’re looking for before we get to the streets,” the farm pony replied snarkily. ‘I see. Well, it’s quite clear that Discord wants us to find ten of a certain type of jewelry. Right away that makes you and me uniquely qualified to locate them, seeing as we are a unicorn and I know a spell for locating jewels.’ Well, that’d be just great, Applejack said mentally as she passed by other ponies on the stairs, ‘Cept fer the part where I’m the one runnin’ the body and I can’t use magic! ‘I think you could if you tried,’ Rarity said, ‘Why else do you think my horn is on our head?’ AJ paused at the foot of the stairs and thought for a moment. “I think it’s cuz Discord used your body type and put mah coloring on it when he put us together. I mean, look, this is your hairstyle I’m wearin’.” She hoofed at her curled mane to illustrate. ‘Yes,’ the fashionita said, ‘speaking of which, I’m surprised you’ve kept it that way.’ “Yeah,” AJ said, stepping out of the building, “Well, I figure this look’ll help us fit in round these parts better. It don’t exactly grow right to make a comfortable ponytail out of it anyway.” She looked around and then moved away from the door and out of the flow of hoof traffic. “Anyway,” she said quietly, trying to look nonchalant, “Even if I can use magic now, ya still haven’t told me which kind of gem we’re supposed ta be looking for.” ‘Oh, sorry,’ Rarity said, ‘It’s not actually a gem, but it is a jewel. We need to get our hooves on ten pearls.’ “All right,” Applejack mused, “Not ta doubt yer expertise, but how do ya figure that?” ‘It’s simple,’ Rarity said flippantly, ‘The riddle says ‘born in irritation.’ Pearls are only found inside of oysters, which make them as a reaction to getting particles of sand inside their shells. I’m told the process is quite irritating.’ So, Applejack thought, We can’t buy the things, so how do we get ‘em? Go find some oysters and ask ‘em to spit out some pearls? Rarity laughed. ‘Oh Applejack,' she said, ‘Oysters are not native to Manehatten’s waterfronts. Even if they were, it would hardly be proper to go diving in the harbor looking for them.’ Ya got any better ideas? ‘Well,’ the fashionista said, ‘I know for a fact we won’t find an answer if we just stand around here all day.’ Applejack took the hint and started walking off in a random direction. ‘Now,’ Rarity said, ‘I’d expect a city like Manehatten to have the latest in fashion, both off-the-shelf and haute couture, including jewelry made from gems and precious materials of all kinds, most importantly pearls.’ “Yeah,” AJ drawled, fighting the urge to zone out. ‘The problem is,’ Rarity continued, ‘The only places we can expect to see pearls are in jewelry stores or embroidered into somepony’s party gown, not to mention the classic pearl necklaces I’ve already seen six mares sporting as we walk along. We cannot purchase them, and we shall not descend to petty theft.’ “Yer darn tootin’ we ain’t!” Applejack said firmly, causing a passer-by to give her a strange glance. That don’t leave us with any options though, she added mentally. ‘Yes,’ Rarity said airily, 'If only we had some connections to high society…’ What are you tryin’ to… Applejack stopped, and then a smile slowly came to her face. Mah Aunt Orange! she exclaimed happily, barely suppressing the urge to express her glee out loud, I know she’s got plenty of fancy get-ups. I can just trot over to their place and ask ta borrow one of her necklaces. ‘What a marvelous idea Applejack!’ Rarity said as the orange pony began trotting toward her relative’s neighborhood. Applejack chuckled, not missing the faint sarcasm in her partner’s tone. Thanks for givin’ me the hint, she thought, I can’t believe I forgot about my own… kin… ‘What’s wrong?’ Rarity asked as AJ came to a stop and looked upward with crossed eyes. “I have a horn,” the farm pony said quietly. Rarity remained silent, caught off guard by the statement and unsure how to respond. “I’m an earth pony,” AJ said, “I’m not supposed to have a horn on mah head.” She looked around and then approached a stallion who looked friendly than most of the ponies walking nearby. “Pardon me,” she said to him, “Could I bother you fer some directions? I’m looking to buy a hat.” “Just a hat?” the well-dressed stallion asked, looking at the orange unicorn askance. “Just a hat,” Applejack replied with a look that dared the other pony to say something critical. “There are several boutiques and hat shops around the downtown area,” the stallion said, meeting AJ’s gaze, “I’d ask around there if I were you.” “Thank you kindly,” Applejack said with a smile and a polite nod. The stallion returned the nod and resumed his walk while Applejack began to make her way towards downtown Manehatten. ‘Applejack, why the sudden interest in hats?’ Rarity asked. I want to make this as quick and simple as I can, the orange pony thought, We go ta the Oranges, ask ta borrow a pearl necklace, and go meet up with the others. It’s gonna be awkward enough explainin’ why we didn’t show up last night; I’d rather not have ta explain why I’ve got a horn all of a sudden. ‘Applejack,’ Rarity said with disapproval and surprise, ‘you’re planning to be dishonest? And with family at that!’ I ain’t gonna lie, AJ thought defensively, I’m just not gonna mention anything they don’t need ta know. And anyway, I feel more than a bit weird without something on my head. If mah Stetson doesn’t show up by the time we’re done with this stupid game, I’m gonna find out where they’re keeping that… thing’s statue and buck a few limbs off of it! Rarity had some misgivings, but knowing how stubborn Applejack could be, she decided to drop the issue for the moment. Besides, the farm pony was willingly going to a vendor of fashion; Rarity simply couldn’t bring herself to put a stop to that. Applejack frowned as she gazed up at the hats displayed on the shelves above her. Her focus was mainly on a wide-brimmed, high crowned specimen that looked like somepony had taken the basic idea behind a Stetson, built it out of mint ice cream, and embroidered it with light blue cotton candy. “Yer kidding, right?” she muttered. ‘This is the fourth store we have tried,’ Rarity said, ‘and that is the only hat I have seen so far that’s not only properly sized to cover your horn without looking silly, but also suits your, or should I say our, present look.' “It’s also out of my reach,” Applejack said. That was a fact; the hat sat on a shelf well above the reach of a typical earth pony’s mouth. ‘Not if you use your magic.’ “Cons-” AJ started to snap before catching herself. Haven’t we gone over this already? she asked mentally, I’m an earth pony. Earth ponies can’t use magic, period. ‘You haven’t even tried,’ Rarity responded flatly, ‘we have a horn, and I can feel the potential inside of it. All you need to do is try and channel it.’ AJ looked up at her horn and concentrated for a few seconds before exhaling loudly and turning away from the shelf. “Nope,” she said, “I ain’t feelin’ it.” Rarity gave an exasperated sigh and an imaginary face-hoof. ‘You’re not doing it right!’ she said, ‘Magic is not about brute force, it’s about finesse and attention to detail. You have to be sure of everything you do so you don’t embed something in a wall or tear any seams.’ I can do finesse, Applejack thought darkly, you’ve seen my rope and lasso tricks; those take a lot of careful attention to do right. ‘Is that so?’ Rarity said, turning thoughtful, 'Well, I suppose one could compare basic levitation to using an invisible lasso, but then again that’s a bit of a stretch…’ Are ya tryin’ to goad me inta tryin’ to grab that hat again? Applejack thought with a raised eyebrow. Rarity didn’t answer, but the farm pony could sense the other’s smug confidence in the back of her mind. Fine, challenge accepted. She turned back around and fixed the minty hat with her strongest stare. After a moment of simply willing it to jump off the shelf, Applejack took a breath and started to imagine a rope reaching out and tying itself around the hat’s crown. As she did so, her horn began to glow faintly and she felt something stirring in her head. AJ tried to ignore these sensations as she tugged at her imaginary rope. The hat shifted to the edge of the shelf and then tumbled off onto the floor. That’ll do, AJ thought with pride as she walked over and picked the hat up in her mouth. ‘Very well done Applejack,’ Rarity said with glee, ‘We’ll make a proper unicorn of you yet!’ Heh, no thanks, Applejack thought as she carried the hat to the sales counter, I’ve no interest getting’ used to something I’m not gonna be able to use after today. Uh, assuming the others can get their stuff today as well. She plopped the hat onto the sales counter and smiled at the pegasus mare standing at the register. “How much?” she asked. “Fifty five bits,” the salespony said after checking the tag. Applejack nodded and fished out the money. The sales pony went to scoop them into the register, but then paused and counted. “Sorry,” she said, “but you’re short by ten bits here.” Applejack raised an eyebrow and looked down at the counter. Sure enough, upon counting up the coins, she only saw forty-five bits. “Oops,” she said, pulling out a ten-bit coin and placing it with the rest. The sales pony counted the bits again, and then gave the orange unicorn a strange look. “You’re still short by five,” she said. “What the hay are you tryin’ to pull?” Applejack snapped, “I was ten short and just gave you a ten-bit coin. There should be…” She looked at the bits and added them up in her mind. “Fifty… what the hay.” ‘Perhaps this comes under the ‘no bits can exchange hooves’ rule,’ Rarity suggested. This ain’t got anything to do with gettin’ the pearls, Applejack replied, finding a five-bit coin and staring at it, I’m just tryin’ ta buy a hat! ‘A hat you intend to use to make getting those pearls easier,’ Rarity pointed out. Applejack muttered and then set the coin on the counter and covered it with her hoof. “Count ‘em up again,” she told the sales pegasus. The pegasus’s eyes flitted over the bits a few times. “Fifty bits,” she announced. Applejack grinned and lifted her hoof from the coin she was covering. Her smile fled as she looked at the coin. Instead of a five-bit, it had changed to bear the image of a smirking draconequus resting his head on his lion’s paw arm. “Why that hodgepodge mish-mash of cast-off…” Applejack muttered darkly. “Fine then,” she said crossly, reclaiming all the bits from the counter, “guess I don’t need this hat anyway.” “Wait,” the salesmare said, “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I could let you take the hat for less.” “Nope,” Applejack said, “too late. I’ve taken mah money back, so I doubt there’s any way I’ll be matching yer prices now. Sorry to have wasted yer time.” She started to leave, but then turned back and picked the Discorded coin up in her mouth. She left the shop and then spat the coin at the closest storm drain, smirking in satisfaction as it flew though the grate and vanished from sight. ‘Did that make you feel better?' Rarity asked sardonically. “A little,” AJ muttered. She heaved a sigh and began walking, pointing her way toward her aunt and uncle’s place again. “We should have disqualified them. They broke the rules.” “The stakes aren’t nearly high enough to warrant not allowing them one strike. And you enjoyed the look on her face.” Judging by the feeling in her gut, it was nearing lunchtime when Applejack and Rarity arrived at the door of the Orange’s apartment. AJ took a deep breath, cast a cross-eyed glance up at the horn on her forehead, and then raised a hoof to knock on the door. She paused and set her hoof back down with a sigh. Rarity, she thought, I feel like I should apologize. ‘Whatever for Applejack?’ Rarity asked. I wasted our time trying to get a hat because I was ashamed of having a unicorn horn, AJ replied, And you were right to try and talk me out of it. ‘Think nothing of it,’ Rarity said, ‘Let’s just get those pearls so I can get out of your head.’ “Right,” Applejack said with a confident nod. She raised her hoof and gave the door three solid knocks. Wonder if I should put on my “dignified” voice, the orange pony mused. ‘Dignified voice?’ Rarity asked, sounding confused and intrigued. Applejack smiled mischievously. Guess that answers that question, she thought as she heard the door unlatch. The door opened to reveal a blonde-coated earth pony with her orange mane done up in a layered bouffant and wearing a gold, gem-studded neckpiece, who gave AJ a look of brief confusion followed by recognition, followed by greater confusion when her eyes settled on the distinctive growth on her niece’s forehead. “Hello Aunt Mandarin,” Applejack said in a voice dripping with culture and eloquence. Rarity was speechless, but Applejack could sense her utter shock at her drastic shift in accent. She fought down a smile as she imagined the white unicorn with her mouth hanging open in an unladylike manner. “Applejack,” Mandarin Orange said, still staring at the horn, “you… you’re quite late. Your letter said you’d be here no later than last night.” She shook her head and shifted her gaze down to AJ’s eyes. “Oh, do excuse my manners, “she said, “Come in.” She moved aside to give Applejack space to enter. “Thank you,” Applejack said with a smile as she entered the apartment, “I am sorry to have worried you and Uncle Hamlin, but my friends and I had… a rather disturbing experience last night and this,” she tapped her horn, “is only part of the fall-out.” A door leading to another part of the apartment opened and a light orange stallion with a green mane poked his head into the room, accompanied by the sound of conversation. “Mandy dear,” Hamlin Orange said, “Whatever is keeping… Applejack?” “Good day Uncle Hamlin,” Applejack said with a nod. “What is that on your head?” Hamlin asked, looking appalled. ‘What is with that look?’ Rarity asked, insulted, ‘Has he never seen a unicorn before?’ He ain’t ever seen an Apple family unicorn, AJ replied wryly. “There is quite the story behind this,” she told her uncle, “which I will gladly tell you over a light lunch.” Hamlin stepped out into the main room and cast a glance at the door behind him. “We happen to be entertaining at the moment,” he said,” since you and your friends did not arrive when expected, we found ourselves with far too much food. I notice that you came here alone by the way.” “Like I said,” Applejack said, slipping back into her normal voice out of mild frustration, “It’s a long story.” “All right,” Hamlin said, “Mandarin, I’ll see to our guests while you see if you can find something appropriate for our niece to wear. Listen to her story and decide if it’s something that can be told among company.” “It probably ain’t,” Applejack noted, raising an eyebrow at her uncle before following her aunt into another room, “At least, not the company you’re used to keeping.” She followed Mandarin into the bedroom and the sophisticate earth pony motioned for her to sit at the vanity while she headed toward the closet. “Now my dear,” Mandarin said, “go ahead and ‘spin the yarn,’ if you’ll pardon the expression.” ‘Do you actually get along with these relatives of yours?’ Rarity asked. They’re family, Applejack thought, and being a friend to you keeps me in practice for visiting here. ‘Glad to be of service then,’ Rarity said with a tiny hint of sarcasm, ‘Now, if you can speak with such eloquence, why do you don’t so more often?’ Because that ain’t the way I grew up talking, Applejack said with a mental snort, Besides, would you rather buy an apple from a fancy-talkin’ pony or one who sounds like they actually put work into growin’ and harvesting the thing? On second thought, don’t answer that. “Applejack?” The orange pony jumped and looked to see Mandarin standing next to her with an outfit laid across her back and a concerned look on her face. “Ah, sorry Aunt Mandy,” Applejack said with a blush, “I, uh… you know what? I’ll just start at the beginning and it’ll all make sense I promise.” As she related the tale, starting with a quick summary of the big fight against Discord before talking about the previous evening’s ninja squirrel chase, being knocked out by some unknown spell and waking up essentially fused with Rarity, and finally the strange scavenger hunt Discord had forced them into participating in, Mandarin got her into a simple forest-green saddle with a light green fringe and had begun trying to style her mane in such a way as to hide her horn. Even with the relative privacy that came with being a passenger mind, Rarity opted to hold her tongue regarding that detail. Mandarin paused in her work, keeping one hoof in AJ’s mane to keep it from falling out of place, as the orange unicorn finished her story. “That is… quite the tale,” she said simply. “I get the feeling you don’t believe me,” AJ deadpanned, staring straight ahead into the mirror. “Oh, well,” Mandarin said, biting her lip and looking up at the ceiling, “It’s just so incredible. I mean, I can’t deny that you have a horn, but that you actually have another pony in your head talking to you?” “I’m not asking you to believe the whole thing,” Applejack said, “Even though it is all true. All I’m askin’ is if you’ll let me borrow one of your pearl necklaces.” “Can you promise I’ll get it back?” Mandarin Orange asked. Applejack looked up at her, and then dropped her gaze with a shamed look on her face. Mandarin sighed and finished setting her niece’s mane in place. “I’ll tell you what,” she said, getting back down on all fours, “If you can carry yourself like a proper Manehattenite, in voice, table manners, and conversation, through this luncheon, I’ll let you have one of my necklaces to keep or do whatever you wish with.” “Well,” Applejack said hesitantly. ‘Is that all?’ Rarity asked with a laugh, ‘She may as well give them to us now.’ Come again? Applejack thought, I haven’t sat through a proper fancy meal without messing something up since… well, before I got mah cutie mark. ‘Have you forgotten who I am Applejack?’ Rarity replied disparagingly, ‘I am Rarity. I am the most graceful, eloquent, fashionable, and trained-for-high-society pony in Ponyville. I have the poise to pass for Canterlot nobility. I can certainly coach you on proper lunch etiquette. You can speak the way they want to speak already. Everything else is simple, so long as you’re willing to listen to me.’ A small smile sneaked onto Applejack’s mouth. You’re right, she thought, I shoulda known I could count on the Element of Generosity to lend me a hoof. Just promise me you won’t try ta push me into actin’ the way I’m about to after we get out of this mess. Rarity simply laughed politely, and AJ looked her aunt in the eye and said, “It would be my pleasure to join you for lunch.” “The best synergy comes from a diversity of personalities.”