//------------------------------//
// Apples to Diamonds 
// Story: We Were the Ones You Used to Make Fun of 
// by EpicGuy 
//------------------------------//

Applejack ran as fast as possible to the Town Circle, a load of freshly-bucked apples in tow. In her hurry she hadn't  weighed the cart, so it took a lot more effort to get it up and out of Sweet Apple Acres and into the heart of Ponyville.

Finally her hooves reached cement and she stood in the busy Farmer's Market. Her hat was flung forward by her sudden  stop, and the earth pony raced to fetch it. But she hadn't remembered to unlatch the cart from her flank, so it tumbled and tossled with the farm pony as she tried to retrive her faithful hat from the ruthless crowd.

"Get back 'ere, hat!" She yelled as some unicorn decided to pick it up and throw it across the Circle to an awaiting pegasus. The pegasus simply laughed at her attempt to jump to his cloud and get it, and he set it atop his head and put a fake wheat stalk in his mouth. "Well HOWDY do there, little varmin!" He crowed in a pitiful excuse for Applejack's accent. He practically rolled off his position in the sky laughing, and far below Applejack hoped he would. "Gimme that back, mister!" She shouted. Her legs were getting antsy for some buckin', and they didn't want just apple trees.

The pegasus gasped for breath and mouthed her words before falling into another fit of laughter. Suddenly he was toppling over the edge while a rainbow streak soared past him, and Applejack's hat began to gently fall down. She held out her hooves and waited.

Another unicorn had different ideas and snatched it before Applejack could reach out. "Applejack in the middle!" He cried. He threw her hat to another waiting earth pony, who sneered at the farm mare and tossed it at yet another pegasus. He, in turn, got ready to hurl her hat, but another rainbow streak went by and the hat was falling once more. That rainbow streak caught the poor hat in midair and landed swiftly on the dirt by Applejack's hooves, hat in her mouth. 

"Thank ya kindly, Rainbow." Applejack said as she adjusted her hat.

Rainbow Dash dusted some dust off her wings and tried to look humble. "Oh, it was nothing," she said, "I just happened to be here at the right time."

Applejack snorted at her pathetic attempt and told Rainbow Dash to help with setting up the Apple Family stand. Gladly the pegasus helped her friend back up the cart into their slot (beside Roseluck's roses and some pumpkins for sale), then unlatched the cart and unloaded the apples into her desired position.

"Ya know, I haven't seen Pinkie nor Fluttershy lately." Applejack said as she stacked apples.

"Neither have I. But you know those lovebirds, always off together. Makes me sick." Rainbow replied, sticking out her tongue.

Applejack looked a little suprised at this. "Ya thing that kinda thang's gross?" She stopped stacking a row of Red Delicious. 

The cyan pegasus looked as confused as her earth pony friend. "Um, of course! Why would somepony want to spend all day with another pony when they could be doing something else with their life? Perhaps something not so mushy." She continued where Applejack left off.

Applejack looked taken aback by her friend's comments. She flattened her ears and her cheeks shone red under her orange fur. "Yeah. Right." She bashfully kicked a stone with her hoof.

Rainbow Dash didn't notice her voice and moved on to stacking a load of Granny Smith's.

Soon with both of them helping the Apple Family had a neat and tidy cart ready for selling. Applejack curtly thanked Rainbow Dash for her help and told her she owed her one.

"Whatever you say, buddy. If you need me, I'll be practicing." Rainbow Dash took off and left a rainbow trail behind her. Instead of taking to the sky, though, when she was sure Applejack had looked away the airborn mare had settled down for a nap on a cloud.

Applejack giggled and went to stand behind her cart, keeping one eye on her hat.





Twilight Sparkle galloped as fast as she could to Rarity's lavish home at such an early time in the morning. Her mane was not the best looking, and she had some mats in her fur, but she didn't care about fashion at this time when there were more important things to be worryed about.

She almost slammed into Rarity's door and began to pound as rough and hard as she could. "RARITY! THIS IS CRITICAL!" She shouted at the wood.

After a long time the door opened and a hag of a pony stepped out. She had a light gray coat that was covered with straight ends and mats, a dark purple mane that was hanging in different directions (one part was standing straight up), and a fluffy pink bathrobe along with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. "I had to have my coffee first, darling." It croaked, taking a sip.

Twilight Sparkle was taken aback by her friend's appearence, but figured she looked the same way and let herself inside. She immediatly began closing any windows, shutting the lights off, making sure there was no way anypony could hae r them.

"Where's Sweetie Belle?" She asked.

Rarity had taken a spot on her couch and was keeping her coffee mug telekinectically in the air beside the morning comics. "At school, like all fillies should be." She took another sip and turned the page lazily.

The other unicorn sighed and yanked the comics away. "Rarity, this is serious! Can't your coffee wait?" 

Rarity pouted. "But I was reading Ponyfield." 

"I don't care! We need to talk!"

"One more sip."

Twilight Sparkle groaned and reluctantly took a seat. Then she looked up at her friend and squee-ed slightly. "Is there a chance you have some more-"

Rarity waved her question away. "In the fridge. If there isn't any there's some more grounds in the second shelf, third semi-shelf, first shelf inside of that, and it shoud be on the very top. Sweetie Belle left here filly stool in there if you need it."

"Shut up, Rarity."

The unicorn laughed and took another large sip of her dwindling supply. "Twilight, if you could be a dear and bring me some more as well..."

"I would be happy to, Rarity. Anything else? Perhaps a new yacht and some fancy Canterlot doughnuts?"

"I'll think about those doughnuts. They do sound good right about now."

Twilight came back with two cups along with some creamer, sugar, and a stirring straw. She concentrated on her creamer packet, using her magic to open it ever so carefully. A beat of sweat formed on her purple brow.

Rarity couldn't help herself- it was the caffeine. She moved around Twilight's vison and got behind her back. "BOO!"

The lavender mare squealed like a foal and jumped onto the ceiling. She was shaking like a wet dog and breathing as if she was having a heart attack. 

"You look like you're having a heart attack, darling."

"I AM!"

Twilight eased herself down and poured her contents into the cup and stirred it vigorously until not a drop of creamer was in sight. Then she took a sip and purred, slouching in the plush chair. The two were silent for a few moments, simply drinking the coffee in silence and peace. Finally Twilight rubbed her mouth with a napkin and began. "So Rarity, I got this special dream last night... About Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, being in trouble."

"Yeah, dear. Just keep talking." Rarity used another straw to stir in a fair amount of Hazelnut creamer. She took a small drink and shook her head and began to put more of the creamy liquid in.

"They... They were trapped in a dark basement, bound by their hooves with some type of rope."

"Eyup."

"And they were screaming. They were screaming for somepony to help them. They said once or twice where they were, but I didn't catch that part."

"Uh-huh. So which came first- the chicken or the egg?"

Twilight Sparkle sighed and quickly got a bucket of freezing cold water. Without thinking twice she doused Rarity with it, rinsing the dirt off while soaking the comics. 

Rarity held the ruined comics and cried. "No, not the Funnies!" She wept.

"RARITY! Did you hear anything that I said?"

The unicorn sniffed and picked up her cup once more. She shyly looked over her shoulder at her friend. "No?" She murmured.

Twilight Sparkle snorted and cast a spell that momentarily hid her friend's cup. "Rarity- listen to me. I had a dream about Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy-"

Rarity's eyes grew huge and she gasped. "I had a dream about them as well!"

"What was it about?"

"They were trapped in some type of dark room... Perhaps a basement? And they were screaming, and bound by their hooves... Poor things."

"Do you know why they were screaming?"

Rarity shook her head. "Twilight dear, if you were trapped in a room, bound by rope and hopeless, what would you scream for?"

Twilight facehoofed.

She began to circle Rarity. "If we both had the same dream... It must mean that it's true, somehow."

Rarity, now fully awake, nodded. "We must tell Applejack and Rainbow Dash, along with Pinkie and Fluttershy. They may have gotten the same peculair dream."

With that the two galloped out the front door (but not before Rarity got her coffee cup).