Rarity was sitting, her fluffy scarf fluttering in the gentle breeze of fall wind. A new school year has began again and with that another opportunity to meet her friends she didn’t see for past two months.
Usually this was a happy time as she was able to see her schoolmates again. Especially a specific orange filly that she had grew fond of throughout the years. During the vacation, she was forced to tag along with her parents to explore the country, so she couldn’t see any of her friends.
But, instead of being happy to see her friends yet again, she was alone, away from other fillies, away from her schoolmates. She was looking at the ground, her hooves caressing a small, green patch of grass. A corner of her eye managed to catch a glimpse of the trotting orange filly.
“Howdy there, Rarity!” Applejack gasped, trying to catch her breath. “Ah have been lookin’ all over fer ya. Have ya seen mah new hat? Um... Rarity?”
But rather than a sweet and cheerful reply she usually got from Rarity, she only got a faint ‘Hello, Applejack.’
“Rarity? What’s wrong?”
Rarity sighed. “I’m grounded.”
“What did ya do?”
“My mom asked me to fix a button on her dress, and I—”
“Ya broke the button? Lost it? What happened?”
“Neither.” Rarity hung her head even lower, trying to find even more appeal in the now pretty flat and muddy patch of grass under her hoof. “I just wanted to make my mom really happy, so I—”
“Wanted to make it prettier?”
Rarity nodded with a moisture starting to condense underneath her eyes. “I had this golden fabric that I hoped to sew in,” she sniffled. “After I was done, I showed it to my mom, but she wasn’t too happy about it. Now I can’t even stay after school!” Rarity sniffled again.
“Ya should be happy, Rarity,” Applejack said in a low voice. “Ya still have parents.”
Rarity’s ears drooped and her eyes widened, completely forgetting about her own misery about being grounded. “Your parents...”
Applejack noded subtly. “Three days after school ended the barn collapsed and—”
The rest of her answer was smothered with a tight hug from her classmate. “I’m so sorry, Applejack. I- I didn’t know,” Rarity sniffled. “A- are you okay?”
“I miss my mom and dad.” The hug tightened.
“If there’s something I can help you with,” Rarity breathed, looking into moist green eyes.
“Ah don’t think that there’s anything ya can do, Rarity, but...”
“But?”
“Can ya stay here for few more minutes?”
Rarity subtly nodded, leaning her muzzle forward to dry her friend’s falling tear. “I’m so sorry,” she repeated herself.
~*~*~
“SILVER STREAAAAAAKKKK!” Rarity shrieked, her voice piercing the silence of the Carousel Boutique, startling two ponies in the process: Sweetie Belle and Applejack.
Applejack groaned. “What did she do this time?”
Rarity lit her horn, lifting the dress off the ponyquin. “See what your daughter did? She ruined the entire dress!”
Applejack smirked. “Last time Ah checked, she was yer daughter, too. Besides, Ah remember ya telling me a story like that when we were fillies.”
“But that was not the same. I—”
“Silver Streak isn’t interested in fashion, Rarity. And neither she’s interested in bucking apples.” Applejack hung her head a little. “She might be a part of both of us, but she’s nothing like us. What did Twilight called it? Generics or something?”
“Genetics,” Rarity replied with a sigh. “I know, but I just wanted—”
Orange hooves wrapped around Rarity. “Ya can’t have everything, Rarity.”
“I know. I’m just lucky enough to have y—”
A filly’s cough echoed from behind the mares backs, making them both blush and turn their heads. “Hey, moms.”
“Howdy, Silver Streak.” Applejack turned towards Rarity and kissed her on forehead. “Ah have something Ah have to do. Ah’ll be back shortly.”
The door of Boutique closed with a soft click, leaving two ponies alone.
“Silver Streak?”
“Yeah, mom?”
“I saw your... dress.” The eyes of the filly started gazing into the ground. “I’m not being mad, Silver. I only want to know, why didn’t you tell me you were making it.”
“Because... I wanted it to make it special... As a gift. Mom knew.”
“Applejack knew?”
The filly nodded. “She promised she wouldn’t tell anypony.”
“Well, that explains many things,” Rarity muttered to herself. “Who was the gift for?”
Silver Streak looked at the floor, her face bathing in plethora of different shades of red. “Star Thunder. I- I—”
“Really like her?” Rarity added with a smile on her face. A sheepish nod and even deeper shades of red from the filly confirmed that. “There’s nothing wrong with that. But you should still ask me for a helping hoof. Especially if you’re trying to make a dress.”
“But that wouldn’t make the dress special!”
“Of course it will, my little pony. Getting a little bit of help doesn’t make anypony worse or anything less special. It has taken your mom quite a long time to realize that.”
Silver Streak’s ears drooped and her head sank lower. “Oh.”
Rarity planted a gentle kiss on the filly’s muzzle with a smile. “Now homework. I’ll help you later with the dress.”
A quick nod from the filly was quickly accompanied by the ascending trot.
“Mom knew,” Rarity sighed. “Oh, Applejack. What am I going to do with you?”
“Well,” a familiar voice echoed from the kitchen, now slowly moving towards Rarity. “Ye could marry me.”
“I think once is more than enough, Applejack,” Rarity mused.