~ Chapter Two ~
"Well, I'm going home - back to the place where I belong..."
Rarity let out a sigh; and ran a hoof through her mane, looking back to her massive stack of suitcases, each one of them looking as if they might burst. But then again, she could never be too careful, there might always be that one thing she might need.
Today was the last day of Spring and the Summer Sun Celebration was only a month away.
For a normal pony, that seem like more than enough time to organize an event, but for a businessmare such as Rarity herself, it might have been only a few days.
She tapped her hoof on the train platform, looking back to the clock on the entrance of the station, and it read a quarter past eleven. She had gotten here half an hour early, at ten thirty, so where was that train? It should have been here by now…
Focusing her eyes on the horizon past the tracks, it was quite a sight for anyone looking out.
To be fairly honest, Canterlot was not the only place Rarity had been residing. She had two flats in Manehatten (one uptown and one downtown), an apartment in Los Pegasus, and a floor in Vanhoover, because when one was as successful as she was, multiple homes was but a simple thing that was nothing - and somewhat of a necessity. After all, trips like this were quite frequent, and just the very thought of temporarily living in a motel made Rarity shudder.
And so, she couldn't help but feel slightly relieved that her excuses for forgetting about Ponyville were somewhat valid.
Still, it made her heart shake on the brink of breaking.
That little town she could barely see from up above was her home. She was born and raised there, made amazing friends, learned valuable and irreplaceable lessons…
...she winced at the thought of realizing she might've found a slight idea of what love was there.
Just then, the train rushed forward, obstructing Rarity's view and snapping her back to reality.
"All aboard!" the conductor called out. "Ride to Ponyville!"
Sucking in a deep breath, she paraded onto the train while one of the train station's lanky teenage colt employees followed her, struggling with her seemingly endless stream of baggage.
Flashing her coach pass, Rarity let out a sigh of relief as she found her car, falling back into one of the seats, and going back to looking down at the little town of Ponyville. For some reason, now she wanted nothing more than to go back. It made her heart swell to see that place, even from afar.
She just couldn't help but wonder what would happen upon returning and getting up close.
After all, her career had been booming for five years - so for half a decade, she had left it all behind for a much more fabulous life. It wouldn't hurt so much to enjoy the simple things…
...would it?
Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she tipped the attendee a small ruby and levitated over one of her bags, opening it up and looking over her blueprints. Now was the time to focus, not be a silly old sentimental fool. After all, if she were to wow this crowd, she had to be prepared right from the very beginning. With a project this crucial, there was no margin for error.
Her gaze was plastered onto her designs, comparing them to the "What's Hot" fashions in all of the well-known fashion magazines to make sure her references and inspiration were a good match, but she still knew that originality was key. However, her thoughts began to drift off, deciding to pay attention to anything but her work. Despite what she wanted to push away, the memories of Ponyville began to dance their way through her mind place. And even not so much was it Ponyville, but rather, the friends she made there - and what they had done.
Before this wonderfully hectic rich life, she was but a simple mare in a small town, struggling to get by in a career she had always dreamed about.
How could she have forgotten who she was?
From drama, to happiness, and just plain ridiculousness, every minute of her past was worth remembering... so why did she accidentally erase it?
Pushing away her work, Rarity sat back and gazed out the window, watching the world fly by as she thought long hard. After this fashion show, what would she do? Pack up and leave, back to her current place of residence in Canterlot? Continue living a life that was something out of dreams?
But what about the small-town life?
Granted, no pony who was rising to fame like her lived in such a rural area.
Then again, she was Rarity. Countless articles in magazines had expressed how unique and different she was from the other designers on the scene. If she could turn a dress into something priceless, what about the way she lived?
That was much more complicated.
A dress was just some fabric and string, with maybe some sequins slapped on.
Life was one countless web after the next, always tangling somepony into something that seemed like a struggle. Breaking free from those restrains would be a difficult task, and with something as fabulous as the posh city life with all of the glitz and glamour, who in their right mind would want to leave it for a town almost nopony knew the name of?
Rarity scoffed and tugged down the shade on the window, blocking out her view.
She levitated over her reading glasses and a pencil, taking a piece of scratch paper from her work and beginning to sketch random doodles and designs to her heart's content.
Anything to push away the clouds in her mind…
However, what she found herself drawing was something a foal would laugh at. Normally, Rarity considered herself a half-decent artist, but this was just bad. Her entire focus was out of wack, and right now, she didn't know what was wrong with her.
Giving up on that as well, she scowled as she tossed the papers onto the train floor and leaned back in her seat, looking up at the ceiling.
It seemed that ever since she had been told about this Summertime Spectacular, each and everyone of her nerves were on edge, and the tiniest thing could set her off like a bomb. But it wasn't her fault, was it? She kept telling herself that it was just stress, and that it would eventually blow over, but judging by how much she had been worrying, and how often her mind had been blocked, it didn't seem like it was just that.
...so if it wasn't stress, what could it have been?
As the train suddenly jerked on the tracks, the shade flew up, causing the sunlight to pierce Rarity right in her vision. She blocked it out with her hoof, sitting up to pull it back down, only before she noticed the scene outside.
Canterlot Castle.
Like always, it was practically sparkling, and the Guards paraded about, keeping it safe, while pedestrians walking by marveled over it. Rarity couldn't help but admire it as well, however, when she noticed a sign for the Summer Sun Celebration hung up nearby, her heart sank as she was once again reminded of what this excursion was for.
Shaking her head and releasing a sigh, she was just about to pull the shade back down, only before she noticed yet another attraction that caught her eye.
Downtown Canterlot sure was different than the higher-class Uptown...
It was a bar. Rarity almost laughed at the realization that a tavern was so close to the Castle, but she couldn't find the will to let even just a simple chuckle slip out as she noticed the name of the place as the train whizzed by, and out of the city.
Sparkling Nights.
Why was that name suddenly stuck in her head now?
She wasn't one to drink in a place like that, so what was giving her a feeling that she knew the area?
Ponyville wasn't far now, and Rarity shoved the shade back down, collapsing in her seat to fall back and get a moment's rest before going to work and getting settled in her hometown. She snuggled up in the seat and closed her eyes, hoping to fall asleep.
"So much for ‘the best night ever’," Rainbow Dash muttered, as she swung open the door to the tavern, with her friends following her inside. "Yo! Barkeep, six drinks!"
Twilight let out a huff and rolled her eyes. "Excuse my friend," she called.
The brash pegasus looked over her shoulder, looking slightly ticked off and a bit tired. "What?" she said cluelessly. "The Gala turned out to be a bust, so let's down a few beers, have fun, and hail a cab home. Might as well make the best of it, right?"
Pinkie zipped over to the counter at the speed of light, snatching one of the menus. "You guys got any cupcakes?" she questioned, with her usual brilliant smile.
With a grunt, the bartender pointed to the blackboard behind him that displayed three options for drinks - wine, beer or cider - and two options for food - either nachos or sandwiches.
"Really now?" Rarity scoffed, as she took cautious steps towards the table her friends had chosen. "A bar? Wouldn't a restaurant have been more suitable?"
Her friends all gave halfhearted smiles and shrugs as they got settled in the booth, which was basically a short answer for settling with what they had for now. After spending a good amount of time at Pony Joe's with Spike and Princess Celestia, the six of them had dropped the baby dragon off with Twilight's parents for the night after the Royal had left them. Now, the lot of them were just trying to enjoy the last few minutes of their night in the city.
Pinkie then stumbled over with the six bottles of beer for her friends and more than a few baskets of nachos for herself, falling into a seat and scattering the food and beverages on the table.
Snatching a bottle, Dash flipped the top off of it and took a swig; turning to her friends. "Well," she declared. "Let's see who had the worst night, yeah?"
The group of mares all looked at one another, only before they all eventually grabbed themselves a drink, sitting back and sharing their stories of what was supposed to be the best night ever, but had undoubtedly turned into the worst night ever.
~ x o x o ~
Chaotic noise echoed throughout the tiny bar, and the group of friends who had entered hours ago were still there, spread out and loudly chatting amongst themselves. Pinkie was shoving her face with more nachos, her face a cheesy mess, as she cheered on Rainbow Dash, who was furiously trying to beat a high score on a pinball machine. Fluttershy was swaying back and forth in her seat, mumbling nonsense to herself as she took sips of wine every now and then while Twilight was laughing hysterically at nothing.
And at the counter, Rarity and Applejack were slumped over one another, muttering about rubbish, and sharing a bottle of beer.
"An' Ah tol' him," AJ slurred, as she shook her hoof. "Ya come near mah farm 'gain and Ah'm gon' make ya visit the gates o' Tartarus."
Rarity scoffed, still attempting to stay proper, even though she was completely drunk, as it was noticed she could barely sit up. "Threats are not the answer, Jacqueline," she pointed out. "What you should have done is just grabbed a shovel and slapped that hooligan right in the muzzle." She slammed her hoof against the counter and began laughing in a somewhat obnoxious way, with the occasional snort her sober self would've been utterly embarrassed by.
The farmpony hiccuped and waved a hoof at her friend. "Hey now, nopony goes an' uses mah full name," she argued.
Stealing the bottle from the earth pony, Rarity took a long sip of beer, laughing as she did so, amused by Applejack's glare.
"And why not?" she drawled. "It's a beautiful name."
"B'cause Ah ain't no high-class broad," Applejack drawled, as she flipped her mane jokingly and batted her emerald eyes. "Or do ya want me t' be?"
Rarity smirked, playfully nudging her friend. "I always did wonder if you had a Southern Belle side to you, instead of that brash attitude you show everypony else," she replied breezily.
"That's it then," the farmer announced a bit too loudly, almost falling out of her seat as she did so. Her voice had now risen to a tone much higher than her usual one, and she began swaying in her seat, talking in an overly sweet ridiculous manner. "Hey, y'all! I'm Jacqueline Apple and Ah'm the sweetest lil’ filly ya ev'r did see 'round these parts!"
This sent Rarity into hysterics, practically howling with laughter as she continued to drink the last few sips of beer in the bottle, while watching her friend continue with the idiotic impression.
"Why, Ah ain't never worked on a farm! No way, no how! Much too tirin' fer me, mister! Nope, Ah'd rather sit 'round all day and act pretty, like mah stuck-up friend Miss Rarity Belle ov'r 'ere!"
The fashionista nearly spit out her drink and jokingly shoved her friend, which accidentally caused the both of them to topple off of their stools and onto the floor, laughing loudly at their predicament.
Rarity swatted Applejack on the chest, shaking her head disapprovingly. "You fiend," she hissed through a smirk. "My secondary name is Grace."
"Oh, but ya don't mind Ah called ya stuck-up?" the earth pony teased.
"That too!" the unicorn whined. "You're mean!"
Applejack released a laugh, smiling in a teasing yet sweet manner. "Ah apologize, Rares," she said with a pout. "Can ya ev'r fergive me?"
Releasing a sweet, overly feminine giggle, Rarity cocked an eyebrow. "Maybe," she drawled.
"Well," the farmpony mused, her gaze never tearing away from her friend's. "Did Ah ev'r tell ya yer eyes looked like sparklin' stars? They're 'bout th' prettiest kinda blue Ah ev'r saw."
"N-no," the fashionista stammered, now frozen as the compliment seemed to make her blush.
"They do," Applejack whispered. "Y'know, they kinda probably make th' stars jealous, Ah bet."
Rarity let out a snort. "Good job my dear, you've learned how to lie," she teased.
Their eyes officially met now. A green as wonderful as Springtime's grass, and a blue as deep as the sea. They were even absentmindedly holding hooves, a vivid sunset orange against snow white.
...and with that, it was a flame, an impulse, Celestia knows what, but it happened nonetheless. Applejack lunged forward, threw a foreleg around Rarity's neck; and pulled her in for a wild, passionate kiss with undertones of sweetness.
"I said, last call for Ponyville!"
The scream awoke Rarity from her Dream Land, causing her to shoot up in her seat and accidentally bang her head against the wall, causing a whine to slip past her lips as she rubbed the spot she had hit. Muttering a swear under her breath, she adjusted her glasses and levitated a brush out of her bag, tending to her mane as she snapped her saddlebags closed, slinging them over her back as she marched out of her train car.
If that wasn't an odd dream, she didn't know what was...
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she paraded off of the train and took in the scenes around her.
As strange as it was, it seemed that Ponyville didn't change one bit - almost like a little town in a snowglobe. The sun still shined brightly, everypony waltzed across the dirt roads and said hello to each other in a kind manner. Harmony practically radiated all around.
It was small.
It was far from professional.
It was dusty.
It was unknown.
...but it was home.