This is your singing telegram
I hope it finds you well
You're invited to a party
'Cause we think you're really swell
Sunlight reflected off dust particles, the rooster cried its morning call, and Applejack sat up, brushing off the sleep from her eyes and gazing out blearily at the morning sun that already hung high in the sky. She'd overslept! Applejack rolled chaotically from her bed and grabbed her old work duds in her mouth. She sprang out the door and made her way quickly downstairs, already trying to think of an apology to Big Mac for her tardiness. She stepped into the kitchen, then immediately ducked as something whirled over her head and hit her hat, which she'd managed to struggle on in the rush. The plate bounced off her Stetson like a Frisbee and she caught it in her mouth, removing its apple fritter cargo. From across the room, Granny Smith scowled.
"You're late," She pointed out, but Applejack was already out the door and making a line for the orchard.
Applejack took a moment to observe the orchard. It was a sunny day, the apples in the orchard reflecting the sunlight like mini red disco-balls. Everypony thought the thing she cared about the most was apples. They where they were wrong. The "Apple" in her name was not for the apples on the trees, but the Apples she loved: Her family. The apples on her flank didn’t represent the apples she so expertly bucked from the apple trees; no, they signified the Apples she had to care and protect the most: Granny Smith, Apple Bloom and Big Mac.
Applejack turned and saw Pinkie Pie was bouncing up the drive. "It's tomorrow!" she squealed. "Party, party, party, party, party, PARTY!"
Applejack jumped. "Calm down, sugarcube. What's got y'all in a fuss?" Pinkie was hopping from leg to leg like an excited filly. "What party?"
"You know, silly! The one you told me to plan last night!"
Last night. What? Applejack searched through the tired haze of the previous night and the shame of her dishonesty came crashing back like a ton of bricks.
"Oh, that party." Applejack made a mental note to warn Twilight before Pinkie invited her.
"Yep, I was up all last night planning it!" How in the hay was Pinkie this bouncy having stayed up all last night? But then Pinkie was a pony shaped ball of energy.
“Pinkie, Ah’m, umm, goin’ ta’ Twilight’s now, for a visit, and ah’ was wondering if ya’ wanted me ta’ take Twi’s invitation to her,” Applejack said carefully.
"OOo, you’re the best friend ever! Thanks, AJ," Pinkie cheered and squee’d "Here's both of your invitations. This is gonna be so much fun!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing off, leaving Applejack holding the invites carefully in her hoof like a mega-spell about to explode. She sighed and opened her invitation cautiously. Well, unfortunately, she wasn't cautious enough, as the second she opened the invitation, a shower of confetti sprayed out of the card and into her mane, making it frizz. Applejack chuckled. Pinkie and her practical jokes... She wondered how Rarity and Fluttershy would react to this particular joke; she really hoped that Pinkie would have the sense not to pull this particular prank on her shy friend. Applejack pulled a harness over her head, connected it to a wagon filled to the brim with freshly bucked apples, and trotted off to town.
Knock, knock, knock. Five seconds later, surrounded in the soft glow of purple magic, the door swung open to reveal a tired looking Twilight. "Applejack," she snapped "We're not all the morning pony you are."
"Afternoon," Applejack corrected the mare who was rarely corrected, pointing to Celestia’s sun high up in the sky.
Twilight glared at her. "What do you want?" But after seeing a flash of hurt upon the orange mare’s face, she calmed herself. "Sorry, I'm tired."
"That’s all right sugarcube," Applejack chirped, beaming to a very groggy alicorn "I have to warn you about something..." A shot of concern passed along Twi's face. "Pinkie Pie’s planning a party."
"When for?!" She urged, clearly understanding the importance of the situation.
"This afternoon," the farm mare answered flatly. Twilight seem to hesitate.
"What, as in this afternoon, this afternoon?" The orange mage rolled her eyes.
"No, I mean Thursday afternoon," Applejack said with and extra ladling of sarcasm. "Of course I mean this afternoon, so you’d better get over your tiredness ASAP. You know how well Pinkie takes it when ponies decline her invitations!" They both shuddered at Pinkie’s last reaction to their previous declinations.
"Okay," Twilight sighed. "I'll be there." AJ breathed a sigh of relief.
“Great! Here’s yer invite, Twi,” she said, passing the invitation over to her friend.
“Thank you,” Twilight said, smiling as Applejack turned and galloped away.
"Oh, and Twilight?" Applejack shouted back to Twilight. "I'd ask Spike to open your invite if I was you." Hearing that, Spike hid behind a bookcase as Twilight trotted back inside to make a very strong coffee.
A war was raging inside Caramel’s head. How could he look at AJ like that? He had a marefriend, Sassaflash, and she was beautiful and they were just starting to get serious. He loved her... Didn't he? Yes, he did. They had been going out for months and he was not going to give it all up for one mare with a sexy flank. "AHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in frustration causing nearby ponies to stare at him with worried expressions "Sorry," he whined sheepishly and retreated back into his thoughts as knot of guilt formed in his stomach. He was on his way to Sassaflash's to surprise her with a gift he had been thinking of giving her for a long time. Arriving at her house, He trotted up to her door, took a deep breath, and knocked.
Knock, knock. "What was that?" Thunderlane gasped, nuzzling Sassaflash. She sighed.
"Some pony knocking at the door," She sighed getting out of bed wings sticking out awkwardly, trying to contain her wing boner and failing miserably.
"Baby, just ignore it."
"No, I'll get it" she sighed "It could be important."
The door swung open to reveal Sassaflash. He looked from her face to her erect wings, to her embarrassed and guilty expression. "Baby, who is it?" He heard a stallion call from upstairs. The penny dropped: All the vague reasons to avoid him, that stallion's voice in the background every time he called her. "Sassaflash," Caramel pleaded meekly. "Please, tell me this isn’t what I think this is."
"I can't-" No… all this time she had been lying to me - cheating on me... tears welled up in his eyes, finally he spoke "We’re through," he muttered through tears. "Don't call!"
"Oh, come on, Caramel, you need me," Sassaflash said lightly, but he was already gone.
Pinkie Pie was bouncing from door to door, handing out invitations with a smile. "Come to the ‘Ponyville Winter Wrap Up Record Breaking’ party!" Suddenly, she spotted Caramel crying, looking sullen and upset. That wouldn’t do! "Heya, Caramel!" She exclaimed while bouncing beside the blue eyed stallion. "Are you okie dokie lokie?" Caramel stayed quiet and continued walking; head hung low, tears streaming down his face, making a whimpering sound like a dog with a hurt paw. "Hey, you wanna come to the ‘Ponyville Winter Wrap Up Record Breaking’ party?" Pinkie Pie suggested.
Caramel turned to face the pink mare and took a deep breath like it hurt him to speak. "Ok." he said in a low, sad tone.
"Great! This is going to be so much fun! We’re going to have: Fairy lights, balloons, cake, ice cream, and-" Pinkie took a deep breath. "-Vinyl Scratch, the Best Dj in all of Equestria, is going to be there!" Pinkie Pie gushed, squee’ing. Caramel put on a fake smile which Pinkie Pie didn't buy for one second, but let it slide, hoping he would lighten up for the party, and passed him an invite without the streamers, just like the ones she'd given to Fluttershy and Rarity. She didn't want any pony to get upset from practical jokes, so she picked her victims very carefully, and Caramel looked as fragile as eggshells at the moment. She hoped a party would help him feel better.
"Thank you, Pinkie," Caramel muttered facing the ground again and trotted off.
In the market, Applejack had been selling apples all afternoon. "Next!" She called out. Caramel walked up his eyes were puffy and red making it evident that he'd been crying. "Are you alright, Caramel?"
"Yeah. Where's Big Mac?" Applejack’s concern was growing
"At the farm, I think," she told him. "But is there anything I can do for ya’ in the meantime?"
"Yeah, I'll take one kilogram of apples," he muttered
"Sure, anything I can do to help." Applejack grinned, hauling a big bag of apples on to the counter "One kilogram of apples. That’ll be two bits."
"But, AJ, it says four bits on the sign." He pointed to the crude sign hanging to the farm mare’s right. The paint was chipping away and there were cracks in the framing.
"It two bits for you. You're a family friend. Two bits and that’s final." The orange mare said, her stubbornness kicking in.
"Thank you," Caramel said, forcing a smile before sliding over two bits, taking the bag of apples, and putting it on his back before he began making his way towards the farm. He needed to speak to Big Mac, needed to get things of his chest, feeling that he could only talk to his best friend.
Lights, music, ponies: Pinkie had really outdone herself this time. The decorations were beautifully crazy, and Vinyl was an amazing DJ. Even Fluttershy was dancing! "So, you're finally here,” Rainbow Dash said from behind her.
"Hey, Dash," Applejack said, still in awe of what she was seeing.
"Isn't this party so cool?" She gushed "I mean, it’s not as awesome as me, but really what can beat that?"
"Sure is, Rainbow Dash," she replied ignoring the last part.
"Hey, I’m going to the dance floor to bust some wicked dance moves. You could come too, that is, unless you're too chicken!" She boasted, giving an evil, daring grin to her friend.
"You’re on!" Applejack’s competitiveness kicking in! The rainbow maned mare nodded and they raced each other over to the dance floor.
Meanwhile, Rarity was glaring at any pony that stepped within three feet of her. "Stay back!" She barked. "Nobody's going to ruin my beautiful dress!" She was looking all around her, growling at anypony that got close, but she didn't look up. Behind her, on the hors d’oeuvre table, stood a gigantic cake which was currently being eaten from the inside by a certain pink earth pony. Suddenly, a shadow formed over Rarity, who looked up only to see the gigantic cake millimeters away from her stunning gown. That was the last thing she saw before being covered head to hoof in brown, sticky, chocolate goop. "PINKIE PIE!" she screamed not caring that everypony was staring at her.
"Oops! Sorry, Rarity." She began the chuckle, but quickly stopped noticing the glare Rarity held on her.
"SPIKE!" Spike responded straight away, skidding to a stop beside her.
"Yes, Miss Rarity," He said looking up at her with starry eyes despite her being caked in Devil's Chocolate Sponge.
"I need three gallons of water and detergent, stat!” Spike saluted the white mare and marched off.
"Alright everypony, it’s time for the slow dance." Pinkie’ voice came from the speakers while she ducked and dodged through the crowd, intent on playing matchmaker.
Applejack felt herself being pushed toward her crush, Caramel. She gazed up in to his massive blue eyes. "Hey, Caramel." She smiled softly at him but said nothing else as she looked around, intent on not getting lost in his eyes. Twilight had been paired with a yellow stallion with a star and moon cutie mark and Fluttershy was paired with… her brother! Oh she was going to have so much fun teasing him about this later!
The dance started and she could barely look at Caramel. It didn't help that she couldn’t take her eyes off her hooves in fear of tripping, but then, as she started to get into the flow of the music, she felt herself look up into Caramel’s eyes. Looking into those big, blue eyes, she felt as if she time moved slower and felt her stomach flutter at the thought that maybe something could work out between them, maybe. The music stopped and she quickly snapped her eyes away and trotted away shyly to hide amongst her friends, her cheeks a deep shade of crimson.