//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Not So Simple Ways 
// by qwerty841 
//------------------------------//

	It was the dawn a beautiful day in Equestria. Much like any other day, the sun making its way across the sky and bringing its light to Ponyville, starting at Sweet Apple Acres. Only one thing was different: Applejack was already awake and pacing nervously, because today is going to be a very busy day.
Today is the day that the Ponyville Days selection committee will choose the pony of ceremonies for this year's Ponyville Days festival, and we can't have the fiasco we did last year.
It was time for the committee to announce the winner, but something was missing. Apparently somepony had forgotten to make sure Granny Smith was there.
Applejack facehoofed. "Ah knew ah was forgettin' somethin'." She ran back to Sweet Apple Acres to find Granny, who was nowhere to be found after looking around the farm. "Shoot, she's probably still asleep." Rushing in the house, she found Granny dozing in her rocking chair. "Granny, ya need to wake up now."
"Dagnabbit, whatcha wakin' me up fer?" She glanced at Applejack's nervous expression and exclaimed, "Ah'm late aren't I? Figures that would happen when ah leave somepony else in charge."
Applejack snorted. "Well, we can't worry about that now, you better hustle on down to town hall."
"Hmph," Granny grumbled as she walked past Applejack and went out the door. "Wouldn't be surprised if this happened next year."
Eeyup, for sure this year would be different and nothing would go wrong. 
Not to mention, she was also expecting a visitor sometime today and she had to get the farm tidied up and ready for his visit. She never knew when he would show up, and she didn't want to make him wait at the train station...
Just then, Big Mac peeked into the room. "Eeyup, ah thought ah heard somepony wearin' a hole in the floor."
Applejack sighed and replied, "Ah just want everythin' to be perfect but ah'm worried mah plans wont work out or maybe ah've forgot something, or..."
"Don't worry yourself, we're all here to help."
She stopped pacing and smiled. "Thanks, Big Mac. I can always count on you."
"Eeyup." And with that he was gone from the room.
"Ah should stop worryin' so much about everythin'. Things'll work out how they're s'posed to..." She looked out the window over the farm. Mac was already out getting the day's equipment ready. "Well, ah guess ah'd better go get the mornin' chores done."
As she left her bedroom, she saw Apple Bloom coming from her room. "Mornin' Apple Bloom."
"Mornin' sis. Ready for the big day today, with the festival planning and all? And ah heard you're special somepony is visitin' today." Applebloom said with a smirk.
Applejack squinted. "Aw, shush. Y'all know he's a nice stallion. And he didn't even need a love poison." It was Applejack's turn to smirk as the color of Apple Bloom's face matched her bow.
"Uhhh, yeah. Ah got mah chores to do. See ya later," she said before dashing downstairs.
"Silly filly," Applejack chuckled as headed downstairs to do her chores.


***


Carousel Boutique: where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique. This morning, in addition, it is a creative disaster area, Rarity frantically running back and forth around a tiny model of Ponyville, throwing embellishments in all directions to come up with the perfect fashion design for the Ponyville Days festival.
"We need bouquets here, ribbons over here... or maybe over there, the fashion show here, and of course the gala in town square." So caught up in her design, she didn't even see Sweetie Belle come down the stairs.
"Rarity? What are you doing this early, and what is all the noise you're making?"
"Oh, Sweetie. You really shouldn't startle me like that, dear. I'm designing the Ponyville Days festival, isn't it marvelous?" Rarity replied, somewhat startled by Sweetie's sudden appearance.
"It looks great, but you don't even know if you're going to be the pony of ceremonies, or whatever it is. And couldn't that have waited until it was actually day?"
"Oh, no. You can't wait on fashion, Sweetie. You have to work with your ideas when you get them."
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes.
Rarity continued, "and besides, isn't it quite obvious that nopony else has my level of fashion, so I'm the only one to be qualified to design the festival, and even if it is somepony else, they would use my designs anyway."
"Whatever, I'm going back to bed," said Sweetie Belle sleepily as she went back upstairs.
"At least somepony will admire my ideas," Rarity swooned as she looked toward the corner of the boutique where she keeps her Trenderhoof mementos. She grinned and trotted over to her shrine.
"I have read about all your travels, and everything you've discovered and made popular, and even paid your barber to save me a lock of your mane, and now I'm finally meeting you!" She gazed at his photograph for a time adoring his golden coiffure and those violet eyes of his, such a gorgeous color...
It was Sweetie Belle who finally broke her fixation on the photograph. "Seriously? How long have you been staring at that? You probably should get a better hobby that stalking celebrities. It's kind of creepy."
Rarity, taken aback somewhat, replied, "My 'stalking' is completely professional as he is the most fashion forward travel writer in Equestria. Beside the point, he is coming here to Ponyville to write about the Ponyville Days festival. I have to make sure I can find him in the crowd."
"Yeah, right. So we should probably go to town square. It's almost time for the announcement. I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss that."