Rarity crumpled up another empty bag of apple chips and dropped it into the trash with a sigh. So much for self-control. The worst part was that she still felt hungry. If only she hadn't messed up her metabolism by fasting for Hopestar Night! But how could she pass up that opportunity, especially when she finally had friends to share the ceremony with?
“Sweetie Belle? I'm just going out to pick up some groceries. Do you want anything?”
“Oh oh oh, could you get me some candied rose petals?” Sweetie Belle said as she bounded down the stairs. She stood on two legs and waved her hooves. “Please?” she added.
“Anything for my favorite sister,” Rarity said, patting her gently with her tail. Sweetie Belle swayed and caught herself. It was good to see a sign of refined taste in her sister. She loved Sweetie Belle and was happy to get behind whatever life decision she made, as long as it didn't involve fire or big green things with teeth, but her younger sibling could be a bit...undiscriminating in her interests. It was about time that she showed a little maturity and artistic temperament.
Rarity opened the door and a sharp breeze hit her in the face. She darted back inside and pulled out a fireball fuchsia scarf and hat.
There were all sorts of wonderful things to think of besides how addictively delicious raw human flesh tasted. The sky had the rich, warm glow of approaching sunset. Birds that, despite having two legs, were not humans, flew and sang overhead. The grass by the road was crisp and green, unlike the creamy peach-colored skin of the human she had seen.
Rarity shook her head vigorously and pulled her scarf out of her mouth. She spotted Wishes Daisy in her stall and trotted up to the line. Caramel struck up a chat with the flower seller, but Rarity was in no hurry. She settled her hooves firmly on the ground. The two of them leaned close, whispering, but there was nothing amorous about their body language. Maybe she had some kind of flower-based estrogen supplement?
Hayseed was right in front of her, but for some reason he did not choose this time to tell her, in great detail, about the subtle differences between the twenty-seven different varieties of turnip cultivated on his family farm, or zen in the art of window washing. Thank Celestia for small mercies.
When he picked up his potted begonia, Rarity stepped up.
“Hello, I'd like-” she began, adjusting her scarf so her voice wouldn't be muffled.
“We don't have any,” Wishes said, in a flat voice.
“I'm sorry?” Rarity said. She'd dealt with some generally unpleasant people on market days, but Wishes was one of the easy-going locals. “I didn't even tell you what I wanted to order.” She finished the sentence with a nervous little laugh, to suggest that this really couldn't be going on but if the other pony wanted to pretend they were joking she'd be happy to let her save face.
“Alright,” Wishes said. She stared at Rarity and waited in silence, as if the pony across from her hadn't occasionally fought the forces of evil and destruction that ravaged Equestria every now and then.
The silence stretched out as Rarity waited for the next word. Wishes tapped the board impatiently.
“I'd like a bag of candied rose petals,” Rarity said.
“We're all out,” Wishes Daisy said, without looking at her stock. If she'd turned her head slightly, she would have seen seven full bags labeled “Laughter of Cadence Candied Petals”.
“Well, um, far be it from me to disagree with your professional opinion, but don't those bags there look just a tiny bit like candied rose petals?” Rarity laughed, but this time the laugh had an edge to it. She made sure her face contained no trace of anger or irony.
“That's a display,” Wishes said. “We don't have any.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” Rarity said.
Daisy's eyes normally looked cerulean-colored, but right now they shone with a glint of icy blue. “Yes,” she said. “I'm positive.”
Rarity shivered. “Alright then, have a nice day.”
Wishes said nothing.
Rarity headed on towards the market square. Applejack might have some apple chips, but she felt a bit more like stopping off at Shady Character's stall. The “authentic” Canterlot fashions Shady sold were about as authentic as diamonds that couldn't scratch glass, but Shady offered decent canned bear curry.
#
Applejack wasn't getting as much business today. It wasn't like the marketplace was empty, and she still saw many of her regular customers, like Cloud Kicker and Golden Harvest, but things just seemed a little...quieter. Lemon Hearts didn't come around to sample her wares, but after the creepy way she acted the last time they'd met that was just fine with Applejack.
Still, a few regular customers gave her a miss. When she waved to Apple Stars the unicorn just kept on trotting and gave her the cold shoulder.
Activity in the market had died down, and the warmth had gone from the light of afternoon. Applejack counted up her earnings and began to fold up her market stand.
“Better mosey on home to start the evening chores,” Applejack mumbled to nopony in particular as she hitched the contraption to herself.
Applejack blinked. That was force of habit talking. She actually didn't have any chores to take care of this evening. Jamal the human had made a huge dent in her daily worklaod, and the only thing that her family wasn't already going to take care of was the pepper harvest, which would be pointless on account of that killing frost. Maybe she'd use the free time to check out Pinkie Pie's latest party.
The Scoops Family Ice Cream truck wasn't doing much business. Maybe the pimply unicorn kid they hired to run the place after their sister left wasn't getting the hang of his job. He waved back when Applejack waved to him, and she found something oddly incongruous about this. She couldn't put her hoof on it. She just knew that she felt absolutely no desire for ice cream.
The shadows seemed to lengthen very suddenly. The carousel boutique looked cold and distant, like a dark tower on a barren hill. Ponies she'd done business with for years walked past her in grim silence. Something in the very air pressed against her, cold as an eel and dry as a bone.
Applejack snorted. What a load of metaphysical horse-apples. This was the same friendly town of unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi she'd always lived in. It was just a little dark and chilly today.
The darkness came without any cloud cover overhead...
Applejack rubbed her eyes. There was no mysterious shroud darkening the land, just afternoon shadows and some buildings that could do with a fresh lick of paint. Everypony just wanted to get home while it was still light out.
She headed down a side alley, looking for a shortcut home. AJ didn't feel like lingering around the town square anymore.
It was there, amongst rain gutters, pipes and hayburger wrappers, that she ran into her old friend Rarity, who happened to be chatting with Lemon Hearts and a dark grey unicorn with sunglasses she didn't recognize. The unicorn vanished with a flash of magic.
“Oh h-hello Applejack! Fancy meeting you here,” Rarity said with a little laugh.
“Hello Rarity,” Applejack said warmly. “Lemon Hearts,” she added, with a tiny nod and a low growl.
Rarity shifted her shopping bag and blushed. “I was just having a little chat with my good friend Lemon Hearts.”
“Oh really? You're friends now?” Applejack said, trying to keep the hostility out of her voice and failing.
Rarity cocked her head. “Is something wrong?”
“I reckon something is wrong with this here unicorn,” Applejack said, jabbing Lemon Hearts in the chest. “This nasty critter tried to buy my new friend like a bushel of eggs.”
Rarity gasped and covered her mouth. “Lemon Hearts? What is she talking about?”
Lemon Hearts sniffed. “There's no need to get so uppity about an innocent mistake.”
“There aint nothin' innocent about what you said, Lemon” Applejack snarled.
“Her hot brother was carrying a two-legged deer on his back. I thought they were taking it to market!”
“It was mah new friend Jamal, and he's a human, not some kind of deformed deer,” Applejack said.
Rarity reared up on her hind legs and her eyes widened. “A two-legged deer? Another one?”
“I told you he's not a deer,” Applejack said, at the same time as Lemon Hearts said “Another one?”
Rarity blushed. “I'm sorry dear, did I not mention my little encounter earlier?”
Rarity and Lemon hearts both had the same pointy spiral horn, the same serrated teeth, and the same needful look in their eyes. A chill worked its way up Applejack's back and into her ribcage.
“What's this incident you're talking about?” Applejack said, suspiciously.
“Oh, just a little momentary lapse of control,” Rarity said. Her laughter was nervous and forced. A can fell out of her shopping bag.
Rarity tried to snatch it away with her magic. Applejack instinctively grabbed it with her tail.
The can had a hairy severed limb in a pool of blood, framed by a motif of pepper plants and a fleur de lis. The cursive pink writing said “Crust & Set's Curried Meat”.
Rarity was blushing and sweating furiously. “Look, Applejack, there's a few things you don't know about me, and I understand how this situation is a little awkward-” she stammered.
“Give that back!” Lemon Hearts snapped. “Honestly earth ponies can be so intolerant!”
Applejack dropped the can like a rattlesnake.
“Holy horse apples, Granny was right.”