Change
Sugarcube Corner was positively buzzing with life, hardly surprising considering the occasion. Nightmare Moon had been defeated and the Princess of the Night had been returned to her subjects. Many still lingered warily around the reformed royal, but the atmosphere had felt relatively lax. The second attempt at the Summer Sun Celebration had gone off without a hitch and Ponyville was more alive than it had been in years.
Rarity was certainly enjoying herself, sipping a glass of lemonade and listening to her friends talk amongst themselves. They were all interesting characters, that was for sure, and that made her feel even more guilty about never attempting to befriend them before just a few months ago. Rainbow Dash had seemed too crass, Pinkie Pie too exuberant. She had tried speaking to Fluttershy in the past but the poor dear could barely speak her name. Twilight Sparkle, though only being her friend for a night and some change, was certainly a pony she enjoyed watching-- the mare was so lost inside her own head at times that it often made for interesting scenarios for Rarity to watch play out.
The only one of them that Rarity had really known for years now was Applejack, and even that was a stretch in saying so; she had known her in school but never really made an attempt at talking to her. She was a tad intimidating to Rarity, and not just in stature. Rarity had thought of herself as being good at reading ponies, but Applejack eluded her. She could never tell just what was happening in her mind, her thoughts and ideas. She was a boisterous and social pony, yet introverted and reserved. After befriending the mare, she noticed that Applejack never liked to talk too much about herself, preferring to let others carry on.
Speaking of Applejack… where was she?
Rarity set down her drink and scanned the room for some sign of the Earth pony, but her search came up fruitless. She could see no brown Stetson surfing the sea of heads, nor a long blonde tail trailing behind. Rarity frowned; there was that juxtaposition that eluded her. Applejack had seemed to have been everywhere at once earlier that day, only to practically disappear so soon after. It didn’t sit right with her, not after everything that had happened.
Her worried glances caught Twilight’s eye and the royal student’s smile turned to a frown. “Rarity? You okay?”
“Fine, dear,” Rarity assured her with a small smile. “I’m just curious as to where in Equestria Applejack has run off to. You would think she’d be here with us.”
“Maybe she’s taking a nap?” Rainbow Dash suggested with a lazy wave of her hoof. “That pony works too much, and after the rush she had to go through to get food ready for another Summer Sun Celebration with only a few hours notice, I wouldn’t blame her if she hit the hay.”
Rainbow Dash had a point, Rarity admitted quietly to herself. Applejack worked herself exhausted most days, evident in how her voice would falter when making a sale or the near permanent dark circles under her eyes. Still, this was Applejack they were discussing, which meant---
“I don’t think Applejack would just leave without saying something to us,” Twilight pointed out. “She seems to be a pony who takes the feelings of others into account.”
-- well, yes. What Twilight said was true, though Rarity was thinking more along the lines of Applejack’s admirable -- if a little over-the-top -- work ethic. Catering the Summer Sun Celebration was fun, but a job nonetheless, and Applejack was too good a business mare to simply walk away before the event even came to an end. No matter the reason for it, Applejack’s disappearance was concerning, and Rarity would get to the bottom of it.
“When was the last time you all saw her?” Rarity asked the the group.
“I was helping her bake some treats in the Cakes’ kitchen a couple of hours before the celebration started,” Pinkie Pie said around a mouthful of frosting, “But I had to leave her when BonBon came in with these super duper delicious new candies she’d made and I just couldn't resist asking her to show me how to make some and--”
“Okay thank you, darling,” Rarity interrupted with a gentle touch to Pinkie’s hoof. As much as Rarity was interested to know BonBon’s response to Pinkie Pie unknowingly trying to steal a recipe for her business, this had nothing to do with her main objective.
“I remember seeing her earlier,” murmured Fluttershy, barely audible over the noise of the party. “She looked really stressed, like something was on her mind.”
Rarity frowned. “How long ago?”
“I’m not sure,” Fluttershy replied, ears going flat. “M-maybe half an hour before we sat down here? I asked her if she was okay but I don’t think she heard me--”
“Shocker,” muttered Rainbow Dash
“-- and she headed upstairs.”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “Upstairs? For what?”
“Oh, I know!” Pinkie chirped. “Sugarcube Corner has a balcony. The view from there at night is super pretty, that’s where I’d go if I were feeling stressed!”
“Makes sense,” Twilight decided, levitating her own drink to her mouth. “I hope she’s okay.”
“I thought after everything that’s happened she’d be more open to talking to us,” Fluttershy muttered with a concerned frown.
“I’ll go up and see if I can find her,” Rarity offered with a glance toward the stairs. There was no light shining down indicating anyone was up there, but it was worth a peek. If Applejack was feeling stressed about more than catering, Rarity needed to find a way to help her.
“Good idea,” Twilight said with a nod. “Let us know how it goes.”
It was a short journey up the stairs to the second floor of the bakery and Rarity couldn’t help but feel as if she was poking her nose where it didn’t belong. Anypony and their mother was allowed downstairs to sample the Cakes’ delicious creations but up here was more private, almost intimate. Pinkie Pie and the Cakes lived here and Rarity felt her morals being pressed just by ascending the staircase into their privacy. Still, she was on a mission and these thoughts could wait until later.
A cool breeze coming down a short, photo-littered hallway caught her attention and she turned to look. At the end was bright pink door about half open, moonlight filtering in and giving the wood floors a hint of illumination. Well, if Sugarcube Corner did indeed have a balcony, Rarity was pretty sure she had found it.
At last the missing farmer was found as Rarity fully opened the door. She was leaning against the railing, forehooves thrown over the side and crossed with her green eyes to the sky. Rarity made her way over as silently as possible, almost as if she were approaching a skittish creature who would dash away at any second. After a moment she reared up to mirror Applejack’s pose, following her gaze to the moon. A long beat of silence passed before one of them spoke.
“The party is downstairs, you know,” Rarity said, keeping her voice light and casual.
Applejack didn’t answer right away, keeping her eyes on the moon. Her chest heaved with a heavy sigh. “The moon looks strange without another pony starin’ back at ya, doesn’t it?”
The response was so out of the blue, so not Applejack that it caught Rarity off guard for a second. Before Rarity could wrack her brain for an answer, Applejack continued.
“When we were little and learnin’ about Nightmare Moon in school, I remember thinkin’ about how silly of a story it was. A mare in the moon!” Applejack scoffed. She lowered her gaze and stared across the darkening town. “But then tonight happened and the story was real. For a thousand years Princess Luna was stranded and isolated on the moon. She was there for so long that she faded into nothing but a story for foals. Isn’t that sad? That her life, her legacy, everything she was and everything she did was forgotten by everypony but the one who did it to her?”
“Applejack, what are you talking about?’ Rarity asked, turning to look at Applejack fully. She barely stifled a gasp that threatened to burst when she saw tears in her friend’s eyes. Applejack… Applejack didn’t cry.
“I was a farmer yesterday, Rarity.” Applejack said, voice eerily calm.
“You still are, dear. Nothing has changed.”
“Nothing has changed?” Applejack repeated, turning to look at Rarity with darkening eyes. “Rarity, everything has changed! We discovered relics that had been lost for a thousand years, relics that chose us, chose me! We were the guests of honor at a banquet thrown in Canterlot, our faces are forever in the windows of that palace for Celestia’s sake!”
Although Applejack had kept her voice relatively calm, it did nothing to ease Rarity’s worry. “Well of course, Applejack,” Rarity said, feeling a bit defensive, “we helped save Equestria, did you expect that to go unnoticed?”
“I just--” Applejack cut herself off and turned away, taking a deep breath. A moment of cold silence passed between them, rivaled only by the unusually cool summer breeze. Rarity sighed and put what she hoped to be a comforting hoof on Applejack’s shoulder.
“Applejack,” Rarity began, “just mere hours ago you were chosen by unknown forces to be the bearer of the Element of Honesty. I need you to uphold that title to me, right here and right now. Please, tell me what’s wrong.”
With a droop of her shoulders, Applejack hesitantly turned to face her, head low so her hat covered her eyes. “Fine,” she decided. “I’m… scared.”
“Of what, dear?”
“Of… this,” she said, gesturing vaguely to herself and Rarity. “I ain’t just a farmer anymore and you ain’t just a fashion designer anymore. Now we’ve got new titles.” She placed a hoof on her chest. “Element of Honesty...” -- she moved her hoof to Rarity -- “and Element of Generosity. Saviors of Equestria and whatnot.”
“Yes…” Rarity said slowly. “I am not seeing your point here.”
“What I’m sayin’ is that we ain’t superheroes. We’re just normal ponies. Sure we succeeded tonight, but there will come a time when our luck runs out, Rarity, and Equestria really won’t be the same when it does.” Applejack let out a stuttering breath, staring across the town again. “And it’ll be my-- our fault.”
“Applejack…”
“That’s a thought I just can’t bear, Rarity!” she exclaimed. “After what we did tonight, we’ve got a lot of expectations to meet. The whole of Equestria is gonna be countin’ on us to defeat whatever comes next. The Mare in the Moon came to life yesterday, who’s to say that another fairytale won’t tomorrow?”
“If that happens, dear, we’ll be ready,” Rarity insisted.
“You don’t know that.”
“And neither do you.”
Applejack was quiet for a moment, hopping off the railing and sitting down. She looked at the moon again and spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, “You’re right. I don’t know.” She looked at Rarity again and the Unicorn was nearly swept away by the intensity of her gaze. “And that is what scares me more than anything.”
“Not…” Rarity paused, sitting down to meet her friend’s eyes steadily. “Not knowing? That’s what scares you?”
Applejack nodded and finally, Rarity understood, but she held her tongue.
“My future has been spelled out for me from the moment these apples appeared on my flank,” Applejack said. “I knew then and there that I would work the farm and do my best for my family. Everything was so simple, so… written out. I always knew the gist of it all.”
“Until today,” Rarity finished, and Applejack nodded again.
“Now?” Applejack gave a huff of laughter, dry and humorless. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen from here on out. What new villain I’ll have to fight, if I’ll win or lose, if I’ll let everypony down or just raise their expectations. I don’t like not knowin’ and not havin’ control over it.”
“Well… I guess now you’re stuck living like the rest of us,” Rarity said slowly.
“What?”
“You think I had any idea where my life was going to end up?" Rarity asked with a smirk. “Please. When my horn started dragging me to the other end of Equestria, I hadn’t the slightest clue of where I would end up, and I certainly never thought I’d defeat some magical villain from a storybook. I doubt the others did either.”
“I know, I ain’t tryin’ to say ‘oh woe is me’, y’know.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “That’s more your style.”
Under other circumstances, Rarity would have been taken aback but right then she was just happy to hear Applejack’s deadpan humor again. She waved a hoof dismissively. “Whatever, I get what you’re saying. I know it’s an Apple thing to, well, be an Apple. Work the farm and harvest. But did you really expect that it would last forever? That every Apple would just… fall into line?”
“Well… no,” Applejack admitted, turning her eyes to the floor of the balcony. “I just thought that, when it happened, it’d be from somepony more notable than me.”
Rarity frowned and touched a hoof to Applejack’s chin, raising her eyes back to hers. “Hey, I happen to think you are more than notable.” She moved her hoof to Applejack’s neck, the spot where the Element had not long ago. “And apparently so does some unknown force of friendship.”
Applejack blushed and pushed Rarity’s hoof away. “Alright, alright, don’t get sappy. S’bad enough I spilled my guts and got all emotional in front of you.”
“Oh, please. If I can trust you enough to break into hysterics while falling onto a fainting couch in your presence, I think you can trust me enough to let out a tear now and then.”
Applejack chuckled, getting to her hooves and helping Rarity get to hers. “Makes sense, I guess.”
“Oh and another thing, dear.”
“Hm?”
Rarity turned to face Applejack directly, locking eyes once again. “If and only if the time ever comes where we fail, we fail together. No beating yourself up, no dwelling on letting others down. Deal?”
“I can’t promise that.”
Rarity scoffed. “At least you’re being honest. Well try, then?”
“... deal.”
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Hmm, it's easy to forget amidst the heroics, but Applejack is very much a homebody. Of all the Mane six, she has the least interest in travel and adventure. Even Fluttershy travels, If the destination isn't too scary, but the entire focus of Applejack's life is that apple farm.
Nothing wrong with that, the best renditions of Applejack I've seen always ground themselves in that fact, of a hardworking mare whose satisfaction is found in a simple life lived well. Thanks for the story, and the thoughts.
img00.deviantart.net/8570/i/2015/354/e/8/winter_apples_by_baron_engel-d9ksr07.jpg
This was beautiful!! Definitely deserved its feature.
This is great, straight onto favorites!
Reminds me a lot of the short I wrote a while back, too.
I think I caught a couple tiny errors, by the way. (If you prefer not to have proofreading stuff in comments I can edit this out and PM it to you instead?)
Looks like a missing word: "apparently so does", I suspect?
It seems like "then" should be "them" there.
Honestly beautiful, just a simple little piece starring a pony who's at heart, a simple mare.
>“Well of course, Applejack,” Rarity said, feeling a bit defensive, “we helped save Equestria, did you expect that to go unnoticed?”
Lel, you would think that, wouldn't you? The next day Sweetie Drops has never heard of Rarity, shoppers are pushing past Fluttershy in the market, the Wonderbolts have no idea who Rainbow Dash is, and Princess Twilight can't get a cab.
9168762
thank you, I'll get those fixed!
Magnifique! Straightforward, honest, and deep. Very in-character for all involved, in particular our two leading mares. I could see this being canon.
"I never asked for this."
Sorry, I just had to! ^^
This is a nice little bit of character focus. It makes sense, the delivery is smooth, and Applejack and Rarity's characterization feel right.
This was good. This was really good.
9169109
Dammit you beat me to it!
Very nicely done, and a good insight into AJ immediately after the opening episodes. ^_^
Love this story, Applejacks reaction is so perfect. but time does seem to be screwed up a bit. One moment thry have had a feast in canterlot already and the glass windows made. The next they have only been elements a couple hours. Unless straight after celestia returns, they were teleported to canterlot, where a feast was alteady waiting, along with a stained glass window, something feels off.
9169346
I feel like Celestia could whip up a stained glass portrait in a snap so that's my reasoning. As for the the rest.... shhhh
9169250
Thank you!
Ooh - a new Applejack story. I must read!
Dreadnought
Now that reminded me of this
A goodie. Perfectly in character, and not a topic often considered, not in this situation. Thank you.
This is one of the sides the show doesn't reveal. Six mares, half of which were not all that remarkable, were suddenly thrust into the limelight and given a, quite frankly, ridiculous responsibility. It was also one they did not ask for. It's true they set out to stop Nightmare Moon, but Twilight was the one who wanted to do that. The others followed because they couldn't let her do it alone.
But then, I suppose that's the mark of a true hero. they don't seek fame, glory, or fortune. Er... MOST of them don't, anyways *Eyes Rarity and Rainbow Dash.*. They find responsibility forced on them... and rise to the challenge.
This reminds me of the conversation with Sunset and Starlight, over the former's fears of future conflict she may face with her friends.
In the end, you've gotta focus on the present. And not worry about what MIGHT occur.
9169461
This is Celestia we are talking about
She probably had it made up before hand.
Change can be really scary for anyone. This is a good story.
Great work in considering how the humble farmgirl felt at the start of her Hero's Journey. The setup dragged a bit and the character voicing could use a little work—there were times when Rarity and Applejack didn't quite sound like themselves—but overall this was an excellent bit of friendshipping for two newly minted friends. Thank you for it.
Ehhh
I've said it before and I'll say it again: any story that really meaningfully delves into Applejack's inner life (without just leaning on The Parents thing) gets points in my book and this one chooses a really intriguing angle: the way you tie Applejack's self-confidence in who she is and what her purpose is with the way that image is challenged by her being chosen by the Elements of Harmony is a fascinating one (especially when one remembers how AJ reacted to LOSING the Elements at the start of Season 4) and indeed I almost wish the story had delved a bit deeper in that direction but still manages to explore it in compelling fashion; I especially appreciate how AJ uses the revelation that the story she grew up believing was just a fable about the Mare in the Moon to contextualize just how shaken this has all left her feeling. I also appreciate your use of Rarity here; I always love when writers remember the ways in which she and AJ are similar rather than just different (her observation that they are both business mares and how that guides her thinking especially struck a nice chord for me) and the way she uses her own life's story to help AJ out worked really well for me. I feel like there are some minor leaps in emotional logic during their conversation, admittedly, and I think you might've wanted to tighten the opening a bit (it's enjoyable but it also feels like it takes up more of the story than it should), but overall I really enjoyed this story. It takes a unique perspective on its characters and fleshes it out believably and compellingly and resonated with me very strongly! 8D
9170738
Thank you so much!!
This is a take on Applejack I really like. Her asking the question "Why me?" It's a question I ask myself a lot. Like Applejack, I have a big responsibility now, and the outcome of that scares me. So I can really relate to what Applejack is afraid of here. Essentially, she's asking "out of all the ponies in Equestria, why did I get picked for this?" It really makes you wonder what the requirements for a hero really are.
I like the way you wrote Rarity here as well, how she didn't understand Applejack's plight right away. She didn't come off insensitive, which is good. Instead, she came off as someone who just didn't put as much thought into it as Applejack. Very well done.
Short. But good. Real good. Don't have anything to really say other then the conversation felt completely natural ^^ Good job.
9170895
media.giphy.com/media/3ohfFviABAlNf3OfOE/giphy.gif
No one ever signs up to become a hero.
Those who try are in it for the sports money.
The real heroes are those who rise to the occasion when no one else will stand.
suggestion:
Change wording of title a bit:
Ah didn't sign up fer this!
Slice of life was very on point.
I liked this story and feel it could be show canon, that's how good it is.
Based on Look Before You Sleep, IDK that Rarity would be that cordial to AJ.
9172310
In Celestial Advice, it was shown that these five had been friends before Twilight had come into the picture. It’s true they were at odds in that episode but friends have days where they get on each other’s nerves.
You pulled me in with a good hook, and I came out feeling great. I love fantastic short reads like this, and I have to say, this was definitely one of those top hitters!
9168471 A homebody? Out of all of the M6, Applejack is the one who *left home* and traveled all across Equestria to live with her aunt and uncle, abandoning her brother and sister and grandmother on the farm in search of her destiny. Then when she got her cutie mark, she traveled *back* to her home. Half of the M6 have refined cultural instincts, Twilight who was raised at Celestia's side post-cutiemark, Rarity who mostly has been making it up as she goes, and Applejack who had gotten ingrained with Manehattan culture *before* getting her mark.
Yeah, she knows what fork to use. And how *not* to use one if needed.
Excellent work. Have a like and follow.
Well done. Applejack is typically the strong, down-to-earth member of the mane six. It's nice to see a fic where she's vulnerable and open.
Dreadnought
9174821
ahh... I'm sorry I just woke up a little while ago, are you agreeing, or disagreeing with me?
9175338 Yes.
9175341
Good to know! I'm glad we cleared that up.
That was pretty slick. Thanks for sharing.
Fantastic little character study. This feels like a believable reaction from Applejack as she's suddenly chosen to wield this nugget of weaponized friendship that she didn't even know existed before that day. Rarity is very well characterized as well, the way she sympathizes with AJ as a fellow entrepreneur and wants to understand what's bothering her. It's been a long time since I've read a good Rarijack friendshipping fanfic - it's just so nice to see a story like this at the top of the feature box.
A good story. Showing the doubts of a newborn heros responsibility.
This story is a sweet throwback to where this all began. I really liked an honest (
) look into the mind of someone forced into such a crazy life changing situation. I even teared up a little bit 
. Super cool story.
Now I have to go watch these episodes again
What a delightful blast from the past. I do agree with the issues FoME mention below, but really, the character work is fantastic, and all these seasons really give a lot of weight to that moment in AJ's life.
A lovely little moment of introspection.
Catching up with notifications of reviews I missed ages ago, so here you are. Short version: I liked seeing AJ and Rarity before they'd smoothed out on each other -- I'm fond of "Look Before You Sleep", which helped -- but I did find this very telly.
Whoa... That's one of these stories you hunt for - a real gem in the sea of 'meh' out there, well-written and inspirational.
I loved it, thank you
.