White Demure

by Heitomos

Applejack and Rarity: Part 2

Poke.

Poke.

"...ke up!"

"Mmph... What in tarnation?" Applejack said, sleepiness lacing her voice.

"...ake up, Applejack! We've arrived in Manehattan!" Rarity said as she gently shook her friend awake.

"Huh-wha? What? Already? Shoot... How long have Ah been sleepin'?" She asked, turning her blurry eyes to the white mare.

"The entire train ride, darling. I wanted to wake you up so that I could share all of the wonderful sights with you, but, alas, I felt it better to let you get your rest. You've been through a lot after all." The unicorn said as she placed a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder.

"Oh well... Ah guess Ah should thank ya then, Rarity. Than-" The orange mare suddenly cut herself off as her blurry vision cleared itself, and she finally got a good look at her companion, "Rarity, what in tha wide world of Equestria are you doin' wearin' that get up?"

"Oh, this old thing? It was something I brought with me for the trip! Manehattan is filled to the brim with sophisticated ponies and I intend to mingle with as many as I can! I intend to show off my fabulous dress to them and see if I can spread the name Rarity! Dressmaker extraordinaire to the Manehattanites!"

The regal unicorn struck a pose she had been practicing in order to show off the dress she had made for just such an occasion. Every stitch, every placement, every bit of cloth was woven together masterfully to make for an absolutely beautiful dress, one that she was sure would turn the eyes of everypony that saw her.

But it was the eyes of Applejack, who was giving her a deadpan look, that snapped her back to reality.

"Oh umm... After we get Apple Bloom the cure she needs, of course. Eh-heh..." She said awkwardly.

"Now that's better. Come on now, let's get offa this train and get to see my Aunt and Uncle Orange. We didn't part ways on a bad note, but it wasn't a good one aither. Ah'm just hopin' that they understand and help us out." She said, letting out a sigh as she thought about having to meet them again, "Oh, do ya still have the pictures and name and stuff?"

"Why of course, Applejack. You think I would lose something so terribly important?"

"Well, no. Just makin' sure."

Together, the two ponies made their way out of the train, each collecting their things and making sure they had the bits they brought with them in the first place, just in case they needed to buy anything, not to mention renting a hotel room for the night.

Applejack wasn't too thrilled with having to spend an entire night in the city again, but, her hooves were tied to the train schedule, and since their ride home wasn't leaving until tomorrow, they were stuck. As she left the train station, she did her best to ignore Rarity's constant 'ooos' and 'awes' at every little thing she saw, doing her best to remember just where her Aunt and Uncle lived.

Despite having been more than a decade since she was last here, Manehattan was just as she remembered it; The buildings were tall, the ponies looked snooty, and nopony seemed to spare a glance at anypony else that didn't have a lick of status to them. The place was a lot different than what she had grown accustomed to in her home town, and just looking at it made her start to feel homesick all over again.

As the two walked through the busy streets, the orange mare was getting a few too many condescending looks for her liking, and it was making her increasingly uncomfortable. And what was worse was that she couldn't, for the life of her, remember which of the many buildings her relatives lived in.

"Ugch... This ain't gettin' us nowhere. Ah can't remember where they live. Ah mean, things look familiar, but Ah just can't seem ta pin which buildin' they lived in... Ah think we're gunna have ta ask 'round these parts and try ta find somepony who knows where they might be at."

"Well, that may be harder than expected," Rarity said, having returned from her adoration of the city, "In all of my short time here, not a single one of these ponies has even so much as looked at me or my dress. I've noticed you've been getting a few looks, much more than I have, now that I think about it."

"Don't go poutin'. Them looks ain't nothin' nice, that's fer sure. They're just starin' at what they think is a backwater hick way outta 'er element. Nopony's lookin' at you cause yer just as fancy as they are, and unless you know ponies in this city, you won't be gettin' much in the way of attention unless you make them look at ya. Which is somethin' I'm gunna be needin' ya ta do fer me. They won't listen ta me. So, sugarcube, can ya ask around fer the oranges for me?" Applejack asked.

"Oh why certainly, Applejack! Stand back and watch as I use my charms to get the information we need to save your sister!"

With a dramatic wave of her hoof and a smile on her face, Rarity trotted towards the nearest Manehattanite she could find, and began to lay on her charms. However, after a few minutes of attempting to converse, it became obvious to her that the fellow fancy pony simply wanted her to leave them alone. Fine. She could take a hint. She could just try somepony else.

However, after she received the treatment from a second pony, then a third, then a fifth, she was starting to get at her wits end. It was like Prince Blueblood all over again, except there were dozens of him everywhere! The more she spoke to the locals, the more she began to hate this place. After a final attempt with her eighth snob in half an hour, she growled in frustration and returned to Applejack to vent her failure.

"I thought this place would be glamorous! I thought this place would be fantastic! But no! This city is filled with ingrates akin to that stupid Prince at the Grand Galloping Gala! Ohhhh how I loathe him, and I'm beginning to feel the exact same way about this city!" Rarity shouted, finally getting a few looks as she did so, but not the kind she had earlier desired.

"Well shoot... If these ponies won't even talk ta you, they musta gotten even snootier than I remember. Didn't think that was possible..." The orange mare said, slightly amazed at the depths these ponies have sunk.

"It's simply unbelievable!" The unicorn shouted. Soon, however, her fury faded and her voice returned to her regular tone, "I'm sorry, Applejack. It seems I've failed in one of the only things I could have done to be of any help..." She said, her head hanging low in shame as she sniffled lightly.

"Aww, don't worry about it none, sugarcube. We'll find somethin'. We just gotta keep looking. You can help me with that, can't ya?" The farmpony said, giving her companion a reassuring smile.

The white mare wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at her friend, "Thank you, Applejack. That means a lot. Well then, shall we venture forth in to this foul city and look for your relatives?"

"O' course! Let's get a move on."

Applejack was quite happy to see her companion cheered up and even more determined to find what mattered the most right now. Together, they walked the streets of Manehattan, turning around every corner that caught their attention and scanning over countless businesses in hopes of finding anything related to Orange Pharmaceuticals. But, as the day slowly passed, and the sun began to set, the two of them had found nothing save a few dozen ways to get lost.

"Well shoot... this ain't what I was hopin' for at all! Nopony talkin' to us, and I lost count of how many times I saw that hat shop on tha corner..." Applejack said, feeling quite dismayed at the situation.

"Seventeen times, if my count is right. If I have to see that tacky hat in the window just one more time I swear I'll scream."

"Please don't."

"Oh, don't worry Applejack, it's just a figure of speech. Well, the sun is setting... I suppose we should find ourselves some place to stay the night and try again tomorrow. It's such a shame that we haven't seen... a... hmm..."

"Yeah, I suppose we should try and find a roof ta put over our heads." Applejack replied before noticing that her companion had trailed off, "Hey, Rarity? What's tha matter?"

"I think I've just seen the first bit of anything familiar since coming here. Look, over there!" She said, pointing a hoof to a crowd across the street.

"What? I don't see nothin'." The farmpony said, squinting at the crowd as she looked for whatever Rarity was pointing at.

"How can you not see them? Oh, never mind, come on. Follow me."

The orange mare simply stared for a moment as her friend made her way across the street towards the crowd for a few moments before following along. The crowd seemed to be gathered out in front of a restaurant, and the closer she got, the more she realized the crowd was a crowd in only the barest sense of the word. Sure, there was a lot of them, but almost none of them seemed to be talking to one another. That is, except for a couple of ponies she hadn't seen while across the street; a couple of ponies she recognized instantly.

"Lyra! Bon Bon! It's so good to see the two of you!" Rarity said in the most cheerful voice she had.

The couple, who had been sharing a milkshake at a table, turned their heads to see who was calling them. Bon Bon was the first to swallow down her mouthful of milkshake and speak up, "Oh, Rarity. It's good to finally meet a familiar face in this city!"

"I know exactly what you mean, darling. So, what brings you two to this... umm... fair city." The white unicorn replied, trying not to sound angry at her last words.

"It's our third anniversary, and somehow Lyra convinced me that this would be the perfect place to go to enjoy it." The pale cream colored earth pony replied.

"Hey! I was told this was a nice place. It's not my fault it's filled with snobs, I wasn't expecting this." Lyra said as she attempted to defend herself.

"Don't worry about it, Lyra. I was thinking the exact same thing until I got here myself earlier today. And at this point, I simply cannot wait to leave." Rarity said, flicking her hair as she expressed her disgust of the place.

"You and me both, sister." Replied the other unicorn.

"Next year, I'm picking where we go." She said, causing her wife to start sulking. "Anyway, Rarity, what brings you here, if I may ask?"

"Well, we're actually on a rather important trip, but it's not turning out so well... Since you two seem to have been here longer than we have, perhaps you can help. Do you know of a place called Orange Pharmaceuticals?" The white mare asked.

"Oh! I know! I remember that place. I got some stuff from there when I first got here, fixed my cold right up." The light green unicorn said, her face beaming, "Just head down... Uhh... Ah! That road there," She said, pointing a hoof in the right direction, "Just keep going down that road, and you'll end up at a four way street. If I'm not mistaken-"

"Which you often are." Her wife interrupted.

"Shush. If I'm not mistaken, just head right once you get to the four way street. Just keep going and look at every building, and you can't miss it. S'got a big orange on the front."

"Oh thank you so very much, darling! Well, we have to make our leave, as this is terribly important. I hope you two enjoy your anniversary despite the circumstances." She said, giving a wave to them as she began to walk off.

Lyra and Bon Bon smiled to Rarity and waved goodbye as well before going back to their conversation and milkshake, leaving the unicorn and her farmpony companion to their own devices. For a few moments, the two of them walked in silence, Applejack following her friend as they walked down the street they had been told about.

"So uhh... What just happened?"

"I just got us some directions, darling. I bet you weren't expecting that to happen all of a sudden."

"Umm... Nope, can't say Ah did. S'nice though. After all that happened today, this was like a gift from Celestia herself."

"I know exactly what you mean, Applejack. This is quite fortunate for us. It'll make getting out of here all the easier tomorrow. Let's just hope they're in the store tonight."

With that, the two continued to walk on, though there was an uncomfortable silence as a thought seemed to dwell in the farmpony's mind. After nearly a minute, she finally voiced it, "So... Anniversary?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, it was their third anniversary, as they said. I believe they were married in Canterlot, where Lyra is from, if I'm not mistaken. Why do you ask?"

"Oh umm... Ah... Ah just didn't know is all."

"Didn't know what?" Rarity asked, curious as to what had put Applejack off her game.

"That they were married... Or that they could..." The farmpony shook her head, clearing her thoughts and getting back on track, "Anyway! We got directions an' a lil' sister ta save. Come on, Rarity, let's get goin' 'fore it gets too dark."

The unicorn glanced at her friend curiously before simply giving a shrug and following along, after all, just as Applejack said, there are more important things to deal with.

---

"Well... Ah'm pretty sure this is tha place." Applejack said as she looked at the building she was standing in front of.

"I believe they intend to make that rather obvious... How did we miss this before?" Rarity asked, simply staring at the building.

"I ain't got a clue, sugarcube... Musta not gone down this street."

The two ponies were standing in front of a building, a rather large one, which had large, red, capital letters printed on to a giant orange. Underneath the red lettering was a collection of small sentences that read off the list of things this building provided; things like orange based foods, orange based sweets, furniture, appliances, and, of course, the pharmaceuticals that they had been looking for. It seemed the building comprised everything that Mr. And Mrs. Orange owned and sold to make their way in the big city, and from the looks of things, they were doing rather well for themselves.

"The sign says it's still open... Guess we can head on inside and see if mah Aunt and Uncle are there or not. Or at least ask somepony 'bout 'em." Said the farmpony.

"I believe that would be best. We may just be able to get that train tomorrow after all." The dressmaker replied.

Together, Applejack and Rarity walked in to the shop, the unicorn using her magic to open the door. Inside, the place was huge. There were aisles upon aisles of goods and even though it was late evening, there were still quite a few ponies trotting around, going about their shopping. Neither of the two companions had been in a supermarket before, and while it was a new and interesting experience, the sheer size was going to make it hard for either of them to find what they needed.

"Now how are we gunna find anything in this place?" The earth pony complained as she looked around.

"Perhaps we should find an employee and ask about it?" The unicorn suggested.

"But how do we know who works 'ere and who don't?"

"Perhaps the ponies wearing the orange vests going around helping others and stocking the shelves." Rarity said as she gestured towards a few of the stores workers.

"Oh uhh... Raight." Applejack replied, her cheeks tinting red in embarrassment. She turned her gaze to the nearest worker, a pegasus mare working the top shelves, and cleared her throat, "Beg pardon miss, can I bother ya with a question?"

"Certainly! What do you need?" The pegasus replied with the false enthusiasm of a supermarket grunt.

"Ah was hopin' mah Aunt and Uncle Orange might be. They own this place, m'pretty sure. This here's a family emergency, and Ah really need ta talk to 'em."

The pegasus gave the farmpony an odd look, wondering if this pony was for real. On one hoof, this could just be some random country bumpkin looking to get a free ride in the big city. On the other hoof, if she really was family with the bosses, not helping her might end up badly. The worker weighed the options in her head for a moment before giving a nod.

"Certainly! Just a moment, I think Mrs. Orange is in today, but her husband is away on a business trip. I'll go and let her know you're here miss...?" The pegasus said, letting the words hang for a moment.

"Ah'm Applejack."

"Right."

With that, the flying pony flew off towards the back of the store, heading inside a pair of double doors labeled 'Employees Only'.

"Well, Ah hope she gets mah message to Aunt Orange. It's really important we talk ta her." Applejack said.

"I agree with you completely, Applejack. But... Hmm... You know, I can't believe I didn't think of this. While we wait, why don't we go and look at the medicines and herbs they already have. We might just get lucky and have it be on the shelves and save us a great deal of effort." Said Rarity as she tapped her chin.

"Yer raight. After all of this, I didn't think ah somethin' so simple as that. Come on, then. Might help pass tha time while we wait fer a word from my Aunt."

In order to pass the time, and make an inconsequential gamble, they made their way over to the medicines department. The shelves were filled with plants and vials of all kinds, each one claiming to cure one illness or another. Rarity held up the paper that contained the name and basic image of what they were looking for with her magic as they scanned the content of the shop for what they needed.

After having looked up and down the aisle twice, and not having seen a single sign of the Mandragora plant they needed, the two ponies were feeling a little disheartened.

"Well... Ah guess it was too good ta be true."

"I do believe you're right, Applejack. Well... It can't hurt to look a third time, I suppose. Though, I think we should start hoping that your dearest Aunt has some of it stored around here somewhere, or this trip will be all for naught!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Ah know just what ya mean, Rarity." Applejack said with a sigh. "Well, let's try one more taime an'- Oh, lookit that. There's that pegasus again." She said, lifting a hoof and pointing it up at the incoming pony.

"There you two are. I was looking all over for you." She said, frowning for a moment before she regained her 'delightful' composure, "I spoke to Mrs. Orange and she said that she'll see you, Applejack. Just follow me please and I'll take you to her office."

"Thank ya kindly, miss. Lead tha way." The farmpony said, tipping her hat in thanks.

With that, the two companions followed the pegasus in to the back halls of the store, heading towards her Aunt's office. Applejack gulped heavily as she thought about what her Aunt might want to say to her, about their previous time together as well as whether or not they had the plant. Soon, she found herself standing in front of the door, and with a sigh, she raised her hoof and tried to shake the sense the sense of dread she was feeling.

She wasn't looking forward to this at all.