Making a Difference

by gilo

Chapter 6

A bell above the door tinkled as Applejack opened it and walked into the jewelry store.

“Welcome to the… Oh! Applejack?”

The jewelry store clerk raised her eyebrows, really surprised by Applejack’s visit. Jackie chuckled and walked up to the counter.

“Eeyup! Bet ya are surprised to see me, huh, Banana Fluff?”

“Very…”

Contrary to appearances, Applejack and Banana Fluff were pretty good friends. While AJ has never set her foot in a jewelry store until now, Banana Fluff often visited the Sweet Apple Acres to buy apples. She was a regular customer, so the two got to know each other pretty well over time. Banana Fluff really appreciated that Applejack was always ready to help her out, whatever the case was. She’s never had an occasion to return the favor, though. She was really good at making jewelry, but like everypony knew, Applejack wasn’t into that sort of thing.

Banana Fluff cleared her throat and regained her professional composure.

“S-so… How may I help you, Applejack?”

“I need an amethyst necklace. Please tell me ya got somethin’ like that.. It’s very important..”

Banana Fluff hesitantly nodded and turned around to search the cupboards for the thing Applejack needed.

“Hmmm, let’s see… hmmm… Oh!”

“Ya found one?”

“Mhm! More than one, even!”

Banana Fluff took three thin boxes, put them on the counter and opened them. Applejack looked over her options. There was a golden necklace studded with five small amethysts. Applejack wasn’t convinced, though. The gold color wouldn’t suit Rarity perfectly. The second necklace was silver and had a big, circle-shaped gem fitted in. The size of the gem was too much in Applejack’s opinion, though. It seemed too flashy to suit Rarity. The third necklace, however, was perfect. It was made of shiny white gold and had a single polished, diamond-shaped amethyst fitted in, just like the shape of the gems on Rarity’s cutie mark. Applejack’s eyes sparkled. This seemed too perfect to be true. This necklace would perfectly compliment Rarity’s superior beauty.

“This one’s perfect. I’ll take it.”

“Great choice! This model is very popular, it’s the last one we have in stock.”

Banana Fluff closed the two other boxes and put them away.

“Guess, I’m lucky, huh?”

“Well, you certainly have good timing. Is that all?”

“Eeyup!”

“Okay, that will be… let’s see… One thousand bits!”

Applejack’s jaw almost dropped and her heart sank when she heard the price. She was so excited about getting Rarity the perfect gift that she completely forgot to take money from home. She wasn’t sure if she even had that much saved up.

“O… oh… darn… I… don’t think I have that many bits with myself…”

She murmured, clearly getting worked up. She put both her hands on the edge
of the counter and clenched her teeth, trying to stop the tears. She thought that she messed up. That her perfect gift for Rarity will be gone. Banana Fluff’s eyes sparkled, though. She was waiting so long for that moment. A moment when she could do something for Applejack, instead of the other way around!

“Hmm… This necklace is really important to you, isn’t it?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Then don’t worry, Applejack. You can pay for it later.”

Applejack immediately looked up at her friend. Her eyes widened and her heart beat harder in regained hope. She didn’t think it was right, though, so she started to protest. After all, she was a humble pony, so she didn’t think she deserved any special treatment.

“Wha?- N-no, no, but-”

“No buts!

“..are ya… Are ya sure about that…?”

Banana Fluff sighed and looked into AJ’s eyes with a determined look on her face.

“Applejack, let me ask you this. We’ve known each other for a long time, haven’t we?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Right. And during that time, you’ve done so many wonderful things for me. You’ve always been helpful. You’ve always been there for me when I needed help. And every time you helped me, I felt this strong urge to return the favor. But I never got to do it. All I can do is make jewelry, after all. That’s what I’m good at, and that’s what my cutie mark symbolizes. And now, I finally get the chance to help my dear friend. We don’t usually do anything like this in our store, but I know I can make an exception. I know that you’ll pay for the necklace when the time comes. So please, let me do this one thing for you, Applejack..”

Banana Fluff was getting pretty worked up over this. Both of them were, actually. Applejack, with tears in her eyes, grinning sincerely, put her hand on Banana Fluff’s shoulder.

“Thank you, friend… I’ll never forget this…”

Banana Fluff smiled shakily and closed the box with Applejack’s necklace.

“Would you like to… wrap it up for a gift?”

“Yeah… And, if you can, uhh.. use purple paper, okay?”

Banana Fluff grinned and nodded energetically.

“Naturally!”