Promise
“Rara, that was amazing! Did you see the ponies cheerin’ for ya? Yer incredible!” Applejack set down her guitar beside the roots of a tree, bringing her fillyfriend into a hug. Rara blushed as the orange filly sang her praise. Letting go of each other, Rara giggled.
“Oh, come on, AJ! If it wasn’t for your guitar playing skills, nopony would have listened! You were the real star of the show!” Applejack was the one blushing now, and quickly turned away. Rara was a pony of music, unlike her. Rara would make it big in Manehattan with that voice, while her guitar skills were just a hobby. As much as she once wanted to be, she was no Manehattanite; she belonged on a farm.
She allowed nature’s silence to take hold of the lush grove they stood in. Wind blew through the dense thickets, causing the only sound of gentle rustling. Birds usually sang their pretty songs among the branches of the tallest trees, but it seemed they had retired today to give them privacy. Applejack would have missed their melodic tunes, but the pony behind her could replace all the birds in the world with her voice.
“Uh, AJ? Did I say something wrong?” Applejack jumped at said pony’s voice, quickly turning around and shaking her head.
“Course’ not! It’s just... –” Applejack scratched her head “– Aw shucks, my guitar playin’ ain’t nothin’ special. Just about everypony in ma family knows how to play, and y’all could probably learn in a week if ya tried. But yer voice is somethin’ special.” Rara tried to contest, but Applejack continued. “Yer gonna rock Manehattan. There’s no doubt in my mind about it. And… to be honest, that’s what Ah’m afraid of.” Rara scrunched her face in confusion.
“But… why? What’s there to be afraid of?” Applejack sighed, kicking the dirt.
“It’s just… camp’s almost over. Yer family’s movin’ and I’m staying in Ponyville. I don’t know ‘bout you, but Ah don’t see how we can stay friends.” Rara’s eyes widened. “I’ll be missin’ you a whole lot on a small farm in a nameless town and you’ll be up in Manehattan makin’ it big. Y’all probably won’t even remember a little farmpony like me when yer a star.” Rara shook her head, pulling Applejack into a hug.
“No! We’ll always be friends! We promised each other, don’t you remember? True friendship never ends! That’s what you said! That’s what the song says!” She let go of the embrace, smiling at Applejack. “I don’t care where I end up, I’ll always remember you. Do you even know how much you mean to me? You gave me the courage to sing in front of those ponies, AJ!” It was true. When camp started, Rara was a shy and quiet little filly. Didn’t like her own cutie mark! Applejack tried her hardest to get her to open up. It started by getting rid of Coloratura and helping her find Rara. Getting her to embrace her talents. She still remembered when she first heard her voice.
“Ya promise we’ll still be friends after camp?” Rara nodded eagerly, making Applejack smile
“We can write each other letters! That way, it’ll be like we’re still seeing each other every day!” Applejack gasped excitedly. Why hadn’t she thought of that? It was perfect!
“That’s a great idea, Rara! I’ll write to ya everyday!”
“And I’ll respond everyday. Promise.” Applejack nuzzled her, a bittersweet smile on her face.
“I’ll still miss ya a whole bunch, Rara. It just won’t be the same. Y’all better make sure that fancy Manehattan life don’t get to that lil’ head of yours, ya hear?” Rara giggled, playfully jabbing at Applejack, who started giggle alongside her. Eventually, Rara descended to a sigh.
“I don’t even know if I’ll actually make it out in Manehattan. I mean, I’m just a little filly! What do I know about singing? What if they don’t think I’m good enough?” Applejack wrapped a hoof around Rara.
“Hey, don’t say that! Yer voice is the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard! Everypony loved ya today, and it ain’t gonna be any different out in Manehattan.” Rara broke free from her embrace, turning away.
“You don’t know that! There are probably tons of ponies that are good at singing! Why would they like me over anypony else?”
“Cuz you sing from yer heart, Rara. I can see it on yer face. When you sing, yer lovin’ every single moment of it. You ain’t just good at singin’, you wanna sing.” Applejack stepped in front of Rara, lifting her chin. “That’s the difference, Rara. Those ponies will love ya, cuz you are the brightest star they’ll ever see.” For a while, Rara merely stared into her eyes, as if searching for sincerity. Eventually, she sighed, flashing a small smile.
“Thanks, AJ. You’re always there to make me feel more confident, huh?”
“I won’t always be there, Rara.” Applejack frowned, thoughts returning to their soon-to-be farewell.
“I know. I just don’t know what I’ll do without you.” Applejack mustered a confident smile.
“Ya just gotta remember to try your darndest, and more importantly, always be yerself. Promise?” For a while, Rara frowned, thinking.
“You really think that’ll be enough?”
“Ah know it. Yer a wonderful pony, and that’s gonna getcha farther than any two-bit diva hidin’ behind costumes and makeup ever could hope for, ya hear?” Another smile came to Rara.
“Then I promise.”
“And I’ll always be there beside ya, even if I’m not, okay?”
“Oh AJ, you goof.”
“I’m serious! When you make it big, I’ll be the first to hear about it!”
“And I’ll write to you all about it, kay?”