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sad A Jewel within an Apple


Buck Testa

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A pressure gripped Applejacks chest as she stared at Rarity's garish boutique. It was as if she had never been there before. It felt like she was heading into the depths of Tartarus to sign her soul away. She rehearsed what she wanted to say to the fashion minded mare over and over again, trying to prep herself for what she had to do.

 

The Orange mare had left Sweet apple acres with Granny Smith this side of being bedridden. She could feel that there was going to be a paradigm shift in the family and even more responsibility was going to be on her shoulders. Responsibility she knew in her heart she was not equipped to handle like Granny did.

The task of managing the apple family finances had been the elder ponies job since after Aj's parents passed. The old mare was quite sharp with figures and budgeting, and though Big Mac and Applejack tried they knew that they were not up to managing that aspect of farm life and keep Sweet Apple Acres afloat. She did not like the plan she came up with but It was better than sitting on her flank doing nothing.

"What the hay am ah gettin mahself into." She said under her breath as she walked upto the botiques front door "She is probably goin ta laugh herself hoarse hearin me say I need..."

she pressed open the door to have her ears met with the chime of the bell signalling a customers arival.

"Why hello and welcome to the carousel boutique , how may I assist your fashion related.... " She stopped midsentence in her speech upon seeing Applejack. Her expression shifted from the rehearsed poshness she had for customers to a genuine and relaxed smile as she trotted over to her friend "Oh hello Applejack what brings you here?"

A faint pink blush colored the orange mares freckled cheeks as she adjusted her hat. This was going to be harder than coming up with a quaint southern turn of phrase on the fly.

"Rarity, ah need your help with somethin"

"of course dear have a seat, would you like anything to drink?" She appreciated the white ponies hospitality since it gave her a chance to do something about her dry mouth and uneasy nerves.

"Yeah that'd be nice, coffee... or maybe some arsenic..." She added wryly as she sat at the table. A part of her would rather die than have to bring back that part of her life. However her family was on the line.

"Well somepony is in a grim mood this morning" Rarity said with a raised eyebrow as she performed the task of pouring a cup of coffee and bringing it to Applejack entirely through levitation, all the while getting comfortable on the other side of the table. There were definite perks to being a unicorn. Applejack hooked her hoof through the handle and gingerly sipped the hot bitter contents. She sighed as warmth filled her and calmed her nerves a bit before making eye contact with the white mare

" Ah have to speak with fancy ponies, Ah am not to keen about those types... no offence"

Rarity waved her hoof dismissively with a smirk

"None taken darling, there are times when I would rather throttle some prissy pony with my barehooves then take their buisness..."

Applejack choked a bit on her sip of coffee and faught between laughing and coughing to catch her breath. She hit her chest lightly a few times to regain composure

"You are speakin my language sugercube, but I need to get hold of some substantial buyers and ponyville only has so much in the way of bits..."

"And that means you need to brush up on your edicit lessons and annunciation so you do not sound like a hillfilly to your future buisness partners" Rarity finished for Applejack, making the country mare sigh in fustration. Not even a few minutes in and she could feel herself getting irked. This was a bad idea.

"Ah do not sound like a..." she paused as she regestered what Rarity had just said and put her coffee down in surprise "how'd you know ah had edicit lessons?"

 

It was no real secret that Aj left her home to live with relatives in the city as a filly. But the country mare never really liked to talk about that time in her life because of how guilty she felt for leaving in the first place even after all this time.

"That would be from your little Applejewel stunt awhile back. I have to say I was thoroughly impressed, It took me ages to get the way I am and you got back into the swing of it in an afternoon." Rarity said with a mixture of admiration and envy in her voice and expression.

"What, you were not born a fashionista?" Applejack deadpanned as she sipped her coffee again

"Oh I was Darling but when your parents are from the north filling a young foal ears with dreadfully uncooth accents...well... " Rarity looked around her shop to make sure nopony was around "Yer voice tends ta mimic what cha grew up with dont'cha know"

Hearing that thick yet natural northern accent coming out of the lips of the posh mare before her made Applejack lose all restraint, giggling uncontrollably as she pressed her face into the table. Rarity patiently let Aj get her composure and wipe her mirth filled eyes with her foreleg. She had always wondered why Rarity spoke so differently than her parents. The Mare trained herself to speak the way she does, who would of thought it.

"Oh Celestia that was amazin..." Breathed out Applejack, happy to be smiling after the stress of this week. Rarity rapped her hoof on the table casually to get focus back to their talk

"Yes well enough of that, onto the topic at hand. Last I check Sweet Apple Acres was doing alright buisness wize, am I wrong?"

 

"It is...however Granny is the one who handles our finances and she aint doing to good these days. Ah try ta learn but those figures are hard to figure out after a days work and if we cannot handle our bits right we lose the farm for sure. So... ah have to hire somepony to work the books... and that isnt going to be cheap, so I gotta get more buisness..." With each word that Applejack spoke her elated mood sombered up and the gravity of her dilemma was back on her shoulders.

"Nonesense dear your answer is sitting right in front of you"

"huh?"

"Applejack I dont mean to brag but I am fairly savy when it comes to finances" Rarity said with a kind expression. Aj got what her friend was trying to say but it just was not something she thought she could do.

"Oh Rarity ah couldnt ask that of you, its so much work and your buisness already takes up alot of your time"

"Well of course I would need compensation for my troubles..." Rarity spoke as if not hearing the fact that she was turned down "... like Joining me at the spa, or having some dinner... indulging in your inner Applejewel with me"

Applejack did not know how she felt about terms like that. That time in her life was not a pleasent one to think about and she tried to distance herself from anything that reminded her of it "Ah... Ah dont..."

 

"Darling I know you do not like that time in your past, I am not blind that I cannot figure out when my lovely mare friend would want to change herself so much. The fact that Granny Smith is the way she is cannot be helping matters."

Rarity was a perceptive little filly Applejack thought to herself. Without even relating her tale she seemed to of figured everything out on her own. Applejacks eyes watered a little as she looked down

"Rarity..."

The white pony took applejacks hoof in her own and gave a knowing expression Aj had never seen on the mares face before. One that expressed that she knew exactly what that growing lump in her chest felt like "you were a little filly who had lost her parents Applejack, anyone would of wanted a change of scenery after a blow like that." Applejack did not like being this vulnerable, but she did not pull away " And the fact you chose to come back to the farm and be the head of your family speaks volumes to who you are..." Applejack tried to mouth protests but her throat was dry and clenched and her eyes were streaming tears. Rarity was smiling warmly through her own "... dear I spent so long trying to stuff my past away that it made me lothe my own roots, I was a fool of a filly and still am in many ways. I accepted the mistakes I made as part of me. You need to do the same so you can be prepared when Granny Smith passes on, not just for your farm but for your family."

"but..."

"Let me worry about the budget when the time comes, all I ask is you indulge me in the little filly ventures you have been denying yourself all this time"

Applejack's met Raritys face across the table and gave a weak smile. Her mounting stress seemed too pour away at her friends generous offer.

"you are a good friend Rarity...I really mean that"

"Remember that when you curse my name in the mud bath later" Rarity said with a smirk, illiciting another watery chuckle from the tired farm pony.

 

Applejack did not know how everything was going to turn out, but she was happy she had friends like Rarity to help her out. It was good to know she wasnt alone in this.

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