I'm the Only Trend Setting Chapter
"Come again darling?"
"Ah asked if ya really think that mah hooves are cracked and dry."
"Well of course they're-"
Rarity cut herself off and quickly snapped her face into a thoughtful one, hovering a hoof and tapping it on her chin. "Are they cracked and dry?" Rarity mused and quickly took a look at Applejack's front hooves, careful not to let her friend notice her fake nonchalance.
Applejack rolled her eyes as she noticed Rarity's quick glance at an instant, sighed, and lifted her hoof up to offer it to Rarity's view. "Well do ya?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.
Rarity jerked back a bit at the notion, feeling a quick pang of guilt, then wore an all too familiar awkward smile to her friend, but continued to look at Applejack's hoof nonetheless. She went back to her previous train of thought and carefully examined the farmer's hoof. Her eyes widened at what she saw on the hoof, evidently shocked at what she's seeing. "Applejack, I'm impressed!" Rarity smiled and turned her eyes to the applebucker's own. "This hoof is certainly not as glamorous as mine, but I didn't think that they would be in this good of a condition." Still bewildered at how well maintained her friend's hoof was.
Applejack narrowed her eyes at the remark. "Well, thanks for the compliment...ah guess?" She put her hoof back down to the floor. "Trying not to be rude here Rares but, I'm kinda offended at how you thought this was a impressive to ya." Applejack's expression softened to a small frown, lacing a subtle hint of sadness in her eyes. "Just cuz ah'm a simple pony don't mean that ah can't take care of mahself." Applejack's voice faded with each word she said, still looking at Rarity as she saw her friend's face clearly getting more awkward and more guilty.
"Oh no Applejack, please don't take it like that!" Rarity asserted as she dropped her awkward smile and replaced it with a worrying frown. "I just assumed that...well, with all your work and with the addition of your stubbornness, you don't normally have the time to muse over with things like that." Rarity thought that her vision was beginning to fade through her tears forming. "I realize now that I was wrong, and...I-I'm sorry, Applejack."
Applejack, looking at her intently, suddenly wavered into a small snicker, then followed by a bellowing laughter just like the one she had earlier this day. "Oh Rares, I thought you could read ponies? I didn't think I had the talent of actin' in me!" Applejack exclaimed with a smug smile that she has worn whenever she truimphed. She then turned the smug look into a genuine 'Applejack's smile of honesty' and spoke. "Seriously though, ah've already forgiven ya earlier sugarcube, but jumping into conclusions just ain't right" Applejack shook her head in disagreement, looked at Rarity straight in the eye, and spoke in a more serious tone. "It could harm somepony and it'd just lead to bein' uh...uh'm...." Applejack stuttered breaking her seriousness and mulled over her thoughts deeply, trying to search for the word that she needed.
"Stereotypical, darling" Rarity spoke up, looking at Applejack with a scornful expression throughout her whole lecture. "I believe that's the word you're looking for." Rarity then lifted her eyebrow, still holding her unamused gaze at her friend. "I just want to point out some things in my defense as well, if I may." Applejack breathed in, clearly about to respond, but was just off by Rarity's sarcastic throat clearing. "Firstly, I think that you're a good actor too. Secondly, some embodiment of honesty you are. And thirdly, Applejack darling, do I smell like rosebuds?" Rarity listed as she shot a condescending look at her friend.
Applejack felt like she shrunk from the fashionista's words as she quickly understood what she was trying to convey. "Ah, well... to think about it, ya don't really smell like rosebuds." It was Applejack's turn to chuckle awkwardly, sporting a light blush on her face. Feeling uneasy at the piercing gaze that Rarity is giving her, she quickly snapped at her friend, fidgeting to try and defend herself from the accusation. "W-Well, it's not like ah like bein' covered in mud too, now do I?"
It was Rarity's turn to roll her eyes, followed by a sigh. She then just shook her head and smiled warmly at her friend with a hinted smugness in her voice. "Just admit that you were going around and jumping to conclusions yourself, darling." She chuckled as she took a bite of her already half-melted cupcake due to the length of the conversation.
Applejack swung her hoof to the side and chuckled dryly. "Shoot. Alright Rares, ah guess we both learned a mighty fine lesson today...again" She huffed as she took a bite of her own cupcake.
A friendly silence took over for a few seconds while the two mares were finishing up their light snack and proceeded to drink the cider that Applejack personally promised to make after the evening's program. Applejack decided to break the mutual silence between the two once again after she took a sip of her drink.
"Mah mane ain't that dusty ya know, and I do mah best to avoid split ends on it, thank ya very much."
Rarity scoffed jokingly as she swallowed the drink and put her own mug down. "Well, now that seems even less possible than your hooves being all cracked. How about all the farm work you do and those competitions you keep having with Rainbow Dash, hmm?" Rarity looked up to her friend's stetson "I've also always wondered at how that hat just seems to...hover above your hair, but surely that also makes a mess with your mane too." Looking back at the farmer with a joking grin, an eyebrow raised.
"Oh Rarity, surely ya know how worse it is when you don't fix yer mane though out the day." Applejack let out a casual chuckle and ran a hoof over her mane. "Even for me, sugarcube. If ah don't take care of this giddy mess of a mane everyday, it'll be more of a giddy mess by tomorrow. Why do ya think I always got this little thing all tied up?" Applejack then proceeded to take a sip of her cider.
Rarity nodded as she waved a approving hoof. "I understand, I understand. It is quite a fuss, isn't it?" She then made a deadpanned expression on her face. "But at least you don't need to maintain yours in a style that needs to hold on to itself throughout the whole day." She then looked up to check on her own mane, and sighed with a pinch of mock jealousy. "Your mane however, well, that's a different story. I have long been dying to work on such a blank canvass of a mane, my stars!" Rarity's face lit up as she smiled, remembering her different hair style designs she imagined for Applejack to have. "Who did your mane anyways?" Rarity finally remembered to ask after all the fuss earlier today.
That was the bombshell.
Applejack simply chuckled at the uneasiness and finally spoke up. "Well, uh, the one who did mah mane was, uh, um..." Biting her lip, she knew she couldn't delay it anymore and just sighed. "It was Rainbow, sugarcube." Rushing the last part, and flashing a small, awkward grin.
Rarity thought that Applejack humorous mare, but to even think that Rainbow, out of all ponies, Rainbow Dash would even comb a single strand of her mane made her burst into a sudden fit of laughter that matched even Pinkie's.
Applejack rolled her eyes at her, she knew this was coming by a mile. "Rarity, ah'm bein' serious here, don't forget that Rainbow Dash always dresses in style." Crossing her arms, she watched her friend laugh harder, if that was even possible, at what she had just said.
"R-Rainbow dresses....dresses in WHAT?!" Out of breath, Rarity was clenching the table, careful not to knock over her cider, and herself, on the floor when she released another set of laughter with what breath she had left.
Applejack politely waited, holding a contemplating look as she looked at Rarity writhing from both loss of breath and laughter. She then finally helped the fashion mare up to her hooves as they both sat back down on their chairs.
"Oh Applejack, h-how in Celestia's name did you even c-come up with such an idea?" Reducing her uncontrolled amusement to lady-like giggles, Rarity thought to finish up her cider, controlling another surge to burst.
Applejack brought her hoof to her face and smacked it lightly, sighing. "It was generations ago Rares, you weren't here yet." Applejack rolled her eyes. "She just wanted to help me snap you right back into your proper self again." Applejack leaned in closer to the fashionista, with her tone going back to being serious. "You mustn't tell this to Twilight yet, not until the right time, understand? Ya Pinkie Promise?"
"Wait, why only Twilight? I'm assuming that you three already knew about this before us?" She asked as she had a confused look on her face, just as how confused as she was when she realized that Applejack wasn't joking about Rainbow Dash, but knowing Applejack's easy to read mannerisms, Rarity knew that her friend was indeed telling the truth. Now, her friend nodded back at her with full determination as she responded to her question. Sighing in defeat, she looked back at Applejack, looking irritated, directing the look to nopony in particular. "Fine, fine, cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, I will not tell Twilight about this ludicrous information I've received." Rarity blurted effortlessly, as she absentmindedly did the actions that came with the chant.
Applejack smiled before looking out the window they were sitting beside of. She saw the darkness of night, darker than when the event took place, and lifted herself from the chair. "It's getting late Rares, and ah've got the usual routine of chores tomorrow." She turned to her friend while she fixed the chair she sat on and packed the mugs they used in her saddlebag.
Rarity returned the smile as she discarded the cupcake wrappers and crumbs to the trash. "Of course, this day had been fun, but tomorrow is another day of Celestia-knows-what." Rarity let out a faint giggle, drowsiness seeping in it.
With the bakery cleaned and fixed just how they promised Pinkie they would leave it, they walked out and locked the door behind them. Applejack then turned to Rarity and tipped her hat to her friend. "Better be goin' then. See ya tomorrow Rares."
Rarity looked down, a bit hesitant to say what she was about to say, but pushed herself to do so anyways. "Uhm, Applejack, remember that couture that you wore?"
"You made it as a gift for me, ah know Rares." Applejack blushed as she looked away from the mare in front of her. "I saw the tag when I looked for the proper thing to wear."
"I never would've though that you'd wear it at all, let alone on a normal day." Rarity smirked at her friend slyly. "No wonder the colors matched your eyes and tone, I should have realized the uncanny combination sooner." Rarity then broke her sly face and burst into a squeal. "I never thought I would've seen you in that elegant couture! It was perfect!"
Applejack blushed deeper and rolled her eyes, sticking a tongue out to Rarity. "Yeah, yeah, ya had yer fun, Ah'll give that to ya. It was one fine piece of work though, Ah'll admit." Applejack said with a tired chuckle, evidence of how tired both of the mares were.
Rarity glanced back and smiled as she took a step forward and hugged her friend. "I had a pleasant day with you Applejack, and again, thank you for all you've done for me, I appreciate it." And with that, they waved their final goodbyes and parted ways.
As she was walking to her boutique, Rarity chuckled to herself, making one final recap about her foolish actions because of falling for Trenderhoof, Applejack's witty plan to help her snap out of it, and the successful Ponyville Days festival that she planned as the pony of ceremonies. She tucked herself in her bed after checking in on Sweetie Belle. Tomorrow would be full of surprises, excitement, and questions to a certain 'stylish' pegasus.
Rainbow Dash jumped up from her slumber then quickly darted her eyes back and forth from the sides of her room to find Tank asleep and the stack of her Daring Do books undisturbed, she then fell back to her bed, looking at the ceiling.
"I felt...a disturbance..."
She decided to shrug it off and put her eye mask back on.
"I need to look in style too you know..." Rainbow reminded to herself as she went back to sleep.
Author's Note
As much as I really love to read fanfiction regarding Applejack's hidden desire to be a sophisticated individual, I always found the core idea to be overused, and instead focus the execution of said idea. This piece takes that idea for a spin, with an obvious added twist to it.
I also wanted to convey the message of stereotyping in general. The bottom line of this is that it's just downright uncouth and immature. Everyone has a deeper side to them, and everyone deserves to be understood first before making such assumption.
The hinting of the Pony generations were a nod to how Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were official in the other generations as well.
Also, Dash dressing in style, duh
This picture inspired to connect the two pieces of information together:
Appul
"Sorry Bronies, But Your Rarijack is in Another Castle."
