Her knight in pink armor

"Aren't you excited for the super-duper-ultra-special-welcometoPonyvillewe'resogladyou'llbecomeourprincess-parade?" Pinkie Pie tried not to shout into her friend's ears, so it came out as a high-pitched squeel of barely intepratable words.

When Applejack had first invited the other earth pony to her family's tavern when they were fillies, the other ponies would look up from their poker game, round of Black jack and idle chit-chat to locate the squeeky disturbance with annoyed frowns on their faces. These days the ponies who had willingly given up the peace and quite for the apple-treats thought of Pinkie's random outbursts and seemingly never-ending rambles as just another background-noise.

"I reckon somepony here is, seeing how this' the tenth time you've mentioned it today," the bartender answered while pouring the most delicous, most wanted treasue of the apple-farm into a wooden mug. She passed the mug onto a customer who put a few bits on the table in exchange and wondered of to enjoy the cider in the hot summer weather.

"Well, yes, it'll be good for buisness," Applejack continued as she gathered the bits and put them in a bucket the size of an almost full-grown mare that was hidden away underneath the counter.

She had been excited enough over the approach of this year's cider-season, the constant nagging of Apple Bloom's education as well as Granny Smith's hips on her mind put at ease. But with the opportunity the celebration offered, she dared to hope that they could afford improvements for the farm, maybe even hire some extra hooves so Big Mac wouldn't have to struggle with the acres all on his lonesome. "A mighty good timin' for the prince to throw a weddin', just when we need it the most."

"Oh, I get it! At the parade, ponies are gonna want to refresh themselves, after hours of fun and games in this hot weather, with cider...!"

"...and apple-fritters..."

"...and caramel-apples...!"

"...and apple-jam..."

"...And don't forget the most delicous one of all...!" Pinkie said with a wink.

"Apple pie!" They said in unision, chuckling and giggling all the while.

"I wonder what the princess will be like!" Pinkie continued once the laughter had died down. "If she will be graceful and fun like Princess Celestia, or mysterious and cool like Luna?

She squeeled in delight. "I can't wait 'til we get to meet her!"

"Though, ya know," Applejack said absently while cleaning a mug with a piece of cloth. "I've heard a rumor or two 'bout the princess-to-be from some of the town-folk, an' if they're true, the coronation might not be somethin' to look forward to after all."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I've heard talk 'bout the mare 'not suitin' to be a princess', for whatever reason, I didn't really listen that hard, 'cause as long as she pays well for her wedin'-buffé, I don't care what she's like."

Pinkie, for once, didn't carry the conversation onwards, but instead thought about what they could have meant by saying that the mare wasn't suited to be a princess. What were difined qualities for princess's anyway, besides being pretty and nice?

"Um... Applejack?" The two earth pony friends looked up to the crowded tables, trying to locate the source of the soft voice.

"Hiya Fluttershy, has buisness been goin' well?" Applejack greeted her pegasus friend as she saw her making her way through the crowd to reach the counter.

"Yes, there's only one barrel of cider left now." Fluttershy sat down on her rump, took of the saddlebags, stood up again and put them on the counter. The clinking of the bits through the act was like music to the bartender's ears.

"Pinkie, could ya go out back and bring in some more barrels?"

"Okey-dokey-lokey!" And Pinkie was off, bouncing as high as the roof allowed her towards the back door and the wagon that stood outside.

"Thank ya kindly." Applejack's face lit up as she poured the bits from the saddlebags into the barrel, filling it to the edge. She put the lock on and pushed it aside to make space for an empty barrel.

"Um, Applejack, I've been meaning to ask you..." Fluttershy started gingerly as she put her saddlebags back on. "Oh, nevermind..."

"What's botherin' ya, Fluttershy? Ya know ya can tell me anything." Applejack motioned for her to sit on a barstool and crossed her hooves on the counter, focusing all of her attention on Fluttershy.

This caused the pegasus to be even more unsure of what she was going to say next. "Well... About you going to Canterlot, and leaving the tavern in my hooves. What if I...?"

"What if ya what, sugarcube?" Applejack said gently, knowing from experience that trying to force her to speak was the worst way of handling Fluttershy's timidness. Her stuborness did come in handy when dealing with it, though, as long as she used it the right way. She put a hoof on Fluttershy's and stroke it gently.

"What if I couldn't handle it..." She mumbled barely audible, eyes fixeted on the worn wood of the counter. The bartender chuckled slightly at Fluttershy's dilemma. She could have guessed that the pegasus' paranoia of letting Applejack down would get to her. After all, she had seen how Applejack would have to throw out ponies who would try to start a fight under the influence of a little too much cider.

"Don't you worry 'bout nothin', Fluttershy. Big Mac'll be here to help ya out durin' the evening if things would get outta hoof, and Apple Bloom'll be takin' up yer task while ya stick to the counter durin' the day, so ya won't ever have to be alone. I wouldn't give the responsability of this goldmine of ours to just anypony." Applejack wrapped both of her whooves around Fluttershy's and squeezed them gently. She locked her grassy green eyes with Fluttershy's turqouise ones and gave her a ressuring smile thatthe pegasus' responded to with a small smile of her own. "I know that I can trust ya to keep things under control while we're gone."

"'While we're gone'? Are you taking somepony with you?!" Fluttershy drew her whooves back like Applejack's had cought fire. She averted her eyes, said a quick bye and went back to work. Applejack sighed and smiled slightly, watching Fluttershy's leaving form.

"Well, are you?" Pinkie leaned towards her friend so their snouts almost touched, either unable to catch the tension in the air or simply ignoring it. Judgeing by the slight frown she was wearing, her mind was occupied by the thought of her best friend taking somepony else but Pinkie herself with her.

"Yeah, 'bout that..." Applejack coughed a little and took a step back before continuing. "I know that the bakers up in Canterlot are proffesional, but it wouldn't feel right if the apple-treats made outta our apples weren't baked by you. I just know that they wouldn't taste half as good as we know they can. So... do ya wanna help out showing those fancy-pantsy ponies up in Canterlot what we back-water-town-folks can do?"

"Do I ever!" Pinkie squeeled and took Applejack in her whooves in a nearly bone-crushing hug.

"Just promise to keep it a lil' low, will ya?" She smiled awkardly while talking and being almost crushed. "We need to make a good impression, so we can have a good buisness-relation."

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

As they were going back to tending to the counter and pleasant one-sided conversation with a comment thrown in every once in a while from the second party, trumpets could be heard in the distance beyond the bardoors.

"It's time to paaaarty!"