I'm here to see my ex-wife.
Summertime
The first rays of the morning sun hit Rarity right in the eyes and woke her up. Even after all this time, she still spent most of her nights sleeping; mostly by old habit, but it was a nice way to pass the time. Every night couldn’t be poker night.
Well, since she was awake, it was time to start the day. She got dressed, gave her hair a round with the brush and sat down for a bit. She decided that breakfast was unnecessary, and a quick cup of coffee would be enough. Soon enough, a cup of hot, black coffee stood before her, and she had a sip. Aah, purely divine. But, what else to expect? Now, what to do today... Today was Saturday in Ponyville, if she wasn’t out of touch with the world. Rarity sighed. She could imagine more pleasant ways to spend a day. But Saturdays were working days for her nowadays, and without further ado, she went to start her duties.
Her work station was as uncomfortable as ever. Most of her co-workers chose not to sit down, instead they either leaned themselves to the stones or just sat on the grass. Some of the more experienced workers brought a deck of cards. But, being a lady, as always, Rarity felt some kind of masochistic pleasure in sitting in the right (but oh so painful) way.
Luckily, she didn’t need to sit for long. Her first visitor was early. And it wasn’t just anyone, it was the Queen herself, Twilight Sparkle. From her surroundings, she could hear some oohs and some gasps. But for her, it was nothing more than a good old friend coming to give her regards. Still, it was a sight worth looking at. Apparently this was an official day, because she wore her crown, and with that she wore a grey suit jacket with a matching skirt. She had a light blue shirt under the jacket and on her vest, the star representing the Great Order of Equus, the silver shield representing the Lightfoot Order and the badges that showed her being the High Commander of the Equestrian Military forces was visible on the left side of her chest. She also wore the badge that showed her to be trained as a liaison officer with a colonel's rank. Twilight sometimes referred to it as her 'battle suit'. This was more than an official Saturday for her, then. Today was a matter of the country’s security.
Her shoes were pretty simple though: high heeled, but cheap. Rarity gave up a small sigh. Twilight would never learn to fully dress like a royal. But it was probably as good as it was going to get anyway.
And still she took her time to come here to visit.
“Hi, Rarity.”
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
Twilight stood in silence for a minute, then she shook her head.
“Oh, Rarity, stop with the ‘Your Highness’... I told you years ago that it wasn’t necessary for friends to do so. Well, I don’t have much time today… it’s a busy life, this... Queen business.”
Rarity smiled. She could only imagine, but if anyone had been born for the job, it was Twilight.
“Oh, I know… you always say that. I AM coming around, and it works pretty well… but still. I miss having you around, you know.”
“I miss you too, darling. But things are the way they are, and… well, it’s not for me to decide really. But eventually, there will be time.”
“Well, in the end I guess we will make it, won’t we? I hope so at least… No, not that talk now. Lets talk about something more fun, ok? Aurora had her 13th birthday last week. She still loves that birthday gala outfit you made for her. Thank you so much for making it possible for her to wear for so many years. That was the best birthday present ever. She always tells me to thank you when I’m going to visit you.”
Rarity almost had a tear in her eye when she heard that. The dress for the young princess was one of her greatest work, she thought. And she had struggled hard with the design, making it wearable for at least five years. To bad she couldn’t designs clothes for a teenage princess though. That made her sad, but… no reason to cry for that.
“Tell her it makes me happy to hear that. Oh, how are things with Flash? Still feeling the old love between yourselves?”
Twilight grew silent for a while. "Oh, Rarity, by the way, I bought a new pair of shoes last week. How do you like them? Pretty chic, uh?"
Rarity grinned. She had no problems with little white lies, but when it came to matters of fashion... And for Twilight to use a word like 'chic'... Oh, the horror! "Honestly dear, I must say that your shoes doesn't suit you at all. They are not your style, actually they are really ugly."
Twilight giggled. "Thank you, Rares. Glad you like them." Twilight looked admirably at her shoes.
Rarity sighed. Twilight would never learn. Now at least she was looking at Rarity again.
“You know, I was on a trip to Saddle Arabia last month. You purchased diamonds from there, didn’t you? Well, I had some days over. I remembered how you always talked about the mines. So I decided to pay them a visit. They really were magnificent. You know, I purchased some uncut diamonds… I will keep them in my office as a reminder of you.”
Twilight hesitated a bit, then she went on. “Oh, but where are my manners. You want some gossip, of course! Well, Fancy Pants and Fleur had their third reunion. My bet is that it will last seven months this time, but Cadance is confident that they will last at least until Hearth’s Warming. Other than that, nothing new really… oh, and me and Flash? Well… he’s starting to fall asleep directly after we’ve made love these days… But that’s the way it is I guess… we’re not getting any younger. And yes, he still makes me weak in the knees… and YES he still does his ‘we’ve got to stop bumping into each other’-routine… I know I know... He’s trying, and he is sweet, but he hasn’t much imagination sometimes.”
Twilight lowered her eyes to the ground. Rarity knew this was a sign that she was leaving soon but didn’t know how to say it. She tried to make it easy for her, and so she took one step forward and put her hand on Twilights shoulder. “It is okay, dear. I will be here for you next time as well. Go away to your life now darling. Your country needs you.”
Twilight smiled. “Somehow, it’s like you can see and hear exactly what I feel inside. It’s a bit scary...but it is comforting to know that you always be there for me. Well… yeah, I got the ‘battle suit’ on… I would prefer just stay here all talking… I actually think my secretary will have a stroke, her face became incredibly red when I insisted that my visit here had to be implemented today...” She gave a long sigh. “It’s a tough life being Queen I tell you. Well, I must go. See you…”
Twilight turned around and walked away. Her crown sparkled in the sunlight. She was beautiful. Rarity looked around at her fellow workers. No one had eyes for anything but Twilight as long as she was in sight, but soon, the commotion died down and all was silent.
Pretty soon however, her second visitor came by. It was Sweetie Belle. Rarity couldn’t help but admire her little sister. How old was she, 35? And still looking as incredible as ever. Her clothing was rather simple, but if anyone would make simple look awesome, it was Sweetie Belle. She wore a pair of black leather leggings, a green hoodie with her cutie mark on her chest and her signature blue sunglasses. Nothing special, and yet it was stunning. But she was a bit biased, she had to admit.
I guess you need to stay on top of everything when you are in the music business, Rarity thought to herself.
She usually wasn’t the one to begin the conversation, and she wasn’t going to break the habit today. She had that much respect for Sweetie Belle. However, Sweetie Belle was silent, and she didn’t make any effort in speaking at all. She didn’t even look at Rarity. Rarity arose, and walked over to her, taking in Sweetie Belle in a hug. She didn’t look up, but she seemed to relax a bit. After some more minutes, she spoke.
“You know, sis… I don’t think I can manage to talk today. Is it okay if I sing instead? I know you like to hear me sing.”
“Darling, I LOVE to hear you sing. What’s the name of that song… oh yes… ‘Summertime’. Can you do that?”
“I know you loved ‘Summertime’. Just give me a moment.”
Rarity let go of Sweetie Belle and sat down again. She looked eagerly to her sister, who had closed her eyes, apparently concentrating. And so she began.
“Summertiiime...and the living is easy….”
The old classic from Porgy and Bess sounded like heaven in Sweetie Belles rich and clean voice. Not a single part of the melody was wasted, and she held on to all the lengthy cadences.
“One of these mornings, you gonna riise up singing…”
That part in particular always sent special shivers down her spine. Her surroundings almost went to a blur, and when she regained herself, Sweetie Belle was done. She had tears in her eyes.
“I hope you enjoyed it. I…“ Sweetie Belle started to cry again. “Is... is it okay if I just stand here? No talking… Just… Being?”
“Sweetie Belle, darling… you don’t even have to ask.”
Sweetie Belle stood still for a couple of minutes, but eventually, she sighed and spoke again.
“Sorry I was such a bad company today… And now I have to get back. The kids you know, and the work... But, I’ll see you next saturday."
“Dear, I wont miss it for the world. See you next week. Bye.”
Sweetie did not move. Rarity couldn't tell if it was because she didn't want to or if she couldn't, but if she read her sister right, there was something more she had on her mind, but couldn't make herself saying it. Another sigh, and in a whisper, it came:
"Bye. Oh, and... Spike asked me to say hi...”
Rarity understood perfectly. In spite of 12 years of happy marriage with two kids, Sweetie Belle was still feeling a bit jealous about Spike and Raritys history. Rarity didn't reply, she only nodded slightly. She knew how hard this was for Sweetie Belle and was grateful just for the fact that she said it out loud. Sweetie Belle turned around and began the walk back to the parking lot. She didn’t look back, and she didn’t see Rarity waving.
Rarity sat herself down, resting her back against the stone. This was almost too emotional. She almost hated the Saturdays. It was nice to meet her friends again, but… the emotions. Oh, the emotions… She would have started to cry again, if she hadn’t heard some familiar voices having an animated discussion. She instantly got a smile on her face.
“Come on, Dashie. It’s nothing dangerous!”
“I don’t want to, Pinkie!! It’s... weird. It feels weird.”
“Dashie, it’s Rarity we are talking about. Our friend. Your friend. She’ll be hurt if you dont come.”
“Pinkie… I'll be standing there, looking like a fool, while you talking and laughing...”
"What's the matter, Dashie? It isn't 'coool' enough? Or are you scared?"
"I'm not sc..."
"You totally are! You're scared, you're chicken, you're...boneless!"
"I AM NOT BONELESS! It's just like...I got...I must...eh... Someone needs to keep Cherry company!"
"Oh. Ok. But I still think youre a grumpyface! Sweetie, sure you don't wanna come and talk to mommys friend? No? Ok, stay with Mama, alright? And be a good girl!"
"Yeah, yeah... we'll manage."
The sight of Pinkie Pie was always a relief. And as usual, her dress was a symphony in pink, blue, purple and white. All of her clothing, the stockings, the skirt, the tank top, the jacket, even her handkerchief all used a combination of those colours. Even though her fashion sense was a bit eccentric, she always made Rarity feel better.
“Hi, Pinkie!”
“Hi, Rarity! Looking good today!”
“Oh, this old shirt? It’s just something I put on this morning, nothing special.”
Pinkie tilted her head to the right, examining her with a critical eye and a frown.
“Hmm… no you're right.” When she saw Rarity frown, she quickly added: “But YOU look great in it. Eh...I guess they don’t let you choose your own clothes?”
“It’s okay, Pinkie. Well yes… the dress code IS pretty strict. You would assume that you might have the chance to dress to the nines everyday but no! You know, this is not really as fabulous as one might think… but I guess it has to be like that. But you should see us on Hearth’s Warming! Oh, last year… I stunned them all!”
“I bet you did, Rares! You’re the center of attention wherever you are! ...where are you anyway?”
“Pinkie… you know I am not allowed to say that!”
“Yeah yeah… but one can always ask.”
“Yep!”
“It still feels good knowing that a friendly face will be waiting for me anyway! Oh, we’ll have the best party ever then!”
Rarity couldn’t help giggling. Yep, that was Pinkie being Pinkie.
“Of course we shall. It will be simply divine! But let’s talk about you! How are things with you and Rainbow?”
“Oh, it’s good. Up and down as always, but it works. But time flies, really! I mean, sometimes I wonder if someone is eating up time like a cupcake, because there’s nothing left for me! Oh Oh! News! Scootaloo is pregnant!”
“That’s wonderful Pinkie! You and Dash gets to be a grandmothers!”
“Yeah! That is going to be sooo awesome! She already asked me not to spoil the kid stupid though… but that’s what grandmothers are supposed to do, right?”
“Well, I couldn’t tell darling. I am no grandmother.”
Rarity bit her lip. THAT came out a bit to bitter than it was supposed to. And in an instant, the feeling of joy was gone. Pinkie Pie was silent and her eyes lowered to the ground. Her hair started to straighten.
“Sorry Rares… I forget sometimes…”
Rarity was a lady, and a lady could smile even in a moment of pain. So she put on her best cheering face, and gave her friend a hug.
“It’s okay, darling. It was my own choice, and that’s it. And stop worrying, I wasn’t offended. How is little Cherry?”
It hurt, she could not deny it. But more important was to make her friend smile again, and she decided to turn the conversation over to Pinkie Pies biggest pride and joy, her daughter. Apparently it worked, becuase soon enough Pinkie was all smiles and fun again.
“Oh! OH! But she’s not so little anymore! She’s nine!”
“Oh, already? Well, time flies. Didn’t you bring her, by the way?”
Rarity was well aware that Cherry was in the car, but she would rather burn her hair than admit she was eavesdropping. However, Pinkies got another sad look on her face. Rarity knew was a bit ashamed of her wife and daughter.
"I guess you heard us."
"Oh... Just a little bit, dear."
"She's here. She's with Rainbow... in the car. Rainbow won't come and talk to you. She thinks she looks stupid. I know she wants to, but her pride... "
"Well, you have to admit, the circumstances are unorthodox. But you must remember... I know Rainbow too.. And it's ok. You can tell her that it's ok. What about cherry? Why wont she come?"
“She didn't want to go out...she doesn’t like it here. She thinks the people here are scary. She got her ability from me, and I thought it was pretty weird at first, too. But now that I have you to talk to, it doesn’t feel that way any longer! It’s awesome! Weee! Now, Cherry will make it work eventually, but we’re taking it slow. Rainbow is the sceptic as always, but she is more of a believer in her than she is in me, and that’s a good sign. Oh, but dear me! I must go! I have a wedding to cater this afternoon! Sorry I couldn’t stay longer, Rares. Gotta go! Bye!”
And like a whirlwind, she was off. Rarity watched her disappear in the distance. In the end, they all had to go she thought. I am the one that stays.She sighed. But it’s always fun talking to Pinkie. Oh, how she would annoy me back then… now it’s the opposite. Even when we touch a darker subject, her energy always cheers me up in the end. It is interesting how your values change.
A woman with magenta coloured hair landed next to Rarity.
“Hullo there, Miss Rarity! Care for some drinks? I don’t want to force you or anything, but if it is a usual Saturday, I think you’re going to need it.”
“Thank you dear. Well, you are actually quite right, I do need a drink. … but I can not leave yet. I’m waiting for someone... special… You’ll understand don’t you?”
Berry Punch stared blankly at Rarity at first, but then she nodded. “Ah yes... The wife. She’s late today?” Rarity nodded. Berry was silent for a while, and then she said, “ ...Then I guess that drink will be on for the afternoon?”
Rarity sighed. “Yes Berry… I am definitely going to need it then. This is the worst part of the day.”
Berry left, and Rarity waited. More and more of her fellow workers left her for lunch or just to take a stroll in town or whatever, but she stayed. If she were to find out that she hadn’t been there for her visitor, she would be devastated. It was at times like these she appreciated the fact that food was an option, not a necessity.
But she had to wait until the afternoon was changing to evening until she came.
Applejack looked pretty much the same as always when she came here. She was notably different from her normal appearance though. She did wear the Stetson on her head, and her hair was tied up in the usual ponytail. But the once blonde hair were now mostly gray, and her face was burned yellow with the sun and seared with thousand wrinkles, most of them around the eyes and her cheeks. This was a face that told a story about a workload out of this world and spending most of the time outdoors. At times, Rarity took a short trip over to the acres just to see. She knew that Applejack still mostly wore the old plaid flannel shirt and jeans.
But on Saturdays, it was always black. And not just black in general, it was a well tailored black suit, complete with a white shirt and tie. Applejack had never been a woman for dresses, so when it was time for the funeral of Granny Smith, Rarity had made her the black suit. She always felt that she was more than beautiful wearing this, although the reason for her to wear it wasn’t really pleasant. Applejack walked towards her on unsteady legs. Rarity looked at Applejack with worried eyes. It wasn’t the first time she came to her like this, and it had gotten more common than she really liked. Rarity was by far no purist, and she did enjoy a drink once in a while. When the drink came straight out of the bottle, ten times a day, four days in a row on the other hand...
Rarity stood up, facing Applejack. Applejack didn’t look her in the eye. Instead she produced a bottle of whiskey from her pockets and took a sip.
“Want some, sugarcube?”
“You know I don’t like it when you’ve been drinking.”
“Yeah yeah... Ah know. Ya hate it when ah been drinkin’... “
“And you should wear a jacket, dear. It’s almost night. It’s getting cold.”
“Ah don’ need a jacket… Ah got mah whiskey to keep me warm.”
“Darling, please. I hate to see you like this. This isn’t you. This isn’t the woman I wanted to marry.”
Applejack was silent, and then she threw away the bottle with a rough swing. It landed on the grass, unharmed, some meters away. Applejack looked at it, then she slowly walked away to pick it up. She stood there, a long time, just staring with disdain at the bottle. Then she fell on her knees on the ground, crying.
“Ya know, Rares...ah hope yer somewhere out there, that ya can hear me out. Ah know ah told ya dozens of times that ah loved ya… and still it feels like ah never said it enough.”
Applejack turned around and sat down on the grass, turning her back to Rarity.
“Dammit woman! Ah miss ya! Ah can’t stand being alone without ya. And ah can’t sleep without one or two sips of this almost every night.” Applejack looked at the whiskey bottle again. “Ya know what the slogan is for this booze Rares? ‘Like it used to taste.’ Huh. Well, let me tell ya this. They’re lying.”
Rarity sat herself down next to Applejack and gave her a hug. She snuggled her hair and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. Applejack shivered a bit, but didn’t really notice anything.
“Because everything tasted much better when ah had ya’ll around. Even this. Even this cheap whiskey tasted like… champagne when ya were around. And ya know what makes me most sad? All those thing we talked about and... never did.” Applejack dropped the bottle. Since the cork was off, some of the liquid inside ran out on the ground. “Heh. Looks like ya got yerself a drink anyway, sugarcube!”
Applejack started to laugh, but her laughter soon turned into sobbing. She sank her head and rested it against her knees. Rarity tightened her grip on Applejack, and when she spoke, her voice was on the brink of cracking. “Darling… I hate to see you like this...”
Applejack looked up to the sky and clasped her hand in an attempted prayer.
“Please Rares...please...help me… Ah need the strength. Ah try to be strong...for ya. For all of mah family… Ah work like a mule, and ya might think ahm dead tired at night but... Ah have trouble sleeping… Ah need one of those damn bottles to make it through another week.” Applejack paused. “And yeah, ah know it’s not good for me and all, but ah can’t stop because… every time ah have that drink, ah still get that feeling that everything’s ok and that the world is fine. That ah can go to sleep and stop worrying.”
Rarity stroked her old girlfriend’s hair. Since she couldn’t move the hat, she had to work with what she could reach. “I can’t do anything… It doesn’t matter how hard I try. You have to do it yourself! Please Jackie… You have to stop drinking... It will only get worse…”
“Oh ah know alright! Ah know what ya gonna say! ” Applejack was shouting, her voice bursting with anger. “Ah know it won’t last forever. One day the damn whiskey will lose its power and then ah'll only be an ugly old drunkard. But ah can’t stop for another reason neither…”
Applejack stopped her crying, and lay herself down in the grass. “Because, sugarcube? Every time ah finally get to sleep, ah dream yer still with me. Every night of drunkenness ends with me dreaming of ya. Those days ah fall asleep sober… yer not there. And as long as ah can find ya in my bottle… how can ah stop wanting more? With those bottles… my happiness is just one drunken dream away. And one day… One day...ah hope ah'll wake up for it to be true.” With that, Applejack yawned, and dozed off. Rarity lay down next to her, and folded her wings around her. Rarity leaned to her ear and whispered. “Sleep well my darling. Your angel watches over you… and one day you will be here with me. I am waiting for you.”
Applejack had a soft smile on her face. Her voice was weak and sleepy when she said “Ah know ya are, Rares... ah know ya are.”
And there they lay, in the middle of Ponyville cemetery, the sun setting far in the east and the long shadow of her tombstone covering their faces and bodies as time went by.
