Tried and True Blue Duet.
Through the late evening, the quaint little boutique was turned from top to bottom as the police dusted for fingerprints, sifted through the debris to gather potential evidence and took the shop owners' statements. For a grueling hour and a half, a disheveled Rarity had to relive her traumatic experience as she spoke with a lead detective that was on the scene. Apparently, similar cases had been popping up all over Equestria over the course of four months, so every detail was vital.
As Rarity shakily worded her ordeal to the detective, sitting on a now tattered fainting couch with a blanket draped over her shoulders, all of her friends stood around the couch in a protective formation. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash all stood along the backing of the couch as Twilight and Applejack sat on both sides of their friend. Twilight had a gentle hand on her shoulder as Applejack held one of her hands. As the fashionista retold of her plight, she lay her head against the farmer and remained that way until the detective and the police left.
"Tch! Well, That was helpful."
A disgruntled Rainbow Dash muttered as she leaned over the back of the couch. Fluttershy gave her a brief stern look but couldn't fault her for feeling that way. The quiet girl felt the same way as well, as was everyone present. Even Pinkie Pie was quiet.
"At least they have everything documented now. The police and investigators will be watching the area more, so there's that." Twilight tried to ease the quiet tension with some pros to their current situation. It had worked a bit, seeing a tired Rarity nod towards her with an appreciative smile. A small butterfly tape had been applied to her busted lip and a brace held her injured ankle in place.
"Quite right, dear. I cannot begin to say how much I appreciate everyone being here. I....don't think I could've handled this alone."
"Aww, silly-billy! 'Course we'd be here for you, Rarity!" A now chipper Pinkie Pie chimed out as she patted one of her shoulders.
Everyone either nodded in agreement or spoke up in confirmation. "Sure as sugar we'd be there for you, sugarcube. You'd do the same for any of us after all."
"And we'll be here for as long as you need us to be." The gentle voice of Fluttershy spoke out now, wanting to make her encouragement known to her rattled friend. Rarity nodded to her in gratitude.
"It has...been a very long day though, and I'm feeling the fatigue of it all starting to catch up to me."
"You must be so tired after all this, Rarity. C'mon, girls. Let's help clean this place up a bit and get Rarity settled back in."
"Er, actually, Twilight dear..."
Applejack laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked at her as she opted to tell them. Rarity smiled and nodded towards her friend as she lay her head back down. "Actually, Twi, Ah've already got a place set up for her back at Sweet Apple Acres. We can get started here tomorrow, but Rares doesn't want to spend the night here. Ah'm sure y'all understand."
Not surprising but still relieving to see, their friends nodded in unison. "It's settled then. Would you like us to grab a few things for you to take with you?"
"Well.....now that you mention it...If you girls wouldn't mind..."
A huffing Rainbow Dash was bringing in three fully loaded suitcases full of clothes that could rival a musical ensembles' changing room. "Just....had to ask...eh, egghead?!" the athlete huffed as she made her way up the wooden stairs of the Apple home. Twilight struggled with two boxes full of makeup and accessories behind her, as well as a duffle bag full of the fashionista's toiletries.
"Guh! Not....helping, Rainbow!"
An energetic Pinkie Pie did a reverse slide up the railing of the stairwell with four suitcases on her back, all the while letting out a shrill "WHEEEEEE!!!" as she zipped past them. "One of these days I gotta learn how she does that."
Upstairs in Applejacks' room, Fluttershy and Applejack were helping Rarity get settled in for the night. "Here you are, sug. It ain't the Ritz but its home."
"It's perfect, darling."
"Are you going to be okay tonight, Rarity? We can all stay here, just in case anything else happens."
Rarity gave her shy friend a gentle hug at her offer. "I appreciate what everyone's doing to help, Fluttershy dear but really, I'll be fine for tonight. Some nice peace and quiet should do wonders for the complexion, and after everything that's happened I think my complexion needs some extensive rejuvenating. And maybe a nice spa treatment tomorrow will help in that regard."
Fluttershy let out a little giggle at that, the tension somewhat lessening as Rarity was sounding more and more back to her normal self. "Okay, I'll set up a session for us first thing in the morning. Afternoon okay with you?"
"It sounds marvelous, darling!"
Once all of Rarity's belongings were brought in from the bed of the farmers' pick-up, everyone exchanged their "goodnights'" for the late evening, each hugging the other as they went off, and returning to their respective homes for the night. The farmer and the fashionista were left on the porch, watching as their friends dispersed.
Applejack then brought an arm up and lay it heavily over Rarity's shoulders, heaving a sigh through her nose as she led her friend back inside. "C'mon, Rare. Got the tub runnin' for you upstairs, better get to it 'fore it runs over."
Rarity let out a pleased sigh as she stepped out of the bathroom, feeling the aches from earlier alleviate somewhat from the hot soak. She was quite surprised when she first went in, seeing the simple lining of the tub lined with a few scented candles lit, eucalyptus and sage scents, and a selection of bath wash that she knew were not the farmers' personal choices. Applejack had been considerate in her preparation, thoughtful even. Rarity would've been content with a simple hot bath just to tide her over and deal with the aches and pains, but here was a small pseudo spa bath ready for her.
She looked to the clock mounted by the wall along the stairwell and saw that it was 1:45 in the morning. Rarity cringed inwardly as she realized she had been soaking in there for a good two hours and fifteen minutes. She was sure everyone in the house was fast asleep, until she reached the stairwell and saw a light on below. She heard various loud clicks and the sounds of metal clinking downstairs. It took her a minute to deduce what was happening and she rolled her eyes, thinking 'Tell me she's not....'
Rarity made her way downstairs and sure enough, she saw Applejack cleaning the double barrel of her 12 gauge. Her expression was stern and focused on the task as Applejack finished cleaning the inside of one of the barrels. Rarity groaned inwardly. 'She is.'
A creak from the wooden floor board signaled her presence to the farmer and Applejack looked up from what she was doing.
"L-Landsakes, girl! Ain'tcha got somethin' a little more warmer to wear to bed?!" Applejack saw that the seamstress was clad in a simple white button-down sleepshirt that reached the tops of her knees with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Rarity had placed the brace back onto her ankle and was moving slowly towards the couch where Applejack was sitting. Seeing her friend in not-so-modest sleepwear almost made her drop what she had in her hands. Luckily she hadn't reloaded it yet, and the barrel was empty so that was fortunate.
"Oh, please. I've worn less on winter nights."
"That so?"
"Yes, it is so."
"As much as Ah know it to be true, Ah think it's still a little on the T.M.I. level there, sugarcube."
Once she came close enough, Applejack took the front tail end of the shirt in her hand and lifted it up to try and inspect the underneath. "You better be decent under here at least."
With a surprised squeal, Rarity slapped the farmers hand away and smoothed her clothes down, a hint of color rising in her pale cheeks. "Y-Yes! Yes! I'm decent! Really, Applejack! Must you act so forward in everything you do?"
"Hehehe. Can't help it, sugarcube. It's in the blood. C'mon an' have a seat." She patted the spot beside her and went back to reassembling the weapon in her hands.
Rarity moved and sat herself on the worn, brown cushion of the living room couch. With each click of the metal material, the fashionista would flinch inwardly, noting how loud the heavy gun rattled as Applejack put it back together.
"Darling?" she inquired warily.
"Mm-hm?" Applejack acknowledged, her green eyes never leaving from her task.
"Why have you brought out....um, what was it's name again?"
"You talkin' 'bout ol' 'Boomhower' here?"
From the corner of her eye Applejack could see Rarity nod her head, making her damp hair sway as she did. The farmer sighed as she gave the gun one last, forceful jerk and snapped everything back into place, tossing a now blackened rag off to her left. She then laid the shotgun over the tops of her denim clad thighs and wiped her smudgeoned fingers with a more cleaner rag that was on her right.
"Ah ain't gonna allow that to happen again, Rare."
"Applejack....."
"Now just....hear me out on this. Please, Rarity." Hearing the slight hint of desperation in her friends' voice, Rarity held her tongue long enough to nod at her request.
"Ah...Ah know as well as anyone that this ain't the smart or best way to handle this. Shoot, Ah had to wrestle Big Mac just to get to the mantle where Boomhower was mounted. Wrestle. Big. Mac! And Ah ain't talkin' 'bout the playful kind neither! My brother ain't got one aggressive bone in his body but when the boy wants to, he's a force to be reckoned with!"
'Just as you are, darling.' Rarity thought to herself as she continued to listen to Applejack as she explained herself.
"Long story short, Ah was able to get Boomhower under one condition from Granny Smith. Ah promised not to actually use ol' Boomhower....unless it's absolutely necessary."
A faint clatter caught Rarity's attention as Applejack spoke. She looked down and noticed the farmers' hands clenched tightly on the butt and the double barrel of the gun. The destructive device shook in her knuckle-white grip as little spots of red rose through the bandage wraps, staining the cloth as she fought to keep herself in check.
Rarity edged herself closer to her farmer friend and carefully laid a cautious hand over the one closed around the barrels. Applejack was staring straight at the floor until she felt a cool, gentle touch on her hand. Hesitantly, she turned her head around and came face to face with her friend, green eyes staring back into two blue concerned ones. The rattling of the gun increased slightly before falling silent against its user.
Applejack closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath before opening them again. "Ah ain't gonna lie to you, sug. Seein' you hurtin' like that earlier scared the starch right outta me."
Hearing the crack in her voice made Rarity's heart clench and in an instant, her slim arms came around the farmers' shoulders. She leaned in and rested her head against the crook of Applejack's neck as the farmer brought up an arm and draped it over Rarity's smaller shoulders, holding the seamstress more against her as a desperate wave of overprotectiveness made her grip a strong one.
As discreetly as she could be, Rarity let one hand fall away from their embrace and very slowly, very carefully, she edged it lower and lower. Her fingertips brushed over the cold metal and with a trained patience, Rarity carefully closed her hand around it and attempted to carefully pry it out of the farmers' grip. Her efforts were met with resistance as Applejacks' other hand refused to relinquish the weapon in her possession.
"Applejack.....darling, please......."
Applejack tightened her hold on both Rarity and Boomhower, the latter rattling noisily from her brutal grip. Seeing the dots on the bandages rise into huge splotches, Rarity moved her hand and gingerly rubbed the top of Applejack's hand. She did not rush her nor did she try and manipulate the appendage. Instead, Rarity waited. It was a practiced patience she had learned over the years spent with the farmer, one she had mastered. The farmer was a wild and free spirit, like that of a wild mustang, whereas the fashionista was more composed and tame with all the grace and elegance of a crane.
Just as the farmer learned and recognized all of her quirks, so too did the fashionista know the ins and outs of her farmer as well.
Rarity raised her head and looked up towards her friend, only to find that Applejack's eyes were hidden under the rim of her Stetson.
'Oh, darling......'
Rarity craned her head and whispered into Applejack's ear. "It's not your fault, Applejack darling."
Applejack let out a bitter scoff at that. "Ah have no idea what you mean by that, sug."
"You didn't know, darling. None of us could have. It is nobody's fault, Applejack."
This time Applejack let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head and refusing to meet the fashionista's gaze. "Ah can think of at least one to fault, sugarcube."
"Applejack-"
"You coulda been seriously hurt....."
The words were spoken through clenched teeth as the farmer bit back a snarl, making Rarity breathe out in surprise.
"You coulda been raped....and left for dead....all alone....and no one woulda known until....until it was already too late."
She could feel Applejack's body become tense and rigid, her breathing coming out faster as the farmer fought to control herself. "D-Darling-"
"And where was Ah during all this?!" The farmer shouted out angrily as she sprang to her booted feet, nearly launching the fashionista off the couch as she did. In her fit of self loathing Applejack now held the shotgun in her right hand.
"Where were any of us when you needed us most, Rare? We shoulda been there to help you. Ah shoulda been there to protect you!"
At this point hot tears were now flowing freely down Applejack's freckled cheeks, her green eyes set in a vicious scowl. She watched with great concern as the angry farmer paced about with Boomhower still in her hand, completely oblivious to the extra set of eyes watching them from a concealed angle atop the stairs. The glow from the fireplace made the double barrel gleam like a double-edged blade.
Rarity could no longer stand seeing her long-time friend in such a state and without thinking, she stood up from her place on the couch and stomped towards Applejack. "Now you see here, Applejack Apple! It is no one's- AHH!!"
She had disregarded her injured ankle in its brace and was rewarded with a stabbing pain shooting up her leg. Rarity cried out in alarm as she teetered over, instinctually reaching out for something she could grab onto.
"Rarity!!"
Applejack caught the sudden movements made by her friend and reacted by diving in with both arms outstretched, tossing Boomhower off to the side in her haste to catch a falling Rarity.
"NO!!!" A wide-eyed seamstress cried out.
Applejack's knees hit the floor boards hard as she caught Rarity around her upper torso, her Stetson flying off her head from her fast movements. She didn't see the fashionista's hand outstretched, her palm glowing in a blue hue as she used her weaving abilities to catch the shotgun and encase it safely in her magic, stopping it before it could hit the floor. With a quick inspection, she could see that the safety was off.
Both were breathing heavily from the spike of adrenaline, neither one moving for a time. Rarity was the one to catch her breath first and broke the silence.
"Are you mad?!? Someone could have been hurt!"
Her ears were met with silence, which only served frazzle her more. She let out a huff through clenched teeth. "Applejack Apple, that was the single, most stupidest thing to have-"
"Ah'm sorry......."
The hoarse whisper caught Rarity of guard, her reprimand fading from her tongue in an instant. Carefully, she maneuvered Boomhower beyond physical reach and propped it up along the wall by the foot of the stairs. "Ah'm so sorry...."
Somehow, Rarity knew she wasn't apologizing for having mishandled the shotgun and she wrapped her arms around Applejack's head as the farmer silently wept against her bosom, tanned arms hanging on in desperation.
"Shhhh...It's alright, darling. Everything is alright now."
For a time, nothing was spoken as the two held each other in the middle of the living room, with nothing but the sound of the crackling fire for ambiance.
They didn't know how long they had remained that way until a calming Applejack looked off to the side and saw the window was still dark. Having succumbed to her own emotions Rarity had wept as well. Luckily she remembered to use waterproof mascara this time. They sniffed and wiped at their eyes as their crying slowly came to halt. Rarity let out a breathy chuckle as she dabbed at the corner of her eye with a lithe finger. "And here I though I was the dramatic one of the group."
To that Applejack let out a laugh that ended in a cough. "Hey, no one's made of stone y'know, sugarcube."
Rarity smiled as Applejack helped her to stand, holding the slender woman up with ease. "So true, darling. So very true."
The two made their way back to the couch, once again sitting side by side with Applejack sitting on the far end against the arm of the couch while Rarity sat beside her nearer to the middle.
"Applejack....how long had you been carrying that, darling?"
The farmer shrugged uncomfortably as she leaned her elbows on top of her knees, resting her chin in her open palms as she eyed the roaring fire. "Ah was too shocked earlier to talk to anyone 'less Ah had to. That shock slowly became fear, and then that....made my blood boil. Ah didn't let it bother me much earlier, too much goin' on for me to really consider it. Until now, that is."
"And....Boomhower?"
Applejack sighed heavily. "Ah know, Ah know. That was a tad too extreme. Ah just.....Ah didn't know what else to do, Rares."
Rarity laid an assuring hand on Applejack's shoulder and patted it with what she thought was firm enough pat. "It's alright now, darling. Everything is going to be alright. I believe in our friends to come to my aid when the time arises, as I will do for each and every one of them. And I believe in you, to protect me and everyone when the time calls for it."
The tanned blonde turned her head and smiled at the pale skinned woman beside her, bringing up a rough hand to close over the smaller one on her shoulder. "Thanks, Rares. That does set my mind at ease. A bit. Ah appreciate it, sugarcube."
Rarity chuckled and nudged her with her shoulder, hardly making the woman move. "It's the least I can do for you, darling. Though now I doubt we'll be able to get any sleep at this hour."
"Ah hear ya. Ah'm plum knackered from all that but my eyes are wide awake. Ah don't know how you can dish out all them dramatics you do on a daily basis and still look as spritely as an alley cat with a fish in its mouth."
"Oh, darling! It's all part and parcel to my profession, dear. One cannot weave a thread into a tapestry without feeling a passionate fire spark in their belly as inspiration strikes like that of a thunderbolt!"
"Ooookay, now yer just ramblin' now, sugar."
Rarity sighed and slumped against the back cushion of the couch. "Drat. It always worked with Sweetie Belle. I'd go into the finer details of my work and before I know it, the little darling is out like a light on my love seat."
"Aaaand you though it'd make me fall asleep on the spot?"
This time it was Rarity who shrugged. "It was worth a shot anyway."
Applejack simply nodded and leaned her head back to rest it over the cushion. For a few moments silence overcame the two friends as the night slowly rolled on. The farmer eyed the ceiling as she cleared her head of everything, filtering everything that had happened throughout the day and accepting every bit of it. In the back of her mind, a sort of tune came up from an old memory. It came up as only words at first, only recognizing them as lyrics the more she mentally said them over and over. Meanwhile, Rarity sat quietly beside her, fluffing out her hair a bit in an attempt to gain some normalcy to her night.
"You...and me...."
"Hm? You say something, darling?"
Applejack slowly sat upraight as the words lazily rose up from her dusty memories, the tune coming back as well in a sort of unheard pattern that fit the words.
"You and me....we're always with each other. Before....Before...."
Rarity's eyes widened as she recalled hearing those very same words a lot during their childhood. "Before we knew....the other was ever there." She breathed out the words on a nostalgic breath and turned her head towards Applejack as her memories were coming back. The farmer did the same, grinning wide as she saw the same familiar glint in her friends eye that matched her own.
Applejack rose up and went to the back of the couch, bending at her knees and rummaging her hand through the back of it. She then brought up her find and grinned triumphantly. In her hand Applejack held an acoustic guitar, it's wooden finish and design chipped and scuffed from years of use. She then resumed her spot back on the couch and adjusted herself so that she could now accommodate the guitar in her arms. she strummed a few cords as Rarity hummed out a couple of familiar notes.
"Ah wonder if we can still do this l'il number. It's been forever since we last did this one."
"Mm, I quite agree. Some of the words are a little fuzzy for me but the tune is more memorable."
"You wanna start it, Rares?"
Rarity smiled and shook her head. "You always had the first line, darling, and I'm not about to break our tradition. Though it has been years since this one crossed my mind."
"Same here. Alright, let's see how badly we can warble this out."
Rarity let out a feigned, incredulous squeak of a gasp as Applejack spoke those words. "Well, I never! A lady does not simply 'warble' out a song, darling!"
"'Croon' then?"
"Mmm, that's better."
Applejack shook her head as her fingers strummed leisurely over the chords. She closed her eyes and let her fingers roam over the strings, trying to catch the familiar cues from chords sung from years back. Her fingers, forgetting the warm pain in her knuckles, strummed the strings perfectly as she played the instrument in her hands.
"You and me
we're always with each other
Before we knew the other was ever there"
Rarity smiled again as the words made her mind and face warm up with the rise of her memories, forgetting the horrors of the day as their song steadily grew stronger in both tune and lyrics.
"You and me
we belong together
Just like a breath needs the air"
Smiling to each other, Applejack and Rarity shifted so that they leaned against one another, shoulder to shoulder as they continued with their song. They drew strength from one another as they harmonized with the chorus lines and sang out their respective stanzas with witty inflections and directing them towards each other, singing at and with each other.
They continued like this for a time, letting their pains fade into their duet as their intensity rose and fell with each strum of the chords.
Careful feet padded down the stairs and walked over to the couch in the living room, where two young women lay asleep. The seamstress lay curled up
against the farmer, both breathing evenly as sleep claimed them. The fire had died down to mere embers, casting a very faint glow through the Apple home. A breathy chuckle escaped the lone figure as it made its way over to them, draping a comforter over the young women as they slipped off the farmers' boots and placed her Stetson angled over her blonde head. The guitar sat propped up against the side of the couch and the figure let it be.
The sound of shuffling could be heard (had someone else actually been up to hear it) and made for the stairway. There at the foot of the stairs sat old Boomhower, upright and abandoned against the wall. The figure took up the shotgun and gave it a once-over, expertly unhinging the barrels and opening them up to inspect the chambers. Another chuckle was given off as the chamber was clicked closed.
"Ya done forgot to load up ol' Boomie here, young'un. Hee hee hee! Or perhaps, ya done did it on purpose. Who knows."
With a final wheezy chuckle, the matriarch of the Apple clan made her way back up the stairs using the unloaded shotgun as a walking stick.
-End
Author's Note
A/N: I think this song fits these two perfectly. In fact, it's what inspired me to even go through with this latest piece.
