Rune Factory: Friendship is Magic

Chapter 4

Invitation

It was a week after Hope arrived in Equestria and things have moved along smoothly. After cleaning up her welcoming party and a good night's sleep, Hope got to work to till the fields on her farm. Since it was spring, she planted Pink Turnips, Toyherbs, Moondrop Flowers, Strawberries, Pink Cat Flowers, Pink Melons, Cabbages and Onions. Hope collected the seeds a while before Princess Luna came to her and the Earthmate had packed them before she left.

After the fields were taken care of, Hope did some odd jobs around town so that she could at least have a bed. Sleeping in a sleeping bag can be troublesome for your back. And of course, Hope made frequent trips to the Everfree Forest to either tame or defeat monsters before they could come into town. So far, she acquired six Woolys, a dozen Cluckadoodles, eight Buffamoo, four Bees, and some Ants to help with the harvesting. She even acquired a pair of Elephants to help with the watering.

And her actions didn't go unnoticed. Every pony in Ponyville was curious as to what Hope did in the Everfree Forest as well as her acquisition of farm monsters. But the ponies Hope saw the most were Twilight Sparkle and her friends. The alicorn was very curious about the various types of monsters and began cataloguing them with Hope's help.

Since she was her neighbor, Hope was often visited by Applejack and her family, particularly her sister, Apple Bloom. While she exchanged farming tips with Applejack, Hope learned about Cutie Marks and that Apple Bloom was also a part of a trio of fillies that had not gotten their marks called "The Cutie Mark Crusaders" whose main goal is to earn their Cutie Marks.

Each time Twilight came over to check on Hope's progress and continue to record the monsters Hope acquires, Fluttershy followed along to adjust to the various unknown monsters that kept coming from the Everfree Forest by acquainting herself with Blossom Farms' monsters. With Hope's help, Fluttershy's anxiety decreased and enjoys the monsters company.

Rainbow Dash visited Hope frequently and continuously challenged Hope to various athletic competitions and sparring sessions. While Hope wasn't as fast as Rainbow Dash, she was clever and used her experience to win several contests. All in all, the Earthmate and Pegasus grew into their friendly rivalry.

It didn't take long for Rarity to create the first batch of clothing for Hope's new wardrobe. In fact, she was creating more and more designs for the biped. Twilight was right. Hope was a challenge that Rarity was looking for. Not only did she make formal wear, but casual wear as well.

And of course, we cannot forget Pinkie Pie. The energetic pony visited Hope every day and she also made her come visit the sweet shop she worked at: Sugercube Corner. She introduced the Earthmate to the shop owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, as well as their twin ponies, Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake. And after Hope acquired her Bees, she agreed to sell the Cakes the honey she would collect every week along with the eggs and milk from her Cluckadoodles and Buffalos after they sampled some honey she had brought as a greeting present, which they found quite tasty.

Yes, things were looking quite well for Hope, even if the ponies were still getting used to her.

One day, Twilight and her friends decided to visit Hope all together to see how she was doing, aside from some business a few of them needed to attend to. Pinkie Pie was going to get the baking items Hope was to collect that day for the shop, Rarity was delivering more cloths and got Applejack to pull the small cart for her, and Twilight received something from Princess Celestia concerning the young Earthmate.

As they walked down the path that lead to Blossom Farm, they began to converse amongst themselves.

"So what does the princess want with Hope anyway, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'll tell you when we get there, Rainbow Dash. I want to get to the farm first."

"And I would like to observe her to come up with more ideas for her clothing." Rarity spoke.

"But haven't you made enough cloths for her, Rarity? I mean, you've made so many." Fluttershy quietly spoke.

The unicorn laughed.

"When it comes to fashion, Fluttershy, one can NEVER have too many outfits."

But as the others were about to speak, a strange sound filled the air. A song. As the six ponies heard this, wonder began to fill their minds.

"Uh…Ya'll hear what I'm hearin'?" Applejack asked.

"It sounds like…singing. And a beautiful song at that." Rarity answered.

Twilight pinpointed the source of the song.

"It's coming from the farm!"

At that moment, the ponies galloped (or flew in Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's cases) towards the singing.

Looking over the hill and into the farm, they found out who was singing: Hope. The Earthmate was singing while she tilling her fields for new seeds, a small cart of Pink Turnips sitting in the sunlight.

At the beat of her hoe, Hope went through the first verse as the ponies walked in with awe.

There's a spark inside us

that we can all ignite~

And all that's dark inside us

will flicker into light~

After the last of the land was tilled, Hope returned to the cart, completely unaware of the ponies' presence as she brought forth a bag of seeds and began to plant.

There's a power in every breath~

There's a power in every note~

A power that starts within the heart

A power that rises through the throat~

After the seeds were place, Hope gathered a tin watering pot and danced to her song while watering the plants and the seeds.

And when it sails up through the air~

More beautiful than any prayer~

This power could right all wrong~

She then headed over to the barn and began to feed the monsters, who were also enjoying the melody.

And it will always thrill the ear

of those who have the power to hear~

The ponies found themselves under the same spell as they bobbed their heads to the tune, keeping silent so as not to interrupt.

The magic of the song~

Hope then began to hammer away at some rocks that were in a farther end of the field as she sang the last verse.

All that's strong inside us,

that tells us wrong from right~

Becomes a song inside us,

To chase away the night~

As Hope fell silent, the sudden sound of hooves stomping the ground and laughter caused the Earthmate to freeze mid-hammer and turn around. She found the source of the sounds was from her new friends 'applauding' from the edge of the field. Red flared up in her cheeks as she nearly fell backwards at the hammer's weight, recovering just in time as she used the force to strike a small rock into pieces.

Letting go of her hammer, Hope turned to the ponies again, the blush still tinting her face. Scratching her head, Hope approached her friends, who were beginning to settle down.

"H-how much did you hear?" She asked nervously.

"We've heard the full song, partner." Applejack answered.

"Yes and let me tell you, dear. You have a lovely voice." Rarity spoke.

Hope's blush turned an even deeper red as she heard theses compliments. Clearing her throat, Hope regained her hammer and began to swing at the rocks again. As she did, she spoke.

"So, uh…What brings you all out here?"

Remembering why they were there, Twilight approached the working girl and used her magic to lift a small piece of parchment towards Hope. Seeing this object, Hope stopped working again and took the parchment. As she read it, her eyes widen with confusion. Seeing her expression, Rainbow Dash spoke.

"Well? What's it say?"

"It says that we are all invited to a debutante ball in a place called Canterlot." Hope replied.

Rarity was ecstatic.

"A debutante ball?! How wonderful! I have always wanted to attend a debutante ball in Canterlot. The fashion, the nobility, the Fashion! Oh this will do wonders for my career!"

"Uh…what's a de-buu-tant ball?" Applejack asked as she struggled to pronounce the word 'debutante'.

Twilight gave an answer before Rarity could become overdramatic, again.

"A debutante ball is a special party for fillies of Upper Class society. Originally, it meant the young fillies were eligible to marry, and part of the purpose was to display her to eligible bachelors and their families with a view to marriage within a select upper class circle. Nowadays, it's more of an introduction of fillies into the Upper Class than to announce that they are able to marry."

"That's right. And it is quite the festivity." Rarity spoke.

She then looked to Hope, who still had a confused look on her face.

"Tell me, Hope. Who's the lucky filly?"

After a few seconds of silence, Hope answered.

"Me."

Everypony but Pinky Pie (for obvious reasons) and Twilight, gasped.

"What? Why are the princesses throwing a fancy-shmancy party just for you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight stepped forward so that everypony could look at her.

"I believe I have an answer for that. With all the work Hope has been doing with the monster crisis, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have decided to show how important Hope is to the Upper Class of Equestria. They've also invited Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to attend. I have received a letter from the princesses asking us to prepare Hope for the ball, which is tonight."

"Tonight?!" The ponies and the Earthmate gasped, but none more so than Rarity.

"Why didn't you say so at the beginning? I would've been working on our dresses right now! Oh! That reminds me!"

The unicorn then galloped to Hope and spoke.

"Hope, you must come with me to my shop. As the Guest of Honor, you must look extremely presentable."

"But what about my chores? I still have to finish hammering the rock in the field, till the soil underneath, clean my house…"

"We'll handle that, Sugar Cube. Rarity can be as stubborn as a mule when it comes to things like this." Applejack spoke.

Without being given a chance to protest, Hope was ushered to Rarity's shop while Twilight and her friends finish Hope's chores.

After arriving at the shop, Rarity began to work on the designs of Hope's dress as well as that of her friends and herself.

"Now, it is a custom for a debutante to wear white at their ball. And I may just have an old idea that might work."

Rarity looked to some designs she had drawn in the past until she came to one that she had been thinking about. While she took Hope's measurements again, she worked on the drawing, both being done by magic.

"Now, we have little time to teach you proper mannerism, but maybe it can be done while I work on the dresses."

But Hope had different answers.

"Actually, I already know how to behave at a debutante ball."

Rarity looked at Hope in surprise.

"You have? But how?"

Hope gave her answer.

"In my hometown of Sharance, we have a wealthy family living in the town. The two daughters of the head of the family had given their daughters of their own debutante balls and since family is friends with my papa, they in turn had taught me how to act."

This amazed Rarity and gave her some relief.

"Well, that's one problem we won't have to worry about. Now we need to figure out what to do with your hair. But let's save that until after I make the dress. Then I'll have to get to work on Twilight's dress immediately. After all, she is a princess."

Hearing this for the first time, Hope gaped.

"What?! Twilight's a princess?"

That night...

After a long carriage ride to Canterlot, each of the ponies were eager to step out and straighten out their dresses. Pinkie Pie's dress was, as always, pink. The trimmings of the dress were covered in fake sprinkles while a small trail of brown representing chocolate fudge dripped from the back of the torso to the end of the skirt. The torso of the dress was mostly Robin's egg blue and the shoulder caps looked like candy wrappers. Dripped all over her dress were confections of every shape and color. Her mane was adorned with candy-shaped barrettes and a small hat with a pink and blue lollipop on it like a feather. On her hooves were powder blue shoes with candy bows.

Being a pony that was uncomfortable in fancy duds, Applejack's dress was designed more for advertisement for Sweet Apple Acres more than just for a fine occasion. It was a green dress with brown trimmings and apple décor on the waist and trim of the dress. Around Applejack's neck was the apple bolo tie she wore to the Grand Galloping Gala and she wore the boots that went with it. Like always, she had her hat on, though her mane and tail were braided.

Rainbow Dash's dress was…well…a rainbow. It was in a Grecian-style dress and had gold ribbons around the bodice. On her hooves were gold shoes and on her head was a gold laurel circlet like the one she wore at the gala, only it went all the way around her head. Like Applejack, Rainbow Dash wasn't much of a fancy-shmancy pony.

Fluttershy's dress was a marine blue with a green skirt, dotted with pink flowers and in her main and tail were blue flowers and pink butterflies. On her hooves were blue shoes. Like Rainbow Dash's and Applejack's dresses, Fluttershy's dress was similar to what she wore to the gala.

Being the most fashionable, Rarity wore a beautiful amethyst and white dress the practically dripped with crystals. In the middle of the shoulder wrap that held up her dress was a large diamond Hope had found while mining in the Everfree Forest. She had her hair up in the style from the Crystal Empire and had the bands imbedded with crystals. She also had plum shoes on her feet.

Being a princess, Twilight was in a dress far more gorgeous than Rarity's. Her dress was a Catalina Blue with Plum trimmings. Rarity had to use up every gem in her studio to give the dress a brilliant sparkle, amethysts and sapphires dotted the dress like stars. Her mane was in the style she wore at her coronation and she wore her crown on top of that. Around her neck was a beautiful emerald pendent on a gold chain. It was in the shape of a starburst. Her shoes were crystal.

The last to get out of the carriage was Hope, her appearance hidden by a large, dark cloak.

"I still don't see why you have Hope wear that cloak, Rarity. She's going to a ball, not into hiding." Rainbow Dash spoke.

Rarity answered her with some drama in her voice.

"Come now, Rainbow Dash. Don't you know that first impressions are very important? By the time I was finished with her, I had never been so dazzled in all my life. So like a flower ready to bloom, I am keeping Hope in that cloak until she is announced by the princesses."

Hope could only blush in embarrassment. She was a farmer, not a noble. She felt like she was going to her own funeral than a ball. How she longed to be back on the farm, continuing her work as a farmer and trying to figure out how the monsters were coming into Equestria.