Detail is In the Eye of the Beholder
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Apple Pickers!" Applebloom yelled, having discovered a new idea for the other two to find their talents, having tried it herself and failed. They were having their weekly Cutie Mark Crusaders Cutie Mark Meeting to Find Our Cutie Marks. Also known as the CMCMMFOCM. Quite the mouthful and they knew this.
"But didn't you already try that?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking at Applebloom confused.
"Well yeah, but I figured that we could try it for you two!" Applebloom exclaimed, wanting to help out her friends.
"That's not a bad idea," Scootaloo said, "Just because it didn't work for you, doesn't mean it won't work for us."
"My thoughts exactly!" Applebloom exclaimed.
"Well then, who will we get to supervise us?" Sweetie Belle asked. After a few incidents, their sisters have decided that from now on, they need at least two ponies to supervise their adventures at almost all times. They didn't mind, they knew that there were dangers but finding your Cutie Marks can be major dirty work.
The Crusaders thought about it for a while. Fluttershy couldn't do it because a few of her animals were sick. Rainbow had practice scheduled for today. Twilight had reshelfing day and after the last few reshelfing days they decided that it was not a good idea to bother her again. Lastly, Pinkie Pie had to work until late at night. "The only two left are Rarity and Applejack," Applebloom said, not sure if today would be a good day to do this knowing how they act around each other alone.
"Well then, let's do it!" Scootaloo said while banging her hoof to the table making the other two jump.
"But..." Sweetie Belle said before she was interrupted by Scootaloo.
"No buts about it! They are the perfect supervisors for this job! Applejack to check the apples we pick, and Rarity to help us clean up afterwards!" Scootaloo exclaimed, jumping up and down as her wings fluttered.
"Well when you put it like that..." Applebloom said.
"Then let's go!" Scootaloo exclaimed, grabbing Applebloom's hoof and running out as Sweetie Belle followed as quickly as she could. Scootaloo got on her scooter and Applebloom and Sweetie jumped in the wagon behind it.
Scootaloo took off like a jet on the way to the Carousel Boutique.
Rarity was busy making a dress for a client. She was ahead of schedule by a week so she knew if her sister asked to supervise an adventure she could, however she hoped she didn't have to. Still, family comes first... Rarity thought to herself. She was stitched up another part of the dress and decided it was a good time for a break. She went inside her kitchen and got herself a nice glass of juice and started to drink. She heard the bell near the door to her boutique ring which indicated a customer was in. She forgot to put a "Away for 5 minutes" sign up again, silly Rarity. Oh well, business is business and it was her job to greet the customer. She put down her glass of juice and trotted out to the front. "Hello and welcome to the Ca--" she said before she saw the customers... Her sister and her friends. "Oh, hi Sweetie, I thought you were a customer. You know to use the family entrance when you want in!" Rarity scolded.
"I know..." Sweetie Belle said, having forgotten in the rush to get here.
"Well, what did you need?" Rarity asked, knowing that she would only forget if there was something important to be told.
"We came to ask for you to supervise our Cutie Mark escapade!" Applebloom exclaimed.
"Yeah, Cutie Mark Crusaders Apple Pickers!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"Cutie Mark..." Rarity said, repeating what she heard in disbelief, "but didn't you already try that Applebloom?" Rarity asked, still trying to assess the situation.
"Well yeah, but I figured it wouldn't be bad to try again and there's also the fact that the others haven't tried it yet..." Applebloom said, hoping this would be good enough of an excuse to let Rarity help.
"Absolutely not!" Rarity said, stomping her hoof down in frustration, "no sister of mine will have apple picking as her talent!"
"But... Rarity..." Sweetie Belle pleaded, putting her head down and looking up at her sadly, "if I don't try everything, I'll never find what I'm good at..."
"No!" Rarity exclaimed again, getting frustrated. "I will not have you do anything in relation to getting dirty! At all!"
"Rarity... Just please, if you want, I don't have to do it, but still come just so the other two can have their two supervisors..." Sweetie Belle bargained, knowing there was no point in arguing with her sister but still not wanting to have to let the other two not discover their talents.
Rarity sighed, "well... Just so long as you're not a part of it, I guess I'll go..." Rarity said, knowing how important Sweetie's friends are for her.
Sweetie Belle smiled weakly at her friends. "I hope you guys have fun..." she said quietly.
"Nonsense! You are coming with us, however, you are still not allowed to do that... Farm work," Rarity said, remembering the last time she left Sweetie Belle alone. It took hours to clean up.
"Oh... right, I almost forgot," Sweetie said.
"If you two are done, let's go!" Scootaloo said impatiently.
"Alright, alright," Rarity said, "Let me just get my hat."
Applejack kicked the tree behind her as hard as she could. The apples in the tree all fell into the baskets in abnormally neat rows. AJ wiped the sweat off her brow and picked up a basket and began to trot to the house in the middle of Sweet Apple Acres. She decided to take a break after she was done with this basket. She was in view of her home when she saw Rarity, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. "Oh lordy!" she exclaimed, knowing there is only one reason Applebloom and her friends would come with another pony. She needed to collect herself before she came out. "Howdy girls, what c'n Ah do y'all for?" she asked, walking towards them.
"We want to try Cutie Mark Crusaders Apple pickers!" Scoots and Bloom shouted.
"Ah see..." AJ said. She glanced at Sweetie Belle, "and would you like to try too?" she asked. Sweetie Belle just put her head down, looking sad.
"Rarity won't let me..." she said quietly.
AJ shot Rarity a glance, "And why not?" she asked, upset at Rarity for not letting her sister discover whatever talent she may have.
"My sister will not partake in your ruffian farming!" she exclaimed in a huff.
"Just because it's not what you think it should be, doesn't mean it's fer what you call a 'ruffian'" AJ said.
"Can we just go now?" Scoots asked, wanting to start.
"Yes yes, fine," Rarity said, making a sign indicating "shoo". "It is a ruffian activity! There is no elegance! No pristine!" she exclaimed.
The two girls ran off while Sweetie Belle sat down on the ground. Applejack went into the barn and pulled out three chairs for them to sit down on. AJ sat on one chair and Rarity sat on the other as Sweetie pulled hers away, closer to the trees to watch her friends.
"There is an elegance to it, although you'd never understand! One needs an eye fer detail ta be a farmer," Applejack stated.
"Oh really? You do not have an eye for detail, remember the gala? Galoshes? With a dress? EW!" Rarity mocked.
"You have a lot ta learn," she said as she picked up a seemingly perfect apple out of the basket."Can ya tell me what's wrong with this here apple?" she asked, putting the apple in Rarit's hoof, "besides the fact that it's dirty."
"I see nothing wrong with it in then," she said, giving the apple back to Applejack.
"Then you'd be giving somepony a bad apple," she said, "if ya look closely, there is a hole on the top, meaning a work could have eaten it, or something else, but it's a good idea to assume anything and take no chances. But even if it wasn't a worm," she turned the apple, "the apple is bruised." she said, pointing to a very slightly discolored part of the apple.
"So? It could be anything! What makes you so sure it's bruised?" Rarity asked.
"Ya wanna bite it ta find out?" Applejack said jokingly.
Rarity blushed softly. "N-No!" she exclaimed, not caring if it was a joke or not.
"Ah didn't think so," Applejack said, laughing to herself.
"Ok, so you know how to judge an apple, I bet if you came to my boutique you wouldn't be able to tell the difference from a cross stitch from a hem stitch," she bragged.
"Well, mah point is, what details you may see are different from the details someone sees. Maybe Sweetie Belle does have her eye in farmwork, maybe not, but she'll never know unless she tries," Applejack said, looking at Rarity with a soft smile.
Rarity sighed, "You're right... Sweetie!" she called.
Sweetie Belle looked at her as Scoots falls off a ladder behind her. "Yes?"
"Go play with your friends," she said begrudgingly.
Sweetie Belle jumped up and ran as fast as her hooves would let her.
Applejack looked at Rarity and then looked away. "Well, I have some more work ta do... Will you help me?" she asked blushing softly.
Rarity looked at the nervous Applejack and stood up. "I guess..." she said, trotting to another area of the far with Applejack following closely.
END
