Manehattan never really agreed with Applejack, even when she lived with her aunt and uncle Orange. Or, to be more precise, it was Applejack who didn't agree with Manehattan. If she had to state a reason as to why that was, she'd say it was sensory overload. Too much noise generated from the city's hustle and bustle, too many ornery ponies walking the streets and pulling carts that one should look out for, too many tall buildings that hurt her neck just to look up at their entirety; she'd much rather spend her days working in her small and quiet town of Ponyville, given it wasn't going through one of its weekly brouhahas, of course.
That wasn't to say that Applejack hated Manehattan. Sure the city had its faults, what city doesn't, but it was so alive and so diverse, a place where ponies of different nations and creeds could meet and form lasting friendships with one another. With her seat at Princess Twilight's table of friendship, even she'd have to nod and tip her hat to that. It also didn't hurt that Sweet Apple Acres had quite the bushel of customers in the metropolitan area, though she wouldn't make mention of that.
All in all, AJ still enjoyed giving the place a visit, especially when her foalhood friend, super pop star singer Coloratura (the title of 'Countess' thankfully having been dropped) sent her and her friends backstage tickets to her latest concert.
"Ooh, do you think she's going to walk back here!" Rarity said giddily, the stage pass jerking up and down around her neck jerking as she practically danced on the spot.
She wasn't alone in her excitement, as Pinkie mirrored her while standing right beside her, their two wide and gleeful eyes glued to Coloratura, who was onstage. The singer donned a sparkling navy blue singers gown, and her mane was done up in curls as she was in the middle of thanking the crowd for being such a wonderful audience during her performance. Unable to help but crack a smile at her two friends' antics, Applejack spoke.
"'Course she's gonna walk back here. This chair does have her name on it after all," she said, poking at Coloratura's cursive engraved name beside her. "Honestly Rare's, I'm not in the entertainment business and even I could guess that. Also, don't know why you're makin' such a fuss, seein’ as you've all already met her before."
"Yes, well," answered Rarity, clearing her throat into her hoof as she stilled her restless legs. "I... may have binged a teeny, tiny bit on her newest work in preparation for this trip. And I've got to say, I liked her music before she made the revamp, but now... now I may have, as a result, accidentally formed an--"
"An obsession?" added Rainbow Dash, an impish smirk on her face as she leaned in the white mare's direction.
"H-hardly!" said Rarity. "I just wanted to see if she'd be willing to give me three autographs."
Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion, her ear twitching.
"Why three?" she asked, Rarity being quick to answer.
"One for Sweetie Belle and two for myself... why do you ask?"
"Riiight," said Twilight, hoping to derail where that conversation might lead. "Well Rarity, when miss Coloratura does get here, I suggest keeping things... casual with her. I for one know what it's like getting flocked by ponies everywhere I go, so trust me when I say that that kind of attention can get pretty smothering at times. Just remember: at the end of the day, she's just a pony."
"Right, she's just a pony," repeated Rarity with a nod. She looked to the bit of flooring beneath her, then tried to internalize Twilight's words via mantra. "Just a pony. Just a pony, Rarity. Just like that song I really like... the same song that she wrote. She's just a pony who'll...who'll--"
"AJ, so glad you could make it!"
"Sign my flank!" exclaimed Rarity, sliding on her belly to the superstar's hooves, pen held up her magic. Where she pulled the pen out from in such extremely short notice, the others hadn't the slightest clue.
Confused as to why Rarity was suddenly lying before her, Coloratura looked to Applejack and the others for answers. She got none, as Applejack shrugged, Twilight facehoofed, Rainbow held her stomach as she cackled, and Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie merely looked on. Her lips soon formed into a patient smile, as Coloratura looked down to Rarity, then spoke.
"Um... what?"
"Rarity..." growled Twilight under hear breath, her hoof still covering her face. "Honestly, I expected this sort of behavior from Pinkie Pie, but not you.."
"Yeah, what she said!" added Pinkie.
It took a few seconds for their words to sink into Rarity's head, but once they did, she instantly sprung back onto her hooves and began patting herself of any grime she may have collected.
"Uh, sorry," she said, trying to hide her reddening face from Coloratura behind a hoof, as she tucked the pen into her mane. "Saffron flack. That's what I meant to say before... ahem, tripping. Yes."
Her sincere smile not faltering in the slightest, Coloratura placed a hoof on Rarity's shoulder.
"How about we start over and I pretend that never happened, hmm?" she suggested.
Rubbing her side, Rarity pushed through her embarrassment and made eye contact with her idol.
"Oh I'd like that very much."
With that said and done, Coloratura gave the fashionista a quick nod, then set her sights on Applejack.
"AJ, so glad you could make it!" she said, approaching her friend with her hooves outstretched.
Returning Coloratura’s large and cheerful smile with one of her own, Applejack wasted no time and readily met her with open hooves, their two bodies then shifting joyously side to side as they hugged out it. Once they separated moments later, Applejack was the first to speak.
“Ha, you kidding, I wouldn't have missed this for the world!” said Applejack, giving Coloratura a friendly punch to the shoulder. “Any concert played by you is bound to sound amazing! Glad I did come, and it was mighty nice of you to invite my friends as well, Rara.”
Twilight and the others nodded.
“Yeah, thanks for that!”
“Thank you.”
“You were spectacular up there, darling!”
“Appreciated!”
“Wonderful is what you were!”
Her cheeks flushing, likely from all the praise and thanks, Coloratura smiled and waved her hoof dismissively.
“Oh, well I’m glad you all liked it,” she answered. “Truth is, I’ve been wanting to catch up with AJ for a while now, as well as to meet you all, only… you know, without the veil like last time. A chance to get to really know you is what I’m hoping for.”
“Well shucks, Ra,” said Applejack, leaning casually against Coloratura, “you didn’t have to go out of your way getting us tickets for that. You could have just asked in one of the letters and I’d have given you the stretch on everypony here.”
In response, Coloratura chuckled lowly into her hoof.
“I know, AJ. But doing it this way has a more… personal touch, don’t you think? Besides, this is my concert; getting a few backstage passes was hardly any effort at all. I just asked Genda and she took care of the rest.”
“Uh… Genda?” Twilight asked, her head tilting.
“Oh,” Coloratura uttered, her face lighting up before she giggled into her hoof a second time. “Right. Of course you wouldn’t be familiar with her. Miss Active Agenda, or just Genda as I like to call her. She became my new manager after I let go of Sven. You’d like her; takes care of the logistics and nitty gritty details that come with managing for a celebrity, without being anywhere near as bossy or sour as he was.”
“I also manage your fanclub on the side, but I suppose my duties you’ve already listed sound remarkable enough.”
Their ears perking, everypony turned to the source of the new voice. There they spotted, standing off to the side, a young turquoise unicorn mare with an auburn mane and blond highlights. She was mostly unassuming, wearing a pair of glasses with thick red frames, a clipboard held before her in her magical grasp, and her cutie mark appeared to be the image of a calendar.
“Oh, Genda! What, were your ears burning?” Coloratura asked jovially.
The mare, who the others now knew as Coloratura’s new manager Miss Genda, gave a gentle, if worn out, smile in response.
“Not at all, Miss Coloratura. I just came because, um… well I’d hate to interrupt, but you’ve got a post-show photo shoot in ten and I just wanted to remind you.”
“Oh, really?” Coloratura asked, slightly distraught. Rubbing a hoof at the back of her head, she then averted her eyes from her manager. “Uh, Genda… you’ve been doing such an exceptional job lately, especially after getting me those backstage tickets on such short notice, and I’d hate to ask much more of you, but… do you think maybe we could reschedule that shoot? I was kind of hoping to treat my friends here to dinner.”
“Wait, what? Rara, you’re treating us to dinner? All of us?” said Applejack, her flabbergasted expression perfectly matching the others’.
“Mhm,” Coloratura promptly nodded. “My plan was to spend the evening with you, catching up and getting to know your friends here, over dinner and a show. Just… not necessarily in that order. And no, AJ, this is not an offer you’re allowed to turn down.”
“Huh, well I wouldn't complain,” chimed Rainbow, rubbing her hoof eagerly in circles over her stomach.
“Well that’s certainly nice of you, Miss Coloratura,” Miss Genda interjected in a somewhat panicky tone before facing the clipboard towards Coloratura and taping its displayed text with a hoof, “but you’re schedule is packed to the brim! Pushing the shoot back onto a later time means rescheduling it, as well as everything else after that! That means a lot of calls have to be made! Possibly a lot of upset ponies because of it, possibly a lot of upset fans, all of them possibly upset at me because I’m the one managing everything! They’ll… I’ll…”
Her pupils shrinking to pinpricks and focusing on nothing, Genda dropped the clipboard as she began to visibly hyperventilate. Everypony looked on in stunned silence, and if somepony was in desperate need of Twilight’s special breathing techniques taught by Cadence to calm down, it was Genda.
Luckily, before Twilight even had a chance to offer her sagely advice on that subject, Coloratura approached the stressed and obviously overworked manager and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.
“I take it the wedding preparations aren’t going over so well… again?” said Coloratura.
The physical contact, albeit light and contained, was enough to curb some of Genda’s anxiety, as her breathing hitched before she managed to slow it down enough for her to speak.
“N-no… Something’s come up at Glade’s workplace, so it looks like we’ll be pushing it back another month. This’ll be the fourth time we’ve had to do that.” She took a breath to regain her composure, then sighed. “I’m sorry for cracking under the pressure, Miss Coloratura. Normally I can handle my responsibilities to you just fine, but between that and planning my own wedding, it can be quite taxing.”
Cracking a faint smile, Coloratura slowly wrapped her hooves around Genda’s neck and surprised the mare by giving her a comforting squeeze.
“You know… they have wedding planners for that,” Coloratura suggested, to which Genda couldn’t help but snicker at.
“Ha. True,” said Genda, separating herself from Coloratura. She stood apart from the super star, her hooves still holding on to one of hers. “But this is my wedding, and the only way I can truly capture my vision for it is if I do it myself. Go have dinner with your friends, Miss Coloratura. I’ll reschedule the shoot and everything else after that, don’t you worry about me.”
Her ears twitching, Coloratura tilted her head and gave a heartfelt smile to her manager.
“Why, Miss Active Agenda… have I ever told you how this Glade fellow is such a lucky stallion to have such a mare in his life?”
“Only about six times so far,” Genda answered in jest.
“Well that’s clearly not enough for your outstanding service,” Coloratura affirmed, tapping her hoof to her chin inquisitively as she looked around. “Mm, tell you what… Forget about the shoot. Finish up your priorities here at the venue, then take the rest of the night off.”
Upon hearing that, Genda smiled, yet her ears folded against her head.
“Oh, are you sure? I mean, I’d greatly appreciate that, but the resulting backlash can be--”
“Uhp uhp uhp,” Coloratura interrupted, waving her hoof to and fro. “This is nonnegotiable. You deserve a little time off, so you let me deal with any potential backlash tomorrow while you rest tonight.”
Genda was touched, AJ and everypony else could see that. Her eyes were watering, and the corners of her quivering lips formed into a smile.
“Have I… have I ever told you how great of a client you are, Miss Coloratura?” Genda asked, somewhat shakily.
“Don’t start!” Coloratura laughed. “Go, get out of here. Enjoy your night.”
“Thank you, Miss,” said Genda, giving Coloratura a quick respectful bow before trotting off on her merry way.
Meandering her way over to Coloratura’s side, Applejack made an impressed whistle as she watched Genda leave.
“Huh, you know… you might be able to give Rarity here a run for her money for Element of Generosity.”
Rarity nodded. “Oh absolutely, darling. That was positively... H-hey!”
“Yeah yeah, was real nice of you,” Rainbow quickly dismissed. “Now about that dinner.”
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy called out, clearly appalled by such crass behaviour.
“No no, she’s right to remind me,” said Coloratura, turning the others. “I promised you all dinner and I aim to deliver. But first, a change of clothes.” Turning to the side so they all could see, she gestured to the extravagant gown still adorning her flank. “If we’re gonna have ourselves a night on the town, then I better slip out of this and into something more street worthy. Could somepony lift the skirt while you all accompany me to my hotel room? I’m not staying that far from here, but I’d hate for it to get dirty on the way there.”
After shrugging halfheartedly, Applejack stepped towards her.
“Well sure, I’d be happy to--”
“Ooh ooh, me me!” Rarity exclaimed. From the way she shoved Applejack aside on her way to Coloratura, she might as well have fought for the tossed bouquet at a wedding.
“Sorry Applejack,” Rarity said loftily, her horn lighting up as she magically lifted the gown’s skirt inches off the ground. “Looking over a celebrity’s stage garments should fall onto the qualified hooves of a seamstress of my caliber. I have experience, having done a few commissions for Sassy Shores, after all.”
Positive that Rarity just wanted to tail Coloratura’s backside, Applejack rolled her eyes.
“Sure Rarity, whatever you say. Anywho... lead on, Rara, otherwise we’ll be doin’ a whole lot of nothin’ sitting here on our hooves.”
“Right. Follow me, ladies,” said Coloratura, leading everypony to one of the backstage area’s side exits.
“Huh. Whoa... “ Applejack uttered in astonishment, straightening her hat as she took in the sight of Coloratura’s hotel room.
At least… she thought it was a hotel room…
It certainly had all the necessities one might need for comfort (bed, sofas, table, some chairs, and all of the finest craftsmanship), but everything was spaced from each other to an absurd degree. Its marble flooring, high ceiling and cityscape view certainly didn’t make things any clearer for Applejack, as she actually believed for a moment that she had followed Rara into a second lobby. A second lobby located on the twentysomethingth floor…
“Oh my gosh!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, jumping in excitement.
“Yeah. My sentiments exactly, Pinkie,” Applejack concurred. “Room’s, eh… larger than life, isn’t it?”
“Yeah yeah, room’s big,” dismissed Pinkie, as she zipped to a nearby table. “Look, AJ--free water bottles, courtesy of the hotel! Now that’s fancy~”
After rolling her eyes mirthfully at Pinkie’s natural Pinkieisms, Applejack took notice of Rarity, whose attention appeared to be fixated on the floor beneath her for some odd reason.
“Eh, see something you like there, Sugarcube?” Applejack inquired.
“I... ” Rarity started, only for her words to taper off as she pawed a hoof at her reflection being cast from the floor. “I didn’t know it was possible for marble floors to be polished to such a degree. It’s like… standing on a mirror.”
“Sorry girls,” Coloratura apologized, making her way through the group as she headed towards the center of the room where the bed was. “I know the room’s a bit modest, but this was the one the hotel assigned me when Genda checked me in. I don’t really mind much though; I like to think that roughing it for a few days keeps me humble and to my roots.”
Once she got to the bed, she got her wheeled suitcase lying next to it, then extended its retractable handle.
“Luckily we don’t have to be in here long,” she continued before pulling her luggage behind her as she made for a door at one of the walls. “I’m just gonna pop in the bathroom for a quick change, so feel free to make yourselves comfortable while I do that.”
“Oh. Yeah yeah, sure,” Rainbow replied somewhat hesitantly, sitting on her haunches alongside Rarity and Fluttershy as they all waved the super star goodbye.
Coloratura smiled and nodded to them in return, and the three maintained their content expressions as she got further and further away. However, once Coloratura entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her did they immediately look to one another, each sharing the same bewildered face as they silently hissed out one after the other:
“She had to ‘apologize’ to us for this room?”
“This is ‘modest’!?”
“She calls this ‘roughing it’!?”
“Well…” Twilight said softly, her hoof drawing a circle on the floor. “This room is a bit on the small side…”
A moment later, Twilight realized that all eyes were suddenly on her.
“What?” she asked, unconsciously puffing out her wings in indignation. “I live in a crystal castle; I’ve got over twenty rooms just like this!”
Staring silently and incredulously at Twilight after that little burst, everypony tilted their heads, making the alicorn quite uncomfortable. The feeling was short-lived, however, as Applejack snickered, which then broke into a full guffaw when she failed to suppress it with a hoof.
“Applejack, it’s not that funny,” Twilight chided, folding her wings back to her side as she straightened her posture all hoity-like.
Nearly doubled over in unbridled laughter, Applejack stomped the floor a few times with a hoof as she tried to compose herself. After being given a minute to get it all out of her system, the earth mare finally calmed down. She wiped a tear from her eye, faced Twilight and the others, then spoke.
“Heh, sorry. Wasn’t laughin’ at you, Twi, was just… I don’t know, I think I’m just so darn excited is all.”
Rarity cocked her head. “Of what, dear, our evening with Coloratura?”
“Well… yeah,” Applejack answered with a nod. “Rara’s one of my oldest friends, and like she said, we haven’t had much chance to really catch up, so I’m glad we’re doing that now. Even better, you’re all here with me as well! Ya’ll have been an integral part of my life, Sugarcubes, so her getting to know you kind of nicely sums up what I’ve been up to. You know, in a way.
“Besides, I’m just dying to know how life’s been treatin’ her all these years. And I ain’t just talkin’ about her super star career either. I wanna know how her folks are doin’ these days, if she ever found herself a bo, did she make any friends herself worth meetin’, did she--”
“AEEEEEEEE!!!”
Applejack flinched, so did everypony else. Immediately, their hooves and wings moved to cover their ears, each mare hoping to quell the painful ringing in their eardrums as a bloodcurdling scream reverberated throughout the room. Thankfully for them, the scream fell silent just as quick as it came, leaving everypony in the room stunned and bewildered.
“What was that?” Rainbow Dash questioned, digging a wingtip into her ear.
Her expression still locked in a pained grimace, Applejack gave her head a quick shake.
“I think that came from…” Applejack blinked, then her eyes widened in stark realization as she turned to the bathroom. “Rara!” she yelled, racing towards the restroom without so much as a moment’s hesitation.
For a second, the others merely stood there, watching Applejack as she trotted across the room. Once their brains finally caught up with them, however, their expressions hardened as they followed after her.
“Rara, are you ok?!” Applejack shouted worryingly, banging against the bathroom door after discovering it to be locked. “Rara! Rara, answer me!”
Applejack didn’t receive an answer, instead, when she stayed silent and perks her ears, she heard a sniffling coming from the other side.
Growing increasingly worried, Applejack tried the doorknob again to no avail. Realizing that Coloratura wasn’t or couldn’t open the door for whatever reason, Applejack’s steeled eyes examined the door before she snorted loudly out her nose.
“Girls, ya’ll stand back now,” she warned.
Predicting what she was gonna do, everypony did as instructed and gave the apple farmer a wide berth. Applejack took a breath, then spoke.
“Rara, if you can hear me, I’m gonna need you to back away too.”
Once that was said, Applejack turned her back to the door and swiftly shot out her rear legs. Two bucks was all it took to make short work of the door; what was once one single piece of wood was now caved in, crumbled and knocked free from its hinges beneath the doorway, allowing Applejack and the others entrance to the bathroom.
“Rara!” Applejack called, leaping over the door’s remains and into the bathroom. The bathroom was just as gaudy as the rest of the room, but the apple mare couldn't care any less about that. Instead, she frantically scanned the entirety of the bathroom, searching for any sign of her friend.
Mere seconds later, Applejack heard another sniffle, and instantly she faced the direction it came from. There, much to Applejack’s concern, sat Coloratura, huddled and holding herself in the corner as she slowly rocked back and forth. She had obviously been crying, as her eyes were red and puffy, and her tears had whatever remained of her makeup run down to stain her cheeks.
“Rara…” uttered Applejack, her ears folding as she slowly approached her friend.
“Oh my, what’s happened to her?” asked Rarity, stepping over the door with the others.
Applejack stopped in front of Coloratura, then sat on her haunches before reaching out and placing a reassuring hoof on the singer’s shoulder. Heaving, Coloratura barely acknowledged her in response, which worried Applejack tremendously; she looked pretty shaken up, and Applejack couldn’t fathom as to why.
“Rara,” Applejack tried once more, speaking softly. “What happened? We heard you scream and… and… Aw, Sugarcube, tell me what’s wrong.”
For a moment, nothing; Coloratura simply sat there, her chest rising and falling as she rasped. To Applejack’s relief, however, her eyes soon met hers, and she then made an effort to calm her breathing. She shut her eyes, sucked in her bottom lip, then gave herself a moment before finally acknowledging Applejack with a response.
Her eyes still shut, Coloratura looked away and hesitantly raised her trembling hoof. With it, she slowly pointed… directly over Applejack’s shoulder. The farm mare blinked, then steadily turned her head to look in the direction Coloratura was pointing at.
Once she did so, her expression warped into aghast horror, along with everypony else’s in the room.
“Oh good heavens!”
“Wha?”
“Oh… oh my…”
“That’s not… that’s not very nice. Like, at all!”
“Who would do such a thing?”
“Rara, what’s… what’s going on?” Applejack asked both distressed and uneasily. She turned back to Coloratura, only to be surprised when the superstar suddenly clung to her, breaking down into tears again.
Applejack’s mind faltered for a second, but once it recovered, she wrapped her forelegs around Coloratura and squeezed tightly.
“There there,” she cooed softly, running her hoof over the back of Coloratura’s mane. “It’s alright, Rara. I’m here… We’re here. You’re safe with us, and we aren’t goin’ anywhere.”
Applejack wouldn’t dare to let go of Coloratura, not until she knew her friend felt safe, at least. She also wouldn’t dare to look behind her again, as there, crudely etched onto the bathroom mirror with that appeared to be bright red lipstick (the spent tube that was most likely used left lying haphazardly beside a vase full of yellow roses on the sink counter), was one word in all capitals. It was a word that struck a chord in all their very beings and managed to send Coloratura into such a panic-stricken state.
WHORE.
“And you say that no one else save for you and your manager have access to the room?”
Her eyes cast downward, Coloratura pulled the blanket closer to herself, then nodded as she gave her reply. “Yes, Officer, and she was with me at the venue all evening…”
“I see,” said the officer, using his magic to quickly dot down her testimony onto a notebook. Behind him, the entrance to the room had been taped off, his colleagues seen through the open doorway as they scoured the space and took pictures of anything noteworthy.
“Mm, tell me,” continued the officer. “When you returned, did you notice the door to be unlocked? Any sign of a break in?”
Coloratura didn’t like this. Her, Applejack, and her friends could have been having a delightful dinner by now, not standing outside the hallway to her room as she answered questions. It just had to happen again, and tonight of all nights.
“Ma’am?”
“Hm?” hummed Coloratura, her head giving a quick shake as she was broken from her stupor.
The officer tapped his pen against the notebook, then patiently repeated, “I asked if you noticed any sign of somepony forcing their way in.”
“O-oh, right, sorry. Um…” Coloratura’s words trailed off, as she found herself too distraught to remember.
Fortunately for her, she didn’t have to answer, as Applejack came to her rescue. She took Coloratura’s hoof with hers, squeezed it tightly, then looked the officer dead in the eyes as she spoke.
“I’m sorry, Officer, don’t want to step on your hooves or anythin’ by tellin’ you how to do your job, but could you put the questions on hold and give her a minute? She’s obviously still rattled by all this and… and as her friend, I can’t help but worry. I hope you understand.”
His brows furrowing in contemplation, the officer eyed Applejack, then Coloratura, wrapped in the blanket and shaking with a blank expression on her face. Eventually, after taking her current state into consideration, he closed his notebook with a sigh, then tipped his hat to them.
“I’ll give you two some time alone for now,” he said before turning around, ducking under the police tape as he entered the room.
Once he left, Twilight and the others cautiously approached, forming an impromptu circle around Applejack and Coloratura while also giving them enough space.
“Rara,” said Applejack, hoping to voice what she was sure was on everypony’s mind. “What’s goin’ on? A break in is scary, yeah, but I can’t help but feel that there’s more to this than what I’m seein’. Somepony doesn’t just burgle into another pony’s place to write… that.”
Coloratura’s features contorted into a hard wince. She didn’t want to tell them, as she felt it was her burden to bear and hers alone. But at the same time, though, she was at her wit’s end and couldn’t live like this anymore. She had to let somepony in, at least for her sanity.
The superstar took in a shaky breath, held it, exhaled, then spoke.
“You’re… you’re right, AJ: there’s more to this. So, so much more…”
“Well, care to talk about it?” said Applejack, placing a hoof on Coloratura’s shoulder as she gestured to the others. “You got six shoulders to lean on, but we won’t rush you if you ain’t ready yet.”
Gently, Coloratura shook her head. “No no… I’m ready. It’s just... Celestia, I don’t even know where to begin. I... ” She sighed. “This isn’t the first time. For the past four months, I’ve been… dealing with a stalker.”
Upon hearing that, everypony nearly had the same reaction: their expressions turned sullen, their eyes widened, and their ears splayed back as they recoiled as if struck. This was serious business indeed.
“Oh… oh my,” Fluttershy uttered, hoof on her chest. “A… a stalker?”
Begrudgingly, Coloratura nodded. “Y-yeah. I didn’t think much of him at the time; was just one of many flattering fan letters claiming that they were in love with me. I get those a lot, and he was pretty harmless back then. But then…”
Coloratura shut her eyes and took another breath. It took her a moment before she was able to continue.
“But then, after I made the announcement six weeks ago, the letters from him turned into name calling and threats against my life…”
“Announcement six weeks ago?” questioned Applejack, scratching her head through her hat. “What is it you said then that got this feller so upset with you?”
“You serious?” Coloratura gave a tired laugh. “It was all over the tabloids and, like, six different magazines.”
Applejack shrugged. “Sorry. Whatever it was, if it wasn’t on Farmhoof Monthly, I didn’t hear about it.”
Coloratura huffed, lowered her head, then shook it with a small smile. Even in this stressing time, Applejack still managed to bring a smile to her face. Still, she supposed it was good that Applejack didn’t hear, as it meant that she could tell her herself.
“I… I came out, AJ.”
Her expression going neutral, Applejack blinked.
“Say what now?”
“I like mares,” said Coloratura, simplifying it.
Applejack’s jaw went slack, and she blinked a second time. She made an effort to say something, but instead closed her mouth, licked her dried lips, then had her eyes skim over nothing in particular. After appearing to mull over the new information, Applejack spoke.
“Hm, seems about right. Congrats on bein’ open with who you are, Rara.”
Rubbing her shoulder awkwardly, Coloratura smiled back at Applejack. Honestly, due to Applejack’s more traditional upbringing, Coloratura was a bit worried that her friend would hold some reservations with her lifestyle choice. She was glad to see that that wasn’t the case, though.
“Thanks, AJ.”
With that said, Twilight stepped forward.
“Um, Coloratura,” she said tentatively. “When the letters started, why didn’t you alert the police then?”
In response, Coloratura looked away and gave a forlorn sigh.
“I… Th-there wasn’t much need to. They were just hateful words on paper--no need to get the police involved and waste their precious time and resources. It wasn’t until later on that I did go to them, after…”
Coloratura’s voice cracked before she paused. Her lips quivered, and her eyes threatened to overflow with tears again as she covered them with a hoof. Right away, Applejack closed the distance; she wrapped a hoof around Coloratura’s side, then gave her a gentle yet firm hug to let her know she was there. The singer sniffled all the while, but slowly she succeeded in regaining some of her composure.
“S-sorry,” she apologized, hoof still covering her eyes. “It’s just… Sorry. Um…” It pained her to say it, but they had to know. “A-after a while… he started sending in pictures along with the hate letters. Pictures of…” Her lip quivered again, but she stayed strong. “They were pictures of... of me sleeping and in the… bathroom…”
At everypony’s combined gasp, Coloratura grasped onto Applejack, burying her face in the apple farmer’s neck as she sobbed uncontrollably. Applejack felt tears, snot, and spit collect on her, but that didn’t stop her from tightening her embrace on her friend.
“Oh Applejack, I’m--I’m scared!” Coloratura bawled, her voice muffled by Applejack’s fur. “The police haven’t had any luck finding him, and I--I don’t know how he does it! No matter where I stay, he’d find me, and another picture would be sent! Genda even started getting more secretive with my traveling arrangements--even more so than usual--and hired extra security, but that still didn’t help!
“The--the letters stopped for a good while now, so I thought he finally grew bored of me and mo-moved on! I… I brought you all out here to have a good time, not to get caught up in all this! I didn’t think he’d start again while you’re visiting! I’m--I’m so, so sorry!”
Prompted by Coloratura’s new wave of unrestrained wails and whimpers, Applejack tightened her hold on her, then gently swayed her side to side.
“Oh hush now, Rara,” she said softly, patting and rubbing Coloratura’s back. “We ain’t mad at you, not one bit. You aren’t to blame for anything. It’s that... crass feller who’s at fault here--hatin’ on a pony just for likin’ another mare, the shame. Now c’mon, dry them tears. It’s late, and there’s no way you’re staying here after this, so how about you spend the night with us at our hotel? It ain’t as ‘modest’ as this one, but at least you’ll have all of us with you in one room.”
After being given a minute, Coloratura made a few hard sniffles, then separated herself from Applejack.
“I’d... I’d like that,” she admitted, a quivering smile on her face as she wiped her tears. Familiarity and the idea of safety in numbers could do her mental state some good.
Sitting ramrod on her haunches, Applejack nodded.
“Great, that settles tha--”
“Ah. Excuse me, Miss Coloratura,” a voice called.
Their ears swiveling before they even turned their heads, everypony looked towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. There they spotted, just stepping off the lift, a tall yet somewhat lanky unicorn stallion wearing a gun holster and a worn blazer with a police badge pinned its front pocket. His coat was beige, his short, crew-cut mane was of a two-toned green, and his cutie mark appeared to be a lawn that had been neatly mowed in a criss-cross pattern.
“So sorry to interrupt,” he said, approaching the group with a flat, rectangular box held in his magic. He stopped in front of Coloratura, set the box down between them, then introduced himself.
“Hello, I’m Senior Officer Terrace, lead investigator to this case. Miss Coloratura...” He placed a hoof on his chest, then gave her a solemn look. “I’d... like to formally apologize for not meeting with you until now--this latest offence has hereby made it a personal matter to me. If my team and I had done our jobs just a little better, then this wouldn’t have happened and the perp responsible would be standing behind bars at this very moment.”
“Gee, you think?”
“Shush, Rainbow,” Twilight scolded in a hushed tone.
“Anyway,” said Officer Terrace, seemingly paying the pegasus no mind. “I came looking for you because, well… I just had a talk with the staff at the downstairs lobby, and they say that they found this sitting at the front desk some time ago.” He set the box down between himself and Coloratura, then cleared his throat before saying, “It’s… for you.”
Coloratura stared down at the box, worry evident on her face. It was such an unassuming thing; just a run-of-the-mill shipping parcel with no labels or company logos to speak of. However, the fact that her name was written on it, and that it was left in a place where nopony should have known she was, sent chills down her spine.
“Wha… what is it?” she asked hesitantly. If Applejack wasn’t already holding on to her, she would have backed away.
“Not sure,” Officer Terrace said with a shake of his head. “As a precaution, I’ve magically scanned its contents before bringing it up here. Didn’t detect one trace of explosives or any chemicals. Far as I can gather, it seems to be one solid mass of… something, so it’s safe to open.”
Using his magic, he then procured a fixed blade from his police utility belt.
“Now, if this is indeed from the suspect, then it’s imperative that we find out what’s inside. Miss Coloratura?” Coloratura’s eyes looked to him, then blinked. “I’m going to open the box, and if you find that the item inside has some significance with anything, anything at all, don’t be afraid to tell me, understood? This could potentially bring us one step closer to ending this nightmare for you once and for all.”
“O-ok,” answered Coloratura, nodding shakily.
“Ok then. You... might want to stand back, though, just to be safe.”
The mares immediately complied, allowing the officer to go to work. He unfolded his blade, then brought its tip carefully onto the box. After a moment of hesitation, he swallowed dryly, then pushed the knife down with added pressure, slowly puncturing the cardboard. The blade sunk in a few inches, only to then stop coupled by the sound of steel clinking against something dense, like stone.
Terrace withdrew the knife, then, with greater confidence, and much to each mare’s apprehensiveness and shock, began stabbing it along different sections of the box, getting the same sound each time. After determining it to be completely safe, the stallion deftly ran the blade over the duct tape keeping it sealed, allowing its flaps to extend outward. He parted the two freed sections aside with his magic, then peered inside.
He stared down at the item in silence, and after a pregnant pause, made a long, drawn out exhale before speaking.
“On second thought,” he said, “maybe you don’t have to see what’s in this.”
“Wh-why? What’s in it?” asked Coloratura. Her curiosity had momentarily gotten the best of her, as she slipped free from Applejack’s grasp and stepped warily towards the box.
“Ma’am, I’d highly advise that you--”
The officer’s warning came too late. Coloratura had already seen what was inside.
Her mouth was agape, her ears had fallen flat at the sides of her head, and her eyes were wide and unblinking as she stared down in abject horror. She drew breath sharply, then, after a hard swallow, turned her back to the box. She stood still, staring at the direction of her friends, but not at them.
“N-no…” uttered Coloratura, her breathing getting more and more labored by the second, and her eyes glossier.
She tried desperately to keep it together, everypony could see that due to her trembling, but a single stray tear rolling down her cheek was all it took for her composure to give way. Coloratura sniffed, gasped, and eventually wheezed before crumbling onto the floor.
“He’s… he’s gonna kill me! He’s gonna kill me!” she cried hysterically, holding herself as she curled into the fetal position.
Upon witnessing Coloratura's reaction, Applejack and the others acted almost instantly, and practically raced to her frantic friend. They then flocked around her, while Applejack forced her upright.
“Rara!” shouted Applejack, her hooves on Coloratura’s shoulders as she gave her a little shake. “Why do you say that--why do you say he’s gonna kill you?!”
Her face red as fresh tears overlapped the dried ones on her cheeks, Coloratura looked to Applejack and tried to respond, but all she produced was stutterers and incoherent noises. Giving up, she latched onto Applejack, burying her face in the crook of the orange mare’s neck as she continued to bawl.
Applejack was stunned at first, but then softened her gaze as she hugged Coloratura tightly in return. She shut her eyes, pondering on what on Equestria she could do for her friend. Moments later, however, Applejack’s eyes shot open, as she managed to pick up the sound of Fluttershy’s gasp through Coloratura’s whimpering.
Easily, Applejack’s eyes homed in on Fluttershy’s yellow mass, standing beside the box. She was staring into the open package, her eyes wide as saucers, and a hoof covering her mouth as she slowly stepped back from it.
It was at that point Applejack realized that, if she were to understand what had put Coloratura into such a state, then she’d have to look as well. She steeled herself, swallowed a lump in her throat, then, gingerly, peered over Coloratura.
What Applejack discovered drained the color from her face and caused her blood to run cold.
There, lying neatly in the box, was a stone slab, a stone slab that Applejack grimly recognized as a tombstone. And etched onto this tombstone’s surface was Coloratura's name and cutie mark.
“Oh Rara…” whispered Applejack, strengthening her hold over Coloratura even more so than before.
“You haven’t touched your orange juice…”
“Hmm?” Coloratura gave her head a quick shake, stirring from her trance-like state. Once she was fully alert, she blinked, then looked over to Fluttershy, who was staring back at her from across the table. “I’m sorry?” she said.
After appearing apprehensive for a moment, Fluttershy spoke once more.
“I just said that you haven’t touched your orange juice… or anything for that matter.”
Fluttershy was right. Everypony else at the table was nearly finished with their pancake breakfast (a hotel special they had ordered to their room), but Coloratura had barely given hers a nibble. She just kept spacing out, her mind playing back the events that happened the night before over and over again.
“Sorry,” said Coloratura, pushing the plate and glass away from herself. “I’m just not hungry.”
Hearing that answer, Rarity exchanged a concerned, sideways glance with Rainbow Dash, then turned to Coloratura.
“Well... did you at least get any sleep last night, darling?” asked Rarity, smiling softly at her.
Coloratura returned Rarity’s smile with her own, albeit a more faint and listless one, then gave her reply.
“A… a little.”
That was a lie--Colorata didn’t sleep at all. Despite discreetly returning to a different hotel with Applejack and the others, she didn’t feel comfortable enough to rest her eyes, not even when the mares slept around her. She feared going to sleep, feared waking up to the stalker staring at her in the dark. If it wasn’t for Applejack staying up with her, reassuring her that every little sound was just one of the girls shifting in their sleep, her sanity would have been lost hours ago.
Speaking of Applejack, the apple farmer was seated beside Coloratura, her mane disheveled and her hat askew as she downed the last of her juice. Despite the noticeable dark rings under her eyes, she seemed to have handled sleep deprivation just well. With a hearty sigh, she set the emptied glass onto the table, then licked her lips.
“Well, it ain’t apple juice,” Applejack said as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hoof, “but I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.” Moments after saying that, she spotted Coloratura’s mostly untouched meal, then huffed as she gave the mare in question an indignant look.
“Rara,” she said in a somewhat chiding tone. “I know for a fact that you didn’t catch a single wink last night, so at least try to keep your strength up. Have some more of your pancake, will you.”
With reluctance, Coloratura looked to the still-steaming pancake. It certainly smelled great, and what little she sampled of it confirmed that it did, but her appetite simply wasn’t there.
“Sorry AJ,” she said dejectedly as she turned to Applejack, her ears folding. “Maybe you didn’t hear, but I already said that I wasn’t hungry.”
“Oh I heard you the first time,” answered Applejack, sporting a small smirk as she rolled her eyes playfully. “Thing is, through, that might fly with Fluttershy, but it ain’t gonna with me, so don’t even try.” With that said, she gave a hearty laugh, only for it to soon taper into silence before her expression turned a touch more serious.
“Listen,” she continued, sighing deeply. “I’m not tellin’ you to wolf the whole thing--just to take a few more bites... for me.” She lurched towards Coloratura, sliding her hoof over hers. “Can you do that, Rara?”
Coloratura’s eyes remained fixated on their two hooves for one fleeting moment, then looked to Applejack’s peering gaze plainly full of concern. As she did so, her response was almost involuntary.
“I’ll… I’ll try.”
A relieved smile graced Applejack’s lips, and she withdrew her hoof. “That’s all I ask,” she said.
“A-alright,” uttered Coloratura, giving an unsteady nod as she faced the pancake. “Here I go. I’m eating now…”
Slowly, Coloratura secured her fork and butterknife with her hooves, then used them to cut a bite-sized piece off the pancake. She stabbed the tiny portion at the end of her fork, then brought the morsel to her lips. However, rather than immediately eating it, she instead held it just out of reach of her mouth.
Seeing her hesitation, Applejack’s ears lowered and her smile dipped.
“Uh, Rara…”
Coloratura’s ears perked at her name. She quickly turned to Applejack, her eyes widening. By the look on her face, it was almost as if she had completely forgotten that her friend was sitting there. Before Applejack could even question what was with her reaction, Coloratura turned to the pancake piece, seized it with her teeth, then yanked it from the fork and into her mouth.
“Th-there!” yelled Coloratura, her voice muffled by the pancake in her mouth. “I--I’m eating it, AJ! I’m… I’m eating...”
Noticing her tone waver, as well as the moisture collecting in her eyes, everypony at the table sat straighter.
Coloratura sniffled, her words dying in her throat. She didn’t want to crumble in front of the others, not again, but the weight of her situation was too much for her to ignore. Her breathing steadily growing strained and raspy, Coloratura shut her eyes tightly, hoping to prevent her tears from escaping. Perhaps if she collected herself, the others would forgive her near-relapse, and they could return to enjoying their breakfast together.
Try as she might, however, Coloratura’s attempts to calm down seemed to do the opposite. She exhaled a shaky breath, and felt one tear roll down her cheek, then the other.
“No, Rara…” said Applejack morosely, reaching over to Coloratura.
The moment Applejack rubbed her shoulder, that was when what little semblance of self-control Coloratura had was lost. The fork slipped free from her loosened grip, then clinked against the floor as she buried her face in her hooves.
“I--I’m sorry…” Coloratura croaked, shaking her head as she tried her hardest to contain her whimpers.
“It’s alright, Rara,” Applejack said, wrapping a hoof around Coloratura and pulling her to her side. “We can forget about the pancake for now. Just… just let it out.”
At that, Coloratura’s bottled up emotions let loose, turning the others into unwitting spectators to the scene before them as she cried freely. Each one of them wanted to console Coloratura as well, but it didn’t feel appropriate for them to do so, especially when Applejack, the one pony out of all of them who knew her best, was already doing that. Soon enough, after her and the others shifted uncomfortably in their seats and averted their gazes, Twilight rose from her chair, gestured for the others to do the same, then spoke.
“Um… we’ll give you two some privacy. Come on, girls.”
And with that, they headed into the other room and closed the door behind them, leaving Applejack alone with Coloratura. There, Applejack embraced her crying friend like she did the night before, running her hooves through the back of her mane as she insisted that she let her tears run their course. Minutes later, it seemed to have worked, as Coloratura’s tears gradually lessened and her bawling relaxed into sniffles.
“I’m so-sorry, Applejack,” said Coloratura, separating from the earth mare as she wiped tears from her eyes. “I’m just… terrified. This pony is making threats against my life, and I’m afraid that he might be able to deliver on them…”
Applejack’s expression hardened, her muzzle crinkling as she scrunched her face. She stared at Coloratura with resolute determination, then, without giving it much further thought, gave her reply.
“Well you don’t have to go about this alone, Rara. You’re one of my oldest and dearest friends, so...” To Coloratura’s surprise, Applejack then placed one hoof over her own heart, and the other over her head. “On my word as an Apple, I swear to you, for as long as I live and breath, no matter what happens, I won’t allow this pony--or anypony for that matter--to hurt you. There--this stallion thought he was messin’ with just you, but wait until he starts quakin’ in his britches when he learns that he’s messin’ with me as well.”
Applejack’s promise worked, as it succeeded in drawing a smile out of Coloratura. However, after she sniffed and wiped away the last of her tears, she gave a soft, if somewhat choked, laugh.
“What?” asked Applejack, reeling slightly. “I know that was a bit corny and over the top, but what I said is the honest--”
.
“No, AJ, it’s not that,” said Coloratura, shaking her head. “It’s just… I seem to recall you promising something similar back at Camp Friendship.”
Confusion evident on her face, Applejack tilted her head.
“I did?”
“Mhm,” Coloratura answered with a nod. “It’s been so long since then, so I don’t blame you if you don’t remember. I was getting bullied back then, at camp, but that soon came to an end shortly after we became friends and you made a promised to defend me from them… just like you did now.”
After scratching a hoof under her ear, Applejack’s expression then lit up.
“Oh, right! That...” Applejack face fell flat, as she was embarrassed that she had forgotten. Her cheeks burned red, and she looked away from Coloratura before playing with her mane draped over her shoulder. “Well, it was the least I could do for you then, Rara. I showed up there sad and kinda angry, seeing as it wasn’t that long since my folks had… you know…”
It wanted to resurface, the bitter memory of what happened to her parents, but Applejack wouldn’t allow it… couldn’t allow it. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t already made peace with how events played out (she certainly had years to do that), but she wouldn’t dare risk succumbing to her emotions in front of Coloratura. She needed to be Coloratura’s rock during this trying time, not the other way around.
After giving herself a brief pause, Applejack allowed her stirring feelings to settle before continuing.
“But then you came along, Rara--wantin’ to befriend me of all ponies, possibly the gloomiest and short-fused of the bunch. Oh I certainly wasn’t accepting of you at first, but you were patient with me, and slowly but surely, you helped me recover and accept their loss. Boy, let me tell you; there wasn’t a single minute where I wasn’t thinking about them that summer, but thanks to you and your friendship, the pain was eased just enough for me to actually enjoy my time there.”
“AJ…” uttered Coloratura, placing her hoof over Applejack’s shoulder.
Applejack eyed Coloratura’s hoof on her, then smiled as she rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Oh let’s not start gettin’ all sentimental here, Rara,” she said loftily, gently removing Coloratura’s hoof off of her. “We came here to Manehatten to catch up, and by golly, I still intent to do that! I won’t bug you into finishin’ that pancake for the time being, but let’s set aside this stalker malarky and have ourselves a nice long talk. A great conversation ought to do you wonders.”
“I’d love nothing more. Ok, Applejack,” said Coloratura, unable to find Applejack’s cheerful smile anything but infectious. Seconds later, though, she was struck with an epiphany. “Oh! If we’re going to do this, then I think the moment calls for a little social lubricant.”
With that said, she rose from her seat and made for her luggage left by the entrance. Confused by her friend’s meaning, Applejack looked on with a raised brow as Coloratura unzipped a bag and rummaged through it.
“‘Social what now?’” she asked, scratching at her head.
Her hooves still searching, Coloratura huffed in amusement before giving her reply.
“Alcohol, AJ.”
“Oh,” said Applejack, nodding in understanding. Raising a hoof in a half shrug, she then followed up with, “Eh, a drink sounds good and all, but don’t you think it’s a little early for that? I mean, it’s not even noon yet.”
“True,” Coloratura concurred, “but we both didn’t go to sleep at all last night, so I don’t think that rule applies to us. Besides. I planned ahead for just this occasion and got us something that I know you can’t say no to.”
“Really now?” replied Applejack, her curiosity piqued. After adopting a cocksure smirk capable of rivaling Rainbow Dash’s, she leaned back and spread herself more widely on her chair, then spoke. “Alright, I’ll bite. Let’s see this hooch of yours that I can’t refuse. Gotta warn you though, I’m a mite picky when it comes spirits, so I hope you’ve chosen something good.”
At that moment, Coloratura found what she was looking for, and beamed brightly as she gave Applejack a sidelong glance.
“Oh, I’m sure you won’t complain. After all, you’re well acquainted with this particular brand.”
Before Applejack could launch her query in response to that statement, Coloratura faced her. Held in her hooves was a corked, red glass bottle, its label fixed with a wax seal that beared the Apple family insignia.
Astonished, Applejack leaned over the table as her eyes darted to Coloratura, the bottle, then back again.
“Is… is that…” she started. “Is that the Apple farm’s special red sparklin’ cider?” Having said that, Applejack ignored the bottle, then eyed Coloratura incredulously. “You know, we only brew a finite number of these… per year… and what I wanna know is how you got hooves on a bottle, ‘cause I know for a fact that you ain’t on that lengthy wait list.”
Holding the bottle close to herself, Coloratura smiled giddily as her eyes scanned the ceiling.
“Oh… I have my sources~”
Applejack raised a hoof, as if to challenge that, but instead she leaned back in her chair, smiled.
“Mm… perks of stardom, eh?” she said, tilting her hat up. “I don’t suppose you got any glasses in that bag as well then?”
Looking quite pleased with herself, Coloratura giggled. “Matter of fact, I do!” Deftly, she reached a hoof into her bag and withdrew two shot glasses.
“Well alright,” Applejack said, her teeth flashing in excitement. “Now quit showin’ them off and bring them over already!”
After shooting Applejack an amused look, Coloratura joined her at the table, sitting across from her. Once she placed the cider and glasses between then, though, Applejack realized something.
“Uh, Rara… where’s the screw?”
With perplexment evident on her face, Coloratura blinked. “The what?”
“The corkscrew,” Applejack said. “You know, the twisty thing that oughta pop the top off the cider. How do you think we’ll get at the drink without it?”
“Oh,” answered Coloratura in understanding. “That thing. Right. Well, I didn’t really think we’d need one. I figured we could just…” She grasped the bottle with her hooves, then brought the corked-end towards her waiting teeth.
She clamped her pearly-whites onto the cork and tried to pry it from the bottle’s opening, the sight of which greatly amused Applejack.
“Ha! I’d quit while I was ahead if I was you, Rara,” said Applejack. “My family and I jam those things in tight to ensure none of it ever escapes, so you’re more likely to loosen a tooth than the cork. Anyway, I think I saw a screw in the other--”
Right as Applejack got out of her seat and turned her back to Coloratura, she heard the telltale ‘bwunk!’ and hiss of the cork coming free.
‘Huh…” Applejack muttered, looking over her shoulder in stunned silence as Coloratura spit the cork out. “Must have been loose or somethin’... Mm, gotta remember to yell at Mac for slackin’ off later. But, now that it’s out.” She retook her seat. “How ‘bout you do the honours and pour us a drink?”
Not needing to be told twice, Coloratura gripped the bottle firmly between her two hooves, then carefully filled the glasses. Once that was done, she set the bottle aside, slid Applejack her glass, then picked up her own and made to drink from it. However, right as the fizzing liquid nearly touched her lips, she instead froze when Applejack spoke up.
“Whoa there; let’s not get all gung ho now,” she said. Applejack balanced her drink on the flat of her hoof, then gestured to it. “This isn’t some ordinary cider you can just down right away--this is Apple family cider, and you’re sittin’ in the presence of an Apple! There are procedures to follow.”
“Oh… I’m sorry AJ,” Coloratura said, her cheeks red and smile tense as she lowered her glass. “I didn’t mean to offend. Um, what’re the procedures, then?”
In response, Applejack regarded her with a disarming grin, then spoke.
“Alright. Put your elbow over the table.”
Coloratura blinked, then did as instructed.
“Um… like this?”
“There you go.” Quickly, Applejack placed her own elbow on the table as well, then reached out and locked her foreleg around Coloratura’s. “Now, grab your glass with your other hoof and get ready to make a toast.”
Again, Coloratura did as she was told, soon holding her glass on one side of their two hooves while Applejack did the same. She held the glass up, then took a second to ruminate on what deserved such a commemoration. Once she had it, she beamed Applejack a cheerful smile and raised her glass up higher.
“To friends!”
“Friends!” Applejack repeated with gusto, clinking her glass against Coloratura’s.
With that done, however, rather than immediately drinking it, Applejack instead hovered the glass just below muzzle. The cork came off a little too easily for her liking (almost nagging at her, really), so she figured a quick inspection of her family’s prized product was in order. After all, the Apples took great pride in the quality of their prized sparkling cider, so she wanted to ensure that this particular bottle had no imperfections, starting with its scent.
The fizz tickled at her nose, yet that did very little to prevent Applejack from taking a deep whiff. Right away, the familiar scent of her land’s apples flooded her senses, as well as the other various ingredients used in the fermenting process. For a fleeting moment, Applejack felt as if she were back at home, kicking back on the porch after a hard day’s work and a drink in her hooves.
Mere seconds later, however, right as Applejack placed her lips on the shot glass’s rim, she picked up a new scent, previously disguised by the initial smells of home, one that gave her pause. It was strangely familiar to the apple mare, except it didn’t induce fond memories of home. It was sweet… sickly sweet, with an underline, pungent odor that reminded her of…
Right then and there, Applejack had a strong hunch that perhaps Big Mac wasn’t slacking off after all.
“Pfft!” sounded Applejack, spitting out the side as she dropped her cider onto the table.
Wiping her mouth with a hoof, Applejack looked to Coloratura, only for her eyes to widen when she saw her friend staring back at her with a puzzled look, her lips locked around her shot glass as she slowly raised it.
“No!” shouted Applejack, her belly getting drenched in her spilled drink as she scrambled desperately over the table. Once she got in hooves’ length, she slapped the cider away from her friend’s mouth. The glass shattered against the tiled floor, the cider pooling around the broken bits of glass.
“Hey!” Coloratura exclaimed, annoyed and more than a little peeved. “What gives, AJ?! I--”
“Did you drink any?!”
Coloratura’s face scrunched in confusion, then she blinked. “Wh-what?”
“Answer me, Rara!” Applejack demanded, fear evident in her eyes. “Did you drink any?!”
Coloratura’s face sullened and her ears fell listlessly as she gave her reply.
“N-no AJ. I didn’t…”
Hearing that, Applejack gave a sigh a relief.
“Oh thank heavens,” she said as she got off the table. Applejack then turned to the closed door to the other room, shouting, “Twilight! Twilight, get in here!”
Seconds later, the door opened and Twilight stepped out, the alicorn’s brows furrowed in confusion for the sudden summons.
“Applejack, what’s with all the shouting?” she asked.
“Nevermind that!” answered Applejack before pointing to the spilled drink on the floor. “Quick, I need you to do a… a ‘nalysis on that! You can do that, right?”
Twilight regarded the heap of broken glass and cider, then looked back to Applejack before tilting her head a bit to the side. “You mean an ‘analysis’, right?”
Applejack couldn’t believe it--now was not the time for proper pronunciation! Frustrated, Applejack held down a growl as she threw her hooves up and gave her reply. “Yes, that! Whatever! Just do it already!”
“Alright, alright, I’m doing it,” Twilight relented, her horn glowing as she approached the puddle of cider. Once she stood before it, the cider glowed in her magical aura as well, prompting illusory representations of its chemical makeup to rise one after the other from the spill like smoke.
“Honestly Applejack,” Twilight chided, her eyes skimming over the displayed chemical equations and symbols, of which Applejack couldn’t make heads or tails of. “You have to be careful when holding a glass. And I know we’re in a hotel and all and that you two were having a… moment, but at least try to clean it up so the maid doesn’t have t--”
Twilight was cut short, as a new equation rose to her sights. It violently flashed red before being accompanied by an equally flashing skull and crossbones beneath it.
“There’s a skull…” uttered Coloratura, the sight of its macabre grin causing her anxiety to rise and her skin to crawl beneath her fur. “Applejack… why is there a skull? T-Twilight, what did we almost drink?”
Uneasily, Twilight looked back to the chemical and raised her hoof to it.
“Uh, uh… it… it appears to be--”
“Pesticide.” Their ears twitching, Twilight and Coloratura turned to Applejack, seeing her place the cider bottle back onto the table after taking a cautious sniff from it. “I brew my own special blend to stop unwanted critters and such from hurtin’ the trees back home, so I picked up on what goes into that before drinking this. I had a gut feeling there, and I’m glad it was right. The police officers must have forgotten to inspect her luggage before giving it to us.”
“That makes two of us,” said Twilight, tapping the results of the magically-projected analysis. “I’m not much of a doctor, but if you two did drink this, then you both would have become incredibly sick before… well…” Twilight coughed. “Well I’m glad you didn’t.”
“Pesticide…” Coloratura said, more to herself than anypony else. “I… we… we almost drank…”
Her expression turning grim as she fell silent, Coloratura pushed herself out from her seat, only for her legs to suddenly feel like jelly once she put her weight on them. Regardless, she took one precarious step after the other, making it to the nearest wall before lurching against it. After propping her leg up to keep herself steady, she stared down at the thin space between herself and the wall, her chest rising and falling at a rapid and uneven rate.
‘I… I… He…” She breathed with labored breath, her body’s sudden need for more and more air overwriting her urge to retch.
Applejack was panic-stricken, not for herself, but for Coloratura. She had seen her friend breakdown before, but now--with how Coloratura seemed to be taking quick and shallow breaths, obviously taking in almost no air at all--she had cause for alarm.
“Rara, no!” Applejack exclaimed, rushing to Coloratura’s side. “You have to calm down! You’re gonna faint if you keep at it like that!”
“What’s going on?” asked Rainbow Dash. Their attention garnered by the commotion, the pegasus and the others stepped out of the room, each of their faces expressing concern once they spotted Coloratura.
“The cider--the stallion poisoned it!” Twilight explained.
“What?!” Rarity said in shock, her hoof on her chest. “So… that marker wasn’t just an idle threat then. Oh this is serious business, Twilight! Serious business indeed!”
Desperate to have Coloratura relax her breathing, Applejack patted and rubbed her friend’s back, seemingly to no avail. “Rara, please--ease up!” she begged. As the others rushed in to help calm Coloratura down, Applejack looked to Twilight, her eyes pleading. “Twilight, we… we have to do something! Look at her--Rara can’t keep living like this!”
“I--I know,” Twilight replied, her voice tense. “But what can we do? The police are still investigating his identity, and she can’t go home, and neither can she stay here forever.”
“I’ll…” For a brief moment, Applejack’s eyes skimmed the floor in contemplation. Seconds later, her eyes steeled with determination as an idea came to her. “She can stay with me… at the farm. Least until the police finally catch this sick stallion.”
Twilight’s wings bristled, a dark thought crossing her mind that she hoped never came to pass.
“That’s… that’s sweet of you, Applejack,” said Twilight, her lips forming into an uneasy smile. “But, think about this: this stallion has been able to track down Coloratura each and every time. By bringing her home with you, you run the risk of endangering your family.”
“I agree with Twilight,” added Pinkie Pie, rubbing her hoof over Coloratura’s shoulder. “I know Macky could probably handle his own, but what about Granny Smith... or Applebloom?”
The wind taken from her sails by that possibility, Applejack grimaced as she shrunk.
“I… I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted, her ears flattening. Her expression then rehardening, and she stomped a hoof to the floor. “But still, there has to be something we can do. This stallion won’t stop until Rara’s dead, and I ain’t about to let that happen anytime soon.”
“Too bad Coloratura’s not like one of my possums,” said Fluttershy. “Otherwise she could just play dead and the stallion would go away on his own.”
“But she’s not a possum, Fluttershy. She’s a pony,” Rainbow Dash retorted.
With that said, both Rainbow and Fluttershy’s comments, for reasons unknown to her, resonated in Twilight’s head. They lingered in the alicorn’s thoughts, until finally they sparked an idea.
“Maybe…” Twilight mused, rubbing her hoof beneath her chin. “What if Coloratura was dead?”
Applejack glared daggers at Twilight, absolutely appalled that she would even say such a thing.
“Twilight, what are you goin’ on about?” she asked sternly.
Twilight raised her hoof to Applejack. “Now hold on; bear with me a moment. Suppose Coloratura had drank the cider? She’d be dead, right? If so, then the stalker wouldn't have any more reason to, well… stalk her.”
Applejack frowned. “But Twilight: she didn’t drink it. You saw that.”
“Of course I saw that,” answered Twilight, her growing grin confusing Applejack. “But you know who didn’t see?”
Slowly, Applejack’s eyes widened. “Wait. You’re not proposing that we…”
“Yup,” Twilight said, nodding. “Coloratura is going to be spending the rest of this investigation in peace, with absolutely no worry from the stalker. And for that to happen, we’re gonna have her play possum.”
A few days later, Manehattan police released a public statement, a public statement that stunned ponies in countless droves and repeatedly made international headlines the world over.
Coloratura, one of Equestria’s most popular artists, was found dead in her hotel room the day after her last public performance. The cause of her death was unknown, and the investigation was still pending with no leads so far. Almost right away, many of her fans voiced their suspicions of foul play, among other things being the cause, but the majority didn’t care at the moment, as they were busy doing what they naturally do when having lost such an inspirational idol near and dear to their collective hearts.
Grieve en masse.
For this purpose, Manehattan’s Celestial Square Garden, the largest of all Equestrian venues to even have a remote chance of seating the myriad of her fans, was chosen as the place to hold Coloratura’s public funeral.
Once all the preparations were done, not a single seat in the stadium was left empty, each one occupied by a pony mourning in black, with many, many others circling the ring outside. In the center of all this, there, placed atop a platform and surrounded by her closest friends and family, laid Coloratura neatly in her open casket. Her hooves were crossed over her chest, a peaceful smile on her face as flowers sent by her fans encircled her still and lifeless frame. Her mane had been styled one last time, and she was enrobed in an exquisite yet simple sleeping gown. Even in death, she still made the cover a several fashion magazines.
“This… this don’t sit well,” uttered Applejack. She lowered her black stetson to cover her eyes, anything to obstruct the horrid sight before her. The image of Coloratura just lying there, lifeless, was something she never, ever wished to see.
Sensing distress from her friend, Twilight placed a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder, then spoke.
“Applejack, you… you knew what this would be. You didn’t have to come.”
Applejack shook her head in response, her voice carrying a stern yet solemn pitch to it. “No no, I’d... “ She sighed. “She’d have wanted me to show up. I am her friend, after all, and it’d be pretty rude of me if I didn’t make an appearance at her own funeral. Heh, I know I’d be pretty miffed at her if she didn’t show up to mine.”
With that said, Applejack gave Coloratura’s body one last forlorn look, then turned her back to the casket, facing each and every one of her friends who chose to accompany her during this somber event: Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie--they were all there.
Right then and there, in front of her friends and the spectacle of lamenting ponies, Applejack felt as if she had to say something, something profound about the deceased. She considered stepping up to the podium to say a few words, but decided against it. Instead, she licked her dried lips and said,
“Let’s… let’s just say our goodbyes and finally blow this popsicle stand.”
The train ride back to Ponyville wasn’t a lively one, but it manage to return some semblance of comfort and familiarity to Applejack, things she was in desperate need of after leaving the depressing scene back in Manehattan. She sat by herself in the private cabin reserved for her and her friends, her eyes glued to the window as she observed the passing scenery and occasional tree swish by.
Minutes later, she heard the door to her compartment slide open, followed by a pony stepping in, then approaching.
“Is this seat taken?” a pony, a mare, asked.
Eyes still fixed to the window, Applejack smirked. “Well, seein’ as this here is a private quarters, it is, so…” Despite the received response, the mare planted herself in the seat across from Applejack. Amused by the mare’s boldness (or possible lack of ability to pick up on social cues), Applejack coolly tore her gaze away from the window and redirected them to the mare seated across from her.
It was an earth pony mare, about her age if she had to hazard a guess. Her mane was blonde and cut short, and she wore a pink frock with a skirt, as well as a pair of thick, red heart-shaped shades over her eyes. Applejack really had to hand it to Rarity; were it not for the fur and voice, Applejack wouldn’t have immediately recognized the mare in front of her to be Coloratura.
“Hm. You know, for a dead pony, you look rather nice, Rara,” Applejack said, half teasingly. “The glasses are a nice touch, too.”
Her cheeks flushing, Coloratura buried her face in her hooves.
“Oh…” she groaned. “Please, can you not? I left the others in the dining car to get away from that. Plus, it also didn’t help that Rarity kept fidgeting with my mane, and Pinkie… well it honestly feels like she forgets it’s me, so she keeps gasping in shock each time she turns to look at me.” Coloratura paused, bit her lip, then continued with, “Again: was faking my death really necessary?”
“You want to live your life without looking over your shoulder, don’t you?” Applejack answered simply.
Her mouth forming into a slight frown, Coloratura’s ears folded as she slumped forward. “Well… yes, but…”
“‘But’ nothin’, Rara,” said Applejack, sternly shaking her head. “If the stalker didn’t get to you, the stress would have.” Placing her hooves at her side, Applejack sighed. “Listen... your last panic attack, it scared me, it scared all of us. Took us hours to finally get you to calm down, and even longer to get you to eat again. Livin’ like that ain’t livin’--not long term, anyway--so somethin’ had to be done while the police continue to look into this stallion.”
“I... “ Any further words died in Coloratura’s throat. She didn’t know how to refute Applejack's reasoning, or even if she wanted to. Yes, it saddened her deeply that her fans thought she was dead, but at the same time though, she didn’t feel like her life was under somepony’s crosshairs. In the end, however, she merely sighed in defeat before speaking.
“Well… aside from the police, at least Genda and the agency know that I’m still alive and kicking. An artist’s death almost always means a sudden boon in their music sales, so that’s working for them. My miraculous return from the dead will be kind of hard to explain to my fans once the police finally catch the stalker though…”
“Oh, pshaw,” Applejack replied, throwing out her hoof in a dismissive manner. “They’re your fans! I’m pretty sure they’ll be more relieved than angry to learn that you never actually died."
“I sure hope so,” Coloratura said, leaning back more comfortably in her seat. “But do you think it worked? Do you think he bought it?”
“Oh, absolutely!” answered Applejack. “We gave that funeral the whole ten yards. If your stalker was sitting in that very stadium, then he would have seen that dummy Twilight magically made to look like you laying in the coffin and thought his work done. All you gotta do now is lay low while the police do their job.”
“Lay low, got it,” Coloratura repeated. “I’ll just think of this as a sort-of vacation, then; a getaway from the public eye.”
“Think of it like that if you’d like,” said Applejack. “What matters to me though is that you relax.”
Coloratura gave a heartfelt smile to her friend. “Thanks AJ. I’ll… I’ll try. Oh, uh… by the way. You know Ponyville best: is there any hotel in the area you recommend I check into during my stay?”
“Pfft, ‘hotel’?” Applejack laughed. “Rara, you ain’t staying at no hotel.”
Puzzled, Coloratura scratched at her head. “Um… ok. Which inn do you recommend, then?” Again, Applejack laughed. “Bed and breakfast? ...Motel?”
“Nope, nope and nope. You ain’t stayin’ at niether of those places,” Applejack swiftly replied. “I’ve already made arrangements for where you’ll be stayin’, and believe you me, you’ll find no better country hospitality anywhere else in Equestria.”
Coloratura blinked, then leaned forward as her mind made the connection. “Wait, you mean…”
Barely able to contain her smile, Applejack slowly nodded.
“Oh wow, I haven’t been back here since I was a filly, and the place still hasn’t changed a bit!” Coloratura said in awe, walking alongside Applejack as they entered Sweet Apple Acres proper.
Effortlessly pulling along Coloratura’s luggage atop a cart, Applejack spoke.
“Mm, the barn may have been rebuilt one-too-many times for my likin’, but it’s still the same old place.” After pulling up to the side of the house, Applejack unlatched the cart from herself, then turned to Coloratura. “I’ll bring your stuff up to my room in a jiffy. In the meantime, feel free to make yourself at home; get the lay of the land now while you can.”
Her smile betraying her sudden bashfulness, Coloratura crossed one foreleg over the other and said, “Uh, ok. I hope I won’t be imposing, though.”
“Nope, not at all,” came Applejack’s quick reply. “Now go on, get in there already. If Granny saw us comin’ up the dirt road already, then she’ll get impatient waitin’ for you to greet her.”
“Well I don’t want to upset her,” Coloratura uttered.
Suppressing any reservations she had, Coloratura walked up to the house’s porch and knocked. To her surprise, there was no answer. She turned back to Applejack, only to see her gesture for Coloratura to throw caution to the wind and head inside already. Having turned back to the door, Coloratura took a breath, then nudged the door open before stepping in.
It’s been many years, but the inside of the Apple family homestead was… darker than from what Coloratura remembered. It was probably because all the curtains were down, for some reason. Regardless, Coloratura ventured further into the house.
“Hello?” she called. “Granny Smith? Big Macintosh? ...Apple Bloom? Is anypony home?”
She received no answer, leading Coloratura to believe that Applejack’s family were out in the orchard or on some errand. Once she stepped into the living room, however, she was in for a rude surprise.
“SURPRISE!”
Coloratura jumped back in fright, the lights blinding her as they suddenly came on. Once she blinked away the spots and regained her vision, she found confetti to be raining down in the room, and that she was in the company of Twilight and the others, as well as Applejack’s family. As she giggled giddily, Pinkie Pie pulled on a rope, causing a banner to unfurl from the ceiling.
‘Welcome, Rara!’ it said.
“Like it?” asked Applejack, placing a hoof on Coloratura’s shoulder as she approached her from behind. “We know things have been tough for you these past few months, so we decided to throw you this surprise welcome party. You can finally relax, Rara; no stalker here, and no paparazzi. Just friends who care about you and want to help you through this.”
The upturned corners of Coloratura’s mouth quivered, and her eyes moistened. “I… I don’t know what to say… Applejack, everypony...” A tear traced down the side of her face, and quickly she wiped it away, saying, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Wrapping her foreleg around Coloratura’s neck, Applejack pulled her in. “Ah no need to thank us--we’re happy to do this for you. Though, if you really want to show your gratitude, I suppose there is one thing you could do.”
“Really? And what’s that?” asked Coloratura.
Beaming a big and bright smile, Applejack turned to Pinkie Pie.
“Pinkie, how about you wheel in that cake now? Rara here is gonna cut the first slice.”
“I can sleep on the couch downstairs, AJ. I don’t mind.”
As Applejack prepared the mat on the floor beside her bed, she shook her head. “Nope, I ain’t having that. You’re our guest here, and seein’ as we don’t have enough beds, it’s only right that I offer you mine. Besides, to at least to give you some peace of mind, I’m gonna be sleepin’ in here with you.”
Touched, Coloratura’s ears flattened a bit as she gave a heartfelt smile. “Applejack,” she said. “You’ve already gone above and beyond for me. I don’t think I can find the words to express how much this… how much you mean to me.”
“Well you don’t have to say anything, Rara,” said Applejack, smoothing out her bedsheet over the mat. “We go back a long ways, so of course I’d do anything for you. No question, and definitely no two ways about it.”
Once her makeshift bed had been done in proper order, Applejack stood back and admired her own handiwork. The bedsheet has been laid across it perfectly, with nary a crease to be seen. Despite her efforts, however, there was one thing still missing.
“Hey Rara,” said Applejack, running her hoof over the mat for good measure.
“Yes AJ?”
“Pass me one of the pillows, will you?”
“Alright… Here you goh,” Coloratura then said in a muffled voice, the pillow obviously held in her mouth.
Applejack turned around, only to accidently bump her snouts against Coloratura’s. She didn’t realize how close her friend was standing. Both mares went stock still, their eyes widening and expressions growing redder in color as their noses continued to press against one another.
The apple mare’s chest felt lighter, and she could feel her heart pound away as she stared unblinkingly into Coloratura’s flustered gaze. Coloratura’s breath tickled her nose, and she was certain her friend could feel the same from her.
Moments later, Applejack jolted back into awareness, then quickly accepted the pillow with her own teeth before turning back to her mat.
“Eh, thanks,” said Applejack, hiding her blush from her friend as she pretended to smooth her pillow.
Coloratura cleared her throat, then turned her back as well.
“Um… you’re welcome,” she said.
“So…”
“So…”
“Er, well I’m beat! Time to hit the hay, I guess.” Applejack laid herself onto her mat, then pulled her blanket over herself. “When you’re ready as well, just turn off that lamp right there. Until then, uh… goodnight Rara.”
“Uh, yeah, yeah,” Coloratura said with a nod. She hopped onto bed, slid under the covers, then reached for the lamp’s cord. With it in hoof, Coloratura glanced down at Applejack, then said one last thing before shutting off the light.
“Goodnight AJ, and… thanks again.”
Author's Note
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