Battles and Bickerin'

by Guten Tag

Rating: everyone
Tags: Apple Bloom, Rarity, Big Macintosh, Applejack, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5161

Applejack recalls a tale to her little sister about her rather unexpected fillyhood friend...

Having a best friend is a wonderful thing, especially when you're a little filly. But little fillies tend to fight over the silliest things, and headstrong fillies grow up to be proud ponies who refuse to let their pasts go. Take Rarity and Applejack for example...

Originally posted on ff.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7380712/1/Battles_and_Bickerin
Overall I'm not incredibly pleased with this fic. I tried not to project my usual writing style on this since it was my first fanfiction in a long time but I've come to regret it. Regardless, it is the only piece of MLP fic that I have finished so far so why not? Maybe I will re-write and expand the ending one day since it's a bit rushed, but probably not. Got bigger 'n' better ideas for future fics.

Published 2011-12-22 10:07:00 UTC
Last updated 2011-12-22 10:07:00 UTC

Chapter 1

Author's Note: This was written before the episode “Sisthooves Social,” so Rarity's parents will likely seem OOC.

Applejack's applebucking was not up to its usual caliber today, as her fretting thoughts were sapping her strength. She had to kick at least a dozen times before the tree would shower her with the last of its fruit. The earth pony sighed.

Her little sister, Apple Bloom, was desperately searching for her special talent so she could earn her cutie mark. Her quest had been determined yet pitiable and fruitless, leaving the filly defeated. Applejack was proud of her sister for trying and knew this was a lesson that would only make her stronger, yet Apple Bloom's crestfallen mood was stomping on her heartstrings. To make matters worse, her little friend Twist had just earned her cutie mark, making Apple Bloom the only pony in her class without one. Now she was at Diamond Tiara's cute-ceñara, and Applejack just knew that the snobby little filly had invited Apple Bloom to mock her.

Applejack knew very well the pains and pangs of fillyhood, but that did not stop her from worrying for her little sister, and worrying was a bonafied way to kill motivation. She decided to rest under the apple trees and wait for Apple Bloom to return home. She dozed off after a time, the warm spring air coupled with her lack of energy not helping to keep her awake. She did not wake up until she felt a harsh prodding against her side and the sound of somepony calling her name.

"-jack! Hey sis! Applejack!"

Applejack eased her eyes open and looked up with a weary smile. "Hey there, Apple Bloom. How was the party?"

"It was awful!"

With a sigh, Applejack rose to her feet and wrapped her sister up in a pony-hug. She immediately dove into a sisterly life lessons speech, which she had been mentally preparing since Apple Bloom left for the party. "Now, now, throughout our lives, we must all—"

"...at first," Apple Bloom continued, pushing away from Applejack's embrace. "But then Ah made some new friends! And none of 'em have their cutie marks yet!"

"Well that's just darn-tootin' terrific, sugar cube! What're yer friends names?"

"Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle!"

Applejack's eyes widened. "Erm, beg pardon, li'l' sis, but did ya'll say Sweetie Belle?"

"Yeah! Y'know... yer friend Rarity's sister!" Apple Bloom said.

Rarity was the snottiest, fussiest, darn right most spoiled pony Applejack knew and she couldn't imagine that her little sister was much better. Why, Rarity made Diamond Tiara look like a humble forest dweller. Well... perhaps she wasn't that bad, but she was close! Applejack had never quite forgiven her for a little mishap that happened when they were just fillies themselves, something that hurt her iron pride more than she would have ever liked to admit, and although they had been spending more time together now than they had in years thanks to Twilight Sparkle, they did their best to ignore each others existence. When they did interact, they clashed and bickered.

"Rarity ain't mah friend," Applejack said indignantly.

"Then why do ya'll hang out so much? And why did you guys have a sleepover then, if y'ain't friends?" Apple Bloom asked, growing cross. She probably thought that Applejack didn't want her to be friends with Sweetie Belle, which wasn't true. Applejack was tickled pink that her sister had made some friends, but she was wary of any of Rarity's kin. She would hate for what happened to her to happen to Apple Bloom, too.

"Because Twilight..." Because Rarity and I both know that sleepover did nothin' to bridge the rift between us. This silly act is for the sake of our friends. Applejack shook her head. "It doesn't matter, sugar cube. Sorry. Ah'm mighty glad you've found some friends."

Applejack turned to start up on her apple bucking again, but Apple Bloom wasn't done with her interrogation. "Why don't you like Rarity, sis?"

"Well..." It wouldn't hurt to tell her. After all, Apple Bloom may fight with one of her dear friends one day, and it would be good if she knew what becomes of battles and bickering. She waved her sister over with a hoof and settled back down under the shady apple trees. "It all started when we were school-aged ponies like yerself..."

"Don't you think Big Macintosh is handsome, Applejack?"

Rarity had been going on about it all morning; Big Macintosh this and Big Macintosh that. She was taking this phony princess role a bit too seriously for Applejack's taste. In truth, Applejack hadn't even wanted to play princesses with her, and she felt utterly ridiculous in her pointy orange hat with its silly silk ribbon sticking out the top.

Applejack had wanted to play cowponies and buffaloes. There was an excellent patch of mud right outside of the crop fields that would have been perfect to play in but before she could even mention the dirt paradise, Rarity insisted otherwise. "We'll play cowponies tomorrow," she told Applejack. "Today we're playing princesses. I designed us these fabulous new hats and I am just dying to try them out!" To avoid a whiny chorus of "Please, please, please, please, pleeeeeease!" from her unicorn friend, Applejack sighed and agreed to play princesses in the calm shade of the apple trees. Now she was regretting it.

"Just look at him! So strong, so muscular, oh! Picture this, Applejack. You're locked in a room... no! In a dungeon... in... in a witch's castle! And it's guarded by a... by a dragon, yes! And the dragon isn't hoarding any gems so really, there's no reason for you to want to stay. Oh, and you're sooo lonely! And scared! And here comes Big Macintosh, the handsomest, bravest, most depend—"

"Rarity! For th'last time! Big Mac's mah brother. Ah don't think he's handsome 'n' Ah ain't never will. And just who in tarnation would wanna stay in a dragon's dungeon, even if it had gems!"

Rarity's eyes widened in shock and hurt. Applejack couldn't understand why Rarity was still stunned when she raised her voice and held her ground. Unlike the other fillies at school, who were intimidated by Rarity's air of confidence and bossy attitude, Applejack had no problem standing up to the unicorn. She kept her in line and in response, Rarity showed her sweet and playful colors to the earth pony. In some strange way, Applejack felt that was why they were best friends.

And they were, indeed, best friends. Rarity was a brand of fussy that Applejack was not used to, sure, but she was also kindhearted and generous. She always shared her toys with Applejack and the other fillies in class, although that did nothing to quell their apprehension of the unicorn, and she was the first to volunteer to make outfits for the school play—for free! Rarity was fun, too. Boy, was she fun! She and Applejack would often get curious and run off to explore Ponyville, sending Granny Smith and Rarity's parents and even Big Macintosh into fits of panic.

In a way, Applejack had Rarity to thank for her cutie mark. After one particularly grueling adventure when their caretakers found them sneaking around the Everfree Forest so Rarity could find that perfect something for her newest batch of outfits (which she never did find), Rarity's parents forbade her from playing with Applejack ever again. They threw around hurtful words like "uncivilized" and "riff-raff," claiming that she and her family "lived like animals." It was enough to convince Applejack to move to Manehattan, to live with her posh relatives and become the cultured pony that Rarity's parents expected their daughter to befriend. It turned out that that wasn't the life for her. She returned to the farm, earning her cutie mark in the process.

When Applejack had returned, Rarity was the first to welcome her back after her family. The unicorn had earned her cutie mark as well, and with it a new sense of independence. "Oh, I don't care what my parents say about you," Rarity said, embracing her friend with tears in her eyes. "You are my very best friend and nothing will ever change that!"

They knew each other like sisters and had years of stories behind them. Even so, even after all this time, Rarity always looked so painfully dejected when Applejack yelled at her and that was enough to convince her to apologize.

"Why Ah'm sorry, Rarity..."

"I thought so. That was very rude of you, Applejack." Rarity's face lit up almost immediately as something else caught her attention and the incident was forgotten to her. "Let's go to the barn!" she said.

Applejack clenched her jaw to keep herself from shouting again. Couldn't Rarity admit she was wrong, just once? Oh well. It wasn't worth a fight. Applejack reluctantly followed the other filly to the Sweet Apple Acres barn. The door was locked—Granny Smith was inside counting apples for her famous apple pies and needed silence to concentrate—but Rarity seemed more interested in playing around the side of it. Applejack soon found out why.

"Hello Big Macintosh," Rarity greeted the red stallion, batting her eyelashes and giggling. Applejack rolled her eyes as the unicorn continued her attempt at flirting. "Applejack and I are princesses. Would you like to play with us?"

Big Macintosh chuckled. "AJ's a princess? Well Ah'll be. Ah'm sorry girls, but I've gotta take care of Apple Bloom here." He spoke in his usual slow drawl but he kept his voice low so not to wake the slumbering foal behind him. Attached to Big Macintosh's harness was a wooden wagon. The two fillies could just barely see a small body within.

Rarity squealed. "Oh Applejack! Is this your little sister? I've never seen her before!" she exclaimed as though Big Macintosh had said nothing at all. She stood up on her hind legs and peered over the side of the wagon, eyes sparkling, to coo at the pale baby pony who lay nestled in a bed of hay.

"Y'know she is and she's sleepin', so please keep yer voice down," Applejack scolded in a harsh whisper. She joined her friend and smiled down at her little sister. Apple Bloom could be a pain when she cried in the middle of the night and demanded constant attention from their parents and older brother, but even Applejack couldn't deny that the kid was cute.

"Why she is positively precious! I bet Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are going to be the best of friends, just like us."

"You betcha," Applejack said. Rarity's little sister Sweetie Belle had been born around the same time as Apple Bloom. They would be growing up together. The thought made Applejack grin something silly. She often imagined herself teaching Apple Bloom how to be an honest, hardworking pony. Sharing that with her best friend and her best friend's little sister would make it that much better.

The two admired the tiny foal for a bit before Rarity "eep!"'d and started towards the front of the barn. Celestia's dying sun painted the sky in a smooth blend of pink and orange, but the colors were fading fast. "Oh my gosh, look at the sun!" she gasped, (quietly this time). "It's just about to set. I need to get home. Same time tomorrow?"

"Same time, same place!"

The two fillies grinned at each other, their special silent goodbye, and Rarity was off... but not before shouting a sweet farewell to her dearest Big Macintosh, (prompting yet another eye roll from Applejack).

What was she wearing?

The silver princess hat from yesterday for starters, complete with the sparkly silk ribbon that fluttered in the breeze. And... what else? A dress? No, a gown. A flowing white and silver gown with a ruffled collar. To top it all off, she wore spotless glittering dress shoes on her front hooves. This is what Rarity was wearing to play cowponies and buffaloes? Applejack had an inkling that she had something else in mind.

"Rarity," Applejack greeted her flatly. "Ya'll look mighty nice today."

"Don't I just? I worked all night on this gown!" Rarity gave a loud, over-exaggerated yawn then to show just how true that was, and then spun around twice to show off her craftsmanship. "If I had had the time, I would have added some truly authentic looking Canterlot regalia, but I was just so tired. Perhaps next time!" She frowned. "I wanted to make you one too but... I don't have your measurements."

"That's'all right. Ponies don't wear dresses in harvestin' towns. At least not the cowponies." Applejack gave her head a flick to show off her prized cowpony hat. The hat was made with an adult pony in mind and the rim flopped down over her eyes as a result. She scooted it back so she could see. "They wear hats 'n' boots 'n' no fancy dresses like ya'lls."

"Harvesting? Cowponies? What are you talking about?" Rarity looked lost, like she really had no idea what Applejack was saying. Surely she'd just forgotten...

"You said that if we played princesses yesterday, we could play cowponies and buffaloes today," Applejack said, narrowing her eyes to get the point across. "Remember?"

Rarity looked to the sky in thought, then exclaimed "Oh yes!" and nodded her head enthusiastically. "I remember now. But I was thinking... why don't we play cowponies tomorrow and princesses again today? We had so much fun yesterday and we would just spoil it by changing the game now."

Applejack stamped her hoof, hard enough to drum up a cloud of dust. "No!" she shouted. "No, no, no! You said that we would play cowponies today and you gotta keep yer promise."

"Calm down, Applejack! You're acting absolutely preposterous!"

"Preposter-what now?"

"Preposterous!" Applejack's face was a mixture of anger and puzzlement, which made Rarity groan. She hated explaining such simple words to other ponies, especially words they had already learned in class. "You should really pay more attention to your studies. It means you're being silly."

"Ah ain't bein' silly. You said that if we played princesses yesterday that..."

"I know what I said yesterday but today I say we play princesses again, that's all." She stopped to tap her hoof against her chin. And then... "IDEEEEEEA!" Rarity shrieked her proclamation loud and high enough to cause Applejack's jaw to snap shut. Anypony within fifty paces could have heard her.

"Why don't we play cowponies and princesses?" the unicorn suggested. Her eyes were bright and shining—she was clearly very pleased with her brilliance.

Applejack was skeptical. The princesses she had read about in pony tale books were prim, proper and above all, clean. They came from immaculate castles with servants at their beck and call. They had one job, it seemed: getting themselves fillynapped by an evil enchantress or a dragon or a wicked stepmother, only to be rescued by a courageous knight whom they were destined to fall in love with. Boring. Real royalty like Princess Celestia were far more interesting and exciting than the helpless ones of lore. And besides, a pony tale princess couldn't possibly get on in a western town, where townsponies ran about on dusty dirt roads, spent long hours harvesting apples and had no problem getting their hooves a little muddy. But if Rarity insisted...

"All righty. Ah'm a brave western cowpony and yer a princess that's been fillynapped by the Buffalo chief! And if we're gonna play this then we gotta play where I wanna play, got it?" The mud patch was going to dry up soon and the pegasus ponies weren't planning another large storm for a few weeks. There was no way Applejack could pass it up.

"Ohh! Sounds exciting!"

The pair headed over to the crop fields, Rarity chattering about the mechanics behind her dress. Applejack listened as best she could, but the truth of the matter was, she couldn't care less. She appreciated her friend's talent and typically liked the outcome—even if Rarity's designs were a bit too frou-frou for her tastes—but she just could not bring herself to listen intently to the unicorn rant about sewing and stitching.

"And you wouldn't believe what happened next. Are you prepared? My sewing machine was jammed, so I had to stitch the sleeve manually and—"

"TA-DA!" Applejack presented the mud patch to Rarity as if she all of the unicorn's dreams were being realized. "Ain't she a beaut?"

"MUD!" Rarity took a dozen steps back. Her face read nothing but revulsion as she stared wide-eyed at the slimy patch of mud, as though some scaly monster was sliding around in its absent depths.

"Yep, mud! There ain't gonna be another storm for a few more weeks, Big Macintosh told me that's what the pegasus ponies said, so we gotta play in it now." Applejack was so thrilled with the idea of slipping and sploshing around in the mud that she failed to notice her friend's disgust.

"Good."

"What d'ya mean 'good'?"

Rarity winced at the mud and turned away from it. "I mean that I'm glad there won't be another storm for a while. Do youknow what I have to go through to avoid stepping in mud puddles while I'm walking through town? I shouldn't have to feel threatened in my own home!"

"Rarity ya'll are..." Being silly, Applejack wanted to finish but decided against it. She was just being Rarity. "All right. Then... you stay right here 'n' I'll run through the mud to save you."

Rarity seemed all right with the new arrangement, gaining back some of her trademark assurance, eyes calm and steady once again. She was still apprehensive of the mud and backed away from it a bit more for good measure. "Okay. But don't you dare get any mud on me," she warned, but Applejack had already turned to leave.

Applejack trudged through the mud patch, ecstatic to finally feel the squishy wet dirt under her hooves. When she was a good distance away, she shouted, "Okay Rarity!" and prepared herself for battle.

"Eek! Get away from me. I am a princess! Don't touch me! WUAHAHA!" Rarity swatted her hoof at the invisible buffalo chief who longed to fillynap her and steal her away to... wear clashing colors for his amusement, or something equally as awful for her. "Oh, how I wish there was a big, strong knight to come and rescue me!"

"Cowpony!" Applejack corrected from afar.

"Right. Oh, how I wish there was a big, strong cowpony to come and rescue me!"

"Ah'll save ya, miss! YEEHAW!" Applejack reared heroically before she lowered her body, squinting to lock on to the villainous target. She pawed the ground with her hoof, getting ready, focused, one, two, three...

"CHAAAARGE!" Applejack kicked off with her back legs and raced forward. Her imagination took the better of her—she was no longer at Sweet Apple Acres but in a buffalo village just outside of town. The sun was heavy on her shoulders, the dirt beneath her parched, save for a booby trapped puddle of quicksand in the distance. Dust billowed behind her as she ran across the dry soil, phantom lasso clenched between her teeth. She would have to run through the quick sand. There was no other way. Angry buffalo villagers came at her from all sides, but she was too quick for them to catch. And besides, she didn't have time to deal with them. She had to rescue the princess!

As Applejack galloped into the mud, she couldn't help but to break out of character. The earth pony squealed with delight, laughing as splotches of wet dirt hit her legs and face. "Wahoo! Consarnit, this quicksand's draggin' me down!" she managed to cry out between laughs. "But don'worry, miss, I—wh-whooa!"

Applejack was blind. Her hat had fallen over her eyes again and she couldn't see where she was running. She lost her footing which sent her into a brief panic, but luckily Big Mac had taught her how to gain control of her hooves when working in slippery mud or ice. She skidded to an abrupt stop.

"Boy howdy! Ah wanna do that again!" Applejack got to her feet, drenched from snout to hoof in filth. She lifted her hat out of her eyes to look for Rarity...

...who was furious. Her body was tense, teeth clenched together as she found Applejack with her almost comically wide eyes. Applejack had never seen her this angry before. It was downright ridiculous, as the culprit was a mere dollop of mud that had landed right on her otherwise immaculate cheek.

"How could you."

"Rarity, it's just a li'l' mud, it'll come off," Applejack said, waving her hoof dismissively.

"What if it had gotten on my gown, hm? Would it come off then?" Rarity started to approach Applejack, backing her up.

"You could... wash it?"

"I told you I did not want to be near the mud but oh no, you insisted. And now look!" Rarity pointed to her cheek.

"Rarity..."

"Oh, Applejack! I could just scream! Why can't you be a lady for once in your life? Why can't we play a clean, quiet game instead of a messy one? Mother and I just had our manes styled, I had a ponypedi last week that I am trying to keep flawless. And my gown!" Their snouts were touching now, Rarity's eyes boring into Applejack's. "My gown! Why would you want to ruin it?"

"Rarity!" Applejack retreated from her angry friend until her back hooves were touching the mud again. "Now look whose bein' preposter-whatever."

"Don't "Rarity" me. Maybe... maybe my parents were right about you... maybe you are, as they say, riff-raff."

That was it. Applejack swung around, balanced a glob of mud on her hoof, and lobbed it in Rarity's direction. It hit her square in the chest, all over the front of her pretty ruffled gown. The unicorn gaped, stunned that Applejack would even dare do this to her.

"Ah warned you," Applejack said quietly. She was fighting back tears. Maybe my parents were right about you...

"I... can't believe you!" Rarity screamed. "My beautiful gown! You... you ruffian!" They were butting heads again, but Applejack did not back away this time.

"Ruffian? Better'n bein' the fussiest, whiniest, snottiest pony Ah ever knew. Ah'll be shocked if you ever work a gosh dang day in yer life!" Applejack shouted back.

"Well you are the most unsophisticated, inconsiderate pony I have ever had the displeasure of knowing."

"Psh! Ah've lived in Manehattan. Ah have more sophis-ti-cation in one hoof than you have in yer whole body!"

Ha! Applejack knew she hit a nerve there. Rarity had always been extremely jealous that Applejack of all ponies had visited the high-society city of Manehattan before she had, although she did her very best to hide it as ladies were never jealous. The unicorn grumbled unintelligibly to herself before retorting with the best she could come up with after using all of her very best insults... no, criticisms.

"Do not!"

"Do too!" Applejack shouted back.

"Do NOT!"

"Do TOO! 'N' quit yer yellin'. Y'sound like a pig squealin' for its life when you get like that."

Rarity did a double-take, clearly insulted, but she gained her sparkling composure back quickly and gave her hair a haughty flip. "Hmph! You would certainly know something about pigs, wouldn't you? Seeing as you live like one."

"Aw, shut it! I'm sick of you insultin' the way Ah live!"

"Maybe a little brutal honesty is what you need to shape up," Rarity shot back, nose in the air.

Applejack snorted and pushed her forehead against Rarity's, or at least as close as she could get without being pierced by her horn. "It ain't honesty yer spoutin' out yer tap there. Yer just a big ol' bully s'all!"

"And you're a disgrace!"

"Girls! Girls!" Big Macintosh came galloping up, standing in between Applejack and Rarity who were growling in each others faces. "What in Equestria are you two fightin' 'bout? I could hear you all the way across the field."

"She deliberately threw mud on my gown!" Rarity pointed accusingly at the earth pony. "I worked all night on it and she knew that!"

"Now, AJ..." Big Mac started, but Applejack wasn't about to let Rarity win this.

"Well she called me a ruffian 'n'... 'n' riff-raff 'n' insulted our farm life! She went back on our promise—"

"I did not!" Rarity insisted.

"Y'did so! She promised we could play cowponies and buffaloes today and then she tried to change the whole game 'round," Applejack said, turning to Big Macintosh as she spoke. "Don't take her side! This is all her fault."

"Big Macintosh, please understand-"

"Shut yer big mouth, Rarity! Big Mac don't wanna hear it!"

"Big! My mouth is not big." The corners of Rarity's mouth twitched and she touched her hoof to it. "You don't think my mouth is big, do you, Big Macintosh?"

"Aw, don't listen'a her. She's just tryin'a charm ya 'n' make ya feel bad fer her because she's gotta hog-sized crush on you."

Even Applejack knew she had gone too far then and she could almost see Rarity's heart drop down to her stomach. Both she and Rarity knew that the unicorn would never have a chance with Big Mac. She was just a filly with a schoolgirl crush, and he was nearly a stallion grown, much too old. Still, it was not right of Applejack to spill Rarity's secret. She had told her that in confidence.

She was also furious, so Rarity's feelings mattered little to her right now.

Rarity's eyes brimmed with tears, her cheeks reddening. "That was a secret." She looked from Applejack to Big Mac to her muddy gown and let out a frustrated cry. "I never, ever want to speak to you again, Applejack. I am getting much too old for playing pretend games, and I am getting much too old to put up with your immaturity and... inconsideration! If you even know what those words mean."

"Quit insultin' mah intelligence! Ah know perfectly well what they mean and they ain't the least bit true. Good riddance to ya, y'prissy princess. I never wanna speak to you neither!"

Rarity gave Applejack one last wounded look before galloping off. Applejack watched her go until she was a speck in the distance.

"AJ..." Big Macintosh wasn't sure what to do, so he awkwardly put a hoof on his sister's shoulder and said nothing. Applejack nudged it off with her snout.

"Good riddance... like... like Ah said." She didn't want to seem weak in front of Big Macintosh, she did not want him to her cry. She turned around quickly and sprinted to the farmhouse, up the wooden stairs and into her room, collapsing on the bed in a fit of sobs.

After the tears had dried, Applejack reflected on their fight. Rarity had always known that Applejack found her fussy and prissy, and sometimes plain irritating; Applejack had made herself very clear about that, as she always felt it was best to be upfront and honest with your friends. Rarity, on the other hoof, had never once hinted to agreeing with her parents on Applejack and her lifestyle. She had never once suggested that the earth pony was boorish, or that she was leading a life fit for pigs and cattle. Dirty, yes. Rarity never approved of playing in the dirt, but the rest? Was Rarity hiding all of this from her? Lying to her? For what? To spare Applejack's feelings? She was her friend, and friends sometimes hid how they really felt for the sake of others... right? The Big Mac thing might have been the very way out that Rarity had been searching for the whole time. The ordeal made Applejack's head sore and her stomach feel sick. This was what hurt the most, the uncertainty she felt.

And then there was the silence.

Rarity was not one to go back on a such a promise. She could charm her way out of a promised game of pretend but when she actually vowed to do something, there was no stopping her. At school she ignored Applejack. She did not offer her acknowledgment or play a fillyish a game of cold shoulder with her. She simply acted as though Applejack were wind in her mane.

It stung like nothing Applejack had ever felt before. Scorpion stings and snake bites were tickles compared to losing her best friend like this. She knew it was silly. She knew that Rarity knew it was silly. Yet both ponies were too proud to apologize and clear the air. Eventually she came to resent Rarity just as much as Rarity resented her. They were only in school a short while longer before they graduated and started their separate lives. Applejack worked on the farm and Rarity took steps to opening her own boutique, and they were both convinced they would never have to look at each other again for as long as they lived.

Until a certain purple unicorn mare named Twilight Sparkle came to town and the rest is history.

"'N' that's it. That's why Rarity 'n' I don't get along."

Apple Bloom was not enlightened. She cocked her brow at Applejack, turned her head just slightly and said, "That was the dumbest story Ah ever heard."

"Apple Bloom! It's an important life lesson that everypony's gotta learn! What if you 'n' Scootaloo 'n' Sweetie Belle ever get into a tiff?"

"Then Scootaloo 'n' Sweetie Belle 'n' me would say sorry and make up," she said, rolling her eyes. "You 'n' Rarity are still mad at each other over something silly that happened when you were fillies."

"But she called me... and she said... Oh, pony feathers!" Apple Bloom was right. Kind of. Applejack could feel her cheeks redden in frustration and she turned away from her little sister. "Still doesn't change the fact that she's a fussy 'n' picky pony who has to have everything just so, and she... argh!" Applejack snorted. "She's aggravatin'' is all. Persnickety, and ya'll know I don't like persnickety."

"Ya'll are picky, too! The other day when we were applebuckin', you kept makin' me do it over again because I wasn't buckin' the trees the way you like t'buck 'em. Ah was still knockin' apples down!"

"But!"

"But nothin', sis! Scootaloo's right. Sometimes you older ponies ain't got a lick of sense." Apple Bloom shook her head and walked off to the farmhouse, leaving Applejack to stew in her little sister's unexpected wisdom.

"One day Ah'll set things right with Rarity," she said to herself, and bucked the closest apple tree bare. She nudged the apples into a basket and huffed. "Maybe. If she ever learns how to give a dang apology."