"My Hero..."

If someone had told her that the scene before her was pulled directly from her high school daydreams, she would have believed it.

She was standing in the center of a massive ballroom. The room's floor was covered in rich black carpeting with a pattern of blood-red designs dancing around atop the fabric as if it was hand-painted in a perfectly systemic, yet organic fashion. On a slightly elevated stage was a five-piece jazz ensemble that set the mood of the ballroom, providing smooth and atmospheric background noise for the near two hundred men and women mingling among each other. They were all dressed in either expensive suits or expensive dresses, drinking red wine and trying their best to one-up each other on how much growth and expansion their respective companies have been experiencing under the reflective light of a massive ornamental chandelier.

It was the exact type of party that she had always imagined attending way back when she sold her first hand-made dress online. And now, she was not only at the event of her dreams, but better yet, she was the host.

"...and I looked him straight in the eye and told him," Rarity recounted to a small circle of guests. "I oversee all of the suppliers, buyers, quality control, org charts, and I still try to personally create as many designs for the new lines as I can! And you come to me with a question concerning the only department that I don't handle? Talk to the CFO!!" The guests around her all laughed at loud. One or two of them almost looked genuine.

"Miss Rarity!" a new guest greeted her as he entered their little circle. "You're looking lovely this evening."

"Thank you," Rarity bowed slightly. "You do, as well."

"I must say, that's a very... bold necklace you're wearing, if I do say so myself," the newcomer said. Rarity smiled pleasantly, despite the man's subtle, judgmental undertone. In fashion, the word "bold" always meant either "beautiful" or "hideous" depending on the speaker's tone of voice, and she definitely noticed that he was implying the latter.

With practiced grace and poise, Rarity smoothly replied, "Thank you. It's one of a kind and holds so much sentimental value to me that I do my best to make it work with every outfit I ever wear. It's one of the only things I have to remember some of my old friends by, so I do my best to carry it everywhere I go."

Once again, her practiced explanation worked perfectly. The man who called it out nodded pleasantly and excused himself for a drink while the rest of her audience took turns complimenting the unassuming purple rock around her neck. Of course, none of her party guests were aware of the fact that the necklace allowed her to create solid constructs from her thoughts. None of them knew that she could create levitating platforms that she could control, bladed disks that were sharper than diamonds, and indestructible barriers that even Applejack couldn't break. None of them knew about all of that.

Technically, Rarity always carried her magical necklace wherever she went in case of emergencies, but she only wore it if she was among her old friends or at a major event. On any other day, she simply kept it in her pocket. But she did love to wear it with as many different outfits as she could during those major events, including her current outfit: a dark, monochromatic navy-blue dress. Her outfit obviously didn't go with the lavender color of her necklace in the traditional sense, but the "sentimental value" card worked every single time somebody brought it up. Because, the implication that the necklace holds so much personal value she's comfortable wearing it with clashing outfits without hesitation always makes people think that the necklace must have a level of importance that they simply can't comprehend, and Rarity would always wear it with pride no matter what. And the level of unwavering confidence that she always carries herself with usually results in people calling the necklace "bold" in the good way by the end of the evening, provided that they heard her explanation on how important it is. Rarity experimented with the piece of jewelry many times and discovered that it really works best with outfits that it doesn't work with.

"I believe I need another drink," Rarity excused herself, as well. "Please enjoy the party." The guests all responded with various affirmations. Rarity began to weave her way in between the suits and ties and made her way over to the mini bar. I can't believe I almost didn't have the bar installed, Rarity thought back to when she first had the house built. But she was immensely thankful that she changed her mind and decided to go all-out with the ballroom. Miraculously, nobody attempted to corner her into any pointless conversations as she walked, but she did notice a few men sneaking quick glances at her chest as she passed them, and she knew that they weren't staring at her necklace. She didn't even need to turn around to know without a doubt that those same men were staring at her rear as she continued to walk. In their defense, her walk cycle always created a natural sway in her hips with every step she took, but that was hardly an excuse.

Regardless, she didn't even give a second thought to the handful of men who were quietly drooling over her figure. Frankly, she was more than used to it by now.

Eventually, Rarity made it to the bar, where she sat down and patiently waited for the server to finish taking care of the two people before her.

"'The Goddess?'" she heard a man a few feet away from her talking to another man.

"Yes, that's what she's called," the other man replied. "Nobody knows her real name." They were speaking in hushed voices; the kind of hushed voices that were reserved for topics that were outright scandalous in nature. Rarity couldn't help but listen more closely.

"And you said that she's hot?"

"Super hot."

"Is she as hot as Rarity?"

There was a long pause.

"Almost," he eventually answered.

"Really?" the other man asked, stunned. "Well now I guess I'm going to have to see her for myself. What kind of woman is she?"

"For three thousand dollars, she is any kind of woman you want, for one night."

And just like that, Rarity nearly lost all interest in the conversation. "Men..." she muttered under her breath.

"Three thousand dollars?" the second man asked.

"That's just for the first night," the first man explained. "It's five thousand per night after that. I hear that she doesn't charge as much for the local boys, but if you got a seven-figure salary, that's what you have to pay."

"Doesn't sound like she's worth it. I mean sure, she's almost as hot as Rarity. And yeah, that is really fucking hot, but why does she think she's worth five thousand dollars?"

"Because she is. Trust me."

"Why? What's so special about her?"

There was another long pause. Even though Rarity heard nothing but silence in between the two men, she could practically sense the first man's apprehension for answering that question.

"You know that necklace that Rarity wears all the time?" the first man asked quietly.

"Yes," the second man replied.

"Well, the Goddess has one just like it, only it's red and it gives her superhuman strength."

"Miss Rarity, what can I get for you this evening?" the server asked, suddenly standing in front of where Rarity was sitting. The host in question didn't respond right away, because she was too busy trying not to fall out of her chair from what she had just heard.

"Look her up," the first man continued after the second man didn't respond for a few seconds. "Read what other people are saying about her. She has magic powers, I swear to god!"

"Um..." Rarity was momentarily flustered from the metaphorical bombshell that just detonated a few feet from her. "I'll have what she had," she pointed in the direction of the drink he just poured. I'll come right back for it," she quickly added as she got up off of her seat and moved in closer to the two gentlemen that were undoubtedly talking about Applejack.

Rarity needed more information, but she knew she would have to be tactful. She knew her guests, and she knew that nearly half of the people in this room would hang something like this over one's head forever if they overheard this conversation. But even though Rarity wasn't a kind of person that would do that, she certainly knew how to act like one.

"I couldn't help but overhear you two," Rarity whispered mischievously as she slithered into the conversation. Both men were well-practiced in keeping their professional composure, but Rarity's trained eye caught the slightest hint of nervousness on their expressions as soon as she spoke.

"Well," the first man casually replied. "It is crowded in here, so that's bound to happen, right?"

"I just have one question about this... 'Goddess,'" Rarity continued, just to let them know exactly how much she heard. Her words had the desired effect. Both men were silent as the host of the party forced her way into a conversation that they were hoping nobody else was listening to.

Once Rarity was absolutely sure that both men were looking directly into her eyes, she made a show of looking left, then right. Once Rarity was sure that nobody else was listening in, and more importantly, the two men noticed her caution, she turned her gaze back to them and asked, "Does the Goddess take women, too?"

Both men completely froze for a brief moment. It took a couple seconds for Rarity's question to sink in, but when it did, both men slowly sighed in relief, all of their tensions and apprehensions deflating instantaneously. Rarity flashed them both a particular smile that said "I won't tell if you won't," and waited patiently for the men's heart rates to revert to normal, now that they knew that they were no longer in danger of getting caught in a sex scandal.

"Yes," the first man eventually answered her with a knowing grin. "Yes, the Goddess does take women."

Rarity nodded her head once in understanding, then turned around and walked back to the bar without another word. The two men stood in silence for a brief moment as their frazzled minds started to slowly realize the implications of what Rarity had just asked.

"Rarity... and the Goddess..." the first man muttered in a daze. "...Together... in bed..." He started to picture the encounter in his head. "Oh god, I think I need to find the restroom..."

Applejack flopped down on her bed, not sure what to do with the rest of her day.

She didn't have clients to meet that day, so it was just another ordinary day on the farm for her, except for the fact that she was working much later than usual. She still couldn't believe that she slept in until 8:00 AM. Although, she knew that her recent onslaught of jet lag was entirely to blame.

As it turned out, Bottom Line had a handful of millionaire friends that were all willing to pay big money for Applejack to visit them. Line's original proposal of $3,000 for the first night quickly became the new standard for any client that was wealthy enough to get her on a plane. She also decided to make any future night cost $5,000 for these types of people. Her prices for the guys around town remain unchanged, however. She didn't want to end up being a woman that only the rich could afford, so the local boys and girls still got one free night, followed by the usual $2,000 price tag from then on. But, if the client was more than two hours of driving time away, then they would need to buy her a round-trip plane ticket and pay a bit more than everyone else.

Overall, she was happy that she was getting more money out of the arrangement, because jumping across time zones twice a week was starting to take its toll.

BZZZZT!! BZZZZT!! BZZZZT!!

Applejack's phone briefly pulled her out of her thoughts. She pulled her phone out her pocket, looked at the name of the caller, and was pleasantly surprised. It felt like she hadn't talked to any of her friends in ages, and she felt her day already get a little bit brighter as she answered the phone.

"Howdy, Rarity!" Applejack greeted enthusiastically.

"Hello, Goddess," Rarity replied.

Applejack felt like she had just been punched in the gut. She nearly dropped her phone in shock as she sat there in silence for a moment, completely unprepared to be having this conversation with one of her oldest friends.

"Um, beg your pardon, Rarity? Could you repeat that?" Applejack asked, just to make sure that she heard Rarity correctly.

"I said 'Hello Goddess,'" Rarity replied. "I've heard about your... services."

"Ugh," Applejack groaned, rubbing her temple. "How? How did you find out about this?"

"Did you really think that you could dip your feet into high society and think that I wouldn't find out?" Rarity replied in that unbearably superior-sounding tone. "So, you'll do anything that a man wants for two thousand dollars a night? Or five thousand, if they're from out of town? You must be doing a lot of really creative things with your super strength if people are paying that much money to have sex with you! Were any of them cute?"

"Okay," Applejack said. "If you only called to laugh at my life choices, I'm just gonna hang up right now."

"No, wait!" Rarity yelled. "Don't hang up!" Applejack didn't hang up. It sounded like she actually had something important that she needed to say.

"Okay fine," Applejack replied. "I'm always happy to talk to ya, Rarity. As long as we're talking about literally anything other than that.

"Actually..." Rarity admitted sheepishly. "That was what I really wanted to talk about."

"I'm hanging up now," Applejack said flatly. "Tell my family about this and I'll kill you. Goodbye, Rarity."

"Wait, I want to hire you!"

...

...

...

"WHAT??"