Candy Applesauce

"It's been so long, Applejack!" Rarity sat with her friend next to an old brick building, two steaming Styrofoam cups of coffee before them. "How long...Two years. I haven't seen you in two years. Not since..." Applejack only gave her a tired, hopeless look. "What happened, Applejack?"

Applejack stared down into her coffee. "Heh. 'Applejack'. 'Ah haven't been called that in a' long while." She took a gulp of her drink and Rarity patiently waited. Putting down the cup she said, "Flim and Flam came to Ponyville to try and sell us a machine to make cider faster. But we Apple's are a stubborn folk and we have traditions.

"We didn't take it. You know all this, Rarity - we had a competition, and the Apple family lost. Everypony was buying Flim Flam Cider because it tasted better and they plenty to go around. The money we make off our cider in the fall is how we get through winter, and we knew we wouldn't be able to keep the farm."

"Then," Rarity said. "Sweet Apple Acres became Flim Flam Fields, and the Apple family disappeared. Why did you leave Ponyville? Somepony could have given you work. You could have gotten a job at Sugarcube Corner making cakes with Pinkie, I would have been more than happy to employ Applebloom as an assistant or-"

"Rarity. It wasn't that simple. It never was."

"What do you mean?"

Applejack sighed. "The Apple family was never too keen on makin' extra money. We're jus' naturals at growin' and we loved doin' it. We were fair in our pricin' and we only ever made enough to support ourselves. Flim and Flam; all they care about is makin' bits. They didn't care about our livelihood. When they drove us out of business, we didn't just lose our farm. We lost everythin'

"We had nothin'. No money. No home. No work. We tried, Rarity. We honestly tried to find work, but takin' my farm wasn't enough for those brothers. Every time we thought we found some work they'd snatch it away from us, one way or another. It didn't take too long to figure out that Flim and Flam didn't want us in Ponyville. We got worried that if we asked yall fer help Flim and Flam would have come after you, too.

"So we left. We took odd jobs wherever we could find 'em."

"Why didn't you ask for help? Surely your family could have assisted you."

Applejack shook her head. "By the time we saved up enough money to get to one of their farms...."

"What is it, Applejack? What happened?"

"We went to Appleoosa first. When we got there, we didn't find an Apple family establishment. Flim and Flam had somehow gotten a hold of the orchards there. They had stopped sharin' with the Buffalo tribe and things got nasty. We got out of there as soon as we could, but I reckon' Appleoosa is shapin' up to look more like this place now, and the Buffalo are probably in a real bad place."

"My goodness! That's awful!"

"It gets worse. In Unicorn Range my great uncle started a vineyard, but by the time we got there it had burned down."

"Burned?!" Rarity exclaimed.

"That's right. Natural fires just don't happen in that area, and it wasn't long before I saw "Flim Flam Industries" painted on the sides of barns and billboards."

"Those...those savages!"

"Flim and Flam were expandin'. They weren't no traveling sales-ponies anymore. But none of that matters now. Luck just hasn't been with me these past two years. I don't really know how I fell into this position but I did. I'm just thankful that Granny passed on before she saw me like this."

"Oh...Granny Smith...And...what about Applebloom and Big Macintosh? Sweetie Belle misses them terribly."

"They've rented a place west of Filly Delphia. Mac got some work there and Applebloom helps. I send them money from here."

"Do they know you're doing...this?"

"I think Mac knows. He's always been able to see right through me. I never thought I'd end up...." She trailed off. Rarity put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "I just want to get Applebloom into school again. That much at least."

"Perhaps I could-"

"Don't you offer me your money, Rarity. Ah don' wanna burden anypony with this."

"I wish I had money to give you, Applejack. Enough to pay for Applebloom's education. But things have...things have changed since you left."

Applejack looked Rarity dead in the eyes, worry rising in her chest. "What? What's happened?"

Rarity shook her head. "Flim and Flam. Before their lust for wealth caused them to overtake all of Equestria, it overtook Ponyville first. Sugarcube corner was first to go. They started with cider but then starting selling other apple products. Desserts, mainly. They bought up some stores and sold more desserts for cheaper. I think they massed produced using similar machines as that Super Squeezy contraption.

"The Cakes had to sell Sugarcube corner and Pinkie was out of a job and a home. She left to work on her parents' rock farm. Rainbow Dash is always too busy cleaning the smog out of the air from the Flim Flam Factories to even leave Cloudsdale anymore. Fluttershy doesn't leave her cottage much anymore because all the industrialization as attracted some odd characters to Ponyville and the streets aren't as safe as they were.

And Twilight...Frankly I don't know what's going on with her. I never see her anymore, or Spike. I'm hoping they were called back to Canterlot on business."

"And you?"

"Oh well...I'm not an expert on economics but ever since Flim Flam Industries starting selling cheap designer clothing my business has....faltered. I've had to...cut back quite a bit on some things. I came to Manehatten in hopes of selling a design or two to one of the stores here."

"All this time I thought yall were doin' jus' fine..."

"I had hoped," Rarity rested her hoof on Applejack's arm. "I thought you had found someplace new and was living it up. Maybe running a new farm." She laughed halfheartedly.

"What have those stupid Flim Flam brothers done to us all!?"

"I don't know. What boggles my mind is how they were able to win that silly contest in the first place. How could the ponies of Ponyville prefer their cider to yours?"

"It was just better, Rarity."

"No! No, how could it have been? I know from experience that hoofmade things made with care, whether they be dresses or apple cider, are always better than that made by machine."

"Rarity. It doesn't matter." Applejack glanced at the watch buckled above her hoof. "I have to get going. If I go back home empty hoofed, you don't wanna know what will happen."

Applejack replaced her wig over her messily cropped mane and stood.

"Wait. Let me pay your quota so you can go home."

"Rarity, I..." Applejack couldn't help but love the idea of an easy, client-free night.

"Please," Rarity pleaded. "I can't stand seeing you like this. At least let me give you this. How much?"

"Well... 180 bits oughta please Vladimir."

"Is that your....uh..."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "My pimp?" Rarity made an uncomfortable affirmative noise. "Yeah you could say that I suppose."

Rarity dug into her pack and drew out a sum of money. "I'll give you 200 bits."

"Rarity that's-"

"Ah, Ah, Ah," Rarity said as the money was magically tucked into a bag that was partially hidden beneath Applejack's coat.

Applejack smiled genuinely for what felt like the first time in years. "Thanks, Rarity."

Rarity pulled out one of her business cards and jotted something down on the back. "This is where I'll be staying for the rest of the week. Please," she tucked the card into Applejack's pocket. "Come by and see me sometimes."

"I will," She gave her friend a warm hug. "Thank you. I'm happy I got to see you again."

"And I you. Don't try and avoid me next time though."

Rarity made her way down the street. She turned and called, "Maybe you should look into tail wigs too! It looks weird when you wear a black wig and your tail is still blonde!"

"My clients don't seem to care, Rarity!"

Applejack watched her friend's retreating shape until she was out of sight. Then she turned and and headed in the direction of her home only to be stopped by a greasy and drunk looking colt.

"Heyyyy wut's ur price darling~"

Making no effort to suppress her accent she simply said "I'm a transvestite with herpes!"

The colt gave her a weird look and quickly sauntered away. Smiling, Applejack trotted home.