The Countess's Commonmare
It was a normal fall night when AJ walked through the streets of Manehattan for the first time in years. She then looks up and sees a sign of her old friend. "Countess Coloratura in concert," she giggles. "I only know one pony with that name and cutie mark. My Rara." She heads towards the concert venue, an old opera house that had been turned into a theater recently. As she opens the door with her hoof, she hears her friend practicing, so she walks inside. Coloratura then turns around.
"Hey AJ, haven't seen you since my concert in Ponyville, good to see you again," responds Rara with a smile.
"Good to see you, too, Rara," responds AJ with a smile. "Nice to see you stepping a bit back from that pop stuff Svengallop used to make you sing."
"Yeah, feels nice to go back to my country roots a little bit," responds Rara with a smile. "I just keep the Countess name for appearances."
"Makes sense," responds AJ with a shrug.
"Hey, you wanna come backstage for a bit? The concert itself doesn't start till about 9:00."
"Okay, sure," responds AJ. The two then head backstage and begin to talk and catch up. Once backstage, AJ asks some questions to her friend out of curiosity. "What have you been up to lately?"
"I just had a new album come out called 'The New Me'. It is an album of country songs and ballads."
"Cool," responds AJ. She doesn't notice as her hoof slowly slips around Rara's. The two then get even closer and start kissing and having a bit of a fling. Embarrassed, they soon pull away and blush.
"So...that happened," responds Rara in shock.
"Yeah..." blushes Applejack. "So, any other albums you've had come out with recently?" The two go back to their seats now opposite each other. "One called 'Country Mare'. I hope to do a collaboration with you someday, AJ."
"Anytime I'm back, we'll do that," responds AJ with a smile. "I promise."
"I'm glad," responds Rara with a smile. The two then shuffle out of the changing room and Rara goes out onto the stage to start the concert and AJ goes into a special seat Rara reserved for her towards the front of the crowd. Halfway through, Rara calls AJ up onto the stage to sing with her which is a total surprise. AJ happily comes up, still blushing. The two begin to sing. They start with "Equestria, the Land I Love."
"Equestria, the Land I love, a land of harmony, our flag does wave from high above for pony kind to see. Equestria, a land of friends, where pony kind do roam. They say true friendship never ends, Equestria, my home."
"Which one do you want to sing next?" Aj whispers to Rara.
"I have an idea," responds Rara. She begins to sing. "I know you know this one. We wrote it together as kids before I went off to music camp where I was discovered." "I am the one with the voice. You the one with the stubborn head and heart for family."
"I am strong willed, sure. But you always knew how to get through to me. Even after Maw and Paw died, you came back home and helped me through."
"I would never abandon you. That's not what friends do..."
"Friends have friends' back's they sing together. "That's what friends do. That's what friends do."
You have the banjo and guitar. I bring the voice, the music sheets, create the song."
"And I strum along. Hum along. Keep the beat for your singing."
"Oh the joy and music we are...we are bringing. Sharing our gifts with the world. One a countess. One a simple farm mare. The closest bestest friends, a truly dynamic pair."
"I'm a Countess."
"And I'm a common farmer mare. Your commonmare."
"Yes, I'm your Countess."
"And I'm your commonmare."
With that final lyric, the song comes to an end and AJ returns back to her spot in the crowd after taking a bow.
Several hours later, the two return back stage and go their separate ways. AJ takes a cab to the train station and heads onto the Ponyville train. She then repeats the lyrics to herself as she sits on the window seat. "She's my Countess and I'm her commonmare."
A day later, the train pulls into the Ponyville station and AJ hopes off and is happily greeted by her sister and brother. "How was Manehattan?" asks Apple Bloom curiously. "Did you see Rara in concert?"
"It was great, and yes. We even sang together on stage. It was nice," AJ responds as she picks her sister up onto her shoulders and they head back to Sweet Apple Acres. Once back, she tells them all about her trip minus the fling part.
Meanwhile in Manehattan, Rara gets out of costume and turns in for the night. All the while, she can't help but think to herself. "Why? How? How did that happen? Why did I let it happen?" She then falls fast asleep. All night, she dreams about what happened that concert. It haunts her. She risked her career by doing that. What if Spotlight, her fiancé found out? He would not be pleased. For now, though, she'll do her best to catch some zzz's.
Meanwhile out under her parents' tree with alone with her guitar, AJ thinks about that night as well. "How? Why I could I let that happen? I was so foolish. She has a fiancé for Granny-sake." She then begins to strum a song out on her guitar. "You and dad came from different families but those differences didn't keep you apart. Your love was strong that it kept you together though your family bonds grew apart. Dad, you were an Apple. Maw was a Pear. Yet, you got along just fine. Yet, what I want, I cannot have. The love of my life can't be mine. The love of my life has another, a stallion, so she will never be mine. I'll just have to let that go. I cannot hurt our friendship, not after this long. Getting out my frustrations now in these verses of song. Maw and Paw, thanks for listening. My unending love song will go on. Yes, my unending love song will go on."
Aj then puts up her guitar and returns to the barn to tuck in Apple Bloom for the night before going out and doing some late night bucking with Big Mack. "Hey Big Mack?" asks AJ. "You know what it's like having a broken heart, right?"
"Eyup?"
"Do you ever feel like acting on it?" responds AJ.
"Enope."
"Too shy?" responds AJ.
"Eyup."
"Then there's no hope for me since she's engaged to another?"
"Eyup." He nods to her. He then signals for her to turn in for the night to which she happily obliges. She's ready to put this all behind her at this point. Ready to put this whole fling with her best friend behind her...for forever.
