Fragments of an Island

A girl with tanned skin and striking blonde hair, sporting a flannel and bootcut jeans, with her signature cowboy hat, laid flat on her chest on her bed, with the windows splayed wide open and the sun shining through. She sighed, bored, as she scrolled aimlessly through her phone.

It was a long day of working for the farm pony, and she was happy to relax at this time of day. She enjoyed just scrolling through social media, hoping maybe to get a text from her girlfriend, who she hadn't heard from over the past few days. Stupid Rarity.

Applejack got up from her spot on the bed, looked into the mirror that was directly across from her mattress, and adjusted her loose ponytail that was held together with a red ribbon. She adjusted her hat slightly before collapsing back onto the mattress, splaying out like a starfish under a heat lamp, dry and crusty.

Suddenly, a familiar vibration coursed through the covers, all the way to her fingertips, and a ping rang into the air. Applejack quickly rolled over and checked who the notification was for. Seeing the email app, she clicked on it and checked her messages. She quickly opened the newest one.

Subject: EMERGENCY
From: RarityBouffant@hotmail.com
Dear Jackie,
COME OVER TO MY HOUSE ASAP. EMERGENCY!

Bring a pie.
Love,
Rare

Applejack quickly typed up a reply, her fingers hitting the keys at a rapid speed.

Subject: Rarity
From: ApplejacquelineSmith@hotmail.com

On my way. I've got blueberry pie.

She then closed her laptop, grimacing as it slammed against itself due to her brute strength. She went into the mirror and adjusted her blonde fringe, then walk-ran out the door and down the stairs. She reached the end of the stairs and saw Granny Smith, sitting on her chair watching old-timey TV, even though more modern TV was available to her for access. Applejack dropped a quick kiss on her forehead.

"See ya later, Granny. Heading to Raritys'." Applejack said, running her fingers through Granny Smith's hair briefly as a sign of affection.

Granny Smith smiled up at her from her seated position. "Always hangin' out with that Rarity nowadays," she mumbled under her breath, but Applejack just smiled and walked off.

On her way out the door, she ran into the kitchen and grabbed the blueberry pie that she had made the night before. She liked to always have a freshly made pie around, whether it be apple, blueberry, or any other fruit she had in the house. Big Mac sat at the table eating some cereal, and she saluted to him ironically, and he nodded his head silently.

"Going to Raritys', make sure Granny is okay." Applejack said, grabbing her keys from the wall, while Big Mac scooped his cereal into his mouth.

"Eheyuhp," he said with his cheeks full of cheerios. Applejack laughed at him, then slipped out the front door, pie in hand.

Applejack stepped out the door into the acres of Sweet Apple Acres, smelling the fresh air of apple trees and green grass. She stepped onto the path to the gate where the land of Sweet Apple Acres ceased to exist, striding forward with her delicious dessert in her grasp. On her way out, she walked past a particularly low-hanging apple tree, one that she could grab an apple from with her hand, without using a ladder. She quickly grabbed an apple off the tree, patting the bark with a smile and thanking the tree for the fruit, silently.

Applejack had learned to always be kind to nature, in her years of tending to apple trees and other various plants and animals. Granny Smith always said, the apples from the tree come with a great responsibility. She took those words and turned them into a moral code. If you grow the tree, the tree grows to appreciate you, and produces apples for your pleasure. A simple thank you goes a long way, even if it made her sound a bit crazy.

Applejack found herself outside the bounds of the acres, opening and closing the gate that separated her farm from the outside world. Luckily, she lived right next to the Canterlot bus stop that took her to Rarity's neighborhood, from where she could walk a short distance to Rarity's house.

She walked for a short while down the path, until she came across the bus stop labeled the 23A. She quickly approached the sign, and checked for the next arrival and departure; 11:25.

She checked her watch briefly, seeing that it was 11:23, and quickly sat down on the rough pavement, cross legged. She patiently waited for the bus to arrive as she fiddled with the saran wrap around the pie she held on her lap.

Within a few moments, the bus came driving up, and Applejack quickly stood up, making sure the pie didn't get crushed in her efforts. The bus door opened with a puff of air, and Applejack boarded the vehicle, thanking the bus driver as she walked down the aisle, finding a seat near the back.

She sighed as she sat down, examining her surroundings. The bus was mostly empty, besides for one peculiar man in a trench coat and top hat. She gave him a weird look, then focused on the pie in her lap. It smelled delicious, and she had to refrain from eating it right then and there. She had become skilled in the art of not devouring all the sweets she made, although fate does often tempt her in the opposite direction.

The bus stopped multiple times in Applejack's journey across Canterlot. She lived on the far side of Canterlot, while Rarity lived in the middle. The ride was not too long, but definitely not the most comfortable. The roads out of Sweet Apple Acres were gravel and uneven, but as soon as they were out of the countryside, they reached a rather smooth pavement that screamed lots of tax money.

Applejack did notice the contrast from her side of town and Rarity's opposing side, how the houses were nicer and the people dressed fancy. She preferred to pay it no mind. She wondered if the thought ever crossed Rarity's mind.

"Diamond district," the bus driver shouted from the front, and Applejack promptly got up from her seat, pie in hand, and stumbled to the front as the bus came to a halt, jolting forward as he came to a rough stop. The cloaked man in a top hat gave her a strange look through the brim of his hat, and she chuckled, her cheeks turning red.

She gained her composure and walked over to the end of the bus, waving to the bus driver as she unboarded. She stepped over the steep makeshift steps of the bus, almost stumbling as she made her way to the ground.

Applejack embarked on the journey down the street, striding down the pavement, past the fancy looking houses on the street. When she had reached the end of the block, she turned and crossed the street over to Hardy street. The houses on this particular street were exponentially big and exceedingly tall, with big white fences and colors that were intrusive to the eye. It was comparable to the fictionalized Capitol.

Finally, Applejack found the house she was looking for: a white house with a bright purple roof, and blue fence. Something about the air on this street made people impulsive to paint their house strange colors, Applejack usually concluded to herself as it crossed her mind for a brief time.

She approached the light blue fence, ringing the bright gold button with a black exterior, expecting the button to set off a chime inside the house and alert the beautiful pony waiting for her inside.

As she had anticipated, the door quickly swung open, and a girl wearing a spaghetti strap crop top, bright yellow in color, contrasting against her dark skin, and a pair of light blue jeans, ripped in various pre-planned places. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, with only a few baby hairs sticking out to frame her face.

"Applejack!" Rarity cried, and as she approached closer, walk-running in her heels, Applejack saw that she looked ever so slightly disheveled. Her mascara was smudged and her eyes were red.

"Hey." Applejack said, cooly, opening her arms and hugging Rarity close.

Rarity undid her grasp around Applejack, and quickly noticed the pie in her arms. "Oh, you brought the pie!" she said, grinning and looking up at Applejack from her short height.

Applejack was built like a box, a tall box, and Rarity was built like a short bottle of Coca-Cola. Her curves were exceptional, and her waist seemed impossibly tiny, but not so tiny you worry for her overall health. Her tight clothes fit her figure well.

Applejack and Rarity walked side by side, into the house that Rarity lived in alone. Her parents paid for it, but they lived in Manehatten primarily. They let her go to school where she grew up, and they moved when she was old enough to take care of herself; which, according to them, was age 14. Her little sister, Sweetie Belle, also lived with her, but she mostly spent the night at her friends houses'.

Inside the house, it was minimalistic and beautiful in design; it seemed like Rarity really kept up with her decor, and if you assumed that, you would be right. Applejack sometimes wondered why Rarity worried about her outward appearance so much, but they agreed to disagree on most things.

"Applejack," Rarity said, exasperated, and she slammed closed her front door. Applejack cringed at the loud noise. "I am in shambles. You have no idea, darling."

Applejack sat down on the white couch, which matched the white wood flooring, and the white coffee table. There were accents of other colors, but in a minimal sense. She popped off her hat and set it beside her. "What's the deal, Rare?" she asked as she looked at Rarity, who's straightened hair was beginning to frizz up from the humidity of the hot summer weather.

"First, we must make tea." Rarity said as she rushed over to the kitchen. Applejack followed her, leaving her hat on the couch. They made their way to the kitchen. Rarity's kitchen was large, filled with the latest equipment to make it modern; everything seemed to be styled to her personal taste. Applejack appreciated Rarity's sense of decor, but sometimes felt less at home at Rarity's house than in her own when she stayed there. It felt like something so perfect, that you should not touch it under any circumstances. She felt herself being careful in the house, as to not break something haphazardly.

Rarity poured purified drinking water in the tea kettle, something Applejack didn't see the reasoning behind, tap water worked just fine for her. She then put it on the touch screen stove, and set the temperature to high, to get it boiling. Rarity then walked over to her tea pantry, which held many different kinds of tea. Rarity owned so much tea, Applejack had never seen so much tea in one place. Rarity was originally from Manechester, where tea is a speciality, and her family immigrated to Canterlot, Diamond district, when she was young.

"Which tea would you like, darling?" Rarity asked as she pursued the pantry, which was neatly organized by color.

"Um, black?" Applejack responded, confused in the terms of tea-making. Although, the tea Rarity made always tasted delicious.

"Don't be funny, darling." Rarity responded, shooting a glare back at Applejack. Applejack looked at her confused as to what she meant. "We will have Chai."

Applejack nodded her head in agreement, still a bit confused. Rarity quickly whipped up the tea, and soon she was setting it out on the dining table, which was to the left of the kitchen. She put coasters down underneath the mugs, and placed two fancy porcelain mugs, filled with a honey brown opaque liquid, due to the cream she put inside to make it sweet.

Applejack tasted the tea, quickly realizing her mistake as she burned her tongue. She stuck her tongue out and blew on it, as best as she could.

"Oh, Applejack, dear. Such terrible dining etiquette you possess." Rarity blew air into her nose, and politely put her napkin onto her lap. She smirked at Applejack, and Applejack laughed a bit in return.

Rarity quickly got up and handed a letter to Applejack, which had been opened. It was addressed to Rarity M. Bouffant, from... Betty Bouffant and Hondo Flanks? Applejack looked at Rarity, and Rarity sighed as she urged her to open the letter using a hand gesture.

Applejack discarded the paper holding the letter, and inside was two pieces of paper, one with handwriting, and one that was printed out. She opened it, and began to read:

Our dear daughter,

We realize that you are struggling living by yourself in Canterlot, so we enrolled you and Sweetie Belle into a school near us. The flight leaves next Saturday. Start packing.

Ciao!

Mommy, Daddy

Applejack reread the letter once more, and still was confused. The letter was so short and to the point, it couldn't possibly be serious. Rarity sighed, and said, "Go to the next page."

Applejack turned over the paper and began to read the letter, which was structured professionally.

DEAR RARITY MARIE BOUFFANT,

YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED TO Manehatten School of Good Behavior.

Please prepare appropriately.

Start date: Monday, July 30th

Applejack was dumbfounded. "What's all this mean?"

Rarity sighed dramatically, but it was also called for, given the situation. "My parents are sending me away to a school halfway across Equestria."

Applejack raised her eyebrow, "Why?" she asked, still confused.

Rarity thought for a moment. "I suppose so they can stop paying for this extra house, or possibly they just want to destroy my life and happiness every chance they get."

Applejack sighed, and looked into Rarity's blue eyes. "Well, we need to find a way to get out of this."

Rarity looked at her girlfriend with wide, curious eyes. "How exactly do you plan to do that, darling?"

Applejack thought for a moment, sipping her tea as she ran through ideas in her mind. She could always kill Rarity's parents. That would solve a lot of problems, although it was unreasonable, and murder. She could mail the school and tell them that Rarity was a runaway criminal, and they wouldn't accept her... but then again, it was a school for the misbehaved. Which, raised a question from Applejack:

"Why in Equestria did they decide to send you to a behavioral school?" she asked, looking at Rarity, who seemed considerably stressed.

"Because they simply hate me, darling!" Rarity said, frazzled and manic, as she smoothed down her starting-to-kink hair and tried to manage her appearance and stress, pulling herself together. "They want me to suffer!"

Applejack got up and hugged her girlfriend, Rarity accepting the embrace as she wrapped her arms around the other girl. Applejack pulled away slowly, and narrowed the space between her and Rarity as she placed her lips gently over Rarity's, pulling her closer in as she put her hand around the back of Rarity's head, gently kissing her with love.

"I leave in a few days," Rarity sighed. "Will you help me pack?"

Applejack frowned and nodded her head. "You'll visit in the summer, right?" she asked hopefully.

Rarity nodded in response. "And I will write you every day."

Applejack smiled. "Every day?"

"Promise."

Applejack slept over that night, the two cuddling, holding each other close in Rarity's bed. It had all happened so fast; Rarity was leaving, and there was nothing Applejack could do about it. Applejack felt her blood boil towards the like of Rarity's parents, forcing her to leave and go off to a place that she's never called home before.

If only this night could last forever.

Applejack sighed, as she drifted off to sleep.