Party Time
A Fanfiction
Applejack trotted into the barn of Sweet Apple Acres and placed herself on her flank, and leaned against a bale of hay. "Ahh..."
She'd been combing the Apple Orchard that afternoon, looking for any unripened apples that had accidentally gotten knocked off the tree, or fallen off on their own, and she was pooped. She loved her work on Sweet Apple Acres about as much as anypony could love their job, though it did leave her feeling tired at the end of the day. Not that it was not an altogether unwanted feeling. It left her refreshed mentally, and exhausted physically, which made it very easy for her to get a good night's sleep.
"Oh! This mud... it is dreadful... Applejack! Applejack, are you in here?"
Applejack snapped out of her short doze, and took to her hooves, stepping up to the swinging barn doors and opening the top two. "Well, howdy Rarity! Didn't think Ah'd see you out here today. We had a rainstorm yesterday and it's muddy. Well, what can Ah help ya' with?"
"Well, I just had to tell someone about this, and everyone else is busy! Rainbow Dash is clearing the skies with the other Pegasi, Fluttershy is feeding what feels like every animal in Equestria, and Pinkie and Twilight are studying party-throwing together!"
"What is there to study about that? Ah figured Pinkie Pie knew everything there was to know about parties." Applejack pondered on what part of a party Pinkie Pie didn't know about. She came to the conclusion that there wasn't a single one.
"I have no idea, I had no time to study with them! You see, my dress was chosen as THE best design this year for the Grand Galloping Gala!" Rarity nearly screamed the last part out, and caught Applejack by surprise.
"Really? That's great, Rarity!" Despite being a bit put off initially by the excitement, as she woke up a bit more, Applejack was very excited for her friend. Then, a thought occured to her. She could throw Rarity a party! Twilight and Pinkie Pie were already in one place together, so long as they were still studying, so it wouldn't be too hard to gather 'em up. "Uhh, Ah think Ah have to go, sugarcube." Applejack nodded and smiled at her friend from behind the half-closed barn door, and Rarity frowned. "But Applejack, I-!" Before she could finish the sentence, the barn door had already closed and Applejack was formulating a plan.
***
"You want to throw a party for Rarity!? Oh, what kind of party!? Is it her birthday!? Oh, no, I bet it's for being the bestest friend a pony could have! Except for Twilight... and Dashie... and..."
Applejack frowned. She now slightly questioned her decision to come here, but knew that Pinkie was definitely the best pony to ask about parties in all of Ponyville, maybe all of Equestria. "No, Pinkie Pie... It's for her dress bein' the best one that anybody submitted for the Grand Gallopin' Gala."
"Oooh! I knew it! She's the best dressmaker in all of Ponyville! Of coooouuurse she'd win the best Dress for the Grand Galloping Gala! So, you wanna throw her a party!? That's awesome!"
Applejack nodded, and looked over at Twilight Sparkle, who had sat patiently and quietly while she was explaining what was going on. "It sounds to me," Twilight spoke, cutting off Pinkie Pie before she launched into another long tirade about different types of parties and ponies, "That what you need is a couple of helping hands. I bet if you asked Rarity, she'd probably help you design the..."
Applejack quickly cut the other pony off with a sharp "No! Ah... Ah mean Ah don't want her to know. Ah want it to be a surprise."
She gave a stern nod, and an equally stern look at Pinkie Pie. "So don't go tellin' her all about it, ya' hear me?"
Pinkie Pie looked offended, but only for a split second. In a moment she was back to her usual bouncy, smily self. "Of course not, silly! That's the whole point of surprise parties!"
"Good. Now... Ah need you to teach me how to throw her a party." Applejack looked at Pinkie Pie with renewed seriousness now, something she was unsure if anyone had ever done, since the time that the Cake's had started to trust Pinkie to foalsit.
"Oh, Applejack! I know everything there is to know about parties! You've come to the right place!" Pinkie Pie's face practically lit up like a Hearthswarming Eve fireplace. Applejack got a sudden urge to run from the library and not look back, but she stayed. She was gonna throw Rarity the best darn party anypony had ever seen!
***
It was bright today. The sun had been scheduled to be out for the rest of the week, into the weekend, so that the ground could harden again. It would be harvest season in just a couple of weeks, but Applejack didn't have the harvest on her mind for once.
"So, lemmie get this straight... We have to put streamers that match her coat and her mane...?"
"Yeah! Of course! I mean, duh! That's like Party 101!"
"Right..."
Applejack was not getting a few things stuck in her mind, and it was Pinkie's sworn duty to help her friend learn what she needed and more about parties. "Oh, look! Hi Rarity! We're just planning your sup- Mnn! Mff!"
The left hoof that had only half a second before sat on the ground was now blocking Pinkie's mouth. "Oh! Hi Rarity! How are you? We're not doin' anything! Nothin' at all! We're just takin' yer average stroll through Ponyville. Yup!"
Rarity blinked, and gave the two ponies a wary and confused look. "Alright... if you say so...?" She then trotted off, as dignified as anypony could be in the face of such weirdness. "I swear, that Applejack..."
Applejack's hoof removed from Pinkie's mouth. "Hey! Applejack! That was rude! You shouldn't just go shoving your hooves into another ponies mouth!"
Pinkie apparently only had the ability to stay sulky for a few moments, because just like before, she was bouncing in place. "So, what are we going to do now?!"
"Well, Ah think you should go get everything in the Barn ready. I'll go talk with Rarity and bring her there when you guys gimmie the signal, Ahlright?"
"Sounds like a plan! I'll send Dashie to get you when everything's all ready!"
"Ahlright, Pinkie Pie."
Applejack hoped that everything would go as She, Pinkie, and Twilight had planned.
***
Rarity gave Applejack her third confused look of the day. "Let me get this straight. You want to... take me to Sweet Apple Acres... for Dinner?"
She had laughed at Applejack for a good ten seconds before she realized the pony was serious. "I guess it couldn't cause any harm... What did you say it was about again?"
"Ah wanna take you to celebrate your dress bein' picked, Rarity. Is that so odd?"
"Well, you've just been acting... weird, today, Applejack."
"Ah'm just excited for ya', sugar cube."
"Well, alright then... What the hay, I guess it could be fun."
In her mind, Applejack High-Hoofed Twilight. It had been her idea to suggest having something to eat. The two ponies had left Rarity's shop and were now slowly trotting toward the Barn where the surprise party had been planned by Pinkie almost entirely. Applejack gave up trying to do things almost the second she started attempting to do things. "No no, Applejack! You have to hang up the streamers like this!" and "No! You have to make sure that the balloons are more even! You don't want to maroon the balloons!" It was at this point that Pinkie had erupted into song, and Applejack had stopped paying attention, and spoken with Twilight. Now she was on her way back, and she was hoping Pinkie wasn't STILL singing.
The original plan for Rainbow Dash to give Applejack to stop stalling Rarity hadn't been necessary. A lot of busier ponies in Ponyville, and the ones with the keenest fashion senses, had all gone to Rarity's to talk to her, and buy a dress. Applejack had arrived at her shop when the last of the crowd was dissipating.
"So... Did you have anything in mind for dinner, Applejack...?"
Rarity had seemed nervous and a bit jumpy the whole walk toward Sweet Apple Acres. "Well, Ah was thinkin' we could have some apple pie, and maybe some apple fritter. We could always finish off with a little apple cake if you want."
"Apple cake? I hear Pinkie Pie's apple cake is to die for. I've never actually had it, come to think of it... Do you think we could go get some of that if we're not too full?"
"That sounds ahlright to me, sugar cube."
***
"Surprise!"
Practically everypony in Ponyville, definitely all of Rarity's friends, had shown up to the party. They all lept out of their hiding places in the Barn, and had given Rarity a very pleasant shock. Pinkie Pie, predictably enough, had yelled the loudest, and fallen from her place in the loft. She was without a single scratch, though.
"Rarity! Were you surprised? Huh? Did you expect that we had a surprise party for you!?"
Pinkie Pie was rapid fire as always. The party was a blast. Everypony had a great time, and they had some of the most delicious apple treats. There was no reason not to eat some, because the Harvest itself would more than make up for the extra.
At the end of the evening, as Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy were all still cleaning up the Barn. It was only fair that everyone pitch in to help Applejack clean the place up. Rarity was especially helpful that evening, claiming that since it had been everyone's job putting it all together, she should at least help clean it all up.
After everything was swept up and most of the ponies had gone home to get some much-needed rest, Rarity and Applejack sat alone. They were just straightening up the last of the hay. "Applejack..."
"What is it, sugar cube?"
Applejack trotted a bit over to her, and tilted her head. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."
"Aw, shucks, it wasn't a big deal, Rarity. You were excited about yer dress gettin' picked an' I just wanted to show you that I was happy for ya'."
"I really do appreciate it, Applejack. Tell me, why did you keep it so secretive? I mean, besides wanting it to be a surprise party."
"Aw, I don't know. I guess I just wanted you to be as happy as possible, and not worry about nothin'."
"Thank you, Applejack. Just, next time, you can tell me that there's something you can't tell me, instead of being so secretive. I..."
"Err... What was that?"
"Nothing, Applejack. Thank you again."
"You're very welcome, Rarity."
The two ponies smiled at each other, and then Rarity gave Applejack a big hug, and mumbled something that Applejack couldn't understand. "Sugar cube, you gotta stop mumblin' if you want me to be able to hear ya'."
"I'll... see you tomorrow, Applejack."
And with that, a smile, and a wave of her hoof, Rarity trotted off. Applejack stared for a moment and laughed. "Boy, that pony's got one heckuva flank." And then gave another giggle, before turning and trotting out of the Barn herself, shutting the door quietly.
