I Have Promises to Keep...
Applejack. A simple, humble, honest Earth pony, who had a strong sense of family and was always working hard to support them and support Ponyville with her stock-in-trade: apples and apple products.
Rarity. An elegant and generous unicorn pony who always made sure to keep up appearances, working hard to provide ponies with the best clothing they could ask for, as her stock-in-trade was fashion.
These two mares, although different in many ways, were the best of friends. Each one always helped the other out whenever she needed it, even if it wasn't in her expertise. They had been through many adventures, through thick and thin, through ups and downs. They were about as attached to the hip as a pair of friends could get.
So it was only natural that one would have concern for the other, in particular regards to her health.
Her white hooves made their way across dirt. Her mane and tail bounced with every step she took. Her azure eyes gazed at all of the trees, some full of apples, some completely void of apples. Pink saddlebags, each bag with a blue diamond buckle on it, hung from her back. She hummed a rather pleasant tune as she took in the sights of the area, relishing the cool breeze that flowed through her mane.
A large red barn came up on the horizon, slowly but surely, and the white mare's eyes began searching for that orange Earth pony, her best friend, her trusted confidante. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found, at least not in the immediate vicinity.
As she began to look around for somepony to ask about the orange mare's whereabouts, she heard a loud crack from her left. She swiveled her head, and sure enough, there was the orange mare herself, watching as apples spilled from the tree she had just bucked into two adjacent buckets.
"Oh, Applejack, darling!" The white mare waved a hoof in greeting, beginning to head over to her friend. However, said friend didn't so much as flinch. Instead, her head began to droop, her brown hat somehow miraculously staying on her head.
The white mare picked up her pace to a slow trot, her expression one of worry as she hurried over to Applejack. Once she had reached her intended destination, she slowly placed a hoof on the Earth pony's shoulder. "Applejack?"
"Wh-huh?! Who's there?!" She startled awake, her sap-green eyes darting back and forth. "You varmints better not be messin' with-"
"Relax! It's only me."
She blinked. "R-Rarity?"
"That's my name, darling. Don't wear it out."
Applejack let out a groan as she rubbed her head. "Don't tell me ah fell asleep again..."
"It sure looked like it. I was quite worried there for a second." Rarity blinked. "Working hard, I presume?"
"Yup. Gotta get this entire field harvested."
"Isn't your family helping you?"
Applejack shook her head. "Granny Smith's away on business. Big Mac's doin' a delivery in Fillydelphia. And Apple Bloom's just too darn busy with her Crusader duties." She made her way over to one of the buckets, maneuvering it up onto her back.
As if on instinct, Rarity moved to the other basket, using her magic to levitate it.
"Now what in tarnation do you think yer doin'?"
"Helping you out, of course."
"And who said ah needed help?"
"Well, you certainly aren't going to finish in your current state."
Applejack's vision began to grow hazy as Rarity's figure became blurred. She squinted in an attempt to restore her vision to some semblance of normalcy, but alas, she was far too exhausted.
"Come, darling. Let's put these apples away and chat for a little while, hmm?"
It was at that moment that the orange Earth pony felt her legs begin to wobble, as though they had suddenly been turned into jelly. She closed her eyes tight, attempting to scrabble for any willpower that might have remained in her body. But just like her vision, there was hardly any to go around. Although she was rather stubborn when it came to accepting help or giving up, she had to admit that she was close to conceding.
Besides, these apples had to be stored away eventually. And she needed to get extra baskets for the next couple trees.
Letting out a heavy sigh, she began trudging over to the barn, slowly but surely. Rarity followed her, allowing her to lead the way without saying a word.
Once the two mares got to the barn, they each set down their respective bin of apples. Applejack in particular took off for the pile of empty buckets that sat in the corner once the load on her back was relieved, which Rarity opened her mouth to object to before closing it, realizing that trying to talk her out of retrieving more buckets was only going to be met with more opposition. So, she tried a different approach.
"Applejack...why don't we take a break? You've been working awfully hard, and a break would be good for you to-"
"Ah don't need a break, Rare." the farmer snapped, fixing her friend with a deep glare before shifting her gaze back to the buckets as she began to grab some and stack them by placing them inside each other. "Ah need t' get this harvest done, and ah'm the only pony that can do it."
This was met with a disbelieving scoff. "Now that's just nonsense!" She waved a hoof dismissively. "Besides, I want to talk with you."
"Well can'tcha talk t' me...while ah'm workin'?" Applejack maneuvered the stack of five buckets on her back, her legs continuing to wobble as she made her way outside, Rarity following her all the while.
"No! I want to talk when you're not so-"
All of a sudden, AJ was falling down, down, down. Her face collided with dirt as the buckets were sent flying and rolled along the ground a little ways, as did her hat.
"Applejack, darling! Are you all right?" Rarity was quick to tend to her friend, rushing to her side and looking her over. She realized that she had been so concerned with Applejack's work on the farm that she never noticed just how ragged the orange mare looked until now. Marks covered her entire body like somepony had played Tic-Tac-Toe using her body as a board. Individual hairs were sticking out of her mane and tail. Bags sat under her eyes. She looked about as clean as somepony who had trotted out of a cave after living in there for a year. It was a hideous sight to the normally-hygienic Rarity, who let out a surprised gasp.
"Ah'm...fine..." Applejack's voice was completely devoid of life, her exhaustion finally catching up to her. In spite of this, however, she attempted to stand up, using that last bit of willpower to, at the very least, get into a standing position.
"No, you're not!" Rarity's voice, on the other hoof, was almost a shriek, stamping her hoof on the ground to punctuate the contrary. At this point, she was begging her friend not to try and ambulate, to save her energy and admit defeat in the war with her own body.
Unfortunately, Applejack wasn't about to quit just yet. The farmer pony lifted a hoof ever so slowly, her blurry vision aimed at the brown blob sitting in the middle of the pathway -- her hat, she had to assume, seeing as how she didn't feel anything sitting on her head, but who could tell?
"Applejack!" Rarity knew she had to do something before her friend came tumbling down again like a stack of toy blocks. Without thinking, she slipped her head under her stomach and gave it a thrust upwards, sending the orange mare flying a little ways before falling on Rarity's back horizontally, the same way her saddlebags were.
Which proved to be a little detrimental since Rarity was most likely to be a pony who sat on other ponies' backs, not the other way around.
"What...in the name of..." Applejack attempted to swivel her head to see what hard surface she was laying on, but her eyes began closing involuntarily before she could attempt to get a decent, albeit blurry, look.
Her own legs quivered under the weight, but unlike Applejack's, she was eventually able to stand up straight. It didn't mean her spine suffered any less, though, as she slowly trudged her way towards the side of the barn, hoping that she wouldn't end up collapsing herself.
Grunting with every hoofstep she took, she eventually made it to her intended destination after what had felt like a moon or two. "Can you...get down?"
No answer. Rarity sighed as she tilted to her left, allowing Applejack to spill onto the ground, but this only served to take Rarity down as well. Once the load of both pony and saddlebag were off of her back, she stood up, brushing the dirt and grass off her legs.
"Rarity..."
"Shh. Don't speak, darling. Just listen." The white unicorn mare sat down, closing her eyes and giving a deep breath, in and out, as her lungs were filled with the fresh cool breeze. It made her feel as light as a Pegasus in that moment, soaring through the air with mighty beats of their wings.
"Now, I understand you work hard for the sake of your family. For the sake of your friends. For the sake of Ponyville, and all of Equestria. But you simply must know your limits." Her eyes spotted a small trio of birds flying overhead. "Believe me, I can sympathize. I too work hard on my fashions and designs, making sure that each client is satisfied, nothing more and nothing less. But the difference...is that I know when to stop." She didn't take note of whether Applejack was listening or whether she had completely tuned her out just from exhaustion, instead continuing to lecture her friend.
"As much as I would love to work nonstop, we ponies need breaks every now and then. Sometimes, taking breaks allows you to see your work from a different angle. A fresh view, if you will. And if you go too long without a break, then quality declines. As a fashion designer, I cannot accept any decline in quality!" She once again stomped her hoof on the ground to punctuate her sentence. "And as a farmer, you cannot accept any decline in quality either. This work is far too much for one pony to handle on her own. Did you forget that one Applebuck Season?" Rarity certainly didn't -- she remembered all too well what pandemonium Applejack had caused due to her exhaustion and stubbornness to accept help from her friends, until she had conceded to Twilight and allowed her, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to help her out with the rest of the harvesting.
"I had originally come here to get some design ideas from you...apple-related ones, of course." Rarity chuckled. "I certainly didn't expect to find you like this. But I'm glad I did."
Her words were only met with more silence.
"Applejack, you are a near and dear friend to me. I simply hate to see you in such a wretched state." She stood up. "Please, get some rest. I will help you out. It is the least I can do."
As she dropped her saddlebags onto the ground, her gaze shifted over to Applejack, who stayed deathly still save for the rise and fall of her stomach. A warm smile formed as she came to the conclusion that Applejack had gone right to sleep before she had even begun to speak.
She began to make her way towards the unfinished fields, spotting Applejack's hat still lying in the pathway heading towards the barn doors. Her horn lit up with cornflower-blue magic, and the hat was soon surrounded in an aura of the same color before it moved quickly towards the sleeping orange Earth pony and landed almost perfectly atop her head. Rarity released her magic on it, the warm smile staying everlasting on her face. She then used her magic once more on the five buckets that were scattered throughout the area, levitating them as her hooves again took her towards the apple fields with trees that had yet to be bucked.
A mighty yawn let loose from Applejack's maw as she stretched her body out. It didn't take long for her to begin feeling a throbbing sensation in her head, and she winced slightly at the pain.
Her line of sight now free and clear of any blurriness, she scanned the area. Most everything looked the same as when she had started her work, although she wasn't sure what exactly had happened. What she did know, however, was that it was almost completely dark.
Standing up, she was surprised by her muscles actually working as intended, and her legs no longer wobbled. She began heading back towards where she had paused her work, but not before her hoof met something lying on the ground, making a crinkling noise in the process.
"Huh? What's this?" She picked up the pink paper and opened it, reading what was inside out loud.
Dearest Applejack,
I am not quite sure if you entirely remember what transpired here several hours ago. You were being rather oppositional about it, but after much insistence, you finally got a good rest.
Seeing as how you still had plenty of work to do, I went ahead and took the liberty of clearing the rest of the field for you. I hope you don't mind, darling, but as I said, one pony cannot handle such a big job on her own. And after all, we're best friends. Friends help each other out, no?
If ever you need more help, just stop by the Carousel Boutique. I may have some time on my hooves. Oh, who am I kidding? I'll always have time on my hooves for a friend.
Yours truly,
Rarity
P.S.: The apples I picked are in the barn. And please, do stop by my boutique soon. I'm counting on you for those apple clothing designs, darling!
Applejack's eyes widened as she raced over to the orchard where she had last been working. Sure enough, most every tree had been bucked clean -- or in Rarity's case, perhaps it was magic that did the trick.
"Rarity...really did all this?" The farmer could feel her eyes begin to water. Under normal circumstances, she would be marching herself over to the Canterlot Boutique and banging on the door, demanding to know why Rarity went against her request to not help her out and scolding her for touching her apples without her permission.
But this was no normal circumstance.
A small smile made its way onto her face as she began running. Running away from the farm, running away from the place where she collapsed from exhaustion, running away from her work. It felt great to be able to run, let alone ambulate, once again without any struggle, and she relished the exhilarating feeling that coursed through her body as she made her way into the sleepy town of Ponyville. Ponies who were on the streets stopped to turn and stare at the speeding Earth pony, with some giving irritated cries of "Hey, watch where you're going!" Applejack, in turn, gave quick apologies as she continued her sprint towards her destination.
Meanwhile, Rarity was happily humming away, her ears being filled with the sound of the sewing machine whirring as it created stitches in fabric. She was lucky that her little sister was still away on Crusader business -- it gave her plenty of time to be productive and to "get into the zone", as it were.
However, her concentration was soon interrupted by loud knocking that could not be ignored. Sighing, she turned off the machine, stood up, and began making her way downstairs. "Coooo-miiiiing!" she called in singsong, wondering if it was the start of the "sunset rush" of customers she would often get.
She opened the door using her magic, the bell above tinkling a warm and welcoming tune as her eyes landed upon the pony who was standing in front of her.
"Applejack?"
"Howdy, Rarity. Y' mind if ah come inside?"
"N-no, not at all, darling."
She was taken aback by the sight of her best friend at the door. Although she had written in her note that she wanted AJ to come and see her, she certainly didn't expect it to be on a same-day basis.
Applejack stepped inside, taking in the sights of the clothing that scattered the place. Neatly, of course, as dresses hung on racks and various articles were put on mannequins. She had to admit, it was a nice change of pace from the farm.
"Is there somewhere we can sit and talk?"
"Of course. Just follow me."
Hoofsteps echoed through the boutique as the two mares went upstairs and entered a dimly-lit room. Using her magic once again, Rarity turned on the lights, revealing a rather large pile of chairs in every shape and size.
"Now why...exactly...do ya have all these chairs?"
At this, Rarity gave a small, almost dismissive laugh. "You wouldn't believe how often chairs around here break. If it isn't due to Sweetie Belle's antics, then it's due to how flimsy and how poorly designed they are." She scoffed. "Honestly, my job does require a lot of sitting and there are plenty of jobs like that as well. One would think that ponies would design more suitable chairs, but they-"
An "ahem" from Applejack brought the unicorn mare back to her senses. "Oh, yes, um, so sorry. There should be two set up behind the pile."
Once the two mares settled comfortably in their chairs, Rarity decided to take initiative. "How are you feeling, darling?"
"Ah'm all right, now that ah got some sleep." Applejack smiled. "But, uhh...ah got yer note."
"Oh, you did? Goodness, you're not mad at me, are you? I really was just trying to help and I-"
"Save it." Applejack held up a hoof to stop her before she could get very far. "Ah know what you were doin'. You finished my work for me because you thought ah was too tired t' continue, huh?"
"Well...yes. But you collapsed, Applejack. There was no way you were going to be able to finish the rest of the field the way you were."
A sigh escaped Applejack's lips. "Ah know. Ah heard yer entire lecture."
"Really? But- but I thought you were asleep!"
"Ah was. But your words came shinin' through like a beam of sunlight. And...you're right." Applejack smiled. "Ah never should've pushed you away, Rare. Ah should've known my limits better. Guess I did forget that one Applebuck Season."
Rarity felt her cheeks grow red as her eyes began to shimmer.
"Thank you. For harvestin' the rest of the field. Ah appreciate it."
It was then that Applejack hopped off of her chair and sat on her hind legs, her front legs splayed out as though measuring with her own hooves how long the horizon was. Rarity, in turn, hopped off of her own chair and went in for a hug, feeling the same way Pinkie Pie did whenever she did that little "balloon flying" trick she often performed when she wanted to fly but had no natural means to.
"But...you did mean it, right? When you said you have some free time on your hooves?"
"Ohh, but of course, darling. All you must do is ask."
"Good. 'Cause ah gotta harvest one more orchard tomorrow, and ah could use all the help ah can get."
"You've got it. Perhaps we should see if the rest of the girls are free tomorrow as well...the more hooves, the merrier, after all."
"Great idea!"
A brief hearty laugh was shared among the two friends before Applejack's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, you said you wanted me t' stop by t' give you ideas?"
"Yes, yes. I'm planning on creating a new line of clothing inspired by fruit, and I could certainly use your help with the apple portion."
"Y' mean all fruit? Why not just apples?"
"Because I don't want to be so restrictive!" Rarity waved a hoof in dismissal. "I want this line to have variety. Not everypony likes apples, you know."
"You don't mean tha-"
Applejack paused, then let out another hearty laugh. "All right, all right. I'll make an exception this one time. For a friend."
"Wonderful! Follow me and I'll show you what I have so far."
For the rest of the night, the two mares chatted about apples, fashion, and apples wearing fashionable clothing as Applejack shared her ideas with Rarity. In return, Rarity promised to let Applejack be the first pony to try an article of clothing in the line.
As the door to the boutique closed, Applejack looked to the bright white moon that hung high in the sky. A mighty yawn escaped her maw, and she began to feel rather tired from her night in with a best friend. Taking to the streets once more, she plodded back to Sweet Apple Acres through the quiet, darkened town of Ponyville, knowing that Big Mac and Apple Bloom were waiting for her back at the barn. Although she wanted to tell them all about her day, she decided that rest was more important right now.
After all, she had more work to do in the morning, seven ponies willing and ready to help, and a lesson that would stick with her until the end of her days.
"Sometimes, taking breaks allows you to see your work from a different angle. A fresh view, if you will."
Author's Note
I didn't expect this to become as long as it is. I had already written an Odd Squad story based on Sweet Dreams a couple years back that was more or less a copy-and-paste of the original, but I decided to try my hand at writing an MLP one instead that was far more elaborate and differential. Hopefully I at least did a decent job. I tried at least!
